The Prophetic Role of the Church

As prophets we are to work out and apply the Word of God to the world around us, exalting Christ's righteousness.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:9-22; Hebrews 3:1-6

Sermon Notes:

1. All around us we observe occultic practices, which are forbidden by God; man worships the chaos around us rather than God who is transcendent over His creation.
2. Young people are threatened by the explosion of esoteric forms of spiritually, tolerating evil and rejecting the truth.
3. Our culture allows only personal spiritual beliefs, or public expressions of social action. Christ as King is rejected.
4. The church is built on the foundation of prophets and apostles, rooted in the whole of God’s Word.
5. The Scriptures do not affirm all views; God opposes those who seek to live apart from His holy character.
6. Christ’s work makes sense in light of the Old Testament; without the OT, we know nothing of the holiness of God.
7. Like a person with amnesia, so the church which forgets its roots in God’s Word cannot be trusted.
8. To know God's truth is to act in accordance with God's moral character. Be Holy, even as I the Lord am Holy (Lev. 19:2; Heb. 12:4).
9. It’s not enough to believe God exists (James 2:19); we must put the Word of God into practice (Matthew 7:24-27).
10. Many evangelicals sing only of Jesus as our lover and friend, implicitly rejecting Jesus as Lord, Judge, and King.
11. Our society says there is no such thing as truth and this is the basic assumption of all thought and behaviour.
12. If the foundations are destroyed (Psalm 11:3) we can rely on God's own inerrant Word, the sword of truth (Eph. 6:10)
13. In a world in which government determines law and truth, God frees us, like Israel, to live holy lives according to His law.
14. Israel sacrificed their own children to idols (Jer. 7); we are no better, practicing child sacrifice in the form of abortion.
15. Nice (Lat. nescius) means ignorance and that is what the doctrine of tolerance demands.
16. All of us are to be prophetic; it is not just a pastor’s calling (1 Cor. 14:31).
17. If you don't care about Christ you will be silent, allowing untruth and injustice to go on around you.
18. The Christ foretold in Deuteronomy 18 is our Prophet and our King. Because Christ is exalted as ruler over the nations, we too have power when we obey His Word (Acts 3:22-26).
19. Our faithfulness to the Word of God transforms nations.
20. Every believer can speak prophetically; every believer can discern the truth by the Spirit.
21. Jesus is our prophet in His word, person and power (Luke 13:33, 24:13-33; John 12:49-50, 14:10,24).
22. All who exercise prophecy do so in the power of the Spirit (Acts 2:17-18).
23. As prophets we are to work out and apply the Word of God to the world around us, exalting Christ’s righteousness.
24. Calvin said God so identifies Himself with the poor that their cries express His own pain. Christians acted to end slavery because it was a clear violation of God’s will.
25. There is a cost to stand as prophetic witnesses in our day.
26. The prophetic calling of the church is to apply God’s Word to every area of life, from our homes to social justice.

Application Questions:

1. Why is it true that a whole bible and a whole Christ are needed to make whole Christians?
2. What does it mean to hear the prophet of Acts 3:22?
3. What is the prophetic task of the church? How are we as individual believers to be engaged in it?
4. What’s wrong with being “nice” and “tolerant of all views”?
5. Does God tolerate slavery? cf. Deut. 24:7; 1Tim. 1:10.
6. Will we be silent on the sex trade, relativism in education, gambling, abortion, euthanasia, and other evils?
7. Are we prepared to face the cost of standing for truth?
8. In what areas is God calling us uphold His truth this week?

Sermon Notes