Heaven's Means of Communication

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope

January 3, 2009
Larry R Evans

 

Introductory Reflections

Last quarter we probed the subject of the atonement.  If one thought stands out for me it is that we barely grasp the basics of that subject but that, in itself, is enough to cause us to stand in awe of God’s grace.  Isn’t it fitting, then, that we now study “Heaven’s Means of Communication!”  We must keep in mind that the prophetic gift is also a gift of grace and through it we will learn more about God and in so doing we will learn more about ourselves.  The gift of prophecy is not meant to be an end in itself.  It is always linked to God’s overwhelming desire to communicate with us. The very essence that there is a prophetic voice whether it be through individuals or through a movement is indeed cause to rejoice.  It is one more evidence that we have a solid foundation for the “hope that burns within us.” (Lk 24:32)  

Reflective Discovery Questions 

 1.    The greatness of a prophet is determined by how much of his or her writings is included in Scripture.  True or False?  [Lk 7:28] 

2.    Revelation from God is something that happened after sin entered.  True or False?  [Gen 3:8] 

3.    If one has a sincere interest and a knowledgeable background of nature then nature can replace the need for the Bible.  True or False?  [Ps 19:1-6; Gn 3:17,18] 

4.    To be qualified to be called a prophet in the biblical sense, one must have made accurate predictions.  True or False?  [Ex. 4:10-17; Jonah 1:1-3] 

5.    The Bible is more than a collection of ancient literature.  True or False?  

6.    The Bible is the supreme revelation of God.  True or False?  [Jn 14:8-10] 

Reflective Study and Discovery 

1.     The greatness of a prophet is determined by how much of his or her writings is included in Scripture.  False  [Lk 7:28] 

What is it that makes one a prophet or prophetess?  Is it having one’s writings recorded in Scripture?  What is is it that makes one a great prophet – the amount recorded in Scripture?  What does Luke 7:28 say to you about identifying a prophet or prophetess? 

Luke 7:28 

28 "For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."NKJV 

We have recorded some words John the Baptist spoke but we have no book written by him in Scripture.  So what then is a prophet?  This question will be our study for this quarter. At the outset, however, we want to make one principle very clear and that is this:  Any study about the prophetic gift must also focus on the Gift-Giver.  Biblical prophets always had their ministry tied to God and not a message independent of God.  By keeping this principle in mind, our appreciation of the message born by a prophet is in proportion to our concept and understanding of God.  Therefore, our study of revelations from God is also one about God.  The fact that John the Baptist was sent by God as a prophet speaks indirectly about the kind of God that would prepare the hearts of people to receive the message of Salvation.  Clearly, then, the first picture we see about God is one that will do everything possible in His communications to us so as to have us accept the salvation He is offering! 

2.    Revelation from God is something that happened after sin entered.  True and False  [Gen 3:8] 

How can the answer be “True and False”?  Before we answer let’s look at Gen. 3:8 and see if we see any indication that was revealing Himself before sin entered. 

Gen 3:8-9

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" (NIV) 

In verses preceding this one, during the conversation between the serpent, Adam and Eve, reference is made to instruction God had made.  In this verse we find God walking in the garden looking for them as if this was something done many times before.  The question, “Where are you?” is not a geographical question!  It is a question of revelation!  God is revealing both what has happened to them and who He is.  This question is all about revelation and it came after sin entered but it was based on a revelation from God prior to sin. 

3.    If one has a sincere interest and a knowledgeable background of nature then nature can replace the need for the Bible.  False  [Ps 19:1-6; Gn 3:17,18]

Do you enjoy nature?  Do you see God in nature? In what ways do you see God?  Does all of nature reveal God?  If you had no written word from God how would you interpret nature when you see thorns among the roses or a lion feasting on a gazelle?  

Ps 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (NIV) 

If a meteor should strike the earth killing thousands would you still believe this text?  Why? 

Or what about this text? 

Gen 3:17-18 

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' 

"Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it

all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field. (NIV) 

Couple with this the passage about pain in child birth.(v.16)  If you have no written word from God how would you interpret “pain”?  Perhaps we would still have questions but they might be different, such as:  In a world in which we bear the agony of pain, does pain have any redeeming value?  Can we understand God if we do not understand Satan’s rebellion – that is, the ongoing great controversy? 

The point we wish to make is that we can see images of God in nature but aided with Scripture we see His character much more clearly.  Nature alone can actually teach the wrong things about God but combined with Scripture we can joyfully and with assurance proclaim,  

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Ps 19:1) 

4.    To be qualified to be called a prophet in the biblical sense, one must have made accurate predictions.  False but with some truth  [Ex. 4:10-17; Jonah 1:1-3] 

Note two different passages about Moses – Deut. And then Ex. And see if you gain any insights into what a prophet is. 

Deut 34:10-12 

10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt--to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. (NIV) 

Ex 4:10-12 

10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." 

11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (NIV) 

The primary task of a biblical prophet was not to predict the future but to declare the divine will.  Throughout Israel’s history the role of the prophet was to Guide God’s people.  Only occasionally was it of predictive nature.  They upheld the law of God and taught it to the people. Ex 4:10-12 

10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." 

11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (NIV)

5.    The Bible is more than a collection of ancient literature.  True 

2 Tim 3:15-17

 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV) 

 With the purpose of Scripture in mind it becomes clear that while other classical writings are often great literature they do not necessarily have the same purpose nor the same authority. 

Some important characteristics of the Scripture:

1.  Its Unity

2.  The History It Portrays

3.  Its Survival

 

6.    The Bible is the supreme revelation of God.   False  [Jn 14:8-10] 

As important as Scripture is, it is not the supreme revelation of God.  Note the conversation between Jesus and Phillip. 

John 14:8-11 

8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 

9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone 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 that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. (NIV) 

Neither nature nor any written revelation of God can equal the personal presence of Christ.  In Him we see the Father.  In Him we see God healing the sick and comforting the mourning. In Him we see the rejected sinner restored to a new life beaming with hope. 

Concluding Reflections

The wise man insightfully concluded that we have a limited understanding of God when he wrote in

Eccl 11:5, 

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things. (NIV) 

While this may be true, God does want us to understand Him and His plan for us.  There will always be gaps in our understanding but what we can grasp is awesome. 

We learn much from nature but we can become confused if we only see nature.  Nature clearly depicts a controversy between good and evil but it is a limited view.  Scripture helps break the code of confusion and brings to light the rebellion that began in heaven in which the accusations against God began.  And it is the revelation found in Jesus where we begin to see the very heart of God.  We see both His caring and sympathetic heart in healing the sick and dying but we also see His caring when He rebukes those who distort His character and mistreat and disadvantage others.  God has little patience for injustices though sometimes the error of such courses is best dealt with by letting them be revealed in due course as painful as that is for Him and us. 

Throughout history God’s prophets, those who have listened to Him through nature, Scripture and the ministry of Jesus, have verified that God is love. (1 Jn 4:9).  Force, coercion and manipulation are the methods of Satan.  Revelation of truth is God’s way of communicating and this will be our theme of study for the next 13 weeks.  Perhaps it would be fitting to close our initial study regarding God’s revelation with the following insightful passage spoken by Jesus in prayer: 

John 17:6-8

6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.(NIV)