WHAT DO PROPHETS DO? Sabbath Date: Saturday, August 23, 2014 Scripture Reading: II Samuel 12:1-14 Memory Verse: Daniel 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Weekly Proverb: Proverbs 7:2 Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Introduction: What do prophets do? They make their prophecies, which are the words of God, known to everyone. To do this, they call attention to themselves and they speak the word to all. Some prophecies are for the near future, proving they are Gods agents. Other prophecies are for the distant future, messages for the end times. 1. A prophet tells you that he has healed a blind man. If you have never seen that man before, how do you know he was blind? How did these people know this man was lame? Acts 3:1, 2, 6-10, 2 Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Acts 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mothers womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. Acts 3:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Acts 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God: Acts 3:10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. 2. Any man can claim to be a prophet. This man makes a bold statement, the words of a prophet. How does he prove that he was sent by God and that he is speaking for God? I Kings 13:1-5 I Kings 13:1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. I Kings 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and mens bones shall be burnt upon thee. I Kings 13:3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. I Kings 13:4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. I Kings 13:5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 3. Any man can whisper words in his own house. Whispered words recalled after the so-called fulfillment are worth what? How does this man proclaim his prophecy? Does he whisper? In whose name did he say he was speaking? How specific were his words? I Kings 13:2 I Kings 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and mens bones shall be burnt upon thee. 4. What value is a prophecy for the distant future? I need to know that this man is a prophet and I need to know now. What does a prophet do for those listening to him today? How long did Jeroboam have to wait before he knew that this man was a true prophet? I Kings 13:4-6 I Kings 13:4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. I Kings 13:5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. I Kings 13:6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the kings hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 5. No doubt that this mans words were written down and studied by the elders of Israel for many years. Eventually his words were forgotten. For the nation of Israel and for us today, was this man a prophet? II Kings 21:23, 24; II Kings 22:1, 2; II Kings 23:14-18 II Kings 21:23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. II Kings 21:24 And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. II Kings 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mothers name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. II Kings 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. II Kings 23:14 And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. II Kings 23:15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove. II Kings 23:16 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. II Kings 23:17 Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel. II Kings 23:18 And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. 6. Daniel was a great prophet. What was his proof for those in his time that he was sent by God? Daniel 6:7, 11-13, 16, 19-24 Daniel 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Daniel 6:11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Daniel 6:12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the kings decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Daniel 6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Daniel 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. Daniel 6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. Daniel 6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Daniel 6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Daniel 6:23 Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. Daniel 6:24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. 7. What was his prophecy for the future? Daniel 2, Daniel 7. 8. Before Daniel, who published his words? How did those words benefit Daniel? How do Daniels words benefit us today? Daniel 9:2 Daniel 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 9. Speaking of tomorrows weather is a prediction, not a prophecy. What we see today can be used to predict tomorrows weather. What was unseen by Nathan? II Samuel 11:1-5 II Samuel 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. II Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the kings house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. II Samuel 11:3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? II Samuel 11:4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. II Samuel 11:5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. 10. He did not see Davids sin. Based on unseen events, what unseen future did he prophecy for David? II Samuel 12:1-12 II Samuel 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. II Samuel 12:2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: II Samuel 12:3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. II Samuel 12:4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor mans lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. II Samuel 12:5 And Davids anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: II Samuel 12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. II Samuel 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; II Samuel 12:8 And I gave thee thy masters house, and thy masters wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. II Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. II Samuel 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. II Samuel 12:11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. II Samuel 12:12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 11. Pleasant words tickle our ears. Does John tickle our ears or is he writing the evil future as he sees it? Revelation 16:1 Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Conclusion: A prophet has signs now and words for the future. If you are a prophet, heal the sick, raise the dead, shout your prophecy, speak of the unseen and of the future, speak of peace and evil, and publish it.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 06:41:29 +0000
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