Untitled Sermon

The Test of a Prophet

Acts 13:4-12

Acts 13:4–12 NKJV

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

The test of a prophet:

The word of God has always been and always will be plagued by false prophets, imitators and counterfeiters. How do we determine if one is telling us the truth, has a solid foundation, or is way off course. A good salesman can make almost anything believable. Look at Bernie Madoff who took billions from the smartest and wealthiest, or, unfortunately a televangelist who is selling good luck not Godly wisdom.

The Lord establishes a clear criteria for prophets. I want to examine these passages so we aren’t duped into falsehood or conned out of our faith.

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Scripture presents at least seven keys distinguishing the marks of a true prophet. Not every key is present with every prophet, but the guidelines remind us and teach us what to look for in a person of God.

A true prophet never uses divination, sorcery, or astrology. The source of the prophet’s message is always God himself.

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The true prophet never caters his message to the ears of the people

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The true prophet maintains personal integrity and character

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Jesus said a true and false prophet will be known by their fruits, that is, by what they do and say.

The true prophet is willing to suffer for the sake of the message

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The true prophet announces a message consistent with the law and other true prophets. Each prophet confirms others on similiar subjects.

The true prophet, when predicting future events has a 100% success rate.

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If they were not 100% accurate, there was a cure for this

The true prophet sometimes had the message authenticated by a miracle.

In Exodus, when Moses went to pharoah, he stated the message and then there where miracles with them. But what happened? Right, the magicians of Pharoah were able to perform the same

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Moses added further aspects to the test

But the true test is the message itself, not the miracles.

The true message always draws people closer to God, not away from God

Jesus fulfilled as many as 33 prophecies in a single day when He died on the cross.