Discerning Prophecy
10/6/2002
I. Intro to Rom. 12:1-2... the will of God
A. Prerequisites
1. Therefore... (11:33-36) in light that God is awesome, more than you can imagine
2. Offer self as a living sacrifice (12:1)... living for God, not for self.
3. Do not conform to world... counter-culture (12:2)
a. Too often the church has historically gone the way of culture instead of against it, as salt and light.
4. Transformed by renewing of mind
a. time in Word, adoration, truth, etc.
B. Then you will be able to test and approve the will of God.
1. Same Gk. word, as in 1 Thess. 5:20-21
--dokimazo = to test, examine, scrutinize to see if genuine or not, as metals, and to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy (Rom. 12:2)
2. "Do not put out the Spirits fire. Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything; hold fast to that which is beneficial." NKJV 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
C. Knowing the will of God is a desire and necessity for EVERY CHRISTIAN.
II. Review of prophecy (From notes by Penn Clark)
A. Here are nine ways to judge a prophecy:
1. Judge the content of the message... is it scriptural?
2. Judge the effect upon the hearers... does it give faith, freedom, or edification?
3. Judge the spirit in which it was given... does it sound like Jesus?
4. Judge the life of the prophet... what is the fruit of their lives?
5. Does it encourage you to press in for more of what God has for you?
6. Judge whether or not the use of the gift was in keeping with scripture... specifically 1 Corinthians 14.
7. Is it relevant to your life?
8. Does it magnify Jesus... instead of a person, distinctive teaching, or church?
9. Did Did it come to pass?
C. Two significant problems
1. Pastors who lead their churches by prophecy. They have a word from God or a vision for everything. They go in various directions because someone prophesied it. This has led to many hurts and divisions, and has misrepresented church authority. I think it also grows weak Christians who do not know how to find guidance for their lives.
e.g.. J. Phillips, Stutzman... build church of 1000 people.
e.g.. dreams warning of other people (Zion)
As church leaders, we make hundreds of decisions on behalf of the congregation every year, but we ask our board members to give us their honest counsel, rather than the word of the Lord. We do not encourage language like, "The Lord told me", or "God gave me this idea". This causes others to be reluctant to share their own opinion. They may not be comfortable contradicting what someone says is God’s leading. If they choose to use this language, then we judge it as prophecy.
We can safely arrive at God’s will together by open and honest sharing. Picture a funnel in the middle of the table. Everyone puts in his or her opinion, counsel, and concerns and what comes out in the end will likely be what the Lord is saying to us as leaders. We need to trust that God will give us sound judgment, if only because of our responsibility to serve the members and make decisions on their behalf. I do not remember the last time we had to reverse a decision or undo a major problem caused by the guidance our board has found for our congregation.
2. Elevating a prophecy so high that other scriptural principles are ignored or debased. There are three things that are higher, in terms of a method of guidance, than a personal word from God which we might get on our own or might have spoken over us.
THREE THINGS THAT ARE HIGHER THAN PROPHECY
1. The Multitude Of Counselors:
We need to rest in the objectivity of multiple counselors...those who have earned the right to speak into your life, those who are submitted to the Lord, and those who trust Him in all their ways. Choose those who have a successful track record of getting guidance for their lives. Notice the following text says there is safety in the multitude of counselors. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that there is safety in any other form of guidance like this. Does it say there is safety in the multitude of prophecies or visions? This is one of the highest forms of gaining guidance safely:
"Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)
"Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." (Proverbs 15:2)
"For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety." (Proverbs 24:6)
2. The Power Of Being In Agreement:
I believe that this form of guidance is higher than most forms of prophetic guidance. We should always be in agreement with those who are going to be affected the most by our guidance, whether it is in our church or in our home.
"Can two walk together except they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3)
We should always include whoever will be affected by our guidance in the process of discerning the will of the Lord. Especially if we expect them to follow our leadership. Building a church building... If a husband is going to change jobs or move, those affected by this change should have a part in the decision.
God honors the role of a husband. Once an angel appeared to a woman and said she was going to have a child and described the call that child had on his life. (Samson) The husband said that he needed to know more about what they were to do, so God sent the angel again to talk with the man, bringing him into agreement with his wife.
And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me! (Judges 13:9-10)
3. Godly God-given Authority:
This final section can sound self-serving, because I am someone in a position of authority, but I am also a man under authority and have proven this to be true in my own life on many occasions. I believe that those in authority in our lives can see things in our lives that we cannot see, prophetically or otherwise. Especially those godly pastors who watch for our souls.
... employers...parents... husband... pastor or overseer... gov’t...
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. (Heb.13:17)
Also, people in authority can easily get the word of the Lord, by virtue of their place of authority, not their great spirituality:
"…Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation…." (John 11:47-53)
We should submit our guidance to them for their counsel and perhaps God will confirm it through them. We should beware any time we allow a prophetic word or our own personal guidance to put a wedge between ourselves and godly authority. If we feel at odds with them or deliberately avoid submitting our guidance to them, then we can be easily deceived, if we are not already. When we do this, it usually indicates that we want our own will more than we want God’s will.
’"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalms 1:1,2)
Things to remember in discerning the will of God.
1. (12:3) It will require honest evaluation = integrity: It requires a good and honest heart to give a word from the Lord, but it also requires the same heart condition to receive one from Him:
"But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:15)
2. It will require humility (12:3)
a. one of the biggest hindrances to discerning the will of God is pride.
3. It will involve relating to others in the area of your giftedness (12:4-5)
a. Implies that we need to know what our gifts are. (12:6)
b. Ex. 4:2-- to Moses... "what is in your hand?"
4. It will involve developing your gift (Rom. 12:6-8)
a. 1 Tim. 1:6 -- For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
5. Love -- Rom. 12:9-21
6. Respect authority, Rom. 13:1-7
7. patience: The Greek word for patience (3115) can be translated as fortitude, forbearance, long-suffering. Another definition for patience is, cheerful, hopeful, endurance.
The word bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15)
8. It will require the exertion of your faith: A genuine word from the Lord needs to be mixed with our faith in order for it to come to pass.
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. (Hebrews 4:2)
9. It will require meeting the conditions: Look for any directives, commands or principles in the word that need to be observed. Mark them as well as the promises.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (Revelations 2:7)
Often the very reason He gives us the promises in the first place is to motivate us in a certain direction. Some people neglect what God has said; therefore, even though it is a word from God, it will not come to pass.
10. It will require that we continue to pray and seek the Lord: No prophecy should eliminate our need to continue to seek the Lord.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part. (1 Corinthians 13:9)
The leaders of the early church sought the Lord, got some results, and then continued…
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ’Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13:1-4)
DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD
I. Pre-requisites for discerning God’s will
A. Know the awesomeness of God (Rom. 11:33-12:1)
B. Live for God, not self (12:1)
C. Don’t conform to world (12:2)
D. Be transformed by renewing of your mind (12:2)
II. Two Problems Charismatics can develop
A. Trying to lead by prophecy
B. Ignoring or debasing other Scriptural principles
1. Multitude of counselors
2. The Power of being in agreement
3. God-given authority
III. Things Required
A. Honest evaluation (12:3)
B. Humility (12:3)
C. Relating to others (12:4,5)
D. Developing your gifts (12:6-8)
E. Motivated by Love (12:9-21)
F. Submit to Authorities (13:1-7)
G.Patience (Lk. 8:15)
H. Exercising Faith (Heb. 4:2)
I. Meeting Conditions (Rev. 2:7)
J. Seeking the Lord (Acts 13:1-4)
