Chapter
1
Nothing New Under the Sun
“We are under God's power, and we can do nothing but by the
power of God, and woe shall hereafter be to us if we abuse this power.”
John Wycliffe (1)
What does the word ‘prophet’ mean?
Biblically, a prophet is a person who speaks for God. From Genesis to
Revelation, Noah to the Apostle John, the primary function of the prophet was
to speak for God, to warn individuals and nations of the consequences of their
sins. Prophecy is listed in the New Testament as one of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, but it is one of the most misunderstood gifts in the church.
When people hear the word “prophet,” they instantly think of
someone in the Bible like the Prophet Daniel or the book of Revelation, where
future events are told. It is true that many Biblical prophets, whose writings
we have in the Bible, did tell of future events, typically about the future
Suffering Messiah (Jesus) and His final return at the end of the age. Telling
the future was actually a secondary function of the prophet. Their main
function was to speak for God, specifically warning nations of the consequences
of sin. They were to proclaim truth to a nation that had strayed from God, as
we see in the Bible from the story of Jonah.
Paul tells us that he would rather we prophesy. “…But
How do we, as prophets, speak for God? We repeat the words He has
given us. These words are found in the Holy Bible. When you read the Bible, God
is speaking to you. When you tell others what the Bible says, God is speaking
through you, to them. You are speaking for God, which is being a prophet of God!
God is calling people to prophesy against a world lost in sin. He
is calling prophets to warn individuals and nations that God’s wrath comes on
all who reject His Son.
How will you answer His call? Will it be as Isaiah, who said,
“Send me?” “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8). God is
calling you to witness to this world. What is your answer?
To speak for God, you need to understand how God deals with
individuals and nations. You need to understand the God of yesterday, for He is
the same God we have today. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and
forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
The Bible gives us a record of how God interacted with mankind down through the
ages.
Prophets of God spoke for God, warning all who would listen that
God was angry with their sin. These prophets warned of the consequences, if
individuals and nations did not repent and turn back to God, rejecting their evil
ways. When God got angry in the Bible, it was always because of wickedness.
“And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves
and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass” (II
Chronicles 24:18).
God hates sin! He judges sin. However, we can be thankful that God
does not strike us with lightning every time we sin. Before God judges, he
takes several steps to try to withhold His wrath. We see what God does, time
and time again, throughout scripture, when people turn from God, pursuing
lustful evil.
1. God warns them of their sins.
2. God waits, giving them time to repent.
3. They ignore God’s warnings and then---
4. They suffer through God’s punishment.
From the beginning, God has wanted man to repent. In Genesis 3, we
have God calling out after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, which God
warned them not to eat, or they would die. “And the Lord God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9).
God knew what had happened. He knew where they were, hiding from
Him. God was giving them a chance to repent. We see a repeat one chapter later,
after Cain killed Abel. “And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy
brother?” (Genesis 4:9). Once again, God knew Cain had murdered Abel, but He
was giving Cain a chance to repent. God’s pattern of warning, waiting for
repentance, and when there is no repentance, judgment, as seen in both these
stories in the book of Genesis, is the same pattern found throughout the Old
and New Testament.
This is the pattern God has set for Himself, in dealing with sin.
When God did judge, people brought the judgment down on themselves. They had no
fear of God, sinning in the open, actually proud of it. They were warned, with
a warning coming directly from the prophets of God, through the witnesses
around them, through the Word of God, and through the Law written on their
hearts.
From the new book: Proclaiming Truth To a World In Love with Lies
