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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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July 27, 2014
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Contents:
1) Thinking Differently (Mark Mayberry)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
Thinking Differently
by Mark Mayberry
By the first century, religious thinking among the Jews had come to
be characterized by several different outlooks. The Pharisees, the
Sadducees, and Essenes each had their spheres of influence. Having
staked out their doctrinal turf, they sought adherents to their
particular party. Added to this mix were the distinctly political
viewpoints of the Herodians and the Zealots. Thus, the marketplace
of religious ideas was not merely a melting pot, it was a simmering
container of confusion and counterfeit truth. Judaism of the first
century had become fragmented, ritualistic, and tradition-bound.
Therefore, when Jesus stepped forward and began expounding the
simple gospel message, people took notice. The common people, those
longing for better spiritual instruction, heard him gladly (Mark
12:35-37). He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes
(Matt. 7:28-29).
At the conclusion of the fifth chapter of Luke, Jesus makes several
statements that indicate the radically different nature of
Christianity (Luke 5:27-39). The newness of the gospel message
stands in stark contrast with the worn out thinking of the Scribes,
Pharisees, and Sadducees. Some things are so flawed, so worn out,
that the only thing one can do is start fresh.
To illustrate this fact, Jesus spoke the following parable: "No one
tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old
garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the
new will not match the old" (Luke 5:36). No one in his right mind
would rip a square from new dress slacks in order to patch an old,
wornout pair of trousers. Not only would the new garment be ruined,
but also the patch would not hold on the old garment. When the
unshrunk patch becomes wet and shrinks, the new piece will pull away
from the old, and the tear will be made worse. The lesson is clear:
Some things cannot be mixed together. Specifically, truth and error
are incompatible. Human traditions and the commandments of God
cannot co-exist.
In the same context, the Lord spoke of new wine and old wineskins.
He said, "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the
new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the
skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins"
(Luke 5:37-38). Old wineskins are no match for new, still
fermenting, wine. Such wine would burst the skins, resulting in the
loss of both skins and wine. Again, the lesson is the same: Some
things cannot be recycled and reused. Some things are beyond repair.
The only thing to do is throw it away and start over. This had
specific application to the sectarian thinking of the first century.
It has equal application to the denominational mentality of our day.
What Was Wrong With the Thinking of the Pharisees?
It de-emphasized love. The scribes and Pharisees were unloving. They
cared not about lost humanity. Observing the feast that Levi gave in
Jesus' honor, they grumbled, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with
tax-collectors and sinners?" (Luke 5:30). On a later occasion, while
Jesus was dining in the home of Simon the Pharisee, a sinful woman
entered the room. As she stood behind Jesus' feet, weeping, she
began to wet his feet with her tears, and she kept wiping them with
the hair of her head, and kissing his feet and anointing them with
the perfume. Beholding this, Simon sniffed, "If this man were a
prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who
is touching Him, that she is a sinner" (Luke 7:36-39). Note the
absence of love, compassion, and concern for the plight of a fellow
human being.
It de-emphasized sincerity. The scribes and Pharisees were insincere
(Matt. 23:28). They performed deeds of righteousness merely to be
seen of men (Matt. 23:5,14,28). This was particularly evident with
regards to fasting (Matt. 6:16-18). In this context, they criticized
Jesus by saying, "The disciples of John often fast and offer
prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours
eat and drink" (Luke 5:33). At times, their self-righteous
insincerity was breathtaking (Luke 18:9-14).
It de-emphasized obedience. The scribes and Pharisees were
disobedient. They had bound where God had loosed, and loosed where
God had bound (Mark 7:1-13). In binding their human traditions of
hand-washing, they were guilty of adding to God's law. In other
areas, they subtracted from the same by refusing to obey the
revealed word of God (Luke 7:29-30). Thus obedience became an
optional matter: They obeyed God's word when they felt like it. They
changed God's law with impunity. They applied it to others but not
to themselves (Matt. 23:4; Luke 11:46).
What Was Right About the Thinking of Jesus?
It emphasized love. Jesus genuinely cared about people. In
responding to the criticism that he ate with tax collectors and
sinners, Jesus answered, "It is not those who are well who need a
physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the
righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32). Tax collectors
like Levi and his companions were social outcasts, despised by
"respectable" members of society, classed with harlots and the like.
Jesus ate with them, not to condone their base and dishonorable
conduct, but to show them a better way and to save them from their
sins. The redemptive nature of his ministry is clearly seen in
Jesus' encounter with another tax collector named Zacchaeus (Luke
19:1-10). The Son of Man came into this world of sin and sorrow to
save that which was lost (Matt. 18:11-14). What an expression of
divine love and compassion (John 3:16)!
It emphasized sincerity. Jesus emphasized the importance of genuine
devotion. In responding to the implied criticism regarding the
failure of his disciples to fast, Jesus said, "You cannot make the
attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them,
can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken
away from them, then they will fast in those days" (Luke 5:34-35).
Jesus repeatedly stressed the need for sincerity. Fasting, a private
act of religious devotion, is appropriate for times of sadness and
sorrow (Ps. 35:13-14), remorse and contrition (Job 2:12-13),
commitment and consecration (Acts 13:1-2; 14:23). However, fasting
is not suitable for times of joyful delight. Fasting certainly is
not something that is done to be seen of men. Any religious service
or act of devotion that is offered for the purpose of impressing men
is counted as worthless in the eyes of God (Matt. 6:1-6, 16-18).
It emphasized obedience. Jesus emphasized the importance of full and
complete obedience (Matt. 5:17-20). In our day and time, loose
thinkers would call this legalism. Significantly, Jesus never
condemned the Pharisees for their attention to divinely authorized
details; rather he denounced them for their presumptuous additions
and glaring omissions from the law (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42). To the
extent that the scribes and Pharisees accurately taught God's
precepts, they performed a valuable service. When the scribes and
Pharisees were seated in Moses' chair, Jesus said, "All that they
tell you, do and observe." Unfortunately, they were not content with
being mere mouthpieces, they wanted to exercise their creativity in
the area of divine legislation (Matt. 23:1-4).
Conclusion
As we consider the issues of love, sincerity and obedience, one
final point comes to mind. Ours is an age of moral and doctrinal
accommodation. Many brethren argue that we have the right to
fellowship those who teach and practice error. In such an atmosphere
of compromise, brethren who tolerate false teaching often harshly
criticize those who stand for the truth, accusing them of being
unloving, insincere, and fanatically obsessed with strict obedience.
In a word, they are accused of being Pharisaical. However, let us
recognize the speciousness of such charges. Love demands that we
expose error, even though such an approach is unpopular. Sincerity
demands that we stand up for our convictions, regardless of the
cost. Obedience demands that we oppose all forms of moral and
doctrinal error, even if they are widely practiced. How is it that
faithful brethren are so easily criticized as being devoid of love,
sincerity and true obedience, while false teachers, or those who
condone the same, are supposedly the paragons of these virtues? As
Lewis Carroll once said in Alice in Wonderland, things are becoming
"Curiouser and curiouser!"
In this context, Jesus says that we must learn to think differently.
However, this does not imply a total repudiation of the past. We
must not throw out things just because they are old. Our Lord
concluded this discussion by saying, "And no one, after drinking old
wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough'" (Luke
5:39). Impurities in old wine may cause it to become bitter.
However, if it remains pure, it is considered better. So it is
regarding religious truth. Impurities can corrupt it. However, the
old paths of God are good, time-tested and true (Jer. 6:16; 18:15;
Isa. 8:19-20). Therefore, as we enter a new millennium, let us lay
aside all human traditions, doctrines and dogmas that are
inconsistent with the word of God. Let us remain true to the old
paths of God (Col. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 4:11).
-- Via Truth Magazine, Vol. XLIV: 12, p. 16, June 15,
2000
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-2-
News & Notes
If you are a Christian, please keep these following people in
prayer:
Danielle Howard's surgery went well, but it had her going
through much pain for a while. Her physical therapy on July 24
was also painful and wore her out from just standing twice.
She is scheduled to have parathyroid surgery August 5.
Jim Lively had a second sleep test on July 30 and a breathing
test August 1. He will next be seeing his pulmonary doctor,
which will probably be soon, but is not yet scheduled. These
tests are part of the preliminaries for the upcoming heart surgery
that he will also be having.
The result of Virginia Fontenot's recent treatments has
revealed that, even with the new chemo, her cancer markers have
tripled and are now at 168. Her breathing has also been poor
-- and labored with any exertion.
Pat Seif's cancer has returned. On July 31, her husband
Jeffrey gave this update: "Pat and I had a great time in
Hawaii. We went to MD Anderson Cancer Center immediately upon
return. We learned there what we suspected: cancer has
returned. With all else, we are looking at Clinical Trial
options, now, along with another regiment of chemo. The
journey continues... Pat is in good spirits, all things
considered -- her trademark. Appreciate everyone's prayers.
JSeif"
We extend our condolences to all the family and friends of Mozelle
Robertson who passed away July 26, having lived a long life of
93 years. R.J. Evans writes that "She had been a faithful
Christian for many years. A wife of an elder, tremendous Bible
student; attended all the services of the church up until about a
month ago when her health started to really decline. ...Our sister
Mozelle was a tremendous blessing and example to all who knew her
for so many years. The words of the Apostle John come to mind:
'Write: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
"Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and
their works follow them"' (Rev. 14:13). We express our deepest
sympathy to Ken and his family."
Let
us also continue to remember the others, too, on our
prayer list: Norma Burton, Ronnie Davis, Rex and
Frankie Hadley, Jewel Wilson, Mary Vandevander,
Deborah Medlock, Shirley Davis, Sue Wooten, A.J. and
Pat Joyner, and Colleen Henson.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom.
10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John
3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts
8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet.
3:21)
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can
be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)