Class Lesson October 29, 2013

 Session 2 Are Miracles Relevant? 

Are Miracles Relevant?

THE POINT

Miracles are acts of God that point to Jesus and glorify Him.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

One reason Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is popular is because it helps people account for the existence of life without the need for the existence of God. Since Charles Darwin first proposed his theory, evolutionary scientists have worked feverishly to show how natural processes can account for the existence of life and for the many life forms on earth. The primary types of evidence they use to make their case are:

• the remains of ancient organisms,
• fossil layers,
• similarities among organisms that are alive today,
• similarities in DNA,
• similarities of embryos.

The problem is that none of these demonstrate scientifically even the possibility that naturalistic evolution is true. A naturalistic interpretation of their evidence is dependent upon their naturalistic worldview beliefs, not on science. In other words, their idea of evolution is purely a religious belief with no scientific basis at all.

The Bible expresses an entirely different world-view belief where God not only exists, but He is able to interact with His creation in ways that are outside of natural laws. The apostle John has given us some powerful insight into God’s use of miracles in the world.

Question 1:

What’s one of your favorite stories to tell about an unbelievable moment?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

John 10:22-26

22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep.”

Jesus was certainly a powerful speaker, and many people believed in Him because of His authoritative and deep teachings. But it was not just His profound words that got people’s attention. He often performed amazing miracles in their presence. In fact, just prior to the events in this passage, Jesus had given sight to a man born blind (John 9:1-7). But human beings seem to have an amazing capacity to ignore what is right in front of their faces if it doesn’t correspond to what they already believe.

The account in John 10:22-39 took place during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) in Jerusalem in late November or early December. As Jesus was walking in the temple portico, the Jews spotted Him and crowded around Him. As they did, they began peppering Him with questions. In particular, they were obsessed with knowing if He was the promised Messiah, and they were focused on asking Him about that.

Jesus fired back that He had already answered that question, but they just couldn’t bring themselves to believe what He was teaching. The reason they were having a difficult time believing Him was because He wasn’t giving them an answer that corresponded to their concept of the Messiah. Although many of those people had actually seen Jesus perform miracles, or at least had heard about them, they were still not sure.

Jesus knew that the beliefs and motives of those in the crowd were wrong, so He rebuked their questioning by telling them, “I did tell you and you don’t believe.” Then He followed up with a rather shocking statement. The reason they didn’t believe was “because you are not of my sheep.”

Jesus knew they didn’t understand the nature of His messiahship. He also knew that if He, at that moment, directly claimed to be the Messiah, they would try to force Him into a military/political role according to their own messianic expectation, rather than allow Him to carry out the messianic role He had actually come to fulfill.

So, what exactly did Jesus mean when He said, “But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep”? They were not Jesus’s sheep because their beliefs did not match up with God’s reality. They were looking for a Messiah, and because of Jesus’s profound teachings and His amazing miracles, He seemed to fit the bill. But their definition of Messiah was different from the definition Jesus was preaching. Jesus’s messiahship was based on an entirely different worldview foundation. Rather than focusing on this world as the people were expecting, Jesus was proclaiming a spiritual kingdom. Unfortunately, the people rejected what Jesus was offering.

Jesus is rejected today for the same reason those in Jesus’s day rejected Him: They don’t believe the message or the miracles He performed. Even though God is still in the business of performing miracles by changing people’s lives, healing people in various ways, and even guiding the events in the world to accomplish His purposes, those who don’t believe simply don’t see it. And when they don’t see it for themselves, they reject the message of the gospel when it’s shared with them.

Question 2:

What can we learn about Jesus by looking at His miracles?

John 14:8-11

8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

It’s understandable when non-believers do not recognize the work of God in the world. After all, their most foundational beliefs don’t even recognize the existence of the God of the Bible. They believe Christian beliefs are fantasy. In John 14, though, it was Jesus’s disciples who were struggling with the meaning of Jesus’s messiahship. It’s not that they didn’t believe, but they didn’t yet fully understand all His messiahship entailed.

In particular, the disciples struggled with understanding Jesus’s relationship with the Father. Jesus had just told them He was the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Of course, this wasn’t the first time Jesus connected Himself to God the Father (5:19; 6:38; 10:15), but Philip wanted to settle the matter: “Show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.”

Jesus had to be disappointed that they still didn’t get it, but He proceeded to be about as direct as possible: “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.” With that, Jesus continued making His point by asking rhetorical questions about what they themselves had heard and seen during their time with Him.

Jesus concluded by admonishing them to: “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” But sensing that they were still struggling, Jesus appealed to one more piece of evidence that He was, indeed, the Messiah. He told them, “Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” The miracles He had performed proved Jesus’s connection to the Father.

It can be easy for us on this side of the cross to look down on the disciples for their lack of understanding. But before we get too self-righteous, we must acknowledge that believers today also struggle with understanding. Many Christians don’t really know the Scriptures and merely accept the words of some preacher or TV evangelist. Some blindly accept the unbiblical morality presented to them by the news media and the entertainment industry. As a result, many who look to Jesus as their Savior fail to believe and live in ways consistent with the whole of Scripture. This is why so many self-professed Christians believe in the theory of evolution and others who claim to follow Jesus live immoral lifestyles.

It’s critical to make biblical worldview beliefs our bottom line. But it’s also essential to recognize that biblical beliefs aren’t merely a matter of intellectual knowledge. To personally hold a biblical worldview, we have to actually live within our personal relationship with God as we walk with Him daily. Jesus asked Philip, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip?” The key to a biblical worldview is experiencing an objectively real personal relationship with Jesus. What was true for Jesus’s disciples is true for us as well.

Question 3:

What obstacles prevent many from accepting the truth of who Jesus is?

John 14:12-14

12 “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

Typically, people tend to have a far too narrow understanding of miracles. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines miracles as “events which unmistakably involve an immediate and powerful action of God designed to reveal His character or purposes.”1 The most common images of miracles people tend to have are things like physical healing, the defying of the laws of nature, casting out evil spirits, and so forth. But the most profound miracle of all is the transformation that takes place in people’s lives when they receive Christ.

Engage

Miracle Worker

Choose one of the following areas in which you’ve seen God work in your life. Then answer the question.

____Forgave my sin ___Helped me get well ___Met a financial need

___Resolved a conflict ___Provided an opportunity ___Called me to service

How did this event affect your faith?

When Jesus told His disciples that “the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these,” He wasn’t telling them that they would necessarily be feeding thousands of people with a small amount of food or raising people from the dead. Jesus never did miracles simply for the sake of showing off His magnificent power. In every case, Jesus had a greater purpose in performing a miracle. The purpose was to point people to God. In fact, the apostle John, in his gospel, typically referred to Jesus’s miracles as “signs”—acts that pointed to something else. And the “something else” in this case is a personal relationship with God. Jesus’s main point in sharing this teaching with His disciples was to express to them that He knew He was about to leave them, but that His ministry would continue through them.

Question 4:

How is it that we can do even greater works than Jesus did?

In verse 13, Jesus shared with His disciples the motive for the amazing works they would do as they ministered the gospel in the world after He was gone. He told them, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jesus wasn’t telling His disciples that they could just ask for anything and Jesus would give it to them as if He were a spiritual vending machine. Rather, they were to ask specifically for things that would bring glory to the Father.

One of the key concepts Jesus shared here was that when they were asking for something, they would be asking “in my name.” In that time, a person’s name was considered to be equivalent to the person. So, when the disciples asked for something “in my [Christ’s] name,” they would be asking based on His authority. This brings us to the bottom line of Jesus’s teaching. In verse 14, He continued, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Based on the qualifications expressed in the previous verse, Jesus was telling His disciples He would give them anything they asked when they asked based on His name (by His authority). The unspoken assumption is, then, that they would not be asking for things that didn’t bring glory to the Father.

There are, certainly, times when God will use one of His followers in a miraculous way. The sad truth, though, is that many people will still not respond to God, even if they see a miracle. Jesus acknowledged that reality in a parable He told about the rich man and Lazarus. From hell, the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to convince them to change their ways so they wouldn’t end up in hell as he did. Abraham told him, “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). The important thing to know is that it’s not the performing of a miracle that’s central, but the accomplishing of God’s purpose.

Question 5:

How is praying in Jesus’s name sometimes misinterpreted?

LIVE IT OUT

Miracles are acts of God that point people to Jesus and glorify Him. Choose one of the following activities:

Confront doubt. If you struggle with believing miracles are possible, consider what your doubts might say about your belief in God. Be willing to trust that the all-powerful God is capable of doing the miraculous and things we cannot explain.

Embrace the miracle in your life. The greatest miracle God performs is the spiritual transformation He carries out through Christ in the lives of those who put their faith in Him. Trust Christ and let Him work the miracle of making you a new person.

Share the miracle. Let people see the miraculous work God has done in your life and be prepared to share that miracle with them. “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15).

1. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2015), 

New Series Begins - October 22, 2023

 

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NOTE: There will only be 2 lessons in this series due to the Deeper Church initiative that is scheduled to begin October 29th with the first Sermon on the Deeper initiative and the class lessons will follow starting November 5th.

Confident in the Face of Hard Questions 

1 Does It Really Matter Which “Truth” I Believe? • John 3:19-21; 8:31-36

2 Are Miracles Relevant? • John 10:22-26; 14:8-14

3 Why Do We Suffer? • Job 30:26-31; 42:1-6

4 Is Jesus the Only Way to God? • 1 John 5:1-13

5 Won’t All People Ultimately Go to Heaven? • Matthew 7:13-23

6 Is Hell Real? • 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 

INTRODUCTION

Most Christians have a sense of what they believe. All that’s necessary is to read the Bible and learn what it says. However, we live in a day that is increasingly post-Christian. Christians find themselves in a position of becoming a smaller portion of the population.

For much of our history, America has been a place where biblical principles were acknowledged. Culture has been steadily changing, and biblical teaching or Judeo-Christian ethics are no longer assumed or embraced. As Christians, we find ourselves in a position where simply knowing what we believe is not sufficient. We must now also know why we believe it and why what we believe is the truth.

This study looks at six prominent questions some people in secular society use to attack the Christian faith. Additionally, this study gives believers a way of understanding why biblical beliefs are true, along with an apologetic for standing strong against the untruths hurled against them.

What the Bible teaches is true, and every Christian should put themselves in a position to express that truth in their words and through their daily lives.

Does It Really Matter Which “Truth” I Believe?

THE POINT

Knowing the truth of Christ is the only way we can experience freedom.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

Question 1:

What are some things you’ve been surprised to find out were true?

Postmodernism says we can each make up our own version of what is true. This postmodern way of thinking dominates many institutions of modern society. I once had an exchange on social media with a self-professed post-modernist who believed everyone gets to make up their own truth. At the very beginning of our online conversation, this postmodernist immediately began to attack my beliefs. In his rant about Christian beliefs, he wrote:

• “You people are ridiculous. God is a primitive bronze-age belief. He doesn’t cause thunder and he didn’t ‘create’ the universe. BTW, I’m hedonist because humans are real, and we create truth and morality, not god. The Bible is complete garbage; it’s a horribly written narrative with equally disastrous morality thrown into it. That’s why I have no problem tossing one to the fire where it belongs.”

We live in a day when people believe they are allowed to make up their own truth. However, in the Gospel of John we see that truth is not a matter of human imagination; truth is based on a revelation from an objectively real God who has truly spoken to us in history.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

John 3:19-21

19 “This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

Postmodernism grows out of a worldview called Naturalism, which assumes that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists. Thus, postmodernists believe there is no God, and therefore, there is no possible source for objective moral beliefs. And since they don’t recognize God, they have no choice but to make up morality using their own personal preferences. There’s nothing factual to back up their assumptions about morality, but they honestly believe their point of view represents the truth.

In John 3, we’re introduced to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who came to Jesus one night in order to have a discussion with Him. Nicodemus seemed to be very sincere about his faith, but he was quite confused because Jesus’s ministry and teachings seemed to contradict the mainstream Jewish theology of that day.

Jesus shared with Nicodemus the spiritual truths about how the Messiah would usher in eternal life for those who would believe in Him. To illustrate His point, Jesus shared this truth using the story of Moses lifting the bronze serpent in the wilderness to save the dying Israelites (John 3:14-18; Num. 21:4-6).

Even with this explanation, though, Nicodemus wasn’t grasping Jesus’s meaning. He was trying to interpret Jesus’s teaching based on an understanding of truth that was different from what Jesus was actually sharing. Nicodemus believed that salvation could be attained by keeping the Jewish law, but Jesus emphasized belief in the Messiah.

Since Nicodemus was struggling to understand, Jesus explained further and told Nicodemus that, “The light has come into the world.” The meaning of this is obvious to most Christians because we have the full picture of Christ’s redemptive work in Scripture. We understand that this “light” is a reference to Jesus, but Nicodemus didn’t understand the narrative. When a person’s understanding of truth is based on a different worldview, as it was in Nicodemus’s case, it just doesn’t make sense.

Jesus’s teaching wouldn’t make sense to one who wasn’t open to the light God had revealed. Most people prefer to continue in the “darkness” of their traditional beliefs. Jesus told Nicodemus why people are not open to the light. The reason: By opening themselves up to the light, the sin in their lives is exposed.

When people look to legalistically follow religious laws for their salvation, as the Jewish people did, there’s nothing personal involved. They don’t have to look at the ugliness of their inner motives; they only have to consider their outward deeds. But when people allow the true light of God to shine on their lives, not only are their wrong deeds exposed, but the ugly motives of their hearts are exposed as well.

In verse 21, Jesus indicated there are some who are truly sincere regarding their faith—those who are open to God’s light shining into their lives and exposing the nastiness that needs to be cleaned out. These individuals have come to understand that God demands righteousness and judges sin. They grasp that forgiveness can’t be earned by doing good deeds, but forgiveness is instead a gift of God’s grace.

The truth is we can’t understand truth—God’s truth—as long as we’re in the dark. But when we choose to step into the light of Jesus, His light reveals our sin and opens our eyes to the life we can have in Christ. When we embrace the light of Christ, we live! Furthermore, the lives we live point to the work of God. As verse 21 points out, “his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” The truth of Christ we embrace inwardly is seen outwardly in the way we live.

Question 2:

What are some ways people love the darkness rather than the light?

John 8:31-32

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

So many people consider truth to be based on a relativistic foundation. That is, truth is not absolute but is changeable based on one’s circumstances. Unfortunately, this faulty mindset is seeking to creep into the church. The need for Christians to firmly understand Scripture as an objectively real revelation from an objectively real God is more critical than ever. Many people, even in the church, struggle to acknowledge the Bible’s teachings as being a word from God that can’t be legitimately compromised.

In Jesus’s day, the problem believers faced was slightly different from modern society’s view that morality is changeable based on current circumstances. They did have to deal with a problem that created the same result though. The Jews in that day believed that the Bible was an objectively real revelation from an objectively real God. However, they interpreted it wrongly. So just as modern relativists misinterpret Scripture because of their wrong beliefs, the Pharisees misinterpreted Scripture because of theirs. And both misinterpretations lead to an attack on Jesus and His followers.

John 8 began with the account of a group of Pharisees bringing to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees at this point were committed to destroying Jesus because they believed He was teaching heresy. They were simply using this woman to trap Him.

Jesus outsmarted them, though, and the attackers left. Then Jesus addressed the crowd and told them, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). This bold statement gave the Pharisees another opportunity to challenge Him, and there ensued another argument. This one centered around the accusation that what Jesus was teaching, particularly about Himself, wasn’t true. But in rebutting them, Jesus’s defense was so compelling that, among those who heard Jesus’s words, “many believed in him” (v. 30).

Jesus took the opportunity to teach these new converts a profound truth about Himself. What Jesus was proclaiming was that He is the Messiah who had been prophesied in Scripture, and the things He was teaching represented the truth. He wanted these new believers to know they could trust what He was saying, and that if they followed Him, they would know a kind of freedom that wasn’t possible any other way.

By using the word “truth,” Jesus expressed an idea that’s much more profound than most people grasp. To many, truth is a rather abstract concept, particularly in our modern society that believes everyone is able to have “their own truth.” But a biblical understanding of truth isn’t relative at all. In fact, we can go so far as to affirm that truth equals reality.

The Pharisees’ belief about the reality of the coming Messiah was that he would be a military/political leader who would free Israel from the domination of its enemies. They believed he would reestablish the nation as a free and independent kingdom which he would rule. Thus, their entire view of reality (truth), including their legalistic religious tradition, was based on what happened in the material world.

Jesus was proposing an entirely different structure for reality. His teaching expressed a view that the purpose of God wasn’t to set up an earthly kingdom with the Messiah as its king, but to provide a way for righteousness to reign in the hearts of individuals so they could experience an eternal, personal relationship with Him. It’s only within that personal relationship framework that people are able to know truth—real, actual truth—and experience the freedom that occurs within that relationship.

Question 3:

When have you seen truth bring freedom in someone’s life?

John 8:33-36

33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

Engage

Freedom!

Think about the freedom you have found in following Christ. Fill in the sentences below. Then answer the question.

Because I know the truth, I have freedom from. _______________

Because I know the truth, I have freedom to. _________________

Who do you know that needs to hear about the freedom you have found in Christ?

Up until this point, Jesus had been getting the best of the Pharisees at every turn, which made them even more desperate to knock down His teaching. In John 8:32, when Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” the Pharisees saw one more opportunity to attack. They twisted Jesus’s words to make them mean something entirely different from what He actually meant. They asserted that, as Abraham’s descendants, they were already free because they had never been slaves to anyone.

On the surface, the Jews’ assertion is blatantly false. The Jewish people had a long history of being dominated, even enslaved. They had been slaves to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. Even in their own time, Rome dominated the Jews. Thus, their meaning probably had more of a spiritual nuance; they viewed themselves as having an inner-freedom simply because they were related to Abraham.

Although they based their argument on a spiritual interpretation of freedom, they still didn’t grasp the significance of Jesus’s words. The beliefs of the Pharisees had them focusing entirely on their physical circumstances. They were looking for an earthly messiah to free them. Jesus’s messiahship, however, had a spiritual purpose: to bring people into a personal relationship with God. By believing in Him, they would experience spiritual freedom from sin and freedom to live with God.

Question 4:

What does freedom in Christ look like?

In Romans 6:16-23, the apostle Paul talked extensively about slavery to sin. He made the point that every person is a slave, but individuals get to choose who will be their master: sin or God. In verse 23, Paul made the same point Jesus was making in today’s passage when he said, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Indeed, the clear teaching of Scripture is that God’s reason for creating mankind was to enjoy a personal relationship with human beings. But with the Fall of Adam and Eve, sin became a barrier that prevented that relationship from being engaged. God wasn’t, however, about to let that thwart His purpose, so He created a solution to the sin problem. But the solution required individuals to recognize the truth and willingly receive it into their lives. Personally receiving this truth, then, would set them free spiritually and allow them to enjoy the benefits of a personal relationship with God.

The way God created His solution to the sin problem was for Christ to come to earth, live a sinless life, die on the cross as our sacrifice, then be raised from the dead as a demonstration that He was, indeed, God and had the power to forgive man’s sin. That’s reality. Jesus affirmed this reality in John 14:6 when He said to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Question 5:

What are some ways our group helps one another live free in Christ?

LIVE IT OUT

Knowing the truth of Christ is the only way we can experience freedom. Choose one of the following applications.

• Identify. Acknowledge any doubts you may have about the truth of the gospel of Christ. A lot of people feel uncertain about the objective truth of the gospel, and modern society with its relativistic moral beliefs can amplify those doubts. Admit where your struggles lie.                                                    
• Seek. The Christian faith is the truth; thus, we need to determine to resolve our personal doubts. Find people or resources that can help you think through those doubts and don’t stop until you have found the answers. They do exist.                                                                                                                                
• Help. Help someone with his or her doubts. Talk to your friends about the doubts they may have concerning the truth of the gospel of Christ and help them to get those doubts resolved. 

Teacher Notes:

What do a witness at a trial and an elected official have in common?

Answer

Each is obligated to take an oath to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” 

We must be able to communicate the “why” of our beliefs and how real, lasting truth can only be found in Jesus.

In today’s culture, people want us to assume that truth is what the individual makes it to be. If that is true, then the concept of truth becomes nonexistent because two opposing views cannot both be true.

That viewpoint might lead some people to conclude that truth does not matter, yet because that notion is so illogical, we should be driven to the opposite conclusion: there is a singular truth that applies to everyone. Scripture points us to that truth. It is the truth found in Jesus Christ, who is Truth.

 

Truth is what is true in any matter under consideration. It applies to all people at all times. Scripture readily connects truth to God. Hence, truth is absolute because God is absolute; He does not waver; He does not change. The truth of God was manifested in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus could witness to the truth because He was the truth and the absolute way to the Father (John 14:6).

 

 

Setting: The verses for this study are from the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel differs in style from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). For example, Matthew, and Luke in particular, and Mark to a degree, began their Gospels with narratives about the birth of Jesus. John, on the other hand, began his Gospel by stepping back into eternity before time or place. He was less inclined to focus on historical detail and chronology in favor of presenting the theological meaning of Jesus’s coming into the world. That does not mean his Gospel has no historical value or that the stories about Jesus are not factual or reliable. However, John’s purpose was to explore the deeper meaning behind the events of Jesus’s life. His goal was that people “might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing (they) might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

 

The passages to be studied in this session are connected thematically and theologically in that they address the matter of divine truth.

 

The verses from John 3 flow out of Jesus’s evening time conversation with Nicodemus. Because the Greek language in John’s day did not have quotation marks, we cannot say for certain where Jesus’s direct conversation with Nicodemus ended and John’s summary comments begin. As far as affecting their being true is concerned, it does not matter. All Scripture is true because all Scripture is inspired by God.

According to John 7:1, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, sometimes known as the Festival of Booths. This week-long festive event celebrated the fall harvest and commemorated the protection of God over the Israelites during their wandering in the wilderness following the Exodus. It provided an appropriate setting for Jesus to teach about His identity and nature and the necessity of adhering to His teachings if one was to be set free from the bondage of sin.

The verses from John 8 come from an extensive conversation Jesus had with a group of Pharisees in the temple who questioned His teaching and the nature of His being (7:14). In retrospect, conversation may be a kind term to apply to this exchange. It was more like argument and debate containing questions, accusations, and rebuttals. Jesus’s opponents no longer confined their complaints to the content of Jesus’s teachings; they intensified their efforts to defame His person. In John 8:31-36, in addition to the emphasis on truth, Jesus spoke of the freedom that truth gives to those who believe. His opponents had a limited understanding of both concepts. Jesus offered a corrective to their misunderstanding and an invitation not just to change their thinking, but to allow truth to change their lives and set them free.

 

John 3:19-21

“This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

 

Jesus concluded His discussion with Nicodemus by drawing attention to an Old Testament story with which a scholar like Nicodemus would have been familiar (Num. 21:5-9). In the wilderness wandering of the Exodus event, the people spoke against God, complaining about the provisions of food and water He had given them. God’s judgment against the people came in the form of fiery serpents who bit the people. Many people died. Thus, they asked Moses to intervene on their behalf. The Lord accepted Moses’s intercession and directed him to fashion a brass serpent and raise it up in the sight of the people. Those who had been bitten would be healed if they were willing to look upon it. In the same way, Jesus said, “So must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). The meaning of the statement would become clearer to Nicodemus—and to us—in light of Jesus’s death on the cross.

 

Light is to be understood metaphorically as that which is true, good, and pure. Darkness represents that which is evil, ungodly, immoral. Light enlightens, exposes, and overwhelms the darkness.  In the prologue to his Gospel, John identified Jesus as light (1:5-9).

 

Why do people love the darkness rather than the light?

Many people don’t want their lives exposed to God’s light because they are afraid of what will be revealed. They don’t want to be changed. Don’t be surprised when these same people are threatened by your desire to obey God and do what is right. Why? Because they are afraid that the light in you may expose some of the darkness in their lives. Rather than giving in to discouragement, keep praying that they will come to see how much better it is to live in light than in darkness.

 

People don’t enjoy the inconvenience of their electricity being interrupted. In the darkness, we realize our great need and appreciation for light and other services afforded by electricity.

Sadly, many in our world have become so accustomed to the spiritual darkness surrounding them that they believe it is acceptable. Many choose to believe God does not exist; therefore, they think their evil deeds and choices are without consequence. Christians know better.

As the Light, Jesus exposes both our great need for Him and His great love for us. Nicodemus was sincere but confused. His hope for salvation was based on a belief it could be attained by religiously keeping the Jewish law. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to understand that genuine salvation was a relationship, not a religion.

 

 

What are some ways you’ve seen the world more clearly since you became a follower of Jesus?

 

 

Truth is revealed in the light of Jesus.

People reject the gospel of Christ because they love darkness. The choice to love darkness results in condemnation, which means accusation, judgment, and separation from God. We show others we love the light by demonstrating what it means to live in the light. God changes us inwardly, but we are responsible to live it outwardly.

 

 

John 8:31-32

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

When have you seen truth bring freedom into someone’s life?

 

What beliefs about the Bible truly set people free to live and why is that so?

 

Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from the consequences of sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but He does give us the freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus’ perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be.

 

Read

There is nothing quite as liberating as the truth. It is especially beneficial if your memory isn’t what it used to be. Mark Twain once stated, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Knowing Christ is the only way to experience true and lasting freedom. Our common enemy has not changed his tactics after all these years. He twisted and lied about God’s Word in the Garden of Eden, and today he still attacks the validity and authority of Scripture.

God does not require us to memorize a list of trivial facts about the Bible, but He does require us to know the truth whose name is Jesus. Christ came to set us free from the bondage of the law and rules. Eternal freedom is only found in the person and completed work of Jesus. Are you truly free?

 

The truth of Jesus sets us free to live.

Salvation comes through believing in Jesus. Authentic discipleship is evident in abiding in God’s Word and living by it. Those who abide in God’s Word and are faithful to it shall know Him and the unparalleled, unquestionable, and unwavering truth only He provides. The truth of Jesus sets us free to live faithfully obedient to Him.

 

 

John 8:33-36

“We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

 

 

What claim did the Jews make to deny their need to be set free? What is false about their claim and what did they obviously not understand about Jesus’s message? What kind of enslavement was Jesus referring to?

 

Why do some people prefer the slavery of sin to the freedom of Christ?

What actions are sins, but we excuse them as no big deal and even do them in church?

 

How does sin lead to bondage?

Sin has a way of enslaving us, controlling us, dominating us, and dictating our actions.

 

 

 

What are we free to do when we are set free from sin?

Jesus can free you from this slavery that keeps you from becoming the person God created you to be. If sin is restraining, mastering, or enslaving you, Jesus can break its power over your life.

 

Read

Christ reminds us we are all slaves to sin, and our only liberation is through Him. Never think we are free to sin; rather, we are free from sin. With each choice I make, I am either declaring my independence from sin or my dependence on it. The often-quoted reminders found in John 14:6 serve us well in our love for the truth. With Jesus, we have every one of our spiritual needs met — and that is the truth.

 

 

The truth of Jesus sets us free from sin.

Any claim to self-righteousness or denying a need to be set free from sin is false. A sinful lifestyle is evidence of being enslaved by sin. God the Father makes us His children, heirs to the kingdom, and gives us eternal life. The freedom that sets us free from sin is available only through Jesus, the Son.

 

Read

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. Part of this document reads, “All persons held as slaves are, and henceforth, shall be free.”

The opposing perspectives on slavery between the north and south is, in part, what led to the southern states to secede from the Union and a bloody, brutal war to break out.

Until the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction, slaves were merely free by proclamation. In a practical sense, the liberty that so many longed for remained an elusive reality.

The experience of freed slaves during this terrible time in our nation’s history can represent what many Christ-followers experience today.

In a spiritual sense many Christians experience the freedom that Jesus talks about in John 8 in name only. How can we experience full freedom, both by proclamation and in practical ways?

I believe the answer to this question can be encouraging for us personally and strengthen our Kingdom influence in the public square.

Jesus proclaims and provides freedom for those that are held in spiritual slavery. Romans 6 makes it clear that sinners, apart from the liberating work of Christ are, “enslaved to sin” (v. 6). Jesus emancipates (sets free) sinners through his vicarious (substituted) death and resurrection.

Baptism pictures the connection we share with Christ and those two eternally significant realities. Going down into and coming out of the waters of baptism symbolizes our sharing in this work at salvation. As a result, Romans 6:7 becomes a reality for us, “For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

One of the historical realities that skeptics of Christianity must deal with is the resurrection. While the resurrection itself can be denied, the claims from the earliest Christians must be considered.

For all intents and purposes, Christianity should have died with Jesus. But something made the cowardly disciples courageous even unto death. Something kept the claims of Christ going. Something did happen, Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus alone backed up His claims about God, death, and salvation by rising from the dead.

Other truth-claims from other religious figures are not backed up by this kind of evidence. Therefore, the veracity of those truth claims crumble. The truth of Gospel of Jesus Christ stands upon the firm foundation of the resurrection.

Jesus said in John 8 that we are to “continue” in His Word and “the truth will set you free.” We are to live within the framework of the freedom that Jesus provided us when we shared in His death and resurrection at salvation. Living this way can serve as a sort of personal and evangelistic apologetic. Continuing in the truth will be an effective personal and public proclamation of the reliability of the truth-claims we make. Our lifestyle will preach a message to ourselves and to others.

For many slaves The Civil War stood between them and practical freedom. There is a spiritual battle that is raging that seeks to see Christians remain in bondage. Living according to the freedom that Jesus provides pushes back the darkness and preaches a powerful message, both to ourselves and to others.

 

Freedom!

Think about the freedom you have found in following Christ. Fill in the sentences below.

 

Because I know the truth, I have freedom from - SIN

Because I know the truth, I have freedom to - Follow God

 

 

So, why does it really matter which truth I believe?

 

Because

Knowing the truth of Christ is the only way we can experience freedom.

 

Conclusion

Before long Jesus would engage in another conversation dealing with truth. He said to Pilate, “To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?” (John 18:37-38). For many people, the search for an answer to that question continues. An unnecessary search it is, for truth has been openly revealed in Jesus. Rather than search for it, a person only has to claim it by faith in Jesus Christ. He not only manifests truth, He is truth. There is no other.

 

Class Lesson October 15, 2023

Prepare for Battle

Prepare for Battle

THE POINT

God strengthens us as we pray and engage in spiritual battle.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

At Christmas, we usually put out a ceramic nativity set my wife made several years ago. On the wall above the scene hangs a large, winged angel. We normally associate angels with Christmas, don’t we?

Do you remember a few years ago, though, when angels were all the rage year-round? We saw them on the front of shirts, as figurines on shelves and tables, or in a picture hanging on the wall. Whether we were touched by an angel or saw one in the outfield, angels were everywhere. Typically, they were depicted as one of two extremes. Either they were little winged cherub babies with innocent faces and halos, or they were mighty flaming warriors watching over a home, family member, or rescue situation.

Most of us, though, have never seen a real angel. Not so with Daniel. In today’s text, he has an encounter with an actual angel. The angel spoke to him about future events, including a great conflict. In today’s session, we focus on that great conflict and look at what it can teach us about having victory when we are faced with spiritual warfare.

Question 1:

When was the last time you felt totally unprepared?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Daniel 10:1-3

1 In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. 3 I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.

Understanding the date in Daniel 10:1 is not an insignificant detail. Daniel lived during a historically rich era in the ancient Near East.

• About 100 years before his birth, the Assyrians conquered Israel and established itself as the dominant power in the region. So, when Daniel was born about 620 BC, Judah was under the thumb of Assyria.                                                                                                                                             
• The Babylonians rose to power; in 605 BC, they conquered Assyria and the lands it held, including Judah and Jerusalem. At this time, Daniel, and his friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), still in their teens, were taken as captives to the city of Babylon. There they served in the king’s court.                                                                                                                                
• In 539 BC, Daniel, who was over eighty years old and likely served as a retired senior statesman, was summoned to interpret the handwriting on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast. That very night the Persians conquered Babylon.

The following year Persia’s King Cyrus issued a decree that allowed captives to return to their homelands, including the Hebrews. The first wave of Jewish exiles returned to Israel; construction began immediately on the foundation of the Jerusalem temple. Daniel, however, remained in the city of Babylon. Besides being concerned about the physical demands of such a journey, Daniel may have thought he would be of more value in Babylon than in Jerusalem.

Thus, Daniel lived under the rule of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. He had seen kings and kingdoms rise and fall; he had endured conflicts and conquests. What God revealed in this vision, though, was a coming “great conflict.”

Question 2:

When have you been encouraged by someone responding well to bad news?

Scenes of this future struggle caused Daniel to mourn for three full weeks. He broke with his regular meal routine and implemented a modified fast. Additionally, he didn’t soothe himself with oils as people in his day normally did in their hot, dry climate. His focus was not at all on himself; it was on the future but certain conflict. We can imagine him as an aged man, bent over, facing the earth, and seeking God’s face.

The model we see in Daniel is that the troubling news of pending warfare sent him to his knees before God. What a great example Daniel is for us. When we are faced with troubling situations, our first inclination ought to be to bring this issue to the Father. He can work in ways we can’t and can give strength when we have none.

Daniel 10:10-13

10 Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” After he said this to me, I stood trembling. 12 “Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

While Daniel was beside the Tigris River, someone appeared in the form of a man who wore white linen. Although this was the cloth the priests wore (Lev. 6:10), the Bible describes angels as wearing linen (Ezek.10:2; Rev. 15:6). Only Daniel saw the being, which evidently hovered above the river (Dan. 10:4-6; 12:5-6)

If this being had been Gabriel, who had appeared to him twice before, Daniel might not have been so afraid. Many believe this was Jesus making an appearance long before His incarnation (3:25). Supporting the thought that this was Jesus, the sense of fear and awe that those with Daniel had in this instance was similar to what Paul’s traveling companions experienced on the road to Damascus. When Daniel heard the thunderous voice, he fainted, face down in the dirt. An unspecified amount of time passed. Another being, likely Gabriel, helped Daniel to his feet and offered assurance.

Daniel’s experience here can be instructive to us when we find ourselves in times of great conflict, including spiritual warfare. What does this scene teach us about spiritual warfare?

• Spiritual warfare is real. Daniel’s experience pulled back the curtain somewhat and allows us to catch a glimpse of the unseen realm. This being (again, likely Gabriel; Dan. 10:10) had been involved in a battle with “the prince of the kingdom of Persia”—a battle he would resume after he finished delivering Daniel’s message (v. 20). The identity of this Persian prince is not given. The fact it had withstood Gabriel for three weeks indicates it was another powerful being, one that tried to hinder the Lord’s work. This was likely a demon whom Satan had assigned to work in Persia. Gabriel got away only with the aid of Michael the archangel (Jude 9). This was thus a conflict between created beings who are doing God’s work and those who oppose His work. Paul spoke of spiritual warfare between believers and those who oppose the Lord (Eph. 6:12). Spiritual warfare still exists today.                                                                                                                                                       
• Again, the timing was significant. The children of Israel being able to return to their homeland should have been a time of great joy and fulfillment. This did not diminish, though, the conflict. Daniel still had a persistent concern about what was going to happen to his people (Dan. 10:14).

The enemy often attacks right after someone has had a spiritual victory. Satan tempted Jesus after His baptism. The Pharisees put forth efforts to kill Lazarus after Jesus called him from the tomb. The enemy will do anything to tarnish or eclipse a victory that God has won.

• God doesn’t abandon us when we’re under spiritual attack. When Daniel found himself overwhelmed and filled with concern, God responded.

When we’re under spiritual attack, we can easily think, God, why are You letting this happen to me? Our spiritual warfare doesn’t mean God has turned His back. The first words Gabriel spoke to Daniel were, “You are a man treasured by God.” The fact God had sent angels to fight against unseen evil forces shows how much the Lord treasured Daniel and wanted him to receive His message. Similarly, God is willing to work on our behalf when we are attacked.

• Prayer and God’s Word are our two best defenses when we are under spiritual attack (Eph. 6:17-18). Daniel had been praying for three weeks. God had heard Daniel the first day he began praying, and He sent a powerful angel in response.

In our times of spiritual warfare, we are to use the Word, quoting it directly to the enemy and his forces. Through it, we resist the devil, and he flees (Jas. 4:7).

Question 3:

What’s the role of prayer in spiritual warfare?

Daniel 10:16-19

16 Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless. 17 How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me.” 18 Then the one with a human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said, “Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

Engage

Prepare for Battle

Spiritual warfare is a constant reality. Choose one of these images that depict a spiritual battle you’re familiar with. Then write a prayer asking God to help prepare you for the next time it occurs.

My Prayer:

Visions of the warfare were overwhelming for Daniel. He was overcome with grief, having seen the trouble that would impact the world in the future. Having appeared earlier to Daniel as a man, Gabriel continued comforting the wearied prophet. He was there to strengthen Daniel and interpret what he had seen.

Question 4:

How does it help you to know that God treasures you?

Why was Daniel so weak? First, he was in his eighties, which meant he no longer had the vigor he enjoyed earlier in life. Second, he had been fasting for three weeks. Third, he was greatly troubled by what he had seen. This is a reminder that emotional exhaustion can be as wearying as physical exhaustion.

Gabriel touched Daniel, which restored the prophet’s ability to speak. Daniel’s first words were an apology for his anguish and weakness. As had happened when Daniel stood before earthly kings, the prophet’s words revealed a consistent attitude of humility. Gabriel touched Daniel again. This third touch strengthened the prophet and prepared him to receive additional revelations about Persia, Greece, and more. Gabriel’s words at this third touch encouraged the prophet. They should be equally encouraging to us when we find ourselves weakened by troubling news or by spiritual warfare. Why?

1. We don’t have to be afraid. The most repeated command in Scripture is “Fear not.” Just as happened with the terrified disciples one stormy night on the Sea of Galilee, we need to allow ourselves to hear the voice of the Galilean say in our times of great fear, “It is I. Don’t be afraid” (John 6:20).                                                                                                                                                     
2. We need to remind ourselves that God also treasures us. God sent His angel to deliver a message and to strengthen His prophet in the Old Testament. For us, He sent His only Son, who paid the ultimate price, so we might become part of His family as well.                                                                                                                                                                                                 
3. God wants us to experience peace. Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah who would come as the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Peace is an inner tranquility that comes only through the presence of Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, abiding within the believer.                                                                                                                                                                                                    
4. We don’t have to rely on our own strength. We can rely on God’s strength rather than our own in times of turmoil and spiritual warfare. He is always faithful.

The message of Daniel is that God is in control of history; despite the current evil situation, things turn out right in the end. We who live on this side of Easter recognize that His power over the enemy was ultimately demonstrated in Christ’s work on the cross. The enemy is defeated, and in Christ’s name, we win.

Question 5:

What are some ways God strengthens us for spiritual battles?

LIVE IT OUT

God strengthens us as we pray and engage in spiritual battle. Choose one of the following applications:

Recall. The time to prepare for warfare is before we are attacked. Make a list of Scriptures that offer you encouragement and assurance for troubling times. Keep those nearby and pull them out when needed.

Resist. Jesus quoted Scripture when He was tempted. Memorize some of the Scriptures on your list so you can be ready to quote them when you feel attacked spiritually.

Read. Find a good book on spiritual warfare that is written by a solid Christian author. Ask the Lord to speak to you through this book and to strengthen you spiritually. 

Teacher Notes:

World Braces for Israel-Hamas War

The Epoch Times

Greg Laurie Article: Greg Laurie Writes…I woke up Saturday morning, and I was shocked to read the headline: “Israel Is at War.”

It is almost 50 years to the day the last time Israel was officially at war in what is known as the Yom Kippur War back in 1973 when she was attacked by Egypt, Syria, and others. But this is a different kind of war.

Thousands of rockets rained on Israel from multiple directions, and Hamas gunmen invaded by land, sea and sky. Now, hundreds of people have been murdered and kidnapped, and they were using what we might describe as Isis-like methods: targeting young women and young children, launching massive indiscriminate rocket fire towards civilian population centers, as well as terrorist infiltration of cities and settlements close to the Gaza border.

They went literally home to home, door to door, looking for the young and for the elderly. They’ve taken hostages. Old women, little children, young women — they specifically targeted civilians in this attack. Some of the women they took as hostages were survivors of the Holocaust. To date, and this number tragically will only get larger, there are 1,300 dead and 2,000 wounded. This attack is simply without precedent, causing Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, to say, “We are at war.”

 

Israel’s Enemies

Who is Hamas? They’re a terrorist organization funded by Iran. That’s not a secret.

The Hebrew word for Hamas means “Violence”

A spokesman for Iran, told the BBC that terrorist group had received funding for the attack, according to the Wall Street Journal. And Iran has for a long time stated that their objective is to destroy Israel. They have also signaled that they are developing a nuclear weapon. In the past they have threatened to, in their own words, wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.

One leader of Iran said, “They ask, ‘Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism?’ But you had best know that this slogan and this goal are altogether attainable, and surely can be achieved. The regime that is occupying Jerusalem must be wiped off the map.”1

Interesting how it always comes back to Jerusalem. The Bible predicted, thousands of years ago, that the end time events would revolve around Jerusalem. Not San Francisco. Not Los Angeles. Not Moscow. Not Paris. But Jerusalem, this tiny little city, in this tiny sliver of land, will play a key role in the events of the last days. It’s the focal point of end times events. It’s amazing when you think about it, because in Zechariah 12:3–4 God says, “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (NLT).

Pay Careful Attention

Those that study Bible prophecy should pay attention. The Bible tells us in the end times that Israel would be scattered and regathered. This has happened, and this really was the sign that set the prophetic clock ticking. On the heels of the Holocaust, who would have ever thought that these Jewish people who lost six million lives to the Nazis would somehow regather in their homeland, but it happened, against all odds. And on May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation. I’m proud to say the United States was the first nation to acknowledge that.

But after Israel was regathered, the Lord said she would come under attack. Specifically in Ezekiel 37 and 38, the Bible speaks of the regathering of Israel, and then it speaks of a large force from her north attacking her. That force is identified as Magog. Who is Magog? No one can say with absolute certainty. But many Bible students and prophecy teachers believe it’s modern-day Russia. I think you can make a very good case for that. If you get out a map of the Middle East and look to the north of Israel, you will find Russia.

Map

Why would Russia ever want to invade Israel? Well, there’s another thing the Bible says about Magog, if she is indeed Russia, and that one of her allies that will march with her is Persia. Persia is the ancient name for modern day Iran. So, the Bible predicted hundreds of years ago that this large force from the north of Israel would attack her after she was regathered, and one of the allies that would attack Israel with Russia or Magog, whoever it is, would be Iran or Persia.

Not once in the past 2,500 years has Russia formed a military alliance with Persia, Iran, but they have recently developed a special connection. Russia has signed billion dollar deals to sell missiles to Iran, and the Iranians have helped the Russians, providing them with drones, weaponized drones to use in the Ukraine war.

Bible Prophecy Before Our Very Eyes

How do you even stop something like this? Let’s just say, for the sake of a point, that Israel decided to strike out at Iran, specifically, because they’re funding all of this.

What would that produce? Well, it could produce a conflict we read about in Ezekiel 38. The Bible says that Magog will come against her will; the Bible describes hooks in her jaws, pulling her forward almost as though Magog is coming in reluctantly along with her ally, Persia (or Iran).

Am I saying with absolute certainty this is the scenario that will play out? No. But if you get up in the morning and read this headline, “Russia Attacks Israel,” fasten your seatbelt because you’re seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled in your lifetime before your very eyes.

 

We need to pray.

The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. And we want to pray that God places His hand of protection on the nation of Israel during this unprecedented war.

SETTING: Chapter 10 is Daniel’s final vision. In it, he was given further insight into the great spiritual battle between God’s people and those who want to destroy them.

  

Daniel 10:1-3

In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.

 

We prepare for battle with prayer.

We can prepare ourselves to receive a word from the Lord when we stand before Him humbly and submissively. Ultimately, the Lord makes known what He wants to make known when He wants to make it known. We do not force His hand no matter what we do.

  

Daniel 10:10-13

Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees. He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” After he said this to me, I stood trembling. “Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

 

Prayer is our engagement of the spiritual battle.

We are to be in awe of the holy and divine. The Lord calms our fears. The Lord hears the prayers of the humble who call upon Him. Though beyond our complete understanding, the powers of evil are unleashed against us when we pray. Ultimately, the Lord’s will and purpose will be revealed and accomplished; hence, persist in prayer with faith and believing.

How has your understanding of spiritual warfare changed over time?

How does it make you feel to know that your prayers are part of the spiritual battle?

 

Daniel 10:16-19

Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless. How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me.” Then the one with a human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. He said, “Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

We can stand strong in the Lord's strength. 

We are weak within ourselves, but the repeated touch from the Lord gives us strength to stand strong. When the Lord comes to us, the best and appropriate response to Him is: “Speak.”

 

Daniel was frightened by this vision, but the messenger reassured him. Daniel lost his speech, but the messenger’s touch restored it. Daniel felt weak and helpless, but the messenger’s words strengthened him. God can bring us healing when we are hurt, peace when we are troubled, and strength when we are weak.

 

 

Conclusion

The message to Daniel is the message to us today. We live in stressful times, but also with triumph. We are engaged in spiritual battle, but we have the assurance of victory. God is greater than any person or any power in the news. Let’s pray for His intervention, His protection, His will, and His glory. Let’s ask God to step in — and do it in a way that brings Him glory! So, the next time you tune in to current events …

God is greater than any person or any power in the news. Let’s pray for His intervention, His protection, His will, and His glory. Let’s ask God to step in — and do it in a way that brings Him glory! So, the next time you tune in to current events …

 

Read Philippians 4:6

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

 

Don’t ignore the news - trust it into God’s hands.