1 Peter 3:18-20 Jesus Christ's Victorious Work

1 Peter 3:18-20  For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

Introduction:

In today's post I want us to consider what Jesus accomplished in His death, burial and resurrection. The four Gospels detail the event of Christ's death, burial and resurrection, however the remainder of the New Testament (Acts, 21 Epistles and Revelation) unfolds the meaning and implications of what He accomplished.  The Apostle Peter in his first epistle aims to show how we as Christians ought to stand firm in God's grace. (1 Peter 5:12) Peter's letter ties in our ability to stand in such grace to what Jesus Christ accomplished.  Our ability to accomplish is directly related to Christ's accomplishment, meaning that the more we understand what He did, the better we can grasp what we are able to do. Thus we will consider the following two main thoughts about Christ's accomplished work:

1. The Purpose of Christ's Accomplished Work - reconciliation.  1 Peter 3:18

2. The Proclamation of Christ's Accomplished Work - Victory.  1 Peter 3:19-20

1. Purpose of Christ’s Victorious Work – Reconciliation 3:18 

a. What did He do? He died 

 He died for sins.  As Dr. Danny Akin of South Western Baptist Theological Seminary once noted: "He lived the life I couldn't live and He died the death I should have died."

b. Whom did He die for? The unjust 

Romans 5:6-8 states - "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus' death on behalf of sinners accomplished two necessary effects in order for reconciliation to be possible. The first being expiation or the removal of the cause of God's wrath upon us - our sin. (Romans 5:10) The second and virtually synonymous work is propitiation - that is, the satisfaction of God's wrath. (1 John 2:2) Below in the next thought (point "c"), we see why expiation (taking away of sin) and propitiation (satisfying wrath) are necessary for reconciliation.

c. Why did he die? To bring us to God (reconciliation) 

Dr. Michael Horton notes: "The result of God's wrath being satisfied is reconciliation. Just as we are first of all passive subjects of God's wrath when God propitiates, we are passive subjects of God's reconciliation at the cross.  We do not reconcile ourselves to God; God reconciles Himself to us and us to Him."1

d. How did He do it? Death and resurrection

Christ's death, burial and resurrection are at the heart of the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) The New Testament mostly focuses upon Christ's death and resurrection, however what went on during the three days He was buried is not explained in near as much detail as the two book-ends of the Gospel: namely Christ's death and resurrection.  Death and Resurrection serve to explain how Christ accomplished what he accomplished, and what He did in His burial (down below) reveals some of the behind (and under) the scenes work He did in insuring our ability to walk as believers in His Victorious work. 

2. Proclamation of Christ’s Victorious Work – Victory 3:19-20 

 a. What did he do between His death &    resurrection? Proclaimed victory 3:19 

John MacArthur has perhaps explained this text better than just about everyone I've read or heard: "He was announcing, proclaiming (and) heralding a triumph. About what? It must be pretty obvious, about His triumph over sin, about His triumph over death, about His triumph over hell, about His triumph over
demons, about His triumph over Satan." 2

b. Whom did he proclaim His victory? The  demons reserved for judgment. 3:19-20 

If we were to attempt to offer a faint outline of what Jesus did between His death and resurrection, we could maybe understand why He went to proclaim His victory to the demonic realm.  First He went immediately into the presence of His Father by way of the Holy Spirit in his human spirit to present His once and for all sacrifice. (Hebrew 9:15) 

Next He went down into those regions of hell where some of the demons (especially those who rebelled in Noah's day) are being reserved for judgment. 

Thirdly Christ's proclamation of victory insures that hell will not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18) as well as fulfilling the fact of His triumph over the demonic realm (Colossians 2:14-15). 

Fourthly, Christ's resurrection from the dead meant He had completed His mission of proclamation and thus He arose as a victorious King, subduing all cosmic powers under Himself. (Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 3:22)

c. Why did he proclaim His victory? To  guarantee Christian victory 3:19-20 

He did this to pave the way for what would be His ascension into Heaven 40 days after His resurrection from the dead. (Ephesians 4:7-10) 

d. What was His victory over? Sin (1 Pet 3:18), hell 1 Pet 3:19-20; Col 2:11-12) grave (3:18,21b)

Revelation 1:4-5 states - "John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him wholoves us and released us from our sins by His blood"

Endnotes:

1. Michael Horton. The Christian Faith - A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. Zondervan. 2011. Page 500

2. http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/60-37/the-triumph-of-christs-suffering-part-2

How prayer and Bible prophecy go hand-in-hand

Luke 18:1&8 (1) Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart. (8) “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

In today's post we want to look at how Jesus and the Apostle Paul link together prayer and Bible prophecy. 

Jesus desires to find His people praying at His return
In Luke 18 Jesus presents a parable on prevailing prayer.  He tells the story of a poor and oppressed woman who had appealed to an unjust judge for a resolution of a situation.  Everyday she went to him, making an appeal for him to take care of the problem that was vexing her life.  Jesus tells us that this Judge cared neither for her nor her plight, however he chose to intervene in order to get her out of his hair - so to speak.  Jesus' point was that if an unjust Judge would answer the pleas of a woman He doesn't know, how much more will not the Father - who is just and fair, hear the pleas of His people whom he loves.  Jesus then closes the section with the statement of His desire to find such prevailing prayer among His people at His return.

Why we must see the connection between prophecy and prayer
Jesus here is making an important connection for us between prayer and His second coming.  When we explore the scriptures, we discover the premium scripture places upon both.  For instance, 1/5 of the over 31,000 verses of the Bible deal with prophecy or Divine statements about the future.  Of those more than 800 prophecies, 1/3 of those focus upon the most important theme in prophecy - Christ's return. 

On the prayer side of things we find over 600 recorded prayers in the Word of God.  Prayer is such a huge theme in the Bible.  In Genesis 4:26 we see prayer first mentioned, with Revelation 21:20 being the last prayer of the Bible.  In that final prayer of the Bible, we find the combinations of prophecy and prayer in these words: "He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Jesus teaches that prayer needs hope, and prophecy supplies it
Prayer by its very nature is wrestling to know God, hear God and invite God to be front and center in our thoughts and situations.  If anything, prayer needs hope - for often we find ourselves praying for people or situations where hope is in short supply.  It seems that scripture intentionally connects prayer and prophecy together to infuse our prayer lives with the Hope - Christ.  With prayer being possible because of Christ's first coming, and prophecy focusing us upon His second coming, it is clear why both need to be together. 

Having seen Jesus' teaching us how prophecy supplies the hope that prayer needs, we now turn to the Apostle Paul and learn a second important truth about the relationship between prophecy and prayer....

Prophecy supplies hope and prayer is strengthened by it
Paul writes in Philippians 3:20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Hope is present conviction rooted in the certainty of who God is and what He is going to do.  

As you look at the statement made here in Philippians, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul was writing to a church located at a cultural center of the Roman empire.  Much like a "county seat" in an American context - Phillipi was a place where issues such as Roman Citizenship played a huge role.  To be a Roman citizen meant privileges that very few people in the first century had the opportunity to enjoy.  For these people to whom Paul wrote - the fundamental question was: from whence do you derive your hope? The Christian must fight the temptation of placing too much hope in this world, which is why Paul directs their attention, and ours, to the return of Jesus Christ. 

Now in just a few verses we read an incredible statement on the need of prayer.  Philippians 4:6-7 tells us: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understand will guard your hearts and minds in Christ."  Grammar and context connects Philippians 4:6-7 back to Philippians 3:20-21.  In order to "be anxious for nothing" in prayer, I need to keep my heart focused upon the blessed hope of Christ's return.  The hope needed in prayer is supplied by the hope of His return.

Conclusion: The Bible puts prophecy and prayer together
Prophecy's effectiveness can only be seen as we apply its message to our current situation through prayer.  Jesus teaches us that the hope required by prayer is supplied by prophecy, and Paul taught us that the hope supplied by prophecy reinforces the prayer life. When we pray in accordance to Philippians 4:6-7 we are promised "peace that surpasses all understanding" and "guarding of the heart and mind in Christ".  What prophecy does is lift me above the immediate horizon of my circumstances to see Christ who is Lord over my circumstances.  Paul reminds us in Titus 2:13 "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus".  To know that the end of all time is not in the whims of chance, but rather in the will of God, gives great hope concerning personal situations.

9 traits of expository preaching in Acts

2 Timothy 4:1-4 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Offering a definition of Expository Preaching

Expository preaching is characterized by proclamation, followed by explanation, clarified by illustration, strengthened w/ exhortation and connecting with application. 

Can we biblically demonstrate this definition? In today's post we will contend that such preaching is Biblical preaching and consider why it is by noting the following nine traits of such preaching in the Book of Acts:

9 Traits that define a pattern for Biblical Expository Preaching
A quick survey reveals actual sermons, or portions of sermons, preached by the Apostles in the early church, as showcased in the Book of Acts:

a. 5 sermons by Peter Acts 2:1-36; 3:11-26; 4:8-31; 10:34-48; 15:6-12                             

b. 1 each by Stephen, Phillip & James Acts 7:1-60; 8:25-40; 15:13-35

c. 11 sermons by Paul Acts 9:1-31; 13:15-43; 13:44-52 ;14:14-15:5; 17:22-34; 20:7-12 ;20:17-38; 21:40-23:11; 24:10-27; 26:1-32; 28:32-31

Whenever we study some of those sermons, the following common traits are found among them:

Trait                        Peter     Stephen    Paul
1. Power                                  2:1-13         6:10,15          13:9 
of the Spirit


2. Proclamation                        2:14             7:1-2            13:16

3. Progression                         2:14,22     Abraham       Smooth
                                                                  to David     Transitions
4. Priority of                              2:22-24    History         13:27-34 
    Doctrine                                2:31-33 

   of SalvationNote: Almost half the messages center on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

5. Exposition                            2:17-36     Exposition   13:17-25                                                                                        of Acts 7 

6. Illustration                       2:15,22,23        Whole 

                                                                  Illustration 
                                                               message within 
                                                                  Exposition

7. Preach                                2:37-40          7:51-56       13:26 
       For a                                  40-41 
   Decision 
(Exhortation) 

8. Pointed                               2:37-40          His            13:40-41 
Conclusion                                               Martyrdom

9. People                                2:41-47       Negative        13:44  Changed                                                      fruit at         

 or affected                                                   first         

                                                                    yet the           nearly
                                                                   the church     whole 
                                                                     grows            city 
                                                                                         came 
                                                                                         to hear

Conclusion:

We proposed the following definition of expository preaching: Expository preaching is characterized by proclamation, followed by explanation, clarified by illustration, strengthened w/ exhortation and connecting with application. From studying some of the those sermons in the Book of Acts, we glean the above definition from them based upon the nine traits discovered in those sermons:

1. Power of the Spirit 
2. Proclamation 
3. Progression 
4. Priority of Doctrine 
5. Exposition 
6. Illustration 
7. Preach for a Decision 
8. Pointed Conclusion 
9. People Changed/Affected

Answering the how questions of prayer

Luke 11:1 "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

Review from Friday November 15th post http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2013/11/gods-power-in-prayer-lifes-storms.html
We noted Revelation 8:1-5 and how God's power is shown through prayer in the midst of life's storms. We observed the following thoughts:

1. God's power is perceived through prayer. Revelation 8:1

2. God grants power to live for Him through prayer. Revelation 8:2-4

3. God powerfully affects things here on earth through prayer. Revelation 8:5

Revelation 8:1-5 is undoubtedly an amazing passage of scripture in that it proves that not one prayer prayed  by Christians in accordance to God's will is wasted.  W.A Criswell notes the following great insight: "Why interpose this passage? For two reasons. First the great and final judgment of the earth is in answer to the prayers of God's people. What is the high and holy intercession, what is the spiritual appeal  of God's saints through all the ages? It is the prayer that Christ placed on the lips and in the hearts of His people, 'Thy Kingdom come and thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.' 1

Standing as a little child at the base of the great tree called prayer
The greatness of prayer is due to the Great God who has assigned it.  However I also know too we often feel that we could be far greater than we are in our prayer lives.  The impulse to pray can be in us, however we too many times may not know how to begin or how to proceed forward in prayer. God has so planted the great tree of prayer in His word and in every Christian's life as a sapling He desires to grow in the soil of faith. 

To look at this "tree" analogy in a slightly different fashion, I feel like a little child standing at the base of the great tree of prayer. Whenever I study scriptures on prayer, God through His word causes me to want to grab hold of the lowest branch of that tree and begin to climb onward and upward. 

We must be careful not to over-think prayer, since the easiest advice you can ever receive about prayer is to pray.  Nevertheless I do think in light of Friday's post you and I need some vital "how-to's" when it comes to prayer. In today's post we will consider a few key passages in the Bible that answer the following "how-to" questions about prayer that can aid us in growing greatly in prayer:

1. How do we pray?  Luke 11:1-13
This is the only time in the 3 1/2 years of the ministry of Jesus where His disciples request of Him to teach them something. Think of all the things they could have asked: "How do you walk on the water?" or "How do you multiply loaves and fishes" or "how do you raise someone from the dead?" Yet the one thing that struck them more than the miracles of the Master was the Master's prayer life. Jesus lays out in this passage three ingredients for informing us on how we ought to pray:

a. Begin and end with an exalted view of God the Father.  Luke 11:1-2

b. Base your prayer on God's promises through His Son.  Luke 11:3-12

c. Bridge your prayer and practical life by submitting yourself to the Spirit's leading in the scriptures. Luke 11:13          

2. How does prayer work?  
The Bible gives us enough of an outline of the inner workings of prayer to acquire the confidence needed to begin prayer and stay consistent in our prayer life.  We may not comprehend the mystery that is prayer, however we can discern enough about how God works in and through it to increase our willingness to pray. Just as the first question centered around the activity of the Triune God in our prayer lives, this second question is answered in much the same manner.  

a. Prayer is aimed at the Father. 
1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

b. Prayer's advocate on earth is the Spirit.
Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." 

c. Prayer's advocate in heaven is the Son
Hebrews 7:25 "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." 1 John 2:1 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

Whenever you consider those three above thoughts, the Holy Spirit is the one by whom we pray.  He is the One Who burdens us and presses us to pray. As we pray, He in turn takes our less than perfect prayers to the Son, Who in turn represents us before the Father.  All three Persons are One God, ever in unity and union with One another as One God.  The Father sends the answer worked out between He and the Son by the Spirit back down here to us on earth.  As Ephesians 2:18 reminds us - "for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father." To pray is an extraordinary event when you think about it. 

3. How to pray effectively?
So far we have answered the questions: How do we pray? and How does prayer work? There is one last "how-to question": How do we pray effectively? The answer is found by combining prayer with the scriptures. James 5:11-19 teaches us two reasons why effective prayer goes hand-in-hand with scripture:

a). Enduring in prayer requires the scriptures. James 5:11-15
James utilizes the account of Job in demonstrating how God's grace enabled Job to endure the hardships he underwent and how God raised him up at the end. Job's endurance in faith and in prayer is used as an example throughout scripture.

b). Empowering prayer requires scripture. James 5:16-19
James then switches from Job to the example of Elijah. Elijah was a prophet of Israel who was known for the miracles God wrought through him and the prayers he prayed.  Who can forget his intercession on top of Mount Caramel when his servant saw a cloud the size of a man's hand and Elijah running ahead of Ahab's chariot in 1 Kings 18:41-46. 

James uses both of these men to demonstrate how prayer hitched to God's Word can make for effective prayer that is both enduring and empowering.  To pray the scriptures simply means to take a passage in context and apply it to your situation.  So we can pray something like: "Lord, just as you enabled Job to endure his trial, enable me to endure mine" or "Lord, just as you assured Elijah that You were going to see Him through, would you grant me the same." Scripture is God's Word and so it is through those sacred words the Spirit speaks, for they are His words. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

Endnotes:
1. W.A Criswell. Expository Sermons on Revelation - Volume 3. Zondervan. 1964. Page 167.  
Dr. Criswell continues the quote on the same page - The time has now come for that prayer uttered by God's people through millenniums to be answered by God.  That is why at this point when those prayers are finally to be answered, God has brought before Him the remembrance of those intercessions through the ages. The time has come when God will cast out Satan, will dethrone the usurper, will judge sin. The time has come when iniquity and death and hell and the grace will be destroyed forever. The time has come when God's kingdom shall be established in the earth. At that time God has brought before Him the remembrance of those intercessions through the ages."

P2 - A 12 point critique of History Channel's "Bible Secrets Revealed"

Jude 3-4 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

Introduction:

Today's post will continue what we began yesterday in our 12 point critique of the first episode of a current series on the History Channel called "Bible Secrets Revealed".  For those who may want to view a more detailed and fuller version of the material presented in this post, I invite you once again to view my other blog: http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/p2-a-12-point-critique-of-the-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/

In that blog site I deal more specifically with issues related to the Biblical languages, the text of scripture, theology and church history. In this blogsite (Growing Christian Resources) we cover the practical, doctrinal and supernatural aspects of the Christian walk is it pertains to the study and application of God's Word. Below contains the remaining six points of this twelve point critique, therefore I will begin today's post at point #7 so as to continue where we left off yesterday.  May the body of Christ find either this post (or the other more fuller and detailed post) to be useful in defending and proclaiming the truth of God's Word.

7. Addressing the claim that Jesus usage of the title "Son of Man" has no significant meaning or significance
The History Channel's slate of "experts" claim that Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man" has no point to the meaning of the passage and thus renders its meaning incoherent.  What they fail to realize are a couple of things.  First of all the title "Son of Man" is the most utilized title used by Jesus to describe Himself (some 83 times). Second, the title is used of Daniel's pre-incarnate vision of the "Son of Man" in Daniel 7:13.  Clearly when Jesus uses this title, it is His way of asserting His Deity and Lordship as creator over the Sabbath.

8. Addressing the claim that the material of the Bible was sifted around by early Christians

In the copying of the New Testament the History Channel program claims that the early "book like" documents called "codices" could had lost some leaves in the process of their use by early Christians.  With that likelihood, the History Channel claim we may have missing pages or sections in the New Testament manuscripts and translations. The problem with this claim is that they failed to mention that the early scribes used papyrus scrolls in the first two centuries following the days of Apostles before Codices became popular.  In a scroll you cannot lose pages and when we compare those early papyrus manuscripts with the later codices, we don't find missing sections or pages as alleged by the documentary.

9. Addressing the issue of the ending of Mark's Gospel
The shorter and longer ending of Mark's Gospel is certainly a difficult issue to explain without getting overly technical.  However a few basic considerations can help explain and thus defeat the accusations made by the documentary that we cannot trust the Gospel of Mark.  First of all if one takes Mark's Gospel to be the first written Gospel (as alleged by the show), the longer versus shorter ending issue becomes a very big deal.  However if we take the older and historically substantiated view of Matthew being the first written Gospel, the issue becomes manageable and explainable.  Secondly, the words in Mark 16:9-20 are Jesus' words, and when compared to other parts of other Gospels, match His teachings and words.

10. Addressing the claim that John 7:53-8:11 was inserted by the church and other conspiracies of the church trying suppress the truth
The show claims this section of John's Gospel was a conspiracy insertion made by the KJV translators using texts that contained the passage.  Without a doubt the textual details of the account of the woman caught in adultery is difficult to explain without getting overly technical, however its issues are similar to Mark's ending in that we are dealing with the words of Jesus.  Thankfully John 7:53-8:11 is found in manuscripts far older than the manuscripts available to the KJV translators thus dismissing the "conspiracy" theory proposed by the documentary. Also too, the inclusion of John 7:53-8:11 in no-way destroys the context or flow of John's Gospel.

11. Addressing the claim that various Christian groups today with different interpretations of the Bible prove the Bible to be untrustworthy and corrupted
Just because different Christian groups exist today does not mean the Bible is unreliable.  This particular argument tries to show the Bible to be untrue because of the behaviors of certain groups who in times past may very well has misapplied and taken the Bible out of context.  Such an argument is what we call a "red-herring", meaning that irrelevant information is used to throw the audience off to try to cast doubt on the opposing argument.  The bad behaviors of certain Christian groups have no connection to bad texts, only bad theology and miss-application of the inerrant scriptures.

12. Addressing the notion that Constantine and a group of scholars composed the New Testament at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D

This argument has been used for years to try to discredit the New Testament.  For one thing the Council of Nicaea was convened to deal with heresies about Jesus and had nothing to do with the forming together of the New Testament.  Secondly, though Constantine may had been questionable in his political and theological policies, he had nothing to do in the forming of the Canon of scripture.  Thirdly, the New Testament Canon was virtually agreed upon by the entire Christian world by at least two centuries prior to Constantine. It truly is shocking that a group of "experts" who work in the fields of religion, church history and New Testament textual criticism would put forth this argument.  The argument is nothing new and was made popularized by Dan Brown's novel "The Davinci Code" several years ago.  Thankfully we have the entire textual history of the New Testament manuscripts to disprove the claims made by the History Channel's so-called experts.  

Concluding thought: If the reader would like a more thorough and technical version of these final six-points of critique, please see my post today at http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/p2-a-12-point-critique-of-the-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/.As we have witnessed in today's points as well as yesterday's, there is nothing to fear when it comes to the inspiration, reliability and accuracy of the Bible in the Old and New Testaments.

P1 - A 12 point critique of History Channel's "Bible Secrets Revealed"

Jude 3-4 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

Introduction:

Today's post will begin a two part critique of the first episode of a current series on the History Channel called "Bible Secrets Revealed".  For those who may want to view a more detailed and fuller version of the material presented in this post, I invite you to view my other blog: http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/p1-a-12-point-critique-of-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/

Below contains the first six points of critique.  May the body of Christ find either this post (or the other more fuller and detailed post) to be useful in defending and proclaiming the truth of God's Word.

1. Addressing the documentary's biased viewpoint of the Bible

The more than one dozen scholars who appeared on the documentary series represent a worldview that promotes a very hostile view of Divine inspiration of scripture, Biblical inerrancy and the reliability of the Bible.  It would had made for a better opening to the series to have had conservative Bible scholars included in the discussion.

2. Addressing the claim that the Bible's words are unclear and untranslatable from one language to the next 

Whenever we take into consideration the context of a given passage of scripture, any uncertainties as to the meaning or use of words will clear up.  Each verse of scripture has ultimately one meaning with many applications.  Context in both the nearer and wider sense will aid the reader in knowing which meaning to use.  Unfortunately we don't hear anything about context brought up in the History Channel presentation.

3. Addressing the claim that we don't know who wrote the Pentateuch nor when it was written
The past 100 years of Biblical archaeology, as well as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls actually demonstrates the unified and Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch.

4. Addressing the criticism that the Bible has unsolvable contradictions

Getting a hold of a good Bible Dictionary, Bible Encyclopedia or Commentary will aid the reader in working through parallel passages like what we see in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.  In the Bible I know of not one Bible difficulty that cannot be resolved in light of context, historical background or some other means of sound Bible interpretation principle.

5. Addressing the claim that we cannot trust nor determine the authorship of the four Gospels

Unfortunately the History Channel panel of "experts" totally ignore church history and the internal workings of the texts of the four Gospels.  Until 200 years ago, virtually no serious scholar or laymen in the history of the church ever doubted the reliability of the four Gospels.  Despite nearly two centuries of attack by critical scholarship, the Four Gospels have proven to still be reliable and accurate.

6. Addressing the claim that Matthew misinterpreted Isaiah and the prophecy of the virgin birth

Matthew's use of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:23 is accurate when considering the fact that the same word used in Isaiah 7:14 is translated "young maiden" or "virgin" in Genesis 24:43, where we see reference to a then young and unmarried Rebecca. Rebecca (Isaac's bride to be) was an unmarried girl living in her father's house who would had been of course a virgin.  Matthew's use and understanding of Isaiah's prophecy was both accurate and theologically precise.

More will be mentioned tomorrow.  If the reader would like a more thorough and technical version of these first six-points of critique, please see my post at http://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/p1-a-12-point-critique-of-history-channels-bible-secrets-revealed/. To God be the glory!

God's power in prayer & life's storms - Revelation 8:1-5

Revelation 8:3 "Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake."

Richard Foster comments on the place of prayer in the Christian life

One of my favorite authors, Richard Foster, writes the following about the place of prayer in the midst of turmoil and business: "Through the Prayer of Rest God places His children in the eye of the storm.  When all around us is chaos and confusion, deep within we know stability and serenity. In the midst of intense personal struggle we are still and relaxed.  While a thousand frustrations seek to distract us, we remained focused and attentive.  This is the fruit of the Prayer of Rest."1 Foster's words truly hit home when you think about them and reminds me of my own experience of being in the eye of a storm.

Lessons learned in the silence of the eye of a hurricane

I will never forget while living in Florida the year Central Florida was struck by not one, not two but three hurricanes in a matter of six weeks.  At the time my wife and kids and I were living right where the "eye-walls" of all three storms has crossed over our very home.  By the time it was all said and done, a 100 mile zone of devastation was left in the wake.  On the night that the first hurricane (Hurricane Charley) was blowing into the area, were told it would be a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 m.p.h.  The building where we were seeking shelter had been battered by the first half of the storm, with the roof blown off down to the plywood and water running down to the walls. The winds raging outside the building sounded like fleets of jet aircraft taking off numerous runways. Sheets of rain were falling so hard that you could not see outside. I watched as the lights of our then home and the city lights blinked, dimmed and then went dark. 

Suddenly, without warning...there was silence. If you have never been in a hurricane, it is all at once a most peaceful and unnerving experience.  I recall going outside in the pitch black darkness (for the power had went out at that point). As I looked up into the night sky, I beheld for the first time an endless star field of the Milky Way Galaxy.  In the eye of that storm there was no wind, no sound - only the endless stretches of countless stars declaring the glory of God and the firmament of His handiwork. (Psalm 19:1-6) Then as if without warning, the wind turned up once again, and we rode out the remainder of that first storm.  Though those storms and their aftermath contained the most painful and traumatic memories, they also were used by God to illustrate to me His Power and also the power of prayer.

The Apostle John is brought into the eye of the storm of Christ's plan for conquering the world - the power of prayer

Revelation 8:1-5 is an amazing stretch of scripture because of its location in the middle of Christ's revealed vision of how He will use the future tribulation period to be His theater for conquering the world.  John's exposure to future events and scenes of judgment, Israel's preparation and tribulation martyrs would had undoubtedly sent his mind and heart reeling.  Revelation 8:1-5 functions as the Divinely given eye of the storm of this set of revelatory visions in Revelation 4-11.  Consider in brief how Revelation 8:1-5 is situated at the "eye-wall" of this sweeping revelatory sequence:

1. God the Father and the Lamb on the Throne. Revelation 4-5

2. The Lamb breaks the seven seals to access earth's title deed to prepare for the earth's judgment, Israel's meeting of her Messiah and the final evangelization of planet earth. Revelation 6-7

3. Revelation 8:1-5 Silence in heaven and the prayers of the saints that will be used by the Lamb to execute judgment by way of the seven trumpets.

4. Revelation 8:6-13 The seven trumpets begin to sound well into the second half of the tribulation period. A parallel appears to exist between God having the seal judgments begin with four seals, with the remaining three having their own distinct grouping to that of the trumpet judgments having four trumpets and then the last three being also distinctive. 

5. Revelation 9-11 The seven trumpets signal the intensity of judgment in the latter part of the tribulation period, culminating in the conquering of the earth by Jesus Christ. The latter three trumpet blasts, also called the "three woes", will increase the intensity and speed of judgment on the earth at the tail end of the tribulation period.  Like a hurricane, the tribulation period will be far worse in the latter half than the first half.  

As Jesus brought John to see how He is going to use the prayers of God's people as part of His plan in conquering the world, some wonderful truths about God's power and need of prayer in life's storms are revealed. 

God's power is perceived through prayer. Rev 8:1

The need for rest and silence before God is more needed than ever before. Even in heaven the theme of rest and silence is used by God to convey to John and to us reminders about prayer and rest in His Sovereignty and purposes.  Revelation 8:1 "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Silence before God grants the ability to see more clearly His power. Consider the following cross references that drive home this point of prayerful rest before God and the ability to see His power:

-Psalm 62:1 "My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation."

-Habakkuk 2:20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

-Zechariah 2:13 “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.”

Just as David in Psalms and the prophets were instructed by God to include silence and restful prayer in seeing God's greatness, so was Jesus using the same method with John.  Revelation 8:1 read in light of the above cross-references shows us the point of Jesus' inclusion of rest and prayer in the middle of this vision - to assert to John and us His Sovereign power over life, history and salvation. 

God's power is granted to live for Him through prayer     Rev 8:2-4
The place given to prayer in the Christian life cannot be overestimated. The imagery John uses of the prayers of God's people functioning like incense before the throne of God is taken from the prayer lives of God's people.  For instance, Psalm 141:2 "May my prayer be counted as incense before You;The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering." 

Undoubtedly connecting prayer to the incense that was burned by the priests in the temple was first revealed by God.  Passages such as Exodus 30:1,3; Leviticus 16:12 and Hebrews 9:4 all refer to the priests burning incense upon the golden altar that was in the holy place of the tabernacle or temple, and that place being designated as the place of prayer. Anytime incense was offered in conjunction with the sacrifices in the courtyard of the tabernacle or temple, the work of prayer would had been made known to the senses.  The worshippers could not see the priest once he disappeared into the holy place to perform his duties on their behalf.  However whenever that priest placed incense upon the golden altar, the worshipper in the courtyard knew that he had an intercessor working on his behalf.  To the Lord incense and aroma meant that satisfaction for sin had been rendered by the sacrifice of an innocent sin bearer on behalf of the sinning person. 

Now why do we mention these details? Because prayer and its function was part fo the everyday lives of God's people in the Bible. By the days of the early church, this idea of incense and prayer as daily realities signaled how God's church continued to view prayer as God's power source for the Christian. Ephesians 5:2 reminds us: "and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:4-5 "And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones,are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." It is through us that the Lord works forth the knowledge of Himself as indicated by 2 Corinthians 2:14. 

Sacrificial language is used to describe God's desire for a life of prayer as found in 1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior

God powerfully affect things here on earth through prayer. Rev 8:5
Revelation 8:5 states "Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." Note how there was silence in heaven for about 30 minutes.  God had John watch in silence as all the angels got in their places, all the vials or bowls were handed out and the prayers in those bowls were to be poured out. Prayer and silence must be a part of the daily life of God's people.  Prayer is one of the means ordained by God to accomplish His greater purposes here on earth. What did Jesus teach His disciples in Matthew 6:9-10 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." Certainly the final prayer of the Bible emphasizes the hastening of Christ's return here to earth in Revelation 22:20  "He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Conclusion
As we have considered God's power in prayer & life's storms, we have interacted with Revelation 8:1-5 in understanding how it fits in the midst of Jesus' extraordinary revelations to the Apostle John. John's vision of Revelation 4-11 has in it this incredible series of verses that show how Jesus will include God's final answers to every believer's prayer in His conquering of the world. Here is what we have learned:

1. God's power is perceived through prayer. Revelation 8:1
2. God's power is granted to live for Him through prayer Revelation 8:2-4
3. God powerfully affect things here on earth through prayer. Revelation 8:5

Endnotes: 

1. Richard Foster. Prayer - Finding the Heart's True Home. Harper San Francisco. 1992. Page 93