Christ’s Amazing Work From Heaven

Feature 3 –February 2019 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Christ’s Amazing Work From Heaven

God’s sovereign grace is displayed in His marvelous message of good news. The power of God is at work in communicating His message of good news to sinners and, at the same time, working in sinners who repent for their salvation (Eph. 1:18-2:10). God’s power was demonstrated in creation . Soon He will display it, after the present period of grace is over, in a series of worldwide judgments similar to Noah’s flood and, on a smaller scale, to certain events of Israel’s history.

Today God’s power is at work toward man in grace and goodness, leading sinners to repentance (Rom. 2:4) as they believe God’s Word. God’s actions as Savior – to save people and to produce something wonderful in those who believe – are according to His eternal purpose (Eph. 3:8-10). In and through His Word, God communicates the good news of salvation, in the power of His grace. This course of action coincides with Christ’s working from heaven, through the Holy Spirit, to produce a response from man’s heart through faith. Examples of such a marvelous work are seen in Saul of Tarsus (Gal. 1:15-16) as well as in the Philippian jailor who was about to take his life (Acts 16:27). By Roman law the jailor was responsible, with his own life, if a prisoner escaped. Instead, at that very moment, he heard Paul’s voice in the dark and accepted his message: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (v.31 NASB). He believed and was saved.

God’s Sovereign Grace And Paul’s Ministry
Since the Holy Spirit’s coming to this earth (2:2-4) and until our Lord’s return (1 Th. 4:16-17), everyone is urged to repent (Acts 17:30) and put his/her trust in God. His good news of salvation is offered to all human beings, and it benefits everyone who accepts it in faith. Based on the work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross – which He accomplished to the full satisfaction of a holy and righteous God – the glad tidings go out to the whole world. The gospel of grace is universal in scope, while its blessed results are received through individual faith (Rom. 3:22; Eph. 2:8).

Romans shows how the entire human race is guilty before God and “depraved” (1:28) that is, beyond recovery, without the possibility of improving itself. From a judicial and moral viewpoint there is no difference between races, nations, Jews or Gentiles (10:12), “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (3:23). All are condemned, standing guilty before the holy and righteous God. The only exception was our Lord Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, who did no sin and in whom was no sin; He took our judgment upon Himself (Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 3:18). Amazing grace! Yes, God’s message of sovereign grace is for all who believe.

All unbelievers are pronounced already condemned (Jn. 3:36), whereas the actual execution of God’s judgment is still waiting (2 Pet. 3:9-10). When that day comes it will be forever too late to be saved, as all opportunities and means to repent will then be gone. The Lord Jesus Christ will sit on “a great white throne” to carry out God’s final act of judgment. The Savior of the world will be Judge and Executioner. (Please read carefully Revelation 20:11-15, Acts 10:42 and 17:31 on page 11 of this magazine. If these things are still not clear, read God’s Word, especially Romans, asking for His help to accept and understand the good news for you and your family.)

Soon, God’s righteous Judge will execute judgment, but now He presents the good news of God’s grace so you may be saved (Eph. 2:17). The Lord Jesus Christ in heaven is at work to achieve this goal.

Events In The Philippian Jail – God’s Miraculous Liberating Power In Grace
As we read in Acts 16, Paul and Silas’ feet were fastened “in the stocks” (v.24; literally, “in the wood”). The wood or tree reminds us of the cross, as the same word is used in Acts 5:30, 10:39 and 13:29. Perhaps this fact combined with their physical, emotional and spiritual sufferings made the two prisoners think of what their Lord and Savior endured on the cross. At any rate, the Lord in heaven sustained them through His Spirit (consider Heb. 2:17-18, 4:15-16).

Paul and Silas, in their severe afflictions, must have focused on Christ. He identified with them from heaven. This led them to pour out their hearts in prayer, realizing their dependence, with thanksgiving (see 1 Th. 5:16-18), for at midnight1 Paul and Silas were praying and praising God. The same One who had appeared at midday to arrest Saul save and make him His instrument (Acts 9) – was at midnight giving grace to His servants to be true overcomers against all odds (see also Job 35:10; Ps. 17:3, 42:8, 77:6, 119:62; Isa. 26:9).

Luke used the word “suddenly” to point out God’s actions in providence. At His precise timing a great earthquake took place, which shook the prison’s foundations, opened all the doors, and loosened all the prisoners’ bonds. In a few words (Acts 16:25-26), Luke described a tremendous work accomplished by our exalted Lord in heaven. “He is over all, God blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5) and in control of the whole universe. These details show Christ’s power to liberate people from bondage – from the power of Satan, the world, sin and death – and to set them free from whatever held them. The Lord’s same power, while using an angel, was at work in Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12) and, in a different way, in giving Paul spiritual liberty while in captivity for over two years (28:30-31). At Philippi (Acts 16) our blessed Lord manifested His marvelous and liberating power, as highlighted by the following expressions:

1. “Suddenly” – a word found only in Acts 2:2, 16:26 and 28:6, showing His sovereign intervention.
2. By an “earthquakve” – an intense agitation or shaking of a body of water or of the earth, causing it to totter; symbolizing a reversal of powers yet under Christ’s control.
3. By a “great” earthquake, highlighting the magnificent power that was at work.2

Many Miracles, All In One Night, Led To Great Joy
A number of miracles took place in the Philippian jail (16:25-34) as the Lord worked from heaven. Let’s reflect on them, for Scripture says, “Stand and consider the wonders of God” (Job 37:14).

1. Paul and Silas must have suffered incredible pain because of their wounds from the harsh beatings. With their feet in stocks, they may have had to stand upright during the night. Yet, they were praying and praising (Acts 16:25): a miracle of God’s grace.
2. The fact that the other prisoners, typically careless about other people’s concerns, were listening – even at that hour – was also a miracle (v.25).
3. A great earthquake shook the prison’s foundation (v.26), but the building did not collapse! This can be called a miracle of God’s providence, and it showed His control.
4. All the prison doors were opened during the earthquake (v.26) – another miraculous fact.
5. Every prisoner’s bonds or chains were loosed (v.26); surely, this was an even greater miracle.
6. No one escaped: unbelievable! Their bonds were loosed and all the doors opened, yet they stayed (v.28). This was a miracle of a different order – perhaps a result of the praying and singing.
7. The jailor,3 who at first wanted to kill himself with his sword, was converted – a miraculous work. Now he was saved, in more than one way, together with those in his house who believed (vv.27-34; see Rom. 10:9). We do not know whether this includes the other prisoners who had listened (Acts 16:25), but we know that “you and your house” represents a principle in God’s dealings.
8. All those who were in the jailor’s house heard the word of the Lord and responded in faith (Rom. 10:17; Eph. 2:8-9). They put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptized (Acts 16:33). This miracle showed the power of the Word linked with Christ’s authority in heaven, as it demonstrated God’s power acting through His Word; so they believed God (v.34).
9. Changed lives confirmed the inward change that had taken place by faith. This miracle of a transformed person became evident in the fact that the jailor cared for Paul and Silas, washing their stripes, preparing a meal for them during the night, and rejoicing with them (v.34).
10. The joy of the new believers (v.34) was another proof of true faith. This implies a response from the heart towards God, fellowship among believers and communion with God and Christ. All this was worked through the miraculous power of the Lord Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. Praise God!

Joy And Fellowship – Linked With The House
The themes of “joy” and “fellowship” are like precious threads woven through Luke’s writings (Luke and Acts), often linked to the concept of a house or household. Such joy and fellowship accompanied the salvation that came to several households, including those of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:9) and Cornelius (Acts 10-11), because of faith. In Philippi, in addition to the jailor, this was true of Lydia who opened her house (16:15,40). The New Testament records many examples of such households, which often became places for the believers to meet (Mt. 18:20). Think of Aquila and Priscilla (Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19), Stephanas (1 Cor. 16:15), Crispus (Acts 18:8), Philemon and Apphia (Phile. 1:2), Nymphas (Col. 4:15) and Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 1:16).

Luke described the joy in the jailor’s home (Acts 16:34) using the same verb – “to rejoice greatly” (Greek: agalliá) – that he used for the Lord’s resurrection (Acts 2:26, quoting Ps. 16). John used it of Abraham’s joy as he was looking forward to that special day of joy for the Lord (Jn. 8:56). Such joy was Mary’s portion even before Christ was born, when she met Elizabeth and magnified the Lord (Lk. 1:47). Later, Peter used this verb about the believers who experience sufferings because of their faithfulness (1 Pet. 1:6,8, 4:13), yet rejoiced, as did the Lord (Mt. 5:12). When Christ was rejected in His ministry among His people, He rejoiced and praised the Father, submitting to His sovereign plans and love (Lk. 10:21). John used the same verb of the Jews who rejoiced in John the Baptist, although this was only for a time (Jn. 5:35), for they did not accept God’s plans. However, in heaven there will be great joy linked with the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7) – a joy lasting forever. Will you be there?

The Doors Are Further Opened, And More Doors Are Opened
The opened prison doors (Acts 16:26-27) point to a wonderful theme in Scripture: God opens doors. Another striking example of this was in Troas when Paul, acting in fellowship with the Lord, preached the gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 2:12). Later, during his first Roman captivity, Paul asked God to open to him and Timothy “a door for the word” to be able “to speak forth the mystery of Christ” (Col. 4:3). From other Scriptures we know that this prayer was answered, confirming Paul’s dependence on the Lord in heaven and his key-objective; both are important for us today.

In His message to Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13), the Lord Jesus in heaven presented Himself as the One who is holy and true, who will never compromise God’s standards of holiness and truth. He said of Himself that He “has the key of David ... opens and no one will shut, and ... shuts and no one opens,” and that He set before the believers of Philadelphia “an opened door which no one can shut” (vv.7-8). How reassuring, despite their little power! This was Christ’s answer to Philadelphia’s commitment, as seen in “My word” kept and “My name” not denied (v.8). May we follow such an example until He comes.

Released From Prison
Before long the authorities in Philippi came to their senses and wanted Paul and Silas to be released from prison and go “in peace” (Acts 16:35-36). Why did Paul not accept this message just to leave? On other occasions he had been beaten, stoned or abused despite his Roman citizenship, and he had not protested. Consider this: If Paul would have left Philippi in secret, the new believers there might have been looked at by the other citizens as associated with a bunch of criminals. The public escort that Paul requested alerted the community to the fact that the Christians were on good terms with the authorities an important theme in Acts. Paul and Silas could have accused the magistrates who had transgressed Roman law, but these servants of the Lord decided not to do so (vv.37-38).

The New Testimony Continues
The new believers had benefited from Paul’s ministry and would stay in touch with him throughout the rest of his life (Phil. 1:5,7, 4:16-19). The local authorities might have benefited as well, but they felt quite uneasy about the presence of Paul and Silas and requested them to leave (Acts 16:39; see Mt. 8:34). Paul and Silas did depart, but only after visiting Lydia’s household and spending some time with the believers to exhort or encourage them.

After this, the “we” of Acts 16 changed to a report with “they” in the next chapter. We may conclude from this that Luke stayed in Philippi, possibly until the latter part of Paul’s third journey (20:5-6). From 2 Corinthians 8:1 we learn that several assemblies came into existence in Macedonia, some of them probably because of Luke’s labors, at least in part. We suggest that the support Paul received later from Philippi was partly because his co-worker Luke had remained in Macedonia (Phil. 4:15-18). Yet, ultimately, this was yet another display of God’s grace and power.

ENDNOTES
1. Paul preached the Word until midnight in Troas (Acts 20:7). Some people have a superstition about the enemy working at midnight, but in Acts we see Christ is victorious even at that very hour!
2. Quite often Luke used the Greek word méga, meaning “great” or “loud”: the great earthquake in Philippi (Acts 16:26); Paul called out with a loud voice to the jailor not to harm himself (v.28).
3. A jailor in a Roman colony usually was a retired army officer, around 50 years old. The people in his house would include his wife if he was married, teenage or adult children and his servants.

By Alfred Bouter