"Prophets and Prophecy"
Romans 12:6
We have been putting all the puzzle pieces together of those believers in Christ who are called out of the world, to live and serve together for the Lord Jesus while they are IN THE WORLD. That’s us! Last week we looked at the biblical teaching of being “One Body in Christian Community”. As believers, we are called to exist in this world, NOT APART from other Christians, but united in purpose and mission. Just like our individual Bodies have many parts which function in unity together, this part of God’s Body here in this local part of God’s Church functions in harmony together through the Power of the Holy Spirit, under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ as Head, and under God’s authoritative Word, for HIS GLORY.
Jesus gave His life (his Physical Body) for each individual in this Body, and we are called to respond by offering OUR individual bodies, as parts of the local Body of Christ, who meet in this place for the purpose of serving God, this Body, and others.
We looked at that in Romans 12:1-3: 1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think ; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
The Church, the Body of Christ is not some “vague ambiguity” out there somewhere. It is not some mysterious or imaginative spiritual concept; the Church (with a capital “C”) certainly is not a building. Part of the Church is the LOCAL VISIBLE Body of Christ in this world. It’s US! According to our SECRET CHURCH studies on the Body of Christ for the last 5 weeks on Wed. and Thurs., MEMBERSHIP with a local body of believers is not commanded but strongly IMPLIED in scripture, and it is ASSUMED and it’s OBVIOUS that believers are bound together in Service to Our Savior, to the body and to others.
Romans 12: 4-5: “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
WE NEED EACH OTHER here in the Church, the Church NEEDS you and YOU NEED the CHURCH. If you realize this, and obey God’s Will for the Local Church, then you will be contributing to the healthy Body of Christ, and not causing a handicapped body.
Today we look at Romans 12:6 (but I’ll read 6-8):
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,(today) each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving ; or he who teaches, in his teaching ; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality ; he who leads, with diligence ; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
How Important is God’s Grace?
How absolutely amazing is God’s Grace! How important is God’s Grace to us? We are indebted to God’s Grace for every good thing that we have and enjoy. The Greek word for grace is Charis. God saves us by His unmerited Grace, (Charis). He saves us NOT BECAUSE WE ARE GOOD, but because HE ALONE IS GOOD.
Then by His Grace equips us with GIFTS OF HIS GRACE- He gives us spiritual gifts to serve His Body for whom He died- He gives “Charisma”, in the Greek. He gives us gifts to serve each other, and to serve Him. Giftedness is ONLY a result of His Grace being given to us.
That is why we can’t help ourselves in service to the Body of Christ, as we overflow with thankfulness and gratitude, “Eu-charis-tia” (Gr.), to God. Col. 2:7: “Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude” (eucharistia.) God’s GRACE is the Basis of our Lives, our Gifts, and our gratitude. We will be looking at the seven spiritual gifts, “charisma”, of Romans 12 over the next few weeks.
Prophets and Prophecy
What about Prophets and Prophecy? What does it mean to prophesy? The Greek word for prophesy simply means to “speak forth” and to “proclaim publicly”. The gift it was primarily a gift of proclamation, of “forth-telling,” not prediction or “fore-telling.” What have Godly prophets proclaimed? The WORD of God. In the Old Testament much, but not all of the words of God’s true prophets are recorded. One of the gifts or callings of God in the Old Testament was to be a “Prophet”, a proclaimer or herald of God’s Words. That calling for most of the prophets resulted in extreme persecution, and often death. True prophets have always been persecuted because they point unholy people to repentance to the one true Holy God. Prophets were never popular “people pleasers” but God-pleasers.
Probably the best Biblical description of prophecy is in 1 Corinthians 14:3: “But one who prophesies speaks to men (AND women) for edification,(building up) exhortation (word here, “Paraklesis”, contains the word describing the Holy Spirit, the one who CALLS us, PERSUADES us and walks BESIDE us) and consolation.” (a calming and comforting)
The MESSAGE of the Prophet of God has not really changed that much. In the Old Testament the message was: “Turn to God in repentance. Turn from your sin. Trust in God alone to save you from your sinful selves and ways. Look to God for Mercy and Grace. God is going to send a Savior in whom you should trust”. Their message was about the future Savior. The message of the New Testament is basically the same: Turn to God for forgiveness and life in the Lord Jesus Christ ALONE because the Savior has come and HE IS COMING AGAIN.
The Apostles were eyewitnesses of the Savior who had come and God used their testimony of Jesus: They were able to exclaim that they had SEEN the Savior. They saw Him die. Along with hundreds of others, they had seen Him after He had risen. The accuracy of their testimony was revealed in their performance of some of the very miracles that Jesus, Himself, had done.
One example is in Acts 17:”And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." 4 And some of them were persuaded.”
Now, here is a Bible trivial question: Who was the GREATEST PROPHET to ever walk on this earth? Not Moses, not Aaron, not Isaiah or John the Baptist. Not Paul. But THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. He walked this earth and SAID I AM the Way. I AM the Truth. I AM the only way to the Father. I am the Savior. I AM THE VERY WORD of God who has come in the Flesh. I AM the LIVING WORD. I AM SALVATION from God, come down out of Heaven. BELIEVE IN ME as your Savior and LORD! In MY WORDS you will have life!
Jesus prayer in John 17:3 reflects the same: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Jesus Himself instructed us in Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus was and is the greatest Prophet because He is the very Fulfillment of every promise and prophecy.
Today’s Prophecy is Spirit-prompted and rooted solely in revealed scripture. It is NOT NEW REVELATION and it does not have equal authority with God’s Word. Today’s Prophecy is proclaiming the FAITH of Christ. It does not tell the future, but teaches us to turn TO and trust IN God for salvation and for life in Christ because it is HE who HOLDS the future.
False prophets will appeal to the flesh and to the earthly. Today, true prophets point to the authority of God’s Word because OUR WORDS are fallible; We are human mouth pieces which are NOT perfect, but God’s Word is infallible. Our perception and interpretation of His Word is not always infallible. Our interpretation is not flawless.
I love Hebrews 1:1-3 (which we studied Christmas Eve): “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”
We prophesy according to the faith that has been given to us. That is proclaimed in God’s Word, and set by the apostles. Jude 1:3 says “that you contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all handed down to the saints.” We also do so with the measure of faith, in other words, according to the ability which God has given us. THIS spiritual gift is especially given to the body of Christ, so that we are built up, but outside of this body, the gift that God supplies HERE should be edifying each and every one of us to testify OUT THERE that Jesus is Lord.
Today’s Prophecy should motivate you to witness to the Word while IN the WORLD: That Jesus has died for your sins. That He has risen for your justification. That He has given you new life and that you KNOW He is coming again…and that He is deserving of the glory of your life…the sacrifice of your life…that you want everyone that you know, love, care about…and even those YOU DON’T CARE about…to know the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Cautions and Responsibilities
We close with these two Primary CAUTIONS (OR RESPONSIBILITIES) concerning Prophecy. I studied EVERY different opinion on “Prophecy” and I found that no matter what your individual “interpretation” in on the subject, THESE TWO CAUTIONS were COMMON in all trains of thought. The words of 2 Peter 2:1 warn us: “But false prophets also arose among the people (that was Old Testament), just as there will also be false teachers among you,(that is New Testament) who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
So what do we do as believers in Christ? 1 John 4:1-3 tells us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God ; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God ; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” So first of all, always Test what you hear. BE CAUTIOUS. Prove it. See if it's good. We are not mindless when we come to Jesus in faith. We are being transformed by the renewing of our minds, by Word and Spirit. We USE our minds to test what we hear.
“Christians are to be very wary of those who claim to have a “new” message from God. It is one thing to say, “I had an interesting dream last night.” However, it is quite another matter to say, “God gave me a dream last night, and you must obey it.” No utterance of man should be considered equal to or above the written Word. We must hold to the Word that God has already given and commit ourselves to sola scriptura — Scripture alone.” (S. Michael Houdmann)
The way we prove if prophecy is genuine is to Be Constant to Compare what we hear to accuracy with the BIBLE. What we teach and preach should always be in agreement with God’s Word. How you act, react, interact, live, and what you believe is also based on God’s Word alone, not on how you “FEEL” nor what you “experience”. I have days when I “FEEL” horrible, but that doesn’t change the Biblical facts about God and my standing before Him, IN CHRIST.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21:” See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit ; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” (implying that not everything will be good.)
In Acts 17:11, concerning the Bereans, Paul said: “For they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures DAILY to see whether these things were so.” I wonder if you would each take that challenge, too. In the days and weeks ahead, examine God’s Word daily. Examine your heart. Rededicate your life as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. And Pray for God to reveal His spiritual gift which He wants you to exercise, and then EXERCISE it to the glory of His name and the building up His Kingdom and of this Body. Amen.
OUTLINE: INTRO: How important is Grace?
1. God’s Grace to us: “Charis“ (Eph 28-10)
2. God’s Gifts to us: “Charis-ma” (Rom 12:5-6)
3. Our Gratitude TO God overflows with “Eu-charis-tia”. (Col. 2:7)
I. Prophets and Prophecy
1. A God-given gift to “proclaim publicly” God’s Word. (1 Cor. 14:3)
2. The Message of the Prophet: (Acts 17:2-4)
Turn to God for forgiveness and life in Jesus alone.
3. The Greatest Prophet ever to live: JESUS (John 17:3, Matt. 5:17)
4. Today’s Prophecy is Spirit-prompted and rooted in the Word. (Heb 1:1-3, Jude 1:3)
5. Today’s Prophecy should motivate you to witness to the Word.
II. Two Primary CAUTIONS concerning Prophecy.
1. Always Test what you hear. (2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1-3)
2. Be Constant to Compare with the BIBLE. (1 Thess. 5:19-21 Acts 17:11 )
