The Power Of the Resurrection

Philippians 3:

10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.


The phrase "that by any means possible" in verse 11 captures the committed desperation of the apostle Paul to attain resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15 provides the basis and support for Paul's view that the resurrection is true and essential to the Christian hope of eternal life. He views the resurrection as not only an event and as verifiable history (1 Corinthians 15:5-7) but also as a source of power (Philippians 3:10); a power that is available to us and that can be absorbed by us.

The presence of the Sun is a verifiable fact but some people have come to realise that it also has power; power that is available to us and that can be absorbed by us using machinery that includes solar panels. Even though the power of the Sun is available to everyone under the Sun, not everyone absorbs the power of Sun through solar power machinery. Analogously, the power of the resurrection is available to everyone but it takes the presence of faith to access, absorb and process the power. The apostle Paul is keen to do just that.

What is the power of the resurrection?

The power of the resurrection is certainly multi-faceted and varied but it at least means a couple of things:

• It is the power to give life after death:

Matthew 28 is one those passages that detail the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But before Matthew 28 is chapter 27 that talks about the death of the Lord Jesus. The power of the resurrection is that death is not the last chapter. The sway of sin does not extend beyond the grave for a follower of the Lord Jesus. The power of the resurrection reaches to the depths of the grave, destroys it and bring life form death- both physically and spiritually. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:24-25 and the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:24 describe the duty of a follower of the Lord Jesus to die to sinful self daily so that the power of the resurrection can bring life in Christ (Galatians 2:20). It might be in this backdrop that Paul says "and may share (κοινωνίαν: share, participate, fellowship) his sufferings, becoming like him in his death".

• It is the power to achieve the impossible:

The herodians, pharisees and sadducees held the Lord Jesus on false charges and insisted on crucifying Him. The romans flogged him, paraded Him though the city and then nailed Him on a cross to bleed and die. The lifeless body of the Messiah lodged in a guarded tomb seemed like a completed work for everyone who killed Christ. It would have seemed impossible to them that the Lord Jesus would ever show up in flesh and breath. But indeed the power of the resurrection made it possible to achieve the impossible. It gives us power to defy limitations, elevate above constraints and reach for the incredible.

A Basic Introduction to the Book of Haggai

For a basic introduction to the Biblical history of Israel click here.

Main Theme: Build the house of God so He would be glorified (1:8)

Background:

- In 586 B.C, the Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem (built by Solomon)
- Around 540 B.C, the Persians conquered Babylon and Judah (who were under Babylon)
- Around 538 B.C, a group of Judahites under the leadership of Zerubbabel return from exile into Jerusalem to (re)build a temple for God.
- Around 520 B.C, after temple construction work was stagnant for years, Haggai encourages God's people to build the house of God.

Outline:

1. Haggai's first message:
1. People lack blessing when God's house of neglected (1:3-6)
2. Build the house of God so He would be glorified (1:7-11)
3. People obey the word of God (1:12-15)
2. Haggai's second message:
1. God will bless this second temple (2:1-9)
3. Haggai's third message:
1. Blessing on the Lord even on unrighteous (unclean) people (2:10-19)
4. Haggai's fourth message:
1. God's judgement on the nations (2:20-22)
2. God chooses Zerubbabel (2:23) 

A Basic Introduction to the Biblical History of Israel

Every book in the Old Testament of the Bible can be placed within this broad outline of the Biblical history of Israel.

• Around 1700 B.C, God chose Abraham and then one of his sons Issac and then one of Issac's sons Jacob to be the covenant people of God; they were to bring blessing to the world.
• Jacob's twelve children (Israel) became great in number (lakhs) in Egypt.
• Around 1446 B.C, Israel left Egypt to settle in Canaan; they were governed by twelve judges in  Canaan
• Around 1050 B.C, Israel had their first king Saul, followed by king David and then king Solomon who built a temple for God in Jerusalem.
• During the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam, the nation of Israel was split into the Northern kingdom (Israel, ten of the twelve Israelite tribes) and the Southern kingdom (Judah, two tribes)
• In 727 B.C, Assyria, invaded and brutally destroyed Israel (Northern kingdom).
• In 587 B.C, Babylon invaded and destroyed Judah (Southern kingdom); they also destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.
• Around 540 B.C, Persia captured Babylon and by extension Judah.
• During Babylonian and Persian rule of Judah (the Judahite exile), four groups of Israelites return to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem:
• The first group, under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, who bring back temple utensils to Jerusalem.
• The second group, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, build a temple in Jerusalem (the second temple, present during the time of the Lord Jesus)
• The third group, under the leadership of Ezra, revive the people and re-ignite covenant love to God.
• The fourth group, under the leadership of Nehemiah, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
• Note: There's some discussion that Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel could be the same person

Pointers toward additional study:

1) What is the relationship between historical Israel and the present Church (Romans 11)

A Basic Introduction to the Book of Nahum

Author: Nahum, from Elkosh (difficult place to track down)

Date: Between 663 B.C and 612 B.C

Background: 

• During Rehoboam's (Solomon's son) reign the nation of Israel is divided into the northern kingdom (Israel, 10 tribes) and the southern kingdom (Judah, 2 tribes). (~975 B.C)
• Jonah preached in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (north of Israel), and the people of Nineveh repented. (~ between 780 B.C and 740 B.C)
• In 727 B.C Assyria brutally invaded and destroyed Israel.
• About 150 years after Jonah's time and in the face of Assyrian torment of Judah, Nahum prophecies the destruction of Nineveh and comfort for Judah.

Main Themes:

1. The nature of God: 
1. God is jealous and avenging (1:1)
2. God is slow to anger, powerful and just (1:2), 
3. God's wrath is unbearable (1:6)
2. The pride and destruction of Nineveh (Chapter 2 & 3)

Pointers toward deeper study:

1. The juxtaposition of God's mercy in Jonah and judgement in Nahum on the same place (Nineveh)

Understanding the Trinity using Object Oriented Design-2

Modeling Immutability using Object Oriented Design:

The Bible teaches that God does not change. Malachi 3:6 says:

"For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

This means that God is immutable- his attributes do not change. In Object oriented design, immutability is modeled using the final keyword. An attribute that is qualified as being final cannot be changed by objects or other attributes in the class. Previously, we modeled the Trinity as being three objects of one class. The attributes would, naturally, be defined in the class as:

Class God {

final <attrubute>;

}

There seem to be four import attributes of God that are described, in the Bible, as being unchanging. They are:

1) Love: "...I have loved you with an everlasting love..." Jeremiah 31:3

God loves His people with a love that does not change. It remains forever and precedes (and causes)
love towards God in His people (I John 4:19).

2) Faithfulness:  "if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself." II Timothy 2:13

God is eternally faithful to His being and His covenants- His faithfulness does not change. God's faithfulness is connected to His being (personality/identity) and also His love (Deuteronomy 7:9)

3) Mercy: "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love[translated mercy in other translations and other places in the OT] endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:5

God's mercy remains forever and His children who are dependent on it are eternally secure (John 10:28)

4) Word: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." (Isaiah 40:8 and I Peter 1:25)

God's word does not change. It will prevail over time, over people and circumstances. (It is an interesting to study the immutability of God's Word within frameworks of Textual Criticism)

Conclusions:

The immutability of God is frightening for the rebel cannot win over it (Acts 26:14) and assuring for the humble who depend on His mercy (John 10:28).

Other Interesting passage(s) regarding God's immutability:
1) Hebrews 6:17 "...the unchangeable character of His purpose..."