This week we are in session three for our “Person of Interest” class investigation. There are three main fuses leading up to the explosive appearance of Jesus. This first fuse is known as “the cultural fuse” which we looked at last week. This week we are looking at “the spiritual fuse” which emphasizes the history of humankind’s innate desire to know their Creator.  J. Warner Wallace, in his book “Person of Interest,” gives us insight into these fuses and his investigative methods that he successfully used to solve real cold-case murders.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

Overview notes from the presentation

PERSON OF INTEREST
The Spiritual Fuse

Objections:

• Isn’t Jesus just a copycat savior?
• Don’t other religions have similar deities, with similar stories?
• Isn’t Jesus’ story one of many ancient myths?

This type of skepticism is from what is called: “Jesus Mythers”

“Ancient mythological claims about deities contain many untruths, but they also contain the true, reasonable expectations all of us have about God.” J. Warner Wallace

Dictionary definition of Myths:

1) A widely. held but false belief(s) or idea(s) and 2) A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people, or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

Was Jesus the true myth who embodied the common expectations of all prior mythologies?

History shows:

• There is a universal human inclination to believe in a god, a supreme being or higher power
• Most ancient civilizations were “polytheistic” (worshipped many gods)
• Ancient history reveals many of these “gods” have “similarities” to each other, and even some with Jesus

Problem:

• Many skeptics and “Jesus Mythers” today are eager to disprove Jesus by claiming his story was borrowed
• Upon deeper investigation, most of these so-called borrowed attributes are overstated and exaggerated at best (yet the true attributes are not disclosed)

The God Instinct

History, and even modern storytelling today, present an innate idea some have termed – the ”God instinct” – and they have four things in common:

1. There is a creative power transcending our universe
2. This power created our world from nothing
3. Humans have failed (fallen) in the past and continue to do so
4. The creator or transcending power will eventually judge us, therefore we should respect and fear this creator/power

ONLY CHRISTIANITY, THROUGH THE PERSON OF JESUS, OFFERS SALVATION BY GRACE –

NOT WORKS, AS ALL OTHER FAITHS IMPOSE

(See Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23-26)

Fifteen common characteristics among ancient deities

1. Inevitable: The deity was predicted in some way
2. Imperial: The deity comes from a royal heritage
3. Inexplicable: The deity was born of unnatural means
4. Insulated: The deity was protected as a child
5. Inveigled: The deity faced temptation
6. Identified: The deity was associated with or identified with shepherds
7. Incredible: The deity possesses supernatural power
8. Interactor: The deity engages humans directly
9. Instructive: The deity teaches their followers
10. Indemnifier: The deity recognizes the need for a sacrifice
11. Indicted: The deity faced a judicial trial of sorts
12. Inviter: The deity shares or establishes a divine meal
13. Immortal: The deity has the power to defeat death
14. Intercessor: The deity offers eternal life to their followers
15. Indicter: The deity will judge the living and the dead

Foreshadowing of Jesus in the Old Testament – From gotquestions.org

• There are deeper ways that Jesus is found in the Old Testament. These are seen in what we call “types.” A type is a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New. For example, Moses can be seen as a type of Christ. Like Jesus, Moses’ birth was significant, he confronted the evil powers of the day, and he led his people to freedom through a miraculous deliverance. The life of Joseph is another that can be seen as typical of the life of Christ.
• Many Old Testament historical events double as symbols of what God would do in the future, through Christ. For example, God called Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham uttered these prophetic words in response to Isaac’s question about a lamb: “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). God did provide a ram in Isaac’s place, symbolizing what He would do thousands of years later on that very mountain when His own Son was offered as a sacrifice in our place (Matthew 27:33). Events surrounding the sacrifice of Isaac serve as a type of the sacrifice of Christ.
• Jesus referred to another event in Israel’s history as a foreshadowing of His crucifixion. In the wilderness, the people following Moses had sinned, and God sent serpents among them to bite them. The people were dying, and they appealed to Moses for help. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. All those who looked to it would be healed (Numbers 21:4–19). Jesus alluded to this incident in John 3:14–15: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life in him.”
• God’s design for the tabernacle is another way that Jesus is in the Old Testament. The altar in the courtyard symbolizes the need for Jesus’ sacrifice to atone for our sin. The laver shows Jesus as providing the water of life (John 4:14). Inside the Holy Place, the lampstand is suggestive of Jesus as the light of the world (John 9:5). The table of showbread is Jesus as the bread of life (John 6:35). In the altar of incense is seen Jesus as our heavenly intercessor, continually offering prayers for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). According to Hebrews 10:20, the veil before the ark of the covenant is a picture of Jesus’ human flesh.
• The Son of God is not just in the New Testament; Jesus is in the Old Testament, too. Jesus is God’s promised Messiah. From the virgin birth in Bethlehem (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; Micah 5:2), through the sojourn to Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14–15), to His ministry of healing and hope (Genesis 3:15; 1 John 3:8), all the way through His resurrection (Psalm 16:9–11; Acts 2:31), Jesus Christ is the theme of both Old and New Testaments. It could be said that Jesus is the reason for the Bible. He is the Living Word. The entire Bible is a beacon that points us to God’s offer of reconciliation, the hope of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Example Foreshadows of Jesus

Joseph:

• Was the special object of his father’s love
• Was underestimated and discounted by. his own family
• Had the ability to resist a temptation
• Fed bread to people to relieve their hunger
• Accurately foretold the future
• Was sold by someone he trusted for pieces of silver
• Was stripped of his robe and delivered to gentiles
• Stood before rulers in the assembly
• Was falsely accused
• His own people did not recognize him

Moses:

• Escaped the decree of a king and avoided certain death
• Lived in Egypt as a child, but later returned to his homeland
• Known by his followers as both humble and strong
• Was tempted while in the wilderness
• Was attested by God through signs and wonders
• Worked a miracle by the sea
• Miraculously fed thousands of people with bread
• Spoke God’s word and taught God’s law from a mountain
• Was the mediator between God and his people
• Example Foreshadows of Jesus

Joshua:

• His name, when translated from Hebrew means “God saves”
• Descended from a man named Joseph
• Had a humble, obscure beginning but rose to a place of honor
• Anointed by God
• Led and shepherded his people
• Did for God’s people what Moses could not do
• Delivered God’s people from the enemies of God
• Promised rest and provided it
• Example Foreshadows of Jesus

David:

• Was a descendant of Abraham
• Was of the tribe of Judah
• Was born in Bethlehem
• Burst onto the scene from an unlikely social position
• Was anointed by God to lead his people
• Was both a shepherd and king
• Amazed the elders as a young man
• Spent time in the wilderness
• Had no place to lay his head
• His popularity angered the leaders of the time
• Was betrayed by those he served
• Trusted God in the face of adversity

Elisha:

• His name, when translated from Hebrew, means “God is salvation”
• Ministry started at the Jordan River
• Received the Spirit of his father
• Was surrounded by more disciples than his predecessors
• Was attested by God with miracles, signs, and wonders
• Raised a woman’s adult son from the grave
• Fed man people with just a few loaves and had more to spare
• Healed a leper
• Gave sight to the blind
• Fed the hungry
• Betrayed for money

Jonah:

• Preached repentance to gentiles
• Knew that salvation belongs to the Lord
• Slept on a boat during a storm
• Chose to sacrifice himself for others
• Spent three days in darkness, given up for dead
• After three days, he escaped death and taught for forty days

Jesus is the only one who embodied all of these characteristics foreshadowed and expected of the promised Messiah:

1. Predicted by prophecy
2. Descendant of Abraham
3. From the tribe of Judah
4. Descendant of the royal line of David
5. Born by unnatural means
6. Born in the town of Bethlehem
7. Burst onto the scene from an unlikely social position
8. Was the special object of his father’s love
9. His name, when translated from Hebrew, means “God saves”
10. As a baby, he escaped the decree of a king and avoided certain death
11. Was protected as an infant
12. Lived in Egypt as a child but later returned to his homeland
13. Hand a humble, obscure beginning, but rose to a place of honor
14. Amazed the elders as young man
15. Spent time in the wilderness
16. Tempted while in the wilderness
17. Faced temptation
18. Had the ability to resist temptation
19. Ministry started at the Jordan River
20. Received the spirit of his father
21. Was underestimated and discounted by his own family
22. His own people did not recognize him
23. Was associated with shepherds
24. Led and shepherded his people
25. Was both shepherd and king
26. Was known by his followers to be both humble and strong
27. Was surrounded by more disciples than his predecessor
28. Was anointed by God
29. Was anointed by God to lead his people
30. Was attested by God with miracles, signs, and wonders
31. Possessed supernatural powers
32. Miraculously fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and had more to spare
33. Healed a leper
34. gave sight to the blind
35. Raised a woman’s adult son from the grave
36. Slept on a boat during a storm
37. Calmed the storm with the power of God
38. Worked a miracle at the sea
39. accurately foretold the future
40. Engaged and taught humans directly
41. Spoke God’s word and taught God’s law from a mountain
42. Preached repentance to gentiles
43. Knew that salvation belongs to the Lord
44. Had no place to lay his head
45. Recognized the need for a sacrifice
46. Established a divine meal
47. His popularity angered the leaders of the time
48. Was sold by someone he trusted for pieces of silver
49. Was betrayed by those he served
50. Faced a trial
51. Stood before rulers in the assembly
52. Falsely accused
53. Stripped of his robe and delivered to gentiles
54. Trusted God in the face of adversity
55. Chose to sacrifice himself for others
56. Spent three days in darkness, given up for dead
57. Had the power to defeat death
58. After three days, he escaped death
59. Taught for forty days after he escaped death
60. Offered eternal life
61. Promised rest and provided it
62. Was the mediator between God and his people
63. Did for God’s people what Moses could not do
64. Delivered God’s people from the enemies of God
65. He will judge the living and the dead

Scripture References

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

Romans 2:14-16 (NLT)

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.

Acts 17:16-17 (NASB)

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Acts 17:22-31 (NASB)

A prophecy of the Messiah and the Covenant Promise made sure

I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.

–Isaiah 42:6-9 (NIV)

The Importance of Telling the Story

The Old Testament is the New Testament Concealed;

The New Testament is the Old Testament Revealed!!!

Reflection: Memorization Practice

To practice your memorization skills, and to improve your Biblical knowledge, practice memorizing the following things…

1. Review the “Big Picture” of the Bible for both the Old and New Testaments (see notes above) Practice memorizing the main topic of each of the 12 points in order to tell the “story” in a couple of minutes.
2. What are the six main strands to the cultural fuse? Pick one example that stands out to you from each strand.

Bible Study

(Review answers will be posted during the week so you can have a “leader’s guide” for your own studies)

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

NOTE: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for “Discussion” or “Going Deeper” questions.

Read Acts chapter 16 then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions: 

Paul’s second missionary journey; Paul and Silas are imprisoned

1. Read Chapter 16:1-15 with your table group

In the first part of this chapter, Paul begins his second missionary journey. It is in this chapter that Luke begins to use “we” instead of “they” (verse 10), indicating it was around this point that he joined Paul:

a. Who was Timothy, and where else can we find information about him in Scripture?

b. Where did they travel and where were they forbidden to go, and by whom?

c. Who was the first convert in Europe (at Thyatira), and how did this conversion affect the rest of the household there?

d. Discuss: How does this part of the chapter show Christianity’s impartiality towards women, as compared to other religions?

2. Read Chapter 16:16-40 with your table group

In the second half of this chapter, Paul and Silas get themselves in trouble:

a. What happened with Paul and a slave-girl that caused an uproar, and what did the chief magistrates do to Paul and Silas?

b. What did Paul and Silas do that would not be typical behavior considering their circumstances?

c. Summarize what happened and how the jailer responded after a great earthquake hit.

d. Discuss: How can we model Paul and Silas when we face adversity? Can you think of a time (and share if comfortable) when you responded to a stressful situation, or adversity, like Paul and Silas did; or maybe you didn’t respond like them and should have?