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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" (Matthew
28:19-20, NASB).
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March 31, 2019
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Contents:
1) Isaiah 2:1-5 (2): The Nature Of The Church (Russell Dunaway)
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-1-
Isaiah 2:1-5 (2): The Nature Of The Church
Russell Dunaway
In our last article, we observed that the prophet Isaiah foretold
the establishment of the church, and that his prophecy was fulfilled
on Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. But Isaiah said some other
things about the church of the Lord that I hope we can see in this
article. Isaiah prophesied concerning the nature of the church as
well as the establishment of the church. Isaiah said, "It shall come
to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall
be established in the top of the mountains, and exalted above the
hills." I understand, and hope you understand, that Isaiah was not
saying that the church would be established in some literal mountain
top or on some literal hill top. Isaiah is using a figurative
language to show that the church was to be exalted in its nature,
that the church was to occupy an exalted position in the heart of
man. The church of the Lord is the only institution known to man
which is completely spiritual in its nature.
In Luke 17, when the Pharisees questioned Jesus concerning the
coming of His kingdom, Jesus answered them saying, "The kingdom of
God cometh not with observation: neither shall ye say, Lo here! or
Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Jesus is
simply saying that the kingdom of God, the church, is not a material
kingdom built with man's hands, but that it was to be a spiritual
kingdom. The kingdom of God can only exist in the lives of those who
have had the seed of the kingdom, the word of God (Lk. 8:11), sown
in their hearts. The kingdom of God is within. It dwells in the
heart, the love, and the affections of its members. We are obligated
to God to give the church the exalted position in our hearts that He
gave the church in the Word of God.
In Matthew 13:44-47, Jesus taught that the kingdom of God ought to
be the most important thing in our lives. He compared it to a
merchant seeking after goodly pearls who, when he had found that one
pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and purchased
that pearl for himself. Again, Jesus said that the church was like a
treasure hid in a field which, when a man hath found it, he sells
all that he has, in order to purchase that field. The church ought
to be more important to us than all the material things in the world
combined. It is to be exalted in our lives to the position that God
gave it in the Bible.
God exalted the church. We ought to keep it that way. Jesus said,
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven . . . for where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:19-21). If you do not love
the church, I can tell you the reason why. It is because you have
not placed your treasure there. "Where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also." The church must be exalted!
Isaiah continued his prophecy saying, ". . . all nations shall flow
unto it." The church is universal in its nature. The Law of Moses
was for the Jew and Jew alone. But the gospel of Christ was
universal — "all nations shall flow unto it." Under the law of
Moses, the Gentile was separated from God and without hope (Eph.
2:12). But God's eternal purpose for the church was to include the
Gentile as well as the Jew. What God has provided for the Jew under
the gospel of Christ, He has provided for the Gentile. Many people
think that God has something for the Jew when this life is over that
He does not have for the Gentile. Such is not the case. In Ephesians
3:6 Paul said, "That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the
same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel."
What God has provided for the Jew, He has also provided for the
Gentile. Everything past, present, and future is available to the
Jew and to the Gentile alike. In Christ, the Gentile is a fellow
heir of the promise God made to Abraham in the past. He is a fellow
member of the body of Christ in the present. He is a fellow partaker
of the promise of eternal life in the future. The Gentile will
receive the same reward as the Jew. Therefore, Jesus commanded, "Go
ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." The
Church is responsible for carrying the gospel into every nook and
cranny of the earth. Any man in any comer of the globe is subject to
the same terms of the gospel as you and I. It is our responsibility,
as members of the church, to carry that gospel into all the world.
Are we doing that? We read in Colossians 1:23 that in Paul's day,
the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven. They had no
radios or televisions. They had no printing presses or newspapers.
They had no cars or planes. But they did the work God gave them. And
we shall stand and give account unto God if we fail in the meeting
of our responsibility.
Isaiah continued his prophecy saying, "Many people shall go and say,
Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob; and He shall teach us of His ways . . . . " The
church was to be a taught or instructed church. No man can become a
member of the church of the Lord except he first is taught the will
of the Lord. Under the law of Moses, a man was born into a covenant
relationship with God by his physical birth. Then, he was taught to
"know the Lord" (Heb. 8:9-11). Under the New Covenant, the gospel, a
man is first taught to "know the Lord," and then by the "new birth"
he is able to enter into a covenant relationship with God (John
6:44,45). It was through the teaching of the apostles on Pentecost
that the church was established. No man can become a child of God
today except he first is taught the will of God.
Isaiah continues, ". . . and we will walk in his paths." The church
is an obedient church. It is not enough to be taught the will of
God. Man must obey the will of God to become a child of God. On the
day of Pentecost, after the apostles had taught those Jews, the Jews
rendered obedience to the Gospel of Christ (Acts 2:37-41). Learning
God's will was not enough. God's will had to be obeyed (Matt.
7:21-27; Jas. 1:19-22). The church is made up of an obedient
membership.
Isaiah continued his prophecy: "And He shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into prunning hooks. Nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more." The church is peaceful in nature. Before the death of
Christ, the law of Moses stood as a wall of separation between the
Jew and the Gentile. But Jesus died in order to make peace between
the nations. Paul declared in Ephesians 2:13-16:
“But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes afar off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both
one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of
twain one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.”
Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses in His death, and took it out of
the way by nailing it to His cross (Col. 2:13). In place of that
law, Christ established a new man, the church, in which both Jew and
Gentile could be reconciled to God and live forever at peace with
God. In Romans 5:1 Paul said, "Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." A man does
only one thing when he obeys the gospel of Christ; he makes peace
with God. When a man obeys the gospel of Christ, he is no longer an
enemy of God, but makes peace with God. No man can live at peace
with God outside the church. It is only in the church that the peace
of God which passeth all understanding can be made available unto
man. In Romans 14:17 Paul wrote, "For the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
There can be no peace without happiness. There can be no happiness
without righteousness. When the righteousness of God fills the lives
of men and women, they will be happy, and when happy, they will live
at peace with God and with their fellow man. The church is presented
in nature.
— Via Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 6, pp. 169-170, March 15, 1984
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News & Notes
Mary Aldrich’s health has continued to decline.
Her passing is now said to be “imminent.” They have
helped to eliminate pain by keeping her asleep.
Pat Joyner was in the hospital from last Monday to
Thursday evening, due to congestive heart failure, which had
impaired her breathing. She will be seeing her heart doctor
tomorrow and her surgeon on Thursday. They will also
be looking into what has been causing her to pass out, from
time to time, over the last 12 years or more.
James Medlock is now doing better and might be
returning home tomorrow.
We extend our condolences to the family and friends of Veleria
Synder, who passed away the Thursday before last.
Others to also be praying for: Jim Lively, A..J.
Joyner; Anita Young; Doyle Rittenhouse; Deborah Medlock;
Shirley Davis; Mary Vandevander; Michelle
Rittenhouse; John Stoval; Kayleigh Tanner, Amris Bedford,
Everleigh and Hazel Greer; Danny Hutcheson; Roger
Montgomery; Rex & Frankie Hadley; and Tommy
Lin
Our Gospel Meeting with Gene Taylor will
begin next Sunday and run through Wednesday (April 7-10).
Sunday services: 9 a.m.,10 a.m., and 5 p.m.
Weeknights: 7:30 p.m.
Sermons:
1) “An Unchanging Standard in a Changing World”
2) “A Kingdom Not of This World”
3) “Condemning the World”
4) “By This, All Men Will Know You Are My Disciples”
5) “Three Ways of Life”
6) “Living Life to the Fullest.”
WordPress version of this
bulletin: https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2019/03/31/the-gospel-observer-march-31-2019/
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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
a.m. (Bible
class); 10
a.m. & 5
p.m. (worship)
Tuesday:
2
p.m.
(Ladies' Bible
class)
Wednesday: 7
p.m. (Bible
class)
evangelist/editor: Tom
Edwards (912)
281-9917
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 sermon)