------------------
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).
--------------------
August 10, 2014
--------------------
Contents:
1) "They Know Not What They Do" (Walton Weaver)
2) "David Strengthened Himself in the Lord" (R.J. Evans)
3) News & Notes
--------------------
-1-
"They Know Not What They Do"
by Walton Weaver
Most of the time when Luke 23:34, "Father forgive them, for they
know not what they do," is used, only the first part of Jesus'
prayer, "Father forgive them," is discussed. But is not the last
part also important? The words, "for they know not what they do,"
show how unaware those who crucified our Lord were of the magnitude
of their crime. They were totally ignorant of what they were doing.
We might be surprised just how much the Bible has to say about the
ignorance of those who crucified Jesus. What did those who crucified
Jesus not know about this horrendous act which they committed?
Consider the following. They did not know:
That They Were Fulfilling Prophecy
We may safely assume, it seems to me, that the Jews at least should
have known, but they did not. Though they were accustomed to
searching the Scriptures, there were many things in them that they
had failed to understand. Jesus challenged them on one occasion to
search the Scriptures because they testified concerning him (John
5:39). After his death and resurrection he also said that both his
resurrection and the very things that had been done in persecuting
him and putting him to death were a fulfillment of the Scriptures
(Luke 24:46).
What Scriptures would Jesus have had in mind? We know as a matter of
fact that Psalm 22 was one part of the Scriptures Jesus recalled and
applied to his own sufferings and death: "My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?" (v. 1); "He trusted on the Lord that he would
deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him" (v.
8); "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my
vesture" (v. 18). Consider also Psalm 69:21, which states, ". . . in
my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink," and Psalm 2:2, "the kings
of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the Lord, and against his anointed." Isaiah 50:6
also describes suffering and humiliation like that which Jesus
experienced, when it says, "I gave my back to the smiters, and my
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from
shame and spitting." Isaiah 63:3 depicts his loneliness as he had
been forsaken by all to suffer and die alone: "I have trodden the
winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me." And who
does not remember Psalm 34:20 which says, "He keepeth all his bones:
not one of them is broken"? Isaiah 53:3-8, 12, you will recall,
gives a detailed account of the suffering, trial and crucifixion;
and Zechariah 12:10 declares, ". . . they shall look upon me whom
they have pierced."
That They Were Crucifying the Lord of Glory
Of those who put Jesus to death the apostle Paul said, ". . . had
they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1
Cor. 2:8). In this passage he identifies those who crucified Jesus
as "the rulers" or "princes" (KJV) of this world (age). Paul may be
thinking of the pagan rulers, or Romans, here, meaning Pilate and
other Roman officials who were involved. We know, of course, that
both Jewish and Roman leaders were guilty of crucifying Jesus. On
the day of Pentecost, Peter declared, "Therefore let all the house
of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). He puts the
blame for Jesus' death by crucifixion on the backs of the Jews in
this statement. The Jews had turned Jesus over to the Romans that
they might crucify him, so they were also guilty of the same crime.
Earlier in this same sermon Peter shows that it was the Jews (though
they did it by turning him over to the Romans' courts) who crucified
him: "Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have
crucified, and put to death" (Acts 2:23, NKJV). Yet, like it was
with the Romans, what the Jews did here, they also did in ignorance.
In Peter's second recorded sermon in Acts, he says, "Yet now,
brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your
rulers" (Acts 3:17; see also Acts 5:30, 31; 7:52; 10:39). All alike
were guilty: the Roman rulers, the rulers of the Jews, and all
others who cried out, "let him be crucified." But they all alike
also did what they did "in ignorance." Neither the Romans nor the
Jews knew they were crucifying "the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8), nor
did they know him to be "Prince and Savior" (Acts 5:31), or "the
Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47). Had they known these kinds of
things about him, Paul says they would not have crucified him. As
the God-man he was their only hope (John 3:16, 17; Acts 4:12), God's
"unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15), but they did not know it.
That They Were Being Used of Satan
The devil was the one behind the whole scheme: ". . . the
devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son,
to betray him . . ." (John 13:2). John 13:17 says, "And after the
sop Satan entered into him [Judas]." The devil used Judas to betray
Jesus "into the hands of sinners" (Matt. 26:45; Mark 14:41). Just as
their fathers persecuted the prophets and "slew the ones which
showed the coming of the Just One (Jesus)," so now, Stephen charges
as they stone him to death, they had become the betrayers and
murderers of Jesus (Acts 7:52). But the one behind it all was the
devil. He put it into the heart for Judas to betray him, and he put
it into the heart of the chief priest to find him guilty of
blasphemy, and Pilate to condemn him.
But in reality, Jesus' death would prove to be a defeat for Satan.
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel" (Gen. 3:15). The contrast between the wound on the heel of
Jesus and the head of the serpent is striking. That it would be a
strike to the head of the serpent means that it would be a mortal
wound inflicted by the very one who was only slightly wounded
himself ("on the heel"). No doubt both Satan and those being used by
him would think that Christ's death on the cross would be the end,
or final defeat, of Christ and his cause; but God had planned all
along that it would be the very means by which Satan himself would
be defeated and finally destroyed. Look, for example, at
Hebrews 2:14: ". . . that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil"; and 1 John 3:8: ". . .
the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil."
That They Were Fulfilling God's Divine Plan
Isaiah had announced many centuries before that "it pleased the Lord
to bruise him: he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin. . . " (Isa. 53:10). Those who crucified
Jesus were carrying out God's divine plan without knowing it. In a
verse we quoted earlier, Peter said to his audience on Pentecost
that the Jesus whom they had "taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain," had been "delivered by the determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). This would not, however,
excuse Judas who would betray him, according to Jesus' own
pronouncement: "And truly the son of Man goes as it has been
determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed" (Luke 22:22,
NKJV). Jesus told Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all
against me, except it were given thee from above . . ." (John
19:11).
-- Via Truth Magazine. Vol. XLIV: 6 p1, March 16, 2000
--------------------
-2-
"David Strengthened Himself in the Lord"
by R.J. Evans
"Then David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning
him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for
his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the
Lord his God" (1 Sam. 30:6).
The above verse is an interesting passage, especially due to the
circumstances under which it was written. David had to leave his own
country because he was being pursued by King Saul. He had offered to
be of service to the Philistines, but they resisted it and drove him
away from their camp. The Amalekites plundered Ziklag, the city
where David had been dwelling. These people had taken as captives
the wives and children of the city. And, on top of all of these
problems, David's men had threatened to stone him.
So here we find David heart-broken, estranged from his home country
and family, weary and tired from all his travels, with nothing but a
"dark cloud" hanging over him. Yet, in the midst of all these
troubles, David was able to strengthen or encourage himself in the
Lord. While we might describe him as being at the "end of his rope,"
his faith in the Lord had not ended. He still believed that God is
just and, therefore, he depended upon the goodness of God. David
enquired of the Lord, took his troops, attacked the Amalekites and
"recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David
rescued his two wives" (1 Sam. 30:18). Later on, when David penned
Psalm 56, he stated, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You...In
God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?" (Vv. 3, 11).
One of the wonderful blessings of being a child of God and a member
of the Lord's church is that we have one another as brothers and
sisters in Christ. The Apostle Paul described this relationship in
the following manner -- "so we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and individually members of one another" (Rom. 12:5). We are to
genuinely care for one another. Thus, we are to: "love one another"
(Jn. 13:34-35); "receive one another" (Rom. 15:7); "edify one
another" (Rom. 14:19); "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2);
"serve one another" (Gal. 5:13); "be kind to one another" (Eph.
4:32); "forgive one another" (Eph. 4:32); "submit to one another"
(Eph. 5:21); "prefer one another" (Rom. 12:10); "be hospitable to
one another" (1 Pet. 4:9); "not lie to one another" (1 Pet. 4:9);
"consider one another" (Heb. 10:24); and "exhort one another" (Heb.
10:25). All of these passages of scripture emphasize why WE NEED ONE
ANOTHER!
But what about those times when we are all alone? Those times at
work or at school when we are the only one who is standing for what
is right? It is during those times that we must remember the example
of David who strengthened himself in the Lord. How good are we at
self-encouragement? What joy, strength and courage can come to us
when we are amid varying disappointments of life to consider and
emulate the attitude of David. We must learn to become good
"self-encouragers"! By so doing, we have the following promise: "For
He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we
may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can
man do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5-6). This sounds a lot like the attitude
and situation of David, doesn't it. Again, let us profit from the
example of David who "STRENGTHENED HIMSELF IN THE LORD" (1 Sam.
30:6).
-- Via the bulletin for the Southside church of Christ (Gonzales,
Louisiana)
--------------------
-3-
News & Notes
Let those of us who are Christians be praying for the following:
With the pain and nausea gone, Myrna Jordan has been feeling
better and was able to return home August 9, after having been in
the hospital since the previous Tuesday; but she can still use our
prayers.
Immediately following the surgery to remove two parathyroids, Danielle
Howard's calcium level quickly began to drop. On August
12, it was dangerously low at 5; but by the next day, it had climbed
to 6.3; and 7 on the 13th. However, since 9 is normal, she
must remain in the hospital until her calcium level reaches at least
8 before she can return to Jesup Health and Rehabilitation.
The medication that Jim Lively recently began taking for his
acute asthma has been doing some good, while he is preparing for
heart surgery that might be in the next couple months.
Even with the new treatment, Virginia Fontenot's cancer
markers have tripled to 168. Her daughter also informs me that
her mother's "breathing is not good and becomes labored with any
exertion."
Let us also continue to remember the others, too, on our prayer
list: Ronnie Davis, Rex and Frankie Hadley, Jewel Wilson, Mary
Vandevander, Deborah Medlock, Shirley Davis, Sue Wooten, A.J. and
Pat Joyner, and Colleen Henson.
--------------------
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).
--------------------
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)