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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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June 26, 2016
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Contents:
1) Judgment and God's Compassion (Doy Moyer)
2) Maintaining the Christian Life (Doug Pennock)
3) News & Notes
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-1-
Judgment and God's Compassion
Doy Moyer
When Abraham was told about the destruction of cities known for
unrepentant wickedness, he didn't rejoice in that, but begged for
them to be spared. When Jonah confronted a city of wickedness (and
repentance), he pined for their destruction. Who are we more like?
Common to both accounts is 1) the absolute right of God to be the
Judge, and 2) the compassion and lovingkindness of God to save. God
judged Sodom because "their outcry has become so great before the
Lord" (Gen. 19:13), and it was clear there would be no repentance.
Yet, though Lot hesitated, the angels took the hands of Lot and his
family and led them out, "for the compassion of the Lord was upon
him" (vs. 16). Lot recognized that this magnified the lovingkindness
of God because his life was saved (vs. 19). In the midst of
judgment, God showed mercy and compassion. He has the right to both.
Jonah, on the other hand, was angry that God spared Nineveh, and his
reasoning is interesting: "Please Lord, was not this what I said
while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall
this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and
compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and
one who relents concerning calamity" (4:2).
Again, God has the absolute right to judge, and sometimes because of
unrepentant hearts He judges. That will always be His right, and His
alone. Yet through His compassion and lovingkindness, He offers
opportunities to repent and be saved. "Or do you think lightly of
the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing
that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4)
This is the gospel message. Judgment is coming, but salvation is
offered by God's grace.
Paul preached, "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
17:30- 31).
Peter taught, "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be
wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
Why repent? Because there is yet judgment coming due to wickedness.
Failure to repent means being caught up in the judgment: "But
because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing
up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5).
Yet why repent? Because of God's compassion and lovingkindness
offering salvation. In His wrath, He remembers mercy (Hab. 3:1). In
His mercy, He provides hope (Rom. 5:1-2).
Some have great difficulty reconciling these two facets of God, but
Paul brings both together in Romans 2. To deny that God has the
absolute right to judge is to fail to recognize 1) the unfathomable
glory and holiness of God, and 2) the horrific nature of sin. God
does not want anyone to perish (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:3-4), but evil
is so horrific that it cannot go unpunished. It's interesting that
many unbelievers will speak of "the problem of evil" and ask, "Why
doesn't God do anything about all the evil?" He has, and He will.
That's why God brings judgment. Yet it's also why God offers
salvation through Christ. "In this is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins" (1 John 4:10).
People want evil to be duly punished, but many never accept the fact
all have participated in evil (Rom. 3:23) and repentance is God's
compassionate prescription for averting that judgment. No one has to
suffer eternally for it. Sadly, many have come to expect mercy
without repentance. It doesn't work that way. Still others get angry
at God because He would dare judge at all, as if God has no such
right. What they don't get is that whether or not they like what God
does or who God is has absolutely no bearing on whether or not God
exists. Failing to repent because of anger toward God does not wipe
away that failure to repent. God still judges, and God still offers
salvation to the repentant. Why fight that? "Therefore repent and
return...."
We began by asking, "Who are we more like?" Jonah is not held up as
an icon of faith in Scripture. Abraham, on the other hand, is. This
is not to say that Abraham was perfect, but his faith, even in the
judgment events, is well seen: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth
deal justly?"
Yes, He has, He does, and He will. Only God can determine the timing
of judgment. Ours is to hold out the hope of the gospel so that as
many as will may repent and follow the Lord. By granting repentance,
God shows His mercy and grace. Let us never think lightly of this
offer.
-- Via Mind Your Faith, June 21, 2016
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-2-
Maintaining the Christian Life
Doug Pennock
Like our car needs maintenance to keep it running smoothly, we as
Christians also need regular maintenance to keep us on the road to
salvation. This should come in the form of regular worship of God
and regular bible study. If we don't do the former, what is the real
object of our faith; and if we don't do the latter, we will not grow
as Christians and will invariably go the other direction and lessen
our faith or even lose it entirely.
1 Peter 2:2 tells us "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the
word." As a newborn baby desires its mother's milk, so we should
desire the word of God that we may grow into a full and mature
Christian. The newborn needs mother's milk in order to survive and
so we as Christians need a steady diet of the word of God in order
to survive.
Satan is forever tempting us to turn away from God and fill our
hearts and minds with worldly concerns that will drown out the word
if we do not continually replenish the supply. If we keep our hearts
and minds full of the word, Satan will not be able to choke out the
word (see the parable of the sower in Matthew 13) and we will be
able to withstand better the temptations that he throws our way.
Jesus, when He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4), answered every
temptation with scripture ("it is written") and so we can do the
same when he tempts us to stray from the way of righteousness and to
sin. By being filled with the word of God, we are filled with the
Holy Spirit and can speak the oracles of God and give answer to
those that ask of the hope that is in us (1 Peter 4:11; 1 Peter
3:15). This takes constant bible study and we should make a daily
habit of looking into God's word for the wisdom we need in this
life.
What of worshiping God? Are we one of those that thinks it is okay
to stay away from the assemblies of God's children (the church) and
try to worship God on our own? Hebrews 10:25 says: "not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching." God expects us to assemble ourselves together and has
given us the church of His dear Son as the means whereby we may do
so.
We assemble as the church of Christ (which is made up of its members
and not a building) to worship God as He would be worshiped. We
worship Him only in the way prescribed by the New Testament, not
taking away from what we should do nor adding anything to what we
find in the scriptures. This is how God must be worshiped in spirit
and in truth (John 4:23,24). If we worship Him in any way that the
scriptures do not authorize, we are not doing so in a way that is
acceptable to Him and received by Him. (See post: "The One True
Church.")
So, if we are able to worship with the saints on a regular basis and
learn to study accurately the word of God, we are able to maintain
ourselves as Christians and stay true to the faith. We should also
practice good works regularly as God would have us do and not let
them slip, doing good to others as we have opportunity (Galatians
6:9,10). Of course we must be in Christ in the first place by
following the plan of salvation and being baptized into Christ for
the remission of our sins. (See Plan of Salvation above and under
categories.)
May God bless and keep you until next time.
-- Via Living the Godly Life, November 23, 2015
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-3-
News & Notes
Let those of us who are God's children be
including the following in our prayers:
James "Buddy" Gornto had open heart surgery Friday to replace
a heart valve. He had been admitted to a hospital the previous
Friday to remove fluid from around his heart, but was then
transferred to a hospital in Atlanta to take care of that and to
perform the surgery, which went well.
As reported last week, Easton Cox was not able to have
his chemo treatment on Thursday, due to his ANC (blood count)
having dropped to 232. But by Monday, it was up to 2,500; so
he received his first stronger dose of chemo then. But it had
caused some difficulty: He had stopped eating, became dehydrated,
and had to go to the ER for IV fluids. His pain had also
increased, which has required pain medicine every four hours.
He has just two more of these treatments to go, with all three of
these stronger doses being stretched out over an 11-week period.
Melotine Davis has been having some terrible pain in her neck
and arm and will be seeing a neurologist this Friday.
Also, Marie Pennock has been having arthritis for at least
20 years; but it has become much worse these last few weeks -- and
especially when walking on uneven ground, since the pain stems from
her knees.
We were glad to hear of the health improvements of Brianna
Mackey. Let us continue to pray for her complete
recovery from meningitis.
Let us also continue to remember the following in prayer: Kelli
Fleeman, who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma (cancer) and
had major surgery to remove a growth; Carole Drain, who now
has only one more chemo treatment to go; the Medlocks;
John Jordan (under the weather); Shirley Davis
(healing from foot surgery); James Green (undergoing
stressful difficulties); Mary Vandevander (housebound), and
Sue Wooten (in the nursing home).
WordPress version for this week's bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/the-gospel-observer-june-26-2016/
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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, living for the Lord;
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)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Ladies' Bible class)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com
(Gospel Observer website with pictures in WordPress)
http://thomastedwards.com/go
(Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but
back to March 1990)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)