Prophets & Prophecy (Part 1)
About this sermon
In “Prophets & Prophecy (Part 1),” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about Bible prophecy, the condition of the church, the authority of Scripture. Drawing especially from John 10, 1 Corinthians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 14, the teaching emphasizes that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise.
Chronological teaching outline
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Odle focuses on the authority of Scripture while working through John 10. The message argues that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that God calls believers to reject compromise and pursue practical holiness. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy while working through Acts 11. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that biblical love is demonstrated through truth, patience, sacrifice, and conduct toward others. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy while working through Acts 21. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that Jerusalem is presented as a biblical and prophetic focal point in God’s purposes. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on the condition of the church. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on spiritual leadership while working through John 16. The message argues that leaders are accountable to teach faithfully, serve the flock, and model the character they proclaim. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that the sermon relates Israel’s place in Scripture to the unfolding prophetic picture. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer while working through John 17. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that the promise of eternal life directs believers toward hope, holiness, and perseverance in Christ. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
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- 0:00:00
well i want everybody to take your bibles out and we're going to turn to the book of acts first this morning acts chapter 11. because i think there's some things that we need to clear up here and we need to teach on and it's just on my heart you know we sing that song this morning in the secret and where the the chorus is talking about i want to hear your voice um this right here should be the cry the desire the longing for every christian that's been born again that loves jesus and and you know what most people don't even realize most people people who are not saved unsaved people the reason they never find happiness in anything out there in the world not in sex drugs rock and roll oh it gives you a temporary high but they never find what they're looking for they always got to find a new high they always got to find you know a different sex partner they always got to find you know another another drink another reason to have a party you know there's always got to be something else they're trying to feel constantly fill a void and the problem is that the bible bible's very clear that we were created to have fellowship with god we were created to have intimacy with god and that means that not only do we sit and pray and talk and he never talks back but that we were to have an intimate fellowship with god almighty now jesus made it very clear i'm going to quote this verse here jesus said in john 10 verse 27 you can just write this down he made it very clear he said my sheep hear my voice and they follow me now what's very interesting about that even though there are people out there there are pastors of churches and professors and seminaries and things that will say that yes but god only speaks by the bible god only speaks by the written word he doesn't speak to individuals anymore but there's a problem with that because this verse where jesus said my sheep hear my voice this verse the verbs hear and follow are present tense greek verbs now any theologian or seminary student with any intellectual honesty knows that a present tense greek verb the definition of a present tense greek verb means ongoing continuous action
- 0:03:01
that is taking place in the present and even the bible gives us two greek words for the word of god did you know that sometimes you'll see in the bible where it's translated word of god when you see that phrase the word of god in the new testament sometimes word is translated logos and sometimes it's translated rhema two different words and i like to explain it like this the logos is what god has said what's written in this book amen now it's much more than that but that's a good way to understand it rhema is what god is saying now and what i love if you turn to the book of revelation in chapter three when he's talking in chapter two and three when he's talking to the churches i love what jesus says now you've got to remember that this was a.d 95 when jesus gave this prophetic word to the apostle john and to speak to the churches but what's interesting is what he said at the end of every one of those he said he that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit is saying to the churches not what the spirit said but what is the spirit saying to the churches now let me make it clear and i've taught this before to you guys and it's very clear when we talk about hearing the voice of god and the gifts of the holy spirit where you hear god speak to you or reveal something to you whether it be by him directly communicating words into your spirit or it's by a vision or it's by a dream or one of the gifts of the spirit we'll talk about those in a second god's never going to contradict his word his written word and he's never going to lead you into error or for that matter lead you into something that's sinful so let's just get that straight it's obvious right i i mean i've had debates recently on facebook with people who want to say that if you say you're a prophet or you say that god still speaks to people you're somehow adding to the scriptures you're somehow and i had to tell a guy i said well listen i haven't written any new books and added them to the bible you understand nobody's trying to add to the bible but let me just say how ridiculous it is to believe that we serve the most powerful being in the universe the eternal almighty god the creator of the heavens and the earth the stars and the planets and the galaxies and everything that exists how how ridiculous it is it to believe
- 0:06:03
that he can't communicate to his people individually as well as corporately in a very real way and for some reason i don't know why they think when you when you start talking about this that you're diminishing the scriptures no as a matter of fact i can just tell you this most people who do hear from god and operate in the gifts of prophecy and hear the voice of god and are led by the spirit of god most of those people are more in the word of god and know the bible better than most people so it's just a false attack it's one of those straw man arguments that makes no sense because most people that really walk with god hear his voice operate in the gifts are word people meaning they love the bible they read the bible they study the bible they meditate on god's word and because they have a good foundation of the written word they're able to discern when they're hearing the voice of god when god's spirit is speaking to them leading them guiding them so on and so forth right but i mean i have people tell me just yesterday i have people tell me a pastor tell me that he believes in the gifts of the spirit but that basically he doesn't believe that god would reveal something ahead of time to somebody that has to do with the second coming of jesus maybe as a sign that's not written in here and i said well there's a lot of things not written in here and i gave you an example i said you know god spoke to me about the japanese earthquake that happened in 2011 he god showed me in a dream very clearly that there would be a massive earthquake in the pacific ocean that it would cause a tsunami and that there would be some type of nuclear incident with it that literally i saw three nuclear bombs going off and i did not understand what they meant until a year and a half later and many of you know i shared that in church and i shared that many times before it happened and i told him i said is there any mention in the bible about nuclear reactors or nuclear bombs specifically right yeah the bible talks about earthquakes does it say japan in here does it say pacific ocean in here no you get what i'm saying i even told him i said you know when i was in washington dc in 2008 and the lord told me that the church that i was going to was going to fire me on november 30th
- 0:09:03
and that when they fired me i was to go to auburn and alabama and start a church where in this book is it written dean they're going to fire you on november 30th and when they do go to auburn and start a church you have to understand that god can do whatever he wants he can speak to whomever he wants whenever he wants however he wants that ought to make somebody stand up almost dance a jig right there i don't understand these people who limit god oh he'll only speak by what's written in the bible or he'll only speak a certain way to certain people no i love what paul said he said i pray that you may all prophesy one by one first corinthians 4 oh my goodness i mean all the everybody could prophesy yes it's possible all of god's children why could all prophesy because all of god's children should they don't but they should hear his voice they should be able to discern when the holy spirit is speaking to them and trying to lead them and guide them into something the problem in the church and among christians is not that god is not speaking to them it's that you are not either close enough to hear or you are not listening or something is blocking something has been stuffed in your ears and that's why repentance from sin that's why fasting and prayer that's why i'm meditating on the written word and studying the written word those things unclog the spiritual ears they open the spiritual eyes and when god sees you being faithful with the written word and faithful with prayer and faithful in in fasting he can take the plugs out he can take off you know what's blocking your vision he can take off what's blocking your hearing and you can become what you're supposed to become and that is a spirit led spirit inspired christian see they think that most of the church world things that if you say you hear the voice of god you prophesy god shows you things before they're going to happen but they think that we are abnormal no no no new testament christianity what i'm talking about visions dreams prophetic words revelation from god hearing god's voice being led by the spirit seeing supernatural direction coming to your life that's normal they're not normal and most of them are like that because they've been taught wrong or because
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