WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.759 Well, tonight we are continuing our study on the gifts of the Spirit, which we've been 00:00:04.759 --> 00:00:06.839 looking at over the past few weeks. 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:12.080 It's an amazing topic for us to study because it's teaching us how God Himself, God the 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:18.879 Holy Spirit, is at work in and through people like you in order to build up His church. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:24.160 As we look through these gifts, we are trying to make sure that we keep four fundamental 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:26.440 truths in our minds. 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:29.920 And they're listed there for you, that the gifts of the Spirit are given by God. 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:33.039 They're for His glory, and they are many and diverse. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:37.760 So there's lots of different gifts, lots of different ways in which God is glorified. 00:00:37.760 --> 00:00:42.640 Number two, the gifts of the Spirit are for the building up of the church as we all work 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:43.640 together. 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:49.880 A key principle is that the gifts are not self-centered, they are others centered. 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:54.040 Number three, the gifts of the Spirit have common elements for all believers, but unique 00:00:54.040 --> 00:00:56.079 aspects for only some. 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:01.320 So there's a sense in which all of the gifts reflect imperatives that are applicable to 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:08.439 us all, but yet within that there are people who have particular gifts in particular areas. 00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:16.239 And then number four, all of the gifts of the Spirit are worthless and useless without 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.680 love. 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:23.480 We've looked at apostles, we've looked at evangelists, we've looked at pastor teachers, 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:27.600 and tonight we are going to look at prophets. 00:01:27.600 --> 00:01:29.840 And we'll start by reading again from Ephesians 2. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:34.040 So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:39.120 and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:45.240 Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together 00:01:45.240 --> 00:01:50.560 grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:54.600 I'm going to make a prophecy at the start, there's no way I'm going to be finished at 00:01:54.600 --> 00:01:58.560 half past, but we'll try and get there as close as we can. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:00.879 We won't be too long, but we'll look at this together. 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:06.079 Just to note at the start, we're going to look at prophets and prophecy as two aspects 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:07.079 of one gift. 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:10.240 And there's just two things I want to say. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:14.319 I want to say first of all that the gift of prophecy is a bit controversial, and then 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:19.039 secondly I want to say that the gift of prophecy is very exciting. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.759 So that's our two headings as we study together tonight. 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:25.719 So first of all, we're going to just dive straight in and address the fact that the 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:28.280 gift of prophecy is a controversial subject in the church. 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:34.000 And the reason it's controversial is because it's the source of many different opinions. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:38.919 So some say that prophecy has ceased, others say that it continues. 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:45.039 Some say prophecy is preaching, some say prophecy is having insight into future events, some 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:48.680 say prophecy is getting guidance, others that it's having clear understanding of 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:54.400 Scripture, others that it's to give warnings, others that it's God's authoritative revelation, 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:56.719 a bit like a continuation of the Bible. 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:00.920 Some say that Old Testament and New Testament prophecy is the same thing. 00:03:00.920 --> 00:03:04.439 Some people say that Old Testament and New Testament prophecy is a different thing. 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:08.000 There are loads of different views. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.280 And there's no agreement in the pew. 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:13.640 So you could go to lots of different churches in Edinburgh and Scotland and find lots of 00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:16.879 different views on prophecy. 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:20.000 And there's no agreement in the academy. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:26.639 And New Testament scholars of the highest caliber have come to different conclusions 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.240 on this. 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:32.599 So where do we start in all of this complexity? 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:37.199 Well, I think the first thing to do is to ask the question, what is a prophet? 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:44.079 And we tend, I think, to come to the, to jump to the conclusion that a prophet is somebody 00:03:44.079 --> 00:03:45.560 who predicts the future. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:50.920 So we talk about somebody who has this insight into future events and we say that's, they're 00:03:50.920 --> 00:03:54.879 a prophet in terms of seeing what lies ahead. 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:58.759 And of course, that arises, I think, in many ways from the fact that a lot of what the 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:01.719 Old Testament prophet said was looking forward. 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:06.800 And it was predicting events that were to come, particularly events that were fulfilled 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:08.800 in Jesus. 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:14.599 But it's important to recognize that the primary role of a prophet, whether it's Old 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:20.519 Testament, New Testament, the primary role is not prediction. 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:25.759 The primary role of a prophet is to be God's spokesperson. 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:32.079 So in the Old Testament, prophets would frequently begin their words with the phrase, thus says 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:33.879 the Lord. 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:38.279 And their job was to communicate God's message on God's behalf. 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:42.680 Sometimes that was prediction, but more often it was times to warn people or to encourage 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:44.199 people or to teach them. 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:49.839 The key point is that a prophet is somebody who communicated what God wanted to say to 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:50.839 the people. 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:59.039 So when you hear that word, prophet, I want you to think spokesperson. 00:04:59.039 --> 00:05:02.000 Prophecy is a big theme of the Bible. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:03.240 It's big in the Old Testament. 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:05.319 It's big in the New, as we'll see shortly. 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:11.519 But there's no agreement on how that gift actually works now in the church. 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:16.919 And even if you go to the New Testament, it says loads about prophecy. 00:05:16.919 --> 00:05:20.479 But yet it's hard to be actually clear exactly what it says. 00:05:20.479 --> 00:05:23.799 Here's just a list of things that the New Testament says. 00:05:23.799 --> 00:05:25.120 There's much more than this. 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:28.719 I was studying all the different places where prophets are mentioned. 00:05:28.719 --> 00:05:30.439 And so it tells us there's loads of prophets. 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:31.439 So here's some names. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:32.439 Paul is a prophet. 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:36.959 Barnabas, Lucius, Simeon, Manny, Encilus, Judas, Agabus. 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:39.039 They're all named as prophets. 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.879 They were women prophets, so Phillips' four daughters. 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:43.400 They were prophets. 00:05:43.400 --> 00:05:45.400 Prophecy is there to build up the church. 00:05:45.400 --> 00:05:46.879 Prophecy is not to be despised. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:48.560 Prophecy is to be desired. 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:50.480 Prophecy is a sign for believers. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:52.360 Prophecy reveals the mystery of Christ. 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:54.660 Prophecy is greater than interpreting tongues. 00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:56.720 Prophecy comes from God, not man. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:59.280 Prophecy should be done decently and orderly. 00:05:59.280 --> 00:06:02.480 Prophecy is going to stop. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:05.640 So there's a lot of information in one slide. 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:09.399 And that's just a selection of some of the things that the New Testament reveals. 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:12.959 But even though the New Testament says a lot about prophecy, there are still questions 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:14.560 remaining. 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.719 Is prophecy always an authoritative revelation of God's word? 00:06:19.719 --> 00:06:24.439 So when Isaiah in the Old Testament says, thus says the Lord, that's authoritative. 00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:25.519 Is it always like that? 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:27.360 Is it like that today? 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:31.800 Is prophecy guidance for specific circumstances in our lives? 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:36.280 So can you get a prophecy to tell you what job you're going to have? 00:06:36.280 --> 00:06:40.920 Is prophecy in the Old Testament the same as prophecy in the New Testament? 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:45.759 And even in the New Testament itself, is the word prophecy always referring to the same 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:47.000 thing? 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:52.960 And perhaps the biggest question of all, has prophecy ceased or are there still prophets 00:06:52.960 --> 00:06:53.960 today? 00:06:53.960 --> 00:06:58.080 It's a bit of a complicated situation, lots of different views. 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:02.719 To help us summarize all of this, I think we can put the various viewpoints into four 00:07:02.719 --> 00:07:04.439 categories. 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:07.359 And for each of these categories, I want us to think in terms of two layers. 00:07:07.359 --> 00:07:11.360 I want us to think in terms of revelation and in terms of guidance. 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:19.759 Now when I say revelation, I mean an authoritative message from God that is infallible, the word 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:21.199 of God. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:26.680 And when I talk about guidance, I'm referring to decision making and to events that take 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:27.680 place in our lives. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:34.959 So I'm going to put up a slide with a table which reflects a spectrum of views. 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:37.240 So options one, two, three and four. 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:42.199 Now please note this is a summary and there's loads of variations in all of this. 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:49.120 This is not the definitive systematic theology of prophecy, it's just the one slide summary. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:54.280 Option one, we'll say that revelation is complete, prophecy has ceased, guidance does 00:07:54.280 --> 00:07:57.519 not happen except through reading your Bible. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:02.240 Option two, revelation is complete, prophecy has ceased, but God does still lead us and 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.799 guide us by His Spirit, but it's not prophecy. 00:08:05.799 --> 00:08:10.759 Option three, revelation is complete, prophecy has ceased in that sense. 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:16.519 However, prophecy does continue at a lower level, God guides us by prophecy, but it's 00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:20.079 not infallible, it can contain errors. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.639 Option number four, revelation is continuing, so authoritative prophecy still happens and 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:32.199 that authoritative prophecy can give us guidance. 00:08:32.199 --> 00:08:38.039 Options one and two would probably be called cessationist, the idea of something has ceased. 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:43.360 Options three and four would be called continuationist in the idea that it's continuing as I'm 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:45.480 sure you guessed. 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:50.240 So option one, if you were in option one, you would say that prophecy today is just 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:56.159 really preaching as we just declare God's word, that's prophecy. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:02.000 And somebody holding that view would be very skeptical and very cautious about any claimed 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:08.279 prophetic statements today or any unusual modes of guidance that happen either today 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:10.039 or in the history of the church. 00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:13.000 It's like a very cautious view. 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:17.759 Option two would say that we can still be guided by the Spirit today, we're led by 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:21.120 Him in our lives, but it's not prophecy. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:26.240 So examples of that might be the person who feels burdened to pray for somebody or the 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:31.240 person who wants to share a verse with somebody or even the preacher who changes what they're 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:36.399 going to preach at the last minute because they feel that they want to say something 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:37.399 else. 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:43.360 There's an openness to being guided, but it wouldn't be classified as prophecy. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:48.799 Option three would say that there's two levels of prophecy. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:54.079 So one level we could maybe call prophecy with a capital P and that's the message of 00:09:54.079 --> 00:09:59.479 the biblical prophets who spoke the infallible word of God like Isaiah in the Old Testament 00:09:59.479 --> 00:10:01.559 or Paul in the New. 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:03.919 But alongside that, there's a lower level of prophecy. 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:08.679 So you could maybe say prophecy with a small P and that's still a prophetic message of 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:11.019 God, but it's not infallible. 00:10:11.019 --> 00:10:14.120 It's not at the same level and it can contain errors. 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:19.080 And the example that people in option three will use is that of a prophet called Agabus 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:24.600 in Acts chapter 20 and their argument is that Agabus prophesied that Paul would be arrested 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:29.000 by the Jews, but in actual fact he was arrested by the Romans. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.759 And so the argument is, well, that prophecy wasn't quite accurate, so there's a lower 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:34.720 level of prophecy. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:39.960 And then option four would say that God still speaks through prophets. 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:45.240 So just as God spoke through men like Jeremiah and spoke through apostles and prophets like 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:49.600 Paul, he carries on speaking today in the same way. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:54.320 And there's been lots of examples of that throughout history and way, way, way, way, 00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:00.720 way back in the second century, there was a group of people called the mountainists 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:06.080 and they had prophets and one of them was a lady called Maximilla and she said, after 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:11.960 me there will be no more prophecy but the end. 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:20.120 So unless she's still alive and is 1,847 years old, she may not have been right. 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:25.440 But even today there's still people who claim to receive direct authority of revelation 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:26.440 from God. 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:27.440 So that's the summary. 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:30.120 Which one's right? 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:33.200 Which one are you? 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:34.200 Which one am I? 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:36.920 Well, I'll tell you which one I am. 00:11:36.920 --> 00:11:40.120 I'll put my head on the block. 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:42.920 I'm number two. 00:11:42.920 --> 00:11:47.520 And I've got two reasons why I am a number two. 00:11:47.520 --> 00:11:54.240 The first is what we read in Ephesians chapter two, the fact that prophecy is foundational. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.480 So you'd say it's there right in the middle, that your fellow citizens, members of the 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:02.000 household, have got built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:06.600 So we use that verse as an argument to say that there's no apostles today because they 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:08.320 were foundational. 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:11.639 If that's the case, exactly the same thing applies to prophets. 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:15.759 They have a foundational role. 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:20.879 And to me that makes sense, to me that makes perfect sense because to the early church 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:22.759 they didn't have a Bible. 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:25.879 They didn't have the completed New Testament in their hands. 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:31.320 So the gift of prophecy functioned to allow God to speak to the people in order to teach 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.800 them and build them up. 00:12:33.800 --> 00:12:39.240 And by the time the New Testament scriptures were complete, that need was no longer there. 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:41.600 So that's reason number one, what it says there. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:47.120 The second reason I would hold to option two is that I believe the Bible is a complete 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:52.040 revelation and it must not be added to. 00:12:52.040 --> 00:12:58.160 And if we claim prophecy today, especially if we claim authoritative prophecy today, 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:01.759 then we're calling into question the authority of the Bible. 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:05.839 If someone says that they've got this revelation from God, does that mean that the Bible is 00:13:05.839 --> 00:13:07.639 incomplete? 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:10.159 That's the kind of question it raises. 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.679 Now that does not mean that I don't think that God guides us. 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:15.360 I believe God does guide us. 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:20.399 He leads us as we pray, as we read the Bible, as events unfold in our lives. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:25.759 He gives us discernment all the time we are growing in wisdom as we are being made more 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:27.199 like Jesus. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:31.600 And above all, I would want to say and really highlight that God is sovereign. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.840 And although we've got these boxes here, I would never, ever, ever put God into one 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:42.000 of those boxes because God can work in the ways that He wants. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:48.520 And there may be times, particularly where the Gospel is breaking new ground that He 00:13:48.520 --> 00:13:53.360 could be at work in remarkable ways. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:58.360 But I do, I have to just say, and you don't need to agree with me, I'm just giving you 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:06.680 my opinion, I struggle with the idea of two levels of prophecy. 00:14:06.680 --> 00:14:15.519 I think that when you look at the example of Agabus in chapter 20 of Acts, I think that, 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.360 I don't think Luke is trying to tell us that his prophecy was accurate. 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:23.480 If anything, I think he's assuming that it was accurate. 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:29.480 I think as you look at the passage, you can see that what's prophesied and what's fulfilled 00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:33.399 and the way the narrative goes, it all seems to match up, but certainly not trying to show 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:37.279 that the prophecy was wrong in terms of what Luke is saying. 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:41.279 Luke, in other words, doesn't think that he was wrong in the way that he's written it. 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:45.519 And of course, if you have the lower level of prophecy, then that raises a big question, 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.320 which parts are right and which parts aren't? 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:52.040 So you say, yes, you can have a prophecy, here it is, but some parts are right, some 00:14:52.040 --> 00:14:53.040 parts are wrong. 00:14:53.040 --> 00:14:57.040 Well, I would maybe be, maybe I'm being a bit picky, but I would just say, well, which 00:14:57.040 --> 00:14:59.960 parts are right and which parts are wrong? 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:02.560 And the only way you can know is to test it against Scripture. 00:15:02.560 --> 00:15:08.280 But of course, if you're testing everything against Scripture and you only believe the 00:15:08.280 --> 00:15:10.720 Scriptural parts, then why do you need the prophecy? 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.840 Because you've got the Scripture there to tell you and there to guide you. 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:20.080 That would make sense to me before the church had the Scriptures and prophecy was a vital 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:25.080 part of the New Testament church, but it makes less sense now. 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:30.720 Okay, now that my head is on the block, I do want to just highlight two really important 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:31.720 points. 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:37.480 If you look at those two layers, Revelation and guidance, I would say that in terms of 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:41.840 guidance, we cannot be definitive. 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:47.680 So although I'm saying that I think option two is right, option one might be right and 00:15:47.680 --> 00:15:51.440 option three might be right. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:54.600 And they've all got strong points and they've all got weak points. 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:59.200 And that's why the whole question of prophecy is not clear because each argument has got 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:02.160 strong points, each argument has got weak points. 00:16:02.160 --> 00:16:08.120 So the weak point in option one is the fact that that option has to pretty much dismiss 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:12.600 all the times when people feel led to say something or if somebody's been converted 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:17.720 through a dream or if something remarkable happens where there's the sense of knowing 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:22.720 what's going to happen, you have to just say, no, no, that none of that is actually happening. 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:25.000 That's a big claim to make. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:30.679 Option two allows for those sorts of things, but somebody can ask the question, well, if 00:16:30.679 --> 00:16:33.840 it's not prophecy, what is it? 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.000 And that's a question that's quite difficult to answer. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:42.440 And option three, as we said, it's got the problem of saying, well, how do you know what's 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:44.840 right and wrong in the lower level of prophecy? 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:50.360 Does the New Testament really teach that there's two levels of prophecy? 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:52.679 It's not very easy to prove that it does. 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:59.200 So in terms of guidance, I don't think I would be hesitant in being dogmatic. 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:07.519 And really, really, I would say that options two and options three are very, very close 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:09.640 to each other. 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:12.880 And in some cases, it might even be terminological. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:16.279 So they really are very close to one another. 00:17:16.279 --> 00:17:23.680 So in the area of guidance, we just have to be open, I think. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:32.360 In the area of revelation, in terms of authoritative revelation from God that is at the level of 00:17:32.360 --> 00:17:41.560 Scripture, we have to be absolutely definitive and say that revelation is complete. 00:17:41.560 --> 00:17:48.279 So while I'm at two and I've got sympathy with options one and options three, I am very, 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:55.440 very nervous and very cautious about option four. 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:59.759 Because to say that you've received a prophecy from God that's of the same level of the Bible, 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:02.319 that's a big claim to make. 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:06.720 And I think it's actually a dangerous claim to make, because if you do that, if you claim 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:12.000 direct authoritative revelation, then you are immediately confronting your listeners 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:16.680 with a drastic choice. 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:23.000 They either have to listen to every word that you say, or they have to regard you as a false 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:25.500 prophet. 00:18:25.500 --> 00:18:31.759 You should know in between, if someone stands up and says, God has told me to say this, then 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:35.799 they're making a big, big claim. 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:40.240 And that's something that we have to be cautious about. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:44.360 And many people have stood up and made these kind of claims over the years, especially about 00:18:44.360 --> 00:18:45.360 the second coming. 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:48.799 Apparently the world was supposed to end on 23 April this year. 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:53.879 It hasn't reached Scotland yet, but it's, maybe it was somewhere else. 00:18:53.879 --> 00:18:57.519 But I saw a quick Google and you'll find all sorts of claims. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.399 But if you think about it, it's just, if common sense tells you, if someone stands up and 00:19:00.399 --> 00:19:06.359 says the world is going to end on the 10th of October 2018, that person is either speaking 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:11.399 with the voice of God or he's a liar. 00:19:11.399 --> 00:19:12.399 One or the other. 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:17.000 And that's why claims to authority to prophecy is dangerous, very dangerous. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:21.880 And I think Jesus warned us about this when he said, beware of false prophets who come 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:28.320 to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 00:19:28.320 --> 00:19:31.560 Prophecy is an area where we have to be very careful because we need to always remember 00:19:31.560 --> 00:19:39.640 that God's message is life giving, but a false message is deadly. 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:50.720 And so for me and for our church, the unique authority of the Bible is a non-negotiable. 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.800 It's a non-negotiable. 00:19:53.800 --> 00:19:56.400 But that does not mean that we hate people who don't agree with us. 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:02.080 And I'm sure that, I'm sure many of you are not in complete agreement with me. 00:20:02.080 --> 00:20:05.520 And I completely understand that and completely respect that. 00:20:05.520 --> 00:20:09.040 And this is a debate that will go on until the second coming. 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:15.200 And we certainly don't hate the people who don't hold the same view as us. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:20.759 But I would just say this, that whatever you view on prophecy is, always just make sure 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:29.279 that you never say anything and never listen to anything that contradicts the Bible. 00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:33.119 That's the golden rule that we have to keep in mind. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:35.480 So that's the controversial bit about prophecy. 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:40.360 I want to just move on quickly to the exciting bit, but you're maybe going to say, well, 00:20:40.360 --> 00:20:44.279 okay, Thomas, if prophecy have ceased, then what's the relevance for us today? 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:50.039 And certainly, how can it be exciting if it's all not there anymore? 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:53.640 Well, I think that the gift of prophecy is very relevant to us still. 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:55.559 And in fact, it's immensely relevant. 00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:59.799 But in order to see that, we need to look at how prophecy functions across the Bible 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:01.440 as a whole. 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:06.279 And that's what I want us to spend the last few minutes thinking about. 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:10.600 As I'm sure you all know, the Bible is split into two big parts. 00:21:10.600 --> 00:21:20.039 Old Testament, New Testament, or to give them their proper names, Old Covenant and New Covenant. 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:23.600 That's really what the word Testament means. 00:21:23.600 --> 00:21:29.400 At the heart of both of these sections is the story of humanity's relationship with 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:30.400 God. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:36.160 The word covenant means talking about a relationship between us and God, whereby God is our God. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:37.160 We are His people. 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:41.440 When you hear the word covenant, think relationship. 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:46.480 And so you've got the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, the two together make up the 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:47.480 whole Bible. 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:50.800 Now, I want to notice something important, first of all, that when we talk about the 00:21:50.800 --> 00:21:55.759 relationship between the Old and the New Covenant, we are not talking about a relationship of 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:58.040 replacement. 00:21:58.039 --> 00:22:00.799 We are talking about a relationship of fulfillment. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:06.039 So when you think Old Covenant and New Covenant, don't think of it like getting a new car. 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:10.680 Because when you get a new car, you get rid of your old one and you get a new one and 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:12.639 it's completely different. 00:22:12.639 --> 00:22:16.240 That's not the relationship between the Old and New Testament. 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:21.159 It's more like the relationship between primary school and high school, or between childhood 00:22:21.159 --> 00:22:27.599 and adulthood, where one replaces the other, but in the sense of fulfilling and completing 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:28.959 the other. 00:22:28.959 --> 00:22:32.799 There's this great progression from the Old into the New. 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:40.559 So the Bible is Old Covenant and New Covenant, and prophecy is a massive part in both of 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:48.159 these, because the prophets functioned as God's covenant spokespersons. 00:22:48.159 --> 00:22:53.959 So in terms of the relationship between God and humanity, these prophets, men and women, 00:22:53.960 --> 00:23:00.319 were used by God to communicate God's message to the people with whom he's in a covenant 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.640 relationship. 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:05.799 So in the Old Testament, God raised up lots of prophets. 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:08.799 Here's a list of most of them. 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.400 I won't read them all out, but I'm sure those names are familiar to you. 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:20.480 They were all God's covenant spokespersons, and they all have one thing in common. 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:25.519 They all spoke into disastrous situations. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:29.839 So when Elijah and Elisha spoke, the kingdom was in the grip of idolatry under Ahab and 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:30.839 Jezebel. 00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:36.400 When Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, and Amos spoke, the northern kingdom was about to be obliterated 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:38.319 by the Assyrian Empire. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:42.880 When Jonah and Nahum prophesied, the great city of Nineveh was threatened with destruction. 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:47.200 When Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Joel probably, although we don't know exactly when 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:52.039 Joel was written, and Ezekiel prophesied that the city of Jerusalem was about to be 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:55.400 destroyed and the people were being taken into exile. 00:23:55.400 --> 00:24:01.840 And when Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi prophesied, they were trying to rebuild a shattered nation 00:24:01.840 --> 00:24:04.920 which was returning from exile in Babylon. 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:10.319 All these prophets spoke into disastrous situations. 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:18.200 And indeed, a great theme of the Old Testament is not success, it's failure and disaster. 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:23.839 And a key part of the prophet's job was to warn the people about what they were doing. 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:26.639 The Old Testament prophets served as warning men. 00:24:26.639 --> 00:24:28.279 That's really what they came to do. 00:24:28.279 --> 00:24:30.599 They kept telling the people not to abandon God. 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.039 Here's an example from Second Kings. 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:39.399 The Lord warned Israel by every prophet and every seer, saying, turn from your evil ways. 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:43.560 But as verse 14 says, they would not listen. 00:24:43.560 --> 00:24:48.320 And so the Old Testament prophets brought a message of judgment to a people that were 00:24:48.320 --> 00:24:50.400 rejecting God. 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:57.040 However, alongside that message of judgment, there was always a message of hope. 00:24:57.040 --> 00:25:03.440 God did not send these prophets just to deliver a great big, I told you so from God. 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:08.000 To say, I told you that if you turned away disaster would strike and see, disaster is 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:09.000 striking. 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:12.920 And so when the prophets were sent, he sent the prophets because he wanted to call the 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:16.000 people back. 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:22.079 And so we hear that the words of Joel chapter two, God talks about judgment coming the day 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:26.599 of the Lord is coming, darkness and gloom, thick cloud. 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:28.240 It's going to be a terrible day. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:36.279 But yet he says, even now return to me with all your heart. 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:39.639 Return your hearts and not your garments. 00:25:39.639 --> 00:25:45.319 And these two things characterise the message of the prophets, a message of judgment and 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:46.319 a message of salvation. 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:51.519 That's a really good thing to remember whenever you read the Old Testament prophets. 00:25:51.519 --> 00:26:00.680 But at the heart of that message was a promise that salvation was going to come in the future. 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:04.639 And so although at one level, the Old Testament prophets spoke very powerfully into their 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:13.680 own day, ultimately, they are looking forward to the day when God is going to provide salvation 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:15.160 once and for all. 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:21.720 And on that day, the Old Covenant is going to be replaced with a new one. 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:26.840 As Jeremiah 31 says, the days are coming to clear the Lord when I will make a new covenant 00:26:26.840 --> 00:26:31.480 with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:36.240 No longer will in each one say to his neighbour, know the Lord, for they shall all know me. 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:41.039 I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sins no more. 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:45.519 So Old Covenant, looking forward, all the time, looking forward, looking forward, waiting, 00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:50.079 waiting, waiting, waiting for this day. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:57.759 The great message of the New Testament prophets is that that day has come. 00:26:57.759 --> 00:27:02.920 And that's what Peter refers to in Acts chapter 2, which we read. 00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:06.519 He stands up in front of the crowd and he says, do you know what's happening? 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:08.960 Do you realize what is happening today? 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.400 He's saying this is what the prophet Joel spoke about. 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:16.200 This is what the Old Testament pointed towards in these last days. 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:19.160 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:22.000 Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:23.759 Your young men shall see visions. 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:26.799 Your old men shall dream dreams. 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:31.440 And shall come to pass in verse 21 that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:32.799 saved. 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:37.159 So these events that we read about in Acts chapter 2 are interpreted by Peter and the 00:27:37.159 --> 00:27:44.399 other apostles as that moment where the new covenant era is inaugurated through the death, 00:27:44.399 --> 00:27:47.359 resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:53.639 In other words, that promise of salvation that was coming has now arrived. 00:27:53.639 --> 00:27:55.079 That's why Peter quotes from Joel. 00:27:55.079 --> 00:27:56.759 That's why he talks about David. 00:27:56.759 --> 00:28:00.319 He is saying what the Old Testament was looking towards has now come. 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:04.879 You'll see the same thing again and again in Acts when you see people like Peter, Stephen, 00:28:04.879 --> 00:28:07.160 Paul, Philip talking to people. 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:11.160 They go straight back to the Old Testament and they say everything that this Old Testament 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:14.559 was pointing towards has now come. 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:21.119 And in this new covenant era, the role of the prophets is to speak on God's behalf, to 00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:27.119 lay the foundations needed for the church, for the covenant people of God, for the gospel 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:30.719 to spread and for the church to be built up. 00:28:30.719 --> 00:28:36.519 And it's a brilliant message because first of all, it's a message of inclusion, not 00:28:36.519 --> 00:28:37.519 exclusion. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:45.079 So you go back to verse 17 and it's for everyone, sons, daughters, everyone. 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:48.039 It's included in this message. 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:51.000 It's a message that's simple, not complicated. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:56.119 If you look at verse 21, it is so beautifully simple. 00:28:56.119 --> 00:29:01.440 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:04.759 And it's a call for people to come back. 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:06.240 Peter said, repent. 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:09.920 That means come back and be baptized. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:14.480 Every one of you in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:17.880 They've got this great prophetic message of the New Testament era. 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:24.200 It's a message of love, of peace, of hope, of joy, of forgiveness, of mercy, of healing, 00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:26.000 of security, of community. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:33.200 The New Testament prophets served to set this prophetic message down. 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:37.240 And where is it now? 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:40.360 Who's got it? 00:29:40.360 --> 00:29:44.440 Where are you going to find it? 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:48.799 It's in your hands. 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:51.880 It's in your hands. 00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:55.480 And I'll tell you, that's the prophecy we should be really excited about. 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:59.240 Because, you know, we can get very excited about predictions. 00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:02.960 If I stood up here and made predictions about what job you were going to have, or where you 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:06.480 were going to live, or who was going to be the next Prime Minister, or when the next 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:09.400 big bad weather event was going to be. 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:12.840 If I made predictions about that and they all came through, everybody would be really 00:30:12.840 --> 00:30:13.840 excited. 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:22.000 But, you know, the Bible has got something far, far, far more exciting for all of you. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:27.359 Because the prophecy of the Old and New Covenants combine to tell us something amazing. 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:32.039 They're combining to tell us that God's salvation has come. 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:34.599 It's not coming. 00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:37.119 It's come. 00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:41.359 And that's the greatest prophecy you will ever hear. 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:43.519 That's what Peter told the people in Acts 2. 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:47.799 That's what the rest of the apostles told all the people that they came into contact 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:48.799 with. 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:52.680 That's what the Church of Jesus Christ has been telling to the world ever since. 00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:55.639 God's promise of salvation has arrived. 00:30:55.639 --> 00:31:02.559 But I want you to notice something absolutely crucial that Peter says in the next verse. 00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:05.240 Oh, it's gone. 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:07.240 Ah, where is it? 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:08.359 Anyway, look at your Bible. 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:09.359 It's in front of you. 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:11.599 Oh, there it is. 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:14.119 It's for you. 00:31:14.119 --> 00:31:20.119 He says the promise is for you. 00:31:20.119 --> 00:31:23.319 And just think about that. 00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:31.039 What the Old Testament was looking towards, what the New Testament said down, it's for 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:34.799 you. 00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:41.039 And often we think, you know, our prophets are amazing, you know, and wouldn't it be amazing 00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:42.039 to be a prophet? 00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:48.359 You know, it's far better to be the person for whom this promise is for. 00:31:48.359 --> 00:31:52.200 And that's what I think is just amazing about God. 00:31:52.200 --> 00:32:03.519 Is that he went from Moses to Elijah to Elisha to Isaiah to Jeremiah to Malachi to Paul to 00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:10.000 Barnabas to Silas to Phillips Daughters to all of these people. 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:15.160 For you. 00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:27.279 Because he wants to tell you that if you call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. 00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:32.000 That's the most exciting prophecy the world has ever heard. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:39.000 And we've got a job now because there's a sense in which we all need to serve as God 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:43.400 spokesmen and God's spokes, God's spokeswomen. 00:32:43.400 --> 00:32:48.640 Because we've got this life-giving message and the world needs to hear it. 00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:51.680 So let's go for it. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:53.680 Let's pray. 00:32:53.680 --> 00:33:07.759 God our Father, we thank you so much that you've not forgotten us. 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:15.039 That you've not abandoned us and that your promise of salvation has not failed. 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:20.319 And we are so privileged to be able to know that that promise is for us. 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:26.920 We thank you for that great word of prophecy, that great message that you have sent, calling 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:29.960 people back to you. 00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:33.879 And we just want to thank you with all our hearts for the way in which you have brought 00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:37.720 salvation to a broken world. 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:43.400 And we pray that each and every one of us would look to you and trust in you and lean 00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:50.200 on you and take the opportunity to hear your voice and to hear your call. 00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:55.680 And so that every single one of us would find the peace and the joy and the salvation that 00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:58.040 can only come in Jesus. 00:33:58.040 --> 00:34:00.840 Thank you for your word. 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:07.839 And we also pray for all those Lord who will perhaps view prophecy in a different way to 00:34:07.839 --> 00:34:09.480 us. 00:34:09.480 --> 00:34:16.480 And we know that there are people who would interpret things in a way that we wouldn't. 00:34:16.480 --> 00:34:19.759 And we want to pray for them and pray that you would bless them. 00:34:19.759 --> 00:34:23.400 Not that we think that they need to be corrected, we are well aware that they might be right 00:34:23.400 --> 00:34:24.519 and we might be wrong. 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:28.599 But we want to pray that you would bless their ministries and bless their work and encourage 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:33.319 them and bind us all closer as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. 00:34:33.319 --> 00:34:37.279 We thank you Lord for the unity of your church. 00:34:37.279 --> 00:34:43.599 We pray that we would always maintain that beautiful unity in all that we do. 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:59.599 In Jesus' name, Amen.