Poll - 52 percent approve of God’s job performance

From CNN

[I came across this piece the other day while doing some reading.  While, on one side, it is entertaining, almost funny (I mean, come on…really?), on the other side wide it is irritating and offending, and on yet another not really very unexpected when we stop and think about it for a moment from the Scripture’s point of view.]

(CNN) – If you think voters are in cranky mood over politics, a new poll suggests that some of the dissatisfaction may run deeper.

God’s job performance has trouble measuring up to many Americans' expectations, according to a poll by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm based in North Carolina.

Only 52 percent of Americans approve of God’s job performance, the survey found, though just 9 percent disapprove.

[Astonishing, while at the same time, not really all that surprising isn’t it?  The vast majority of “Christian America “disapproves” of the way that God is handling His job!  He is not living up to THEIR expectations. 

Actually, I suspect that this is a far more widespread dissatisfaction in the Christian world than merely 52 percent in many ways.  I suspect that most believers struggle with being content with God’s “managing” of their lives and thus the world if the truth were known.  Oh, we go along with it and settle for what He does, but many times it is through clenched teeth a ‘rather’ in our minds other than what God has done.

We forget that God is both a God Who knows the beginning from the end and a good, a morally good God.  We forget that He has chosen us, from before the foundation of the world to be a part of His foundation and that this choice is root in His own good pleasure and not in our own performance.  We forget that this choice and redemption is rooted and secured by the work, the FINISHED work of the Lord Jesus, accomplished in the past and already presented before God in heaven where Christ now sits, exalted and glorified at the right hand of that august Majesty on  high.

All of this means that there is no question, no question whatsoever, that God is managing our lives (or the world at large) in a good (morally and ethically, as well as, well, administratively I guess we could say) fashion.  His nature demands and provides for it to be so.]

The polling question that prompted this curious response was,

"If God exists, do you approve or disapprove of its performance?"

“When asked to evaluate God on some of the issues it is responsible for, voters give God its best rating on creating the universe, 71-5," the polling report said. "They also approve of its handling of the animal kingdom 56-11, and even its handling of natural disasters 50-13."

[Isn’t all this cute!  Well, no actually.  Notice, above that this is of course, a function of Democratic politics, though it is most assuredly not limited to Democratic thought.  In the first poll number cited above, 52% approved while “only 9% disapproved.  That leaves 39% “on the fence” so to speak, if I do my numbers right.  Of course, I suspect that some of this had to do with the way that the question was asked, but really now, how is that we, in this country, in this world have to the place where we think that we get to offer God a “grade” at all in the first place?  How is it that we think we even have the tools to do so?

Was this not where Job got himself in trouble and ended up being rebuked by God, shortly and in no uncertain terms,  for speaking to things, when it is all said and done, he knew nothing about?  Oh surely, he had some passing acquaintance on the experiential end of the matter, but not on the end of the matter that made any real difference in the final evaluation of the how’s and whys of the mechanism of things; and God, for the one time all of the Scripture, deigns to tell a man that truth - it isn’t up to him!  For the rest of us - it is God’s world and not ours - we don’t get to evaluate Him.

Dino Grandoni cited the poll in a blog for the  Atlantic Wire:

“On the bright side for the Almighty's re-election chances, God is still more popular than House Speaker John Boehner and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, all of whom polled at 33 percent in the same poll.

(snip)

Believers or not, it seems ridiculous for the public to categorically grade God like this, until you realize that it's pollsters who asked the questions in the first place”

[The arrogance of men is astounding; and in the day and age, grows and will keep growing until one of two things happens.  Either God is gracious and sends revival and men fall on their faces in repentance and cry out for mercy and we see that repentance and redemption take hold all across our land (and hopefully all across the world!); or, our Lord at last returns to put an end to this wretched and tiresome trek towards final judgment.  To be honest, I am not sure which of the two I desire more.  I can honestly say that I would (like our Lord I think) love to see revival - for I don’t want to see any perish, no matter how arrogant or foolish they are.  But then I look around and I see this world so wicked and so very, very bent on doing just and only what it pleases…]

Public Policy Polling used automated telephone interviews to survey 928 American voters from July 15 to 17. The voters were represented by a mix of liberal, moderate and conservative voters. The poll's margin of error  was +/-3.2%.

[LoL - I have news for them…their margin of error is LOT higher than!  Sadly, they are just to foolish and filled with self to realize it.]

Man’s Will Dissolved In God’s Will

From the Gospel Chapel Web Site

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.

How is it that “it is God which worketh in you...to do of his good pleasure.”  He works in us to will and breaks our independent attitude, but He also works in us to obey?

Jesus told Peter,

“Thou girdedst thyself, [you serve yourself, or weigh your own actions], and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not,” John 21:18. 

Peter had the Spirit of God working in him to do of God’s good pleasure.

This word “gird” means “a yoke, a coupling, to be handcuffed or apprehended” by the Lord.  He was going to be arrested in such a way that he was totally imprisoned to the Lord.  He had absolutely no independence left.  He would be strictly brought into the service of the Lord.

What Jesus really told Peter was:

“You shall stretch forth your hands to be handcuffed.  You will unconditionally surrender and I will put shackles on you.  Your independence will be removed and you shall serve the Lord.  I shall weigh your actions as the Holy Spirit leads you,” as God works in you “to do of His good pleasure.”

Peter truly loved Jesus, but his independent will had not been broken.  Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”  Peter knew his Lord could read his thoughts.  He said in John 21:17,

“Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” 

Peter was self-willed but “it [was] God which work[ed] in [Peter] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

As Peter’s will was broken, he was led, as in handcuffs, by the Spirit as Christ’s prisoner, doing His will and following even where Peter did not want to go in answer to the prayers of Cornelius.  The Lord broke Peter’s independent will and made him do as he was led of the Spirit.  Peter would never have considered serving the Gentiles.  In Acts 10:14-15,

“But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.  And the voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has cleansed, that call not common.” 

After Peter’s will was broken, he set out to do God’s will.  He went to the house of Cornelius, which was totally against his will because his will was broken.  He was no longer independent.  The Lord had worked in Peter “to will and to do of his good pleasure.” 

As Peter confessed, Jesus knew what was in his heart.  Jesus knew Peter would not want to go into the house of a Gentile, but Peter learned to stretch out his hands and be led by the Spirit into the house of Cornelius.  God worked in him to do His will.

Before God works by His grace in the heart of natural man, he will make excuses for not doing “of his good pleasure,” while a person who has grace will allow everything to go on the altar in order to obey.  Jesus said in Luke 14:16-20,

“A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.  And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” 

This kind of trial will come to every one of us throughout our lives.  Will we consider something else more important than obeying the slightest command of the Lord?  That is how Christ separates His sheep from the goats.  His sheep have wills that become totally dissolved in His will and they “do of his good pleasure.”  Every one of us has priorities that will come ahead of attending the supper of the Lamb.

The context in which our text is written places all the responsibility upon man to follow and serve the Lord.  Philippians 2:1 says,

“If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies.” 

Do you claim salvation?  Is your will dissolved in His will?  If it is not, you are making a false claim.  Verse 2 says,

“Fulfill my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” 

We must love God above all, so that what He says takes priority in our lives, and nothing comes ahead of the will of God, even if it includes giving up our very breath.  We do not slight the least of His commandments.  This is not legalism, but salvation.  Do you claim to love but do not obey?  Verses 3-5 say,

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves…Let this mind be in you, which  was also in Christ Jesus.” 

The example of Jesus’ condescension is our admonition to work out our own salvation, walking in His footsteps.  Philippians 2:12 says,

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” 

That word fear means “a holy reverence for the will of God.” 

Wherefore, is the connecting word with Philippians 2:8, which shows us what Jesus has done:

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” 

Will you and I humble ourselves and become obedient?  He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death.  Every excuse that comes from the human heart must be slain, humbling ourselves and becoming obedient unto the slaying of every fleshly desire.  We must walk in the way of the cross.  Mark 8:34 says,

“Take up [your] cross, and follow me” in the way of death to self, flesh, sin, and everything but the will of God.

Our call to obedience is based on the revelation of God’s pleasure with the obedience of Christ, His Son.  Philippians 2:9-11 tells us,

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 

The Father was so pleased by Christ’s obedience in humbling Himself, and we are to walk in His footsteps.

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God
Who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
Ye ransomed of the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can never forget
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred thron
We at His feet may fall;
We’ll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Edward Perronet, 1779, 1780 alt.

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Heretic?

by John MacArthur
The following is excerpted from
The Truth War (Nelson, 2007, pp. 165-68)

Evangelical Apathy and the Danger of False Teaching

hy do so many evangelicals act as if false teachers in the church could never be a serious problem in this generation? Vast numbers seem convinced that they are

"…rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'; and do not know that [they] are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17).

In reality, the church today is quite possibly more susceptible to false teachers, doctrinal saboteurs, and spiritual terrorism than any other generation in church history. Biblical ignorance within the church may well be deeper and more widespread than at any other time since the Protestant Reformation. If you doubt that, compare the typical sermon of today with a randomly-chosen published sermon from any leading evangelical preacher prior to 1850. Also compare today's Christian literature with almost anything published by evangelical publishing houses a hundred years ago or more.

Bible teaching, even in the best of venues today, has been deliberately dumbed-down, made as broad and as shallow as possible, over-simplified, adapted to the lowest common denominator—and then tailored to appeal to people with short attention spans. Sermons are almost always brief, simplistic, overlaid with as many references to pop culture as possible, and laden with anecdotes and illustrations. (Jokes and funny stories drawn from personal experience are favored over cross-references and analogies borrowed from Scripture itself.) Typical sermon topics are heavily weighted in favor of man-centered issues (such as personal relationships, successful living, self-esteem, how-to lists, and whatnot)—to the exclusion of the many Christ-exalting doctrinal themes of Scripture.

In other words, what most contemporary preachers do is virtually the opposite of what Paul was describing when he said he sought "to declare…the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Not only that, but here's how Paul explained his own approach to gospel ministry, even among unchurched pagans in the most debauched Roman culture:

I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Notice: he deliberately refused to customize his message or adjust his delivery to suit the Corinthians' philosophical bent or their cultural tastes. He had no thought of catering to a particular generation's preferences, and he used no gimmicks as attention-getters. Whatever antonym you can think of for the word showmanship would probably be a good description of Paul's style of public ministry. He wanted to make it clear to everyone (including the Corinthian converts themselves) that lives and hearts are renewed by means of the Word of God, and by nothing else. That way they would begin to understand and appreciate the power of the gospel message.

By contrast, today's church-growth experts seem to have no confidence in Scripture's power. They are convinced the gospel needs to be "contextualized," streamlined, and revamped anew for every generation. Forty years of that approach has left evangelicals grossly untaught, wholly unprepared to defend the truth, and almost entirely unaware of how much is at stake. The evangelical movement itself has become a monstrosity, its vast size and visibility belying its almost total spiritual failure. One thing is certain: the cumbersome movement that most people today would label "evangelical" is populated with large numbers of people who are on the wrong side in the Truth War.

We are right back in the same situation the church was in a hundred years ago, when modernists were busily re-inventing the Christian faith. Far from being a strong voice and a powerful force for the cause of truth, the evangelical movement itself has become the main battleground.

The Great Triumph of Our Lord - Grace Over the “Desert” of Sin (Matthew 14:13-21)

When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

Throughout history and across many very different religious traditions there has long been a curious linkage between spirituality and food. The Old Testament has its share of dietary restrictions and laws, many of which to this day translate into what, for instance, observant Jews regard as kosher or non-kosher foods. Although the Christian faith has largely left behind such strictures, we, too, still regard gluttony as one of the deadly sins, and some Christians also promote strict vegetarianism.

Even some of the foods we eat each week have a religious background. In the mid-1800s there was a group of people in America known as the Millerites--a Christian sect firmly convinced that Jesus would return sometime late in the year 1843. He didn't, setting off what was called "the Great Disappointment." At least some of these folks, however, made the best of the situation by declaring that as a matter of fact Jesus had returned but that it had turned out to be an invisible, spiritual advent. Believing themselves to be living in an already-present millennial kingdom, these Adventists decided that as part of this new identity they should invent alternative foods as a sign of their not being fully in this world.

One preacher named Sylvester Graham invented a new kind of cracker for his congregation to eat--yes, that was indeed the origin of the Graham Cracker. Peanut butter was also invented at this time, as was a variety of cold breakfast cereals, including something called a "corn flake," perfected by Adventist devotee John Harvey Kellogg in a spiritual community located in a, then, little known place called - wait for it: Battle Creek, Michigan.

Food and spirituality have long been yoked, but aside from observing occasional periods of fasting, no religious group has ever said it would never eat anything again. We all know we must eat and drink to live. If we go much more than three days without water or a month or so with no food, we will die. Many organizations nobly work every day to get food to this world's starving. The fact that thousands of children die of starvation every day is as vivid, and utterly tragic, a sign of this world's broken condition as anything.

The Feeding of 5,000

Most biblical translations tell us in Matthew 14:13 (and again in verse 15) that the place to which Jesus had withdrawn—and the place to which the crowds had followed him anyway—was “solitary” or “remote” or “quiet.”   As far as they go, those are all legitimate translations of the Greek adjective “eremos” that gets used here.

But most commonly when “eremos” is used in the Bible, it refers to the wilderness, to the desert, to that dreaded place that, theologically speaking, always stands for chaos, for all that is evil and fallen in the world, for all that is the opposite of the good cosmos God fashioned “in the beginning.”  The wilderness is where the devil lurks.  The wilderness is where testing and temptation come.   The wilderness threatens shalom and life and all flourishing and is, therefore, a place of terror that sane people avoid.

So is it significant that Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 takes place in a location that is twice described by Matthew as wilderness-esque, as “eremos”?  Probably.  In fact, almost certainly!  

All of the gospels report on the ministry of John the Baptist and John’s raising up of that verse from Isaiah of how it is in the wilderness that a highway must be built for our God (and, of course, John the Baptist did his work in the wilderness wilds, too).  Jesus began his ministry right after his baptism by being impelled into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit.  There is no missing the theological theme that Jesus is coming to all that is chaotic and dead and wild and dangerous in this fallen world and he is bringing back cosmos and shalom into all that is fragmented and full of death.

So here in Matthew 14 - as in the other feeding miracle accounts - we are led out with the crowds to a place that is not just solitary or quiet or lonely but a place that is tinged with the desert, with “eremos”, with the devastation wrought by the effect of sin and with all that that means in the Bible.

And it is just here that the Messianic Great Shepherd of the Sheep comes to bring out an abundance of life as symbolized by the effusive multiplication of the loaves and fishes.  Jesus did not make just enough bread and fish to squeak by but such an over-abundance that the leftovers had to be gathered up.

We need food to live. Those of us blessed enough never to have to worry about our food also have the luxury of being able to enjoy this creation's bounty in all its manifold variety. We even celebrate those skilled at serving up particularly tasty cuisine, whether it's Aunt Millie whose pot roast cannot be topped or Julia Child whose "Bouef Bourguignon avec Champignon" is so fine we'll shell out thirty or forty bucks just to get a plate of it.

We need food, we appreciate it. The crowds around Jesus on that long ago day as reported in Matthew 14 were no different. They were hungry, Jesus fed them and so he quickly rose in their estimation because of this miracle. And it was quite a stunning spectacle. This must have been an occasion of great wonder but also of great joy and hilarity. As the basket of bread and fish kept going and going without being depleted, waves of laughter must have accompanied it. By the time the basket got to the fiftieth person you can almost imagine his shouting back to the first person in line, "Hey, Sherman! Isn't this the same fish you ate?!" As astonishment gave way to joy, as growling stomachs gave way to stuffed bellies, the people realized Jesus truly was a great man of God.   Only the Creator himself could "play" with the very stuff of creation as to pull off this feat.

Jesus has come to lead his sheep beside still waters, to transform the wilderness places in all our lives from locales of death and danger to places of lush life and abundance.  

Seen from this angle, Matthew 14’s miraculous feeding of so many is no parlor trick, no little sideshow designed to titillate and impress.  This is a vignette of everything Jesus came to do in the first place and it just so inspires tons and tons of hope for us all!

As Frederick Dale Bruner points out,

“The Feeding of the 5,000 is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that gets recorded in all four gospels.” 

The only one!   What is it about this miracle that makes it so important the evangelists clearly concluded that you simply could not have a gospel without it?  It seems obvious that it is because what Jesus provides must be “fed upon” by all men everywhere, not just those of a single nation.  That in the midst of this barren place, what Christ provides is more than sufficient to meet the need of all who come. 

Jesus is revealed in this story as not only sufficient for spiritual needs but also physical ones; that somehow the “feeding” Jesus ultimately provides is food for not just the Church but for all the world for “whosoever will”. 

Like the paltry amount of bread and fish the disciples initially discovered, so the food of the Lord’s Supper looks paltry and not up to the task of giving this hurting and broken world what it needs. 

But this story tells us it is sufficient and that this is precisely what the world needs.   Perhaps that is why--factually, theologically, sacramentally, and ecclesiastically—the four evangelists knew that this story had to be included.

14 Forms of Revelation…

·        Here they are:

a.      Nature  (1)

·        God has revealed certain truths about Himself through nature or the created order.

·        Psalm 19:1-6 states,

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”

·        Nature tells everyone about God’s glory and that everything is made by Him.

·        Romans 1:18-21 declares,

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

·        According to this text, nature reveals that God exists and that He is powerful.

·        This testimony is so powerful that no person can claim that he or she knows nothing about God.

b.     Providence (2)

·        God reveals Himself through His moment-by-moment control of the world.

·        This is often referred to as “providence.”

·        God’s providence can be seen in His gracious giving of sunshine and rain to everyone (Matt. 5:45),

·        His providing of food, rain, and gladness for people (Acts 14:15-17), and

·        His installation and removal of world rulers (Daniel 2:21). 

·        Providence is one of the ‘quiet’ ways in which God manifests himself.

·        But as we look at history we can see the hand of God if we take the time to notice.

·        The survival of the nation Israel is one such example of God’s providence in action.

c.      Conscience (3)

·        God has revealed Himself to everyone through an internal sense of right and wrong.

·        Romans 2:14-15 states that every person has the Law of God “written in their hearts.”

·        This internal compass that alerts us to what is right and wrong points to the Ultimate Lawgiver who determines right and wrong.

 

·        It is important to note that though those three forms of revelation function for all men, they are subject to “interpretation” and/or suppression.

·        Men can make of them what they will, and often do!

·        They are non-specific.

d.     The Lot (4)

·        The casting of lots, at times, communicated God’s will to man (Prov. 16:33).

·        How was the replacement for Judas determined?

·        You guessed it.

·        The disciples cast lots and Matthias was chosen as the new “twelfth” apostle (Acts 1:21-26).

e.      The Urim and Thummim (5)

·        The Urim and Thummim were those two precious and mysterious stones on the breastplate of the high priest.

·        They were sometimes used to determine the will of God (Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6).

f.       Dreams (6)

·        Dreams were often used by God to communicate information (Gen. 20:3; 31:11-13, 24; 40-41).

·        God sent Jacob the dream of the ascending and descending angels on the latter (Gen. 28:10-15).

·        God also gave King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon important dreams about the coming empires of human history.

·        Daniel interpreted the dreams and the rest is—well, history (see Dan. 2).

g.      Visions (7)

·        God often used visions to communicate important truths.

·        Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord “sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted.”

·        Ezekiel saw various visions (Ezek. 1:3).

·        The apostle John saw glorious visions of the end-times while in exile on the island of Patmos (see Rev. 4–22).

·        The recipients of visions were often overwhelmed by the glorious sights they were seeing.

h.     Audible Voice (8)

·        Sometimes when God wanted to get His messages across, He did so Himself by speaking audibly.

·        When God wanted Samuel to be His prophet, He simply spoke to Samuel out loud (1 Sam. 3).

·        No, it wasn’t what Samuel ate that night—it was really God.

·        When God wanted Peter, James, and John to know that Jesus was truly God’s Son and that they should listen to Him, He simply told them in an audible voice (see Luke 9:35).

i.       Theophanies (9)

·        A theophany is a manifestation of God.

·        God, for example appeared before Moses in the form of the burning bush (Exod. 3:2-6).

·        Before the incarnation of Christ, God sometimes manifested Himself as the Angel of the Lord to communicate His divine message to the people (Gen. 16:7-14; Ex. 3:2; 2 Sam. 24:16; Zech. 1:12).

j.       Angels (10)

·        Angels, at times, were God’s special messengers.

·        Remember when Joseph was getting ready to leave Mary after he found out she was pregnant?

·        That’s right. An angel communicated to Joseph in a dream that Mary was with child through the power of the Holy Spirit.

·        Angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:10-11).

·        Gabriel, in particular, appeared to be the special angelic messenger of God.

·        He was the one who relayed important truths to Daniel (Dan. 9:20-21).

·        He also told Mary that she would be the earthly mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26–38).  

k.     The Prophets (11)

·        The prophets of the Bible, who acted under direct inspiration from God, were a primary means through which God revealed His messages.

·        Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Joel, Zechariah, and others played a major role in revealing truths about God and His plans in the Old Testament.

·        They focused particularly on warning the nation of Israel and detailing the coming kingdom that would be established by God’s Messiah.

·        The New Testament prophets played a foundational role in the establishment of the church (Eph. 2:20).

·        They also revealed previously undisclosed truths about the “mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:5).

l.       Miracles and Supernatural (12)

·        Events God sometimes used miracles and supernatural events to reveal Himself.

·        The Ten Plagues of Egypt showed Pharaoh and the Egyptians that the God of the Hebrews was truly God and that the ‘gods of Egypt’ were no match for Him (Exod. 7–11).

·        Jesus did many ‘sign miracles’ to point the way to Him and His message.

m.    Jesus Christ (13)

·        As great as the previous twelve forms of revelation were, the greatest form of revelation took place with the person of Jesus Christ.

·        As Heb. 11:1–2 states,

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 11:1-2).

·        Jesus Christ, the primary manifestation of God, reveals many things:

·        John 1:1 - He is the “Word” because He is the complete revelation of the Father.

·        John 1:18 - He reveals what the Father is like.

·        John 5:36-37 - He reveals the Father’s compassion.

·        John 6:63; 14:10 - He reveals that the Father gives eternal life through the Son.

·        Matthew 11:27 - He reveals who will know the Father. 

n.     The Bible (14)

·        The Bible is God’s written revelation to humankind.

·        Complied by various men under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), the Bible is the very Word of God.

·        Most of what we know about God, including the person and work of Jesus, is found in the Bible.

·        We need

·        It reveals all the doctrine, rebuke, correction and guidance that is needed for godly living (see 2 Tim. 3:16-17).