King James Version

Born-Again
Perspective

JOHN BUNYAN

“Whatever contradicts the Word of God should be instantly resisted as diabolical.”

AUTHOR OF PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

LET’S START WITH THREE QUESTIONS

LET’S START WITH THREE QUESTIONS

  1. What does God say about His Word?
  2. What threats oppose God’s Word?
  3. How does God tell us to respond to those threats?

1. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT HIS WORD?

Valuable

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (Psalm 19:9–10).

1. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT HIS WORD?

Successful

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

1. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT HIS WORD?

Authoritative

 

…the scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).

1. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT HIS WORD?

Before All

In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1).

1. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT HIS WORD?

Powerful to Sustain

[Jesus is] upholding all things by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).

1. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT HIS WORD?

Powerful to Destroy

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men (2 Peter 3:7).

2. WHAT THREATS OPPOSE GOD’S WORD?

Rejection

Yea, hath God said… (Genesis 3:1)?

2. WHAT THREATS OPPOSE GOD’S WORD?

Invalidation

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition… (Mark 7:13) 

2. WHAT THREATS OPPOSE GOD’S WORD?

Addition/Subtraction

… If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18–19).

2. WHAT THREATS OPPOSE GOD’S WORD?

Lying Prophets

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart (Jeremiah 14:14).

2. WHAT THREATS OPPOSE GOD’S WORD?

False Prophets

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15).

3. HOW DOES GOD TELL US TO RESPOND?

Think

The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going (Proverbs 14:15).

3. HOW DOES GOD TELL US TO RESPOND?

Test

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

3. HOW DOES GOD TELL US TO RESPOND?

Refute

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers (Titus 1:9).

WHAT ARE THE TESTS
GOD HAS GIVEN US?

WHAT ARE THE TESTS GOD HAS GIVEN US?

  1. Conformity to previous revelation
  2. Accuracy of any prediction
  3. Character of the man

TEST #1: CONFORMITY

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death… (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

TEST #1: CONFORMITY

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20).

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

TEST #2: ACCURACY

And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:21–22).

The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him (Jeremiah 28:9).

TEST #3: CHARACTER

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 1:4).

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you … And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you… (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Stop: Let’s REVIEW

Let’s REVIEW

  • God’s word is very special to God.
  • Some prophets, indeed, speak for God.
  • Some prophets say they speak for God but are lying.
  • How do we know if they’re telling the truth or lying?
  • God gives a three-question test:
  1. Do his/her words conform to existing biblical statements?
  2. Are his/her predictions of the future accurate?
  3. Does his/her character fit with New Testament qualifications?
  • Any failure = false prophet.

PROPHECY AND THE LDS CHURCH

President A. Theodore Tuttle. What Is a Living Prophet? Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/ensign/1973/07/what-is-a-living-prophet?lang=eng

KEY BELIEFS: NEEDED FOR SALVATION

Then has Christianity drifted all these years without communication from heaven? The denominations agree that there are no prophets among them, and they teach that neither prophets nor revelation are any longer needed. Rather, they say that the Bible—written in ages past—contains all that is necessary. Then does this constitute a departure from the age-old pattern of the Lord—that of presently guiding his people through living prophets?

PRESIDENT HAROLD B. LEE

STAND YE IN HOLY PLACES

KEY BELIEFS: BIBLICAL PATTERN

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Joseph Smith. Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/topics/joseph-smith?lang=eng

KEY BELIEFS: JOSEPH SMITH, PROPHET

“If [Joseph Smith’s] claims to a God-given appointment be false, forming, as they do, the foundation of the Church in the last dispensation, the superstructure cannot be stable ....”

JAMES E. TALMAGE

ARTICLES OF FAITH

LDS CONCLUSION

FAIR ENOUGH—WHAT’S NEXT?

  • By all accounts, Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet.

  • By all accounts, the LDS Church stands or falls on his claims.

  • Let’s obey God and put Joseph Smith to the 3-Question Test for all prophets:

    • Do his words conform to previous biblical statements?

    • Do his prophecies of the future prove accurate?

    • Does he meet New Testament character qualifications for leadership?

TEST #1: CONFORMITY

Joseph Smith says: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make himself visible—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man” (King Follet Discourse, April 7, 1844).

Jesus says: God is spirit… (John 4:24)

God says: God is not man… (Number 23:19)

TEST #1: CONFORMITY

Joseph Smith says: “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).

Jesus says: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24).

God says: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered (Joel 2:32).

TEST #1: CONFORMITY

Joseph Smith says: “Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God” (1 Nephi 13:28).

Jesus says: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matt 24:35; Mk 13:31; Lk 21:33).

God says: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isa 40:8; 1 Pet 1:25).

TEST #2: ACCURACY

  • Joseph Smith made several clear prophecies about future events.
  • Let’s read them.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Doctrine and Covenants 87. Retrieved January 4, 2019 from https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/87?lang=eng

D&C 87:1, 3

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Doctrine and Covenants 87. Retrieved January 4, 2019 from https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/87?lang=eng

D&C 87:6

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. History of The Church, Volume 2. Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/volume-2-chapter-13

SPOKEN IN 1835

THE LORD IS COMING IN 56 YEARS

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Doctrine and Covenants 84. Retrieved December 22, 2019 from https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/85?lang=eng

D&C 84:1–5

TEST #2: ACCURACY

  • Did Great Britain ever enter the American Civil War?
  • Did the Civil War extend to other nations?
  • Did the Civil War bring “a full end of all nations”?
  • Did Jesus return during or before 1891 (1835 + 56 years)?
  • Is there an LDS temple in Jackson County, MO, on the place of dedication?

TEST #3: CHARACTER

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Plural Marriage in Kirkland and Nauvoo. Retrieved December 22, 2019 from https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng

TEST #3: CHARACTER

A Bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…
(1 Timothy 3:2)

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest … ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife… (Titus 1:5–6).

Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife… (1 Timothy 3:12)​.

CONCLUSION

  • Do Joseph Smith’s words conform to what the Bible previously taught?
  • Was Joseph Smith accurate? Did his prophecies come true?
  • Did Joseph Smith’s character harmonize with the Bible’s requirements for church leaders?

BUT WE NEED A LIVING PROPHET!

JESUS WAS A PROPHET

And he said unto them, What manner of communications are. these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people (Luke 24:17-19).

TEST #1: JESUS’S WORD ALWAYS CONFORMED

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works (John 14:10).

TEST #2: JESUS’S WORD
ALWAYS PROVED ACCURATE

For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house (Matthew 9:5-7).

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is. thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour (Matthew 15:28).

TEST #3: JESUS’S CHARACTER WAS FLAWLESS

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22).

JESUS IS OUR LIVING PROPHET

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again (Luke 24:1-7).

JESUS IS OUR LIVING PROPHET

See that ye refuse not him [Jesus] that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape,  if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven (Hebrews 12:25).

THE KEY QUESTION: CAN YOU HAVE BOTH?

CAN YOU HAVE BOTH?

  • Born-again Christians already have the living Prophet.
  • Joseph Smith fails all three of God’s prophetic test points at multiple points.
  • No matter how sincerely we want both, we can’t have both Jesus and Joseph Smith. One or the other has to be chosen.

CONCLUSION

  • Where did we find all of our information about Joseph Smith’s prophecies and character?
  • What would the ramifications be for you if you chose Jesus over Joseph Smith?
  • If you’ve already chosen Jesus over Joseph Smith, what are ways you’ve had to re-think faith in Jesus?