Sermon Tone Analysis

Once again, I would like to use Ephesians 2:18-22 as our Scripture text this morning.

May God bless this the reading of His holy and infallible Word.

Of all the names given to God’s creatures, perhaps the most inappropriate is “Carpenter Ants”.

Carpenter Ants are anything but carpenters, they are demolition experts.

They live within the walls and foundations of our homes and if untreated will destroy them over time.

Those in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement claim that the reintroduction of the Gift of Prophecy has built up the church by bringing new life and energy, but their claim is an illusion.

It is like a Carpenter Ant, outwardly, there is the claim the church is being built up as with a carpenter, but inwardly it only brings rot and decay.

I realize this is a bold claim and perhaps some of you may be thinking it is uncharitable, but let us walk through what the Word of God says.

First, we begin with what we are taught in our Scripture text this morning...

Prophecy is a Foundational Gift

The first thing you need to realize as you look at Ephesians 2:20 is that the prophecy Paul is speaking of in this verse is NT prophecy.

This is very clear from the context.

This is not to say that OT prophecy does not play a foundational role, the New Covenant Church is built upon the Old Covenant Church.

What Paul is saying here is this: as the New Covenant Church was being established during the time of the Apostles, Christ appointed and the Holy Spirit empowered certain men and women to assist the Apostles in their foundational ministry.

Consequently, the next question we must answer from Scripture is what was that ministry?

As we examine the New Testament, the answer is that the Gift of...

Prophecy Provided Local Congregations with Foundational Revelation Until the NT was Completed

The Gift of Prophecy is the giving of divine revelation.

We clearly see this in 1 Corinthians 14:30, “if a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.”

As obvious as this point is, it is frequently under appreciated.

The gift of NT prophecy is not inspired preaching or teaching as some have taught, it is divine revelation given to a person who then acts as a mouthpiece for God.

It is the very words of God.

In the OT, the prophets would frequently introduce their prophecies by saying, “Thus says the Lord”.

As one with the gift of Pastor-Teacher, I compose my sermon.

In contrast, God and God alone composes the message that the prophet speaks.

This difference is what explains why women can prophesy, but not teach in setting that consist of both men and women.

So what is the content of NT prophecy?

The content is the “mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).

Within the context of 1 Corinthians, we see this in chapter 13:

When the NT speaks of “mystery” it is speaking of revelation that was not given in the Old Covenant, but has now been revealed by Christ and His Apostles.

Paul writes to the Colossian Christians how honored and thankful he is to be an Apostle who has been given the task of revealing the “mystery of the gospel”:

The “gospel mystery” is no longer hidden, it is found in the pages of our New Testaments!

Do you realize how privileged you are?

When you hold in your hands a New Testament, you hold in your hands all the essential teachings of Christ and His Apostles.

There is nothing lacking!

Everything you need to know to be saved and grow into a mature Christian is found in the pages of the Old and New Testaments.

This is what we confessed earlier this morning by citing the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

While they were living, the Apostles taught these mysteries, but being only twelve in number, they could not be everywhere at once.

Imagine yourself in a first century congregation.

The only Bible you have is the Old Testament.

Perhaps, some in your congregation sat under the teaching of one of the Apostles, but we all know how unreliable memory can be.

How could a first century congregation hear the “mysteries of the gospel” in an authoritative way?

It was by God gifting one or more of their members with the gift of prophecy.

God does not give the church the gift of prophecy to satisfy our ideal curiosity, especially in regards to what is going to happen in the future.

That is what pagans believe is the purpose of prophecy, and unfortunately that is what many in the church believe as well.

People frequently cite Agabus’ prophecies found in the book of Acts.

In Acts 11:28 he prophesied that there would be a famine and in (Acts 21:8) he prophesied that Paul would be handed over to the Gentiles by the Jews.

In response to this, I want to point out to you that the full title of the book of Acts is, The Acts of the Apostles.

It is a book not about early church history per say, but a selective account of how Jesus’ words found in Acts 1:8 came true:

Acts is not a history book; it is a redemptive-historical book, with the emphasis being placed on the word “redemptive”.

The famine was to illustrate how the gospel mystery that the “Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

(Ephesians 3:6) and Paul’s arrest was to illustrate the gospel mystery that as “fellow heirs with Christ...we would suffer with him in order that we might also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17).

In conclusion, the NT gift of prophecy is always a revelation of the mysteries of the gospel; it is never a mere prediction of the future or a personal word of advice.

That is the type of prophecy Satan gives to fortune tells, shamans and false prophets.

I now want to move on and show you that...

The Idea That Prophecy Continues Undermines God’s Revelation and the Church’s Foundation

Earlier in this message, I said that the fact that prophecy is divine revelation is underappreciated.

One of the ways Pentecostal and Charismatics justify the continued giving to the church to gift of prophecy is by claiming that the revelation giving in the gift of prophecy is less authoritative than the revelation found in Scripture; but think about that for a moment.

Is it possible for God to speak any word that is not 100% authoritative?

It is God who is speaking, not man!

Remember earlier in this message I explained the difference between prophecy and teaching or preaching.

No message that any preacher or teacher speaks is 100% authoritative.

I try my best, but I am not God.

Prophecy is not like this at all, when a prophet speaks he is not speaking his words, but God’s!

Without realizing it, Pentecostals and Charismatics are undermining the honor and the majesty of God, along with His Word.

This is turn undermines the very foundation of the Church.

To say we need new and fresh revelation today is to say the revelation contained in Scripture is inadequate or defective.

If you are remodeling a house, you may very well have to repair the foundation, but the foundation of the church is “the apostles and prophets, with Christ being the chief cornerstone”!

Our closing hymn this Sunday is the same hymn we sung last Sunday, How Firm a Foundation.

Let us look at the words of that first verse:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

This hymn asks us a question, “What more can He say than to you He hath said?”

I know my answer to that question; “There truly is no more that can be said, the Canon is closed and the final Word has been spoke!

Amen!