Sabbath School

Adult Sabbath School Bible study guide.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus outlined the foundations of the Christian church. It would seem that prophetic ministry would be a part of that foundation. After all, Jesus warned against false prophets, saying, “ ‘By their fruits you will know them’ ” (Matt. 7:20, NKJV).

The quality of a fruit can be judged only over a period of time. By seeing a prophet’s character and watching what results come from his or her messages, we can see whether that prophet is drawing others to God or leading them away from Him.

Read Jonah 1:1–3, Acts 15:36–39, and Galatians 2:11–14. What do these verses teach us about prophets?

Being a prophet, however, does not make a person sinless or personally infallible. We see in the biblical examples of Jonah, Paul, and even Peter mistakes or character flaws. God alone is flawless; His messengers never are. Prophets, like all of us, have weaknesses, but the trend of their lives must clearly be toward God, and the prophets must not negate their ministry by a lifestyle that is contrary to the message they share.

No prophet completely models the example of Jesus, but a true prophet is committed to the principles and lifestyle of God’s kingdom (Matt. 7:16–20). Anyone who claims to be God’s messenger and yet whose lifestyle blatantly contradicts the message he or she carries should be regarded with suspicion.

Although the prophetic call is difficult, many prophets showed “good fruit” during their ministry. For example, Moses successfully led the children of Israel through the wilderness (Deut. 34:10–12). Haggai’s faithfulness encouraged the inhabitants of Judah to start the rebuilding of the second temple, which had been paused for 19 years (Hag. 1:12). Isaiah’s unflinching ministry served four Judean kings, guiding them through a tumultuous period and pointing to the Messiah (Isa. 39:5, 6; Isa. 53:4–6). We cannot forget Daniel’s heartfelt confession (Dan. 9:15) or Jeremiah’s tear-filled commitment (Jer. 9:1). Notwithstanding the way that they often were persecuted and mistreated, God’s prophets always showed a genuine love for Him and His people, the hallmark of a fruitful ministry.

How often have men or women of God disappointed you by their actions or character flaws? What important lesson can you learn from that experience?

Supplemental EGW Notes

Those who have this union with Christ will declare it in spirit and word and work. Profession is nothing unless in word and work good fruit is manifest. Unity, fellowship with one another and with Christ—this is the fruit borne on every branch of the living vine. The cleansed soul, born again, has a clear, distinct testimony to bear. . . . To know God is, in the scriptural sense of the term, to be one with Him in heart and mind, having an experimental knowledge of Him, holding reverential communion with Him as the Redeemer. Only through sincere obedience can this communion be obtained. Where this communion is lacking, the heart is not in any sense a temple of God, but is controlled by the foe, who is working out his own purposes through the human agency. Such a man, whatever his profession or claims, is not a temple of the Holy Spirit. The experience is perfected by fruit bearing. He who does not bear good fruit in words and deeds, in the strength of elevated, ennobling principle, is a bad tree. The fruit that he bears is unpalatable to God. His professed knowledge of Christ is a falsehood, a deception. . . . In the light of the love of Christ, the gospel is an open book. This is the true light, which Christ came to bring to the world. The Saviour’s true disciples have received this love. . . . Following Christ’s example of unselfish service, trusting like little children in His merits, and obeying His commands, we shall receive the approval of God.—Our Father Cares, p. 310.

The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony. He will bring in spurious visions to mislead, and will mingle the false with the true, and so disgust people that they will regard everything that bears the name of visions as a species of fanaticism; but honest souls, by contrasting false and true, will be enabled to distinguish between them. . . . There is nothing more detrimental to the soul’s interest, its purity,­ its true and holy conceptions of God, and of sacred and eternal things, than constantly giving heed to and exalting that which is not from God. It poisons the heart, and degrades the understanding. Pure truth can be traced to its divine Source, by its elevating, refining, sanctifying influence upon the character of the receiver. The Author of all truth prayed to His Father, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20, 21).—Maranatha, p. 158.

The above quotations are taken from Ellen G. White Notes for the Sabbath School Lessons, published by Pacific Press Publishing Association. Used by permission.