Year: 2022 (Page 2 of 5)

The Gospel Observer

October 16, 2022 / Tom Edwards

“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) Holding onto “God’s Unchanging Hand” (Kyle Pope)
2) Patterns (Heath Rogers)
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Holding onto “God’s Unchanging Hand”

Kyle Pope

Mary Jane (Jennie) Bain Wilson was born in Cleveland, Indiana in 1857. Her father, Robert died when she was an infant and at the age of four she was stricken with a spinal illness that left her in bed or a wheelchair for the remainder of her fifty-six year life. Unable to attend school, all of her education took place in the home, where she developed a love for music and poetry. At the age of twenty-four she was baptized by being carried on a chair to a stream. In spite of her restricted condition, Miss Wilson became a prolific writer. She composed around 2200 poems and hymns. Since 1940, one of her most well-known hymns has been published in at least twenty-one hymnals produced by members of churches of Christ—the moving song of praise, “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand.” It was likely penned in 1904, when she sent it to Franklin Eiland, who reportedly conceived of the music to it the following year, while sitting under a tree in the backyard of his Texas home. It was first published in 1906 in the New Hosannas hymnal produced by the Quartet Music Company of Fort Worth, TX, and edited by John E. Thomas. Knowing Miss Wilson’s background, one can easily see this song, as David Cain suggests, as “a paraphrase of how she felt about her life up until that point.”

“Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand”
By Jennie B. Wilson

Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Trust in Him who will not leave you,
Whatsoever years may bring,
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still more closely to Him cling.

When your journey is completed,
If to God you have been true,
Fair and bright the home in glory
Your enraptured soul will view.

Chorus:

Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Our lives on earth were never intended to be lived alone. This is true of human companionship. After the creation of man, the Lord observed, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:18b, NKJV). Centuries later, the Holy Spirit led Solomon to the practical realization, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor” (Eccl. 4:9). But, this fact is also true of our relationship to God. We were not made to live independent and isolated from God—we were created to seek Him. Paul told the Athenians that God put people in their places and times upon the earth, “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27). We are insufficient within ourselves to guide our own way. The Lord revealed through Jeremiah, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23).

This need for a connection with God and others can create some challenging choices. Not all companions we may choose are helpful to us. We remember the sad words in Israel’s history, “For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4, NASB). The Holy Spirit warns, “Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their heart devises violence, and their lips talk of troublemaking” (Prov. 24:1-2, NKJV). So too, not all approaches to seeking God are of equal validity or value. Some seek God within their own heart and imagination, but Ezekiel was warned, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!’” (Ezek. 13:3). Paul bemoaned, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18-19).

Where then, can we turn for companionship that is truly helpful? How can we reach out to God in the assurance that we are actually taking hold of His hand of guidance?

The Psalmist appealed, “Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me” (Psa. 119:133). Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). If God’s word is that which can direct our steps, it is the source to which we can look for His guidance. If Scripture is profitable to equip us for “every good work,” we can be certain that in following its direction we are seeking God in truth. When our homes, our churches, our friends, our families, our husbands, our wives, our children allow their lives to be governed by what God teaches, the companionship of those of common faith can strengthen us toward the goal of eternal life. These are the relationships we should seek, and these are the companions that prove to be truly helpful to our souls.

Following God, through the guidance and revelation of His word has always been the way by which His people can have the confidence of the Lord’s presence in our lives. Through Isaiah, God assured the Israelites, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10). Like a small child holding firmly to the hand of his father, the Lord declared, “I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you’” (Isa. 41:13). Through His word, His people, and His providence, God stands ever ready to help us, if only we will choose to “hold to God’s unchanging hand.”

Sources

Adams, Richard W. “Jennie Bain Wilson” Hymntime.com. http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/i/l/s/o/n/j/wilson_jb.htm.

Cain, David. “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand—Jennie Wilson.” Song Scoops. http://songscoops.blog spot.com/2015/09/hold-to-gods-unchanging-hand-jennie.html.

Hall, Jacob Henry. Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co. 1914, 372-375.

“Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand.” Hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com. https://hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com/ 2014/05/21/hold-to-gods-unchanging-hand/.

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 24, Issue 41 (October 9, 2022)

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Patterns

Heath Rogers

Some have the idea there are no patterns set forth in the Bible regarding things like worship, the organization of the local church, or even the plan of salvation. They mock the idea of brethren having lists of things which must be done (the five acts of worship, the steps of salvation, etc.). To some, the New Testament must not be viewed as a legal document but as a love letter from God. It doesn’t really matter what we believe, as long as we are sincere.

This promotes a subjective view toward the Scriptures (the meaning of the Bible is established by the reader, not the author). Such a view allows each person to determine for themselves what is authorized in religion. However, this turns God into the author of confusion and chaos, which the Bible says He is not. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33).

The New Testament is not a nebulous love letter, saying one thing to one person and something different to another. Instead, it produces a singular pattern to be followed alike by all believers.

Paul commanded Timothy to “hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). The truth taught by Paul was a “pattern of sound words” to which Timothy was to “hold fast.”

The word pattern is translated from the Greek word hupotuposis. This is a compound word. The prefix hupo means “under.” The other part of the word, tupos, refers to a model for imitation or writing. It is likely that all of us have traced over something before to make an exact copy. This is the idea behind hupotuposis.

The “pattern of sound words” delivered by Paul and the other apostles are not a rough outline, leaving believers to fill in the details as we see fit. These sound words are a complete form or model which we must trace over and copy perfectly in our personal beliefs and practices.

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, October 2022

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Exodus 25:8-9

“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it” (NASB).

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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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com

https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)

The Gospel Observer

October 9, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “But If Not” (Kyle Pope)
2) Give Glory to God (Joe R. Price)
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“But If Not”

Kyle Pope

During the Babylonian Exile, a trial of faith came upon three of the young Israelites who had been carried off from their homeland by Nebuchadnezzar. In his idolatrous arrogance he had set up a golden image sixty cubits high on the plain of Dura, near Babylon (Dan. 3:1). The king commanded all of his people and the nations he had subjugated to “fall down and worship” the image at the sound of a musical call to worship (Dan. 3:4-5). It is unclear if this image represented a Babylonian false god, a symbol of national grandeur, or perhaps even Nebuchadnezzar himself. Whatever the case, the penalty for failing to worship this image was severe. Violators of this order were to be “cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:6, NKJV). In many ancient cultures, compulsion to worship the king or deities and symbols tied to national identity was a common requirement of conquered peoples. In the late first century, the refusal of Christians to burn incense to Caesar and proclaim, “Hail Caesar” led many men and women of faith in Christ to their deaths. This likely is part of what John spoke of as worshipping “the beast and his image” (Rev. 14:9, 11). In the case of Rome, as was likely the case with Nebuchadnezzar, this was not so much about religious faith as it was about political loyalty. Those who showed reverence for the symbols of the ruling authority would likely remain loyal to the one in power.

For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, three Israelite exiles—like Christians of the late first century and early second century, to bow before an image was more than simply showing political loyalty. Mosaic Law taught:

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Exod. 20:3-5a).

In His own temptation by Satan, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13 declaring, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matt. 4:10). To bow before an image would violate the command of God. Thus, for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, in spite of the fact that they had attained high positions “over the affairs of the province of Babylon” (Dan. 3:12a), their refusal to worship the image was seen as an insult and as an act of rebellion to the king himself. The accusation was made that in this refusal, “these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:12b).

Upon learning this, Nebuchadnezzar was enraged (Dan. 3:13a), but oddly enough he does not have them “cast immediately” into the fiery furnace, as his own decree had demanded. He actually commands them to be brought before him to question them in order to verify the truth of the accusation (Dan. 3:13b). This likely showed the esteem he held for these men, who had already distinguished themselves earlier in their exile (see Dan. 1:1-21). His interrogation carried with it what surely would have seemed like a generous offer to his fellow Babylonians. First, he asked if the accusation was true (Dan. 3:14). Yet, before they could even answer, he extended a second chance to them to “fall down and worship the image” (Dan. 3:15a). However, with this second chance, he adds a warning that strikes at the heart of his own idolatrous arrogance as well as the reason these faithful men could not worship this image. He warns, “But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” (Dan. 3:15b).

The very reason Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego could not worship a false god was because they knew the true God who held the power to “deliver” them from the hands of a mere mortal. It is this faith that led them to respond courageously, and I would like for us to focus on their brave response. First, they tell him, “we have no need to answer you in this matter” (Dan. 3:16). They didn’t wait until the hour of testing to make up their minds about their loyalties. Like Paul, they knew the one in whom they believed and were confident in His power of deliverance (cf. 2 Tim. 1:12). So, they tell the king, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king” (Dan. 3:17).

We might imagine from these words that these men, as they had with Daniel earlier in the book (cf. Dan. 2:1-49), had been given some prophetic insight into the future. But Scripture does not tell us that such a revelation was given to them. In fact, their next words make it clear this was not the case. They were not speaking from prophetic foreknowledge. They were demonstrating a faith in God’s ability and power. They say God “is able to deliver them” adding their firm hope that “He will deliver us.” Yet they then go on to say, “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:18).

Most of us know the rest of the story. They are cast into the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:19-23), God delivers them (Dan. 3:24-27), and Nebuchadnezzar actually praises God, punishes their accusers, and promotes them to higher positions than they held before (Dan. 3:28-30). But let’s consider some things their bold response should teach us.

1. It isn’t wrong to imagine that faith in God will produce certain conditions in our lives. If it had been revealed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego that God would definitely deliver them from the furnace it would have been meaningless to tell the king “but if not . . . .” These words tell us that their confidence in telling Nebuchadnezzar, “He will deliver us from your hand” was based on their trust, hope, and assurance of God’s power—not their absolute certainty. We often face hardships and trials and in our trust in God foresee exactly how we imagine God will deliver us from them. Like these men, we don’t know the future by revelation, but it isn’t wrong to trust in God’s power to carry us through. Peter taught that you should cast “all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). But we must also recognize . . .

2. Faith in God doesn’t guarantee that what we know God can do, He necessarily will do. If God had not delivered these men, would it have changed the fact that God is still the only true and living God? No. God didn’t keep Abel from being killed or Stephen from being stoned, but that didn’t change God’s existence or power. John taught, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). How important it is for us to recognize of God: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD” (Isa. 55:8). This is why we must see that . . .

3. True faith means we trust God even if the conditions He allows are different from what we expected. These men’s faith was not shown merely in the recognition and hope that God could deliver them, but even more so in the bold declaration, “but if not” their obedience to Him would not change. It’s easy to serve God when every trial we face is brought to a happy resolution, but the real question is will we continue to serve God even if His deliverance is different than we had hoped for? Far too often, we put ourselves in the place of God and imagine “if there really is a God, here is what He will do!” When things turn out differently, we ask, “Where is God?” Or, “If there really is a God, why didn’t He act?” How important it is for us to have the kind of confidence shown by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. We serve a God who can, and often does deliver us from life’s trials. The greatest deliverance He will one day grant is redemption from sin and death unto eternal life. Yet may we have the kind of faith—as we hope for certain types of deliverance—to say with confidence, “But if not, let it be known” to all “we do not serve” the gods of this world! We will serve God no matter what!

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 24, Issue 40, October 2, 2022

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Give Glory to God

Joe R. Price

7 Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. 9 Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth (Psalm 96:7–9, NKJV).

Psalm 96 is a call to worship the Lord God because “He is coming to judge the earth” (Ps. 96:13). He is sovereign over every kingdom of earth and over every family of people who inhabit it.

People of every nation are called on to attribute to the one true God the glory and strength by which He reigns, provides, and judges us all. Worship is about honoring God, not ourselves (v. 8).

We must bring our offerings into His presence with holiness and reverence. Jesus teaches us to worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). His gospel reveals the offerings of praise that God accepts (Acts 2:42). These offerings consist of the Lord’s Supper, praying, singing, giving, and teaching God’s word (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 14:15, 26; 16:1-2; Eph. 5:19).

The Old Testament repeatedly teaches God will not accept whatever we decide to give Him as worship, but that which He instructs us to give Him in worship. From Cain and Abel to Nadab and Abihu, from King Saul to King Uzziah and more, we learn God only accepts worship from hearts that reverently offer Him the worship He commands.

Let us give God the homage He is due. May we ever come before God with praise and adoration from hearts that fear Him and with lives devoted to holiness.

— Via Viewpoint from the Valley Grove church of Christ, June 19, 2022

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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. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
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; Col. 2:12; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:27). And from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian. For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to …
6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes, 10 a.m. Worship
Every first Sunday of the month: 5 p.m. Song Service
Wednesday: 7 p.m. Bible classes

evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com

https://thomastedwards.com/go (older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990)

The Gospel Observer

October 2, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Proper Prescription (Irvin Himmel)
2) The Holy Spirit and Illumination (Joe R. Price)
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Proper Prescription

Irvin Himmel

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones (Prov. 17:22).

This proverb, like many others, draws a contrast. The difference is between a merry heart and a broken spirit. The former does good; the latter is detrimental.

Merry Heart

The heart under consideration is not the physical organ that pumps the blood. The heart which is brought into focus here is the mind – the heart which thinks, reasons, understands, purposes, and has emotions.

One’s heart is the center of his life. The tone of the heart (thoughts and attitudes) affects the whole life. If it is a merry heart, there is joy, cheerfulness, and pleasantness present. A cheerful outlook relates to the manner in which problems are handled, how well one does in his work, and the ability to get along with people.

A number of factors contribute to a joyful heart. The following are significant:

1. Peace with God. The heart may seem merry due to laughter and humor, fun and jovial conversation. However, there can be no deep spiritual joy in the heart without favor with God. The gospel of Christ is God’s remedy for sin and guilt. It shows us how to have peace with God. It reveals the way of salvation. One who has submitted to Christ through obedience to the gospel has good reason for true joy. To the saints at Colosse, Paul wrote, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15).

2. Strong Faith. The New Testament teaches us to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). The child of God is given assurance of all things for which he is taught to hope by faith. And faith gives conviction of things in the unseen realm (Heb. 11:1). The joy that we have in Christ grows out of strong faith. Paul wrote to the Philippians about the “joy of faith” (Phil. 1:25). Many who profess religion have no real joy in their hearts because they are so weak in faith.

3. Active Service. Joy comes to the heart of the Christian who participates actively in the Lord’s work. There is diligence in Bible study, regularity in prayer, faithfulness in assembling with the brethren, earnestness in doing good, carefulness in righteous conduct, and unselfishness in service. The joy produced by this active participation is the delight of faith in action.

4. Contentment. Paul wrote, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11). Again he mentioned that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 5:6). The person with a merry heart has learned to make the best of his situation, whatever his circumstances.

A merry or joyful heart does good like a medicine which is just the right prescription. A cheerful disposition is a valuable asset.

Broken Spirit

A broken spirit has the opposite effect of a merry heart. It dries up the bones, which is a way of saying that it saps life and paralyzes hope.

“The spirit is the power of self-consciousness which, according as it is lifted up or broken, also lifts up or breaks down the condition of the body” (F. Delitzsch).

There is a definite relationship between one’s mental attitude and his bodily health. Many illnesses are not due to organic causes at all. “They are the results of our attitudes rather than the ills of the body. . . A person who always dwells on the negative aspects is a pessimistic person in all he does and thinks. However, it is foolish to attribute all ills to ‘a broken spirit.’ A broken arm is a broken arm despite any mental attitude you may have about it. Any amount of thinking will not replace a good cast. But the merry heart not only prevents many problems, it also helps to cure them” (Chas. W. Turner).

The following are some of the causes of a crushed spirit:

1. Bringing the future into the present. We need to learn to live one day at a time. Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34, NASB).

2. Burden of guilt. An individual who feels the heavy weight of sin pressing down on his soul may be broken in spirit. He needs to turn to the Lord for forgiveness.

3. Gloom. Some folks live on despair and misery. They make others around them miserable. They always look on the dark side of things. In gloom there is no merit. Dejection and melancholy break the human spirit.

“Nothing has such a direct tendency to ruin health and waste our life as grief, anxiety, fretfulness, bad tempers, etc.” (A. Clarke).

— Via Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 2, p. 45, January 18, 1990 https://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume34/GOT034020.html

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The Holy Spirit and Illumination

Joe R. Price

Many people believe in the doctrine of “illumination” as part of the Holy Spirit’s work. Christians are being given false assurances that the Holy Spirit personally guides and influences them apart from the word He revealed.

“Illumination is the Holy Spirit’s work as he enlightens the human mind with spiritual understanding in order that man might grasp the revealed truth…The Spirit still illumines the mind and heart of every serious student of God’s Word so that he may discover truths hitherto unknown to him” (Hershel Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message, page 21).

This doctrine says we can understand the Scriptures only as the Holy Spirit enlightens our minds with understanding. It asserts (but does not prove from Scripture) the Holy Spirit leads a person to understand the Bible in a personal and individual way separate from the Scriptures. (Jesus repeatedly said, “Have you not read?” not, “Have you not been illuminated by the Holy Spirit?”) This Calvinistic doctrine of illumination is deemed essential before you can even understand Scripture because (according to that collection of error) you are totally depraved and incapable of anything good without it.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also teach an “illumination” doctrine. As a Mormon friend put it, “It is my contention that Timothy could not have ‘rightly divided the word of truth’ without revelation through the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Alma Allred, Allred-Price Exchange on the Nature of Revelation). Mormonism teaches one must receive a personal revelation from the Holy Spirit to understand God’s written revelation.

Both of these approaches to understanding Scripture makes God responsible for either “enlightening” a person or keeping that person “in the dark.” The person’s role in learning truth is minimized and a false hope is fostered as people are urged to expect personal guidance from the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s work of helping people know God’s truth is accomplished by (1) The truth He revealed (John 16:13; Gal. 1:12), (2) The truth He miraculous validated (Mark 16:20; 1 Cor. 2:4-5; Heb. 2:3-4), and (3) The truth He inspired that was preached to the world (Col. 1:5-6, 23; 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16). He continues His work through the Scriptures today. No Scripture teaches a separate function of “illumination” by the Holy Spirit before one can understand the Bible.

Illumination comes as we are educated in God’s word. This is how we gain knowledge and understanding of His will. God expects us to educate ourselves and be led by the Spirit by hearing, receiving, studying, and learning His word (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31; 2 Tim. 2:15; Acts 17:11-12; Eph. 3:3-4; Neh. 8:8).

You can understand the Bible. God wants us to educate ourselves in His word so we will obey Him in faith and be blessed (Matt. 7:24-27; James 1:25). Do not wait for some additional “illumination” from the Holy Spirit. Follow the illumination of God’s word and you will walk in the light (Psalm 119: 105; 1 John 1:5-7).

— Via The Spirit’s Sword, Volume 24, Number 13, May 1, 2022

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“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:16-17, NASB).

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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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

September 25, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Paul’s Motivation (Aude McKee)
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Paul’s Motivation

Aude McKee

For some time I have been considering the motivations of Paul’s life. Probably no person suffered more for the cause of Christ, than did he; and few, if any, have surpassed him in devotion and commitment. What made him different from so many of us today? What did he have that lots of us lack?

The word “motivate” means “to stimulate to action; provide with an incentive or motive; impel, incite.” The word “motivation” is defined as “an incentive, inducement or motive, especially for an act.” The same act may be motivated differently in different people. One man buys a new automobile because his old one is worn out. His motive is need. A second man feels he can save money by getting rid of the old car before it begins to cost him for repairs, so his motivation is economics. A third man sees a shiny new model in his neighbor’s driveway, and he trades out of pride. Two men might outwardly be equally committed to the Lord, but because of entirely different reasons. The first views the church as an institution in which he takes pride. He wants it to grow, surpass others in the area, etc., because it is “his church.” The other man is equally faithful and works just as hard, but all he does comes from a heart filled with love for the Lord and the salvation of souls. The first man may see his zeal cool, his attendance slacken, and his work retarded if things don’t go to suit him. If his favorite preacher moves or problems arise, his motivation may be gone. But the second man is stable and unwavering. His faithfulness is not tied to any man, or program. Externals don’t affect his relationship to the Lord or the fact that he lives in a world of dying, lost people.

Some Things Which Did Not Motivate Paul

Now let us notice three things of a negative nature about Paul’s motivations. First, he never did anything out of spite or ill will. In Phil. 1, we learn that some were preaching Christ in order to add affliction to Paul’s bonds (vv. 12-18). Certainly Paul did not defend the motive of those wicked men, but he rejoiced that Christ was being preached. Second, he never obeyed the Lord simply because it was convenient. Paul was a wealthy, well-educated and prominent member of the Pharisee sect, but from the day he met the Lord on the road to Damascus until the day he died in a Roman prison, he was continually faced with doing the inconvenient. When he learned the truth from the lips of Ananias, “he arose and was baptized.” But that meant turning his back on his cronies with whom he had labored to destroy the Lord’s church, and as soon as the news got out, he probably could count his friends on the fingers of one hand. The religion that he and his ancestors had held dear was put behind him because he began preaching that the law was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Cor. 1:2), and that He not only died on the cross but He was raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:14). And third, Paul was not motivated by the new and the novel. He wasn’t on fire one day and dead as a mackerel the next. Day after day of hard work, very little of this world’s goods, persecution, hardship, and the danger of death were his lot in life. But in the face of all this, he could write, “Be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Motivated By Gratitude

What motivated Paul? For one thing, he was motivated by gratitude. On one occasion he wrote, “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am…” (1 Cor. 15:9-10). He never forgot what he had been and what he was able to become because of God’s mercy and grace. I think that sometimes many of us feel we were pretty good before we obeyed the gospel — sort of like Simon in Lk. 7:36-48 — and our gratitude simmers on low heat. If we could get a glimpse of the horrors of hell that we would have suffered had it not been for God’s forgiveness, we might be capable of a deeper sense of gratitude. How thankful we need to be every day of our lives!

Motivated By Trust In Jesus

Another thing that motivated Paul was his faith and trust in the Lord. In 2 Tim. 1:12, he said, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” To the Galatians he made an unusual statement: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). There is probably nothing that will rob a person of his zeal any quicker and more effectively than doubts. How could a person serve the Lord faithfully and make sacrifices gladly, if he is not sure that the one he serves is for real? When John the Baptist was in prison, he was afflicted with this problem of doubt, but Jesus laid it to rest. He told the two disciples John had sent, to go and tell John again what they were hearing and seeing. “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them” (Matt. 11:2-5). I doubt Paul ever doubted for a moment, but if we suffer from the problem, the answer lies in more investigation of the evidences of our Lord’s divinity (Rom. 10:17).

Motivated By Desire To Save The Lost

A third thing that motivated Paul was his deep desire to see lost people saved. In 2 Tim. 2:10, he told this young man he loved so dearly, one of the secrets behind the sacrifices he made. “I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” Again, regarding his Jewish brethren (in the flesh), he said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Rom. 10:1). One chapter back, he made an amazing statement when he said he would be willing to be lost himself if his Jewish kinsmen could be saved! If we could arrive to the point of spiritual development where we see our neighbor as a person on his way to hell, instead of a good fellow who is a little mixed up in his religion, it would revolutionize our conduct. I have read that Henry Ward Beecher would occasionally say, as he preached before an audience of thousands, “I preach as a dying man to dying men and women.” May God help us to increase our concern for the souls of dying men and women.

Motivated By The Unseen

Paul was also motivated by his ability to see the unseen. In 2 Cor. 4:8-9, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” How could he keep on keeping on under such circumstances? “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal” (vv. 16-18). Paul could see his eternal spirit as clearly as others of us can see our hands or feet. He could experience the second coming of Christ as though it had already happened, and heaven and hell were as real to Paul as Corinth or Antioch. When we are spasmodic in our attendance, neglectful of our responsibilities, and hesitant to make sacrifices, it could be that our spiritual eyesight is at fault. We need, like Paul, to keep our eyes on the unseen instead of putting so much emphasis on this world.

Conclusion

I have been around for a considerable number of years, and back in my boyhood days a lot of people got their water from a well with a “pitcher pump” device to draw the water. As I recall, those things had to be primed every time you used them. They weren’t on “go” when the need existed. But other people more fortunate had a spring close by and the water ran all the time. Paul was not a fellow who had to be “primed.” He did not need to be pumped to get him started. He was more like a spring with internal motivation that “forced” him to worship, to preach the gospel, to break out in prayer and song even in the midst of trying circumstances. I grew up in a country congregation in western Indiana. The lighting system in the building was unique. In the rear of the building was a tank of gasoline with an air pump attached. Pipes ran from this tank to one or two drop lights with mantles like our gasoline lanterns today. But the system was not designed to run for an hour, and so about half-way through services, Woodford Neal would go to the rear, pump for a few minutes, and then the dim lights would be bright again. When we find ourselves in need of “pumping up,” the fault is not in the Lord but in us. We are surrounded every hour of every day by the goodness of God. “Every good and perfect gift cometh down from above” (James 1:17). In Christ Jesus we have access to all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3). Gratitude ought to be ever-present in our hearts. Too, we are surrounded every day by lost people and “into our hands the gospel has been given.” Under such circumstances our work of preaching and teaching ought never to slacken. It is true that God’s word adequately supplies us with evidences that will cause us to grow in faith and trust. As we act on our faith day by day, our trust will deepen as the Lord’s promises are fulfilled in our own lives. Finally, we are caused to be more consistent in our service to our Lord as we learn to keep our eyes on things that transcend this earth and this life.

— Via Viewpoint from the Valley Grove church of Christ, May 23, 2021

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Romans 15:13

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

— NASB

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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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

September 18, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) The Grace of God That Brings Salvation (Irvin Himmel)
2) “Let Us Also…” (Jarrod Jacobs)
3) Living for Jesus (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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The Grace of God That Brings Salvation

Irvin Himmel

Nothing is more clearly revealed in the Scriptures than our dependence on God’s grace for redemption. Paul said to the saints at Ephesus, “by grace are ye saved” (Eph. 2:5). Everyone who is permitted to enter heaven will be there by grace.

Today there are teachers, even in the church, who have warped conceptions of grace. Some seem to feel that grace is the big “cover-up” for whatever they want to allow that is not taught in the Bible. There is endless speculation about what grace may do. Having no desire to join the ranks of the conjecturers, I offer the following facts revealed in God’s word.

1. Grace does not circumvent Jesus Christ. It is folly to imagine that God’s saving grace may somehow take a circuitous route that by-passes Jesus Christ. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). God demonstrated His loving-kindness for sinful man in the gift of His Son. In Christ “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). Saving grace is found in Jesus, not out of Him. Paul said to the Corinthian Christians, “I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:4). The grace that saves comes to man by or through, not apart from, Jesus Christ.

2. Grace does not ignore the Gospel. The good news of justification through Christ is referred to as “the gospel of the grace of God” and “the word of his grace” (Acts 20:24, 32). To preach the gospel is to distribute saving grace. The saints at Colosse were reminded of “the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:5,6). It was not until the gospel was preached in Antioch that people turned to the Lord and the grace of God was “seen” in that locality (Acts 11: 19-23).

3. Grace does not permit access apart from faith. “Access” is that which gives admittance, entrance, or introduction. One must show faith in Jesus Christ in order to gain access into saving grace. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1,2). Since faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17), one must hear the gospel to enter God’s favor. “For by grace are ye saved through faith . . .” (Eph. 2:8). God provides salvation through undeserved favor; man accepts that provision of grace by means of faith.

4. Grace does not rule against baptism for the remission of sins. The faith which gives access into grace is active trust-confidence expressed in cheerful obedience. God requires that we show faith by being baptized, and that demonstration of faith is unto the remission of sins. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). Peter preached repentance and baptism “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). But he acknowledged that it is “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” that we shall be saved (Acts 15:11). Salvation by grace requires faith, and faith requires baptism unto the forgiveness of sins.

5. Grace does not give license to sin. The law of Moses was given to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Under the law sin abounded. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. . . ” (Rom. 5:20). Does this mean that the more men sin, the more grace will be shown? Or, as Paul worded the question, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” He answered, “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom. 6:1,2). The triumph of God’s grace over sin is not to be interpreted as a license for the Christian to indulge in unrighteousness. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Rom. 6:12). “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly . . .” (Tit. 2:11,12).

6. Grace does not offer unconditional security. Just as our entrance into saving grace is conditioned on our willingness to show faith in Jesus Christ, our remaining in that grace is conditioned on our willingness to continue in faith. The Hebrew writer warns us that one may “fail” or “come short” of the grace of God (Heb. 2:15). The Galatians were called “into the grace of Christ” but afterward accepted false teaching that “removed” them (Gal. 1:6,7). Paul wrote to them, “ye are fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). This explodes the theory of once in grace, always in grace.

7. Grace does not save on the basis of human merit. The Bible sometimes uses the word “work” to convey the thought of activity that earns, or effort that deserves reward. In this sense Paul used the word when he wrote, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (Rom. 4:4). Our salvation is based on faith, not something earned or deserved, “that it might be by grace” (Rom. 4:16). This is why boasting is excluded. “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:9). Actions in exercise of faith are sometimes called “works” (James 2:24), but they are not in the category of efforts that earn or merit. No man deserves salvation. God’s grace saves and shows our inability to reach heaven by our own might, ingenuity, or deserving. God owes us nothing; we owe Him everything.

I have used this negative approach to show some of the revealed limitations which God places on grace. Hopefully, this will point out that God’s saving grace is not a mystical catch-all for whatever odds and ends the speculators in theology may wish to conceal. And let us stay with revelation, giving no honor to speculation.

— Via Truth Magazine, XVIII:8, p. 2, December 20, 1973,
https://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume18/TM018057.html

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“Let Us Also…”

Jarrod Jacobs

In Hebrews 12:1, we read the statement that draws Hebrews 11 to its conclusion. By my count, I found at least 20 distinct instances (but more than 20 people!) of those God says were living by faith. After listing these, the statement is made, “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” (Heb. 12:1). What can we learn from this statement, and specifically, those three words, “Let us also” ?

“Let us also” means that those reading this letter are included in what was said in the previous chapter. In other words, the Holy Spirit is saying that after reading the examples of these “great faith heroes,” then let everyone reading this letter do the same.

Let us also …

. . . “Lay aside every weight” (Heb. 12:1). What does this mean? It means we have to let go of things that are holding us back from growing as we should (II Pet. 3:18). It means letting go of things that we know are keeping us from a right relationship with God! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to pluck out an eye or cut off an appendage if these things cause us to offend (sin) in Matthew 5:29-30. No, Christ was not teaching self-mutilation. Rather, His point was the same point made in Hebrews 12:1 — lay aside the weights keeping us from living right. This could be grudges, sinful habits, or any number of things. Let them go so you can run the race!

. . . Lay aside every “sin” that besets us (Heb. 12:1). The word “beset” means to cling, or stand close by. What sins “cling” to us? Lay all those aside! To what sins do we return often? Is it lying? Is it cursing? What? Lay those things aside and leave them! Paul gave us a remedy for sins which beset (cling to) us in Romans 13:14 when he reminds us to not “make provision” for the flesh to fulfill its lust. Lay it aside!

. . . “Run . . . the race set before us” (Heb. 12:1). Our race needs to be run with endurance (patience). In other words, we have to run with the view of the future, and not just the immediate. When (not if!) we fall (Rom. 3:23; I Jn. 1:7-10), we must get up again! Those of old had to do this (see: Heb. 11), and so must we!

. . . “Look to Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). He is the origin and completion of our faith! Just think, even those in Old Testament days were aware of the promised Messiah and they looked forward to His coming (Jn. 8:56; Heb. 11:26; I Pet. 1:10-12). We now look to the Resurrected Messiah, knowing of His life, death, burial, and resurrection (I Cor. 15:1-11). We now look to Him and walk in His footsteps (I Pet. 2:21; I Cor. 11:1).

“Let us also” (Heb. 12:1) means we are included in this text of Hebrews 11-12. Do the things those faith heroes of old did! Live by faith! When we do, we will be blessed as they were, and be people of faith as they were. Are you doing this? If not, why not? We can do it!

— Via Viewpoint from the Valley Grove church of Christ, September 4, 2022

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Living for Jesus

Tom Edwards

For the video sermon with the above title, just click on this following link:

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/Living_for_Jesus.mp4

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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

September 11, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) “The Winds and the Waves Obey Him” (Luke 8:22-25) (Wayne Walker)
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“The Winds and the Waves Obey Him”

Luke 8:22-25

Wayne Walker

During His short earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles. He healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. However, next to raising the dead, one of the most spectacular of these miracles has to be His stilling of the tempest in Luke 8:22-25. I have never been through a hurricane or even a tornado, although I have experienced some fairly severe thunderstorms. But can you imagine during just such a storm what would happen if you and I stepped out, raised our arms to heaven, and said, “Peace, be still!”? Very likely, nothing would happen. But Jesus did exactly that, and the raging immediately stopped. The purpose of Jesus’ miracles was to produce faith in Him by confirming His message as being from God. Sometimes they were done for the benefit of the multitudes, but other times primarily for the apostles, as it obviously must have been in this case. Notice their reaction: “Who can this be? For He commands even the wind and the water, and they obey Him?” (verse 25). Yet, the Bible also says that these miracles were recorded so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. At the same time, there are some other applications that we might make of this account to our lives.

The Storm

We see the storm arise in verse 23. Such wind storms are very common on the Sea of Galilee. Their suddenness and fierceness were very troublesome to those who worked and traveled on the sea. This reminds us that, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). Just as the disciples found themselves in the midst of a terrible storm, so we often face stormy trials and tribulations in life.

Some of these storms are just the natural result of living on this sin-cursed earth. We may experience problems of physical health, as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. We will likely have to deal with the sorrow caused by the deaths of loved ones, as did Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died in John 11:17-35. And we may even suffer financial difficulties, as Lazarus in the story that Jesus told in Luke 16:19-21.

Some of our storms that we face in life are the direct result of our faith as opposed by evil people, as did the apostles in Acts 5:40-42. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3.12). At the same time, some of our storms may be the result of our own bad choices, mistakes, and sins. In 2 Samuel 12:9-14, David was told that he would suffer greatly as a result of his committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed. David repented of his sin and was forgiven, but he still had to come through many storms as a consequence of his behavior. Whatever their cause, we can allow our storms either to make us bitter or make us better.

Anxiety

We see anxiety in verse 24. The storm created a situation where the apostles were in danger of drowning, and this produced anxiety in their minds. “Master, Master, we are perishing!” In like manner, the various storms that we face in life have the potential of causing anxiety or worry in our minds as well. Jesus warned about those who would allow the word to be choked by the cares of this life (Luke 8:14). How can we learn to cope with such anxieties as they arise? To begin, we must learn to trust in God no matter what (Matthew 6:25-34). Even when it may seem that we lack even food and clothing, we must remember that God cares for us and will provide. This is not always an easy thing to do, but putting our lives completely in the hands of almighty God will help to cut down on worry.

Next, we can learn from the example of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). While Martha’s worry may have been due to a different situation much different from the apostles’ on the sea, still it was very real to her. This account reminds us that one thing we need to do in dealing with our anxieties is to put the most important things first in our lives. One other thing that we can do about anxiety is to pray. “Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

“Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.” The reason why prayer is such an effective antidote to anxiety is that “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

Peace

We see peace in verse 25. The apostles were facing a storm on the sea which created great anxiety in their hearts. However, when they came to Jesus they found peace. In fact, Jesus came to bring peace to mankind. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Yet, before we can have peace in our own lives, we need to make sure that we are at peace with God. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). When there is sin in our lives, we can never really be at peace; therefore, we need to obtain remission of sins (Matthew 26:28, Acts 2:38). Then, having been justified by faith, we can have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Then, we need to seek peace with others too. When I know that there is a problem between some other person and myself, it is hard for me to be at peace, so I should do whatever I can to correct it (Matthew 5:23-26, 18:15-17). Of course, we cannot control how others will respond to our efforts, but Paul tells us, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:17). And especially among our brethren we should “pursue the things which make for peace” (Romans 14:19). Then, when we know that we are right with God and have done everything in our power to make things right with others, we can be assured that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Such peace is not the absence of conflict, because we shall have that as long as we are in this world. Rather, it is an attitude of equanimity that will sustain us even during the conflicts that we face.

Conclusion

Sometime before 1874, Mary Ann Baker had lost both her parents to a terrible disease. Then her beloved brother became ill with the same disease and left their home in Chicago, IL, to seek healing in a warmer climate. Yet, he grew worse; and Mary Ann, who became ill and bedfast herself, could not go to him nor do anything to help him. So when she received word that he had died, she turned away from God in anger.

However, after a while, her heart softened and her childhood faith returned to transform her from a rebellious woman to a more loving one. It was then that she wrote the following words, based on this story of Jesus but reflecting her own experience:

“Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness,
No shelter or help is nigh;
Carest Thou not that we perish?
How canst Thou lie asleep,
When each moment so madly is threatening
A grave in the angry deep?”

The answer that she learned and shared with others in this wonderful song is:

“The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will,
Peace, be still!
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons or men, or whatever it be,
No water can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, peace be still.”

We shall all have to deal with such storms in our lives. We can either face them with God’s help to overcome or without it to be overcome. To have the peace of God that will keep our hearts and minds through these storms, we need to obey the gospel that we might be saved from our sins and then strive to be faithful to the Lord all the days of our lives.

— via Expository Files 10.2, February, 2003

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“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3, NASB).

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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

September 4, 2022 / Tom Edwards

“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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1) He Is Able! (Jon W. Quinn)
2) Lord, Liar, or Lunatic? (Heath Rogers)
3) Some Things God is Not (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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He Is Able!

Jon W. Quinn

It was from Paul’s final home on earth – a prison cell in the city of Rome – that, as he was closing in on his final hour, he wrote the following words:

“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

Notice how that Paul, in this statement, progresses from the past to the present tense. He says “I know Him” (present tense) “whom I have believed” (past tense). There had been a time, or perhaps many times, in the past that Paul had placed his trust and confidence in the promises of Jesus and the power of God. At the time he writes, he is able to confidently affirm that he now knows that his past decisions in behalf of Christ were correct. His faith had been well placed.

He also knows that he will shortly be leaving this world. He talks of his approaching execution in very plain terms, but not with complaint or a sense of dread. Instead, it is all just the way things are, but it is all O.K. because there is an overwhelming anticipation of complete and eternal victory just beyond the final struggle (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8; 18).

The most awful and devastating tragedy is not to leave this world, but to leave this world unprepared to meet and stand before God in judgment. That is the danger! But, thanks unto Jesus, Paul had placed his confidence in Him and now death has lost it’s sting.

“I Have Believed Him”

The object of Paul’s faith and confidence was Jesus Himself. The giving of Jesus on the cross was powerful demonstration of the Father’s as well as the Son’s love for us (John 3:16). Paul believed the claims that Jesus had made about being the true light of men (John 1:19) and that Paul’s life had been so very productive and purposeful because Jesus had given it meaning (John 15:4). He believed in Jesus as “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28) and that He was indeed the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

Paul had believed the truth of Jesus’ message that being prepared to leave this world was more important than anything else. Jesus wanted all of us to know this and so used some of the most graphic language you can imagine to get His point across. Read His words and you will find it difficult to forget them! He meant it to be that way (Mark 9:42-48).

Paul believed that the Lord would watch over him and never, ever allow him to be tempted beyond his ability to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).

We can have this same kind of confidence, but we must also be aware that without Jesus, any such confidence is built upon false hope. To come to God, we must believe that He is and believe in His promises given through His Son (Hebrews 11:6; John 8:21;24). And believing in Jesus means obeying Jesus (Luke 6:46).

“I Know Him”

Paul’s own relationship with Jesus had turned his belief into knowledge. It had been like climbing up a mountain. The higher one goes, the farther he can see. The farther he can see, the more he knows. The more Paul had seen in his life, the more he knew that placing his confidence in Jesus was the best choice he had ever made. With us as well, knowledge like this comes from drawing near to God. As we draw near, we too will begin thinking and speaking more in terms of forever as our goals take on eternity in their scope. “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Even as Paul had come to know some things, so can we. John examines many things we can know in his first epistle. We can know Jesus and know that we are in Him (1 John 2;4,5). We can know that He is righteous (1 John 2;29). We can know that we will be like Him when He returns if we will purify ourselves now (1 John 3:1-3). We can know the love of God (1 John 4:16). We can know that we are of God (1 John 5:19; 4:1,6). We can know that the son of God has come (1 John 5:20).

There are definitely some things that we cannot know at this time, but there is plenty that we can know for sure. If one’s relationship with God is so shallow that he or she does not know anything for sure, then it is not what it ought to be. These are things we can know and they are extremely useful things to know. They are things that we come to know when we come to “know Him whom we have believed.”

“He Is Able”

Our God is an awesome God and all powerful. Just because He allows man to “strut his stuff” and choose his own course, even when the choices are extremely wicked, this does not mean He lacks power. It only means He affords us by His mercy and grace to have repeated opportunities to make correction and do what is right. We must not, as people often do, confuse God’s mercy and patience with a lack of power or will to execute judgment in His own appointed time.

Jesus is able to “guard” or “keep” that which we commit to Him. This means to keep safe what we commit to His care. When we commit the eternal well being of our souls unto Him, we need to know that He is able to keep our eternal salvation safe and secure. Our souls are protected by God’s power through our faith. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Another reason for Paul’s confidence is that Jesus is not only able to “save” but to “save forever” those who “draw near” (Hebrews 7:25). As long as we live by faith God’s power will keep us safe. We therefore must not give up our faith, for if we leave it, we will also be without its security. We, as His sheep, must continue to follow His voice (John 10:27-29). James tells us that drawing near to God involves both submitting to His will as well as resisting Satan (James 4:7,8).

Our confidence in the Lord needs to be as strong as Paul’s. We, too, need to believe that “He is able.” Recall how once a father pleaded unto Jesus in behalf of his ailing and possessed son, “But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Jesus responded, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes” (See Mark 9:19-27). The man needed not have any doubt; Jesus could do whatever was needed. He can do likewise for us spiritually and eternally. Let our perspective, trust and confidence be as Paul’s was. It will help us to live in hope today, tomorrow, and bring us to the day of forever when that for which we hope will become our eternal victory.

— Via the Bradley Banner (from the Bradley church of Christ in Illinois), April 27, 2003
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Romans 4:20-21

“He [Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (NASB).
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Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?

Heath Rogers

In his book “Evidence That Demands A Verdict,” Josh McDowell sets forth the three alternatives available to man in determining who Jesus really is: He is either the Lord, a Liar, or a Lunatic.

Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:58). He claimed to be equal with God (John 10:30). He claimed to be able to forgive sins (Mark 2:5). He claimed to be the only means of obtaining eternal life (John 14:6). What are we going to do with these claims?

If we believe them to be true, we must accept the fact that Jesus is who He said He was – He is God.

If we reject these claims as being untrue, we have two alternatives regarding Jesus: He either knew these claims were not true, and thus was a liar, or He did not know these claims were untrue, and was Himself deceived.

If He knew His claims were not true, He is worse than a liar – He is a hypocrite, for He taught men to tell the truth, while He lied about who He was. Worse than that – He was evil, for He taught men that He was the only source of eternal life, knowing that He was not, thus condemning “believers” to an eternal Hell. Worse than that – He was a fool, for He eventually died because of His claim to be God, and no one willingly dies for what they know to be a lie.

If He sincerely believed He was God, when in fact He was not – He is a lunatic. It is possible for men to be sincerely mistaken, but Jesus did not “fake” the miracles which backed up His claims. The miracles performed by Jesus were not illusions or “parlor tricks.” Multitudes of people saw Jesus perform different kinds of miracles in which He displayed power over demons, disease, nature, and even death. Jesus was not crazy.

Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). This is the question every one of us must answer. After reading the gospels, we are left with three options regarding the identity of Jesus. He was either a liar, a lunatic, or He is the Lord. The answer to this question will determine our eternal destiny (John 20:30-31). Who do you say that He is?

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, December 2014
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Some Things God Is Not

Tom Edwards

For the video sermon with the above title, just click on the following link:

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/Some_Things_God_Is_Not.mp4

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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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

August 28, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (Bobby L. Graham)
2) What Was David’s Sin in Numbering Israel? (Kyle Pope)
3) Some Things Christ Does Not Know (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Bobby L. Graham

Question:

What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 when he speaks about a man’s suffering loss when his work is tried, but he is saved? Does this mean that one can teach false doctrine or practice sin and still be saved?

Answer:

The following brief analysis of this section of 1 Corinthians chapter three will prove helpful in answering this question. The church is identified as God’s vineyard or house in relation to the work done by men (1 Cor. 3:9b-17).

Just as the tilled land and the house originate as products of God’s skill and care, so the church is the result of His divine labor, which often includes His workers (v. 9b).

At Corinth, Paul had worked as a wise master builder (construction superintendent) and Apollos as a worker on the foundation laid by Paul (v. 10).

Every man working on this building must do so carefully, because he must build on Christ alone (vv. 10-11).

Paul viewed the work/converts of these workers as being of different quality (gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble referring to different levels of stability or permanence when tested), which would be manifest by the trials coming (vv. 12-13). He shows the saints they were his work in the Lord in 9:1. Note that it is possible the word “day” in verse 13 refers to the Final Judgment, but it also could refer to the day of trial/testing coming to them. In the final analysis, which view one adopts has little impact on the overall meaning of this section.

The fiery trials may cause the worker to lose his labor, and he himself will be tested (vv. 14-15). He will be saved because of his faithfulness, though his converts become faithless.

He gave an additional warning to those destroying the temple of God/church (vv. 16-17).

The reader should notice that no reference is made to erroneous doctrine or practice in this section. To read such into any explanation of this problematic statement in verse 15 is unjustified. To do so is to be guilty of eisegesis (i.e., inserting into a passage what is not there), not exegesis (i.e., getting from a passage what is present). If a context does not deal with an idea, it is inexcusable to drag it into any explanation.

No, this statement does not justify the false teacher or one practicing sin by distinguishing between his sin and his salvation. It certainly does not teach that such a one can still be saved. The reader should study the following passages to learn that a saved person can fall from God’s grace and be lost (1 Cor. 10:12; Gal. 5:4; Heb. 3:12-14; 10:35-39; Jas. 5:19-20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; 2 Pet. 1:8-11; Rev. 3:5).

— Via Truth Magazine, No. 9, Volume 63, September 2019

https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2019/2019-09-sep/06_QnA.htm

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What Was David’s Sin in Numbering Israel?

Kyle Pope

The selection of the site where the temple in Jerusalem was built came about in a most unusual way. Because David took a census of the Israelites, God was angry with him and told David that He would exact a punishment on the people (1 Chron. 21:1-8; 2 Sam. 24:1-11). God gave David a choice of which punishment He would inflict: three (or seven) years of famine, three months of defeat at the hands of their enemies, or three days of plague by the “sword of the Lord” (1 Chron. 21:9-13; 2 Sam. 24:10-14). The judgment was that the Angel of the Lord destroyed seventy-thousand Israelites (1 Chron. 21:14; 2 Sam. 24:15). As the Angel came to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord stopped the destruction when the Angel came to the threshing floor of a man named Araunah (or Ornan) (1 Chron. 21:15; 2 Sam. 24:16). David purchased this land and provided it to his son Solomon for the site where the temple would stand (1 Chron. 21:16-30; 2 Sam. 24:17-25). This is the same site where the Temple Mount now rises over the Old City of Jerusalem.

To understand this unusual event we must ask the question posed in the title of this article: What was David’s sin in numbering the people?

Scripture does not directly answer this question, but a few things can be inferred and a few possibilities deduced. First, it is clear that unlike the census Moses took, this did not come at the command of God (cf. Num. 1:2). 2 Samuel 24:1 records, “the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them” (NKJV). Did God cause David to do this? No. This must be harmonized with 1 Chronicles 21:1 which says “Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.” How can both statements be correct? 2 Samuel 24:1 must be understood in terms of what God allowed Satan to do—not direct action on the part of God. This may be compared with Job 2:3. After Satan was allowed to bring trial upon Job, God said to Satan, “he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” The same word is used in 2 Samuel 24:1 (“moved”) and Job 2:3 (“incited”). Although one concerns God and David, and the other Satan and God, both are interesting because of what is demonstrated in God’s own words. Satan “incited” God “to destroy” Job, but God did not act directly—He allowed Satan to act and God speaks of this allowance as His own action. In the same way, God allowed Satan to act to “move” David, but 2 Samuel 24:1 speaks of God’s allowance as God’s action. So what does this tell us about why David’s action was sinful? It indicates that David’s action was not from God, but within Satan’s will. So, David did not act by the command of God, but acted presumptuously to take this action.

A second possibility concerns David’s motive. The text doesn’t identify David’s motive, but there may be some inference that he did this for military or political reasons. Why would this be an offense to God? A principle that runs throughout God’s covenant with Israel was the power of numbers as a reflection of whether Israel trusted in God or its own power. In Deuteronomy 7:7 God declared, “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples.” When God sent Gideon to lead the Israelites, He declared, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’” (Judg 7:2). As a young man David had understood this. He told Goliath, “the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands” (1 Sam. 17:4). Yet, it may be that in his old age David had either forgotten this or lost the same trust in God he had as a young man. Joab seemed to recognize what this reflected about trust in God. Although he hoped that the people would be multiplied “a hundred times more than they are” (2 Sam. 24:3; 1 Chron. 21:3) he feared David’s action would bring guilt upon Israel. Each of the punishments that God offered would have resulted in a reduction in numbers (1 Chron. 21:11-14). What happens is that God essentially forced on David a reduction of numbers (comparable to the voluntary reduction under Gideon). This may indicate that at least part of the sin concerned misguided confidence. David was trusting more in the size of his army than in the power of God.

Both possibilities offer important lessons for us today. It is just as important for us to act on the instruction of God, but never to go beyond His word. There is no record that God commanded David not to take a census, but His silence indicated that David was not authorized to do so. David acted presumptuously by going beyond God’s command, and we do the same if we add human innovations to worship, doctrine, or the organization of the Lord’s church. In the same way, we must avoid seeing the size of a congregation, or the popularity of a message as the reason we can take confidence in religious strength. God wanted Israel to trust in Him and not in its own size and greatness. He wants the same of His spiritual Israel—the church. Whether many or few accept the truth, it is still the truth, and our confidence must rest in God and His word.

While David sinned through presumptuous action and a failure to trust God, Hezekiah was the antithesis of this. When he learned of the threat of Assyria he looked to God and not the power of his own might. Because of his faith the Angel of the Lord killed the Assyrian army (which vastly outnumbered Israelite forces) but He did not destroy Jerusalem (2 Kings 19). In David’s sin, he was not personally punished. Instead, he along with the nation as whole was forced to remember that their strength rested in God, not in their own numbers. It is interesting that in the next generation (in spite of this reduction due to the plague), Israel grew to its largest extent in its history (cf. 1 Kings 4:21-24). Israel’s strength always rested in God. The same remains true for Christ’s church in today.

— Via Faithful Sayings, Volume 24, Issue 34 (August 21, 2022)

September 2019
https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2019/2019-09-sep/06_QnA.htm
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Some Things Christ Does Not Know

Tom Edwards

For the video sermon with the above title, just click on this following link while on the Internet:

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/Some_Things_Christ_Does_Not_Know.mp4

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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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

August 21, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Theme: Fiery Chariots (Jon W. Quinn)
2) Pointed Perceptions (Perry Hurst)
3) Peace (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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Theme: Fiery Chariots

Jon W. Quinn

Synopsis: Elisha’s declaration, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” and the subsequent unveiling of the heavenly hosts provides reassurance in troubled times.
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The Enigma machine was an encryption device used by the Germans in World War II to transmit coded messages. It allowed billions of ways to encode a message, making it incredibly difficult for the Allies to crack German codes. Allied researchers were able to exploit some weaknesses in the system and gained access to some German codebooks. From these, they were able to design their own device called the “Bombe machine” which helped to crack even the most challenging versions of the Enigma. Some historians say this was the single most important victory by the Allies. By using this breakthrough, they were able to prepare for and counter many attacks, and find weaknesses in the German defenses. They would, however, allow some German attacks to be carried out so the enemy would not be suspicious that their system had been compromised. It is very useful to know the enemy’s plans!

Ben-hadad was king of Syria and an enemy of Israel. His army was powerful as he led his warriors into Israel to raid and conquer. The account is found in 2 Kings 6:8-18. The time would come when, because of their unfaithfulness, God would permit Assyria to conquer Israel. Yet, the Lord was not finished sending prophets to Israel urging them to repent. God is patient.

Ben-hadad planned his strategies with his generals in top secret. They would encamp in a certain place and do battle. Unfortunately for the Syrians, these plans always failed. Israel’s armies were always someplace else. Enraged because ambush after ambush had failed, Ben-hadad questioned his servants, “Will you tell me which one of us is for the king of Israel?” (v. 11). He was certain that there was a spy in their midst. The enemy just had too much knowledge of the Syrians’ secret plans!

However, there was no spy among them, and of course, there was no code-breaking device either. One of the servants responded, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words you speak in your bedroom” (v. 12). Espionage can be tricky business, but there is no better spy than a prophet of God. Even Ben-hadad’s bedroom is “bugged” as the Holy Spirit revealed to Elisha every detail of every plan.

Ben-Hadad decided that in order to win the victory, he must get rid of Israel’s eyes and ears. He must capture Elisha. “So he said, ‘Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.’ And it was told him, saying, ‘Behold, he is in Dothan'” (2 Kings 6:13).

Easier Said Than Done!

Ben-hadad sent an army of horses and chariots to surround the city of Dothan in the night. There would be no escape for Elisha! Elisha’s servant rose early in the morning and went out of the house. He beheld the warriors of Syria completely surrounding the city. The servant returned to Elisha and said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” Elisha did not seem too worried. I suppose it is always important to keep a cool head in such situations. Elisha assured his servant, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Who was Elisha talking about? Who was with them?

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). All around them, but beyond the capabilities of the five human physical senses, was all the protection necessary. Elisha would be no prisoner that day. The would-be captors became the captives!

Do You Sometimes Feel as If You are Surrounded by the Enemy?

We live in a fallen world. There is evil on every side. There is sickness and temptation and sorrow. Tragedy and loss sometimes strike. We experience problems with personal relationships, economic difficulties, and personal failure. Finally, death comes to all. In the words of Elisha’s servant, “What shall we do?” The right answer is found in faith.

Today, the enemy commander is Satan. The spears and darts come in the form of temptations and trials. He means to take us captive. Paul mentions some who had already been captured, and their need to be taught and encouraged to repent; “and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do His will” (2 Tim. 2:26).

When the child of God, aware of God’s presence in his life, faces down the adversary, his light shines the brightest (1 Pet. 4:14-16; 2:12). God is glorified and the disciple is strengthened. There is assurance even in the midst of evil. We need to dedicate ourselves to making the most of every situation, knowing that our Lord will give the victory (Eph. 5:15-17; Phil. 1:12-13). It’s time to don your armor (Eph. 6:10-12)!

God is Greater Than Any Enemy You Will Ever Face

Notice the response of Elisha to the “threat.” The servant saw the odds as two versus a thousand, but he forgot God in his equation. We must not do the same. We are body and spirit. There is a physical realm, and there is a spiritual realm. There is more to a person than the sum of his physical parts (Matt. 10:28). There is more to our universe than just the things we can see with our eyes (2 Cor. 10:3-5, 7; 4:16-18).

In Elisha’s day, unseen by the physical senses was the providence of God. God is present in every situation where His children encounter the enemy. Not everyone can see it, but God is there to support, protect and encourage. He will handle the situation if we will handle our faith. This does not mean an absence of suffering or even death, but it does mean absolute victory. God’s people might die, but they will live again. Every tear shall be wiped away. “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

By the way, man’s final enemy is death. Then there will be no more battles to fight and no more enemies to face. By faith, the war is won forever.

God Will Deliver You

The invaders sent from Ben-hadad were struck blind and led into the midst of Israel, where their sight was restored. Elisha instructed the king of Israel to feed them and send them home. This was done, and Ben-hadad became so terrified by the experience that he stopped sending his marauding bands into Israel.

The Importance of Prayer

Prayer was a key to Elisha’s success (2 Kings 6:17). There is more going on than just the things we see. There are chariots of fire doing battle in the spiritual realm. Communication with God is always appropriate (Rev. 6:9-11; Phil. 4:6-7)!

The Importance of Faith

Faith was also key. We have not seen the throne of God, but we believe that He reigns and is in control. Having taken our situation to God in prayer, we must maintain confidence in Him. Recall how Stephen, just before his death, was permitted to view the realm where Christ reigns (Acts 7:56). We, too, shall join the Lord there one day (cf. Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:1). Take courage, brethren! “For those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Author Bio: Jon has worked with the Bradley church of Christ in Bradley, IL for thirty years. He and his wife, Barbara, have three children. The church website is bradleychurchofchrist.com. He can be reached at jwquinn@sbcglobal.net.

— Via Truth Magazine, No. 9, Volume 63, September, 2019
https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2019/2019-09-sep/08_Monthly_Theme_Lesson_02.htm
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Pointed Perceptions

Perry Hurst

The Psalmist said, “This is the day which the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). This passage causes us to reflect upon an attitude that we ought to have each day of our lives! But how can that be? How can we have such a positive feeling of joy each day? We have trials, sorrows, temptations, heartaches, pains, disappointments, needs, etc. Joy in the midst of all these struggles? Some may think it to be impossible, yet we find the key to such a positive outlook in 2 Cor. 4:17-18: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

— via The Beacon, 6/12/22
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Peace

Tom Edwards

For the video sermon with the above title, just click on this following link:

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/Peace_082122.mp4

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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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; 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: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

August 14, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) MEDITATIONS: Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” (Kyle Pope)
2) The World’s Oldest Lie (Heath Rogers)
3) The High Cost of Sin (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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MEDITATIONS:
Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him”

Kyle Pope

Synopsis: Josiah, the final faithful king of Judah, was a man of great courage and dedication to God’s word. Kyle reminds us that his life teaches us powerful lessons about what it truly means to serve God.

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In most instances in First and Second Kings, David is the king who is the model of service to God (1 Kings 15:3; 15:11; 2 Kings 14:3; 16:2; 18:3). There is one king, however, who surpasses even David. Concerning Josiah, 2 Kings 23:25 tells us, “Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him” (NKJV).

The story of Josiah’s life begins nearly three hundred years before his birth. When the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were divided, the wicked king, Jeroboam, established the idolatrous worship of gold calves at Dan and Bethel. 1 Kings 13:1-34 tells us about a prophet who confronted Jeroboam at Bethel as he stood by an altar he had built to burn incense. The prophet cried out: “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you'” (1 Kings 13:2).

When Josiah was born years later, the kingdom he would inherit differed little from the wickedness of Jeroboam’s day. The evil reigns of his father, Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh, reversed all the righteous reforms of his noble great-grandfather, Hezekiah (see 2 Kings 21). Josiah began to reign at the age of eight after his father’s servants had killed him in his own house (2 Chron. 33:24). When the people of the land rose up and executed the conspirators, Josiah was placed upon the throne (2 Kings 21:24).

While we might expect that Josiah would continue in the wickedness of his fathers, 2 Chronicles 34:3 tells us that in the eighth year of his reign, at the age of sixteen, “he began to seek the God of his father David.” This spiritual quest would take this young man to heights he surely never imagined. Four years later he began to purge Judah of idolatry, destroying the altars to Baal, pulverizing the molded, carved, and wooden images, and scattering the dust on the graves of those who had worshipped at their altars (2 Chron. 34:4).

Second Chronicles makes it clear that Josiah began his first efforts to purge Israel of idolatry with a relatively naïve understanding of what it meant to “seek the God of his father David.” It was not until six years later, in the eighteenth year of his reign that an event occurred that changed Josiah forever (2 Chron. 34:8). After his initial purge, he commissioned a major restoration of the temple. In the course of this effort, the High Priest, Hilkiah, found “the book of the Law of the Lord [given] by Moses” (2 Chron. 34:14). A scribe named Shaphan read the book to the king, and as Josiah heard God’s instructions, his heart was broken as he recognized how his nation and his fathers had sinned against God. Josiah tore his clothes in remorse and commanded that inquiry be made to the Lord, “because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is written concerning us” (2 Kings 22:13). The Lord answered Josiah’s inquiry through a prophetess named Huldah, who revealed that the Lord planned to destroy Judah and Jerusalem because of the wickedness of the nation (2 Kings 22:16-17; 2 Chron. 34:24-25). Yet, the Lord promised Josiah not to bring destruction during his reign, “because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words” (2 Chron. 34:27).

After hearing this, Josiah called the people to pledge to follow God’s word (2 Kings 23:1-3). He then proceeded further to remove idolatry. This involved destroying idols and booths for ritual homosexual prostitution that were actually located within the temple (2 Kings 23:4-7). He burned the bones of dead idolatrous priests and scattered their ashes over former places of idolatry (2 Chron. 34:4,5). This defiled these places, preventing any future idolatry in them. One such place was the valley outside of Jerusalem called “the valley of the Son of Hinnom.” Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, had sacrificed his own children there, in addition to practicing witchcraft and sorcery (2 Chron. 33:6). Josiah “defiled” the place in the valley called Topheth, where sacrifices were made to Molech (2 Kings 23:10). In fulfillment of the prophecy concerning him, he destroyed the altar built by Jeroboam and burned the bones of its priests over it (2 Kings 23:15,16).

Josiah also moved forward constructively to lead the people toward a restoration of true worship. He led the people to observe the Passover in such a way as “had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah” (2 Kings 23:22). Josiah reigned thirteen years after the finding of the book of the law (2 Kings 22:1). He died after being mortally wounded, opposing Pharaoh Neco at Megiddo, and was lamented by all the people and the prophet, Jeremiah (2 Chron. 35:20-27).

Josiah lived only thirty-nine years, but his short life teaches us that a difficult childhood does not mean that someone cannot choose to do right. It shows us that seeking God demands a willingness to turn from the errors (sometimes) of our own family. Finally, it teaches us that no matter how long the truth is forsaken, it is still the truth.

— Via Truth Magazine, April 2018, No. 4, Volume 62, https://truthmagazine.com/kindle/2018/2018-04-apr/02_Meditations.htm
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The World’s Oldest Lie

Heath Rogers

When Satan appeared to Eve in the garden, he began to put doubts in her head regarding the command of God. He asked if God had said “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.” Eve responded that she and her husband could eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden but one, adding that God had said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” Satan responded, “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:1-4).

The book of Revelation says that Satan “deceives the whole world” (12:9). Jesus told the unbelieving Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). In “the beginning” Satan attempted to murder the human race by tempting Eve with a lie. He lied about the penalty or consequence of sin. Eve may not have understood what death was, but she certainly understood that it was the penalty for eating the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden. Satan got her to believe that there really wasn’t a consequence for sin.

Satan’s lie continued, calling God’s character into question: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). He got Eve to believe that eating the fruit would actually benefit her, and that God was holding her back from having or enjoying something that she had a right to experience.

The oldest lie in the world is still being told today. Every day we are given the impression that there is no penalty for violating God’s commands. Sinners go unpunished. We are told that life is ours to enjoy. Live it up. You only go around once. You deserve a break today. Young people are “expected” to experiment and sow their wild oats. Fornicators, homosexuals, pornographers, gamblers, drinkers, liars, etc., all follow their lusts while claiming “I’m not hurting anybody.” We see it happen around us so much that we may be tempted to believe it ourselves.

However, the Bible clearly warns us about the consequences of sin. Paul said that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Solomon wrote that the way of the transgressor is hard (Prov. 13:15). Moses warned “be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Jesus spoke of the binding nature of sin when He said “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (8:34).

Worldly sinners are not the only ones who lie regarding the consequences of sin. The Calvinist lies about the penalty of sin when he insists that the sins committed by a child of God cannot condemn his soul. However, the Bible says that a child of God has to repent, confess, and pray in order to receive the forgiveness of his sins (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). The Hebrew Christians were warned, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26-27).

“You will not surely die.” The oldest lie in the world, still alive and well today. We know better. Let us strive to live holy lives before the Judge of all the earth.

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, May 2013
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Jude 1:4

“For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (NIV, emphasis mine, tte).
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The High Cost of Sin

Tom Edwards

For the video sermon with the above title, just click on this following link while on the Internet:

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/High_Cost_of_Sin.mp4

——————–

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, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).

3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).

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; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…

6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–

Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501

Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service. We also have a Congregational Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

Holding onto “God’s Unchanging Hand”

Sources

Patterns

Exodus 25:8-9

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“But If Not”

Give Glory to God

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Proper Prescription

Merry Heart

Broken Spirit

The Holy Spirit and Illumination

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Paul’s Motivation

Some Things Which Did Not Motivate Paul

Motivated By Gratitude

Motivated By Trust In Jesus

Motivated By Desire To Save The Lost

Motivated By The Unseen

Conclusion

Romans 15:13

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

The Grace of God That Brings Salvation

“Let Us Also…”

Living for Jesus

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

“The Winds and the Waves Obey Him”

Luke 8:22-25

The Storm

Anxiety

Peace

Conclusion

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

He Is Able!

“I Have Believed Him”

“I Know Him”

“He Is Able”

Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?

Some Things God Is Not

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

What Was David’s Sin in Numbering Israel?

Some Things Christ Does Not Know

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Theme: Fiery Chariots

Easier Said Than Done!

Do You Sometimes Feel as If You are Surrounded by the Enemy?

God is Greater Than Any Enemy You Will Ever Face

God Will Deliver You

The Importance of Prayer

The Importance of Faith

Pointed Perceptions

Peace

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

MEDITATIONS:Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him”

The World’s Oldest Lie

Jude 1:4

The High Cost of Sin

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Archives by Month

MEDITATIONS:
Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him”