Putting out the Wrong Fire

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 NIV

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

Introduction: Story of young women who wrote a personal prophecy to the church. - What would you think? How would you process that?

- Many of us would feel uncomfortable because...

We like to be in control.

- Decent and in good order

- Why do we want to be in control - We are told we control our destinies

Feeling out of control is not something we like - Water skiing, Leane Driving, or when I was driving and she was riding.

When I was trying to be too controlling.

Control - Makes things safe, understandable, familiar, comfortable, not too crazy. - Everything that keeps us from growing, video from GVSU to parents.

There have also been abuses and so we have a tendency to

But this is to some degree what Paul challenges us to do when he says..

Do not Quench the Spirit.

Despite control and because of control, we may have a tendency to want to quench the spirit’s work as there has been often misuse, abuse, and even manipulation of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.

-The Spirit manifests an many different ways, but in this passage, Paul focuses on Prophecy.... Can be scarry because of the many abuses, counterfeits...

Using the Spirit to exalt oneself - “Seeming more spiritual”

Pride and Prophecy - It gains a narrow focus and it becomes all about us being specially used - Humility, Humility, Humility - “Fruit of the Spirit”

Prophecy that misleads - We can color what God is trying to say with our own interpretations or timing.

Prophecy as a means of control - The traveling prophet wanting food from our food pantry.

“The Lord Told Me” - Yes, a valid statement, but can lead to mis-use.

“Helping” God Fulfill His word - Abraham with Ishmael.

Not liking what we hear from the Holy Spirit.

There seems to be a lot of ways that Prophecy and the use of the Holy Spirit’s name can be abused, can we say it is safe?

The proper response is not, stop prophecy, stop the Holy Spirit’s guidance in that way, we will rely on our reason, empirical evidence, my gut, etc… the proper response for us is to learn all we can about the Holy Spirit and prophecy

Grow into the Spirit.

To Grow in maturity in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Two Extreme’s - 1 Never let the Holy Spirit Drive, (Hold Prophecies with Contempt) and 2 Not do a background check to make sure it is the Holy Spirit driving (Do not test the Prophecies).

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

Joel 2:28–29 NIV

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Joel 2:28-

Sources 1: The Holy Spirit

Sources 1: The Holy Spirit

2 Peter 1:

2 Peter 1:21 LEB

for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Source 2: The human

Jeremiah 23:17 NIV

They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’

Jeremiah 23:16 LEB

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “You must not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you with visions of their mind, They do not speak from the mouth of Yahweh.

Jeremiah

Source 3: The Enemy

Source 3: The Enemy

Jeremiah 23:13 LEB

“Now in the prophets of Samaria I saw a disgusting thing. They prophesied by Baal and they caused my people Israel to err.

Inadequate test: Feelings or Comfort, Personal Experience, Credibility or Reliability of the Prophet, Plausibility or Reason,

Proper Tests: - Begins with Humility

1 John 4:1–3 LEB

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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.

Test 2: Consistency with the Person and Character of God

Test 3: Alignment with Scripture

Test 4: Confirmation by Mature Prophets - Community

Test 5: Edification, Exhortation, and Comfort - Fruit

James 3:13–18 LEB

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good behavior his works, with the humility of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, nonjudgmental, without hypocrisy, And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among those who make peace.

Special Consideration - Prediction, Rebuke, Guidance - Does it convict us, or does it condemn us?

Test 6: Fulfillment

Test 7: Direction - Does it lead us towards the Lord or away from the Lord?

Conclusion: So what should we do with The Young Lady who wrote the Prophesy for the Church - Do not dismiss it out of Hand, Learn to discern it. She came with humility, she encouraged me to check it to see if it aligned with scripture, she said she was growing in her prophecy and reject it if it does if we discern it was not from the Holy Spirit. We discerned that it was aligned with the Heart of God, it aligned with scripture, that it was meant to not to be directive towards the church, but simply to encourage the church.

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 1, 21, 49, 53, 65, 70, 76, 79, 115-116 Belgic Confession: Article 8, 11, 22, 24, 27, Canons of Dort: Head III & IV, Article 3, 6, 11; Head V, Article 1, 11