Can the Devil Hear My Prayers?

This is core Christianity. When answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez hi and welcome to another episode of Christianity where we answer your questions about the Bible.

I'm with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez but I just want to congratulate you for making Christianity today's 2020 book awards list all think you have for your two-volume book on the doctrine of justification here part of the review quote few works of theological scholarship deserve to be called magisterial.

But justification is among them, sober, generous with but a few broadsides and almost always in good humor. Horton presents the Protestant case for justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, like I want to hear your award speech when I didn't know you were to do that is really exciting I'm I'm very honored that Christianity today did that and I yeah I hope the people read it because it's you know there's been a lot of criticism of the doctrine of justification, even among Protestants, and so if you're interested in digging into the historical development of the doctrine, and more importantly the biblical basis for it in volume 2. This might be for you it gets into a question that we received from Robert really about the doctrine of justification.

Let's listen in.

My name is Robert Washington state questionnaires. Christ, our righteousness, I read it in the Bible many times and what does that mean Christ our righteousness and how does it apply to us. Thank you, Robert. It's just one of the greatest themes throughout the Bible. As you mentioned in Scripture refers to it repeatedly. You can kinda trace it but pick up the story at Jeremiah 23 verses five and six behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch case to a descendent and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land in his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.

So the rest in the land.

Finally, and this is the name by which he will be called the Lord is our righteousness's name one of his names is Yahweh is our righteousness, not just gives us righteousness, but he is our righteousness.

The white study canoe, the Lord our righteousness. That's the name of God, then you get to Isaiah 53 famous passage there that he will justify the wicked by bearing their sins and giving them his righteousness, then Zechariah 3 of this amazing vision you have Joshua the high priest when in his filthy clothes and Satan as the prosecutor and then you have Yahweh who is the, the judge and then you have the angel of the Lord is the defense attorney in the Bible, the angel of the Lord is always the pre-incarnate Christ you want an interesting setting you have on the stage. There Satan prosecuting Christ defending Joshua the defendant and Yahweh as the judge and what happens the angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ answers Satan's prosecution by saying take off his clothes take away his sins. His filthy garments. I will place on him a clean robe and a clean turban, so the defense attorney orders the Angels to then clothe him in pure garments. And that analogy is used all the way through the end of the book of Revelation, where they dipped their garments in the blood of Christ, and they became white. You also have in first Corinthian's one verse 30 it is because of him that you are in Christ, who has become for us wisdom from God our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written. Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. He is our boast. He is our righteousness. Finally, Philippians 3, the apostle Paul, as it were, takes out a sheet of paper and draw the line down the middle assets and liabilities.

These were what I thought were my assets Hebrew of Hebrews from the tribe of Benjamin asked the law blameless as to zeal, a persecutor of the church of God. I mean I had it all going for me. That was all in my assets: Christ, on the other hand was someone I viewed as cursed and went after all of his offspring, his brothers and sisters to kill them.

Now I want to be found in Christ. He says not having a righteousness of my own. According to the law, but his righteousness, and so now he says whatever I counted is gain. I now count as loss.

He takes what was in the prophet column and puts it in the loss column. What was in the asset column. He now moves to debts. He says now all that is rubbish. We have to come to the point, Robert. When we realize that our righteousness is like filthy rags.

As we read in Isaiah 64 the best things we've ever done on the best days we done with the best motives are still spotted within selfishness, self-righteousness, we cannot stand before God dressed in our own government.

We have to have our government stripped off of us in Christ, robe of righteousness wrapped around us. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is the Lord God our righteousness.

Amen thank you Robert for that question. Eileen asked to send an email many years ago.

Preacher said the devil cannot hear your thoughts. Only God can hear your thoughts. So for most all of those years. I pray silently so that the devil can't hear my worries and concerns does the Bible say anything about the privacy of prayer with God. Eileen, I don't think there's anything that suggests the devil can read our minds nice crafty in the Bible does talk about demons possessing people we see that clearly during Jesus's ministry. If a demon that possesses a person is able to see that person's thoughts. I don't know the Bible does seem to suggest that the devil can plant thoughts in our mind. Jonathan John 13 to during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon son, to betray Jesus. So demons can torment people and cause great mental anguish and affliction. I think we see this in the life of Saul, for example, King Saul.

Still nothing about the devil hearing our thoughts, but I have to say if you're praying silently to try to keep the devil from knowing what's really going on in your life. I think you don't need a place that burden on yourself than the majority of Christians abraded or read the Bible out loud and that is the apostles prayer was out loud most of the time especially, of course, in the context of corporate worship. The main thing is that you are praying and pursuing the Lord were kept from the evil one, because we are united to Jesus, and rather than try and not sure hand by praying silently are showing externally that were bothered by something or struggling. I think you just cast yourself onto the Lord and no that he will protect you from the evil one. Satan is on a chain that's right your hope for this battle has to be in Jesus not in yourself, so feel free to pray however you feel most comfortable silently or out loud. Jesus does give us some warning about how to pray. You think about in the gospel in the sermon on the mount and it doesn't have anything to do with Satan. Hearing Jesus that don't pray like the hypocrites. In other words for other people to see you know make big long prayers so that people think you're more holy and don't pray like the Gentiles in that day you eat of the Gentiles that the non-Jews were known for repeating things in an empty and superstitious way that was it in a prayer is not some mantra whereby we can bend God's will to do whatever we want that superstition, you pray to your father who's in heaven, and your father in heaven he hears you in one of the things you pray for is that he would deliver you from evil or the evil one and he will in Gethsemane Jesus prayed to the father. My soul is troubled yeah if Satan was standing around listening to his prayer which he was probably was. It didn't matter because the power was in this relationship between the father and the son and in the sun knew that he was going to go to the cross and crush the serpent's head in a maze done it.

Eileen, thank you for that question hopefully encourages you and your prayer life. You're listening to core Christianity with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez like that. We have a great offer for our listeners yeah drill were really excited about this resource on core, Christianity.com.

It's called five ways to help your kids keep the faith art.

We as parents atrial just always wondering you don't help me, help me. Yeah, this is it is a tough time is always been a tough time since the fall, but especially these days it seems like it it's you get more challenges in keeping your kids focused and interested. Even in the Christian faith.

This is really helpful resource. It includes practical down to earth ways to help your kids keep the faith this week and so don't miss this one head on over to core Christianity.com/offers to download five ways to help your kids keep the faith.

It also gives a call at 1-833-843-2673 for help getting a hold of any of our offers so the next question now. I like my name is Marty before, but I'm not sure I understand it would mean that Jesus was raised for patient yeah great question. Romans 423 to 25 tell us, but the words it was counted to him. That is, to Abraham were not written for his sake alone, but for hours also justification will be counted to us who believe in him that is the father who raised from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. So justification is a legal term. It's about our status before God were declared righteous even while we are in in ourselves unrighteous were declared righteous, because Christ's righteousness is credited or imputed to us, but the important thing that you raise here is this issue of the relationship between Jesus resurrection and our justification.

My justification wasn't only secured by Jesus death and resurrection, but in these very events. Let me explain very briefly in the beginning of Paul's letter to the Romans Romans one verses one through four. Paul explains that Jesus Christ was vindicated publicly installed as the son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead. I think sometimes we just think of the resurrection is an exclamation mark to the crucifixion basically saying it worked. You know, but no, the resurrection is a further event in our salvation. So is not just that my justification is made possible by Jesus death and resurrection is that my justification occurred in Jesus death and resurrection doesn't mean that we don't need to trust in Jesus Christ to be justified, but it does mean that he objectively purchased. He won for me that justification in his death and in his resurrection. So, as Paul says in Romans six, you know, when he died I died. When he rose, I rose we were buried with him in baptism unto death, and raised with him in newness of life. So whether it's our justification or our new birth and our new condition.

All of this is one for us and the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. Amen. You're listening to core Christianity with theology professor Dr. Michael Horton and we want to hear your questions about the Bible give us a call at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core or email us at questions at core, Christianity.com Mike when we go to our next caller Martin County countertop and collar.

He called it FAF 45 fat fat like you create create spiderlike August 8, the author and something speaking know you are missing anything to firstly the first of all, Isaiah 45, seven isn't talking about what we usually mean by evil that is wicked and sinful actions talking about bringing disaster judgment and destruction as well as bringing salvation and life. God does both of these things, the judges and he justifies he delivers to the sword, and he delivers from the sword, but he doesn't destroy indiscriminately his judgments are right and true, and he judges the wicked, so anyone who thinks that God just loves everybody and wants to make their lives meaningful and happy doesn't know the true God.

God also holy just righteous. He cares about the oppressed and those who have been run over by those who think they can get away with their evil and God shows his wrath as well as his mercy. So it's one thing to be sovereign over all things, including evil that's true, certainly of God in Scripture, and quite a another thing to create or commit evil God certainly is sovereign over all things.

Nothing can come to pass without his determination, but the idea that he creates or commits evil is completely blasphemous. According to Scripture. James 113 tells us. Let no one say when he is tempted, I'm being tempted by God for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one I'd recommend here, the book of Job, there will we see right at the beginning that God's sovereign even over Satan is not as if God and Satan are duking it out for the top job in the universe, the Protestant reformer Martin Luther said even the devils God's devil. So God sealed Lucifer's doom at the cross and the resurrection. Paul says in Romans 1620, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet but did did God create evil know God created free beings. He gave them freedom that included the possibility of them corrupting themselves with their freedom.

God did create everything that exists, but he created it good and evil isn't something it's literally nothing. In other words, only God creates and it's always good, but Satan comes along and he deforms the faces, corrupts, destroys what God has made good, evil is always parasitical on the good Satan can actually make anything he can't create. He's not an artist sees a vandal spray painting over the Mona Lisa. So God gives us freedom and he gives Satan freedom as he did right from the beginning, and creatures like us use it against God instead of for God. We come to imitate Satan. In that way instead of the one in whose image were made so in Scripture we have to focus on two very clear lines of passages. One line says God's totally sovereign over everything that happens.

He's even figured out in that plan how to work bad things including our own sin together for our salvation. Romans 828, for example, in the other line of passages tells us that God created us with freedom of choice were really truly responsible for our actions, and yet were bound up with Adam in cinnamon our will is bent toward sin and unbelief so we need both of those lines of passages firmly in our minds. We were thinking about God's sovereignty and human responsibility. We don't know how it can be that God is sovereign and human beings are responsible but we do know, even at the cross. Acts 223. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge, and you with the help of wicked men put them to death by nailing him to the cross so you have their wicked deed being part of God's deliberate plan and yet those who were involved are responsible for their actions.

Don't know how but we know that both of those are true. That's right Kimberly if I could just add looking at that passage in Isaiah 45 what is what is that text about we have to take into consideration the context in chapter 45 begins with this prophecy about a man named Cyrus who's going to subdue nations before him, and to loose the belts of kings to open doors before him that Gates may not be closing God describes how you can judge the nations.

Essentially, for the sake of his children for the sake of Israel is of the calamity that God is bringing about is not this evil wicked thing that God is the author of its God delivering his people through the hands of King Cyrus absolutely look at passages like this one in Isaiah 45 and people scratch their head and they think to themselves, or how my supposed understand this and a lot of these enigmatic sort of mysterious words that the prophets give us what world the prophets have for us.

Today's Christians yeah will you gave us a big clue there already a drill when you when it out. For example, Cyrus. You know, we look at this messianic figure. The Persian king will how can he be the Messiah. Kindleberger friend of mine uses this analogy it.

It's like driving up to the mountains and seeing the first range where it looks like there's only one range of mountains. Then you get up into them and you see another range behind them. That's the way it is with prophecy is sometimes called double fulfillment.

As you know, so you mention King Cyrus. A lot of these prophecies the Jewish people could look at and say will that fits King Cyrus and he's the one who let a remnant returned to Israel and even sent building materials for new Temple and so forth. So he's the deliverer but it's like Cinderella slipper is really hard to get that slipper on Cyrus's foot Jesus comes along and only his foot fits that slipper.

He is the only person those prophecies will wrap around completely and perfectly harmoniously. So I think a lot of it. The trouble people have with the Old Testament general prophets and in particular is going to them, not knowing what they're looking for. If we don't go looking for Christ first full and if we don't go looking for historical context.

Understanding what these prophecies meant in their time. What would the original audience have understood these prophecies to be not what do I understand by them in the light of the daily headlines and reading the newspaper in one hand and Isaiah in the other yeah well let's go to an email. Now, this is Tim. He writes in Mark 12 Jesus teaches that in heaven there won't be marriage that we will be like angels. This is always bothered me because I really like being married to my wife. How should I understand this. Does this mean that my wife won't be my wife in heaven. Yeah, I know this is a rough passage for me to Tim so it's good to dig into the Scriptures to find an answer. Here we read in in Mark 12.

As you point out, and Sadducees came to them, who say that there is no resurrection.

The challenge here is another to be bouncing around on clouds playing harps, but the Sadducees are denying the resurrection that there will be a bodily resurrection that will recognize each other even and they asked him a question saying teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leave no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

There were seven brothers.

The first took a wife and when he died, left offspring, and the second took her and died leaving no offspring in the third. Likewise, and the seventh left no offspring. Last of all, the woman also died in the resurrection. When they rise again, whose wife will she be for the seven had her as wife and Jesus said to them, is this not the reason you are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

How much after all that mindbending argumentation for when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. So how we interpret this will first fall when they rise from the dead, they aren't remarried. Marriage is something that is part of this creation and our ultimate relationship. Our ultimate family is the family of God. Now, does that mean that we won't recognize our loved ones. We will recognize our spouses. No, not at all.

We do know that David, for example, was converted in the death of his infant son that he would go to him one day second Samuel 1223. We also know from numerous passages in the Old Testament that when people died they were gathered to their fathers. Genesis 25, eight, and 35, 29, and so forth. So we have to get away from this idea of heaven as a disembodied unreal place of you know, not even recognizing each other and yet the focus of our joy will be seeing our loved ones again, but seeing God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's the greatest benefit we will be seated at the Royal table with Jesus. No longer is the sacrificial meal, but as the host. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer.

Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers and the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33. The core when you contact us.

Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

As we explore the truth of God's word together