Monthly Archives: October 2022

Finding the Will of God in New Testament Times

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LOCUSTS AND HONEY

Vol. 7, Part 4

Finding the Will of God in New Testament Times

 

Introduction 

In our previous edition of Locusts and Honey, we discussed how people in the Old Testament could ascertain the specific will of God.  Some of the methods which were mentioned included direct encounters with God, guidance through the Pillar of Cloud, the Urim and Thummim, dreams and visions, and through Holy Spirit inspired prophets.  In this edition we look at how Jesus found the will of God and how the people in New Testament times found the will and direction of God.  There are many similarities about how people found direction about God’s will in the New Testament with those methods found in the Old Testament.  However, there are also some changes on how the love of God manifested itself and how the revelation of God expanded in the New Testament period to more and more people.  Let me give some examples.  In New Testament times, the Revelation of God appears through the person and work of Jesus Christ. If one wants to know about God, instead of approaching Mount Sinai which is fearsome; now one must go to Mt. Calvary and embrace the sacrifice of Jesus.  In Old Testament times, the angel of the Lord often was the manifestation of God.  In the New Testament, Jesus the Messiah becomes the focus of the movement of God.  In the Old Testament, one looked to guidance on whether to stop or go from the Pillar of Cloud.   In the church, one looks to the Holy Spirit.

 

In the New Testament there is a growth in the manifestation of God’s love for us.  There is an expansion of understanding leading to the truth of John 3:16 that “God so loved the earth that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have ever-lasting life.”   Instead of the Revelation of God being primarily centered upon the Jewish people, the understanding of that love expands to encompass the Gentile Nations (the Non-Jews).  The covenant relationship is expanded to include you and me.  Instead of the animal sacrifice of the lamb, there is the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  Instead of the Spirit being on Sinai or in the Pillar or in the Cloud leading the Jews, there is now the Holy Spirit which rests in each of us.  Instead of Isaac, the only son and heir, being an example of the sacrifice of the Son of God for us, there is the actual sacrifice of God’s only begotten son. 

 

In the Old Testament, the prophets testified of things to come.  David testified precisely of the Messiah and the details of his death.  Isaiah testified of the Messiah and the finest description of Jesus and His work is found in the 53 Chapter of Isaiah.  All of the prophecies of Moses, David, Isaiah and the prophets are completed by Jesus Christ and his life and sacrifice for us.  Therefore the Revelation of the Messiah which is predicted in the Old Testament and which was seen from afar, comes clearly into focus by its completion through the work and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The leadership of the Holy Spirit which is manifested in various ways in the Old Testament including by the Pillar of Cloud and the Shekinah Glory of God becomes more concrete and specific through the resting of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church and to believers such as you and me. 

 

When Adam began there were no Scriptures in place.  There also were no Scriptures in the time of Abraham.  However, as time went on the revelation of God in the written word of God became more substantial.  By the time of Moses we have at least the beginnings of the Torah.  Later these Scriptures would grow to include other writings including the Psalms, the Prophets and other writings.  In short the written word of God grew slowly.  At the time of the birth of Jesus there was no New Testament.  There were no Gospels, no writings of Paul or other New Testament writings.    Gradually, the writings of the New Testament developed.  My point is that God’s revelation has some type of progressive development.  It grows.  What we have today for our instruction and correction is obviously far more than what Abraham had.  As such, God may give us prophecies, dreams, visions and the like; however we are to measure these personal revelations responsibly with the tools and benefits which God has given us including the written word of God.  We seek to know the will of God for our lives utilizing the Word of God, prayer and the personal guidance in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

 

The Holy Spirit and Jesus

In the Old Testament, we see the Holy Spirit appearing in a multitude of ways.  We see the Holy Spirit giving leadership in the Pillar of Cloud.  We also see the presence of God appearing in the Ark of the Covenant between the two Cherubim and later entering into the Temple of Solomon.  We also see the Holy Spirit giving utterance to the words of God through the prophets.  In the New Testament, we learn that the Holy Spirit came and rested upon Jesus.  John the Baptist testified to this when he saw Jesus and said, “Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  (John 1:29).  John witnessed to the fact that the Holy Spirit came and rested upon Jesus.  John 1:32-34 says:

I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,

and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but

He who sent me to baptize with water said to me,

“Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and

remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes

with the Holy Spirit.”

 

Note that the Holy Spirit remained upon Jesus and that Jesus would in the future baptize others with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit was given to the believers of Jesus (See Luke 24:49; John 10:22 and Acts 1:4-8).

 

Despite having the Holy Spirit, Jesus also sought to understand the will of the Father by other means as well.  Jesus was knowledgeable regarding the Scriptures and had even listened and asked questions to the teachers when he was twelve years old ( Luke 2:41-52).  Jesus utilized Scripture when He was tempted by the Devil.  (See Matt. 4:1-10).  Jesus also prayed regularly to God for guidance.  We know that Jesus stayed on the mountain all night praying before He selected his disciples ( Luke 6:12-13).  In addition Jesus in teaching his disciples to pray taught them to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matt. 6:9-10).  Just before Jesus went to the cross he spent the night praying and finally concluded:  “Not my will be done but Thy will be done” ( Matt. 14:36; Luke 22:42).  Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit, by prayer and by the Word of God.  Jesus was intimately familiar with the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament and the words that the Holy Spirit had spoken in the past through the prophets.    Jesus knew far in advance through the Holy Spirit and his knowledge of the Scriptures that he was to go to Jerusalem and be crucified.   (Matt. 16:21-28; Matt. 17:22-23; Matt. 20:19; Matt. 26:1-2; Mark 8:31-33; Mark 10:34; Luke 9:22-27).

 

Jesus operated under the power of the Holy Spirit and it was He who told us that we as followers of Christ would receive the Spirit of Truth.

 

In the Old Testament, Moses wanted to see God “face to face.”  Today if we want to see God we have an easier time of it.   We can view the face of Christ and in doing so understand what the nature and character of God is.  God has enabled us to see His Image in the face and life of Christ.

 

Jesus received guidance from the Holy Spirit which rested upon Him.  Likewise we, the children of Christ, receive our guidance from the Holy Spirit.  Jesus asked for guidance in faith through prayers.  We ask for guidance in the same way.  Jesus said that God’s will be done rather than his own individual will.  Like Jesus we ask that we do God’s will not our own.  Jesus knew prophecy and the Scriptures.  We, like Jesus, rely on the Word of God for our guidance and for help in resisting temptation.

 

Specific Methods of Guidance Found in the Old Testament are Also in the New Testament

 

We are often taught a type of dualism where there is the God of the Old Testament who is harsh and almost evil and then there is the God of the New Testament who is good.  This type of heresy is called dualism.  It is a form of an old heresy called Marcionism.  You can also find this concept in Zoroastrianism where you have a duality of two gods, a good god and a bad god.  The fact of the matter is that God’s plan for Christ and our salvation was developed before creation ( Eph. 1:3-6;

1 Pet. 1:19-20).  The coming of the Messiah was predicted in Genesis where the Seed of Woman would crush the head of the Serpent (Satan).  Since Creation it has been the will of God to have fellowship with man.  Some of the means for receiving specific guidance in the Old Testament, we also find in the New Testament.  In the first part of this edition, I have already covered the fact that God has allowed man to come face to face with the image of God by the coming of the Messiah and the work of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God.  As Jesus said, if you have known the Son, then you have known the Father.  ( John 12:44-45; John 14:7-9; Hebrews 1:3; Col. 2:9 ).  We no longer need to guess about God, but can know God because God sent his only begotten (unique) son.  Unfortunately most of mankind did not want to know the Father so they have cast out and rejected the son and when you reject the son, you reject the father

 

We have also previously discussed the work of the Holy Spirit and the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire.  In the New Testament, we see the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus just as in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God rested on Mt. Sinai, rested on the Tabernacle of Witness and rested between the Cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant.   In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus.  It also seals and comes to rest as tongues of fire at Pentecost, giving guidance to the church and not only guidance but truth, power and comfort.  Below, we will touch upon some of the methods of guidance utilized in the Old Testament, which we also encounter in the New Testament.

 

Guidance through the Urim and Thummim

 

Out of all of the methods of guidance found in the Old Testament, which we would never expect to be found in the New Testament, is the Urim and Thummim.  The Urim and Thummim are not mentioned in the New Testament at all.  However, a very similar process was used on one occasion in the New Testament.  In Acts 1:23-26, Peter leads the Apostles in selecting a new apostle to replace Judas.  The disciples decide to pick a disciple who is a witness to all that Jesus did.  The disciples narrowed their selection down to two names.  Rather than selecting the final name, the disciples actually prayed to God for guidance to pick the apostle to replace Judas and made the selection by casting lots.  Yes, I know this is absolutely incredible.  However, it is totally within the tradition of using the “yes/no” process utilized by the Urim and Thummim in the Old Testament.  In short, the Apostles pray and then utilize lots to select between the two candidates.  To me, this is somewhat like seeking a pastor and getting two great candidates and then praying to God and flipping a coin with the certitude that God will select the right one of the two.  Whether this process was successful or not, I leave to you. 

 

Dreams

 

God used dreams in the Old Testament times.  Remember our key verse regarding Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:17 when he quotes Joel 2:28 regarding the work of the Holy Spirit.  That verse says the following:

 

I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters

shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old

men shall dream dreams

 

Dreams and visions did not die in the Old Testament and they did not die in the New Testament.  God has used them throughout history.  Today, we have better methods to test these dreams and visions.  They can now be measured against the written word of the Lord.  Let’s take a look at the way in which dreams were used in New Testament times.

 

  • The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him that he should not fear to take Mary for a wife and that that which was conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 1:20-21).
  • The wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and report the birth of Jesus (Matt. 2:12).
  • An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt to protect his family from Herod (Matt. 2:13).
  • Pilate’s wife was warned in a dream that Pilate should have nothing to do with Jesus. (Matt. 27:19).

God used dreams both to protect Jesus and to lead people in taking the correct course of action.

 

Visions

 

God used visions in a number of occasions to help people know his will in the New Testament.  A vision is somewhat like a dream but generally it happens when a person is awake instead of asleep.  In a vision one sees something which appears to be real and which conveys a message to the individual seeing it.    Some examples of visions in the New Testament are the following:

 

  • The transfiguration where Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured and talking with Moses and Elijah was a vision according Matt. 17:9.
  • Just before Stephen got stoned, he had a vision of Jesus standing beside the right hand of God. When he shared this vision, the Jews were outraged and stoned him for blasphemy (Acts 7:55).
  • Paul stated that he had visions and revelations (2 Cor. 12:1).
  • Saul had a face to face encounter with Jesus or a vision of him on the road to Damascus ( Acts 9:3).
  • The Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision and told him to go and pray for Saul and Saul would receive his sight (Acts 9:11).
  • Saul (Paul) had a vision of Ananias coming in to pray for him to be healed (Acts 9:12)
  • Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had a vision of the angel Gabriel telling him to call for Peter (Acts 10:3).
  • Peter fell into a trance and saw a sheet being let down with both clean and unclean beasts in it and was told to kill and eat. This was a sign to Peter that the Gentiles were acceptable to God and that he was no longer to discriminate between Jews and Gentiles resulting that the Gospel and the Holy Spirit was shared with the Gentiles (Acts 23:11).
  • Paul had a vision of a Man of Macedonia asking him to come to Macedonia. Paul adjusted his plans and went to Macedonia to share the Gospel (Acts 16:9).
  • The Lord appeared to Paul in the night by a vision and told him not to fear but to continue speaking and that the Lord had many people in the City of Corinth (Acts 18:9).

Guidance through the Prophets

 

God continued to give guidance through the prophets even after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Prophets spoke the word of God as inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Prophecy was utilized in a number of different ways including encouragement but also to predict the future.  Prophecy appeared in Old Testament times, in New Testament times and today as well.  All prophecy must be tested against the revealed written word of God and cannot be in opposition to that word.  Some instances of prophets and prophecy in the New Testament are found below:

 

  • At Antioch there were prophets and teachers such as Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius and Manaen (Acts 13:1).
  • Prophecy is listed as some of the ministry gifts of the church (See 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11).
  • Prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 11:7).
  • Prophets judge the prophecies of other prophets (1 Cor. 14:29).
  • Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied (Luke 1:67).
  • Paul said in 1 Cor. 14:1 that we were to desire spiritual gifts “but especially that you may prophesy.”
  • 2 Peter 1:21 says “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
  • The prophet Agabus prophesied by the Spirit that there would be a world-wide famine which took place during the reign of Claudius (Acts 11:28).
  • The daughters of Philip were prophetesses (Acts 21:9).
  • By prophecy Paul and Barnabas were set aside and anointed for mission work (Acts 13:2).
  • Various prophets warned Paul that if he went to Jerusalem he would be bound and that he should not go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4).
  • Agabus took Paul’s belt and bound his (Agabus’) hands and feet and said that Paul would be bound in a similar manner if he proceeded to Jerusalem (Acts 21:10, 14).

 

Guidance through Angels

 

The appearance and guidance by angels occurred both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

Angels often serve as messengers of God.  We find angels appearing and ministering many times in the New Testament.  Some of the instances of angelic appearances and work in the New Testament are the following:

 

  • The Angel Gabriel appeared to Zecharias (Luke 1:19).
  • The Angel Gabriel was sent to Mary (See Luke 1:26, 30, 34).
  • An angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-10).
  • An angelic heavenly host sang “Hallelujah” when Jesus was born (Luke 2:13-16).
  • Angels ministered to Jesus after the temptation (Matt. 4:11).
  • Angels opened prison doors to set the apostles free and instructed them to go and minister in the temple (Acts 5:19).
  • An angel set Peter free from prison (Acts 12:7).
  • An angel spoke to Philip and sent him to minister to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26).
  • The Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away (Acts 8:39).
  • An angel told Paul that there would be no loss of life on his ship when it wrecked (Acts 27:23-24).
  • Angels were present at the tomb of Jesus after his resurrection (Matt. 28:1-7; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1-13; Mark 16:1-8).
  • There were angels (two men dressed in white) present when Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:10-11).

The fact of the matter is that there are angels all around us.  We do not experience them due to our  skepticism and doubt.   We need to expect God to deal with us in supernatural and miraculous ways.

 

Final Thoughts

 

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament periods, God spoke to people in a variety of means and methods.  Sometimes, God spoke to the hearts, other times it was in face to face encounters.  God utilized angels and in particular the Angel of the Lord to give people guidance.  God began the process of giving man the written word of God, beginning with the Torah and later added the Prophets and other writings.  In the New Testament period God added to his word through writers who testified according to the Holy Spirit.  In both the Old and New Testaments, God utilized the Holy Spirit as a way of giving people direction and guidance.  God through his Holy Spirit also utilized other means to communicate His will to people including through dreams, visions and prophecies.  All of these means were used in the Old Testament; they were used in the New Testament period and they are used today. 

 

God, in particular, has blessed us today in numerous ways over people in Old Testament times.  Today we can look back and see how the actions of Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.  We can look back and have advantage of all the prophecies and wisdom of the Old Testament believers in faith.  Likewise, we have advantages over the people of New Testament times because we have the writings of the Apostles and those inspired in New Testament times.  Further we have additional sources to supplement us in our studies of the Christian life including the writings and examples of people such as the early church fathers and many Christian writers and musicians who can help us draw closer to God.

 

Despite the views of some, God has not put away the tools and methods that He has used in the past to communicate with us.  Instead, God retains and can use all of the methods that he has used in the past to communicate with us.  As an additional blessing, we have the full revelation of the New and Old Testament books to measure any dream, any prophecy and any vision.

 

 In conclusion, I want to share that I believe I personally on more than one occasion have seen or had an encounter with an angel and believe that I have received angelic protection.  Many years ago, I asked a relative of mine who had been one of the first Protestant missionaries on the Amazon River whether he had ever heard the voice of God.  He responded to me that generally He heard God speaking in his heart but on one occasion heard God say to him audibly, “Clem, Go to Brazil.”  Do not limit God.  Do not let doubt and unbelief and lack of faith seal your ears, eyes and hearts.  Both Old and New Testaments refer to those who had eyes which did not see and ears which did not hear.  Please do not let doubt turn you into a person who does not see God moving or cause you to have ears which are closed to God.  If we do not believe the miraculous, we will not see the miraculous.  God wants to speak to you.  Open your hearts, as well as your eyes and ears, to God today, and do not limit the ways that God can communicate with you.

 

Finding the Specific Will of God in the Old Testament

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LOCUSTS AND HONEY

Vol. 7, Part 3

How Do We Find the Specific Will of God for Our Life?

Introduction.

In this edition of Locusts and Honey, we will be reviewing the methods in the Old Testament for determining God’s specific will for our lives.  We will begin by looking at how people in ancient cultures during the time of the Hebrews tried to determine God’s will for their lives.  In contrast to pagan methods of determining God’s will, people in the Old Testament, utilized other means to determine God’s specific will for their lives.    In short we shall focus in this edition on how people in the Old Testament sought the will of God in their lives.  In a future and subsequent we will look at means that people in the time of Christ and in the early church sought God’s will.  We will also touch upon in a future edition some of the methods which believers utilize today.

Pagan Cultures.

Men and women have an intrinsic desire to know what God’s specific will is for their lives.  They have used various means over the years to get an insight into what God wants them to do and how to take advantage of divine forces in order to better themselves and to live successfully.  Some of the methods utilized in ancient cultures include the following:

               Consulting the Stars

People have believed since ancient times that the stars affect their destinies including constellations at the time of a person’s birth.  We see this in cultures as diverse as Zoroastrian, Chinese, and Indian cultures.  We see it in effect today with the use of astrology and horoscopes.  The belief is that the stars control your destiny and that you can know the future through the knowledge of the stars.  The occurrence of extraordinary celestial events were interpreted to have various special meanings for the future including meteors, eclipses and the like.

               Consulting the Dead

Consulting the dead and the use of witchcraft is not a new development but is ancient.  Witchcraft is known in the Bible and we know the example of Saul going to the Witch of Endor to call up the spirit of Samuel so that Saul could get advice.  The use of witchcraft and mediums as a way to determine the future and knowing what to do goes back to ancient times.  The use of mediums, witches and the like were found in numerous cultures and was prohibited by the Bible.  Some verses of interest would be

Deut. 18:10-12; Is. 8:18; Levit. 19:31 and Levit. 20:27.

               Consulting Soothsayers and the Like

At various times people would consult soothsayers, oracles, and prophets.  There were false prophets like the prophets of Baal ( 1 Kings 18:38-40) and others and there were true prophets like Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah and others found in the Bible.  Examples of soothsayers and prophets found in the ancient world would be the Oracle of Delphi and the Vestal Virgins found in Rome.  True prophets heard directly from God and passed upon God’s word to people.

               Consulting Entrails

Ancient people would make animal sacrifices and then cut the animals open and make prophecies based upon the entrails of the animal sacrificed.

The above methods were some of many methods utilized by ancient societies to ascertain the will of the gods and to assist individuals in ascertaining what the specific will of the gods were for life.  In addition, ancient people utilized a wide variety of charms, books and superstitious paraphernalia to help them to ascertain the will of the gods and the course of future events. 

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament prohibit the use of divination, witchcraft, consulting mediums and spiritualists, the casting of spells, consulting of the dead and the use of astrology.  Some Old Testament verses on this are : 1 Chron. 10:13; 1 Sam. 15:23; 1 Sam 22:23; 2 Chron. 33:6; Lev. 19:31; Lev. 20:6; Micah 5:10-12; Is. 8:19-22; Is. 19:1-4; Is. 47:8-14 and others.  Some New Testament verses dealing with these practices include: Rev. 18:23; Rev. 21:8; Gal. 5:19-21; Acts 8:9-13; and Acts 19:17-20.

How did the Hebrews determine the specific will of God?

 

               Direct Encounters with God

Various people in the Old Testament had direct encounters with God and as a result received direction for their lives.  These encounters came in a variety of ways.  Sometimes God “appeared” to them.  Sometimes, they heard God or had visions or dreams of God.  Sometimes they had an encounter with the “Angel of God.”  Although who and what the Angel of God is worthy of a full study, many Christian theologians believe that the Angel of God was the pre-incarnate Christ which in effect means that they believe that this is a manifestation of Christ in the Old Testament before his birth to Mary.  Hopefully, in the future we can take a closer look at this question.  The fact of the matter is that God directly had encounters with men and women in the Old Testament directly through a variety of means and methods.  Below are some examples.

Adam—We know from Genesis 3:8-10 that Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the Garden of Eden.  We also know from various verses in Genesis that God spoke to Adam and Eve.

Cain—God spoke to Cain on several occasions.  See Gen. 4:6, 9, 13 and 15.

Noah—God spoke to Noah.  See Gen. 7:1; 8:15; 9:1,8,12.

Abraham—Abraham had a number of experiences with God where God spoke to him and gave him direction.  God used a number of different methods to communicate with Abraham in Genesis 1:12-23.    In Genesis 12:1, God speaks to Abraham and tells him to leave his native land.  In Genesis 12:7, God appears to Abraham and promises to give him the land where he is residing.  In Genesis 13:14, God speaks to Abraham and makes him certain promises.  In Genesis 15:1, God appears to Abraham in a vision.   In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah encounter the Lord and two angels and Abraham negotiated with God to preserve Sodom if ten righteous men could be found in the city.  God appeared to Abraham and spoke to him after the birth of Isaac in Genesis 21.  He spoke to him in Genesis 22:1 and the Angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham and preserved the life of Isaac from being sacrificed in Genesis 22:  11, 12 and 15.  In short, God encountered Abraham by numerous methods including speaking to him, appearing in a vision, appearing in a dream, meeting him with two angels, and through the Angel of the Lord.  In the course of these encounters, Abraham becomes the Father of a Nation, the Father of Isaac and gave an object lesson of faith foreshadowing the future sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Jacob—Intriguingly, Jacob’s encounters with God begin after he has fled from his home and Jacob is on his way to the home of his relative Laban.  When he comes to Bethel, he has a dream and sees in the dream a ladder with angels ascending and descending.  At the top of this ladder is God who makes certain covenant promises to Jacob.  (Gen. 28:10-16).  His next encounter is many years later when he has left Laban and is returning to Esau.  Genesis 32:1 says that he met an angel.  In Genesis 32:24-30, there is an account where Jacob wrestles with a “man” all night and refuses to let go until he is blessed.  Jacob names the place where this encounter happened “ Peniel” meaning “For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.”    Later Jacob returns to Bethel (meaning House of God) and there he is spoken to by God who blesses and changes his name from Jacob to Israel.  (Genesis, Chapter 35).  The encounters of Jacob are fascinating.  They begin with dreams and end with a very close encounter with God.

Moses—Moses encountered God at various times and in various fashions and as a result found God’s will for his life.  Some of the ways involved encountering God at the burning bush, meeting God on Mt. Horeb, meeting the presence of God between the Cherubim in the Tent of Meeting and in various other fashions.  We will look at a few of these.  The important thing to remember is that God is not limited by the way that He communicates with us.  In addition, God uses different methods to meet each of us.

               The Burning Bush

 

In Exodus 3:1-21 we find Moses encountering the “Angel of the Lord” at the burning bush.  In this instance, Scripture equates the Angel of the Lord with God Himself and God reveals his name to Moses as being “I AM.”  God also reveals himself as being “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.

During the Plagues

From Exodus 3 through Exodus 14, there is a constant dialogue between God and Moses regarding each plague brought upon the Egyptians.   In each instance, God speaks to Moses and gives him precise instructions regarding the plague and Moses responds.

               From Mt. Sinai

In Exodus 19 we find God being present above and on Mt. Sinai.  In this chapter, God manifests His presence not only to Moses but to the people of Israel.  In Exodus 19:9, we find God saying to Moses:  “And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold I come to you in the thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”” The experience was a frightening one for the Israelites with the presence of a thick cloud, thundering, lightening and the sound of a loud trumpet.  In Exodus 19:18 it says:  “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire,.  Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”  God calls Moses up to the top of the mountain, and it is there that he receives the Ten Commandments.  The people of Israel decided that they did not feel comfortable with God speaking directly and so in Exodus 20:18-19 they say to Moses:  “You speak with us and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

After Moses destroyed the first set of the Ten Commandments, God renewed the covenant with Israel and Moses, Aaron and 70 elders of Israel.  They all ascended to a certain place on Mt. Sinai and , according to Exodus 24:10 saw the God of Israel and ate what we believe was a covenant meal there (Exodus 24:24).  Although many scholars have discussed this account I believe it is a renewing of the Mosaic Covenant where Israel agreed to be the people of God and God, in turn, was to be the God of Israel. After this experience Moses went back up to the top of Mt. Sinai where he remained for 40 days and received instructions for building the Ark of the Covenant, and the Tabernacle and for establishing the Levitical Priesthood (See Genesis, Chapters 25-32).

               From the Tent of Meeting

After the construction of the Tabernacle, Moses generally received direction from God by going into the Tent of Meeting.  The presence of the Lord appeared in the Pillar of Cloud and descended to the door of the Tabernacle and God spoke directly with Moses.  When this occurred, the people of Israel stood at their tents while God talked to Moses and Moses recounted to the people what God said.  See Exodus 33:1-11.  Notwithstanding this, God still spoke directly to Moses from time to time and He also continued to speak directly to Moses in front of the people of God from the Tabernacle.

Moses Wants to Meet God Face to Face

One of the most interesting of the encounters of Moses with God is the request by Moses in Exodus 33:18  to see God in all of His glory.  God’s response in Exodus 33:20 is “You cannot see My face for no man shall see Me, and live.”  This is at first surprising because Moses and the 70 elders at Exodus had seen the God of Israel on Mount Sinai at Exodus 24:10.  However, God is a Spirit and even though Moses and other fathers of the faith had encountered God in various ways, here Moses asks to experience God in his fullness.  God’s response is that Moses request was not possible perhaps because man may experience God but we simply do not have the capacity to experience God in his absolute fullness and infinity.  God’s response to Moses is found at Exodus 33:21-23:  “And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me and you shall stand on the rock.  So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand while I pass by, Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

As a Christian, I see some meaning in these words.  My best ability to see the glory of God is to be placed safely in the rock of ages cleft for me.  There I can come into an experience seeing God.  Although I may not fully comprehend the face of God the Father I can see a representation of the Father’s love for Me in the Risen Christ who is my protection.  Christ is the rock which was struck (“cleft”) for me..  Again, this is just my interpretation.

               Concluding Words on Moses

We have spent a great amount of time reviewing the encounters of God and Moses.  Understanding these various encounters is important because they are diverse.  In some instances, God speaks to the heart of Moses.  He used the Angel of the Lord; there is a burning bush, there is a Cloud of Glory on Mt. Sinai; there is a Meal on Mt. Sinai; there are encounters at the Tent of Meeting and there is an experience where Moses is placed in the cleft of a rock for protection as the presence of the Lord goes by.  God is not limited in reaching his people.  We try to build hedges and dictate exactly how and what God does.  However, His love and desire to reach is not limited by the rules of man.  He is in charge and He reaches out to people and does so in His times and by His methods.  Therefore, do not be discouraged, God loves you and He may use any number of ways to contact you and reach your heart.  At the same time, he has provided us with a number of safety nets to help protect us including the written Word of to keep us safe and to guide us.

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Gideon

Gideon encountered God in the form of the Angel of the Lord in Judges Chapter 6.  Gideon’s reaction was one of fear.  Judges 6:32-33 says, Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord.  So Gideon said “Alas, O Lord God!  For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” “Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”  God leads Gideon to go against the Midianites who had enslaved the Israelites.  Gideon is cautious and so he asks God to perform some miracles to assure Gideon that he is doing what God wants.  Those miracles are described in Judges 6:36-40 and we call this situation “laying out the fleece”.   First Gideon puts a fleece of wool on the threshing floor and asks that in the morning that it be full of dew and the ground around it dry.  When the morning occurs, he wrings a bowlful of water out of the fleece.  Just to be sure, he reverses the request the next night.  When morning comes, the fleece is dry but there is dew on the ground.  Through this method Gideon received confirmation regarding the direction of God.

It is probably a very good thing that Gideon got that confirmation because he is told to reduce the size of the Israelite army and goes up against the Midianites with only 300 men and wins a great victory. 

               God Gave Guidance through the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire

 

God used a Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of fire to lead the Israelites in the wilderness.  The Israelites had tangible evidence of God’s direction of where and when to move.  Exodus 13:21 says, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night”.  God used this pillar to protect the Israelites from the Egyptians and to lead them.  Many of us use a GPS or a map to guide us.  The Israelites had a Pillar of Smoke and Fire to lead them and apparently this phenomenon continued until they came into the Promised Land.  By following the Pillar and the Ark of the Covenant, the individual Israelite would not get lost.  Today, as we follow the Holy Spirit and the Presence of Christ, we can be assured that we will not get lost or lose our way but instead will go where we are supposed to go, do what we are supposed to do and move when we are supposed to move.  Like the Army of God, we move at the command of our General and do not move without God’s leadership and instructions. 

               God gave Guidance through the Urim and Thummim

 

It is very interesting but the Jews believed that there were three ways to know the will of God.  One way was by the Urim and Thummim which we will discuss below.  The other two methods were by Dreams which came from God and the third method was by the prophetic word.  In 1 Sam. 28:6, God ceased speaking and giving guidance to Saul.  That verse says, “When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.”

The terms Urim and Thummim were some sort of instruments or objects used to discern the will of God.  They were placed in the Ephod of the High Priest.  The Ephod was a vest or sleeveless jacket containing twelve stones on the front of the Ephod, each which had the name of one of the twelve tribes.  We know very little about the Urim and Thummim.  Some believe that it was a parchment with the name of God on it.  Others believe it was like lots.  Generally, but not always, questions were addressed to the High Priest which required a yes or no answer.  We know from Exodus 28:8 that the Urim and Thummim were placed in the Ephod above Aaron’s heart.  (See Ex. 28:8; Levit. 8:8; Deut. 33:8). 

The term Urim and Thummim means “lights and perfections.”  Joshua evidently made use of this method.  Numbers 27:21 says, “Set him (Joshua) before Eleazar the priest (the High Priest and son of Aaron) and before all the congregation and inaugurate him in their sight…Eleazar the priest who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the judgment of the Urim.”  It is believed that the Urim and Thummim were used in dividing up the Promised Land among the tribes and used to answer important questions such as when to go out to war.  David apparently used the Urim and Thummim.  See 1 Sam. 23:9-11; 1 Sam. 30:7-8)

There is not much mention of the Urim and Thummim after the time of Nehemiah when the Temple was restored.  (See Ezra 2:63 and Neh. 7:65).

Although this method was helpful at various times between the time of Moses and the time of the Restoration of the Temple after the Babylonian Captivity, the method fell out of use.  Some believe that the Thunnim and Urim were lost and others believed that the method ceased working and that God began to work more directly with people instead of just through a somewhat mechanical means.

               God gave Guidance through Dreams

 

Introduction

We know that the world of dreams was a method which God used in the history of Israel.  Not only did God communicate with his people in dreams but he also used dreams as a method of communicating with non-believers for the benefit of his people.  God sent dreams to Abraham, but he also sent them to non-Jews such as Abimelech (Gen. 20:1-7), Pharaoh and to Nebuchadnezzar.  He gave the ability to interpret dreams to people such as Joseph who interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and to Daniel who interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.  God’s will was often expressed through dreams both in the Old Testament and even in the New Testament.

Jacob—We have previously discussed that Jacob when he fled from Esau and his home came to a place where he went to sleep and had a dream of a ladder in which angels were ascending and descending on to  God  and God made certain promises to Jacob.  That place was named Bethel meaning “House of God.”  God communicated his promises to Jacob through a dream.  See Gen. 28:10-17.

Joseph—One of Jacob’s children, Joseph, had dreams and the ability to interpret dreams.  Joseph dreamed that his family would bow down to him.  This caused a great amount of consternation to his family.  Later his brothers sold him into slavery and in time Joseph became second to the Pharaoh in Egypt and his family did actually bow down to him as he had dreamed years earlier.  In addition Joseph interpreted dreams to the servants of Pharaoh (the baker was not restored to power and died and the cupbearer was restored and survived).   Joseph interpreted and explained dreams which Pharaoh had thereby achieving a position which allowed Joseph both to save Egypt and the Hebrews from famine.  See Gen 37:1-11 and Genesis 40-41.

Solomon—After Solomon became king, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked Solomon what he would ask for.  Solomon asked for wisdom to govern his people, which was a request which pleased God.  (1 Kings 3:5).

Daniel—Daniel was both known for interpreting dreams and having dreams and visions.  He rose to power by interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of an image with a head of gold.   The King had made a nearly impossible demand that his “magicians” tell him what the dream was first and then interpret it for him.  Daniel after prayer did both rising to a high position in the Babylonian Empire allowing him both to serve his king and protect his people.  God gave numerous dreams and visions to Daniel.  For Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, see Daniel, Chapter 2.  For Daniel’s vision of the end times, see Daniel Chapters 10-12.

Final Comments on Dreams.

In seeking God’s guidance and knowledge of His will, God utilized dreams as  one of the methods by which he conveyed His will to people.  God utilized dreams in the Old Testament; however, he also utilized them in the New Testament.  Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost at Acts 2:17 said, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”  Peter was quoting Joel 2:28.  Therefore, dreams from God are found in both the Old and New Testaments.  More will be written about this later.

               God Gave Guidance Through the Prophets

Introduction

In our passage above, Acts 2:17 quoting Joel 2:28, it is promised that our sons and daughters will prophesy.  Carefully note that although our examples given of prophecy are men such as Samuel, Isaiah and Ezekiel, the promise is given to women as well.  In the Old Testament, it is believed that Mariam the sister of Moses moved in prophecy (Ex. 15:20).   Other Old Testament women who were considered to be prophetesses were Deborah (Judges 4:4); Huldah, wife of Shallum (2 Chron. 34:22) and the wife of Isaiah (Is. 8:3).  We also find in the New Testament that when Jesus was a baby in the Temple one of the people speaking words and prophesying over him was Anna the prophetess (Lk 2:36).

Moses—We generally think of Moses as a law-giver as opposed to a prophet; however the Bible said that Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament.  Deuteronomy 34:10-12 says:  “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”

Samuel—God spoke in a dream to Samuel.  Samuel went on to become one of the great judges of Israel.  He is also the prophet who anointed Saul as King and later David as King.  God gave guidance to Israel, including who should be king, through Samuel the Prophet.  We know that along with Samuel were other prophets.

Elijah—Elijah (along with his student Elisha) led Israel in the prophetic ministry and God spoke to His people many times through these prophets.  Elijah was taken into heaven by a whirlwind and appears to Jesus along with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Most Christian scholars believe that this appearance on the Mountain illustrates the unity of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) in the ministry and work of Jesus for our salvation.

School of the Prophets—Apparently there were schools of prophets and prophetic communities.  For further study see 1 Samuel 19:18-21; 2 Kings 2 and 2 Kings 4:38-99.  There are numerous instances where groups of prophets and the “sons of the prophets” are mentioned in the Bible.

Isaiah—Isaiah was one of the greatest of the prophets.  His calling is described in Isaiah 6 where he sees the “Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up with the train of his robe surrounded by angels.”          Isaiah in Isaiah 53 writes one of the clearest descriptions of Jesus Christ and his coming work of salvation.  Isaiah gave directions to various kings about the will of God.

Jeremiah—Jeremiah warned Israel about the need to repent and the coming judgment on Israel by Babylon.

Ezekiel—Ezekiel was a great prophet during the Babylonian captivity who had visions of the “end-times” and a presence of God surrounded by fire and indescribable angelic creatures.

Summary of Prophets

God used prophets to speak to people, kings and nations regarding his will and the need for repentance.  These prophets also spoke to things and events which would come in the future.  However, there were good prophets and bad prophets.  For instance, those who worshipped Baal had prophets and it was Elijah who came up against 500 prophets of Baal and asked the Israelites who they were going to serve-either God or Baal.  Therefore prophecy existed in both true and false forms. 

Moreover, Moses had said that one of the ways that you can know that a prophet is true is that the words of the prophet come true.  Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”    Unfortunately this may help in retrospect but is not of great help in knowing whether the prophecy is true on the front end.

One of the great difficulties in knowing who the true prophet is and who the false prophet is.  A great example of this was an event which occurred in Jeremiah 28.  Jeremiah had previously been predicting the victory of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  The prophet Hananiah contradicted Jeremiah and said that within two years King Nebuchadnezzar would restore those things which he had taken to Judah.  Jeremiah in Jeremiah 28:6 responded, “Amen! May the Lord do that.  May the Lord make the message you say come true”.  Jeremiah had been wearing a yoke to illustrate the slavery of Babylon and Hananiah broke the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and said that in the same way the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar would be broken in two years.  (Jer. 28:10-11).  Jeremiah left the temple but the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and said that Hananiah had broken a wooden yoke but that it would be replaced with an iron yoke.  Further God said that Hananiah would die within a year because he had taught the people to turn against the Lord.  Hananiah died within the year as God had promised.  (Jer. 28:15-17).

The difficulty with prophecy is that sometimes it takes time to test the prophet and the prophecy.  Prophets that are correct time after time prove their reliability.  However, sometimes we do know the prophet or the track record of the prophet.  The New Testament suggested that prophecy is to be judged by others with the gift.  ( 1 Cor. 14:29 )  At any rate, prophecy is a means by which God speaks to us; however, one must be prepared to test prophecy and to look for the fruits of the prophets.  We will study more about prophecy in the church in a future edition of Locusts and Honey. 

In our last political election there were many “prophets” who predicted political events which did not take place.  We would do well not to rely upon these “prophets.”  Instead of retiring their “prophetic mantles,” they are already back in business with new prophecies and hawking their latest books without breaking stride.

Many of the prophets of the Old Testament would not have survived long in the modern church.  Sometimes the prophets took graphic actions to illustrate the point.  We have already mentioned that Jeremiah was wearing a wooden yoke.  Ezekiel drew an image of Jerusalem on a clay tablet and lay on his side.  He did this for 390 days and this rolled over and laid on the other side to make his point.  (Ezekiel 4).  On another occasion he shaved off his beard with a sword and divided his hair into thirds with one third being set on fire, and another third being stabbed with a sword and the final third being thrown into the wind, to illustrate the fate of Jerusalem’s inhabitants.  (Ezekiel 5).  Isaiah went around naked or nearly naked for three years to illustrate the captivity of the Jewish people.  (Isaiah 20:2-4).  These actions would not have endeared a prophet to the local church today; however God used His prophets in drastic ways to get his message across and to try to bring His people into repentance.

In our next edition, we will look at some of the methods for ascertaining the will of God in New Testament times.

 

 

The Will of God and the Plans of God, Vol. 7, Pt. 2

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LOCUSTS AND HONEY

Vol. 7, Part 2

The Will of God and The Plans of God

 

 

In this edition of Locusts and Honey we will be looking at some verses regarding The Will of God.  God has a will regarding mankind collectively and each of our lives individually.

 

Calvinism vs. Arminianism

 

In my opinion, God gives a free choice to follow Him or not. Various denominations spend considerable time debating the differences between free-will (often called “Arminianism”) and “Predestination” which suggests that you don’t really have a choice.  Christians of good faith come out on both sides of this on-going argument.  For my purposes, I come down on the side of free-will believing that each of us has a free choice as to whether we will follow Christ or not.  Those who are Calvinistic may disagree; however a more free-will approach encourages people to share the Gospel with the lost whereas with a more Calvinistic approach allows one to argue that those who God calls to be saved will be saved whether there is evangelism or not.  The Arminian approach believes that Christ died for everyone and that the verses regarding those “elected by God” really refer to those who God foreknew would come to believe in Him.  The Calvinistic approach believes that Christ died to save only those who were given to him by the Father and that the elect are chosen by God before the foundation of the world.

 

Generally Protestant denominations fall within one or the other of the camps.  Denominations taking the Calvinistic view would include most Presbyterian churches and most Reformed and Congregational Churches.

 

Denominations taking a more Arminian view would include most Baptist churches, The United Methodist Church, Wesleyan Churches, the Nazarene Church, Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, Church of God, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Church of God, most Pentecostal Churches and the Assemblies of God.

 

 

 

God’s Will

 

Whether we call it God’s will, God’s plans or God’s purposes, we all know in our heart that God has a plan for both the world collectively and for us individually.   In this edition of Locusts and Honey,  we will focus upon the over-arching plans, purposes and will of God in history.  By understanding the “larger” purposes of God, we can better consider God’s individual purpose, will and plan for each of us and how we fit into the larger purposes of God.  I will discuss some of these larger purposes and give some verses to support those purposes. 

 

 

 

               Salvation

 

Introduction.

 

 God came to save and redeem men and women.  Due to the choices made in the Garden of Eden, corruption came into the world and into our lives.  Through the sinless sacrifice of the Lamb of God, men and women are able to be redeemed and to receive eternal life.  I believe that it is God’s will for people to be saved but God does not remove from us free choice just as He permitted Adam and Eve to have free choice, even though their choices brought forth disastrous results.

 

Verses.

 

Acts 2:23—This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

 

2 Peter 3:9—The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

 

1 Tim. 2:4—[God] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

John 3:16—For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 

John 6:38-40—For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day.  For this is the will of my Father, that EVERYONE who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.        

 

John 17:3—And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

 

Jer. 29:11—For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

 

Rom. 6:23—For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Rom. 10:13—For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 

Titus 3:5-7—He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

Eph. 2:4-7—But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come He might show the exceedingly riches of his grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

 

              

               Restoration into the Family of God

 

Introduction.

 

Related to salvation, the saving work of Jesus Christ allows us to be restored into the family of God.  We became once more conformed to the image of God and like Jesus Christ. It is God’s will that his table be full.  When those who are invited do not choose to come; God still sends out servants (both the Holy Spirit and believers motivated by the Spirit) into the highways and hedges to invite all to come in regardless of the condition of their life.  Those invited put on the wedding garments, white and pure, of God’s grace and sit at the Holy Table of God.  (A good example is the ex-beggar, Lazarus.)  (Luke 16:25) The earthly family of God can be viewed as a new nation or the New Israel.  We are also the church which is called out from the unsaved.  We find Jesus Christ to be our elder brother and God to be our father.  We become not only a holy nation but a holy priesthood with each of us having the ability to enter into the presence of God.  Instead of being citizens of the Kingdom of Earth, we become citizens of the Kingdom of God.

 

The Bible uses a number of pictures of us as a people called out from the world.  God’s plan was to call a people who would be a “heritage” of the Lord.  As a part of the family of God, we are a new nation, a church, a heritage, a kingdom and a Godly people.  We are called to follow God, to live holy lives and to do good.  We are to be a witness to the nations, a bright and shining city, and a light in the darkness.

 

Verses.

 

Gal. 1:4—Who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father.

 

Romans 8:28-29—And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

 

Eph. 1:5—He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his well.

 

2 Cor. 3:18—And we all with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

 

1 Pet. 2:9—But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 

 

 

 

               We are sealed with the Holy Spirit

 

Introduction.

 

Part of God’s will was that we would be sealed with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit calls and convicts us of sin and witnesses to the things of God.  It is a mark of being in the Family of God.  The Bible indicates that the Holy Spirit is like a down payment to us from God assuring us that we will inherit the promises of God including eternal life.  (Eph. 1:13-14).  When you become a Christian you are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  Not only are you sealed but it is God’s will that you will be full of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a promise of our eternal life to come and helps us to be called and to know and commune with God.

 

 

Verses.

 

Eph. 1:13-14–In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,  who is the ]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

 

Eph. 5:15-20—Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

 

               Holiness

 

Introduction.

 

In coming to Christ, we become a holy people.  It is God’s will that we be a holy people and a holy priesthood of believers.  Instead of doing our will, we now desire to do the will of God.  It is God’s plan and will that you do the works of the Father.  Like Christ, you listen to God and do what God tells you to do.  The High Priest of Israel wore a plate on his turban saying that he was “Holy to God” (Ex. 28:36).  We have each become a high priest and we are to live holy lives.

 

Verses.

 

Eccl. 12:13—The end of the matter; all has been heard.  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

 

Micah 6:8—He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

 

1 Thes. 4:3-5—For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.

 

1 Pet. 2:15—For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

 

Eph. 1:4—Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love.

 

Eph. 2:10—For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

2 Tim. 1:9—Who saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

 

Jn. 15:16—You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

 

               Thankfulness

 

Introducton.

 

It is God’s will that we be thankful.   

 

 

Verses.

 

1 Thes. 5:18—In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

 

               To Proclaim God’s Name in the Earth

 

Introduction.

 

It is God’s will that we proclaim God’s name in the earth.  Part of this involves proclaiming the glories of God and God’s plan for salvation.  We are to be fruitful and part of our proclamation helps others to hear the voice of God and to acknowledge God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son through the work of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Verses.

 

Ex. 9:16—But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

 

Matt. 29:19-20—Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Although I may not have summarized all the plans and purposes of God, we can be confident that  there are certain large and overarching purposes of God and God’s will.  We know that God wants men and women to be saved.  We can be assured that God is looking to build a people for Himself and this people will be sons and daughters of God.  They will be part of the family of God and will be a nation of prophets, priests and kings.

 

We know that God used Jesus Christ as a means of redeeming man from his sin and that it is through Christ that we are restored into right relationship with God.  It was God’s will that Christ would come to earth and die for our sins and live resurrected as the first among many brothers and sisters.

 

We know that God wants the Holy Spirit to be part of our lives and that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit which is a deposit that we receive now for the eternal life that we are promised in the future.  We know that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and helps to lead us to Christ.  We know that it is through the Holy Spirit that we get power and anointing to do God’s work and to praise and worship God.

 

We know that it is God’s will that we live holy lives, doing God’s will on earth and being fruitful and productive.  God has prepared for us to do good deeds and to bless others.  It is God’s will and plan that we share in the redemptive work of Christ by being his hands, his feet and saying the words of God as led by the Holy Spirit who has the mind of Christ.

 

It is God’s will that we be a prayerful, thankful and praising people.

 

It is God’s will that we share the work of Christ.  We participate in the spread of the kingdom of God by sharing with others with the result that more and more people come into the Kingdom of God and the praise of God is expanded over the earth.

 

These things are some of the “larger” or “over-arching” purposes, plans and will of God.  We may rest assured as we do these things we are doing the will of God.  We can pray confidently knowing that we are praying and acting in accordance with the will of God.  We can also trust that we are not moving alone but that God is directing us and guiding us through His Holy Spirit.

 

In a future edition of Locusts and Honey we will look at how God deals with his specific purposes for each of us and how these specific purposes fall within the currents of God’s overall purposes.

The Will of God and the Plans of God, Pt. 1

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LOCUSTS AND HONEY

Vol. 7, Part 1

The Will of God and The Plans of God

 

 

Introduction

 

Many of us want to know what God’s plan is for our lives.  However, in obsessing over this question we become defeated before we ever begin our search for answers.  We ask the wrong question and in doing so, we find that our answer is predisposed to lead us in the wrong direction.  We are somewhat like a man who drives into a service station and asks the person there how he can find his mother who lives in Santa Fe.  In reality the driver made a mistake because his mother really lived in Taos.  Therefore, no matter how precise and correct the directions to Santa Fe, the driver fails to arrive at his mother’s house because he inadvertently asked the wrong question to begin with.

 

We are part of the “Me” generation.  We are interested in things about us.  We are self-centered people in a universe which is by its nature self- centered because it is corrupted by the affects of man’s sin.  Many early astronomers considered earth to be the center of the universe.  It was only later that modern astronomy confirmed that we revolved around the sun rather than the sun revolving around us.

 

Our question about God’s plan about OUR lives is somewhat like the issue that the sun revolves around the earth.  We begin by putting ourselves in the middle of our little universe with ourselves at the center. 

 

The correct question is not how does God fit into your plan and your life.   Instead, the correct question is how do you fit into God’s plan and purposes.  Age and time are likely to teach you that it is not all about YOU.  And yet, that is only half the truth because in another sense, due to the love of God, it is about YOU.  It is for this reason that John 3:16 is so loved by many of us.  In that verse, we learn that God loves us despite that we are both finite and fallen.  God’s divine purpose in one sense does involve us and does involve restoring our broken condition.  The miracle is that God Himself became bruised and broken that we might be restored.

 

Getting Our Priorities Right

 

I do not believe that Jesus obsessed over knowing what God’s will for His life was.  In fact, just the opposite.  In the Model Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom Come” instead of “My Kingdom Come.”  He taught us to pray “Thy will be done” not “My will be done.”  Many of us have spent way too much time praying for our kingdoms to come instead of God’s kingdom to come.  We have prayed that “Our will be done” instead of “Thy will be done.”  We have used God as a magic talisman to achieve inner peace, achieve family and business goals and to achieve both health and wealth for our universes where we reign supreme in the center.

 

The question which we should be asking is what are the plans, purposes and will of God and how do we fit into them.  Jesus spent time in prayer knowing the heart of the Father.  He did what he saw the Father doing.  Jesus, by keeping his eyes on the Father, was able to avoid the self- absorption that many of us fall into.  Jesus went about doing the work of the Father instead of doing his own work and building his own kingdom.  When kingdoms were offered to him he was able to refuse them regardless of whether it was Satan tempting him in the wilderness or the people of Judah trying to make Jesus king or calling down legions of angels to protect himself from harm.  He knew that His kingdom was not of this world.  Today’s church still struggles with whether they are in the business of building the Kingdom of God or the individual kingdoms of pastors, denominations and individual churches.  The two kingdoms (God’s and men’s) are not necessarily the same.

 

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said “Not my will, but Thine be done.”  In short, Jesus at the end of his ministry was still focused upon the Father’s will instead of the will of Jesus himself.  Now as a follower of Christ, shouldn’t I do what Jesus did?  Shouldn’t I be more concerned about what the will of the Father is than what my will is?

 

And so I circle back to my first statement.  If we are overly concerned about our will and how God is going to help us achieve our will, then we are off on the wrong foot at the very beginning of our journey.

 

The first question which we should be asking is what are the real plans, purposes and will of God.  Books have been written on these important questions and some are quite confusing.  In this edition I will try to posit some simple answers to difficult questions.  In one sense, it is presumptuous for me to be writing on topics like the will and purposes of God because many minds and writers much greater than myself have written copiously on these topics.  However, I will try to discuss these topics in a simple manner.  I once had a boss who said if you could not answer a question simply you did not understand the answer.   I will at least try to give simple answers as we address this topic. 

 

Some of the questions which we may encounter are : 

 

·       Why do we exist in the first place?  (Where did I come from?)

·       What are the purposes of God?

·       What is the plan of God?

·       What is our destiny? (Where am I going?)

·       What is the will of God?

·       How do I fit into the will of God?

 

Any of these topics are worthy of a book and indeed books have been written on these key questions.  Some of these topics will be addressed in future editions of Locusts and Honey.

 

This Newsletter, however, will NOT deal with certain difficult questions.  Some of those questions involve how  pain and suffering fits into all of this.  How does God use evil and evil forces to achieve His will or to accomplish His will despite these evil forces.  Another question we will not be dealing with here is the destiny of those who are involved in doing evil.  In short, evil will raise its ugly head but our treatment of it will be swift other than to say that the foot of offspring of woman (Christ), according to Genesis, will be bruised by evil but will crush the head of evil and the foot of the followers of Christ will ultimately participate in this fatal bruising of the Serpent’s head. 

 

Why do we exist in the first place?

 

It seems to me that we can come to some general conclusions based upon Scripture and the Book of Genesis.  Some of these conclusions are as follows:

 

            We Were Not Created in a Vacuum

 

As in many other things we see ourselves as being the center of the universe.  However, we should consider the relationship of God and man to involve more than us.  There are other “spiritual” entities.  For instance, we know that Satan, the Great Serpent of Old as He is called in the Book of Revelation, made an appearance in the creation account.  We know that  there were angelic authorities both good and bad.  Therefore the account of the creation of man and woman involves an environment where there was more than just God, animals and man and woman.

 

  In Psalm 8: 4-5 it says, “What is man that you are mindful of him…for you have made him a little lower than the angels.”  In one sense, we were made a “little lower than the angels” in another sense we have some attributes which may be superior to angels.  Apparently there are aspects relating to the salvation of man.  There are two interesting verses on this.

 

The first verse is 1 Peter 1:12 which  discusses grace that comes to man through Jesus Christ and the glories which come from that grace when Christ returns.  Verse 12 says:  “To them it was revealed that, not in themselves, but to us they were ministering in things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”  In other words, angels are interested in the fact that we can be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Angels who have not fallen apparently do not require “redemption” and for those who have fallen, they are apparently reserved for a future judgment.  For this reason, the fall and restoration of mankind and our salvation through Jesus Christ is a matter of great interest to angelic and spiritual authorities.

 

Another verse which seems to confirm this idea is Ephesians 3:10 where Paul is talking about the mystery of Christ’s redemption of the church which Paul describes as the “mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ to the intent that now the manifest wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places….”  Again this verse appears to confirm that the redemption of man makes clear the wisdom of God to angelic authorities (principalities and powers).

 

God’s redemptive sacrifice and the salvation of people who become part of the Body of Christ, is an event that has great meaning not only to men and women but also to the entire universe, including to angelic authorities.  The intersection of angelic authorities with the affairs of men is a topic perhaps for a future study.  However, it should be remembered that when Christ was born, the angels appeared in the heavens to the shepherds and broke into rejoicing.

 

 

            We Were Created in the Image of God

 

We are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27).  There is a spiritual aspect to mankind which makes us like God.  We have creativity like God and we have an ability and opportunity to connect with God.  There is something in mankind which aspires to be more than just an animal and we have a taste for immortality, growth and creativity.  We are created to have communion with God and to walk and talk with God.  We see this in meditation, prayer, and worship.  We have within us the DNA and identity of God.  In fact Scripture says that we are gods.  (Psalm. 82:6; Jn. 10:34-36).  In being made in the image of God, we have in a spiritual sense the opportunity to be part of the family of God.  The story of Scripture has to do with the fact that man through his choice chose to break the family relationship and to rebel against the Fatherhood of God.  The actions of Christ restore that broken relationship.  Further, God’s plan is to restore us to full status as sons and daughters of God. 

 

The story of Salvation is not just about man, but it also includes the angelic universe and the created earthly universe as well.

 

Understanding God’s purpose for man and creation involves family, fellowship and restoration of our family relationship with Christ.   That restoration is not a cheap restoration but involves pain and suffering by Christ.  In addition as Christ suffered, many of his children suffer in this life through conflict, the pains and tribulations of life and even martyrdom and death.  Yet, on the other side is restoration, healing and eternal life.

 

 

            We were created to share dominion.  

 

Man is to have dominion over the earth.    Genesis 1:26 says, “…let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle over all the earth and over every created thing that creeps on the earth.”  (See also Gen. 1:28).  Likewise Psalm 8:6 says, “You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands….”    We subdue the earth.  This is done by being in the position of caring for our earth.  We are also responsible for the animals and the environment.  We are cultivators and builders.  We are born to have dominion.  However, Satan, to the contrary, seeks to dominate mankind rather than to grant man the freedom to serve others and build them up

 

One of the most difficult areas to demonstrate dominion is over ourselves and our flesh.  Proverbs says that it is harder for a man to control his anger than to rule a city  (Prov. 16:32). 

 

My past experience  indicates that people want to rule over others.  They desire to be politicians and to make rules.  They want to be in authority and are willing to sacrifice both health and wealth to do so.  In addition, people love to be spiritual authorities.  They strive to become pastors and religious leaders even over small churches.  They want to be looked up to, admired and to reign over people.  If you reign over the hearts of people, you also can reign over them physically, emotionally, mentally and psychologically.  Fortunately most pastors are servants but there are some false shepherds who take advantage of their positions as ministers and pastors.   They are eager to lead but not to serve.  As Christians we are to submit ourselves to Christ and then learn to serve our family, our church and the world.   We are trustees of what God has given us and we will be held accountable either in this life or in the next for that trust.

 

 

            We are created to be fruitful and creative.

 

Being made in the image of God, we are creative.  Man was instructed by God to populate the earth.  Genesis 1:28 says, “Then God blessed them and God said to them “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.”  The creation of the earth is a “creative” act.  We populate the earth and the reproductive process and the birth of children is creation at work.  Just as God made man, mankind was given the ability to reproduce itself and to raise children.  However, this is not the only creative aspect of life.  We cultivate food, we grow flowers, we engage in art, and do other aspects which result in multiplication and beauty.  As Christians we are encouraged to give birth to spiritual fruit.  We also seek to see people born into the kingdom of God.  All of this is part of the creative, reproductive aspects of life.  God gave birth to us and we give birth to natural children but also to spiritual children and to good works in order to glorify our Creator.  Because we are like our Creator, we create.  Satan on the other hand does not create; instead he kills, steals and destroys.

 

God wants to see his kingdom expand.  God created a nation from one person, Abraham.  He said that Abraham’s progeny would be like the stars in the sky (Gen. 15:5) and like the sands on the seashore (Gen. 22:17).  God wants the kingdom of God to be ever growing and expanding with more and more people coming to know God and to be included into the family of God.  He has commanded us to share the Gospel (Matt. 28:19-20).  He wants people of every tribe and every nation to be part of an ever-expanding Kingdom of God.

 

 

 

 

 

            We are created to have fellowship and relationship with God.

 

Not only are we created in the image of God, we are created to have a relationship with God.  Genesis 3:8 speaks of God walking in the garden where Adam and Eve lived.  Yet sin severed us from that close relationship with God and part of God’s purpose is to restore that relationship.  Also men were cut off from the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22-24).  Part of God’s plan for us is to enable us to partake of eternal life (the Tree of Life) without being bound for eternity with the corrupting effects of sin.  The means for doing this involves the atoning sacrifice of blood of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  This free gift of God also involves a crushing of the head of the Serpent through a suffering Savior and through God’s love as described in John 3:16.

 

Part of the restoration of man and restoration of our relationship involves returning to the right priorities.  Instead of serving Satan or ourselves, we choose to return to the authority of God the Father.  The first commandment was that we the people of God (whether we are the Old Israel [the Jews] or the New Israel [the church]) are to have no other gods (Ex. 20:4).  We are to serve the Creator not that which is created.  We serve a jealous God (Ex. 20:6).  To some, the fact that God is jealous seems at first sight to be strange.  However, God loves us.  If we see our spouse falling for another person we are jealous and hurt.  This is a by-product of love.  God’s “weakness” is that he loves you and me and wants us to be a part of the family and is even hurt and sorrowful if we refuse and go our own way instead of the way that God has provided (and that provision had a costly price-the death of his only begotten son).

 

            We are created to worship God.

 

The fact that we are created to worship God may seem to imply that God needs us to worship Him.  However, I do not believe that this is the case.  Instead, I think the very nature of God inspires worship.  The creation, nature, angels and the Redeemed all worship God due to whom and what He is.  He inspires worship by His nature.  At the same time, worship is freely given.  Satan chooses not to worship God but to seek to appropriate the worship due God to himself and to cause angels and men to worship Satan.  He even tempted Christ to do the same.  (Matt. 4:8-10).  Those who rebel against God worship things other than God due to the innate desire to worship found in each of us.  To a degree, those who rebel against God are allowed to do so and their destiny is subject to their own choice.  Worship to God is freely given.  Satan however demands worship and will use drugs, addictions and the demonic to rid people of their free choice and keep them enslaved to himself.

 

We have no comprehension of the majesty of God.  God’s glory is powerful.  Moses was unable to see the face of God and live.  (Ex. 24:9-11).  When the Shekinah glory of God entered into the Temple, the priests had to flee.  (2 Chron. 7:2-3)  Ezekiel saw all creation worship God and items too sacred to be described ( Ezek. 1:6).  In the Book of Revelation, the twenty-four elders bow down to God (Rev. 4:4).  Sin precludes us or blinds us from seeing the glory of God but God’s glory will make itself known.  God’s manifest presence is powerful and worship is the natural response of man and angels to the glory of God.

 

Just as God’s glory is majestic, God also shows Himself to the humble and lowly.  He is gentle and kind.  True worship is born of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus explained to the woman at the well that the day would come when people would neither worship God on Mt. Gerizim (the Samaritans) nor in Jerusalem (Jews).  Instead they would worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23).  The most humble person is welcome to worship God and worship strips people of all race, rank or riches.  In worship we forget about ourselves and our achievements and we join with the angels in praising and worshipping God.

 

In the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem has neither sun nor moon for indeed the glory of God is there.  The glory of God is like the pillar of fire leading the Hebrews in the desert (it warms and guides us at night) and it is like the Pillar of Cloud by day protecting us from the heat of day.  The presence of God dwells among His people and the natural response of God’s people is to praise and worship God.  Just as the stones would cry out (Luke 19:40), the living stones of the church cry out in praise to God. 

 

Before proceeding to deal with some of the other questions raised in this edition, our next edition of Locust and Honey will share some Scriptures on worship and important quotes from A. W. Tozer and others on the topic of worship.  Perhaps in some future edition, I might discuss the differences between praise and worship, but that is for another time.