Christ Church

Discerning the Lord’s Will (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #38) (KC)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

How do you know what the will of God is for you? We pray that God’s “will” would be done on earth as it is in heaven, but we have many choices to make, some obviously significant and every choice momentous.

Paul said that he was compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21, 20:22), and yet, the same Spirit filled disciples urging Paul not to go (Acts 21:4, 11). Does God do this regularly? Does God send mixed signals?

God is not trying to trick anyone, but He does test us. The Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted (Mk. 1:12). This was not so that Jesus would fail, but so He would succeed. Christians must trust and obey God’s clear Word, and then we trust His providence in the gifts, opportunities, and desires He gives us.

The Text: “And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara…” (Acts 21:1-14).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

After leaving the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul’s entourage sailed along the coast of southwest Asia Minor, until they came to Syria (Acts 21:1-3). While there for seven days, the disciples, by the Holy Spirit, warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem before sending him on his way with prayers (Acts 21:4-6). Sailing south along the coast of Palestine, they came to Caesarea and stayed with Philip, one of the seven, who had four faithful daughters (Acts 21:7-9). While there, the prophet Agabus, foretold that Paul would be arrested in Jerusalem, and everyone tried to dissuade Paul from going (Acts 21:10-12). But while Paul felt the emotional force of their pleas, he was unmoved and ready to die if necessary, and the brothers committed him to the will of the Lord (Acts 21:13-14).

THE WILL OF GOD

How did Paul know what the will of God was? We may not be able to answer exhaustively, but we can have a basic understanding of how God wants us to discern His will. Theologians commonly distinguish between the “decretive will” of God and the “preceptive will” of God. The decretive will is what God has decreed will come to pass before all time (Gen. 1:3, Is. 46:10, Eph. 1:11); His preceptive will is what God has revealed is good and right for His creatures to do (cf. His law, Ex. 20, Dt. 5). So it is God’s preceptive will for all men to repent of their sins and obey God’s law, but regardless of whether they do or not, God works all things together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8, Gen. 50:20). So while we cannot know God’s ultimate decretive will, His preceptive will (His law and gospel) is the central revelation of His will for us (1 Thess. 4:1-7).

DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD

So, when you’re trying to determine God’s will, begin by asking: is it lawful/moral? If not, it is not the will of God. It is not the will of God for you to marry an unbeliever, to disobey your parents, or cheat or steal. These moral obligations also include providing for your family, your parents, and having a church community. You would need a clear indication from God that a higher duty is requiring you to set aside one of those duties (e.g. a boss or parent or pastor asking you to sin).

If it is lawful, then the next questions would be: What are your abilities, opportunities, and desires? You may have the ability and desire, but no opportunity. You may have the opportunity, but no ability or desire. As it is sometimes said, “the need is not necessarily the call.” Many orphans need to be adopted, many unreached peoples need to be evangelized, but the need is not necessarily the call. But if you have an opportunity and the ability, sometimes the will of God comes down to what you really want to do. On the other hand, as Jonah learned the hard way, sometimes the need amounts to a command and it doesn’t matter what you want to do (e.g. the Good Samaritan). Also, remember that wisdom is found in the multitude of counselors, and at the same time, you can’t just go along with the multitude (Ex. 23:2).

FACE TOWARD JERUSALEM

Later, Paul will explain that he came to Jerusalem to bring alms and offerings (Acts 24:17). While there may have been other factors at work, it appears that Paul was very concerned to bring his entourage from the new churches in Greece with their offerings to Jerusalem. He knew the risks involved full well, but he believed that this was what was most needful, perhaps particularly for the unity of the Jewish and Gentile churches.

It also continues the pattern of the apostles imitating Jesus, “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk. 9:51). And just as Peter wanted to insist that Jesus not go (Mk. 8:31ff), Paul faced similar resistance, testing his resolve. And so we can expect similar testing, and while it can occasionally be wise to double check our decisions, our general instinct ought to be “not to doubt in the dark what we knew in the light.” If we are walking in the Light, confessing our sins and forgiving one another, while God does test us, He does not trick us.

APPLICATIONS

Safety is Not the Highest Good: Our God plays with death and dragons. Wisdom is not reckless, but it is ambitious and courageous. By faith some overcame armies; and by faith some were stoned and sawn in two (Heb. 11). And all of them obtained a good report. Winning and victory are found in obedience to the Lord, not necessarily surviving.

Parents, beware of making safety the highest good. Obedience is the highest good, and obedience often requires selfless courage, danger, and even harm. Paul was prepared to go to prison and die if necessary for the name of Jesus. Wives, beware tempting husbands or children to be unfaithful by your fear of harm. Better the obedience of Christ (dying at 33), than a long life of grieving His Spirit.

Stick to Your Near and Clear Duties: “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Ps. 37:4). And this includes keeping your word/vows/covenants (Ps. 15:4). This is how God ordinarily shows us His will.

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Two Layers of Meaning (Acts of the Apostles #4)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

In the second chapter of Acts, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the gift of tongues, a powerful sermon, and a massive ingathering of new believers. As we read about this stupendous gift of tongues, we might have the same reaction that the initial hearers did. What on earth does this mean (v. 12)?

THE TEXT

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language  . . . And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:1–13).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The day of Pentecost was one of the feasts of the Lord appointed in the Old Testament Mosaic calendar (Lev. 23:15). The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated the day after the Sabbath of Passover week, and the Israelites were instructed to count fifty days after that day, which would end on the day of Pentecost (from the Greek word for fifty). This festival is also called the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Ingathering. It was a harvest festival. When that day arrived, the followers of Christ were all in one place, and were all in one accord (v. 1). And suddenly the room where they were all sitting was filled with a sound from heaven—like a rushing mighty wind (v. 2). Cloven tongues like fire appeared, and rested on each of them (v. 3). They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking in other languages (glossa) as the Spirit enabled them (v. 4). Devout Jews were there in Jerusalem, coming from every nation under heaven (v. 5). We are not told directly, but the disciples apparently spilled out into the street because a multitude gathered as the report spread. All of them were confounded because they all heard their own languages (dialektos) being spoken (v. 6). They began to speak to one another about it because they could tell that all the speakers were Galilaeans (v. 7). How is it we are hearing our native tongues (v. 8)? The word again is dialektos. All the nations are then listed, 17 in all (vv. 9-11). The wonderful works of God are being declared in all these different tongues (glossa). They were astonished, but still in doubt about what it could all mean (v. 12). There were also some wiseacres, of course, who accused them of being drunk (v. 13).

TONGUES ARE LANGUAGES

The tongues here are not to be understood as mystical jabbering. These are languages, with grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. We can assert this confidently for various reasons. First, the people listening identified what was being spoken with the languages of their home countries (vv. 6, 8). Second, glossa and dialektos are words that refer to languages. We get our word dialect from the second one. Third, elsewhere the apostle Paul requires any such expressions in church to be translated (1 Cor. 14:13).

153 AND THE FEAST OF INGATHERING

There are 17 nations mentioned here, and 17 is the triangular of 153. This means that 17 plus 16 plus 15 down to 1 all adds up to 153. And that is the number of fish that were caught in John 21:11, when Peter was restored to ministry. And what was that ministry? He had been called to become a fisher of men (Mark 1:17). When Jesus had done a similar miracle for Peter, this overwhelmed him with his own sinfulness (Luke 5:8). So the fish were clearly emblematic of the coming haul at Pentecost. We also have the fact that throughout Scripture, the sea represents the Gentiles and the land the Jews. No one in the Old Testament is shown eating fish, but in the New Testament fishing (and the eating of fish) comes to the front and center.

The practice of encoding numbers in names (called gematria) was common in the ancient world. They could do this in a way that we cannot because they used the same symbols for letters and for numbers. We have Roman letters and Arabic numbers. But in Hebrew, the first nine letters corresponded to 1-9, the next nine were 10-90, and the last five were100-400. So?

Well, the prophet Ezekiel promised that the time of the New Covenant would be a time of glorious fishing. “And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many” (Ez. 47:10). The prefix En simply means spring, and so if we look at the numerical value of Gedi in Hebrew, we find that it is 17, and the value of Eglaim is 153. Ezekiel is talking about the salvation of the Gentiles under the figure of fish, swimming in living waters from the Temple, and he uses these two numbers. This means that we are justified in taking 153 as a symbolic number for the Gentile nations who will be brought into the kingdom of God—fulfilled here at Pentecost.

TWO LAYERS OF MEANING

Because these tongues were actual languages, one of the things meant would be the things that were being said. What the disciples were declaring were “the wonderful works of God” (v. 11). The languages meant what the languages were saying.

But what did the mere fact of this miracle mean?

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord [Is. 28:11-12 (see also Dt. 28:49)]. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? [or drunk]” (1 Cor. 14:20–23).

For the unbelieving Jews, the sign of foreign languages in the streets of Jerusalem was a sign of pending judgment. You would not listen to the prophets who continually warned you in your own language (Is. 28:9-10), so maybe you will understand when you hear the languages of foreign soldiers in your streets. But for the foreigners who heard the wonderful works of God in their own language, this was the equivalent of prophecy, which was for those who believe.

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A Tale of Two Cities (CCT)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

When King Nebuchadnezzar II conquered the kingdom of Judah, the Bible makes it very clear that the exile is a judgment upon Israel. This punishment from God was meted out due to the consistent practice of idolatry in the land. The Jews were given over, “You want to worship idols? Then I will send you to the capital city of idolatry.” As you know, the etymology of the name Babylon is linked to the site of humanity’s first attempt to defy God. The tower of Babel was the first monument of human pride. And thus Babylon, which symbolically represents opposition to God and His people, is aptly named. And while the physical nation of Babylon ceased to exist under Cyrus the Great in the 6th century B.C., the spirit of Babylon persists to this day. And its name is Legion: sexual perversion, materialism, celebrity worship, technological obsession, self-worship, political ideologies, entertainment, and escapism are just a few of its forms. If this is the case, that all of these things are active in the world, what does Isaiah mean when he says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.”? While true that the Babylonian statues of Marduk and Ishtar were trampled under the sandals of the Persians, what does it matter if these idols simply resurrect in different form? Where is the true and final victory? The apostle John echoes Isaiah, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.” If it’s fallen, why do we see thousands of muslims in Copenhagen, hijacking the public square to bow before a false god? Perhaps we are missing something.

BABYLON – THE WOMAN WHO RIDES THE BEAST

John is carried away in the spirit to the eremon or the wilderness, sometimes translated desert. This is an allusion to Isaiah 21. Listen to the first verse, “The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land.” And from verse 9 of the same chapter, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.” The presence of the phrase “fallen, fallen is Babylon” in both Isaiah and Revelation, alongside the fact that Isaiah 21 depicts a vision of judgment against Babylon, demonstrates that John’s usage is more than mere coincidence. The apostle is intimately familiar with the prophets and he’s quite comfortable borrowing their language. For example, Isaiah 21:1 uniquely combines the apparently disparate images of desert and sea and associates them with Babylon to communicate that the area is destitute. And likewise when we get to Revelation 17 and latter-day Babylon, this woman in the wilderness is found to be “sitting on many waters” to communicate barrenness.

NEW JERUSALEM – THE WIFE OF THE LAMB

The first and most obvious difference is the incongruity of juxtaposing a prostitute with a bride adorned for her husband. One is chaste and demure, saving herself for her husband. The other is indecent and shameless. In the vision, the location for Babylon was the wilderness. Conversely, the bride’s location is a high mountain. Listen to this from Ezekiel 40 and 43. Once again, John is drawing from the Old Testament prophets, “The hand of the Lord was upon me and brought me…and set me on a very high mountain, and upon it there was, as it were, the edifice of a city before me.” In this section of scripture, Ezekiel 40-48, describes the blissful image of a future temple located on a very high mountain. And in no uncertain terms, we as readers are expected to follow John’s reference to Ezekiel’s temple and connect it to the New Jerusalem. We also have many other prophetic references that the coming Jerusalem is to be situated atop a high mountain. Isaiah 2, Isaiah 4, Isaiah 25, Micah 4, Psalm 48, and others. Next, her appearance is described as follows, “…coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” The clarity of the jasper, the radiance and quality of the light refraction, the degree of its luminosity all point to the concept of purity and the light of truth. Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” The church shines brightly as a beacon of hope to the world and she proudly proclaims, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”

POTIPHAR’S WIFE

Let’s take note of a couple of things. First notice the intersection of duty and temptation. The Lord was with Joseph as he provided stewardship for Potiphar’s house. To avoid the temptation of this woman, he had the following options: leave Potiphar in the lurch and abandon his master. He could give in to temptation and betray Potiphar’s trust. He could tell Potiphar the truth, “Your wife is propositioning me.” How do you think that would’ve gone? Or he could fulfill his duty and endure the slings and arrows of seduction while on the job.

RUTH

In contrast to Potiphar’s wife who pesters and pesters and eventually grabs Joseph in desperation, she gently uncovers the feet of Boaz and lies there, waiting to be discovered. She then exercises more patience as she’s forced to wait. Boaz is not first in line. She waits on the Lord and the Lord blesses her. Ruth is a perfect example of the wife of the lamb.

 

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The Replacement of Judas (Acts of the Apostles #3)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

The main action in the second half of this first chapter has to do with the replacement of Judas Iscariot. But along the way, we learn quite a few things about the early days of the apostolic company.

THE TEXT

“Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren . . . And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:12–26).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

 After seeing Jesus ascend, the disciples came back to Jerusalem from Olivet (v. 12). This was a sabbath day’s journey, or about 2/3 of a mile. They came to an upper room, where all the remaining disciples were staying (v. 13). They devoted themselves there to prayer, together with the women, the Lord’s mother and brothers (v. 14). At some point, Peter stood up and addressed them, with the assembled numbering around 120 (v. 15). He said that the treachery of Judas, who guided them to Jesus, was a fulfillment of prophecy (v. 16). Judas was one of them, and was a minister with the rest (v. 17). The 30 pieces of silver had been used to purchase a field, the same field where Judas burst apart (v. 18). This become common knowledge, which resulted in that field being name Aceldama, field of blood (v. 19). The previously mentioned prophecy is then cited, from two places (v. 20). The first is from Ps. 69:25 and the second from Ps. 109:8. The task before the disciples that day was select a replacement for Judas, someone who had been with them from the baptism of John on, up to the ascension (vv. 21-22) They picked out two men who met those qualifications, Joseph and Matthias (v. 23). They then prayed to the one who knows all hearts, asking Him to demonstrate which one He chose (v. 24). This would be a man to join them in ministry, filling the office that Judas fell from by transgression, in order to go to his own place (v. 25). They then cast lots, Matthias was selected, and he was installed with the eleven (v. 26).

A BRIEF HARMONY

The gospels tell us that Judas threw the money down in the Temple before leaving to hang himself (Matt. 27:5), but this passage tells us that Judas bought a field with the money (Acts 1:18). The harmonization is that the Temple authorities bought the field with Judas’s money, and in Judas’s name. And the gospels tell us that Judas hanged himself (Matt. 27:5), and here it says he fell headlong and burst open (Acts 1:18). Which is it? Both. He hanged himself, but no one came and got him, and after some time the rope broke and he fell headlong and came apart.

THE USE OF LOTS

The Lord’s intention in selecting twelve apostles was not accidental. He was deliberately establishing the foundations of a new Israel, and Israel was composed of twelve tribes. The New Jerusalem is the Christian church, and it has twelve gates that are named for the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:12). The foundation stones of this same church are the apostles (Eph. 2:20). Not only so, but the territory of Canaan was divided up between the tribes by lot. “By lot was their inheritance, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe” (Joshua 14:2).

And when Peter is exhorting elders not to be imperious, he tells them not to be lords over God’s heritage. The word for heritage is kleros—allotment. And in 2 Cor. 10:16, Paul is being very careful not to intrude into another man’s area of ministry, or territory. Paul also comments that he had a special commission to Gentiles just as Peter had to the Jews (Gal. 2:8). It appears that apostles could cross these boundaries, but they did so with care . . . because good fences make good neighbors.

In short, we shouldn’t conclude that casting lots is a great way to make decisions so much as to conclude that the early disciples were clearly echoing the ancient Israelite conquest of Canaan. They were dividing up the world, preparing for their invasion of it . . . once the Spirit was given.

CENTURIES BEFORE JUDAS WAS BORN

Jesus knew that one of the twelve was going to betray Him, and He knew who it was going to be very early in His ministry. “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64). John says this knowledge was “from the beginning,” which may account for why the Lord prayed all night before He announced His selection (Luke 6:12-13). At the Last Supper, the Lord washed the feet of Judas, and then later we are told that Jesus identified Judas by giving him a piece of bread after dipping it (John 13:26). Centuries before, David had prophesied that one who had shared bread with the Christ would be the one who betrayed him (Ps. 41:9), and Jesus pointed to this prophecy that evening (John 13:18). And the fact that Judas would create a vacancy by his betrayal was written long before he was born.

Psalm 69 is a clear Messianic psalm, and is quoted in the New Testament in five different places. “Those who hate me without a cause” (v. 4) is quoted in John 15:25 and applied to those who had seen the Lord’s miracles and hated Him anyway. “Zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” is quoted in John 2:17 in the description of the Lord’s first cleansing of the Temple. The second part of that same verse—“the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me” is quoted in Rom. 15:3, where Paul applies it to Christ who lived out an example for us to follow. “Let their table becomes a snare before them . . .” (vv. 22-23) is quoted in Rom. 11:9 and applied by Paul to reprobate Israel. And then the verse that Peter quotes in our passage comes next—“let their habitation be desolate,” talking about the void that Judas left.

The next psalm quoted is one of the fiercest imprecatory psalms in the Bible (Ps. 109), and Peter quotes it without embarrassment. “Let another take his office.” The Greek in Acts 1 is episkopas—his bishopric. Prior to this, Judas had cast out demons, and had healed the sick. His treachery did not unwind those blessings, and did not cause the office itself to disappear.

Nothing is clearer than that God has the ability to wield sinful and wicked actions in a way that results in His own greater glory. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:27–28).

There is no way for the Christ to be appointed to die for you without having other elements of the story appointed also.

 

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