Prophet Series Planning Notes

What is a Prophet?

Someone who has a firm understanding of the reality of the present

Helps people to see the possibility of a hopeful future

Someone who often delivers unwanted or unwelcome but very necessary news

They are understood as the mouthpiece of God

Ideas to consider

Suffering songs of Isaiah

Pre exillic and post exillic prophets

Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah

Lamentations

Maybe going through the “Major Prophets”

Isaiah

Jeremiah (has a prophetic Call)

Ezekiel (has a prophetic call)

Maybe adding Moses

Prophetic Blessing

Genesis 12:1-7 (Verse numbers a little flexible here)

At a time when Abram is unsure that God will provide he is told that he will be a blessing to the other nations

This is an important starting note, because almost all of the prophecy to come is written explicitly to Israel so to have a good understanding of God’s promises to the Israelites before we enter this series is probably at least a little important.

The people were meant to be a blessing

We are meant to be a blessing

A cornerstone belief of this series is that we exist to perpetuate God’s blessing for us

Prophetic Shalom (or peace)

Jeremiah 29 (but maybe skip over Jeremiah 29:11)

Plant yourself where you are

You can work for peace in your neighborhood

Doing an emotion based prophets series

The Prophetic advocacy

Jeremiah 7:1-15

This is the passage that Jesus later referances and gets mad to the people about

Jeremiah is giving a sermon about caring for widows and orphans, etc.

Inside the temple they are praising God like normal, but outside the temple they are ignoring widows and orphans (analogously the folks that are on the margins)

Prophetic Anger

Maybe read Jeremiah 25

Prophetic Healing

Jeremiah 31:33

Writing the commandments on our own hearts

So that we ought to be healed

The Prophetic Call to Joy

Prophetic Sorrow

Jeremiah 15:18 or Jer 11:18–23; 12:1–6; 15:10–21; 17:14–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–13, 14–18).

Prophetic calling - Jeremiah 1

The Prophetic call to Holy Fear

Prophetic Vision

Prophetic Confession - Isaiah 59:1-20

It seems radical to broadcast our own iniquities, but the is exactly what Isaiah is calling people to do. Sin thrives in secrecy

Prophetic Service (or prophetic Freedom) - Isaiah 58:6-10

Prophetic Rebuilding

Ezekiel 16:59–63 NRSV

59 Yes, thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath, breaking the covenant; 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant. 61 Then you will remember your ways, and be ashamed when I take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 in order that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God.

Prophets don’t give us what we want they show us something we didn’t think we needed.