Year: 2016 (Page 6 of 6)

“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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Contents:

1) Jesus — A Man of Sorrows and Acquainted with Grief (Tom Edwards)
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Jesus — A Man of Sorrows and Acquainted with Grief

Tom Edwards

It is in the Messianic chapter of Isaiah 53 where Jesus is described as the above title shows.  The verse declares, “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (v. 3).

It can also be pointed out, however, that it was not for himself that the Lord was sorrowful, as if in having a pity party.  Rather, as the passage goes on to show, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted” (v. 4).

Yes, so much the Lord was willing to undergo for us — and even though we could never earn nor deserve His great concern.  “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him” (v. 5).

When on trial for His life, following Judas’ betrayal, Jesus did not defend Himself to try to avoid the sentence of death.  “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth” (v. 7).  After false charges were made against the Lord, the High Priest said to Him, “…’Do You not answer?  What is it that these men are testifying against You?’  But Jesus kept silent…” (Matt. 26:60-63).  It was not until the High Priest then adjured the Lord by the living God to tell whether He was the Christ, the Son of God, that Jesus then spoke up, saying, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN” (vv. 63,64).

The Lord’s sorrow and grief over others, due to His divine knowledge in knowing where they were heading, can clearly be seen in Luke 19:41-44: “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.’”

So just as God the Father and the Holy Spirit can be grieved over the sins of man (Gen. 6:6; Isa. 63:10), even so can Jesus the Son of God (Mk. 3:5).

The apostle Paul speaks of the “great sorrow and unceasing grief” that he had in his heart for the lost (Rom. 9:2-4) — and how much more the Lord must have experienced that!  Not only had He wept over the city of Jerusalem, as noted above, but Jesus had also greatly longed for their salvation — but they refused.  The Lord’s desire to have saved them can also be seen in Luke 13:34: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!”  This also corresponds with 2 Peter 3:9, that “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Jesus’ heart truly went out to people.  He could sympathize.  He was greatly moved by their troubles, by their lost state, and by their helplessness: “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’” (Matt. 9:36-38).

Another form of grief that Jesus underwent pertains to those emotions in facing the torturous death on the cross at Calvary, as He acknowledges: “…’My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death…’” (Mark 14:34).  Here “deeply grieved,” from the Greek word “perilupos,” is defined as “1) very sad, exceedingly sorrowful  2) overcome with sorrow so much as to cause one’s death” (Thayer).  In the setting, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal by Judas.  It was a time in which He was “very distressed and troubled” (v. 34), with the Greek word for “distressed” meaning, “to throw into terror…to alarm thoroughly…to be struck with terror”; and “troubled” being not only “to be troubled,” but also “great distress or anguish…” (Thayer).  It was also during this time in the garden that Luke says of the Lord, “And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44).

What a terrible ordeal the cross was to face, yet Jesus willingly submitted to it as part of His Father’s will and through which an atonement could be made for every lost soul.  As the Lord Himself points out: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (Jn. 10:17,18).

We have seen in this article that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit can all be grieved over the sins of humanity.  Is this not another reason for why we should all become Christians and ever strive to live for the Lord, so that we will not be bringing any grief to the Almighty God? And by serving Him, instead of grief, it will then be quite the opposite that our God will have for us, as seen in these following verses which I have emphasized: “For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation” (Psa. 149:4) and “honor” those who serve His Son (Jn. 12:26). “The LORD  favors those who fear Him…” (Psa. 147:11), and “…the blameless in their walk are His delight” (Prov. 11:20).  The righteous are certainly not a grief to God.

Especially in view of all that Jesus was willing to go through for us, including its sorrow and grief, we should be even more motivated to live for Him — and to do so joyfully!  For “…He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Cor. 5:15).  In that sacrifice, Jesus tasted death for everyone, which required His being made “a little lower than the angels” by taking on the body of a man that could be put to death (cf. Heb. 2:9).  And in entering this world, born of the virgin, what a great sacrifice that was in itself!  “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).  The spiritual wealth obtained through Christ is of far greater value than all the material wealth of the world combined! How humble Jesus was to willingly leave the blissfulness of heaven and the glorious state of His heavenly body in order to come to earth to dwell in human flesh, as a man, yet still retaining His Deity. As Paul writes, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6,7).  Jesus was God incarnate (Jn. 1-3, 14).   “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9).  While on earth, Jesus declared, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.  …He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” (Jn. 14:7,9).  Jesus was and is “the radiance” of His Father’s “glory” and “the exact representation” of His Father’s “nature” (Heb. 1:3).

Christ had been “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”  But because of His life and sacrificial death, we can have joy and gladness for all eternity by simply accepting God’s plan of salvation and striving for that heavenly goal where all the redeemed will dwell and where there will be no death, no mourning, no crying, nor pain (Rev. 21:4).  For “…the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).  And how much more so that will be experienced in the eternal kingdom of heaven itself, which we are now striving for.  As Peter exhorts, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2 Pet. 1:10,11).

Looking to Jesus and what He went through on our behalf can help us in our striving against sin and keeping on the right track. “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:3).

Jesus’ becoming “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” also indicates the great love that He has for humanity — a love that prompted Him to be willing to undergo great difficulties, sacrifices, and sufferings on our behalf.  So we should never doubt His great concern for us. And let us also remember that that which led to our Lord being that “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” and having to endure all the suffering in which he did, can be summed up in one word, and that being “sin”; but not because of His own sin — for He had none — but because of the sins of others. All of us — as well as all who had ever been or ever will be — who have transgressed God’s word are each the reason for why Christ had to come to this world and do what He did.

May we, therefore, ever live to never more be a cause of grief or sorrow to the Almighty God who has always loved us more than we can even fully realize, but do see supremely expressed in the giving of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly went to that terrible cross in order to make the great and only atonement that can set man free from the bondage of sin!
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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; 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)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (The old Gospel Observer website with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)

“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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Contents:

1) The Days of Our Years (Morris W.R. Bailey)
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The Days of Our Years

Morris W.R. Bailey

When you read these lines, we will have crossed the threshold of another year. There have been, on the part of some, the usual New Year celebrations. With some it has been a time for making New Year resolutions. With many business firms it will be a time for taking inventory. As the clouds of war loom upon the horizon, and nations are feverishly engaged in an armament race, political leaders view the coming year apprehensively.

To the Christian, confident in the belief that “To them that love God, all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28), business interests and world tensions will be of minor concern when compared with the great issues of eternity. Nevertheless, we live in a world of time. The skeptic, Herbert Spencer, spoke of the five manifestations of the unknowable as time, force, action, space, and matter. Our plans are made with regard to time, and are governed largely by the clock or the calendar. Solomon said, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). Recognizing this great truth, we sow seed in the spring and reap the harvest in the autumn. The events of history have been recorded with due regard for time, either B.C. or A.D. In point of duration they are spoken of in terms of days, weeks, months, and years.

Since time occupies such an important place in the warp and woof of life, the fact that we have entered upon another year should be an occasion for sober meditation. We are one year nearer to our eternal destiny than we were this time last year. We have one year less of our allotted span in which to serve God and to prepare for that day when we must give account to God for the way in which we have used the time that He has given us. The year of 1961 now lies behind us and has merged with the eternal past. It cannot be relived. The unkind and the unjust things that we have done cannot be undone. Unkind words that have been said cannot be unsaid. We can only hope and trust that God has graciously forgiven us our trespasses. Opportunities that we have neglected have probably gone forever. We can only hope to make use of other opportunities that will be ours in the coming year.

The year of our Lord 1962 now lies before us. What will it hold for us? Will it be a year of more devoted service to God? Will it be a year of spiritual growth, or will it be a year of backsliding? What will it mean for the church of the Lord? Will it see congregations standing firm for the truth? Or will it see many of them drifting into apostasy? These are questions that only the future can answer. I am reminded here, of the words spoken by Joshua, in the long ago, as he was giving the children of Israel last minute instructions prior to leading them across the river Jordan and into the land of promise. “Ye have not passed this way heretofore” (Joshua 3:4). How much like life! Insofar as the future is concerned we will be traveling an unfamiliar road, for we have not passed this way heretofore. To this we may add that we will not pass this way again, since the door of man’s past is locked the moment he leaves it.

As our thoughts are turned toward the coming year,–its possibilities and its probabilities, it would be well for us to meditate upon a passage of scripture spoken by the Psalmist David and recorded in Psalm 90:10-12: “The days of our years are threescore and ten. Or by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger, and thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee? So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom.”

In these words God teaches us that our lives are very brief. Even if we attain unto our threescore and ten years, or by reason of strength, fourscore years our life has still been comparatively short. Ask anyone who has lived out his allotted span and he will tell how rapidly the years have come and gone.

Even those of us who have reached middle age, realize that each year seems to pass a little more rapidly than the preceding one. And so, in view of the brevity of life, David said, “Teach us to number our days that we may get us a heart of wisdom.” How much we need to heed the admonition of David. Time is a precious commodity and should never be wasted. Benjamin Franklin said, “If time is of all things most precious, then wasting time is the greatest prodigality.” How true! Money that has been lost, may be recovered or replaced; but time that has been wasted is irretrievable. In these days of inflation we budget our money and try to make it stretch as far as possible. How much we need to number our days and crowd into them the utmost in service to God and man, realizing that soon they will be gone forever.

The Bible abounds in expressions that teach us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life. Job said, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle” (Job 7:6). David said, “As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field he flourisheth” (Psalms 103:15).

Jesus told of a certain rich man whose land brought forth so plentifully that he had no place to store his abundance of goods. Then he thought of a plan. He said, “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up these many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night is thy soul required of thee, and these goods that thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?” (Luke 12:16-20).

God called this man a fool. Why? From the divine standpoint there were several reasons for calling him foolish. He was unthankful for his blessings. In fact there is no acknowledgment on his part that God had given him his bountiful harvest. Then too, he left God out of his plans for the future. Further, he had a false sense of values. He seemed to think that his riches would supply everything he needed.

But another, and perhaps his greatest mistake, is seen in his use of the expression, “these many years.” He thought that he had a long-term lease on life. And how mistaken he was! Already death was knocking at his door. God said, “This night shall thy soul be required of thee.” Yet many are making the same mistake today and living as if they expected to be here forever, not heeding the warnings of inspiration and the events of history which teach us that life is so uncertain. The holiday season just past has witnessed the usual number of tragedies. In the air, in flaming buildings, on crowded highways the grim reaper has struck without warning leaving a trail of frustrated plans, broken homes and saddened hearts.

As touching the uncertainty of life, the language of James is very pertinent. “Come now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade and get gain; whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15). We have a cloud of mist as it hangs out in the early morning air, and how quickly it is dispelled by the rising sun. One moment we see it. The next moment it has disappeared from our view. How much like the life of man! So short and so uncertain. One moment he stands before us a conscious being, vibrant with life. But tragedy strikes, and the next moment he lies before us unconscious and locked in the cold embrace of death. On this basis James teaches us a lesson that is sorely needed. He tells us that our plans for the future should be made subordinate and subject to the will of God. Someone has well said, “Man proposes; but God disposes.” This is so true with regard to the uncertainty of life. The best-laid plans are often frustrated by the sudden visitation of death.

The Bible lays considerable emphasis upon making the proper use of and the most use of the time that God has given us. Jesus, himself, set an example along this line. “I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work” (John 9:4). Thus Jesus taught that this lifetime is all that we have in which to work for God. Soon will come the dark night of death when we must leave our unfinished tasks to others.

In writing to the Ephesians, Paul said, “Look carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15,16). Thus Paul taught that time is something that must be redeemed. The footnote makes this perhaps even clearer when it says, “Buying up the opportunities.” During our lifetime we will have opportunities to do good. Time can be redeemed only by making use of our opportunities. The Christian who places the proper value on time will never neglect them. Once they are gone they will probably never return.

How much of our time is given to God and to the things that relate to God’s kingdom? Many professed Christians seem to think that an hour or so spent in the worship service of the church on Lord’s Day morning fulfills their obligations. Statistics sometimes reveal things, which are cause for grave concern. Such is true of an article I read some time ago in which the writer gave a breakdown of the average life of seventy years and the amount of time spent in various activities. The facts presented were as follows: Three years spent in education, Eight years spent in amusements. Six years spent at the meal table. Five years spent in transportation. Four years spent in conversation. Fourteen years spent in work. Three years spent in reading. Twenty-four years spent in sleeping. Three years spent in sickness. The reader will be reminded that the above figures only represent an average.

But the disturbing aspect of the matter is that the article further pointed out that if one spends an hour in church service each week, in a lifetime of seventy years it will amount to about five months. Think of it! Sixty-nine years and seven months of our life spent in temporal pursuits. Five months of our life given to God. Yet many Christians think that their only obligation is to be present at the worship service on Lord’s Day morning. What shall be said for those who attend only casually?

1961 is now past. 1962 lies ahead. We cannot change the past. We can only hope to make the best use of future opportunities. Lord, teach us to number our days. To those who wish to make 1962 a better year, we commend the words of the apostle Peter, found in 1 Peter 3:10,11: “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace and ensue it.”

– Via Truth Magazine, VI: 4, pp. 1, 8-9, January 1962

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Editors note: Though the above article was written 54 years ago, it still has much relevance for today, as we begin our new year.
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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; 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)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (The old Gospel Observer website with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)