Participants:
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000186A
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00:19 Hello, friends,
00:21 welcome to our Wednesday night Bible study 00:22 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:24 My name is John Lomacang. 00:26 If you've tuned in before, you know, 00:28 you know that already, 00:29 we thank you for taking the time to tune in tonight 00:31 to join us for our continued study 00:33 on "The Gifts of the Spirit." 00:37 We're gonna have a theme song, will tell you in just a moment 00:40 where to get a copy of the lesson. 00:42 But before we do anything else, 00:43 let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 00:46 Loving Father in heaven, we thank You, Lord, 00:48 for Your Holy Spirit's guidance. 00:50 We thank You for the power 00:52 that will come from the study of Your Word. 00:54 We invite You, Lord to be in this meeting tonight. 00:58 And all those who are joining us, 01:00 unite us, through the work and power of Your Holy Spirit 01:03 we pray in Jesus' name. 01:06 Amen. 01:08 If you'd like to get a copy of the lesson, 01:09 go to the following website asf.3abn.org. 01:14 That's asf.3abn.org, download lesson number 41. 01:19 We're finishing that tonight. 01:21 And can we all say, amen. 01:23 I mean, we've been on this lesson. 01:25 It's been a wonderful one. 01:26 But we wanna go to another one. 01:28 But the Holy Spirit is a powerful topic 01:30 that each one of us needs to know about. 01:33 And we encourage you to download a copy 01:34 and follow along with us. 01:36 Tonight we're gonna begin on question number 22. 01:38 But before we do that, 01:40 we're gonna sing our theme song 01:41 which is "Victory in Jesus." 01:44 Let's sing that song together. 01:53 I heard an old, old story 01:57 How the Savior came from glory 02:00 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:04 To save a wretch like me 02:08 I heard about His groaning 02:12 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:16 Then I repented of my sin 02:19 And won the victory 02:23 O victory in Jesus 02:27 My Savior, forever 02:31 He sought me and bought me 02:35 With His redeeming blood 02:38 He loved me ere I knew Him 02:42 And all my love is due Him 02:46 He plunged me to victory 02:50 Beneath the cleansing flood 02:53 I heard about a mansion 02:57 He has built for me in glory 03:01 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:05 Beyond the crystal sea 03:08 About the angels singing 03:12 And the old redemption story 03:16 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 03:20 The song of victory 03:22 Key change. 03:24 O victory in Jesus 03:27 My Savior, forever 03:31 He sought me and bought me 03:35 With His redeeming blood 03:39 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:42 And all my love is due Him 03:46 He plunged me to victory 03:50 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:54 He plunged me to victory 03:58 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:04 Amen. 04:06 Victory in Jesus. 04:08 Tonight we are going to continue on our topic, 04:12 the Truth about, the Gifts of the Spirit. 04:16 Everyone likes gifts. 04:18 I don't know of anyone who doesn't like a gift. 04:20 If you like a gift, can I hear you say, amen? 04:22 Amen. 04:23 We all like gifts, people look forward to gifts, 04:26 Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, 04:29 anniversary gifts, gifts, gifts. 04:32 Just anytime we can get anything new, 04:35 we are always excited about it. 04:36 Tonight I wanna ask you to turn in your Bibles 04:39 to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. 04:41 We're gonna lay some foundation 04:42 and when we dive into the lesson, 04:44 we're gonna begin our lesson or question 22. 04:47 But I want you to see 04:50 and I'm gonna state this to make it very obvious. 04:53 The Holy Spirit works in three ways. 04:56 How many ways did I say? 04:57 Three ways. Three ways. 04:59 First, He works on us, 05:03 then He works in us, 05:06 then He works through us. 05:08 Let's try that one more time. 05:09 First time He works where? On us. 05:12 Then He works where? In us. 05:14 Then He works through us. 05:16 And it cannot be changed. 05:18 You can't expect the Spirit of God 05:20 to work through you before He has worked in you. 05:24 And that will never happen 05:26 before He works on you 05:29 because He wants us to respond. 05:31 Matter of fact, I'll share a couple of verses in the Bible 05:33 to show you all three aspects of it. 05:36 He works on us when we respond, He works in us as evidence, 05:40 then He works through us 05:41 with the gifts that He entrust to every one of us. 05:44 He'll never work through us 05:45 if we don't respond to the first process. 05:47 So one, two, three, what is it? 05:51 One, two, three, 05:53 all three processes are very necessary. 05:55 Now what I'm gonna show you is the third process, 05:58 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. 06:00 And I'm gonna begin with verse 4. 06:03 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 06:06 and we're gonna look together at verse 4. 06:10 All right? 06:11 Notice what the Bible says, 06:13 "Now there are diversities of," what? 06:16 Gifts. "Gifts, but the same spirit." 06:21 So when it says diversities 06:23 it means there are all kinds of different gifts. 06:25 If you've gone to any major store, 06:29 people can walk out with different gifts 06:31 because they are what? 06:33 Diversity. Diversities of gifts. 06:35 There are different kinds of gifts, 06:37 big gifts, small gifts. 06:39 And when you read the passages, 06:41 what you're going to discover is no gift 06:43 is more important than the other. 06:46 Every gift is imperative. 06:47 Every gift has a place of importance. 06:50 But let's look at verse 5. 06:53 "There are differences of ministries, 06:56 but the," what? "The same Lord." 06:59 "Diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. 07:01 Different kinds of ministries, but the same Lord." 07:05 Ministries and gifts harmoniously working together. 07:09 And verse 6, 07:10 "And there are diversities of activities, 07:13 but it is the same," together, 07:16 "God who works all in all." 07:19 So God is working in the gifts, 07:21 God is working in the ministries, 07:24 and God is working in the activities. 07:26 It is God who works in you both to will 07:29 and to do of His good pleasure. 07:31 God is interwoven through all of that, 07:33 you cannot get Him out of it. 07:37 But what I wanna make very clear, 07:39 is sometimes we want certain gifts, 07:42 you know, 07:45 I've seen people ask for certain types of gifts. 07:48 What you're gonna discover as we go on, 07:50 is you can't even ask for which gift. 07:54 You can't even ask for which gift, 07:56 no more than I know people have said, 07:59 well, give me a Christmas list or give me a birthday list, 08:04 but you still don't know what gifts you're gonna get. 08:06 It goes on in verse 7. 08:10 "But the manifestation of the Spirit 08:14 is given to each one for the profit of," how many? 08:17 All. "All." 08:19 So whatever Norey gets, or whatever Angela gets, 08:22 or whatever Xenia gets, or whatever Louis gets. 08:25 It's not for Louis, it's not for Xenia, 08:27 not for my wife, it's not for Norey, 08:28 it's for who? 08:30 All. All of us. 08:31 The Lord never gives you anything for yourself. 08:36 The only thing the Holy Spirit gives you 08:39 that benefits you is what? 08:44 Is what? 08:46 Okay, salvation is a personal benefit. 08:48 But as I talked about the three stages, 08:50 which one is the only one that benefits you? 08:57 The Holy Spirit, the fruit. 09:00 The fruit is an evidence that Christ is in your life. 09:04 But it's still, it's while it's a benefit to you 09:07 because you know what? 09:08 You can have love. You can be a person of joy. 09:12 You cannot be a person of peace. 09:14 You cannot have long suffering. 09:16 You cannot be gentle. 09:18 You cannot be meek. 09:20 That's a humble heart. 09:22 You cannot be long-suffering, 09:24 you can't be any of, love, joy, peace, 09:27 long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, 09:29 and you surely won't have patience. 09:32 So all those things are benefit to us. 09:34 But it also benefits people around us. 09:36 But the gifts are never given for your own benefit. 09:40 The gifts are given so that how many people benefit it? 09:42 All. Everybody else. 09:44 It goes on. 09:45 Let's look at some of those gifts. 09:47 Verse 8, 09:49 "For to one is given the word of," what? 09:51 "Wisdom through the Spirit, 09:54 to another the word of knowledge 09:57 through the same Spirit, 10:00 to another faith," 10:02 verse 9, "by the same Spirit, 10:05 to another the gifts of," what? 10:07 "Healings by the same Spirit." 10:10 You would think that by now we will get it, 10:11 but Paul is wanting to make the point clear. 10:13 Redundancy in scripture 10:15 is to make the point abundantly clear. 10:17 Repeat, repeat. 10:19 What do they say by repetition? 10:21 It's the best, it's the best teacher. 10:24 Repetition. Repetition is the best teacher. 10:27 And it goes on in verse 10, 10:30 "To another, the working of miracles, 10:32 to another," what? 10:34 "Prophecy, to another," what? 10:36 "Discerning of spirits, 10:37 to another different kinds of tongues, 10:41 to another," what? 10:42 "The interpretation of tongues." 10:44 But look at verse 11, 10:46 "But one and the same Spirit 10:50 works all these things." 10:52 And here's the key. 10:54 The next word in my Bible is, "Distributing," 10:56 what is word? 10:58 Giving, distributing. 10:59 So if you're standing at a counter, 11:01 somebody says, okay, 11:02 I'm not gonna give little Norey a chainsaw. 11:07 Because I don't think she'll be successful with it. 11:09 Now Louis I could trust with a chainsaw 11:11 if he's used one before. 11:13 I'm not gonna give Jen a gigantic 300-pound fire hose. 11:18 It'll be throwing you all over the place. 11:20 I will look at, the Spirit of God 11:21 looks at every one of us and says, "I know what I have. 11:25 I know what I have equipped you to be able to use." 11:28 And He gives each one of us according to what he knows. 11:31 That's why it says, 11:33 distributing to each one individually as He wills. 11:38 So who wills it? 11:40 The Holy Spirit does. 11:41 The Holy Spirit decides what gifts. 11:43 So when you, if you go to a church that says, 11:46 you need the gift of tongues as evidence 11:48 that you are born again, that's not scriptural. 11:51 That's not in the Bible. The Bible doesn't support that. 11:54 But now let's go on. 11:55 Let's ask some questions. 11:56 Turn the page to verse 12:02 number 27. 12:05 1 Corinthians 12:27. 12:09 Okay. 12:12 And by the way, 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 12:15 is a prelude to Chapter 13. 12:18 When the Bible is written, it's not written in, 12:20 it's not broken up. 12:22 It's a continual. 12:23 So 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 is laying out all the gifts. 12:27 And then 1 Corinthians 13 says, 12:29 if you think that the gift 12:31 is gonna make the difference without love, 12:34 not working. 12:35 No matter what gift you have, if love is not a part of it, 12:38 it's of no value. 12:39 Look at verse 27. 12:41 It says, "Now you are the body of Christ, and members," how? 12:45 Individually. "Individually. 12:48 And God has appointed these in the church." 12:50 So when people ask, 12:52 do I need to be a member of a church 12:53 and what's the answer? 12:55 Yes, everybody needs to be involved. 12:57 You don't have a car without a tyre 12:59 and well, it's possible. 13:02 But that tyre is not... 13:04 Not going anywhere. 13:05 That car is not going anywhere. 13:07 I saw a show once 13:08 where there was a really beautiful Mercedes 13:10 and it was being auctioned off for very, very low price. 13:12 And somebody said, 13:14 how could you sell a Mercedes like that 13:15 for just like $2,000? 13:17 He said it doesn't have an engine. 13:20 Doesn't have an engine? There's nothing on the inside. 13:22 So we could look perfectly capable on the outside. 13:24 But if there's nothing on the inside, 13:26 it is of absolutely no value whatsoever. 13:29 So you are the body of Christ and members individually. 13:33 And look at verse 28. 13:36 "And God has appointed these in the church, 13:40 first, apostles, 13:42 second, prophets, third," what? 13:46 "Teachers, after that miracles, 13:49 then the gifts of healings," what else? 13:52 "Helps, administrations, 13:55 and varieties of tongues." 13:57 Which means different kinds of languages? 14:00 I'm always amazed. 14:01 I think I may have said this before, 14:02 but if I hadn't, it fits right here. 14:04 I've never met... 14:05 I've never met a pastor 14:07 or I've never seen a church teaching its members, 14:09 pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 14:11 so that you will get the gifts of helps. 14:15 The church needs what? 14:16 Help. 14:18 Nobody says, oh, please give me the gift of helps. 14:22 They want that uninvolved gift, 14:24 that gift that makes them look like 14:25 they are really powerful that nobody could explain. 14:28 So they go around babbling, 14:31 no sense whatsoever. 14:33 What about if somebody pray for the gifts of anything else? 14:38 Administration, please give me the gift of administration. 14:42 Nobody prays for that. 14:43 They want that gift that's good enough 14:46 to confuse individuals. 14:48 But here's some very important questions 14:49 that we're gonna answer right now. 14:51 And I want you to answer by the way, 14:53 I'm gonna ask you the questions and I want you to answer. 14:55 Okay, you can answer resoundingly. 14:56 Okay. Are you ready? Here we go. 14:58 "Are all apostles?" No. 15:01 Oh, no, that's not resounding. 15:03 Are you ready? Let's try it again. 15:05 "Are all apostles?" No. 15:06 "Are all prophets?" No. 15:08 "Are all teachers?" No. 15:10 "Are all workers of miracles?" No. 15:12 "Do all have the gift of healings?" 15:14 No. 15:15 "Do all speak with tongues?" No. 15:17 "Do all interpret?" No. 15:19 You know, what they said over and over? 15:20 No, no, no, no, no. 15:23 I'm glad I didn't ask for help. 15:27 But what is being said clearly is the reason why they said no, 15:32 is because only the Holy Spirit decides 15:34 who has what, 15:36 everyone doesn't have every gift. 15:39 And no one could ask for any gift 15:42 because the Holy Spirit decides who gets what. 15:45 That's why verse 31 says this, 15:47 and this is powerful because now Chapter 13 15:50 is gonna give the more excellent way. 15:52 It says, "But earnestly desire the," what kind of gifts? 15:56 "The best gifts. 15:57 And yet I show you," what? 15:59 "A more excellent way." 16:00 There's something better than that. 16:02 So you can have all these gifts, 16:04 but something's missing. 16:06 If God's love is missing, 16:07 and all those gifts are of absolutely, 16:11 how much value? 16:12 No value. 16:13 That's why it's important as we go to question number 22, 16:15 tonight. 16:17 Question number 22, and here it is. 16:19 It says, "How can we know 16:21 that a prophet is being led 16:25 by the Spirit of God?" 16:28 Matthew 7:15-16. 16:31 How can we know 16:33 that a prophet is being led by the Spirit of God? 16:38 Let's look at, Matthew 7:15-16. 16:41 And the Bible reads as follows. 16:45 Says, "Beware of," what kind of prophets? 16:47 "False prophets, who come to you in," 16:50 what kind of clothing? 16:51 "Sheep's clothing," 16:53 they look very suspicious, 16:57 "But inwardly they are," what kind of wolves? 17:00 "Ravenous wolves." 17:02 That means scary, deadly, deadly wolves. 17:05 "You will know them," verse 16, "by their," what? 17:09 "You will know them by their fruits." 17:10 So notice this, this is important, 17:13 what are they not known by? 17:17 Okay. 17:19 What are they not known by? 17:23 You will know them by their fruits. 17:25 What are they not known by? 17:28 Whoo! 17:30 If you know the answer write me in. 17:32 What are they not known by? 17:34 I just gave you all the answer before this. 17:37 What are they not identified by? 17:44 What did we just read in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. 17:48 Okay, what are they not known by? 17:50 The gifts. 17:51 They are not known by their gifts. 17:53 They are known by their, what? 17:55 Fruits, 17:57 very important. 18:00 Very important. 18:02 We are not identified by our gifts. 18:05 We are identified by our what? 18:07 Fruits. 18:09 By our fruits. 18:10 That's okay, Xenia. 18:12 We are identified by our fruits, 18:14 not by our gifts. 18:16 So the devil has created this distraction by saying, 18:19 look for the gift of tongues and then you'll know them. 18:22 The Lord says look for the fruits. 18:25 Look for the fruits 18:27 'cause anybody could duplicate stuff 18:29 but, you know, there's one thing you can't duplicate. 18:31 You can't duplicate love, 18:33 joy, peace, 18:36 long-suffering, gentleness, 18:39 meekness, patience. 18:42 You can't. 18:44 You can't duplicate that. 18:46 Let's see why. 18:48 You're in Matthew, where? 18:50 Where are you? Matthew what? 18:52 Okay, let me go there with you. 18:53 Okay, look at Matthew 7. 18:56 And we just read verse 15 and 16. 18:58 Now, we just read verse 15. 19:00 So the answer is, how can we know 19:02 that a prophet is being led by the Spirit of God? 19:05 What do we know them by their what? 19:07 By their fruits, not by their gifts. 19:09 Never by their gifts. 19:10 That's a dangerous thing 19:12 because people can duplicate stuff and say, 19:13 hey, this church is spirit filled why? 19:15 They all speak in tongues. 19:17 And by the way, that kind of gift 19:19 is not a gift of confusion, 19:20 but a gift of communicating the gospel to people 19:22 that don't understand the gospel in your language. 19:26 That's why it's called Pentecost. 19:28 On the day of Pentecost, Acts Chapter 2, 19:31 the Galileans began to speak in the languages 19:33 of all the people gathered from around the world. 19:36 Read the story, 19:37 not confusion, but clarification. 19:40 The gospel was unconfused and it was clarified. 19:43 Now Matthew 7. Is that what I said? 19:46 Look at verse 15. 19:48 That's why you cannot duplicate this. 19:50 It cannot be done. 19:51 Here in Matthew 7:17. 19:55 All right, look what it says, 19:57 "Even so, every good tree bears," what? 20:01 "Good fruit, but a bad tree bears," what? 20:03 "Bad fruit." Now watch this. 20:05 What kind of fruit does a bad tree bear? 20:08 Okay, what kind of fruit does a good tree bear? 20:11 Okay, so it's a rhetorical question. 20:14 Here's the point. Can a bad tree bear good fruit? 20:18 Can a good tree bear bad fruit? 20:21 It's not confusing. It's a very simple question. 20:23 I'm not gonna try to confuse you. 20:25 Can you get good fruits off of a bad tree? 20:28 No. 20:29 Can you get bad fruits off of a good tree? 20:32 No. They think I'm trying to trick them. 20:34 I'm not. 20:35 I'm just asking a straightforward question. 20:37 Okay. 20:38 So if somebody is exhibiting 20:41 bad not vibes, 20:45 but as you examine that tree, 20:47 you see nothing but bad things. 20:50 Are they connected to the good vine? 20:54 No. No. 20:55 But if you see love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 20:58 gentleness, meekness, patience, you probably say 21:02 what tree are they connected to? 21:06 Let's go to John Chapter 15. 21:15 Okay. 21:21 John 15. 21:23 Okay. 21:29 John Chapter 15. 21:32 And I'm gonna read verse 1-4. 21:34 Jesus says and this is by, 21:37 by the way, this is the relationship chapter. 21:39 Relationship that believer to Jesus. 21:42 "I am the vine, My Father is the vinedresser. 21:45 Every branch in Me that does not bear," what? 21:49 "Fruit." What does He do? 21:51 "He takes away." 21:52 So now get this. So which one? 21:55 Did He say every tree 21:56 that does not bear gifts are taken away? 21:58 No. 21:59 No, but it says, every tree that does not bear what? 22:01 Fruit, in other words, I don't have any uses for you. 22:04 So the fruit is the most important evidence 22:08 that the Lord can use you 22:10 that you can be a blessing in the work of God. 22:14 If you're displaying the fruits, 22:15 okay, I could trust them with the gifts. 22:18 But if their fruits are not there, 22:20 the Father does what? 22:21 Kick it. No, we can't use that individual. 22:24 That's why He says in verse 2, 22:26 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit 22:28 He takes away, and every branch 22:30 that bear fruits He," does what? 22:33 "Prunes, that it may bear more fruit." 22:36 Now let me pause and say something. 22:39 Okay, how many of you like to be pruned? 22:42 What's another word for prune? 22:45 Come on. 22:46 What do you do when you prune something? 22:48 Cut. You cut. 22:51 You cut it back. 22:52 Oh, I was very upset one day 22:55 when the trees in front of 3ABN. 22:57 Huh? Yeah, on 3ABN front. 23:00 When One day I drove to 3ABN 23:01 and I saw a lot of trucks outside 23:04 with big saws 23:05 and I saw all these beautiful branches 23:08 on the ground. 23:09 I was so upset. 23:10 I said Danny, 23:14 there's somebody out here cutting up the trees. 23:16 They're all bald-headed. 23:19 No, he said, that's okay. That's okay. 23:21 I said, did you know about that? 23:23 The trees were bare. 23:24 He said they all look wonderful next year. 23:28 They got pruned. 23:30 How do they look now? 23:32 They're coming along. 23:34 Now, here's the point. 23:36 When the Lord prunes us, He prunes us 23:39 because He wants to bring the best out in us. 23:42 And then He takes His time and He takes it, 23:45 you're not gonna get to where you were 23:47 before that quickly overnight. 23:49 That's why the term tree and fruit are all used there. 23:53 When He prunes us. 23:54 In the course of time, 23:56 you're gonna see the growth in a person's life. 23:59 But sometimes He has to prune us. 24:01 Matter of fact, He didn't say sometimes 24:03 He has to prune us. 24:05 It didn't say sometimes 24:06 it says, "When you bear fruit, He prunes you 24:10 that you may bear," how many fruit? 24:13 "More fruit." 24:14 So sometimes He got to cut us up. 24:16 Sometimes He has to make sure 24:17 all too much stuff in that person's life. 24:19 Pruning time. 24:21 Oh, good. More fruit show up. 24:23 And I tell you, let me ask a question. 24:26 Now, if you get a wide shot, 24:28 how many of you like to be pruned? 24:31 It's a painful process. 24:33 But let me go on to verse 4. 24:36 This is the reason. 24:38 Verse 4 and 5. 24:41 "Abide in Me, and I in you. 24:44 As the branch 24:46 cannot bear fruit of itself, 24:50 unless it abides in the vine, 24:53 neither can you, 24:55 unless you abide in Me." 24:58 So we might have a lot of good things 25:00 that we could do, but that's not fruit, 25:02 those are gifts. 25:05 And verse 5. 25:07 Let's read that together. 25:08 "I am the vine, you are the branches. 25:12 He who abides in Me, and I in him bears," what? 25:15 "Much fruit, for without Me you can do," what? 25:19 "Nothing." 25:20 And verse 6 is kind of a, 25:23 an ominous but very, very necessary verse. 25:25 "If anyone does not abide in Me, 25:27 he is cast out as a branch and his withered." 25:31 I have a lot of those on my lawn right now. 25:34 "And they gather them and throw them into the fire, 25:37 and they are burned." 25:39 Often I invite one of the guys here 25:40 named Larry to come out. 25:42 He's a good, he knows how to burn branches. 25:44 And he knows how to keep it under control. 25:47 But when there's nothing growing on them 25:49 when you see nothing but death, 25:51 he says I can use them. 25:54 Gather them off. 25:55 So that's why it's important when you look for the person 25:57 that is saying that they are prophet of God. 25:59 What do you know them by? Don't know. 26:02 Don't make me do this, it is already big, 26:04 you know them by their? 26:06 Fruits. By their fruits. 26:07 Let's go to number 23. 26:09 And by the way I should have gone further. 26:12 It says, "Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes 26:14 or figs from thistles?" 26:15 And the answer is absolutely what? 26:17 Absolutely not. 26:18 Question number 23, 26:20 "What promise has the Lord made to those 26:22 that follow his instructions?" 26:24 He made promises. 26:25 When we grab those promises, when we embrace those promises. 26:28 Then we see the benefits of it. 26:30 2 Chronicles 20:20. 2 Chronicles 20:20. 26:38 All right, here it is. 26:44 "So they rose early in the morning 26:48 and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa, 26:52 and as they went out, 26:53 Jehoshaphat stood and said, 26:56 'Hear me, O Judah 26:58 and you inhabitants of Jerusalem." 27:01 Here's what he said, 27:03 "Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be," what? 27:07 "You shall be established, believe in His prophets, 27:11 and you shall," what? 27:12 "Prosper." 27:14 What promise has the Lord made to those 27:15 that follow His instruction? 27:17 Two things. 27:19 You have prosperity, believe in Lord, 27:20 you'll be established. 27:22 Believe in His prophets you will what? 27:23 Prosper. 27:24 You can't separate one from the other. 27:27 Prosperity and establishment go hand in hand. 27:31 And by the way, the word prosper there 27:34 doesn't mean prosperity in the sense of financial, 27:38 you know, your backyard 27:40 with nothing but gold bars in it. 27:41 That's not what it means. 27:43 Let me show you what it means. Let's go to Psalm Chapter 1. 27:49 Because people, that text has been often used 27:52 to forecast the prosperity gospel, 27:54 which has twisted people's understanding 27:56 of what that means. 27:57 All right. 27:59 Okay. 28:01 Wow, hmm. 28:03 Thank you, Lord Jesus, 28:04 you know, I was not even thinking along these lines. 28:08 And as I mentioned that passage, 28:10 the Lord said, 28:12 explain it with this passage. 28:16 Psalm 1, 28:18 Blessed is the man that who walks 28:20 not in the counsel of the ungodly, 28:23 nor stands in the path of way of sinners, 28:26 nor sits in the seat of the scornful 28:30 but his delight is in the law of the Lord. 28:34 And in His law he meditates," how often? 28:37 "Day and night." 28:38 Now watch this, the language is beautiful. 28:40 "He shall be like a tree 28:43 planted by the rivers of waters, 28:46 that brings forth its fruit in it season, 28:49 whose leaf also shall not wither, 28:52 and whatever he does shall prosper." 28:56 That means when you work for the Lord, when you are, 28:59 when you are following in the way, 29:01 in the footsteps of the Lord, 29:03 he says, 29:05 and by the way, 29:06 when trees are by the water, 29:08 you don't have to water them. 29:12 Am I right? 29:14 When weeds are by the water, 29:16 you don't have to water them, 29:17 they just grow up. 29:19 But trees, 29:20 some of the largest trees in the world 29:22 are sometimes their roots 29:24 when a tree is not too far from, 29:26 it's amazing how the roots have this ability 29:29 God has given it to it. 29:31 When roots are down, you know, what roots do? 29:34 They look for water. 29:35 Say it again. They look for water. 29:36 They look for water. 29:38 They're like... 29:43 I found it. 29:44 That's why they're like, 29:46 like veins. 29:47 They're looking for water. 29:48 Because they know the only way that they're gonna be sustained 29:51 is if they get some water. 29:53 Don't forget that, 29:54 Jesus said He's the water of life, 29:56 the only way that we can be sustained 29:57 and that's the kind of prosperity. 29:59 You will be like a tree. 30:01 You'll bring forth your fruit 30:03 in its season. 30:05 Your leaves will not wither. 30:07 The other day... 30:11 It's so sad, you know, 30:12 when you buy roses, they're so pretty. 30:14 But, you know, what happens with roses. 30:17 They are nice the first day you get them. 30:19 They're nice the second day. 30:21 They're 30:24 not so nice the third day. 30:27 The fourth day is like 30:29 somebody give them water. 30:32 And after a while you can give them 30:33 all the water in the world. 30:35 They're just like, 30:39 you know, why? 30:41 Because they have been severed 30:43 from the vine. 30:44 There's nothing flowing through them. 30:48 The sap is no longer there. 30:50 And it is amazing. 30:53 Now I give my wife flowers 30:56 and I gave her some beautiful roses 30:59 but it's an amazing thing, 31:01 how there's a multi-million or billion-dollar industry 31:05 that makes money off of severing things from life. 31:11 But you can't do that, 31:12 a Christian cannot be severed from Christ 31:15 and still have life. 31:16 You might look good for a while. 31:21 But after a while, 31:24 what happened to him? What happened to her? 31:26 Severed. 31:28 And what happens after a while? 31:30 They die. 31:31 Say it again. They die. 31:32 They die. 31:34 Severed from Christ, 31:35 you cannot, it's not possible. 31:37 Because He says, 31:38 without Me you can do how much? 31:40 You can't do anything. 31:43 So prosperity and establishment 31:46 is where the Spirit of God is working in our lives. 31:49 Let's go to the next one, number 24. 31:51 Can't do anything 31:53 without the Spirit of God in your life. 31:54 It's just not possible. It doesn't work. 31:56 It will not work. 31:58 Because He's the vine 32:00 and we are the branches. 32:02 Okay, question number 24. 32:05 "How do we know 32:06 that the gift of prophecy is still active?" 32:09 How do we know that the gift of prophecy 32:11 is still active? 32:12 And there's a reason I'm asking this question. 32:14 We'll see it as we get closer down 32:15 to the lesson. 32:17 Because the gift of prophecy is a very powerful gift 32:19 that the Lord is given. 32:22 When you read 1 Corinthians Chapter 14, 32:27 okay, let's just go there and peek at it real quickly. 32:30 Okay, I'll do it right after answer the question. 32:32 Right after we answer the question. 32:33 How do we know that the gift of prophecy is still active? 32:36 Let's go to 1 Corinthians 12:28. 32:39 All right. 32:41 Because remember, I was telling you a moment ago 32:43 when we went through the list of gifts. 32:46 We said okay, the gifts are great, 32:48 but if the gifts are not accompanied by love, 32:51 it's of no value. 32:52 And then 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 32:54 ended by saying, 32:55 but earnestly desire the best gifts. 32:58 Yet, I show you a more excellent way. 33:01 And we're gonna see that come back 33:02 'cause after Paul takes it, 33:04 after Paul takes a little turn, 33:06 to show us how important it is for love 33:07 to be actively involved in everything, 33:10 as the evidence that you are connected to Christ. 33:12 Then he comes back, 33:14 he connects Chapter 12 to Chapter 14, 33:17 by continuing the last verse 33:19 with the first verse in Chapter 14, 33:21 but don't turn there 33:22 because we're sneaking up on you. 33:24 Here's what the Bible says, 33:26 how do we know that the gift...? 33:27 How do we know that the gift of prophecy 33:29 is still active? 33:30 The apostle says it this way, 33:31 "And God has appointed these in the church: 33:35 first apostles, 33:37 second prophets, 33:39 third teachers, 33:40 after that miracles, 33:42 then gifts of healings, helps, 33:45 administrations," and what else? 33:47 "Varieties of tongues." 33:48 Do you see the word prophecy in there anywhere? 33:50 Is it easy to see it? 33:52 Yeah. 33:53 So do we know 33:55 He put these in the church? 33:56 Where did He put these? 33:58 And the church was established 34:01 after Jesus ascended to heaven. 34:05 He established the church. 34:07 That's why you have the church of Ephesus, 34:09 in the seven churches, the church, 34:11 He sent the disciples out. 34:14 He sent the disciples out and on the day of Pentecost, 34:17 thousands were added, 34:18 I think 3000 were added, then 5000. 34:21 And then the church clerk said, multitudes were added, 34:24 and they were all and the Bible says, 34:26 the Lord added to the church daily 34:28 those who are being saved. 34:30 So when He got the church together, 34:31 He had to have functions in the church, 34:33 apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, 34:36 gifts of healings, helps, administrations, 34:38 and varieties of tongues. 34:40 That means varieties of languages. 34:41 And so our church right now 34:43 we have a work in about 231 or 221 countries 34:47 of the world. 34:48 Would that be considered varieties of tongues? 34:50 Of course. 34:51 But now, the difference on the day of Pentecost was, 34:54 these men were only from Galilee, 34:56 they could not speak Parthian, Median, Elamite, 34:59 and Mesopotamia, and Egyptian, 35:02 and sorry they couldn't speak Arabian. 35:03 So on the day of Pentecost, Acts Chapter 2, 35:06 immediately the Lord incorporated in them 35:10 a four-year degree 35:12 in language arts. 35:15 And can God do that? 35:17 And He did that through who? 35:19 The outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 35:22 So powerful was it 35:23 that the Bible described it as cloven tongues of fire. 35:28 These men were consumed by that power 35:30 and only then could they have been gifted 35:33 with the accomplishments. 35:34 So the Lord gave prophets 35:37 and He put them in the church. 35:39 And the church does have that. 35:41 That gift is still active. 35:43 Now I told you, 35:44 we're gonna go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. 35:46 Look at verse 31. 35:48 1 Corinthians 12:31. 35:52 All right. 35:56 And look what the apostle says. 36:00 But earnestly desire 36:03 what kind of gifts? 36:04 Best gifts and yet I show you a more excellent way. 36:07 Then he takes a turn, a right turn, 36:09 couldn't be a left one because He's talking about love 36:12 and talks about the importance of love. 36:14 Everything fails but love never fails. 36:17 Then look at verse 1 of chapter 14. 36:19 He continues the thought 36:20 that he ended Chapter 12 with. 36:22 Notice Chapter 12, 36:24 "But earnestly desire the best gifts." 36:25 Now Chapter 14 verse 1, 36:27 "Pursue love," get that in place, 36:29 "and desire," what kind of gifts? 36:32 "Spiritual gifts, 36:33 but especially that you may," what? 36:36 "Prophesy." 36:37 Especially, 36:39 now watch this. 36:40 You got to get this. Are you ready? 36:42 The devil would say wait a minute. 36:44 He says something about prophecy 36:47 especially that you may prophesy 36:50 because that gift pulls the curtain back 36:55 on what's coming up. 36:57 None of the other gifts 36:59 pulls back the curtains on the future 37:02 except that gift. 37:06 So if you were the enemy, 37:09 you would say, huh, 37:11 he said, especially 37:13 that you may prophesy 37:14 and while the word prophesy 37:16 has a two prong meaning, 37:18 one preach 37:19 and then also proclaim, 37:21 or show, 37:23 or reveal, 37:24 the devil focus on that particular gift. 37:27 Okay, we'll see that in just a moment. 37:29 Make a little note of that. 37:30 Make a little note of that 37:31 because the devil doesn't want that gift 37:33 to be active. 37:34 If that, if he could keep that gift from being active, 37:37 then he could successfully cause the church to be hindered 37:40 in being able to effectively accomplish 37:43 your work that includes 37:45 the presence of prophets. 37:48 When you have prophets, you have what else? 37:51 Prophecy. 37:53 When you have prophets, you have what else? 37:55 Prophecy, 37:56 cannot have one without the other 37:58 and the devil never like prophets. 38:00 Matter of fact, 38:01 when you read the Book of Acts Chapter 7 and 8, 38:03 when Peter was, when Stephen was being stoned, 38:06 one statement he made, 38:08 which of the prophets 38:10 have you not persecuted or stoned? 38:14 Why would the devil stone prophets? 38:16 Because they always kept the people of God ahead. 38:20 And then Amos 3:7, 38:22 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, 38:24 except He revealed His secrets 38:27 to His servants, the prophets." 38:29 So the devil says, wait a minute, 38:30 they know something that our team does not know. 38:35 Do you remember the story of Elijah? 38:37 Elijah always knew what the Syrians were doing. 38:40 And the Syrian leader, king said, 38:44 "Which one of you guys 38:46 are telling the secrets in our chambers? 38:49 Which one of you guys are leaking all the secrets?" 38:51 And then it says, not us, lord. 38:57 But the prophet from Samaria, 38:59 he's the one doing it. 39:01 He even knows what you think about 39:02 when you're in your bed chambers. 39:05 "Where is he?" 39:06 He's in Samaria. 39:07 "Go, get him." 39:09 Worst thing they could have done? 39:11 Elijah said, "Lord, 39:12 they can't really see very well. 39:14 They know where I am. 39:16 But you know where they are." 39:18 And then the servant of the Lord, 39:19 Gehazi I think his name was, he was so nervous. 39:22 He said, "At last master, what shall we do?" 39:26 And the master said, "Lord, open his eyes." 39:30 Because the prophet has eyesight 39:33 that no one else has. 39:34 And when the Lord opened Gehazi's eyes, 39:36 he saw all around the mountain, 39:39 chariots of fire, radiating, 39:44 just radiating, 39:46 like a digital army of destruction, 39:48 and the Syrians didn't see it, 39:50 and then he says, blind them. 39:52 And immediately 39:54 what good is an army that cannot see? 39:56 Of no value. 39:58 But the devil was upset with the prophets 39:59 and that's why all through the ages, 40:01 he always comes after that gift. 40:03 That's why even in the last days, 40:05 he's trying to discount the action of this gift. 40:07 Because this gift 40:09 gives you a picture 40:11 that no one else can give 40:12 because the Lord does not reveal 40:14 His secrets to anybody 40:15 but His servants, the prophets. 40:19 Clear. 40:21 Let's go to the next one. 40:26 "Is the gift of prophecy 40:28 intended to replace the Bible?" 40:33 Right? 40:35 Okay, let's go back to, let's look at that, 40:37 Ephesians 4:11. 40:40 Is the gift of prophecy 40:43 intended to replace the Bible? 40:47 Ephesians 4:11. 40:53 And look at what it says. 40:57 "And He Himself gave some to be," what? 41:00 "Apostles," somewhat else, 41:02 "prophets," somewhat else, 41:04 "evangelists," somewhat else, 41:06 "pastors," somewhat else, 41:07 "teachers." 41:08 Notice, he really equipped the church. 41:11 He gave apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, 41:14 all these administrators, helps. 41:16 And then now Paul continues, 41:17 he not only gave apostles and prophets, 41:19 but evangelists, pastors, teachers, 41:22 the church is fully equipped. 41:24 But now an evangelist 41:27 and a pastor, 41:28 they proclaim, they teach God's Word. 41:31 Did He say He only gave prophets? 41:33 No, 41:35 He gave some 41:36 to carry the gospel, 41:39 given insight into what's coming up, 41:41 evangelist that are raking them in, 41:46 calling on the sheep. 41:48 And then pastors, 41:50 then pastors, 41:52 He made sure that somebody to shepherd them 41:54 to keep them there. 41:55 And then teachers, 41:57 there's some people that have the tremendous gift 41:58 of teaching. 42:00 Well, there's some people that have all three of these gifts. 42:01 Honestly, 42:03 I'm not bragging on myself, but I love evangelism, 42:06 pastoring, and I love to teach. 42:08 Singing. Singing? 42:11 You know, 42:12 but as one dear pastor said to me, 42:15 if God gives you another gift, 42:17 He doesn't deactivate the others. 42:19 He makes you responsible for all of them. 42:22 Boy, what a responsibility. 42:24 So He gave some, let's put this down. 42:25 Is the gift of prophecy intended to replace the Bible? 42:29 Put a two letter word. 42:31 No, not at all. 42:34 Na. Na, I like that. 42:35 NA, put NA, not applicable, 42:38 not at all. 42:40 But let's continue because the very next one, 42:42 the very next one brings this out. 42:46 Here it is. 42:48 "What is the purpose of all 42:49 of the gifts of the Holy Spirit?" 42:51 What is the purpose? 42:53 Ephesians 4:12. 42:56 You already there, 42:58 Ephesians 4:12. 43:02 Here it is. 43:03 Let's read that together. 43:04 It's on the screen, it says, 43:06 "For the equipping of the saints 43:08 for the work of ministry, 43:10 for the edifying of the body of Christ." 43:13 You know, what edify means? 43:15 Building up. 43:18 Building up. 43:19 That means the body of Christ can be strong. 43:23 If the saints that are equipped, 43:26 now get involved in the work of ministry, 43:30 see He doesn't give all these gifts 43:32 for there to be a sedentary church. 43:34 He gives all these for the work of what? 43:36 For the work of what? 43:38 Okay, so what's the name? 43:40 What's the name of the minister of this church? 43:43 Hmm? 43:45 What's the minister's name of this church? 43:50 Say again, 43:51 oh, they were smarter. 43:54 Whatever your name is. 43:56 That's the name of the minister. 43:58 Every one of us is called a minister. 44:00 I'm calling pastoral ministry, evangelistic ministry, 44:04 teaching ministry, 44:05 you call for different ministry, 44:07 but everybody that has been called of God. 44:09 Let's go to Ephesians 2. 44:12 Go back a few chapters. 44:14 Ephesians Chapter 2. 44:17 Here I am. 44:21 Okay. 44:23 Ephesians Chapter 2. 44:27 Here it is. 44:29 Verse 8, 44:30 "For by grace 44:31 are you saved through," what? 44:34 "Faith, and that not of yourselves, 44:36 it is the gift of God." 44:38 Now notice when Paul was putting 44:40 all the gifts together. 44:42 The gift of God. 44:44 I want you to say this, 44:46 salvation is the gift of God, 44:48 not a gift of God but the gift. 44:52 Before you recognize what gifts you have, 44:54 you get the gift. 44:56 Salvation is the gift, like the Sabbath, 44:59 the seventh day is the Sabbath, 45:01 not a Sabbath? 45:03 It's talking about the exclusiveness 45:04 of that gift. 45:06 Salvation is the gift of God. 45:09 And notice what it says in verse 9, 45:11 "Not of works, " 45:13 you can't do anything to get it, 45:15 "lest anyone should boast." 45:17 But it didn't stop there. 45:18 We're talking about ministry. 45:19 The word right here in Ephesians 4:12 is ministry. 45:22 And notice verse 10. 45:24 "For we are His workmanship," 45:27 meaning He molded us, 45:28 He put us together, 45:30 "created in Christ Jesus for," what? 45:32 "For good works, 45:34 which God prepared beforehand 45:37 that we should walk in them." 45:38 You know, when a company puts out, 45:40 when they put their company on the internet, 45:42 whether it's LinkedIn 45:44 or whether, whatever the website might be, 45:46 they say, okay, we have this position, 45:48 this position, this position, this position, 45:50 and they start interviewing people. 45:52 Now, 45:53 do they interview people and then they say, 45:55 you know what, now 45:56 we got to find something for you to do, Louis, 45:57 we like you. 45:59 We don't have anything for you to do. 46:00 No, 46:01 what kind of company would that be? 46:03 Can you imagine all these people get hired? 46:05 And they said, well, you get paid twice a month. 46:08 However, 46:10 we have nothing for you to do. 46:13 So Mom, I found a job. 46:15 What do you do? 46:17 I just get paid. 46:19 I mean, really think about it. 46:21 Wouldn't that be ridiculous? 46:22 So what do you do? 46:24 I just get a check every two weeks. 46:26 But what do you do? 46:29 Nothing. 46:31 Now while we're laughing, 46:32 I'm coming from somewhere. 46:34 Salvation. 46:37 Yes, the Lord doesn't save us. 46:40 He doesn't save us to give us a check, 46:43 He saves us to work. 46:46 Amen. Amen. 46:47 So when I hear people say, 46:48 when I hear Christian say, 46:50 I'm taking a year off. 46:52 Don't tell me that. 46:54 Tell God that. 46:56 This year what would the Lord say? 46:58 Well, this year, you're not getting paid. 47:00 I'm taking back my oxygen. 47:03 I'm taking it back my sun. 47:05 I'm taking it back my rain. 47:07 I'm not giving you health. 47:09 Why would I give you that? 47:10 You don't want to work? 47:13 Right? Would it be ridiculous? 47:16 We have a school send your kids here. 47:18 Are there any teachers? No. 47:22 So we have people coming in. 47:24 And if the people of God are ready to work, 47:29 we're borrowing God's air, 47:31 we're borrowing His air. 47:35 And we are saying, 47:37 I'm gonna relax this year. 47:39 What if He comes this year? 47:42 That's why Matthew says, 47:45 "Blessed is a servant. 47:49 Whom when the Lord comes, He finds him doing." 47:52 And as the old Negro spiritual was, 47:54 I keep so busy working for my Jesus 47:56 that I ain't got time to die. 47:58 We're not saved by works, but we are saved, what? 48:01 For works, 48:02 we're saved by grace unto good works? 48:05 The Lord never and I would, 48:07 it be sad when somebody comes. 48:09 And this has been an issue throughout the whole... 48:12 One of the reasons why the Lord chose the 12 disciples 48:14 is because the nation that He had gifted 48:17 for 2000-3000 years 48:19 wasn't doing anything. 48:21 And there were people waiting. 48:23 There were people waiting to be drawn in, 48:26 but they had nobody to do it. 48:29 Let's go to Acts Chapter 13 very quickly. 48:34 Yes, Cornelius was waiting. 48:36 Peter had an issue. 48:38 He didn't like the Gentiles. 48:39 He was a Jew. 48:41 He was taught that the Jews and the other nations 48:42 have no dealings. 48:44 So the Lord had to break down Peter's prejudice 48:46 to send him to Cornelius who was a Gentile. 48:49 Then they were saved, 48:50 whole household was saved. 48:52 His family and friends were saved. 48:53 They were all baptized 48:55 and they became a part of the ministry. 48:56 What did I do say turn? 48:58 Acts Chapter 13, look at this. 49:01 When you look at the theme in the Bible, 49:03 the theme in the Bible is not just salvation. 49:05 The theme in the Bible is salvation for something, 49:07 not just salvation for nothing. 49:10 Paul and Barnabas are preaching. 49:12 And let's read verse 47. 49:17 Verse 46 49:18 because the Jews got upset when the Gentiles came around 49:20 and heard the message, 49:22 they got really upset. 49:23 Verse 46 of Acts 13. 49:25 "Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 49:27 it was necessary that the Word of God 49:29 should be spoken to you," when? 49:30 "First but since you reject it, " 49:34 the very word that God gave, "they rejected it, 49:36 and they judge themselves unworthy of," what? 49:39 "Everlasting life, behold, we turn to the," what? 49:42 "Gentiles. 49:43 For so the Lord has commanded us. 49:45 'I have set you to be a light to the Gentiles, 49:48 that you should be for salvation 49:50 to the ends of the earth.' 49:52 Now when the Gentiles heard this, 49:53 they were glad and glorified the word of Lord. 49:56 And as many as had been appointed 49:58 to eternal life, " what? 49:59 "Believed." 50:01 And what went forth? 50:03 "And the word of the Lord 50:05 was being spread throughout," what? 50:08 "All the region." 50:10 So God had to get some workers to do that. 50:12 And when He tried to get the Gentiles involved, 50:14 the Jews said, "No, no, no, no, 50:16 we don't want them to be involved." 50:18 And Paul says, okay, since you don't want it, 50:20 forget it, we're turning to them. 50:22 The Lord is not looking for special people. 50:24 He's looking for people 50:25 that He want to do special things through. 50:28 And you can't do it 50:29 unless the Lord is involved in your life. 50:31 Okay, let's look at a couple of things 50:33 before we wind up here. 50:35 Okay, let's go to question number 27. 50:39 Question number 27. 50:40 So what is the purpose of the gifts? 50:42 For the work of the ministry. 50:44 That's question number 26. 50:46 Number 27. 50:49 "What would a true prophets' attitude 50:52 toward the Bible be?" 50:54 What would a true prophets' attitude 50:55 toward the Bible be? 50:58 Proverbs Chapter 30. 51:01 Proverbs 30:5-6. 51:05 Let's look at that. 51:08 It's amazing to me 51:09 nowadays how many people claim to have the gifts of prophecy? 51:12 But when you talk about the Bible, 51:13 they don't want to hear it. 51:16 Really? 51:17 So what kind of attitude is that? 51:20 Look at Proverbs 30:5-6. 51:25 "Every word of God is," what? "Pure. 51:28 He is a shield to those who," do what? 51:32 "Put their trust in Him. 51:34 Do not," what? 51:36 "Add to His words, lest He rebuke you, 51:39 and you be found a," what? 51:40 "Liar." 51:41 Now the question was, 51:44 what should the true prophets' attitude 51:45 toward the Bible be? 51:47 What? 51:49 What should the Word of God is pure? 51:52 Don't add to it. 51:54 Don't add to His words. 51:57 Don't say God said when He didn't say. 52:00 Don't add to it. 52:02 And today we have people that add to it. 52:04 We have people that take away from it. 52:07 Matter of fact, go to Revelation Chapter 12. 52:09 Revelation Chapter 22. 52:18 Okay... 52:22 okay. 52:24 Oh, yes. 52:25 Okay. Hmm. 52:27 Revelation 22:19, 52:30 Revelation 22:18-19. 52:32 All right. 52:34 It's amazing how the Lord connects these things 52:36 and it's not even on my notes. 52:38 Thank you, Lord. 52:39 "For," John says, 52:41 "For I testify to everyone 52:44 who hears the word of the prophecy of this book." 52:48 Look at this. 52:49 "If anyone adds to these things," 52:52 notice what He said, 52:53 do not add to His word. 52:54 "If anyone adds to these things, 52:57 God will add to him the plagues 53:01 that are written in this book. 53:03 If anyone takes away 53:05 from the words of the book of this prophecy, 53:07 God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, 53:10 from the holy city, and from the things 53:12 which are written in this book." 53:13 Is God serious? 53:15 So when people start taking stuff out, 53:18 false doctrines have been created 53:20 by people taking stuff out, 53:22 or adding stuff that God never said. 53:24 One of the famous ones to be absent from the body 53:27 is to be present with the Lord. 53:29 That's not in the scriptures. 53:31 Paul said I would rather, 53:33 but they cut out all that said before, 53:35 all that said after 53:36 and create this big O high mountain of confusion 53:39 that nobody can get over. 53:40 And every funeral, false prophecy, 53:42 they're in heaven now. 53:44 They're with the Lord. 53:46 You can't prove that with the entire scriptures. 53:49 But you can cut little pieces out 53:52 and have a one piece puzzle. 53:56 Would you like to give me a, give you a one piece puzzle? 53:59 How long would it take to put together 54:00 one piece puzzle? 54:03 Tell me what the picture is? 54:05 I have no idea. 54:06 That's it. 54:07 These one piece puzzle preachers, 54:10 one piece they give you to be absent from the body 54:12 is to be present with the Lord, 54:14 and people are confused. 54:15 What does the Bible say about death? 54:17 I have no idea because you only got one piece, 54:18 but put the whole thing together. 54:20 The dead know, not anything. 54:22 They're waiting for the second resurrection. 54:24 When the trumpet sounds, 54:25 the dead in Christ will rise first, 54:27 the living know that they shall die. 54:29 You know, the first resurrection, 54:30 all this stuff is left out, 54:32 and they get one piece to the puzzle. 54:34 Because the false prophet took something away 54:37 and added something that wasn't even there. 54:39 Be careful not to do that. Let's go quickly. 54:42 Let's see if we can get, what else we can get in here. 54:43 We have about a little bit of time left. 54:46 So what's the true prophets attitude you can... 54:49 Matter of fact, you can add, don't add anything, 54:52 don't take away anything. 54:53 And you can put under question number 27, 54:55 Revelation 22:18-19. 54:58 Here's another one. 55:03 Question number 28. 55:05 "How does prophecy fit 55:07 into the scenario of the last days?" 55:09 How does prophecy fit 55:11 into the scenario of the last days? 55:13 Acts 2:17-18. 55:16 Here it is, here it is. 55:20 Dr. Luke writes, 55:21 "And it shall come to pass in the, " what days? 55:23 "Last days, saith God, 55:26 I will pour out My Spirit upon, " 55:29 how much flesh? 55:30 "All flesh, 55:31 your sons and your daughters shall," what? 55:34 "Prophesy, 55:36 your young men shall see visions, 55:38 and your old men shall dream dreams." 55:43 I'm at the age where I'm between 55:44 visions and dreams. 55:47 "And on my servants and on my handmaidens 55:50 I will pour out in those days 55:53 my spirit and they shall," do what? 55:55 "Prophesy." 55:56 The Lord is giving visions, dreams, 55:58 and prophecy in the last days. 56:00 But He will never give you anything 56:03 that lead you away from His Word. 56:06 Amen, Tracy. 56:08 He'll never give you anything 56:09 that lead you away from His Word. 56:11 So let's go to the last one very quickly. 56:17 tells us that the Spirit of Prophecy 56:19 is an indicator of God's Church. 56:21 How can we identify God's Last Day Church? 56:25 I'm gonna go right, Revelation Chapter 12. 56:28 Revelation 12:6, 56:31 actually, what I'm going to do, 56:32 instead of shooting through this one, 56:34 this is really important 56:36 because these were ABCD and E. 56:39 These are very, very, very, very important. 56:42 You can't rock it through these. 56:44 So what have we discovered tonight? 56:46 What we've discovered? We've discovered what? 56:48 Is the gift of prophecy still active? 56:52 Does God know you by your gifts or by your fruits? 56:54 He knows us by our fruits. 56:58 The gift of prophecy is a gift 57:01 that was referred to by the Apostle Paul as what? 57:04 Special, 57:06 especially, 57:08 desire the gift that you may prophesy, 57:11 communicate. 57:12 On how many people did the Lord say 57:14 He will pour out His Spirit in the Last Days? 57:17 That means all who have given their lives to Him. 57:21 He would not give His secrets 57:22 to those who are not His servants, 57:24 but for those who are in His will, 57:26 He will pour out His Spirit. 57:28 So when we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, 57:31 it's clear in the scriptures, but if it's not clear yet, 57:33 keep studying God's Word, for one day 57:35 it'll come into A Sharper Focus. 57:37 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-05-06