30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 20 9-18 THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE 05 Luke 20 10-12 The church’s prophetic message
📖 Luke 20:9-18
21Feb2021 - *The church’s prophetic message* - _Luke 20:9-18_ - THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE 5 - _II Chronicles 16:7-10_
The church is here to set free those who are oppressed. This is who Jesus is and we are His body, the fullness of Christ.
The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.
_I Timothy 3:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is *the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth*._
To this end, the Lord was concerned that Israel was not being the people of the truth and being a light to the peoples of the world. The prophets, who were sent by God, to bring the people back to God’s purpose for them, were being cast aside.
_Luke 20:10-12 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. (11) Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. (12) And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out._
Israel had failed to bear fruit but instead illtreated the prophets who were sent to her to remind her of her task.
We see the Lord expressing the pain of His heart. _Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!_
Just as it is today, the people of Israel were delighting themselves in the goodness of the Lord but forgetting to fulfil the mandate for which they were set apart as a nation.
_Nehemiah 9:25-26 And they took strong cities and a rich land, And possessed houses full of all goods, Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and grew fat, And *delighted themselves in Your great goodness*. (26) "Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations._
Isn’t this the emphasis of our preaching and teaching today? “Delight yourself in the goodness of the Lord”. This is surely a valid message, for that is the character and nature of God. He wants us to delight ourselves in His goodness but is this where we stop? *Is it not necessary for us to come together, as the body of Christ, to be His kingdom builders for our times*?
The prophets spoke the words of God into the circumstances of the times and showed the leaders, how they need to be making decisions under the canopy of God.
We woefully lack prophets of such calibre and stature. *Where are the prophets today, who can speak to the leaders of nations, addressing the issues of culture and governance, revealing the word and mind of God, for the issues that challenge us*?
_II Chronicles 16:7-10 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: "Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. (8) Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. (9) For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars." (10) Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time._
Hanani the seer was able to present before king Asa, his deviation from the ways of God. This was the competence of the prophet. Was Hanani treated well for his revelation of the heart of God? No.
*Will we pray that we will be prophets of our times and be willing to pay the price for being instruments of God to our generation*?
The church has a prophetic role in our nations. Our task as prophets is to speak the wisdom of God into the crisis and conflicts that characterises our times. There are a few prophetic voices from the church, in our times. We need more.
Persecution against the church is increasing across the world because people are turning to Christ and the powers that be are troubled.
People turning to Christ is a prophetic word of God by the church to the nations that people are disillusioned and are searching for answers that satisfy the aching hunger of the soul.
*Thought to ponder*
```The world awaits, with eager expectation, for the church to awaken to its task of being the prophets of our times.```