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Dr. Lars Larson
Well, let's turn in our Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5, as we're working our way through the last chapter of 1 Thessalonians. Now, we've been working through this for a number of weeks now. What's this, the fifth week?
Have I listed that rightly? And today we arrive at verses 20 and 21, which read, do not despise prophecies, but test everything. Hold fast to what is good. Now, when Paul wrote this epistle originally in the first century, he, of course, wrote in the Greek language, the common language, Greek language of the common man in the first century.
In that language, punctuation was not commonly used. There was some, but it was kind of inconsistent, and punctuation marks were far apart from one another, nothing like we have in modern English. And of course, writing material was of a premium, and so they didn't even have spaces between words.
All the letters crunched together with very little punctuation. And so the punctuation in our English translations are actually imposed by the translators, the English translators. And they're not always in agreement as to how a sentence should be punctuated.
And punctuation, of course, are tools or aids to show us the relationship of words and phrases and clauses to one another. And so it's not surprising that different English translations differ in their punctuation.
And I listed a handful of translations of these verses to show how they differ from one another in their punctuation. So there's subtle differences. And so the King James Version and the New King James Version, which is the first and second, are much alike, very similar.
And you notice they put these verses in four sentences. Quench not the spirit, period. Despise not prophesied, period. Prove all things semicolon. Hold fast that which is good, and then period. And lastly, abstain from all appearances of evil.
And so the King James and the New King James translates these words of Paul into four sentences distinct from one another. The ESV that we have before us that we've been using for this study, and I actually prefer the New King James Version.
I love its style and its language. But the ESV is a good translation. It's accurate. But you'll notice instead of four sentences, it has these two verses in three sentences. Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, comma, rather than period.
But test everything semicolon. Hold fast what is good. And then verse 22, a separate sentence. Abstain from every form of evil. The New American Standard Version, which is also a good translation,.
Puts it in two sentences.
Do not quench the spirit, semicolon. Do not despise prophetic utterances. And so they link the two ideas together. And verse 21, but examine everything carefully. Carefully is in italic because that indicates it wasn't in the Greek, but it's implied, the translators say.
Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good, semicolon. Abstain from every form of evil. And the New American Standard Version is probably one of the best translations, really, of the more accurate, as far as the New Testament Greek goes.
Older English, you tended to have longer sentences. You know, Paul wrote in long sentences. We read Ephesians 1, I think, if I remember right, there's only two Greek sentences in all of Ephesians 1. But because we're Americans, we don't think in terms of long sentences like that.
So the newer, more readable translations, they actually divide it up into more sentences to make it easier for us to comprehend. And so the newer translations actually break it up and make it into shorter sentences.
They think that's gonna help us. And then the Revised Standard Version of the 1950s, it's also a good translation. It reads much like the King James, but they make it into one sentence. Do not quench the spirit, comma, do not despise prophesying, comma, but test everything, semi-colon, hold fast what is good, comma, abstain from every form of evil, period.
One sentence. Now, I included the Greek New Testament. I don't know if any of us know how to read this, but I included it just to show you that the Greek, the editors of the Greek New Testament, the modern Greek text, and you have words that are separated from one another with spaces.
That's not how Paul originally wrote, but they added English punctuation to the Greek text for clarification. And you'll notice that they made it one sentence, just like the RSV. And by the way, if you look at verse 21, and again, you can't read Greek, I assume, but if you look at verse 21 in the Greek, that second word, it looks like a D, which is a D sound in Greek, and the E next to it, the de, that second word in verse 21, that's actually the word that can either be translated and, or the word but, B-U-T.
And so, it seems to me that the King James and the New King James ignores that word, doesn't translate it. The ESV does translate it at the beginning of verse 21. See, but test everything. And so actually, I think that the ESV, as well as the New American Standard and the RSV are actually more accurate in this instance, than say, the King James, the New King James.
In other words, there is a connection between these. Now, the reason I pointed that out is that we, of course, have been taking these individually week after week for some time now, and addressing them as individual statements or commands, and they are.
But in doing so, we don't want to give the impression that they're not related to one another in any way at all. They are, and they kind of flow into one another. The relationship may be weak, but there is a relationship.
And so, although we've been addressing each command separately, one at a time, there is a sense in which they relate together in one message. They stand together, and one commandment may flow or lead into the one that follows.
And that may be the case here. Quench not the spirit. We dealt with that last week. And despise not prophesy. And this would be the work of the spirit, too. And so, there's a connection there. There's a similarity of idea, the work of the Holy Spirit.
And so, actually, if we look at this as one sentence, verses 20 and 21, we really have three commands here. We talked about 18 commandments all together in this passage, but we really have three tied together.
And so, I listed them, number 13, 14, and 15. Do not despise prophecies. That would be number 13. Number 14, test everything. And then, 15, hold fast what is good. And so, Lord willing, I hope that we can work through these three this morning in the time that we have.
And so, we'll take each clause in turn, considering their meaning, its meaning. First, Paul declared, do not despise prophecies. And what is meant by prophecies by the apostle? Well, God has revealed himself and his ways through history at different times in different ways.
And the ones to whom God spoke or revealed his will, his word, were called prophets. And we're thinking of prophets in a rather broad way here. So, the writer of the Hebrew declared this in the opening verse of Hebrews 1, verse 1.
It opens like a sermon. Long ago, at many times, in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. So, all of God's revealed will and word came through prophets. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son.
And what the writer of Hebrews is saying is that, although the word of God that came through the prophets was legitimate, the word of God that has come through his son, the son of God, Jesus Christ, is more full and complete than the partial ways at different times in which he spoke in the past.
We've got the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ, is what he's declaring. And so, God raised up prophets in order that through them he would make his will known to his people. And so, in this sense, the term prophet is a rather broad term.
Abraham was a prophet of God. We might not think of him as such. But God told the pagan king Abimelech, now therefore restore the man's wife, talking about Sarah, for he, Abraham, is a prophet and he will pray for you and you shall live.
But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all yours. There, God referred to Abraham as a prophet. Through Abraham, God's will and word was made known in his world. Moses was a prophet of God.
A great, one of the greatest, of course, perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament. We read a summary of his life in Deuteronomy. But since then, there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt before Pharaoh, before all his servants, in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Moses was a prophet. Abraham was a prophet. Samuel was a prophet. He was also a judge. In other words, not like a court judge, but a judge as a leader of the people, a savior. First Samuel 3 .20, all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.
Then we read, I could have cited a number of places in the Old Testament, but sometimes unnamed prophets arose that God used. And we read in Judges 6 of one of these unnamed prophets. It came to pass when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel.
Who was he?
We don't know.
Who said to them, thus says the Lord God of Israel,.
I brought you up out of Egypt,.
Brought you out of the house of bondage. I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, out of the hand of all who oppressed you, drove them out before you, gave you their land. Also I said to you, I am the Lord, your God, do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, but you've not obeyed my voice.
It's not so important who the prophet was. The fact is God was using him as his mouthpiece. God was revealing his word through this unnamed prophet. Of course, there were prophets who were notable and had long ministries among the Lord's people.
Nathan is commonly mentioned. He was a prophet who served the Lord during the reign of King David.
Later, of course, you have Elijah,.
Who was the mentor of Elisha, who came after him. Numerous others. Prophets are spoken about all over. Then you had the well-known writing prophets. They began in the 8th century BC, chiefly. And so you had Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, all the minor prophets.
Minor because they have shorter books than these major prophets. We come into the New Testament. There were prophets in the New Testament also. John the Baptist is described as a prophet like Elijah. The last verses of the Old Testament prophesied the coming of Elijah.
And Jesus indicated that John the Baptist was that promised Elijah. He came in the spirit and power of Elijah. And then the Lord Jesus is a prophet. He's the greatest of prophets. We commonly understand he's the prophet, priest, and king.
Now, John the Baptist, Jesus said, there is no man born of woman greater than John. No greater prophet than John the Baptist. And it may be because John was prophesied as coming. Again, the one like Elijah.
But he was a great man as well. But the Lord Jesus himself, of course, was the greatest of prophets because he himself was prophesied in the Old Testament as coming. Jesus identified himself as a prophet and some rejected him as such.
And so we read, they were offended at him, but Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor. In other words, a true prophet has honor everywhere, but not in his own country, in his own house, in his own neighborhood, basically.
And that's what happened. He was rejected by the town folk, his home folk in Nazareth. Peter declared that Jesus was the prophet that Moses said would come. It would be a prophet like him, like Moses.
Acts 3, for Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Moses foretold the coming of Jesus Christ. He's gonna be a prophet like me. And Moses said, basically, you better hear him when he comes.
If you don't, you're gonna be cut out of Israel. True Israel are only gonna be those that hear and obey this coming prophet. It should be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.
That's an important verse. So I'll just interject this. There are those who argue that Israel's Israel, the church is the church, and the two never mix. That's not what Peter declared here. There's continuity of Israel.
Israel, through the Old Testament, comes up through the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus. But Peter said, if you don't respond to that prophet, Jesus, you'll be cut out from the people. The people of Israel continue.
They're the disciples of Jesus. They're Christians. The New Testament church is the Israel of God. We have the faith of Abraham. We are children of promise, as Isaac was. There's continuity of Israel.
Israel really is a representation of all the redeemed of all history. Well, that's another matter. During the opening period of the church era, God would give some of his people the gift of prophecy to enable them to tell forth God's word on occasion, foretelling future events.
Prophecy involves two things, foretelling, telling forth the word of God, and sometimes foretelling, in other words, predicting the future. But really, the essence of the gift of prophecy is speaking God's word.
Not so much predictive, but speaking forth God's word. You have Agabus mentioned twice in the New Testament. The first, Acts 11. Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul, who was later Paul, when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch, and so it was that for a whole year, they assembled with the church, taught a great many people.
The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. And in these days, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Plural, there were numbers of them. Then one of them, Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit, see, the Spirit had revealed to Agabus that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
By the way, that's one of the four events in the book of Acts that we can date precisely with secular records. We know when the famine was. I don't remember now, but we do know. That's one of the dates in the 40s AD when the famine struck.
And then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. On another occasion, Luke wrote of Agabus, Luke wrote the book of Acts, who foretold of Paul's arrest in Jerusalem, Acts 21.
And as we stayed many days, Luke was with Paul, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And when he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet and said, thus says the Holy Spirit, this is the word of God coming from this man.
So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. He predicted the future. Philip, who was an evangelist and probably a deacon in the church at Jerusalem, although not a prophet himself, he had four daughters who did prophesy.
And so men and women, both were prophets. They were passive. The Holy Spirit spoke through them. We read of it in Acts 21, on the next day, we, there's Luke including himself again, who were Paul's companions, departed, came to Caesarea, entered the house of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven.
Those would have been the seven deacons and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. And so women had the gift of prophecy. And again, we would argue they were passive. The Holy Spirit was speaking through them.
They were just voices. So this is not a violation of authority on the part of these women. They were passive. The New Testament records that our Lord gave the gift of prophecy unto a number of his people.
It was a common gift. In fact, it's a spiritual gift that was common in the early churches. So we read of this gift, for example, in the list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12. Paul wrote, I say, through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly.
As God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are as one body in Christ, individually members of one another.
And here it is. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. In other words, according to the ability that God has given.
And then he mentions ministry and teaching and exhorting and giving, leading, showing mercy. But notice the gift of prophecy is listed first. It was a common gift. We also read of the gift of prophecy in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, where Paul talked about spiritual gifts.
Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles carried away to these dumb idols. Silent, they couldn't speak. God speaks, these idols don't speak, they're dumb.
Therefore, I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed. No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. And then he talks about spiritual gifts. There are diversities of gifts, there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. The Lord determines how those gifts are gonna be used. And there are diversities of activities or outcomes or results. But it's the same God who works all in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. That is a very important verse. All spiritual gifts were given for the benefit of all, not in order to benefit you as an individual.
Not to edify you, but to build up the body. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, and here it is, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, that was necessary also, to another different kinds of tongues or languages, to another the interpretation of tongues or languages, not the tongues that our Pentecostal friends advocate, a heavenly language, the tongues throughout the New Testament, I can show you and argue, in every instance, a tongue was a language not known to the speaker, but all of a sudden, he had the ability to speak in another language he had never known, never studied, in order to spread the word of God to the Gentile nations.
The widespread use of the gift of prophecy was an indication that the promised age of the Messiah had arrived. And this is what Peter declared on the day of Pentecost. He quoted Joel 2 in order to explain the phenomenon of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.
And so in Acts 2, Peter, standing up with the 11, raised his voice and said to the men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words, for these people, these 120 disciples, they're not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only the third hour of the day, too early for people to get drunk, I guess.
But this is what was spoken of by the prophet of Joel, which will come to pass in the last days, and the last days are from the coming of Christ, even to the second coming. We're living in the last days, have been since Pentecost.
Says God, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. And look at the number of people here involved in this. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on my men's servants, my maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. This is a widespread gift, telling forth the word of God. And so on this day, all the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit when the multitude came together, and the people were confused, the multitude, because everyone heard them speaking the wonderful works of God in their own language.
There were Jewish people from all kinds of different Gentile nations who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, and now they're hearing in their own language the wonderful works of God. The Lord used the gift of prophecy in order to evangelize the lost, and in order to minister to Christians within churches.
And so we need to read of this use of the gift at the Church of Corinth. Now, this is a long passage, but it's important we understand this, that there's so much error regarding these matters. And so I want us to read to 1 Corinthians 14.
I've written some pertinent verses that touch on this matter of prophecy. And then we'll summarize what's being said. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 14, pursue love. He just got done with 1 Corinthians 13. Love is the chief thing.
Pursue love, earnestly desire the spiritual gift, especially that you may prophesy. He elevated this as the most important thing, telling forth the word of God. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God.
In other words, this is not talking about a heavenly language. Our Pentecostal friends say, see here, it's a prayer language. He speaks to God. But I would advocate that Paul is rebuking them. What good is it to speak in a foreign language if only God understands you?
He's rebuking them for their abuse. For no one understands him, for he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
What good is that?
On the other hand, the one who prophesied speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. They understand what he's saying. She's saying it builds them up. If I began to speak in Swedish right now, which I've never learned or studied, I'm sure you'd be all amazed.
And I might feel pretty good about myself. But nobody would benefit from it spiritually, would you? It would be wrong. Unless there were Swedish people here, you know. I'm not saying that that gift is still present or used, but if that were the case, unless someone who had the gift, all of a sudden given a miraculous gift, hey, I understand what he's saying, and could translate for the church body, then we'd all benefit from it.
And so Paul is rebuking these people who had this gift of tongues, who were just trying to elevate, exalt themselves within the church. Look what I can do.
And so verse four,.
The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up. And again, our Pentecostal friend says that's a good thing. He edifies himself. No, Paul's rebuking them for it. But the one who prophesies builds up the church.
That's what it's all about. Now, I want you to all speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
See, the whole point is the gift of tongues is greater to build up the church. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know it is played?
It's nonsense.
Like postmodern music is just nonsense, just notes, just like you hear an orchestra tuning up. It's nonsense. It doesn't have no message. If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?
So with your cells, if your tongue, with your tongue you utter speech, it is not intelligible. How will anyone know what is said? No one will, for you will be speaking into the air.
It's worthless.
There are, doubtless, many different languages in the world. None is without meaning. But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.
In other words, absolutely worthless.
It doesn't accomplish anything. So with your cells, since you are eager for manifestation of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the Church. All spiritual gifts are for the purpose of helping other people, not yourself.
Therefore one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue or language, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. And the whole important matter is your mind has to understand what is going on.
The Word of God is being communicated. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also. I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say amen?
See, he's clueless. He doesn't know what you're saying. Do your thanksgiving when he does not know what you're saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. He went throughout all the world and could speak in people's languages, the gospel, because he had this gift of tongues, his languages. Again, not a heavenly language, not an angelic language, but known languages to other people that he himself had never studied.
Nevertheless, he says, in the church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than 10 ,000 words in a language, in a tongue. Unless it communicates the word of God, it has no value.
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. You know, we need to be mature about these matters, he said. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the laws written by people of strange tongues or languages and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.
That's a quote from Isaiah. Isaiah was pronouncing the judgment upon Jerusalem, and God was gonna come and destroy them. The false prophet said, no, no, no, God loves you. We got the temple here, you're not gonna be destroyed.
God said to Isaiah, no, you're gonna start hearing some foreign languages in your streets. In other words, the language of the Assyrians when they've come in and wiped you out. And therefore, Paul pulls this verse out, and he says thus tongues are assigned not for believers, but for unbelievers.
And what he means by unbelievers there is unbelieving Jews principally, who didn't believe that the gospel and the Gentiles were really being wrought upon by God. And this proved they were wrong because God was working through them, giving them spiritual gifts.
While prophecy is assigned not for unbelievers, but for believers. If therefore the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues or languages and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you're out of your minds?
And many times that's how the world views those, right? Who claim to be speaking in tongues, but it's not a biblical tongue. Verse 24, but if all prophesy and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he's convicted by all, and he's called to account by all.
The secrets of his heart are disclosed. So falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
Amen.
Now, if I had that gift of prophecy today, I could maybe stand up here and point my finger at you. What were you doing last Tuesday night when you were out doing such and such? I mean, I'd have that kind of information.
That would be pretty powerful, wouldn't it? And the early church, they were gifted people that had this ability. What then brothers, when you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue or language, an interpretation.
Let all things be done for building up. There it is again. Everything for the benefit of the building up the church. If any man speak in a tongue or language, let there be only two or most three, and that each in turn, let someone interpret.
There has to be an interpretation of the language. But if there's no one to interpret, let him keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. You know, that's, again, I think he's being a little sarcastic here.
Verse 29, let two or three prophets speak. And so speaking in tongues now, prophets speak. Let two or three prophets speak and let the others weigh what is said. Other prophets weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent, for you can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn, all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
It's not like it overtakes them. They had control over it. They could sit there and be quiet and speak when they had opportunity. It wasn't an uncontrollable urge that they couldn't somehow control. And this is the context in which God says, for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.
There's order, there must be order to this matter. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. I'll explain the context of that in a little bit. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law says also.
If there is anything which they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it's shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I'm writing to you are a command of the Lord. Those with the gift of prophecy, they can affirm what I'm saying is true.
It's the word of God. If anyone does not recognize this, he's not recognized. He's not a true prophet. So my brothers earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order.
Now let me just assert a couple points from this passage I've already probably rehearsed. First, the gift of prophecy was a common gift that was commonly used in the churches. Second, the prophetic message that the Lord would speak to the gifted Christian was for the purpose of building up the church, not for self-edification.
Verse three states that. Third, the one with the gift of prophecy was greater, in other words, of greater benefit to the church than one who spoke in a language that did not understand what he was saying and there was no one there to interpret her.
Four, the gifts were always to be employed in the building up of the church body. Verse six makes that clear. Fifth, the gift of prophecy also had an impact upon unbelievers who were in the church services.
We won't reread those verses. But these are the principles that are set forth in this passage. There is a major problem, however, because some of us might look back, boy, those were the ideal days when people had that ability, those gifts.
And of course, there are many who claim to have that gift today. They don't, I would argue. The most well-liked preacher in America today is not the one with the biggest church, Joel Osteen, but T .D. Jakes, who was a very powerful speaker.
He's not even Trinitarian. He doesn't believe in the Trinity. He's a modalist. God was the Father in the Old Testament. God was Jesus in the Gospels. God is the Holy Spirit now. He's not even Trinitarian.
He's a heretic. But I never watch him, but I did watch him one night about five, six years ago, and he was preaching in front of a stadium with 50 ,000 or 60 ,000 people, and I remember, this is almost verbatim, I've got a word from the Lord for you.
He was claiming to have a prophecy. And not only to everyone in this stadium, but everyone in the entire world, I've got a word of the Lord for you. Anything and everything you've ever lost, God's gonna give back to you.
And boy, there he was, hooping and hollering. Everybody was excited over that. Can you imagine that claim, though? That he had a word from the Lord, and this was a word of prophecy. The man's a heretic, and yet people embraced it as the word of God.
Horrendous.
And so there was a major problem in the first century with the use of the gift of prophecy in the churches, because there were not only those whom God used through the gift of prophecy to build up the church, but there were those who gave forth prophecies that were not of the Lord, but purported to be so.
There are people who stood up in the church. I've got a word of the Lord for you. And so we're much better equipped. We've got the scriptures, which is the only objective source of information that there is available about God and his will.
This was all subjective. In other words, when somebody stood up and claimed, I've got a word from the Lord, somebody had to assess, is it or is it not? And so the churches had the responsibility to evaluate prophecies to determine whether or not the message was from God.
When someone gave forth a prophecy, it was the responsibility of others in the church who had the gift of prophecy to pass judgment on what they heard. Verse 29 of 1 Corinthians 14, let two or three prophets speak and let the others weigh what is said.
I tell you what, that's a less authoritative source of the word of God than what you and I have in our Bibles in our hand. Now there were women in the churches to whom God gave the gift of prophecy. They, as men, were passive.
They were just voices to whom God spoke. However, when the time came, it was necessary to assess or pronounce the validity of a prophecy. The women were not allowed to take part in that. And so I believe that verses 33 and 34 are to be understood in that context.
When somebody speaks a prophecy, all right, let others assess and make a judgment as to whether it's valid or not, but the women are not to be participant in that evaluation and assessment. They are to be in silence.
You follow what we're saying? In other words, verses 33 and 34, as in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches for they're not permitted to speak but should be in submission, as the law says.
That's not an absolute prohibition of women speaking in the church. It's a prohibition of women to pass judgment as to whether or not a prophecy is of God or not. That was to be done by men in the church who had the gift of prophecy.
Now, the reason I can say that is that Paul in elsewhere said it was perfectly legitimate for a woman to pray or prophecy if she had her head covered. It was actually worded negatively that a woman dishonors her head if she prays her prophecies with her head uncovered.
The implication is if she had her head properly covered to show submission to authority and whatnot, it was perfectly appropriate for her to pray or prophesy. And again, she could prophesy because she would be totally passive, not active, inserting her own words, but the Lord was speaking through her.
But when it came time for the church to assess when a man or woman stood up, this is the word of God, the women were not supposed to take part in that. The men were to do it. The problem of false prophets is seen throughout the biblical record.
They've always been present to trouble the people of God, giving forth falsehood, claiming to be declaring the word of God. Now, some argue that if a person stands up and gives a prophecy, a prediction, and it comes to pass, that proves he's of God.
Not so. Moses warned way back in Deuteronomy 13, verses one and following, "'If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises among you "'and gives you a sign or a wonder,'' and then verse two of Deuteronomy 13, "'and that sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass,''.
The fellow makes a prediction. It comes to pass. Does that guarantee he's of God?
No.
"'For coupled with that prediction that comes to pass,' he says, "'let us go after other gods, "'which you've not known, let us serve them. "'You shall not listen to his words.'". The words of that prophet or the dreamer of dreams.
And then Moses says, why? "'For the Lord God is testing you "'to know whether you love the Lord your God "'with all your heart and with all your soul. "'You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him "'and keep his commandments and obey his voice.'".
That's what Moses was saying. You've got his law. You've got the scriptures. You've got the Torah. This is to be your standard. This is to be that which you assess everything. And it doesn't matter if somebody stood up and told you, you know, tomorrow that there's gonna be a 7 .6 earthquake, and tomorrow a 7 .6 earthquake takes place.
That doesn't mean he's of God unless he's speaking in accordance with the scriptures. The scriptures is the standard for all things. And so the standard by which the prophet's message was to be assessed was if it was in accordance with the scriptures already revealed to them.
In other words, the scriptures are the standard by which we assess everything, measure everything. Not because they can wow us and somehow predict things that come to pass. That is no indication that someone is of God.
Now, sometimes the word of the Lord through his prophets in the churches was not welcomed by all. Sometimes the word of prophecy would reveal and make known sin, and people would react to that. I don't like that.
And so we read of this in 1 Corinthians 14. Someone coming into the church may have the secrets of his heart disclosed. You know, the Spirit still does that. You know, it's not that uncommon for a husband and wife, you know, to be visiting here.
And then I go into the home and visit, and the husband's all upset because he thought his wife was telling me.
Details of his life.
And he knows that I must have had that inside information from what he heard on Sunday.
You see?
You know, the Lord works that way. Man, it's as though, you know, he was talking right at me. You know, my wife must have told him these things. The Lord works that way sometimes. Now, the question we have to answer, we can't close until we do this, how do we assess the gift of prophecy today?
We understand that the gift of prophecy was a temporary gift for the early church. That this gift of prophecy that we've been describing is not seen today. It was temporary. The Lord used this gift of prophecy in order to establish his church in the Gentile world.
And once the church was established in the Gentile world, outside of Judaism, it was clear that the church was a worldwide phenomenon of Jews and Gentiles. Then the necessity of this gift was no longer present, and it began to pass away.
And the history of the Christian church reveals this. It gradually diminished in frequency until it disappeared altogether, as well as the other revelatory gifts. And so the gift of prophecy was temporary for this purpose.
Paul wrote of the temporary nature of revelatory gifts, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, the gift of what have you, in two places. One is Ephesians 2 .20. He wrote about the church. He came and preached peace to you who are far off, and those who are near.
For through Christ,.
We both have access by one spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners. He's talking to Gentile Christians. You're no longer strangers and foreigners to Israel, he's saying, but now fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
There again, we see our connection with the Old Testament believers. We're now fellow citizens with them, one family, one household. But notice verse 20, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
The church of this New Testament age came into realization, and it showed itself legitimate through the ministry of the apostles and the ministry of the prophets. It was a foundational ministry, and just as the apostles were temporary for the founding of the church, so was this gift of prophecy, so were the prophets.
It was a foundational ministry. And then we also read of the temporary function of revelatory gifts in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul argued, love never fails. But whether they are prophecies, they will fail.
Paul's saying that the time will come when these prophecies will no longer be evident. Whether they are prophecies, they will fail. Whether there are tongues as gift of speaking in languages, they will cease.
Whether there is knowledge, a supernatural knowledge that God would give to a spiritual gift will vanish away. For we know in part, we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect, and I would argue that should be translated as mature, when that which is mature is come, then that which is in part is done away.
He's talking about the maturing of the church. Once the church is mature and that everybody realizes it's a worldwide phenomenon, it's no longer Jewish, but Jews and Gentiles equal in one body, all right, when that which is mature, that which is in part shall be done away.
That was a childish thing before when we had those revelatory gifts, but now we've come as a church to become a mature man. We don't need those childish gifts, those introductory, initiatory gifts. That's what he's declaring.
The former, and our Confession of Faith states this, I think, quite clearly. I think this is a very good summation of the teaching of Scripture. It's in our Baptist Confession of Faith. It's actually the first article, the first paragraph of our Confession.
The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving faith and obedience, knowledge, faith, and obedience. Although the light of nature and works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, you look out in the world, you see the goodness of God manifested.
Wisdom and power of God is to leave men inexcusable, yet are they not sufficient to give the knowledge of God and His will, which is necessary unto salvation? You can't come to salvation by discovering God out in creation.
Therefore, please the Lord at sundry times, this is a quotation of Hebrews 1 .1, different times, sundry times, and in diverse, different manner, in different ways, diverse manners, to reveal Himself and declare His will unto His church.
And afterward, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, the malice of Satan, and of the world, to give it to Satan.
God communicated in different ways, different times through history. But in order to correct and preserve and sustain His church, He committed all that was necessary to writing, which make the Holy Scriptures most necessary.
And then it makes this statement, those former ways of God revealing His will unto His people being now ceased. We've got the Holy Scriptures. And so the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, is the sole and sufficient source of all information that God has given us.
It is objective, absolute, inerrant, authoritative. And the Bible is a record of these many prophecies that God gave through history. The record culminating in the Bible. And the fact is that God spoke to those people.
And because God is unchangeable and authoritative, when He spoke to those people, it's just as valid today. And so the Word of God is as valid today. Some argue, we don't need a word from God that was given 3 ,000 years ago.
We need a fresh word from God today. No, no, no, they misunderstand the Scriptures. Because when God spoke that word to Moses at the burning bush, those words are just as true today as they were then.
And so the Scriptures have the same authority as those words that God gave.
Point number one.
Secondarily, we have to test everything. And you can see how that would link with prophecies, right? Test everything. And we should test everything we hear. Don't accept anything I say from this pulpit just because I say it.
You know, we test everything, aren't we, according to the Scriptures? And one question that anybody and everybody here is free to ask me or anybody in leadership in this church anytime, where's the chapter and verse for that?
Because ultimately, our authority is derivative, isn't it? It's derived from the Holy Scriptures. The Word of God. And what we present here is only authoritative to the degree we properly represent the Word of God to you.
And so we're to test all things. Is this legit?
Is this valid?
If not, why not? But once we assess things and we determine, yeah, that is Scripture, then we're obligated to embrace it, aren't we? Because the Scripture is our authority.
Well, let's pray.
Father, we thank you that you've given us a complete Word, a sufficient Word, an authoritative Word in our Bibles, a record of your dealings through history and revealing yourself and your will. And most of all, our Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, the full revelation of yourself to mankind.
He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. And we know the Scriptures testify of him in every place. He declared so. And so help us to see the Lord Jesus Christ in all his glory, Father, as you have appointed him to be our Savior and Lord.
And help us, our Lord, to have complete confidence in your Word, your Bible, as our authority in all matters of faith and practice. And help us to understand it, believe it, and obey it. For we pray in Jesus' name, amen.