Grace World Outreach Church
Heaven's Echo: How To Operate In The Prophetic
Pastor Daniel K Norris
Locations & Times
Grace World Outreach Church
20366 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
https://graceworldag.online.church
Sunday 10:00 AM
Greetings from Grace World
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HEAVEN’S ECHO
Operating In The Prophetic
Three Things I Believe…
1) God Is Still Speaking
2) God Desires To Speak Through His People
3) The Earth Today Is Eager To Hear What God Is Saying
Text: (Eze 37:1–7)
37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
Under the Old Testament Covenant, the role of Prophet and Priest was reserved for a few. Under the New Covenant, Jesus opened access to all. This is the story of Pentecost
Peter made this clear when asked what Pentecost meant… (Ac 2:15–18)
15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Peter, inspired by the Spirit, made sure to punctuate this
Ac 2:39 "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
The promise is for EVERYONE! The key is are you AVAILABLE?
To Operate in the Prophetic…
1) I MUST BECOME A SPIRIT-FILLED SEEKER
Vs 1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord
The gift of prophecy is a spiritual gift, therefore my search must begin with the spirit
This is the apostolic pattern
- Acts 2:4 "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues..."
- Ac 4:8 "Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said..."
- Ac 4:31 "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak..."
- Ac 9:17 "be filled with the Holy Spirit…vs 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus."
- Ac 10:45–46 "the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God."
- Ac 13:9–10 "Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said…"
- Ac 19:6 "the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying."
WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES UPON YOU, THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COMES FROM YOU
Seeking Requires…
a) Realize There Is More
But earnestly desire the higher gifts (1 Co 12:31)
earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy (1 Co 14:1)
“The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want. One great hindrance to the Spirit-filled life is the theology of complacency so widely accepted among gospel Christians today.” AW Tozer
b) Develop a Discipline of Devotion
- A set time and A set place (Psalm 63:1, Mark 1:35)
- And a continual attitude of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV)
c) Learn to Inquire of the Lord
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(Php 4:6)
YOU CAN COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SITUATION, OR YOU CAN INQUIRE ABOUT THE SITUATION!
2) I MUST BECOME A FERVENT SCRIBE
(Hab 2:2) Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.
A Scribe Had Two Primary Responsibilities
* To be ready with pen and paper in hand
* To be trustworthy in bookkeeping
3) I MUST BECOME A FRIENDLY SHARER
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord…7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
A missed point in the prophecy of Ezekiel… When God spoke His word from heaven’s throne, nothing happened on the valley floor. It wasn’t until the prophet obeyed the command to speak what heaven was saying that the bones began to rattle.
God chooses to work with the echo
There is great power in the spoken word
Hurt or Heal
Bless or curse
Build or tear down
Bring life or invite death
Bind or Loose
Encourage or Discourage
WHEN WE REMAIN SILENT WE LEAVE THE DRY BONES TO REMAIN STILL ON THE VALLEY FLOOR
Why Paul wrote for the church to be eager to prophesy in 1 Cor 12-14
For when we speak a word of prophesy
1. Jesus will be glorified (12:3)
2. The Church will be edified (14:4)
3. The Sinner with be horrified (14:24)
4) I MUST BECOME A FAITHFUL STEWARD
Ezekiel was told the meaning of his vision…
Eze 37:11–14 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
A prophetic word gives heavens perspective on the past, present or future. Though Ezekiel saw what God was going to do, when the vision ended, he returned to “valley of dry bones” and had to steward the word faithfully for the remainder of his life.
Three Parts Of A Prophetic Word
1. The Revelation (What God Said)
2. The Interpretation (What I heard)
3. The Application (What must I do)
A faithful steward recognizes
- That He is submitted
1 Co 14:29–33 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
- That He is still a student
1 Co 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part
Operating In The Prophetic
Three Things I Believe…
1) God Is Still Speaking
2) God Desires To Speak Through His People
3) The Earth Today Is Eager To Hear What God Is Saying
Text: (Eze 37:1–7)
37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
Under the Old Testament Covenant, the role of Prophet and Priest was reserved for a few. Under the New Covenant, Jesus opened access to all. This is the story of Pentecost
Peter made this clear when asked what Pentecost meant… (Ac 2:15–18)
15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Peter, inspired by the Spirit, made sure to punctuate this
Ac 2:39 "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
The promise is for EVERYONE! The key is are you AVAILABLE?
To Operate in the Prophetic…
1) I MUST BECOME A SPIRIT-FILLED SEEKER
Vs 1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord
The gift of prophecy is a spiritual gift, therefore my search must begin with the spirit
This is the apostolic pattern
- Acts 2:4 "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues..."
- Ac 4:8 "Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said..."
- Ac 4:31 "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak..."
- Ac 9:17 "be filled with the Holy Spirit…vs 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus."
- Ac 10:45–46 "the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God."
- Ac 13:9–10 "Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said…"
- Ac 19:6 "the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying."
WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES UPON YOU, THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COMES FROM YOU
Seeking Requires…
a) Realize There Is More
But earnestly desire the higher gifts (1 Co 12:31)
earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy (1 Co 14:1)
“The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want. One great hindrance to the Spirit-filled life is the theology of complacency so widely accepted among gospel Christians today.” AW Tozer
b) Develop a Discipline of Devotion
- A set time and A set place (Psalm 63:1, Mark 1:35)
- And a continual attitude of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV)
c) Learn to Inquire of the Lord
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(Php 4:6)
YOU CAN COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SITUATION, OR YOU CAN INQUIRE ABOUT THE SITUATION!
2) I MUST BECOME A FERVENT SCRIBE
(Hab 2:2) Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.
A Scribe Had Two Primary Responsibilities
* To be ready with pen and paper in hand
* To be trustworthy in bookkeeping
3) I MUST BECOME A FRIENDLY SHARER
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord…7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
A missed point in the prophecy of Ezekiel… When God spoke His word from heaven’s throne, nothing happened on the valley floor. It wasn’t until the prophet obeyed the command to speak what heaven was saying that the bones began to rattle.
God chooses to work with the echo
There is great power in the spoken word
Hurt or Heal
Bless or curse
Build or tear down
Bring life or invite death
Bind or Loose
Encourage or Discourage
WHEN WE REMAIN SILENT WE LEAVE THE DRY BONES TO REMAIN STILL ON THE VALLEY FLOOR
Why Paul wrote for the church to be eager to prophesy in 1 Cor 12-14
For when we speak a word of prophesy
1. Jesus will be glorified (12:3)
2. The Church will be edified (14:4)
3. The Sinner with be horrified (14:24)
4) I MUST BECOME A FAITHFUL STEWARD
Ezekiel was told the meaning of his vision…
Eze 37:11–14 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
A prophetic word gives heavens perspective on the past, present or future. Though Ezekiel saw what God was going to do, when the vision ended, he returned to “valley of dry bones” and had to steward the word faithfully for the remainder of his life.
Three Parts Of A Prophetic Word
1. The Revelation (What God Said)
2. The Interpretation (What I heard)
3. The Application (What must I do)
A faithful steward recognizes
- That He is submitted
1 Co 14:29–33 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
- That He is still a student
1 Co 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part
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