“To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.”
– Isaiah 8:20 (LSB)
Main Thought: The ministry of Isaiah the prophet was a time for the most part when the kings of Israel were evil and the Hebrew people had departed from worshiping the true God, instead worshiping the false gods of the surrounding pagan nations. God did raise up true prophets during this time, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and many of the minor prophets, who spoke the truth of God, but for the most part, they were ignored and persecuted for speaking the truth. God is speaking here and His testimony is that when a prophet speaks and it is not according to the truth of God, not according to His revealed Word, and according to the prophets such as Isaiah, it is because there is spiritual darkness within them; there is no dawn. These words also have application for us in this day as a warning concerning what preachers and teachers we are to heed. Those who have no dawn, no spiritual light within them, will be evident by what they speak. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 11:13, warning that there will be “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.” He also spoke of this in Galatians 1:6-9 when he warns of deceitful preachers speaking “another gospel” and not the true gospel of grace through Christ, but a gospel adding works and other requirements. In 1 Timothy 6:3-5 he speaks of those who supposedly teach the Word of God but deny the personal godliness that Christ taught is the lifestyle of the Christian, instead saying even that godliness is a way of gaining great wealth. Peter adds to these warnings of false teachers who have no spiritual light in them, by saying that “there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master (Lord) who bought them…many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Pet. 2:1-2). How do we discern those who have no light in them but only spiritual darkness? Examine the Word of God against what they say, especially when it comes to what the Gospel is, what is said concerning practical holiness, bearing fruit in the Christian life, and especially concerning the person of Christ. If these teachers deny the Gospel of grace, the necessity of practical holiness and sanctification, the necessary evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, and deny the eternal deity of Christ, then flee from these teachers. There is no dawn in them, and whoever follows them is following a path of destruction. Immerse yourself in the Word of God, saturate your mind with it, and ask God by the Holy Spirit to illuminate you so that you may know how to discern false teachers and their heresies.
David Webber
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
More from David Webber
2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9
Job 14:1-2
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.” – Job 14:1-2
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Proverbs 28:13
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13
Psalm 119:41-42
“Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me.” – Psalm 119:41-42
Psalm 86:9
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” – Psalm 86:9 (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV)