 The title of our sermon this morning is Signed Posts of Revelation. Signed Posts of Revelation. Our primary text is Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1 through 4, and we're going to get there, but we're working through this morning the subject of cessationism. Now, it's been a blessing for our church over the last several weeks, the beginning series on the essentials of Baptist theology. And we began that series looking at various texts in the Bible that deal with the doctrine of God's revelation to man. And we began with the fundamental reality from Scripture that God Himself, the one who created the heavens and the earth, God Himself has spoken. God spoke and the heavens were made, all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth. And they now declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. And God spoke in various parts, in various ways in times past to the fathers by the prophets. And He has, in these last days, spoken to us by His Son. And that which He has spoken has been set down through a process of divine inspiration as holy men of God were carried along by the Spirit. God breathed out the word that He has spoken. And what we have now through His gracious self-disclosure to us is the 66 books of the canon, the very word of the living God, inspired and therefore infallible, inerrant, clear, authoritative and sufficient, all that pertains to life and godliness, all that pertains to faith and practice, all that we need for the man of God to be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Now at each of these points, however, the enemy attacks. The enemy, our adversary, the devil has raised an assault against the word of God at every point that would serve to characterize it, as it is in truth, the word of the living God. And that fight continues to this day. That assault continues to this day. It's an all-out assault on divine truth. The enemy, the adversary, began in the garden with his cunning deception of Eve, didn't he? Has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree in the garden? His assault on the word of God, having begun in Genesis, continues to our very day. The enemy would say, and his minions, word of God is not inspired. Word of God is not inspired. Men wrote the Bible. Men wrote the Bible. It's not infallible. Evolution proves that. Science proves that. It's not inerrant. There are mistakes all over the Bible. It's not clear. Thousands of denominations can't agree on what it says. And so it's not authoritative. It can't be authoritative. And ultimately, I'm the only one who's able to decide what's true and what isn't. With that assault, and there are many just like it, many just like it. The enemy is extremely effective in his work, just as he was with Adam and Eve in the garden. And the corpses of those who have believed those lies have fallen in the wilderness. Well, there is another front in which the enemy is on attack against the veracity and authority of the word of God. In this assault, the infallibility of God's word is also undermined. The inerrancy of God's word is undermined. The clarity with which God has spoken is replaced by utter confusion. The authority with which God has spoken is replaced by presumption and inference and speculation and lies. And ultimately, the word of God is no longer sufficient, no longer complete. Why? Why would that be the case? What particular assault could wreak such damage on the Lord's church? Could wreak such havoc against the word of God? Why? What is the problem? Well, the reason is because, they would say, God is still speaking today outside of His revealed Word because God is giving new special revelation through His Spirit to His church. Today, more than half a billion people have been deceived by that lie of the enemy. You may say to yourself, right, many would, how can half a billion people be wrong? How can half a billion professing Christians be wrong about new special revelation that they suppose comes from God? Well, there are 1.2 billion Catholics. There are 1.8 billion Muslims. There are 1.1 billion Hindus. There can be a lot of people wrong. A lot of people may be sincere, and they may be sincere, but sincerely wrong. More than half a billion people have bought in to this deception. There are as many as half a billion people today who believe that God continues to give His people new and special revelation outside of His revealed Word, and that number is rapidly growing. It is spreading like a leaven. That view is called continuationism, and continuationism is wreaking havoc through the modern professing church today. Continuationism is found littered through various movements and various groups. You'll find continuationist theology in Catholic circles. You'll find continuationist theology in Baptist circles. You'll find it in cults like Mormonism. You'll find it in cults like Jehovah's Witnesses. You'll find it among professing Christians who have broken all ties with their church, and you'll find it among professing Christians who are fervently devoted to their church. And although continuationism is a very broad term, the term covers many different movements, many different organizations, many different backgrounds, many different beliefs, most commonly continuationism is found among modern Pentecostals and modern Charismatics. Charismata is a word that refers to the spiritual gifts that are thought to accompany new revelation from God. Where there is new revelation, you find Charismata, spiritual gifts, and so often those who hold to continuationism are thought of together under the umbrella term Charismatics. These Charismata, or these miraculous gifts, these supernatural gifts, are claimed to be given by the Holy Spirit, and they are thought to be a continuation of those spiritual gifts that we see particularly in the New Testament, namely miracles, healing, new revelation, prophetic words, visions, dreams, speaking in tongues, words of prophecy, apostleship, among others. The question that we have to ask when we approach a subject like this, when we approach this particular subject, the question we have to ask is this, is it true? Is it true? Is it biblical? Is this in fact the way in which the Lord is at work through His church today? Is it true that this is the way in which the Holy Spirit is at work in His people today? Does the Bible teach? There is a lot that rides on that question. The implications run deep, and they are significant. This is not a light matter. This is not a simple matter of just let's agree to disagree. This is not a light matter. This is a serious and significant matter. John warns us in 1 John 4 verse 1, he says, beloved, do not believe every spirit. John says, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Are these lying gifts? Or is this what the Bible teaches? Is this what the Spirit of God does? Are these things so? Is this what we're to believe? Is it true? How are we to test these spirits? John tells us to do. Many of the Charismatic movement would say that it is unacceptable. It's appalling that anyone would question the reality of New Revelation or these supernatural miraculous gifts. They would say that you're quenching the Holy Spirit. You're offending the Spirit of God who produces these works, these miracles. Is it true? We are, according to John, to test every spirit. Do not believe every spirit. Test it, whether it's from God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world. There's not much that is more fundamental than this issue of how God works among and interrelates with his own people. Not much more fundamental than that. The stakes are incredibly high. The implications run deep. The continuationists would, of course, say that it's true. Yes, it's true. Besides, there's no text in the Bible that expressly says that these gifts have ceased. He would point, the continuationists would point to the prophet Joel. In Joel chapter 2, verses 28 through 32, where Joel prophesied of a time when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, where sons and daughters would prophesy, old men will dream dreams, young men would see visions. We would say, well, that prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. That prophecy was fulfilled. Are you saying then, are you saying that God must continue that? For him to be true to his word in Joel? Must God continue that? Does God continue that? The continuationists would say that those miraculous gifts we see operative in the church, in the book of Acts, or operative in the church, in Paul's first canonical letter to the church at Corinth, are a normal way in which the Holy Spirit works in the church throughout all the ages. It's normative for the church in all the ages. Well, those outpouring, that outpouring of those spiritual gifts had a particular purpose. They belong to a particular context. Are you saying that we should take everything that we see in those churches and make that a rule for our church or all churches in every age? We should have all things in common then. I'd like to borrow the keys to your car. Well, besides, it's my car now too. The spirit would be killing liars as much as he would be giving gifts to the spirit. The continuationists would say that Paul commends those gifts in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. They are for the edification of the church, necessary for the building up of the church. God will certainly give the church everything that the church needs to grow and mature in the faith. He will withhold no good thing from his body, the church. But are you saying, are you saying, continuationists, that he wouldn't give his church something better? Making those gifts obsolete? And the Old Covenant was replaced with the New Covenant. Hebrew says it's a better covenant based upon better promises and among many other arguments for the continuation of revelation, for the continuation of these miraculous gifts, the continuationists would say, but listen, I myself have experienced these gifts from God. I myself have spoken in tongues. I have dreamed dreams. I've had visions. I've had prophetic words. I've been slain in the spirit. How do you know? How do you know it's from God? How do you know that it's true? Hindus and Muslims and Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses and various other pagan religions have all testified to the very same miraculous gifts. How do you know it's from God? How do we know if it's true? Is it true? What about all that we see from continuationists that is simply nowhere in the Bible? Why are the supposed gifts that we see today nothing like the gifts that we see in the Bible? What about all the error? What about the false prophecy? What about the false doctrine? One said we must not base our faith upon experiences, but we must subject our understanding of our experiences to the Word of God. So what does the Word of God say? What does the Bible teach? What does the Bible teach about the continuation of revelation? What does the Bible teach about the continuation of these supposedly miraculous gifts? Does the Holy Spirit continue to give believers in the church the extraordinary gifts that He gave to believers in the first century church? Does He continue to operate in that way? To come to a faithful answer to that question requires work. It requires some effort. You can't just point to a verse. Right? It doesn't work that way. It's not that simple. There are many, many truths that believers hold as precious that require a broader understanding than simply pointing to a verse. Oftentimes, if you point to a verse, you're ignoring 15 others, right? You need the broad scope of God's redemptive revelation. You need the whole counsel of God. So much error, so much heresy persists today because people aren't willing to put in the effort. And listen, you and I, brothers and sisters, we're responsible for the revelation that we've been given. We're responsible for what we understand and what we don't. Now to arrive at a faithful answer to that question requires some biblical theology. It requires biblical theology. Think of it this way with me. We're systematic theology. Systematic theology categorizes what the Bible teaches into specific topics, right? That systematic theology, biblical theology studies how God reveals what the Bible teaches over time. Systematic theology puts what the Bible teaches into topics, categorizes it by topic. Biblical theology studies how God reveals himself, how God reveals that theology over time, the progress of revelation. And it's an understanding of biblical theology that will lead us to a faithful answer to this question. Does the Spirit of God still operate in that way? Are these things true? Now the faithful answer that we're going to arrive at today from the Word of God is that the Bible does not teach continuationism. The Bible does not teach continuationism. The Spirit of God is no longer giving new special revelation. Doesn't mean the Spirit of God is not capable of that. Of course God is capable of that. The Spirit of God is no longer today giving new special revelation. The canon has been closed. It is complete. The Spirit of God is no longer giving believers in the church the extraordinary gifts that He gave to believers in the first century church. Those particular gifts had a purpose, had an aim, had a context. That context, that purpose, that aim doesn't exist today. We'll talk about that. Those gifts include new special revelation, prophetic words, speaking in tongues, healing, and the like. That particular function of the Holy Spirit. And frankly, that's the only function of the Holy Spirit that has ceased. It's a theological position called cessationism. They have ceased from being operative. Cessationism doesn't mean that God doesn't do miracles today. In fact, God does miracles all the time. The greatest of miracles takes place every time the Spirit of God works in the heart of a wretched sinner to give Him new life in Christ. That is the greatest of any miracle that is performed. That is performed in God's people all the time. God who commanded light to shine out of darkness is the God who miraculously causes the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ to shine abroad in our hearts. That is an undeniable miracle. We know also, don't we, that God still heals. We pray for people to be healed, for God to make them better. God still works through extraordinary providence. We pray to the Lord for Him to work in those ways. But God doesn't do that through miracle-working men. We'll talk about that, okay? Cessationism doesn't mean that God doesn't do miracles. Cessationism also doesn't mean that the Spirit doesn't work in extraordinary ways. The Spirit of God is still at work. In abundantly extraordinary ways. And we as believers, wouldn't we testify, believers, that we do nothing by faith apart from the Spirit's work? That is the testimony of Scripture. We are nothing apart from Him. We do nothing apart from Him. We accomplish nothing for the Lord apart from the Spirit's empowering work. However, it is not the normal operation of the Spirit to give miraculous spiritual gifts to believers in the church today, as He did in the early church at the time of the apostles. The question is, why? Why is that? Why do we believe that that's clearly what the Bible teaches? We'll answer that question through explanation, indication, and implication. We'll do that both this morning and we'll finish tonight. Explanation, indication, and implication. First I want to give you the biblical explanation for Cessationism. Two simple basic parts to a very simple, clear case for why that work has ceased. A biblical explanation for Cessationism. Secondly, I want to give you indications in the Bible that fully support that explanation. If it's true, if that's what the Bible teaches, then we'll see the Bible supporting that conclusion, supporting that explanation. Finally, we want to look at the biblical implications of that position. Both implications of continuationism today and implications of Cessationism. Explanation, indication, implication. First let's consider together the biblical explanation. This comes in two parts. We'll cover part one this morning. We'll finish with part two tonight. First part in considering a biblical explanation for Cessationism is this. Miracles or miraculous gifts given through empowered people serve a particular function in Scripture. Miracles, supernatural gifts serve a particular function in Scripture. If an alien landed on the planet and he interviewed professing Christians, the alien came down and his little alien spacecraft walked into a local Christian bookstore. Alien would be inclined to think that miracles take place in Christian circles all the time. Every other book you look at or every other shelf you look at, people going to heaven, people having experiences, ecstatic experiences, the alien would think that miracles happen all the time. Everywhere you look, someone's being healed or going to heaven, speaking in tongues. However, when we look at the biblical record, there are only three periods of time in all of redemptive history when God worked miracles through gifted people. Through thousands of years of redemptive history, there's only been three periods where God has worked miracles through gifted people, where God gave the ability for someone to perform miracles. We have the first period from Moses to Joshua. The first period from Moses to Joshua, the exodus up to the promised land, about 70 years or one lifetime, about the period of one lifetime. Second period is from Elijah, the prophet of Elijah, to Elisha, another period of about one lifetime or about 70 years. And third, from Jesus Christ to his apostles, about the period of one lifetime or about 70 years until about the death of John after John having wrote Revelation. So three periods of time in redemptive history, from Moses to Joshua, from Elijah to Elisha, from Jesus Christ to his apostles, through thousands of years of human history, three periods in which God gave power for men to perform miracles. There were other times in redemptive history when God worked miracles directly, right? God worked a miracle through Noah to build that ark, right? God miraculously caused a worldwide flood, let's we forget that, right? The confusion of language at Babel, sometimes coming upon people like judges. We're studying judges on Sunday evening. But in thousands of years of human history, there were only these three brief periods about the length of one lifetime each where God empowered people themselves to perform miracles. And what was the particular purpose for which God gave them this spiritual gift? The presence of supernatural gifts always served to affirm or validate the credentials of the one who spoke for God. They always served to affirm, validate, authenticate that spokesperson, the one who spoke for God. They were meant to authenticate God's messenger and God's word that was being spoken through him. Now let's look at the first of those three periods and the first of these God-appointed messengers. Turn with me to Exodus chapter three and let's consider together the ministry of Moses. Exodus chapter three, they're following along with me so far, right? The first part of a biblical explanation, three periods in human history where God empowered men to perform miracles. Those miracles which God gave for them to perform always served to affirm or validate the credentials they authenticated, the one who spoke for God. It was a way that God demonstrated the veracity of the words that were being spoken. The first we have in the first period is Moses. Exodus chapter three, look down at verse 10 with me. Exodus chapter three verse 10 where the Bible reads here, come now, therefore God says I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel out of Egypt. So the Lord was going to call Moses now to deliver his people out of the iron furnace in Egypt. He's going to rescue them from bondage. Moses is going to be the man that he appoints to this work and God intends through Moses, through this work of deliverance to make himself known to all the nations, right? Now this was difficult for Moses to believe, a little hard for Moses to comprehend. And so Moses naturally doubts and he objects. Look at verse 11, but Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? Moses doubts. Moses objects. He responds with two wonderful and miraculous promises. He responds with two signs in verse 12 to help Moses trust the Lord who is trustworthy. He understands Moses' weakness. And so God essentially said to Moses, listen, you're going to trust me. And here are two signs that I'm going to give you to prove to you that I'm going to be with you. I'm going to take care of you. The first one is this in verse 12. He said, I will certainly be with you. The Lord is going to be with Moses. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this very mountain. In other words, God was going to bring Moses back home. Moses is going to be sent by God and Moses is going to be brought back to the mountain that God is now speaking to him on. You have my presence with you. Surely you're going to make it back home to this mountain. The purpose of this deliverance, God says in verse 12 is so that his people might worship God. Okay? This is the calling of Moses. Flip the page and look at Exodus chapter 4 and look there beginning in verse 1. Now think with me again. Why is the Lord giving signs? Why does the Lord give miracles? Exodus chapter 4 verse 1. So then Moses answered and said, thinking now of the people and Moses representing God to the people, Moses answered and said, Suppose they'll not believe me. Suppose they won't listen to my voice. Suppose they say the Lord has not appeared to you. That is a reasonable question, isn't it? How are the people to know God that I truly speak for you? How will they know when I go to them that I am your spokesperson that the words that I'm speaking are not my own words. How will they know that these words are your words? The Lord said to him, verse 2, what is that in your hand? He said, a rod. So he said to him, verse 3, cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, reach out your hand. Take it by the tail. And he reached out his hand and he caught it and it became a rod in his hand. A miracle, right? Miraculous, a sign, a wonder, a gift here. Verse 5, that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has appeared to you. Do you see? This is why I am giving you the power to perform this miracle so that they may know. Okay? Verse 6, furthermore the Lord said to him, now put your hand in your bosom. He put his hand in his bosom. So when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. And he said, put your hand in your bosom again. So he put his hand in his bosom again, drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. Verse 8, then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. It's interesting in verse 8 that he calls it the message of the sign. What is the message of the sign that God is giving to him? It's that Moses is sent by God. The words that Moses is speaking are the words of the living God to those to whom Moses is speaking. Right? The message of the sign is that Moses has been sent by God and that Moses speaks for God. So it says in verse 9 then, if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river, pour it out on the dry land, the water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land. What is the message of the sign? The message is that Moses speaks for God. Moses speaks the words of God. Then Moses, thinking through this, Moses begins to complain that he isn't an adequate spokesman because he doesn't speak well. Verse 14, so the anger of the Lord then was kindled against Moses and he said, is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well and look, he's also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and I will teach you what you shall do. In other words, what the Lord is saying to Moses is that I'm going to give you my words. I'm going to put my words, God says to Moses, I'm going to put my words in your mouth. You are my prophet, God says to Moses. You don't have your own message, Moses. You don't get to speak the imaginations of your own heart, the imaginations of your own mind. I'm going to speak my words. I'm going to put my words in your mouth and then you take those words and you put them in Aaron's mouth. Aaron will be like a prophet to you. You put my words in his mouth and he doesn't have his own message. Who's he going to speak for? He's going to speak for you, Moses, because you're my spokesperson, you're my prophet. Verse 16, so he shall be your spokesman to the people and he himself shall be as a mouth for you and you shall be to him as God. And how will they know? How will they know that this is the case, that God has in fact appeared before Moses and that God has in fact appointed Moses and now Aaron to this work, verse 17, and you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall do the signs. Why would Moses do the signs? To attest that he is a messenger from God. To test that he is God's spokesperson, God's prophet. Flip the page, look at Exodus chapter 6. Exodus chapter 6, look there, Exodus chapter 6, verse 28. Following the train of thought, right? Exodus chapter 6, verse 28, verse 28. And it came to pass then, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, that the Lord spoke to Moses saying, I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I say to you. But Moses said before the Lord, behold, I am of uncircumcised lips and how shall Pharaoh heed me? That's the issue, right? Moses is to speak for God. The problem is that Moses himself doesn't believe it. How in the world will Pharaoh believe it? How in the world will the people believe it? How is it that they will know that Moses speaks for God? Chapter 7, verse 1. So the Lord said to Moses, see, I have made you as God to Pharaoh and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. It's God's word, right? And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. In other words, I'm going to give you my words. You give them to Aaron, he's going to speak for you. And this is what it meant, folks, to be a prophet for God. It meant that the one who was a prophet for God spoke God's words. He was a spokesman for God. The Lord told Jeremiah. He says, behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have this day said over you the nations and over the kingdoms to root out and to pull down to destroy and to throw down to build and to plant. God put his words in the mouths of the prophets. Now how will they know that all this is from the Lord? Look at verse 3. God says, I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. Now why would God do that? Because he is God of all creation. He is God Almighty. He is God over all the nations including Egypt, including Pharaoh, including their silly superstitious pantheon of pagan gods that they think they worship. God is the true and living God. And God is going to attest to the truth of that fact with signs and wonders. But verse 4, Pharaoh will not heed you so that for the purpose that I may lay my hand on Egypt and bring my armies and my people out, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And verse 5, the Egyptian shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them. So God gave Moses the power to perform miracles so that the people would know that it was the Lord that was speaking through him to them. The signs and wonders that God gave Moses to do validated Moses. They authenticated Moses as a prophet of God. More than that, the signs and wonders validated or authenticated the message preached as being from God. This was not a message from Moses. It was not a message from Aaron. It's how the people would know and it's how the Lord led people to follow Moses as his prophet. Moses would perform the signs, right? Moses wrote then the first five books of the Bible. Wrote the first five books of the Bible. Moses was God's spokesman and God attested to the veracity of that through the miraculous. But that pattern continues in the Old Testament. This is the reason for the miracles that we see in the Old Testament among God's prophets. This is the reason for these miracles performed by God's men, God's people in the Old Testament. Well, certainly, right? Surely, surely, there wouldn't be anyone who would come along and attempt to fake that, right? No one would be so presumptuous as to attempt to fake that they spoke for God. They were God's prophet. When in fact they weren't, no one would do that. The enemy would. Surely, surely the enemy would attempt to lead God's people astray through false prophets. False prophets litter the pages of the Old Testament. Warnings against them litter the pages of the Old Testament. Why? Because many false prophets have come. How can we tell then the true from the false? How are we to distinguish between them? How are we to discern that one that speaks from God and that one who doesn't? How are we to discern those things that come from God and those things that don't? How are we to discern a true work of God's spirit and a false lying wonder? Listen, this is very appropriate for us to consider because at the end of the age, before the Lord Jesus Christ comes back, there will be lying and deceiving wonders being performed to deceive, if possible, even God's elect. How are we to discern the truth from error? What if they fake miracles, like the servants of Pharaoh did, like people today do? What if they fake miracles? Deuteronomy 13, turn there with me. Deuteronomy 13, and look there, beginning at verse 1. What if fakes come along, false prophets? How are we to discern? Deuteronomy 13, verses 1-5. If they are sent by God, they must be speaking God's truth. There will be no lies and no errors if they are speaking God's truth. There can be no contradiction with God's revealed word. Deuteronomy 13, verse 1. If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, that's happening all over the place today. Every other person and their uncle is calling themselves a prophet or a dreamer of dreams. They've got a word of prophecy or something you want to say to you from God. It's the spread of this leaven of continuationism. If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, it gives you a sign or a wonder. And the sign or the wonder comes to pass. They're faking the miracle. Of what she spoke to you saying, let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them. They lie about who Jesus Christ is. They lie about who God is. They lie about what God has said. They lie about what God has done. He says, verse 3, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Are you more committed to your so-called experiences or are you devoted, as it ends in truth, to the very word of God? God's revealed word to you and for you. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him. Keep his commandments. Obey his voice and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Fear him. Keep his commandments. Obey his voice. Hold fast to him. Difficulty often is that today where continuationism flourishes, doctrine dies. Where continuation and these supposed giving of supernatural gifts flourishes the truth of God is unknown. Study of doctrine, his commandments, the fear of the Lord serving him, holding fast to him, those things die. Last Old Testament test we'll look at is found in Deuteronomy 18. Flip the page to the right. Deuteronomy chapter 18 and look there with me at verse 18. What if there are false prophets? How are we to discern? First, their words will entirely line up with the truth of God's word. There will be no contradiction. There will be no error. It will line up with God's word. Secondly, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18. Moses says in verse 18, I'll raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren. We know this to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah. The Lord says, I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him. That is the function of the prophet. And it shall be that whoever will not hear my words, which he speaks in my name, I will require it of him. That stipulates both the function of the prophet and it also stipulates our responsibility to God's word given through the prophet, given through the apostles. Well, surely, surely there wouldn't be those who would come along claiming to speak God's words, would they? Would there be people that would actually presume to say that the words I'm speaking are from God and I speak a word of God to you, really? Well, how can we tell? That's certainly true. It happens all the time. Very common. How can we tell the true from the false? How can we discern? Lord, give us the tests. How do we know? The Lord says if he speaks my words, they will always come to pass, like in verse 20. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. If you say in your heart, how shall we know the word of the Lord has not spoken? The word which the Lord has not spoken? He says, he gives you the answer, verse 22. When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken, the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him. So Moses was a prophet of God. He was given power to perform miracles, and the power to perform miracles was in order to validate that he spoke for God. Signs and wonders were given to prove that what was spoken were the words of God. Furthermore, we all have been given the truth of God. The truth of the statements made, we're to discern that truth and test the prophecies. We're commanded to use that truth to test even the prophets themselves. Well, the prophets who followed Moses would be authenticated, validated in the very same way. In the very same way. God would perform miracles through them in order to validate them as his spokesman and to validate his word as authoritative and to show that we are accountable when his human messenger is speaking. Next period in which we see miracles performed in redemptive history is under the ministry of Elisha. Look at with me at 1 Kings, 1 Kings chapter 18. 1 Kings chapter 18. That comes just before 2 Kings. 1 Kings chapter 18. And under this second period of redemptive history in which God gave men the power to perform miracles, we see the very same purpose for the miracles, the very same purpose in the testimony now of the prophet Elijah. 1 Kings chapter 18. Look at verse 36. Now it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and he said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word. Now if you remember the story, we've got Elijah who's confronting now the prophets of Baal. How do we know if the prophets of Baal are true or false? There's a test involved. We've looked at those tests in Deuteronomy. How do we know who's true and who's false? Elijah comes and Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal. We know that story. And he prays to God. God validate me. Authenticate me. Why? So that I can be puffed up in pride. So that I can be seen as such a great know. It's so that the people may know that you are the Lord God and that you have turned their hearts back to you again. Show them, Lord, that this is your word. Show them that this is your work. Verse 38. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust. And it licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, He is God. The Lord, He is God. Right? That's the proper response to testimony of God's wondrous works in redemptive history. If those hard-hearted Pharisees, the hard-hearted Jews in the first century had responded to the miracles that the Lord Jesus Christ had performed in the same way, things might have been a little different. The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God. And Elijah said to them, seize the prophets of Baal. Seize those false prophets. Do not let one of them escape. And so they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. Then keeping with the words of Moses from Deuteronomy. The third period of miracles and the third period of signs that accompany and validate the revealed Word of God comes during a third period of redemptive revelation. In his apostles. Jesus Christ is the prophet that Moses pointed to in Deuteronomy chapter 18. The one who would be raised up. The one who would speak the very words of the living God. The one who ultimately is God's revelatory Word to man. And if you think about that, what would then the purpose be for all of the miracles that Jesus Christ performed? How would God choose to attest to or authenticate give credential to the Lord Jesus Christ? How would God validate the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is and what He came to do? He would perform miracles. The Lord Jesus Christ performed miracles to validate who He was and why He had come. It would of course be true that the Lord would also be validated in this way. Look at John chapter 1. John chapter 1. Verse 47. We see this throughout the gospels, throughout the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and particularly in the gospel of John where there is a book of signs so to speak within the gospel. Signs that point to who Jesus Christ is and pointing to the fact that the words that Jesus Christ preached are the words of God. John chapter 1 verse 47. This is one example here at the beginning of the gospel and calling his disciples to him. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him instead of him. Behold in his real light indeed in whom is no deceit Nathaniel said to him, how do you know me? How do you know me Lord? Jesus answered and said to him, before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree I saw you. In terms of calling fire down from heaven to burn up the altar this seems simple but Nathaniel gets it doesn't he? The Lord knows all things and the Lord saw him. Nathaniel answered and said to him in verse 49 Rabbi you are the son of God you are the king of Israel. He responded like those standing around Elisha on that day doesn't he? Verse 50 Jesus answered and said to him because I said to you I saw you under the fig tree do you believe? Nathaniel you will see greater things than these and he said to him most assuredly I say to you hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man. What was the purpose of those miracles? What was the purpose of that extraordinary revelation? It was to test to the person and work ministry and message of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at John chapter 3 and look at verse 30 John chapter 3 in verse 30 John the Baptist says the Lord Jesus Christ he must increase but I must decrease he who comes from above is above all he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth he who comes from heaven is above all unless in verse 32 and what he has seen and heard that he testifies in other words what he knows of God he has seen and heard what he has seen and heard he testifies and the one who receives his testimony verse 33 he who has received his testimony has certified that God is true for he whom God has sent speaks the words of God for God does not give the spirit by measure the father loves the son has given all things into his hand and he who believes in the son has everlasting life and he who does not believe in the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides upon him that's why the stakes are so high on this particular issue is Jesus Christ are the prophets those who spoke the word of God is he who he says he is or is he a fake is he a false prophet is Jesus Christ who he claims to be if he is your eternal soul hangs on how you receive him how you respond to him and his word the one who believes in him has everlasting life everlasting life put your faith and trust in Christ and you have everlasting life he who does not believe but persists in his sin persists in living life for himself the wrath of God abides on you you will in no way see life your eternity will be filled with death and torment everything is critical on this issue turn to John chapter 5 look at John chapter 5 and look there with me at verse 19 John chapter 5 look at verse 19 then Jesus answered and said to them he said most assuredly I say to you the son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the father do the son is there on the father's authority to speak for the father to work for the father to do as the father has said and commanded that's the son's purpose here his object for whatever he does the son also does in like manner verse 20 for the father loves the son shows him all things that he himself does and he will show him greater works than these so that you may marvel for as the father raises the dead and gives life to them even so the son gives life to whom he will for the father judges no one but as committed all judgment to the son that all should honor the son just as they honor the father he who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him most assuredly I say to you he who hears my word and believes in him has eternal life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life it is critical critical how one receives the word of God critical that we understand this is the revelation of God to men John chapter 5 down at verse 31 the Lord says there if I bear witness of myself it is not true if he bears witness of himself there is another who bears witness of me and I know the witness which he witnesses of me is true you have sent to John and he is born witness to the truth yet I do not receive testimony from man but I say these things that you may be saved your eternal destiny hangs in the balance the Lord testifies of God's word that you may be saved he was the burning and shining lamp that you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light but I have a greater witness than John's for the works which the father has given me to finish the very works that I do bear witness of me that the father has sent me that's the purpose of the miracles to attest to the fact that God has sent Jesus Christ into the world and the father himself who sent me has testified of me to the works you have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form but you do not have his word abiding in you because whom he sent him you do not believe you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of me that you are not willing to come to me that you may have life look at the works that I do the Lord says these miracles that I perform testify to who I am when the when the men saw the Lord feed the five thousand from five barley loaves and two fishes they responded in John chapter 6 verse 14 and those men when they had seen the sign that Jesus did said truly this is the prophet who has come into the world it's the prophet that Moses spoke of and that work that miracle attested to who Jesus Christ is John chapter 7 look there at verse 25 some of them from Jerusalem said is this not he whom they seek to kill but look he speaks boldly and they say nothing to him do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ however we know where this man is from when Christ comes no one knows where he is from they are debating with themselves is this one who has come claiming to be the son of man is this one true or is this one false they are considering this question verse 28 then Jesus cried out as he taught in the temple saying you both know me and you know where I am from and I have not come of myself whom you do not know but I know him for I am from him and he sent me therefore they sought to take him why because he claimed to be from God but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come and many of the people believed in him and said when the Christ comes will he do more signs than these which this man has done in other words think with me now we've got three times in redemptive history where signs and miracles are performed there have been great gaps in redemptive history where no miracles were seen or performed and now Jesus Christ comes along and Jesus Christ is performing miracles left and right and so they surmise they wonder to themselves when the Christ comes is he going to do more signs than these no these signs and wonders attest to who Jesus Christ is attest to what Jesus Christ is doing and that Jesus Christ comes from God John chapter 10 John chapter 10 and look there at verse 22 John chapter 10 verse 22 now it was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch then the Jews surrounded him and said to him how long do you keep us in doubt if you are the Christ tell us plainly this is the other thing people seek for a sign and they are entirely blind to it entirely blind to it Jesus answered them verse 25 I told you and you don't believe listen to what the Lord says I told you already and you don't believe I've done the works and you don't believe the works that I do in my father's name they bear witness of me but you don't believe because you are not of my sheep in other words I am trying to convince you because you are not of my father's sheep you don't get it because you won't get it so he says verse 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them they follow me and I give them eternal life they shall never perish neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand I and my father are one to that fact look at it verse 37 verse 37 if I do not do the works of my father then do not believe me but if I do though you do not believe me believe the works that you may know and believe that the father is in me and I in him at least acknowledge the works the works are irrefutable the miracles of Jesus to validate or authenticate the Lord Jesus Christ as everything that he claimed to be the miracles, the works of the prophets were meant to validate or authenticate the prophets as having been sent from God and speaking the very words of God the Lord Jesus Christ is the living word of God the word who became flesh and dwelt among us and the works testify of that word Luke 5 to the paralytic man and the Pharisees that stood partially by questioning him the Lord said so that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins take up your bed and go to your house we see the reality of this in Peter's sermon at Pentecost listen to this from Acts chapter 2 in verse 22 Peter says in his sermon hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man attested by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death whom God raised up the chains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it he is a man attested to by God through miracles, wonders and signs which God did through him in their midst this power to perform miracles Jesus also gave to his apostles who preached the word of the Lord Jesus Christ after him for the exact same purpose Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1 therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard lest we drift away for if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward then how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation verse 1 began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him confirmed to us by eyewitness testimony confirmed to them and to us by the apostolic gifts God also bearing witness verse 4 both with signs and wonders with various miracles and gifts to the Holy Spirit according to his own will all all all the miracles done were meant to authenticate the word that was being preached was the very word of God that is the purpose of the miraculous gifts that's the purpose of the Holy Spirit working in that way exactly as it had been with Moses exactly as it had been with the Old Testament prophets exactly as it had been with the Lord Jesus Christ who told him it would be expected then it would be expected then that just as it had been with the passing of New Revelation and with the passing of those who spoke for the Lord those whom the Lord had specifically commissioned to speak his words to his people that miracles would pass with them those spiritual gifts would pass with the passing of the one who spoke for God as Peter says we have the prophetic word now confirmed heated as a light that shines in a dark place that's exactly what happened when Moses passed from the scene that's exactly what happened when Elijah and Elisha passed from the scene that's exactly what happened when Jesus Christ and the apostles passed from the scene Revelation is complete that's the second explanation that we'll cover tonight miracles, miraculous gifts given to people to perform they serve a particular function in Scripture that was to attest to God's word secondly there is no New Revelation being given today we'll look at that more tonight and with that we'll look at the indications of the current reality and include our case which is very very important that we grasp and understand we can help those that are deceived by this error right it's a tragedy a tragedy to see people so caught up in this error today and in such rampant numbers and many by the millions of that error we need to preach the gospel and pray that the Spirit of God would work in the way that the Spirit of God does during this time to convert the sinner cause them to be born again and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ in truth, in spirit and in truth amen let's pray together and then we'll dismiss Father in Heaven we thank you for this time thank you Lord for an efficient word thank you for your authoritative word thank you Lord that contained here for all things that we need you've withheld nothing good from us but you've given it to us abundantly graciously that we might know of you learn of you thereby that we might grow thereby nor we are grateful to you for it help us to understand these deep and important subjects Lord help us to clearly think through them protect us Lord from having presuppositions that would blind us to the truth help us Lord keep us from the wisdom of this world or from relying upon our own wisdom when it comes to these things Lord but help us to search the scriptures as the Bereans did to see if these things are so and help us to trust in you entirely thank you for the ways in which you have given us your word thank you Lord for the way in which you have attested to the truth and veracity of your word thank you Lord for writing that down and scripturing that for us on the pages of the bible thank you Lord that it is a trustworthy source of the truth that you've revealed to us or help us to put our faith and trust in you and take heed according to your word help us Lord to follow you and cling to you your commandments your statutes and to obey you and to serve you and to fear you that is right and good and is security surety to our soul in Jesus Christ our Lord and it's in his name we pray all these things Amen