Divine guard-rails and center-line for Bible prophecy

 
Acts 1:7-8 "He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; (8) but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Matthew 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 “But we do not want you to be uninformed brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest of those who have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”

The Divine guard-rails and center-line for Bible prophecy
When we approach the subject of future things, or last things or what Bible teachers call "eschatology” (the study of last things), we gain from scripture two sets of guard-rails and a centerline that keeps our Christian faith from going off into two ditches.


Guard-rail #1 "God's unrevealed will" in prophetic matters
Acts 1:7-8 gives us that first guard-rail, what we could call the “unrevealed” guardrail. In other words, there are elements about Bible prophecy, or eschatology or last things that are “unrevealed” by God to His people. For example Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 24:36 that “no man knows the day nor the hour” of His appearing. Such things God has hidden from men so that they may ever be in a mode of dependence upon Him. Sadly many well-meaning people have tried to pry and transgress such a guardrail by setting dates and running calculations on the time of Christ’s return. The result of such folly has led to the ditch of heresy and error. 


Guardrail #2 "God's revealed will" in prophetic matters
The second guard-rail of prophecy, last things or what is called “eschatology” has to do with those elements which God has revealed. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 is a prime example of things God would have his people to know. Knowing and understanding the Bible’s ordering of prophetic events is designed to stir up hope and faith. God reveals such things through His word. Ironically, vast portions of God’s church have gotten comfortable not knowing what the Bible teaches on “what’s next” so-to-speak. If the first guardrail of God’s unrevealed will prevents one from falling into the ditch of error, then the second guardrail of needing to know prevents the church from falling into complacency.


The Divine center-line in prophetic matters: "Be ready!"
Complacency and heresy are two ditches that can be avoided in matters pertaining to last-things (eschatology) providing we heed the boundaries of God’s unrevealed and revealed will. But now what about the center-line? Just as a center-line prevents head-on collisions and keeps everyone in order on a literal road, God’s center-line of “alertness” keeps God’s people on the road of faith. Sometimes Bible teachers will use the phrase “already-not yet” when discussing eschatology or the study of last things. On the one hand we are “already” experiencing some of the things promised pertaining to God’s New Covenant. We are “already” by the Holy Spirit fore-tasting the Kingdom to come. We are “already” in Christ seated in the heavenly realms, positionally by the Gospel exercising authority in spiritual matters. However we have “not-yet” seen our Lord return, for He has yet to return. We have “not-yet” seen the New Covenant fully manifest, and won’t until the Lord returns and fulfills it completely and entirely in the saving of the nation of Israel .

Thus we need to be “on the alert”. Matthew 24:42 and Matthew 25:13 has Jesus issuing this instruction: “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” The center-line that God has prescribed in Bible prophecy is that of “being ready” or “alert”. Why? One word – faithfulness. The Father by the Holy Spirit He has sent in Jesus’ name is currently preparing the bride, the church, for the Son. Only the Father knows when the Son will come and “catch-up” or “take up His bride”. Until then, we must be about our Father’s business and occupy until Jesus comes. That center-line is where we need to be as we begin to think more from the vantage point of keeping our eyes fixed on things above, where Christ is, rather than on the things here below. (Colossians 3:1-3)

Conclusion:
The point of today’s post was to aid the reader in understanding the general texture of the subject of Bible prophecy, last-things or what is called by Bible teacher’s
"eschatology”. We chose to employ the idea of how God has designed Bible prophecy to keep the Christian’s faith on the road of faithfulness. There are something He has not revealed to protect the believer from error. There are other areas that God has revealed to prevent the church from falling into complacency. Then there is the centerline of “alertness” that we are to occupy in order to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ until He returns.

P2 What Southern Baptists teach about the Bible - The later years

2 Peter 1:20-21 "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

Introduction:

Today's post, like yesterday's, has taken much of its material from the SBC website's section that details the Biblical heritage of Baptist's beliefs about the scriptures. (http://sbc.net/aboutus/heritage/default.asp.)

I think you will find the quotes below to be illuminating and encouraging to your own faith. Yesterday we looked at three key figures from the beginning days of the SBC in the 19th century: John L. Dagg and James P. Boyce and John Broadus. In today's post we will consider further statements from  leaders in the SBC during the 20th century. Such statements can prove instructive and helpful in understanding what great Godly Christian thinkers of the past have taught about the scriptures. Enjoy, be edified and encouraged for the glory of God in Christ! 

1. J.M. Frost
Corresponding Secretary, Baptist Sunday School Board"We accept the Scriptures as an all-sufficient and infallible rule of faith and practice, and insist upon the absolute inerrancy and sole authority of the Word of God. We recognize at this point no room for division, either of practice or belief, or even sentiment. More and more we must come to feel as the deepest and mightiest power of our conviction that a "thus saith the Lord" is the end of all controversy."
--Baptist: Why and Why Not (1900)

2. J.B. Tidwell
Chairman, Bible Department, Baylor University, (1910-1946)

"These writers certainly claimed that what they say is of God. To them the inspiration is not just plenary but verbal. They were not left to choose their words promiscuously (that is, at their own whim). Their individuality was preserved, but the words used were given them of God. Not just the thought came from God, but every word with every inflection. Every verse and line, and even upon the tense of the verb, every number of the noun, and every little particle they regarded as coming from God and demanded in the pain of grave disaster that we should preserve it in its entirety."
--Thinking Straight About the Bible, or Is the Bible the Word of God (1935)

3. Herschel Hobbs President, Southern Baptist Convention
Chairman, Baptist Faith and Message Committee (1963)Infallible has two meanings; one is "without error" the other that "it fulfills its intended function." A dull knife can be an infallible knife if you use it to cut butter. You will weaken the statement by putting in that word. I know it's your pet word, and it's the pet word of a lot of people, but it isn't as strong as the words "without any mixture of error."
--from Interview Concerning Hobbs' Defense of Baptist Faith and Message Wording on the Bible

P1 What Southern Baptists teach about the Bible - The early days

2 Peter 1:20-21 "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

Introduction:

What have Southern Baptists generally taught about the nature and authority of scripture? Today's post derives much of its material from the SBC website's section that details the SBC's historic position on the scriptures. The link is: (http://sbc.net/aboutus/heritage/default.asp.)

I think you will find the quotes below to be illuminating and encouraging to your own faith. The figures below represent a sample of some of the greatest theologians, pastors and statesmen in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention. Today we will consider key figures from the SBC's early beginnings in the 19th century and tomorrow we will consider insights from key leaders from the later years of the twentieth century.

1. John L. Dagg
President, Mercer University

…what was spoken and written by inspiration, came with as high authority as if it had proceeded from God without the use of human instrumentality. …Their peculiarities of thought, feeling, and style, had no more effect to prevent what they spoke and wrote from being the word of God, than their peculiarities of voice or of chirography. The question, whether inspiration extended to the very words of revelation, as well as to the thoughts and reasoning, is answered by Paul: "We preach, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth."
--Manual of Theology (1857)

2. James P. Boyce
First President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Southern Baptist Convention, (1872-79,1888)

"How came it (the Bible) to be written? God inspired holy men to write it. Did they write it exactly as God wished? Yes; as much as if He had written every word himself. Ought it, therefore, to be believed and obeyed? Yes; as much as though God had spoken directly to us."
--A Brief Catechism of Bible Doctrine

3. John A. Broadus
Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Homiletics,
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1859 – 1895)

"The inspired writers learned many things by observation or inquiry, but they were preserved by the Holy Spirit from error whether in learning or in writing these things. …Those who concede errors in the Scriptures as to matter of fact, in order to remove conflict with some scientific opinions of our time, may tell us that they have great satisfaction in being at peace with science. But there are two drawbacks upon such a peace. It is the peace of sheer submission. …And it is only a partial and temporary peace. Other scientific men at once make still further demands, tending ever toward the complete abandonment of the supernatural. …If we assume that the inspiration of the Bible is only partial where are we to stop? Every man must then select ad libitum (Latin phrase meaning: whatever is up to the discretion of the reader) what portions of the Bible's teachings he will accept as true."
--A Catechism of Bible Teaching (1893);
--Three Questions as to the Bible (1883)

More tomorrow..........

P2 - God's lightning rod of blessing

Proverbs 3:9-10 "Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine."

Introduction & review: The beauty and purpose of lightning rods and God's lightning rod of blessing

I can recall when living in Pennsylvania the many farms that dotted the rolling hills and lush valleys.  On top of the farmhouses and red barns one could spy two, three or more ornate but functioning lightning rods.  Lightning rods function to take a lightning strike and direct the powerful current safely and quickly into the ground.  Much can be learned from considering the relationship between lightning rods and what they do to another type of lightning rod that God has prescribed to His people to direct the blessings He intends to the right areas of their lives. What is that lightning rod of blessing of which we speak? Tithing and stewardship.

Yesterday we considered the first two reasons from our acrostic r.o.d regarding as to why it is important to tithe to the Lord. 

Relevant to you today.

Opens you to God's supernatural power

Today we will consider the third and final reason why it is important to give of one's firstfruits or tithe to the Lord, namely it.....

Directs you to walk by faith, not by sight

Truly we will not hear or sense God's leading in the realm of finances and resources until we take Him at His Word. Whenever you survey the contexts in which God's people brought their tithes and offerings, you discover an interesting pattern that leads them to view everything by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 plainly states that we walk by faith and not by sight.  What benefits to our faith-walk occur from being directed in our tithing to walk by faith and not by sight. 

Willing faith. We find that we go from having to give to wanting to give.  Read the accounts of the building of the tabernacle in Exodus 25-40.  God through Moses told the people to bring various materials and to give to the work at hand.  As the people did so, their attitude toward giving changed and Moses had to tell them to stop giving, being that "much more than enough" had been brought for the construction of the tabernacle.  Truly when we do things God's way, He takes our "have to's" and transforms them into "want to's".

Christ-honoring faith.  In other words, we want to give because of seeing what God gave. One of the concepts associated with tithing and stewardship is the principle of "first-fruits". Simply put, a "first-fruit" represents the first portion of a harvest.  When a person brought that first-fruit of grain to the Lord, they were trusting God for the remainder of their fields to be blessed. Passages such as Deuteronomy 26:10 and 26:12 associate the principle of "first-fruits" with the "tithe". Paul describes Jesus Christ as the "first-fruit" from God in regards to His resurrection from the dead and being the Premier Preview of things to come. ( 1 Corinthians 15:20,23). Quite literally we can say that God gave Jesus as a "tithe". In tithing to the Lord, I give not out of grudging submission but because of the grace of God's most precious gift - Jesus Christ. As the old hymn says: "He gave His life, what more could He give". 

As we learn to view everything through the eyes of faith and not our circumstances, we are able to increasing our willingness because of faith and focus on Jesus who is the Author and Perfector of faith.  Yes - tithing can do all those things because of Him who has prescribed it for us. We go from having to give to wanting to give and we give because of thanksgiving for what God gave in Jesus Christ.  But notice a third way in which tithing and stewardship benefits out faith in walking by faith and not by sight, namely...

Visionary faith. The infusion of vision into our faith results from simply cooperating with God. Notice 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 & 10 7 "Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness."  When we cooperate with God, his power of blessing will proceed to us like electricity down a wire from a lightning rod.  When there is a path of least resistance, God's power to bless is directed to the areas He desires to bless.  Soon we begin to envision things as He does.  We begin to see potential in people and in areas that at present may very well be barren. Truly stewardship is meant to support and forward the mission that God has given to reach a lost world for Christ and to promote His glory in worship.

Our cooperation is so important. As Jesus notes in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  When we give to the Lord, when we cooperate, we will want for nothing. Visionary faith comes when we come to God with open hands rather than clinched fists. The resources needed for doing ministry in God's churches will never run low when God's people individually and together give of their tithes and offerings.  Why is it we make things so hard? We miss out on so much when we fail to cooperate with God.  If I can trust the living God for my eternal welfare, surely it is a small thing in comparison to trust Him with my general welfare. 

Conclusion:
We have endeavored to answer the question regarding why it is so important to tithe to the Lord. We have used the imagery of a lightning rod to suggest that tithing and stewardship is God's prescribed lightning rod of blessing.  We noted the following three main thoughts by utilizing the acrostic r.o.d: Relevance of tithing for today; Opening of God's supernatural power to you and how tithing directs you to walk by faith and not by sight. 

P1 God's lightning rod of blessing

Proverbs 3:9-10 "Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine."

Introduction: The beauty and purpose of lightning rods and God's lightning rod of blessing

I can recall when living in Pennsylvania the many farms that dotted the rolling hills and lush valleys.  When driving on those winding two lane highways, I would behold herds of black and white Holstein cows, endless rows of field corn with tassels waving in the early summer winds and Amish buggies clip-clopping their way on cold fall mornings.  On top of the farmhouses and red barns one could spy two, three or more ornate but functioning lightning rods.  Lightning rods function to take a lightning strike and direct the powerful current safely and quickly into the ground.  As any scientist will tell you, electric current follows the path of least resistance and the most direct and shortest path.  Much can be learned from considering the relationship between lightning rods and how they picture another type of lightning rod that God has prescribed to His people to direct the blessings He intends to the right areas of their lives. What is that lightning rod of blessing of which we speak? Tithing and stewardship.

When you consider all of the scriptures that speak of giving of one's first-fruits or tithing (roughly 100 in all), it is without question God's intention to bless His people and instruct them about how He views resources and His people's relationship to their resources. Today we will take the acrostic r.o.d and consider some of those texts as we aim to answer the following question: why is it important to tithe to the Lord? The following three headings will be used in bring that question to bear on your life and mine:

Relevant to you today.

Opens you to God's supernatural power

Directs you to walk by faith, not by sight

With this subject being so vital, we will only cover the first two thoughts and continue with the third thought for tomorrow's post.  So why should you and I put up God's lightning rod of blessing? Why is it important to tithe to the Lord? Notice first of all that it is...

Relevant to you today.

As you read through scripture, the particular word "tithe" or "tithing" occurs more than forty times, the closely related concept of "first-fruits" (for crops) and "first-lings" (for animals) occurs over 30 times and the idea of "tenth" in the realm of stewardship appears over 20 times. The last time we find tithing mentioned in the Old Testament is in Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Now many well-meaning Christians assume that tithing was nothing more than an Old Testament regulation, given by God under the period of the Law. Often I have heard Christians say, and I'm sure you have as well, that since we are no longer under law but under grace, that means we can now give whatever we want, since tithing went away due to Christ's accomplished work.

Is that true? Did Jesus' death, burial and resurrection do away with the standard of tithing? Whenever studying both the Old and New Testaments, unless God has either removed or replaced a given institution or command, we can assume that the command or institution carries forth from Old to New Testament. Jesus for example used very similar language as that of Malachi 3:10 in his first sermon in Luke 6:38. When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23 for focusing on tithing above the "weightier matters of the law", He is not abolishing the tithe, rather He is admonishing the attitude of their hearts and neglect of God's Word. If anything, Jesus' teaching gets us to the heart of stewardship (Matthew 6:33) and does not do away with the Divine standard of tithing. 

As one journeys into the New Testament, several key Old Testament practices or institutions were replaced and removed.  For example, the Levitical priesthood was done away with when Christ came, since His priesthood is of a different order. (Hebrews 7-10) We also don't sacrifice animals due to the fact that Christ's subsitutionary death satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of those who receive His work by grace through faith. (1 Peter 3:18) 

However, we discover not one prohibition against tithing. The standard of 10% was ordained by God some 400 or so years before the giving of the law. Abel (Genesis 4:4), Abraham (Genesis 14:20) and Jacob (Genesis 28:22) were tithing millennia before Christ and centuries before the giving of the law. The law of God served to reinforce the standard, however when Christ came, the standard was never removed nor replaced.

In studying the over 100 passages that speak on the subject of stewardship and tithing, here is what we discover:

1. A person is free to give whatever they want (offering) only after they have been already tithing. 

2. Tithing represents the most basic level of stewardship, the ground floor if you will. Whenever we begin to tithe is whenever we begin to hear God in the realm of giving.

3. Wherever the believer is told to give in the liberty of his heart and conscience, it can be assumed that the believer has already been tithing. (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

So yes dear friend, tithing and stewardship is relevant for you and me today. It still remains God's lightning rod of blessing. However there is a second reason as to why we should tithe to the Lord....

Opens you to God's supernatural power
The only way you and I can accomplish the impossible or believe that God can do impossible things is by humbly acknowledging that His words are more trustworthy than our opinions. By His Spirit the Christian is able to conclude and continue entrusting God with the salvation of their souls. (2 Timothy 1:12) Yet why is it when it comes to resources and finances we hesitate? In the realm of lightning rods, lightning will seek the path of least resistance. All the time people will quote passages such as Philippians 4:19 without considering the context within which occurs - namely that of giving and stewardship. 

Whenever you and I are converted to saving faith, our relationship toward four books should change. First, our relationship to The Book, the Bible, ought to change, being that as converted saints we conclude it to be what is really is: God's precious, infallible, inerrant word. (1 Thessalonians 2:12-13). Secondly, our datebook ought to change, being that your appointments and plans are directed by the Lord moreso than circumstance or person preference.  Thirdly, your songbook ought to change.  Overtime the believer will learn to appreciate music that edifies the spirit man and not just the senses. 

However there is a fourth book that ought to become different - and that is the checkbook. Solomon writes in Proverbs 3:9-10 "Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine." In a texts where we are told to "trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding...." (Proverbs 3:5-6), scripture gives us a test to see whether we believe that truth - namely our resources and finances.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." Space does not permit, but the Old Testament text quoted by Paul in the context of the passage (Psalm 112:9) indirectly alludes to tithing and stewardship. 

God prescribes tithing to you and I dear Christian not to shackle us but to free us.  He desires and wants to bless us far more than we do.  He aims to raise our idea of blessings from the material to Himself, for to be blessed simply means I have His power and presence coursing through my life.  The lightning rod of blessing - tithing, is given by God to give me a chance to open a doorway whereby He can unleash His supernatural power into my finances and so much more.  

More tomorrow.......

Why Jesus declared war on Satan

Luke 3:38-4:1  3:38 "the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness."

Introduction

The main concern of today's post is discovering why Jesus came to declare war on Satan. Luke 4 will be the main text of this lesson. We will note the following headings as we attempt to answer the question: why Jesus declared war on Satan?

1. Defeat Satan as the New Adam. Lk 4:1-13

2. Deliver people from bondage. Lk 4:14-41

3. Declare the Gospel. Lk 4:42-44

Defeat Satan as the New Adam. Lk 4:1-13

In the opening verses of today's post, you may notice that one chapter is ending and another is beginning.  As the Holy Ghost superintended Luke's writing of his Gospel, He arranged to have Jesus' genealogy go all the way back to Adam and take the reader right into the beginning of Jesus' temptation by Satan. Such a curious feature alerts the reader to the fact that side by side we see Old Adam (Lk 3:38) and Jesus the "New Adam". The New Testament picks up this theme of Jesus Christ being the "New Adam" or the "second Adam" to show that He came to be the head of a redeemed humanity composed of those choice saints who have freely believed on Him as Savior and Lord. (Romans 5:11-21; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 42-49).  

Jesus acted as the New Adam and did what Adam could never do: successfully defeat Satan toe to toe. Whenever you see the genealogy prefacing the temptation account, you discover that over 70 generations of humanity represented one rusted link after another - marked by failure, sin and defeat.  Adam failed to defeat Satan in Genesis 3, as well as Abraham in his temptation (Genesis 12:10-11); Isaac in his (Genesis 26); Israel in the book of Numbers and King David in his temptation in 2 Samuel 11. From the corrosive sea of history the Holy Spirit displays the rusted chain of humanity, and on the one end is Old Adam, and on the other end is a golden link - The sinless New Adam, Jesus Christ.

According to 1 John 2:15-17, Satan's three primary weapons are the lust of eyes (2:16), the flesh (2:16) and the boasting about what one has (2:16). Satan did to Jesus what he did to Adam and his wife: he tempted in the realm of the drives, the senses or the lust of the eyes (Luke 4:1-4). Next Satan appealed to Jesus much like Adam in the realm of the visual, of the heart, or the boastful pride of life by showing him all the kingdoms of the world. (Luke 4:5-8) Then Satan appealed to Jesus like he did Adam by the lust of the flesh, the reliance of self by tempting Jesus to cast himself to the floor of the temple. (Luke 4:9-13) All three of these temptations overlapped and intertwined like newly woven ropes.  Would Satan be able to tie up Jesus like he had with the other great but sinful men of the past? Thankfully not.  Jesus was sinless, they were sinful.  Despite being in a barren wasteland in contrast to Old Adam's idyllic settings in Genesis 3, Jesus the New Adam soundly defeated Satan. Jesus as God in human flesh warred with Satan and won this first of many battles.  However there was to be further warfare, which leads us to the second reason why Jesus came to declare war on Satan, namely....

Deliver people from bondage. Lk 4:14-41

It is astonishing to consider the number of references in the four Gospels regarding Jesus' battles and warfare with Satan and the demonic realm.  Why? Why did Jesus need to wage war against Satan and the demonic realm? The New Testament epistles explain that He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and to deliver people from bondage underneath the Devil's tyranny of fear (Hebrews 2:14-15). 

As Jesus began to teach and preach in the local Jewish meeting houses or synagogues of his day, the first sermon ever preached by Him is recorded.  In Luke 4:18 we see Jesus explaining why it is He came to wage war on the kingdom of darkness from His quotation of Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed." Following His dramatic reading and announcement of His fulfillment of that text, it is clear that the people's violent reaction shows that what He said was radical.

However what happens next in Luke 4:30-41 is truly astonishing.  Prior to the advent of Jesus as God in human flesh, no recorded successful exorcism has ever occurred. You can comb the entire Old Testament and not find one instance of any prophet casting out a demon.  However, we find two successful exorcisms performed by Jesus in Luke 4. (Luke 4:33-37; 4:41) Something indeed had been altered as a result of Jesus' coming.  A new era was dawning.  Truly Jesus' waging of war on Satan and the Kingdom of darkness was no empty threat.  Like a mighty iceberg crawling atop the surface of a mighty tract of land that clears away the terrain, Jesus' walk across the bridge of time meant the pushing back of Satan's tyranny and the diminishing of the kingdom of darkness. 

However there is one more reason why Jesus came to declare war on Satan, namely..

Declare the Gospel. Lk 4:42-44

Jesus Himself  says plainly in Luke 4:43 "But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” What was the outcome of Jesus' declaration? Note Luke 4:44 "So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea." The battle was fought and won by Jesus for our sake.  The church's main task is to continue what Jesus came to do in declaring war on Satan: declare the Gospel, preaching wherever the lost are at and set people free from the tyranny of the evil one. (compare Acts 26:18;  2 Timothy 2:1-4).

Conclusion: 

The main concern of today was to discover why Jesus came to declare war on Satan. We will noted the following reasons

1. Defeat Satan as the New Adam. Lk 4:1-13

2. Deliver people from bondage. Lk 4:14-41

3. Declare the Gospel. Lk 4:42-44

A short, practical overview of the Book of Acts

Acts 1:1 "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach."

Book: Acts of the Apostles

Author: Luke. A co-worker with the Apostle Paul and author of the Gospel of Luke.

Personal information concerning the author as found in the book: The book of Acts is Luke's second volume, with the Gospel of Luke being the first. It is written to Theophilus, the same recipient as the Gospel.

Theme: The Person of the Holy Spirit at work in the church to accomplish Christ's great commission.

Key Verse: Acts 1:8

Outline: Acts 1-2 The birth of the church by the Spirit

             Acts 3-8 The mission to Jerusalem

             Acts 9-12 The mission to Samaria

             Acts 13-28 The mission to the 

             uttermost parts of the earth.

Three Promises of God found in the book:

1. The Person and power of the Spirit has come. (Acts 2)

2. Christ will return just as He ascended, in physical, bodily, post-resurrected, glorified form. (Acts 1:11-14)

3. The church is able to reach unbelievers and make disciples by the power of Christ, the Person of the Spirit and the preaching of the scriptures. (Acts 2-8; 9-12; 13-28).

Three commands of God found in the book:

1. "Wait for what the Father had promised" Acts 1:4

2. "You shall be my witnesses..." Acts 1:8

3. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...." Acts 16:31

One thing I learned about:

God the Father. The Father has promised and sent the Spirit in the name of the Son.

Jesus Christ. He is the resurrected, ascended, enthroned King in heaven over His church who will return at the end of this age. He operates in a more profound and exalted way as the Post-Pentecost Jesus, retaining His humanity but displaying more of His Deity by the agency of the Holy Spirit through the church by the scriptures. 

The Holy Spirit. He is found roughly 40 times in the the book of Acts. He is the illuminator, empoweror and pointer to Christ. He calls, converts and applies Christ's achieved work and ensures the completion of the church's mission.

What does God want  me to do? (one specific measurable goal?)

Read and study the Book of Acts more this upcoming year.