The Gift of Prophecy
Notes
Transcript
Rapid-Fire Recap
Rapid-Fire Recap
Who is the head of the church? Jesus Christ
Which gifts does Romans 12 list?
Prophecy (forth-telling)
Ministry (serving / helps)
Teaching
Exhortation (encouragement)
Giving
Ruling (administration)
Mercy
This list is in order of how the gifts of the Spirit appear in Romans 12. What would change if they were placed in order of importance? pmtegrmriexiueonahvlrpicoiichshrnnyetitggcritcrnayygion
This is every letter of every one of the words that are in the list put together in a weird order. In this case, not one gift is listed first, nor is there even one identifiable from the others. The point is, none of these gifts are more or less important than the others.
True of False: God gives gifts to the saved and unsaved alike. False
What are some things that we discussed that will help us to better recognize and use our gifts? What needs to happen before we can know what gift(s) God has given us? We need to be saved first, have the Holy Spirit. We need to have a close walk with the Lord. We need to be surrendered to His will.
Are there any questions or comments before we jump into our session today?
Alright, our verse today is found in Romans 12:6
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
The Gift of Prophecy
The Gift of Prophecy
As we go through the gifts of the Spirit, we will cover three things for each one.
What is the gift?
What are the characteristics of that gift?
What are the dangers of that gift?
Remember that the dangers of a gift will only present themselves when we attempt to use those gifts under our own strength and wisdom instead of using them out of a place of submission to the Holy Spirit.
So let’s talk about prophecy. When you hear the word “prophecy,” what comes to mind?
For me, it is normally a prophet, predicting future events, and this is the way that we see the word prophesy being used in the Old Testament. We see a little of this in the New Testament, but the words translated from the Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) into the English word “prophecy” actually have different meanings.
The Hebrew word for prophet means “a prediction.”
The Greek word for prophecy means “to speak forth or declare the divine will of God.” While knowing something about the future may sometimes have been an aspect of the gift of prophecy, it was primarily a gift of proclamation (“forth-telling”), not prediction (“fore-telling”).
There is another passage that indicates to us the ceasing of the gift of prophecy as far as predicting the future goes. We find it in 2 Peter 2:1
2 Peter 2:1 (KJV 1900)
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
In the Old Testament there were prophets, but for the church, there would be teachers. And just like the children of Israel were to watch out for false prophets, the church would need to watch out for false teachers.
The spiritual gift of prophecy, in the sense of receiving new revelations from God to be proclaimed to others, ceased with the completion of the Bible. During the time that prophecy was a revelatory gift, it was to be used for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of men. The modern gift of prophecy, which is really more akin to teaching, still declares the truth of God. What has changed is that the truth of God today has already been fully revealed in His Word, while, in the early church, it had not yet been fully revealed.
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 Scripture alone.
What Is the Gift of Prophecy?
What Is the Gift of Prophecy?
The gift of prophecy as it pertains to revealing new and future things has ceased as has the office of the prophet. However, God has given a gift to some of His people that gives them the ability to boldly proclaim and correctly interpret God’s truth.
Someone with the gift of prophecy is one who proclaims the truth with boldness. This person has no problem expressing themselves verbally.
What Are the Characteristics of the Gift of Prophecy?
What Are the Characteristics of the Gift of Prophecy?
As we study these characteristics, we will use Peter as our primary example of someone with the gift of prophecy. There are quite a few other that we could discuss as well, and we may reference some, but primarily we will be focused on Peter throughout this session.
The person with the gift of prophecy…
The person with the gift of prophecy…
1 …Feels the need to express their ideas.
1 …Feels the need to express their ideas.
Peter was the spokesman for the disciples. Matthew 15:13-15
Matthew 15:13–15 (KJV 1900)
13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
Notice that Peter takes it upon himself to ask the question of Jesus for all the disciples that were present.
On another occasion, Jesus has just finished speaking about the cost of discipleship and how difficult it would be for a rich person to give up their riches to enter the kingdom of God. Remember that the common thought was that if you were rich, then you had were right with God, and God had blessed you because you were righteous. So if it was difficult for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, how much more difficult would it be for the disciples that had left everything to follow Jesus?
So Peter takes it upon himself to ask the question that everyone else is thinking. Matthew 19:27
27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Another passage that shows Peter speaking for the 12: John 6:67-69
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
2 ...Feels the need to express their ideas and thoughts verbally, especially in terms of good and evil.
2 ...Feels the need to express their ideas and thoughts verbally, especially in terms of good and evil.
The avenue for expressing these ideas is words.
The person with the gift of prophecy will seek to persuade people by pointing out what is good and what is evil. We find Peter doing exactly that in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:14, 22-23, 36-37
Acts 2:14–37 (KJV 1900)
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
When the people that heard Peter preach on the day of Pentecost, they were convinced in their hearts because what Peter had exposed was the goodness of Jesus and the wickedness of man.
3 …Believes everything should be done “according to God’s word.”
3 …Believes everything should be done “according to God’s word.”
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Those with the gift of prophesy will not stand for God’s word to be twisted, manipulated, misinterpreted, or misapplied.
4 …Has the ability to know when someone is not what they claim to be and reacts strongly against dishonesty.
4 …Has the ability to know when someone is not what they claim to be and reacts strongly against dishonesty.
The person with this gift will have no problem calling out those that he believes are fake or dishonest.
Acts 5:3-10 tells us of the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter called out their lies in front of the whole congregation, and both of them dropped dead.
5 …Will often make hasty judgments in what he sees or hears.
5 …Will often make hasty judgments in what he sees or hears.
Those judgments are not always wrong. Matthew 16:16
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
In this instance, he was correct. But look at just a few verses ahead. Matthew 16:21-22
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
In this instance, Peter was very wrong!
6 …Tends to act impulsively, but whole-heartedly.
6 …Tends to act impulsively, but whole-heartedly.
This person will be impulsive not only in what he says, but in what he does. However, whatever he does, he does with his whole heart.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
Or how about when Jesus was washing the disciples’ feet? John 13:6-10
John 13:6–10 (KJV 1900)
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
“Wash my whole body!”
But those impulsive actions are not always good. John 18:10
10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
7 …Tends to reject those who offend so that justice can be served.
7 …Tends to reject those who offend so that justice can be served.
The person with the gift of prophecy is highly concerned with justice. Those that act unjustly can be forgiven, but it is hard not to keep tabs. Matthew 18:21
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Peter was willing to not show forgiveness after having already gone above and beyond what the religious leaders taught about forgiveness (only need to forgive 3 times). He had no problem writing someone off - they offended, they deserved it.
James and John also demonstrate this. Luke 9:52-54
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
They were willing to destroy a whole town because they felt offended because of how Jesus was treated. They were filled with a righteous indignation, but did not handle it correctly.
8 …Is honest about his personal mistakes and failures.
8 …Is honest about his personal mistakes and failures.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 …Has the ability to suffer for doing what is right.
9 …Has the ability to suffer for doing what is right.
The person with this gift will be willing to suffer for doing what is right. They will also be willing to suffer for not doing what is wrong. Peter had zero problem taking a stand for what is right and not caring about the consequences. Acts 5:28-29, 40-41
Acts 5:28–41 (KJV 1900)
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
So to summarize the characteristics-
A person with the gift of prophecy...
Feels a strong need to express themselves and does so verbally
Feels the need to express their thoughts about what is good and evil
Believes everything should be done according to God’s word
Often knows when someone is not what they claim to be and reacts strongly to dishonesty
Often makes hasty judgments
Acts impulsively, but whole-heartedly
Tends to reject those who offend; is very concerned with seeking justice
Is honest about personal failures and mistakes
Has the ability to suffer for doing what is right
When it comes to delivering God’s word, those with the gift of prophecy have a mission: deliver the word. They can become very mission oriented and therefore come across as judgmental or impersonal. They are serious in warning about sin and do not hesitate to reveal sin. They are dedicated and loyal. Their loyalty, however, tends to be to what is right more so than to individuals.
This means that friendships can be strained because those with the gift of prophecy have no problem telling their friend, that they are in the wrong. This can come across as a lack of loyalty, but in fact is a great gift. Proverbs 27:6 “6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend...”
What Are the Dangers of the Gift of Prophecy?
What Are the Dangers of the Gift of Prophecy?
This brings us to some potential dangers of the gift of prophecy. Every gift of the Spirit is meant to be exercised in the Spirit. When we start to exercise our gift carnally (in the flesh), then we will inevitably fall into certain traps. These are the dangers that we will speak of each of the spiritual gifts.
The person with this gift will struggle in the areas of...
The person with this gift will struggle in the areas of...
There are some things that this person will have struggles with.
Let’s look again at our passage in Romans 12:6
Romans 12:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
1 …Faith
1 …Faith
Romans 12:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Those with the gift of prophesy must speak according to the proportion, the measure, of faith that they have. The Bible tells us that faith comes by the word of God. Romans 10:17
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Without the word of God there is no faith. The measure of faith in a someone is directly related to to the word of God in them. Those with this gift of prophecy have the danger of proclaiming truth without relying on God’s word. John 17:17 Jesus, praying over his disciples and future believers, prays that we be sanctified, set apart for God’s purpose, through the truth of God’s word.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Because those with this gift tend to be persuasive (there messages are generally in the persuasive sense, attempting to convince people to leave evil and do right), they tend to rely on their own words and intellect, rather than on God’s words and His wisdom.
Romans 14:23 (KJV 1900)
23 ...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
Paul made it a point to preach in the power and under the influence of the Holy Spirit, not simply trusting in his own words to be what would convince others.
2 …Love
2 …Love
The person with the gift of prophecy will also struggle with truly loving others, something that all Christians struggle with, but because of the characteristics of this gift, it can be much more noticeable.
At the end of the transitional gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, we find the famous passage on love which is 1 Corinthians 13. But as we read about the last gift of the Spirit mentioned in Romans 12:8, the gift of mercy, we come to Romans 12:9 that also gives an admonition to exercise these gifts in love.
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
In this passage, love is taken for granted as a characteristic of Christians. Paul does not admonish the Roman believers to have love, but he encourages them to practice love in a certain way. The word dissimulation in the Greek in anypokritos. Think anti-hypocritical. So the phrase “without dissimulation” means “without hypocrisy.” Let your love be true, not fake.
The person with the gift of prophecy can fall into the trap of proclaiming the truth without love. Ephesians 4:12 tells us that we are to speak the truth in love. The mark of an immature prophet is that he speaks the truth without love. So, as a person grows in this gift, their words will be more and more seasoned with love.
Almost every time that the New Testament writers wrote about truth and love, love comes first. Love should be our motivation to speak truth. If we are motivated by anything else, then we are misusing the gift given to us.
A. When proclaiming the truth without love the prophet tends to see groups rather than individuals.
A. When proclaiming the truth without love the prophet tends to see groups rather than individuals.
It is difficult to love a group. Peter had this problem until Jesus corrected His lack of love. We find this in John 21:15-19. Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” To which Peter responds, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love you.” Jesus, referencing the other disciples, then instructs Peter to feed and tend to His sheep. He doesn’t say, “Feed my flock.” It is not the group that Jesus is interested in, it is the individual disciples, so He says, “Feed my sheep.”
Peter’s motivation is corrected. He is to let love be the motivation for the truth which he speaks.
B. When proclaiming the truth without love the prophet will do things with zeal while others will see him as harsh and heartless.
B. When proclaiming the truth without love the prophet will do things with zeal while others will see him as harsh and heartless.
Those that speak without love will say things without tact or caution. Peter, as a young man, is known for being bold and brash, not thinking of consequences either in his actions or his words. However, we see a very different Peter as an older man, still with the gift of prophecy, but now commanding his readers to be motivated by love. 1 Peter 3:8-9
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
The same Peter that tried to cut off someone’s head for the false arrest of Jesus is now saying, “Don’t render evil for evil.”
8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
I want you to know that this does not diminish Peter’s boldness one bit. The portions of Acts 2 that we read earlier are Peter’s sermon to the people gathered at the Temple on the day of Pentecost, and he is bold about how he preaches things. Then later, when Peter and John get arrested by the same Pharisees that arrested and tried Jesus, Peter has no qualms about telling those that have arrested him that they were guilty in putting an innocent Jesus to death. He is made no less bold by love, but he is now motivated properly.
C. When proclaiming the truth without love the prophet may expose to offend rather than to restore.
C. When proclaiming the truth without love the prophet may expose to offend rather than to restore.
The purpose of exposing sin in others should always be to restore and edify, never to be an offence. That doesn’t mean we should be overly cautious, trying to never offend anyone. But what it means is that the truth is often offensive enough all on its own, there is no need to add to that offense, or make it our goal. Galatians 6:1
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Being full of, controlled by, the Holy Spirit will cause us to demonstrate meekness, a characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit and one of the beatitudes (Christianity 101). The truth may still offend, but the important thing is that our hearts were right in the presentation and exposition of that truth.
The person with the gift of prophecy will also have trouble with...
3 …Hating Evil
3 …Hating Evil
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Abhor means to hate, to detest.
The person with this gift, if he is not carefully walking in the love of Christ, can turn his hatred toward people instead of toward sin. This is damaging and not edifying.
When preaching against evil the prophet may...
When preaching against evil the prophet may...
A …fall into the same error or sin which he has been preaching about.
A …fall into the same error or sin which he has been preaching about.
Luke 22:33-34
33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
B … tend to always focus on the negative.
B … tend to always focus on the negative.
Though it is good to preach against sin and to point sin and weakness out in other believers, that is not the whole of the Gospel. There is encouragement to give, there is comfort to provide, and there is being a help.
C …condemn himself to the extreme when he sins.
C …condemn himself to the extreme when he sins.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Though self-examination is good and necessary, sin in our lives is not unforgivable nor is it unredeemable. Those that sin can experience forgiveness and cleansing through Jesus. Wallowing in the feeling of guilt is not what God means us to do once we have confessed our sin.
D … may make the mistake of accusing others of deception those who are not as transparent as himself.
D … may make the mistake of accusing others of deception those who are not as transparent as himself.
E …may fall into the trap of trying to correct someone who is not under his authority.
E …may fall into the trap of trying to correct someone who is not under his authority.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
General Application
General Application
In short, those with this gift tend to have insight, foresight, and act like watch dogs in the church. They warn of sin or reveal sin. They are usually very verbal and may come across as judgmental and impersonal; they are serious, dedicated, and loyal to truth even over friendship.
The gift of proclaiming the truth (prophecy) is a gift that God gives. The believer who has this gift is one that is loyal, strong in their convictions and one that seeks to proclaim the truth no matter what.
The person who has this gift will have to be aware of the dangers of not supporting what he says with the word of God, to proclaim the truth without love and must learn to abhor evil and follow good.
The Church needs people who have this gift and use it well. Do you have the gift of prophecy? Use it with love, with faith, hating that which is evil and doing that which is right. If you're saved, you have at least one gift (I P. 4:10) and you should use it in the body, the Church.