Day 2206– What Does God Want? – God Pursues His Human Family – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Day 2206 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
What Does God Want – God Pursues His Human Family – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 02/19/2023
What Does God Want? -  God Pursues His Human Family
Last week, we continued our series with the overall theme, which is to answer the question: What does God want? The answer we discovered over this past month was that God wants you and everyone who will ever live. In other words, God wanted a human family. God wants co-workers to take care of His creation. God wants you to know/ who you are/ and why your life has value to him. /He loves you /and desires that you also love Him. Last week’s message showed that God Joined His Human Family. When God Joined His Human Family, All Covenants Were Fulfilled, All Rebellions Were Overcome, and All Death Was Extinguished. Because of the Resurrection, our distance from God was bridged. Today, we will explore how “God Pursues His Family.” There is a lot of scripture in today’s message, making me think of this beautiful basket. OT & NT weaved together to see how the kingdom of God is being weaved together.

As I noted in the last message, the coming of the Holy Spirit fulfilled the new covenant described by Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:22-28). Let me read the verses of Ezekiel 36:25-27. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. The Spirit’s ministry in each believer makes victory over depravity possible. Think of it as a slap in the face to the fallen sons of God. But it’s an even more direct assault on another set of supernatural villains.

The Spirit’s arrival launched an infiltration campaign against the sons of God to whom God assigned the nations he divorced at Babel (Deut 32:8). When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.[sons of God] the supernatural beings who defected from serving God and became corrupt, abusing the people under their dominion (Psalm 82). Jesus knew all that. We habitually miss this point in reading the New Testament books that come after the resurrection (i.e., Acts through Revelation).

The Beginning of the End

Jesus’s departure put the coming of the Spirit into motion (John 14:26; 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you...

Welcome to Day 2206 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
What Does God Want – God Pursues His Human Family – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 02/19/2023
What Does God Want? -  God Pursues His Human Family
Last week, we continued our series with the overall theme, which is to answer the question: What does God want? The answer we discovered over this past month was that God wants you and everyone who will ever live. In other words, God wanted a human family. God wants co-workers to take care of His creation. God wants you to know/ who you are/ and why your life has value to him. /He loves you /and desires that you also love Him. Last week’s message showed that God Joined His Human Family. When God Joined His Human Family, All Covenants Were Fulfilled, All Rebellions Were Overcome, and All Death Was Extinguished. Because of the Resurrection, our distance from God was bridged. Today, we will explore how “God Pursues His Family.” There is a lot of scripture in today’s message, making me think of this beautiful basket. OT & NT weaved together to see how the kingdom of God is being weaved together.

As I noted in the last message, the coming of the Holy Spirit fulfilled the new covenant described by Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:22-28). Let me read the verses of Ezekiel 36:25-27. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. The Spirit’s ministry in each believer makes victory over depravity possible. Think of it as a slap in the face to the fallen sons of God. But it’s an even more direct assault on another set of supernatural villains.

The Spirit’s arrival launched an infiltration campaign against the sons of God to whom God assigned the nations he divorced at Babel (Deut 32:8). When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.[sons of God] the supernatural beings who defected from serving God and became corrupt, abusing the people under their dominion (Psalm 82). Jesus knew all that. We habitually miss this point in reading the New Testament books that come after the resurrection (i.e., Acts through Revelation).

The Beginning of the End

Jesus’s departure put the coming of the Spirit into motion (John 14:26; 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 15:26; 26 “But I will send you the Advocate[a]—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. John 16:7;  7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. Luke 24:49; 49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”. While the resurrected Jesus was still on earth, he told his followers what was coming right around the corner in Acts 1:8; 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” If you keep reading the book of Acts, figuring out what Jesus was forecasting doesn't take long. Once he leaves (Acts 1:9-11), the Spirit arrives in (literally) a blaze of glory.

(Bulletin/) Acts 2:1-4 tells us of this event. On the day of Pentecost[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. picture

The rest of the account tells us that the Holy Spirit enabled the followers of Jesus to speak in all sorts of languages. They were telling the story of Jesus —his death and resurrection—to Jews from all over the world. “Jews” was the name given to the Israelites in foreign lands, who had been scattered worldwide when the Assyrians captured the ten northern tribes exiled back in Old Testament times. So, the Jews who heard the followers of Jesus preaching to them in their own language were descendants of Old Testament Israelites. They had come to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the holy feasts on the old Israelite religious calendar. An interesting point is the listing of nations in these verses are the same nations listed as Noah’s descendants at the time of Babel. Let me follow with Acts 2:5-13. 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, backwoods8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9 Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. 13 But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

The people in Jerusalem who knew who the followers of Jesus were thought the whole public display was drunken madness. It just wasn’t possible that these men could speak in other languages all of a sudden. But then the apostle Peter laid it all out for them. But, honestly, he did more than that—he let them have it in Acts 2:14-24; 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: (Joel 2:28-32)

17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, (the last days Joel speaks of is when Peter is speaking, not future prophecy)
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’[c]

22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene[d] by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 

 

Peter was telling them what they were seeing with their own eyes, and hearing with their own ears, was a miracle caused by the arrival of the Holy Spirit of God. He told them God had sent his Spirit to tell them what had happened. The Messiah had come, been killed, had risen from the dead—and they needed to believe. The result of Peter’s explanation was stunning, as we read in Acts 2:41. 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

 

This is usually the point in the story where the preacher moves on (or backward) to discuss the cross. That’s all well and good, since the cross and the resurrection led to this moment. But again, we’re missing something very significant about the story.

Supernatural Infiltration

Remember, what happened in Acts 2 was about the coming of the Spirit. The arrival of the Spirit was the crucial element of a new covenant—a new set of promises God was giving to humanity. Many Christians don’t realize that this also meant God was launching a spiritual war to reclaim not only Jews who had rejected Jesus but also Gentiles, people from the nations he had rejected back at the Tower of Babel. God was pursuing his family; it didn’t matter where his children lived. He wanted them and would find them.

 

The passage we read in Acts 2 tells us the Spirit came with wind and fire (Acts 2:2-3). Fire and “burning smoke” were common elements in visions of God’s presence in the Old Testament (Exod 13:21-22; Ezek 1:4, 13, 27). God at times came in a “whirlwind” (Isa 6:4, 6; Ezek 1:4; Job 38:1; 40:6). Jews who heard Peter’s message and saw the coming of the Spirit with their own eyes knew the day of salvation had come.

 

Think about what happened in this scene. Three thousand Jews, living abroad in the nations where their ancestors had been scattered, had come to Jerusalem for a religious feast day. They witnessed the coming of the Spirit and heard about Jesus, the Messiah, and what he had done. They believed in Jesus. They became Christians, his followers. What do you suppose they did next? They went home.

 

Why does that matter? Because now the lost, divorced nations had three thousand evangelists planted. They were like secret agents, embedded in hostile territory held by other gods from the Babel incident. They would be God’s initial means to multiply the size of his human family. They were the first wave. Their mission? The same one Jesus had given to his disciples: the Great Commission. Christians know the verses well: Matthew 28:19-20: 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” But again, something is missed. That’s the Great Commission, but I skipped verse 18, which is usually overlooked when discussing our evangelization mission. Here’s the complete statement of Jesus with the preamble to the great commission:

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Did you catch that? Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. The authority in heaven part is pretty easy to understand. Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God (Col 3:1; Heb 12:2). But what does the “on earth” part mean? This is easily missed. His ascension—which naturally had to follow his resurrection—marked the end of the authority of those who held power on the earth up to that point. Who was that? The fallen sons of God, who were appointed over the nations when God divorced them at Babel (Deut 32:8).

You’ve Got No Business Being Here

The implication is that the resurrection and Jesus’ return to heaven meant that the authority of the rebel sons of God was now null and void. They no longer had legitimate dominion over the people in those nations. Salvation was not just for Israelites (Jews), even though the Messiah was a descendant of Abraham and David./ Jesus was the Messiah for everyone, and the rightful lord and king of every nation. The resurrection, ascension, and coming of the Spirit marked the beginning of the end for the fallen sons of God. They had lost their legitimacy.

The New Testament associates the resurrection and ascension with defeating the supernatural powers of darkness. This concept is summarized in a letter written to a Gentile church. Colossians 2:12-15. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed[a] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

 

Recall that “rulers and authorities” are terms Paul uses for the supernatural fallen sons of God who became the evil gods of the nations in Old Testament times. There are several examples of this language (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:13). This is best described in Ephesians 6:10-12; 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Coin

 

The “rulers and authorities” is a favorite expression of the apostle Paul to describe the defeated powers of darkness. Three more examples from the New Testament. 1 Peter 3:22 22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority. Ephesians 1:19-21 This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in...