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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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February 23, 2020
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Contents:
1) Looking to Jesus (Doy Moyer)
2) Living To Be Like Him -- Perfecting Holiness In Our Lives (Ron
Drumm)
3) Holding Fast to the Head (Terry Wayne Benton)
4) News & Notes
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-1-
Looking to Jesus
Doy Moyer
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings
so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV).
The Hebrews writer was concerned about these Christians turning
their backs on Jesus and returning to their former ways. These
Christians were facing persecution because they were following
Christ, and the threat of wavering because of that suffering
lingered. They needed reminding that what they have with Christ is
far greater than what they had before, even with the persecutions
and suffering. This was a matter of perspective that they needed to
keep in front of them. That perspective was wrapped up in Christ.
How can Christians persevere when things get tough? How can we
endure when it seems that life goes beyond endurance? The answer
lies in the point made in Hebrews 12: look to Jesus. Other
translations say something akin to “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (NASB)
or “keeping our eyes on Jesus” (CSB). The idea is not just that we
look in the direction of Christ or glance at Him now and then.
Rather, the idea is to “direct one’s attention without distraction”
(BDAG). We are purposefully turning away from other things that keep
us distracted and focusing on Jesus.
Runners know that turning their heads away from the goal leads to
distractions, and distractions contribute to losing the race. The
Hebrews writer is not talking so much about a sprint, but more of
the long distance race which requires putting away the things that
are distracting (sin which easily entangles) and running with
endurance and patience. In this race, distractions can be most
deadly, so they needed to focus on Jesus. Other passages tell us
something similar. For example:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your
minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”
(Colossians 3:1-2).
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one
thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to
what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, setting our minds on things above where
Christ is, and pressing on toward the prize are all ways of telling
us essentially the same thing. We have a goal, a purpose, a mindset,
and a way by which to get there. That way is Jesus. When we look to
Jesus, then, what are we seeing? Hebrews tells us that when we see
Jesus, we are seeing the One who went to the cross (despising its
shame) and endured through the suffering because there was something
so desirable about the outcome.
When we look to Jesus, we are looking to the divine Son of God
(Hebrews 1). We are also looking to the messianic Son of Man
(Hebrews 2). He was manifested in the flesh in order to die for our
sins, and this was anything but easy. After quoting from Psalm 8,
the writer says, “At present, we do not yet see everything in
subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made
lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor
because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he
might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:8-9). Notice the
terminology: “we see Him…” When we focus on Jesus, we see Him who
died for us, who went through the suffering and death for us. He
endured the cross on our behalf; we can endure the trials of this
world on His behalf. But we cannot do it alone. We need Jesus, which
also means we need to stay focused on Him as the Captain of our
salvation.
The whole of the book of Hebrews is about looking to Jesus. The
author points time and again to our Lord, showing us that what we
have in Christ is better than anything else to which we might devote
ourselves. The Hebrews might have gone back to the Law, but instead
they were encouraged to understand the “better hope” they had in
Christ, “through which we draw near to God,” and the “better
covenant” for which Jesus died (Hebrews 7:19, 22). When we
understand what we are looking at and why we need to maintain our
focus, it becomes more likely to stay tough when life gets hard.
Going through difficult times should not be a surprise for the
Christian. The Scriptures tell us time and again that this will be
the case. How do we get through it? We fix our eyes on Jesus as our
great example. We see something far greater, and in the end we know
that our labor will not have been in vain (1 Cor 15:58).
-- Via Bulletin Articles of the Vestavia church of Christ , January
26, 2020
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-2-
Living To Be Like Him — Perfecting Holiness In Our
Lives
Ron Drumm
Toward the end of his life, the apostle Peter, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, wrote these words, “but as He who called you is
holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written,
‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (I Peter 1:15,16).
Can we actually be holy? Why is it that we feel holiness is
unattainable? How could Peter make such a plea? Look at Peter’s life
– he was rebuked by Jesus after confessing Him to be the Son of the
Living God (Matthew 16:13-23); he denied the Lord three times after
saying he would die for Him (Matt 26:33-35, 69-75); and sinned
concerning his treatment of the Gentiles when the Jewish leaders
came around (Galatians 2:1-10).
Maybe the problem comes from our misunderstanding of holiness. We
often consider it to be perfection in our actions, and that
perfection to us seems impossible. Holiness means purity, being
blameless, set apart for God’s use, or sanctification (I Cor 6:11;
II Thess 2:13-17). This definition does not indicate living
perfectly, but rather it describes living a life dedicated to God.
Our character and attitude are in view. Paul expressed it this
way, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1). It is a
Spirit-guided process we endeavor to follow that brings about
holiness in our lives.
Holiness is attainable. This is why Peter in all of his sins and
failures could call us to be holy, as God is holy. It is a choice.
I’m a vessel for God’s exclusive use, or I allow myself to be the
devil’s tool. We are not created to be useless and worthless. We
have been created in Christ Jesus to be God’s workmanship — people
allowing themselves to be molded into holy servants of Christ (Eph
2:10).
It is our desire to glorify the God of heaven in every aspect of our
lives. We are to “put on the new man which was created
according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph
4:24). So, “pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without
which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).
— via The Exhorter (of the Henderson Blvd. church of Christ,
Tampa, Florida)
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-3-
Holding Fast to the Head
Terry Wane Benton
Paul said to “let no one defraud you of your reward” (Colossians
2:18) by luring you into their misguided religious practices, and
the way to not being lured into the false belief system is by
“holding fast to the Head” (Colossians 2:19). That means to keep a
firm grip on Jesus. Jesus will not mislead you. He leads you through
and by means of the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and these
“completely furnish you unto every good work.” You don’t have to
explore every counterfeit and know all about it. You just need to
know Jesus through the scriptures so well that the counterfeit is
more easily detected. Hold tightly to what you know about Jesus, the
head of the church. Grow in that knowledge source, and then no one
will mislead and defraud you of your reward in heaven. Hold fast!
— Via Daily Exhortation, 2020 Day 36 (February 5, 2020)
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-4-
News & Notes
The Hoboken church of Christ will be having a gospel
meeting March 5-8 with Keith Crews as their speaker. Weeknights:
7:30 p.m.
Our gospel meeting at the Tebeau Street church of Christ in
Waycross, Georgia, will be March 22-25 (Sunday to Wednesday)
with Gene Taylor as our speaker. (We enjoyed the
gospel meeting he preached for us last year. So we are looking
forward to having him again.) The following shows his sermon topics
and when they will be presented:
Sunday 9 a.m.: “Praying Like Jesus Prayed”
Sunday 10 a.m.: “The Problem of Self”
Sunday 5 p.m.: “The Spirit of Sacrifice”
Monday 7:30 p.m.: “God’s Love for the Prodigal”
Tuesday 7:30 p.m.: “A Demonstration of Brotherly Love”
Wednesday 7:30 p.m.: “Second Mile Living”
Ann Vandevander is to spend up to 60 days in the hospital,
following the major surgery she recently had.
Jim Lively had a couple more falls recently that scuffed up
his arm; but, fortunately, nothing more serious.
Emma Thomas is now back home from the hospital, following
her recent stroke.
After the serious accident that young Kaydance Richardson was
in, she has been healing up well and resuming activities.
Jan Barlett’s radiation treatments (for a total of 20 in 4
weeks) is still continuing.
Let us also be praying that Pat Joyner’s blood cell
production will improve when it comes to the iron deficiencies she
has been having.
Rick Cuthbertson has been having some difficulty with his
cancer treatments.
Also for prayer: A.J. Joyner, Rex & Frankie Hadley, John
Bladen, Kelly Stoneheart, Melotine Davis, the Medlock family,
Shirley Davis, and Kerry Williams.
WordPress version of this bulletin:
https://thegospelobserver.wordpress.com/2020/02/23/the-gospel-observer-february-23-2020/
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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 Jesus 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)
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 sermons)