THE DIFFERENCE—Deuteronomy 13:1-5
Not of no consequence but powerfully delusive.
A large company offers to fly Bob out to a meeting business class.
During the return flight they were given gourmet brownies and cookies. Not hungry, Bob decides to save them for later, so he places them in an air sickness bag.
After the plane landed bob gets up to leave and a stewardess approaches him. She asks, "Sir, would you like for me to dispose of that for you?"
Bob says, "No thanks, I’m saving it for my kids."
The truth can sometimes be elusive BUT we can know the difference.
Need:
David Blain—Street magic
John Edward—Psychic—hears the dead— “Crossing Over”
Chloe—Tarot readings
Oprah—Prophetess of human spirit.
Are they real?...
There is a qualified difference in proclaimers of truth.
Moses made Israel responsible for recognizing & removing false messengers.
Israel was responsible for the recognition & removal of false messengers.
God’s people are responsible for the recognition & removal of false messengers.
How are God’s people to recognize & remove/influence false messengers?
4 keys for recognition & removal/influence of false messengers.
1—The key to truth is the Difference in
PROPHETS & DREAMERS(:1-2)
:1—“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
“Prophet”—Public proclaimer of past/present/future events.
“Dreamer”—Visions—Recipient of information outside common human experience.
“Dreams”—mysterious means of revelations.
Prophet of God—Proclaimer of God’s truth.
Dreamer of God—Joseph—Gen. 37:2-11; 40:1-23; 41:1-9, 14, 25-37
Cornelius—Acts 10:1-8—Send for Simon Peter
Peter—Acts 10:9-20—Sheet, 28—Meets Cornelius, 34-35—Every nation welcome
“Arises among you”—Gains a hearing/authority/notoriety or becomes established/powerful among God’s holy people.
“Gives you a sign or wonder”—Presents a genuinly miraculous occurrance proving/testifying to/ a supernatural gift/talent/ability.
:2—“and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’”
“Go after”—Walk behind looking to the “other gods” as leader.
“Whom you have not known”—
“Serve”—Work or labor for; Subject to.
John Edward—Without ‘specifically’ saying so, he calls us to other gods.
2—The key to truth is the Difference in
SIGNS & WONDERS(:1-2)
:1—“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
:2—“and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’”
“Sign”—Distinguishing mark, Signal
?What is Distinguished...What is Signaled?
“Wonder”—tpwm—Special display of power.
?What is ‘Wonderous’ & What Power is displayed?
Mat. 24:23-24—of Future Great Tribulation—“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
1Jn. 4:1-6—“1 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; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
*?Do Signs & Wonders cause you to Doubt Christ?
?You Testing the spirits or Deceived by them?
3—The key to truth is the Difference in
HEARTS(:3-4)
:3—“you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
“Testing you”—Js. 1:13-15—“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
“Love”—Appetite for; Desire for.
“Heart”— “mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory; inclination, resolution, determination (of will); conscience; heart (of moral character) as seat of appetites; as seat of emotions and passions.’
“Soul”—Essence or Inner being; Guider of the heart.
:4—“You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”
*?Are you still looking for something better than Jesus?...
4—The key to truth is the Difference in
RESPONSES(:3a, 5)
:3—“you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
“Listen/hearken”—Heed or Take to heart
:5—“But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”
“Put to Death”— Executed; Willfully disposed of thru the state.
We are not of the ‘nation’ Israel but we are the body of Christ. We are not to allow false prophets/dreamers to work from inside the Body.
“Counseled Rebellion”—Spoken Apostasy/Defection/ Withdrawal from God.
*?What is your RESPONSE to the difference?
—CONCLUSION:
?You recognize truth in Christ?—?See the Difference?
Action:
The key to truth is the Difference in...
PROPHETS & DREAMERS
SIGNS & WONDERS
HEARTS
RESPONSES
CHILDREN’S— ‘More Than Air’
2 Balloons; 1 filled with helium; 1 filled with air.
What is the biggest Difference in these two balloons?
We too can be filled with more than air.—the Spirit makes a noticable Difference.
Presented 08/26/01am to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
