NT Framework - Prophet? Not quite.

Are prophets the source of all knowledge and wisdom? In short, is everything they say infallible? 

More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com 

This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).

Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New TestamentFramework.
Today a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Let's apply this a little bit over to Jesus and the
prophets.
There's a difference betweenJesus and the prophets and
apostles, other people who wrotescripture.
Right, there is a difference.
We need to understand this.
Here's the primary difference.
Let's just put the differenceout there.
Jesus was infallible ineverything he ever said and ever

(00:33):
did, but prophets and apostleswere not.
They were only perfectlyinfallible when they wrote
Scripture.
Put it this way Was Paul anauthor of Scripture?
Did David author Scripture?
Did Moses author Scripture?
Yeah, did these people writeinfallibly when they wrote

(00:56):
Scripture?
Yeah, now you're at a campfire,you, moses, david, paul.
Could they make probableremarks around the campfire one
evening?
Sure, they're not writingScripture.
It's not thus saith the Lord,it's thus saith Moses, or thus

(01:18):
saith David, or thus saith Paul.
But Jesus, if you're standingaround a campfire, could he have
made errors?
Could he have been foul?
No see, do you see?
There's a difference betweenJesus and what's required on
that level because of the natureof his person.
We're back to his.

(01:39):
He's impeccable.
Impeccable Christ in hypostaticunion.
There's a difference whenyou're with him at the campfire.
Impeccable, right, theimpeccable Christ in hypostatic
union.
There's a difference whenyou're with him at the campfire.
So let's look at this a littlebit.
If you read the scripturescarefully, you'll see over 3,800
times it says the word of theLord or the word of God.

(02:00):
In many cases the word of theLord came to.
For example, ezekiel 38.1,.
The Word of the Lord came to,for example, ezekiel 38.1,.
The Word of the Lord came toEzekiel.
Micah 1.1,.
The Word of the Lord came toMicah.
There's a big question what isthis Word of the Lord coming to
them?
I personally think in many ofthese references it's a
reference to the pre-incarnateChrist coming to them.

(02:21):
It Christ coming to them.
It's not just like they heard avoice.
Sometimes we might read well,the word of the Lord came to you
.
Oh, that means they heard avoice out of heaven.
I guess that's possible, right,but I think it's more the idea
that the pre-incarnate Christcame to them, not just a voice
or a sound.

(02:43):
Other ways that things happenwere visions, right Dreams, so
forth.
So there's a number of waysthat God has revealed himself in
the Old Testament, but I pointthis out because you never, ever
read of the word of the Lordcoming to Jesus.
You never, ever read that, andthe reason is is because he is
the word of God.

(03:06):
So this points up anotherdifference between him and the
prophets.
Remember Hebrews 1 1-3.
Hebrews 1 1-3.
This points out this very sharpdifference between Him and the

(03:29):
prophets who preceded Him.
Hebrews 1, verse 1, god, afterhe spoke long ago to the fathers
and the prophets, in manyportions and in many ways, like
the Word of the Lord, came tohim visions, dreams and so forth
, he says in these last days,has spoken to us in his Son,

(03:51):
whom he has appointed heir ofall things, through whom he also
made the world, and he is theradiance of his glory, the exact
representation of his nature,and he upholds all things by the
word of his power.
That's a little bit different,see, a little bit different.
They were infallible.
The prophets were infalliblewhenever they wrote scripture,

(04:13):
but Jesus was infallible all thetime, and that's a difference.
Jesus is the word of the Lord,john 1.14.
The word became flesh, rightand dwelt among us.
Let's go to the test of aprophet, Deuteronomy 13.

(04:33):
Let's go to Deuteronomy 13.
I think I've taken you thesebefore, but unfortunately people
don't spend much time in theOld Testament anymore.
We're New Testament Christians.
So who needs the Old Testament?
You might need it to understandthe New Testament, since most
of the New Testament is likepresupposing.

(04:54):
You already know the OldTestament.
Deuteronomy 18, 18 and followinggives one of the tests of a
prophet.
Here's what most people thinkthe test of a prophet is If
somebody predicts something andit comes true, they're a profit.
Here's what most people thinkthe test of a profit is.
If somebody predicts somethingand it comes true, they're a
profit.
Has the weatherman everpredicted correctly?
Yeah, does that make him aprofit?

(05:16):
No, have people predicted that?
Oh, the stock market's going togo down on Tuesday?
Sure, does that make him aprofit?
No, it has nothing to do withwhether you get it right.
You've guessed the future manytimes and you got it right.
That didn't make you a profit.
That's not the test.

(05:39):
The test is not if someone saysand then it happens, that makes
them a profit.
What is the test?
It's a negative test.
So let's read it, verse 18.
I will raise up a prophet fromamong their countrymen, like you
, that is, like Moses, that'spredicting that, and I will put
my words in his mouth.
Now, that right there ought totell you what a prophet is.

(06:01):
Whose words are in the mouth ofthe prophet?
The Lord's.
It's not theirs.
Whenever they're prophesying,it ain't their voice, it ain't
their words, it's God's words,it's God's voice and he shall
speak to them all that I commandhim so he becomes a conduit.

(06:23):
Right, he's going to speakGod's words to others verse 19.
It shall come about that whoeverwill not listen to my words,
which he shall speak in my name,I myself will require anything.
In other words, is it serious?
I mean, if somebody comes alongand they're a prophet and let's
say they really are speakingthe word of god, is it kind of

(06:43):
important for everybody who'slistening to follow it?
Yeah, like it's absolutelyserious.
If you don't, you're in bigtrouble, right, because that's
God's word.
It's not whoever the prophet is, not his words Now.
But what if they don't speakthe word of God?
What if they're just a prophetof their own making, as we have
maybe today, people who claim tobe prophets Verse 20.

(07:07):
But the prophet who speaks aword presumptuously in my name?
Now, god knew this was going tohappen.
People are going to come alongand say I'm a prophet, but
here's one who speakspresumptuously.
He says which I have notcommanded him to speak, or which
he speaks in the name of othergods.
That prophet shall what Die,commanded him to speak, for
which he speaks in the name ofother gods.

(07:29):
That prophet shall what Die.
Did God consider this a seriousoffense?
Did someone come along and sayI have the word.
I speak what God has told me.
I am not telling you.
If that's presumptuously done,that's a very serious matter.
God considers it a capitalcrime.
When I was back in seminary,one of my professors would say

(07:55):
when that happened, you wereabout to have a rock concert.
It's silly, verse 21,.
You may say in your heart well,how will we know the word which
the Lord has not spoken?
Of course that's what you'regoing to ask I mean, how do we
know?
How do we know if what he'ssaying is from the Lord or not?

(08:17):
I mean, if you got called up tobe a judge on the matter, I
mean I don't know, is the guyreally a prophet or not?
I don't know.
How are you going to know whena prophet speaks in the name of
the Lord, if the thing does notcome about or come true?
That is the thing which theLord has not spoken.

(08:38):
Now, at that point, what areyou supposed to do with this guy
?
Kill him.
So he makes a prediction and itdoesn't happen.
Now, if you're following God'sword, you'd say well, the guy
was a presumptuous prophet.

(08:58):
He has to die.
Now, if that's the case, howmany times can a prophet be
wrong?
Zero, in other words, you haveto be 100% accurate.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with
Jeremy Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spokane Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today'slesson productive and useful in

(09:40):
growing closer to God andwalking more obediently with Him
.
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