· 23:21-22: The LORD had not sent the false prophets. They sounded like prophets, but they were not sent from the LORD. They had not stood in My counsel (23:18 and 22). How do we know? If their message was true, then the result in the people would be that they would turn from their evil ways. But they did not do that. Since the message was in sync with what they wanted to hear, there was no urge to repent, to change their ways. It’s that simple! If you have been in the Presence and received your message, which means you have been in the Word of God and in the prayer closet pleading for the power of the Holy Spirit to pervade the preaching, you will have a message that has power to change the lives of those who hear it.
· 23:23-29: But if you have not stood in My counsel you have a week, ineffective message that is like chaff. God’s word is like fire and a hammer. Those are powerful things, and God’s word can burn away sin, it can be a fire that changes the lift of those who hear. It can break in pieces the resistance and the false-hoods of Satan that keep one from believing. Chaff does nothing. It just blows away. Remember Psalm 1! The one who walks in the say of the sinners, affirming their philosophy, is like chaff. The one who delights in the las of the LORD and who meditates in it day and night, that one prospers in the life that God gives him.
o And note where the message comes from that is preached by the false prophet: he got it in a dream. Did he really? Or did he not? Who knows! The point of a dream is that it makes the dreamer sound authoritative, at least to some people. It’s supernatural, extraordinary, giving those who listen the idea that they should listen. This must be something special!
o I remember back in the Promise Keeper days. I attended 2 such gatherings with men from our Church. The second and last time was in Portland, OR. Speakers were decent, coming from the Scriptures. Then, the last speaker of the day, the “coach” who started it all, began his message by telling us the Lord had given him the message in a dream while laying on his bed one day. The message was: have all the pastors in the crowd come out on the baseball field so the crowd could give them a thunderous round of applause. Oh, what a nice thing to do. No! What a great move to tempt men with the pride of life. When did Jesus ever suggest this kind of thing? What prophet of God ever asked for people to do this? The NT calls for the church to honor leaders by their obedience to their ministry of the word (1 Th. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7,17).
No comments:
Post a Comment