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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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March 5, 2017
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Contents:
1) "Unless the Lord Watches Over the City..." (Adam Litmar)
2) Arise, Let Us Be Going (Carl McMurray)
3) Drifting Away From the Truth (James Hahn)
4) News & Notes
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-1-
"Unless the Lord Watches Over the City"
Adam Litmar
Nahum’s prophetic work is short yet fascinating. He prophesied
about Assyria and specifically its capital city, Nineveh. The book
is a sort of “sequel” to Jonah. About a hundred years before Nahum,
Nineveh had repented through that prophet’s reluctant preaching. By
the time of Nahum, things in Nineveh had gotten so bad that God had
determined it was time for them to suffer one of the terrible “days
of the Lord.”
A wicked nation suffering God’s vengeful judgment (Nahum 1:2) is
certainly not unique to Nahum. We can read of the prophets
delivering God’s message of judgment to Edom, Philistia, Moab,
Babylon, Egypt, and many others. In the case of Nahum’s prophesy,
God seems to take special care to point out that it was when Assyria
was at her strongest that He would see her humbled. Nahum 1:12-13
says, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Though they are at full strength and
many, they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted
you, I will afflict you no more. And now I will break his yoke from
off you and will burst your bonds apart.”
Truly Assyria was as strong as they were only because God permitted
it. Though Assyria had destroyed Israel and provided a constant
threat to Judah, God wanted His people to know that He was using the
wicked Assyrians as a chastening rod. When Assyrian iniquity became
complete, God broke their yoke from off Judah’s neck and burst their
bonds apart. The point I want us to get is this: there was nothing
Assyria could do about it.
Take a moment to read Nahum 2 (only 13 verses). Did you see all the
things Nineveh trusted in? Their walls were strong, their soldiers
were mighty, their chariots were many, their officers were skilled,
and their wealth was immense. They were described as lions! Yet
verse 13 makes the one statement that rendered all of Assyria’s
assets useless — “Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of
hosts.”
When God is against a nation there is no such thing as national
security. Nineveh’s wall could have stood a mile high, all of her
soldiers could have stood as tall as Goliath, gold and precious
metals could have filled the streets for lack of space to store such
them, all of her allies could have stood at the gates, her chariots
could have numbered in the millions with the most skillful
charioteers to man them, all of her horses could have been of the
finest stock, and every nation could have trembled in terror
beholding her. Yet the simple fact that she made God her enemy
doomed her, and all she trusted in for her security was as useless
as a miniscule whisper of wind against a mighty oak. Because
Nineveh’s security was not based upon God, Nineveh was not secure at
all.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in
vain" (Psalm 127:1). Friends, where is your security? Upon what do
you base your trust? Jehovah prompted Nineveh to keep her trust
where it had been and see the result. In Nahum 3:14 He says, “Draw
water for the siege; strengthen your forts; go into the clay; tread
the mortar; take hold of the brick mold!”
She had always trusted in her provisions and the strength of her
city. Jehovah urged her to keep it up. Grab some water, gather
the material to make bricks, and just keep strengthening that wall.
Surely no one could breach it! Surely no one could reach them on the
other side! Verse 15 says, “There will the fire devour you; the
sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust.”
Nineveh’s national security was an illusion, nothing more. She
rejected true security and was destroyed because of it. Her
destruction was so thorough, so complete, that the location of that
once majestic city was not discovered until 1842. Such is the
“security” of those who reject God.
— Via University Heights Messenger, February 19, 2017, Volume 9,
Number 8
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Arise, Let Us Be Going
Carl McMurray
In Matthew 26:37-46 Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemene preparing
Himself for the emotional and physical struggle of the cross.
Choosing His three closest disciples and friends, He goes aside to
pray and requests that they wait and watch with Him. Jesus is
“grieved and distressed to the point of death.” He knows that He is
being betrayed and will be put to death in the next 18 hours, and He
needs the encouragement of His friends to stand by Him. When He
finishes His prayer, He returns to find them sleeping. After
waking them and making request for their watchfulness again, He
returns to praying. When finished, once more He finds them asleep.
Finally, the third time He comes and finds them sleeping He awakens
them with the instruction, “Arise, let us be going...” It appears
the time for help and support was now past. I wonder if the
disciples ever thought back to these early morning hours and
regretted that they had been a disappointment, at least at this
time, to one who needed them so badly.
And while I’m reading this passage and considering the
thoughtlessness of these “friends” of our Lord, it occurs to me to
wonder how often has Jesus needed me, and I ask myself, was I
sleeping? When that new person moved into the neighborhood and Jesus
needed me to go over and welcome them and invite them to worship,
was I sleeping? When my co-worker’s marriage came apart and they
were emotionally “grieved and distressed” and needing a sharing
heart, was I sleeping? When that last visitor showed up at services
with that nervous look of not knowing anyone, did I cross the room
to welcome them and invite them to sit with me or was I sleeping?
We might deal harshly with those three disciples because, after all,
weren’t they blessed richly by Jesus’ friendship? And I suppose
Peter might turn and ask you or me the same thing. Haven’t we been
blessed by the Lord? Haven’t our prayers been answered by a friend
who is always listening? Haven’t we turned to Jesus time and time
again for His help and forgiveness? And how many times has He really
needed us ... to be there for Him? ... to be His friend?
Let’s be determined to be true friends of Jesus. Let us not be
overcome by the flesh or by our own weariness. Let’s not wait till
it’s past time to hear those words of Christ, to look around and
listen to him say, “Arise, let us be going...
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"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in
love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma" (Ephesians
5:1,2, NASB).
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Drifting Away From the Truth
James Hahn
The Hebrew writer declared, “Therefore we ought to give the more
earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away
from them" (ASV – Hebrews 2:1). It is interesting to note that the
writer speaks of “drifting” away. The idea of drifting suggests a
gradual departure over time. Apostasy usually starts with what many
see as a “little” thing that really doesn’t seem to be any “big
deal.” Then another step is taken, and another, until one’s
position doesn’t even resemble where he originally started.
Not only have those who do this departed from the truth, but they
are ready to oppose teachers of truth who seek their return to
truth. When Amos was sent to speak against the idolatry of Israel,
Amaziah, a priest of Bethel and friend of king Jeroboam, told Amos,
“But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's
chapel, and it is the king's court" (Amos 7:13). Rather than
heed the truth spoken by Amos, he attacked Amos. Such happens today
and reminds me of a quote by George Orwell. He said, “The further a
society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak
it.”
— via Bulletin Articles from the Collegevue church of Christ,
February 12, 2017
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"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with
all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for
one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3, NASB).
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News & Notes
Let those of us who can pray be remembering the following in prayer:
Lawrence Anthony Montero (Bud’s brother) was recently in the
hospital, due to a TIA (mini stroke), and had been experiencing some
numbness, along with high blood pressure. Tests were
run. He was given medication, is now doing better and was
released. He is to see his doctor in a few days.
It was good to recently hear that the spot removed from the side of
Jim Lively’s face was non-malignant.
Charles Crosby was back in the hospital Tuesday, due to a
hematoma in his knee that was increasing scare tissue. Surgery
was performed to eliminate the problem, and he returned home
Thursday. He is doing better and continuing in his physical
therapy, both locally and at home.
Misty Thornton will be returning to Mayo for various tests to
help toward regaining her health. Her heart is not functioning
as well as it had been, and she has also been having some trouble
with her blood pressure and dizzy spells.
Also: Lexi Crawford, Kay Byars, La Donna Andrews, Mary
Vandevander, Tanya Terrones, Shirley Davis, Doyle and Joyce
Rittenhouse, Brianna Mackey, James “Buddy” Gornto, Billy Lowe, Tom
Haney, Kelli Fleeman, Randall and Linda Hickox, and Ray Richards
WordPress version of this bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2017/03/11/the-gospel-observer-march-5-2017/
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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 p.m. (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://tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org/
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)