Responding to God's Word

The Bible is a marvelous, unequaled book. Through the centuries, people have centered their lives around the Bible. Jesus summed it all up when He said, ìMan shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.î It is precious as well as unique. For a long time, weíve been hearing about churches that want to be seen as relevant by the culture.

But what does that even mean? Is it simply that they want to make biblical truth accessible to a culture that otherwise wonít understand it? A modern-day equivalent of translating the Bible from Latin into the common languages, explaining Scripture so that its truths are plain, its application is obvious? Well, unfortunately, thatís not the kind of relevance many churches are shooting for.

What should their goal be? Raising up a generation of people responsive to Godís word. Today on Grace To You, John MacArthur is going to explore this notion of being responsive to Godís Word and show you what a Christ-honoring and truly relevant ministry looks like as he continues his series, The Bible-Driven Church.

And with a lesson now, hereís John. First Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 20, the Apostle Paul says, ìDo not despise prophetic utterances.î You know, in so many ways, the Bible is an absolutely amazing book. There are a number of different angles that one can take in looking at the amazing character of Scripture.

Let me give you perhaps some of the more unique ones. Some years ago, an Israeli businessman by the name of Ziel Federman began to brood over the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And he read in the Scripture that it said, ìAnd lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.î He guessed that such conflagration might indicate underground gas. And underground gas, he guessed, meant underground oil.

He was right. In 1953, Israelís first oil well went into operation somewhere near the ancient site of Sodom and Gomorrah. Standard Oil Company has discovered oil and has been operating wells in Egypt for a long time. It is generally known that they do that, but the reason for going to that ancient land to look for oil in the first place is not generally known. It has been said that one of the directors of the Standard Oil Company happened to be reading the second chapter of Exodus.

The third verse caught his attention. It states that the ark of bulrushes which the mother of Moses made for her child was daubed with slime and with pitch. This gentleman reasoned that where there was pitch, there must be oil. And if there was oil in Mosesí time, it is probably still there. So the company sent out Charles Wichit, its geologist and oil expert, to make investigations with the result that oil was, in fact, discovered.

Hereís my favorite. The World Christian Digest reported that a Haifa policeman who knew his Bible got on the trail of a gang of smugglers. They used to be inconspicuous an ass-drawn caravan or cart to move through the city. The policeman managed to capture some of the asses though the smugglers got away.

The officer let the beasts of burden go without food for many days, and then he turned them loose. And just as he predicted from Isaiah 1-3, the ox knows his owner and the ass his masterís crib, the starving animals led the police directly to the smugglers. The Bible is an amazing book. Through the centuries, people have centered their lives around the Bible.

It is precious as well as unique. One of my favorite stories is the story of a little girl in France who was poor and was stone blind. She had obtained the Gospel of Mark in Braille and learned to read it with the tips of her fingers. Because she had such a passionate love for the Scripture and read it constantly, her fingers became callous and by becoming callous diminished the capability she had to discern the letters. One day, so much desiring to read the Scripture, she cut the skin from the ends of her fingers in an effort to increase their sensibility only to destroy the nerves. She felt that she must give up the beloved book and weeping, the story says she pressed her lips to the pages of Mark and said, ìFarewell, farewell.î To her surprise, her lips, more delicate than her fingers, discerned the form of the letters.

And all that night, she read with her lips the Word of God and overflowed with joy at this new opportunity. Jesus summed it all up when He said, ìMan shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.î The Bible is a marvelous, unequaled book. In fact, itís my judgment that somebody should put a warning label on the Bible. And maybe it ought to read like this, ìWarning, this book is habit-forming.

Regular use causes loss of anxiety, decreased appetite for lying, cheating, lusting, hating, and stealing. Symptoms of condition are increased feelings of joy, peace, love, and compassion.î The Bible is the supreme book. No book even comes close to its excellence. The Apostle Paul has the supremacy of Scripture in mind in that verse I read you a moment ago. When he said, ìDo not despise prophecies or prophesyings or prophetic utterances,î he has in mind the revelation of God. He is speaking here about our attitude toward Godís revelation.

Whether it be spoken or written. Now remember, this is, verse 20 is, a part of a list of basics for Christian living. Back in verse 16, he reminded us to rejoice always, then to pray without ceasing, then in everything to give thanks. Then last time we noted, he said, ìDo not quench the Spirit.î Now he goes to really a unique subject all its own and says, ìDo not look down on the revelation of God.î The Apostle Paul has talked about how the church is to relate to itself, leaders to people, people to leaders, people to people, and now people to the Lord. And these are all components of what makes an effective church.

Now these last commands are very direct and very specific. ìDo not quench the Spiritî is unmistakable. Verse 21, ìExamine everything carefully.î Thatís unmistakable. ìHold fast to that which is good.î Very clear. ìAbstain from every form of evil.î Very clear. The only one that might be a bit confusing is that second one, ìDo not despise prophesyings or prophecies.î We need to look a little bit closely at this to find out exactly what he is saying.

Just as a footnote for those of you who are interested in the language structure, in each of the five commands starting in verse 19, the subject is first. ìThe Spirit, do not quench. Prophecies, do not despise. Everything, examine.

What is good, hold fast. Evil, abstain from it.î So that the emphasis is on that subject. This causes a very forceful kind of statement in the Greek. Letís then look at just some of the specific elements of this verse that will free us to understand its meaning. The word ìdespiseî means to downgrade.

It means to consider as nothing or to make absolutely nothing of. Prophecies, ìpropheteosî is another very important Bible word that is going to take a little bit more study for us to understand. But it basically means what God has said, what God has said. Now that falls into two categories ñ spoken and written. And I want you to understand that. The word ìpropheteosî which is the word here is used in the New Testament both for spoken word and for written word.

Thatís very important. Because when you go to interpret this, thereís not really anything there contextually to help you and so you have to look at the word and then you have to go to other texts and find out how itís used. Sometimes it is used for the spoken word, sometimes it is used for the written word. Let me give you some illustrations of that. Turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 12 and just to kind of help you to grasp this word so that you have a clear understanding of this interpretation. You will find in chapter 12 of Romans a list of spiritual gifts.

Then in verse 6 is that beginning point of that list. And it says in verse 6, ìWe have gifts that differ according to the grace given us. Let us exercise them accordingly.î Then this, ìIf prophecy according to the proportion of his faith.î Now there is the use of that same word. And here it has to do with speaking, a speaking gift. In fact, 1 Peter 4 divides the spiritual gifts into two categories ñ speaking gifts and serving gifts. The word means to speak before, not in a prophetic sense but to stand up in front of people and speak before them.

It means literally to speak publicly, to proclaim publicly. This gift, the gift of prophecy that some Christians have been given, is a Holy Spirit given skill for public proclamation of Godís Word. It is a Holy Spirit given skill for public proclamation of Godís Word. Now if we look at the New Testament when the gift of prophecy was really in its fullness, we will see two categories, two categories. Sometimes when someone exercised this gift, it was revelation. Sometimes it was the first time anybody had heard it, it was a direct word from God.

Sometimes it was not. Sometimes it was simply a reiteration or a proclamation of what God had already said or what had already been written. But the word prophecy does not necessarily tell us anything about the form, whether it was new revelation or something revealed earlier. It only tells us about the manner in which it was articulated.

It is a public proclamation. Sometimes a prophecy could be very practical, sometimes very practical. For example, in the book of Acts chapter 11, verses 27 and 28, we find a very practical expression of prophecy. Prophets came down in verse 27 from Jerusalem to Antioch and one of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world.

Now here God speaks through this man what is a very practical prophecy. It wasn't doctrinal. It wasn't to be recorded as a book in the Bible or a part of a book. It wasn't theological. It was simply practical.

And this frequently occurred. New Testament prophets spoke the Word of God directly with regard to the practical life and ministry of the church. In chapter 15 of Acts, verse 32, Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. There you have a couple of New Testament prophets who are just preaching. They're just preaching. No doubt they were preaching and encouraging exhorting Word that was not direct revelation at that point, but they were simply passing on something which God had revealed to encourage the saints. There may have been a supernatural element in it.

We don't know that. It's not indicated in the text as it is in Acts 11 where it says He was speaking actually by the Spirit. So prophecy is a broad term that refers to public proclamation of the message from God. It can be a new message, at least in New Testament times it could be when they were still receiving revelation and God could speak directly through the mouth of a prophet, or it could be reiteration, that is simply communicating publicly what God had already said and already revealed.

The miraculous part of it, that is new revelation, whether it was practical or doctrinal, was distinctive to the early church era. Most often, even in the early times, most often the gift of prophecy was the ability to proclaim God's Word, already revealed. And in Romans 12, 6, that is precisely what Paul is saying. If you'll look back at that verse a minute, I want to call something to your attention that is of utmost importance. In Romans 12, 6, he says, if you have the gift of prophecy, use it according to the proportion of the faith.

I want to get that translation right, according to the Greek. If prophecy, according to the proportion of the faith, not His faith, the possessive pronoun not there in the original. Now the word proportion, very important, analogia, analogia, from which we get analogy. When we say something is analogous to something else, we mean that it has a relationship of agreement with something else. If I say that truth is analogous to this, I mean that there is an agreeing relationship, that whatever this is, it agrees with this. That's why the Reformers used to say analogia scriptura. The Scripture always agrees with itself, right? It isn't in disagreement with itself. So what is he saying in Romans 12, 6, that this gift of prophecy must be used in proper agreement with the faith?

Very important statement. In proper agreement with the faith. What is the faith? The faith is used several times in the New Testament as a synonym for the God-given body of Christian truth, doctrine. The God-given body of Christian truth, the revelation of God. In Acts 6, verse 7, the Word of God kept on spreading.

The number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. That is the doctrine, the truth. In Jude, Jude reminds the reader that we are to earnestly contend for the faith. What faith?

The once for all delivered to the saints' faith. That's the body of revelation we know as the Word of God. In verse 20 of Jude, building yourselves up on your most holy faith. So Paul says in Romans 12, 6, anybody who prophesies is empowered to speak forth words for God must be in complete agreement and harmony with God's already revealed faith. You understand that? So the one who speaks, speaks in agreement with the faith.

That's how that word is used. So if when Paul says, do not despise prophesying, we ask ourselves what does he mean, we can say, first of all, he means those utterances coming from gifted men which are in perfect agreement with what? The Word of God. The Word of God. Revelation toward the end in chapter 19 and verse 10 says, and I fell at His feet to worship Him, that is John, and He said to me, do not do that.

I am a fellow servant of yours, the angel said, and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus worship God. Then this, for the testimony concerning Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Prophecy testifies to Jesus Christ. Prophecy is in accord with the revelation of the Word of God. Anytime anyone stands to speak a verbal message, we can judge its validity by acknowledging that it is in perfect agreement with the Scripture. Prophecies can never deviate from the written Word. And by the way, in Romans 12, the gift of prophecy is in a list that is devoid of any reference to any miraculous gift. No miraculous gifts are listed in Romans 12. Some are listed in 1 Corinthians 12, but not in Romans 12.

So we can then discern that this can be a non-miraculous gift. That is simply the proclamation of truth in perfect agreement with the Word of God. So let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

I need to take you a step further. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 10. Here we see this same gift again, only this time it is sprinkled in a verse that has discussion of miraculous gifts.

He talks about the effecting of miracles, 1 Corinthians 12, 10, to another person has been given prophecy, to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues or languages, to another the interpretation of those languages. Now there you have some miraculous gifts which were unique to the apostolic era. But the gift is here mentioned again, this time among the miraculous gifts. So we conclude that there are times when this gift in apostolic time was miraculous. In fact, when the prophet was literally getting a direct revelation from God, not prior given.

So there were times when it had that miraculous element. Once that miraculous era of revelation ended with the apostles, we then have the non-miraculous gift remaining. That is the public proclamation of that which is the truth of God in perfect accord with the written word. So there were times when the prophet in the apostolic era spoke revelation. There were also times and most often when even in that age they spoke what was reiteration, just reiterating what God had already revealed, which of course is the way the gift is used today. Now further, I want to take you into 1 Corinthians chapter 14 because you need to understand this gift.

You say, why? Because in verse 1 of chapter 12 he says, I don't want you to be ignorant about them. Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians, verse 1, pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. A very important word.

Listen carefully. This is not written to an individual. This is written to a church. No individual can earnestly desire a spiritual gift and therefore get it. He is saying when the church comes together, you must desire earnestly that the spiritual gifts be in operation but especially that you may prophesy collectively. He's not saying an individual believer is to desire this gift if he doesn't have it. He is saying the church collectively is to desire its use.

Why? Verse 3, one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. It edifies, it exhorts, and it comforts. Prophecy does all of that. Prophesying does all of that.

It is essential to the life of the church. Verse 6 he says, if I come to you speaking in tongues or languages, what am I going to profit you? To profit I have to speak by way of a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching. And there again he's saying prophecy fits into an intelligible, meaningful, edifying, exhorting, and comforting mode. Look down in verse 39 for a moment of the same chapter.

He says it again. Therefore my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy. Then he says, I'm not telling you to forbid languages, tongues, in its proper usage.

In ancient times it had a place. But I'm saying when you desire something to be in your assembly, desire to prophesy. Why? Because it edifies, it exhorts, and it comforts.

Why? It is the Word of God that is able to build you up. It is the Word of God that calls you to holy conduct.

It is the Word of God that is the source of your comfort. And anybody who prophesied, prophesied the revelation of the Word of God. For example, look at verse 37, 1 Corinthians 14. If anybody thinks he's a prophet or spiritual, then let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment. In other words, if anybody says he's a prophet, then he's going to have to square up accurately and be in complete agreement with everything I write because I'm writing the very commandment of God. So anybody who claims to be a prophet has to square up with the Scripture. Back in verse 24 of chapter 14, he says, if everybody prophesies and an unbeliever, an ungifted man enters, he's convicted by all.

He's called to account by all. In other words, if an unbeliever comes into a meeting and you're prophesying, proclaiming the Word of God, he's going to hear it, he's going to understand it, he's going to be convicted by it. Verse 25, the secrets of his heart are going to be disclosed. He'll fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. Back in verse 23, he says, if you're all jabbering in languages and an ungifted or an unbeliever enters, he's going to say you're mad.

He's not going to have any evangelistic effect at all. Prophecy then is the proclamation of the truth of God in perfect agreement with Scripture. It is evangelistic, it is edifying, it is exhortative, and it comforts. That is prophecy. It is the proclamation publicly of the truth of God. Now we don't live in the apostolic era. Ephesians 2 20 says the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.

We're a long way from that foundation. We still have the gift of prophecy, which is proclaiming the Word of God. This is Grace to You with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us. John is a pastor, author, and chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary. He is titled our current study, The Bible-Driven Church. Now John, in this study, you're making the case that churches need to be Bible-driven. The clear implication is that, regardless of what they may claim, there are churches that are not driven by the Bible. So what is driving them, and what does a non-Bible-driven church look like?

Well, if it's not the Bible, it could be a lot of things. It could be the personality of the pastor, it could be his showmanship ability, his communication skills, it could be entertainment, it could be the prosperity gospel promising people health, wealth, and success. If you are a Bible-driven church, it's pretty simple to make that manifest. You make the Bible the core of everything. You know when you're in a Bible-driven church.

Why? Because the Word of God prevails. When the preacher preaches, he's not a storyteller, he's not making promises of certain things that are sort of laying up there in heaven for you, if you name them and claim them. If you're in a Bible-driven church, the Word of God will be opened, and the Word of God will be taught.

You will find that the music will be reflective of sound doctrine and a worshipful attitude. People will pray the Scriptures, and people will read the Scriptures. You know, I remember talking to an English evangelist who traveled all over America for many, many years and said that our church was the only church he was ever in in America where they read the Scripture, where we read the Scripture. And yet Paul says to Timothy, read the Scripture specifically. So you know when you're in a Bible-centered church, because everything is conformed around the Word of God.

I talked about this earlier this week, and I want to mention it again. I wrote the book Ashamed of the Gospel to basically unmask the church that looks like the world for what it really is. It is a deviation from what the Lord wants his church to be. The book, titled again, Ashamed of the Gospel, 250 pages. It's the book that you're going to have a hard time putting down.

It will help you recognize and discern what a Bible-driven church really looks like. We'll send you a free copy. That's right, it's a 250-page book. We'll send you a free copy if you've never called or written us before. So let's get acquainted with this book. Just request Ashamed of the Gospel, free to anyone contacting us for the first time.

It's a great book too, a must-read book, one of John MacArthur's best. It's a book that will show you and your church how to avoid dangerous compromises and how to be a congregation that Christ blesses. To pick up Ashamed of the Gospel, and again, it's free if you've never contacted us before.

Get in touch with us today. You can call our toll-free number 855-GRACE, or go to our website GTY.org. Ashamed of the Gospel is a practical book that's not just for pastors, but for laypeople as well. It will show you where the church's strength and power come from, the qualities of an excellent servant, and the role you have in building up your congregation. And remember, Ashamed of the Gospel is our gift to you if you've never contacted us before. Just call 800-55-GRACE or go to GTY.org. Also at the website GTY.org you can find thousands of free Bible study resources. Carve out some time to spend there and look up one of John's sermons on a passage or a topic that you might have questions about. Or spend some time reading our blog. You'll find series on compelling topics like Glorifying God in the Gray Areas of Life, the Doctrine of Election, Purity, and many others. All of those resources and more are available to you for free at GTY.org. Now for John MacArthur and the Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson, encouraging you to be here tomorrow when John continues his study, The Bible-Driven Church, with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.