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The Gospel Observer

September 25, 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) 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

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

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

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

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

——————

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

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

The Gospel Observer

August 7, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) To Timothy: How To Live By Faith In Any Century, 1 Timothy 6:1-20 (Jon W. Quinn))
2) Pointed Perceptions (Perry Hurst)
3) Our Responsibility Toward One Another (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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To Timothy: How To Live By Faith In Any Century
1 Timothy 6:1-20

Jon W. Quinn

It is remarkable how the teachings of the Bible seem so applicable to life’s situations in the twentieth century. There is a reason for that; it addresses unchanging human needs and longings. In our constantly changing world there are some things that remain the same. Spiritual, moral, emotional problems which exist today are the same as existed in the first century. The answers are the same as well.

For the Christian, there are several things to do to insure our walk by faith will be successful. Paul writes to Timothy about some of these things encouraging him to pass the word along to others as he fulfills his role as a preacher. Notice the sixth chapter of first Timothy for some important advice from Jesus to His people as given through His apostle.

Concern for God’s Reputation

“Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine may not be spoken against” (1 Timothy 6:1).

Our society has done away with the institution of slavery, and for that we are thankful. But do not think that this admonition is outdated; it is not. There is still a social order. There are still those in authority. We can still damage our God’s name and our doctrine by being belligerent, rebellious or disorderly.

“For such is the will of God, that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (I Peter 2:15).

There are many ways in which we can act so that we bring reproach upon God and the teachings of the New Testament. To be lazy or dishonest; to be arrogant or selfish; to be weak-willed or hypocritical would allow enemies of God to charge that belief in God and living by His word causes such behavior. Of course, it is a false charge, but one that will be made just the same. Do not allow your undisciplined actions be the excuse for such talk.

Concern for Sound Doctrine

“If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing…” (1 Timothy 6:3-4a).

Many will tell you that doctrine is not very important and a person’s doctrinal stance should make very little difference. But the context of this verse proves that God looks at the matter of doctrinal purity as being very important. One who has a casual attitude toward doctrine has a much different attitude than what the New Testament teaches us to have. The context suggests that strife and division result from those who advocate different doctrines; not from those who insist that doctrinal purity be maintained. It is not that we should insist on having everything just our way; we definitely should not. But we must insist on having everything God’s way. His word must be our only standard.

Concern for Proper Values

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment…for the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Timothy 6:6,10).

When a person’s values are warped, then his priorities will also be. Many are obsessed with money and because of that have cheated others, hurt their loved ones and emptied their lives of any true meaning. It is easy for a rich person to surround himself with people, but difficult to know who his true friends are. A man or woman who has made themselves rich but destroyed their relationship with God and family is certainly not to be envied. Even the rich must resign themselves to take no more out of this world than what they brought into it. There is something better than riches… there is “the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Timothy 6:19).
“…for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Concern for Winning the Fight

“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Discipleship is not for the weak of character. There are things which must be avoided and principles for which to stand. “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”

Such commitment calls for strength and courage. It means having to stand for what is right even when in the minority. Paul reminds Timothy of how Jesus stood before Pilate and spoke the truth. He would not hide what He was nor what He stood for. He handled the truth with dignity and was unashamed of His position, though in bonds and being terribly mocked and ridiculed. Never has there been a better example of a hero than Jesus. Certainly disciples of Jesus will not yield their ground when they stand on the rock of truth. How sad that some members of the church have already surrendered by waving the white flag and dropping their weapons and armor. They make compromises with the world whenever the world demands it. They will not speak up in behalf of the Savior; they will not endure hardship; they will not put His kingdom first. How unlike our Jesus they are.

“Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

Concern for Honoring Christ

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16).

Jesus deserves our complete loyalty. He deserves our love and adoration. What He has done for us is far beyond what we deserve. If we have done everything for Him that it is possible for us to do we have still done far less than He deserves.

One day He shall return. We shall then see Him in His glorified state. But we must not wait until then to glorify Him. It is now the time to bow our knees before the King. It is now the time to make sure that all know who it is that we honor. It is now the time to sing His praises; proclaim His word; give thanksgiving in His name and do His work. On that final day at the conclusion of this age, when this mortality has put on immortality and we behold Him in the light which for now is unapproachable, we shall know with certainty that all our honor of Him in this life has been well placed!

Concern for Our Stewardship

“…guard that which has been entrusted to you…” (1 Timothy 6:20).

We have been entrusted with the gospel of Christ. As His people, we need to insure that we do not squander our opportunities to invest it. The gospel is God’s power to save, but there must be those willing to take the gospel to others. In the New Testament times, the early church was extremely successful at this, in part because they realized that it was not only the preacher’s responsibility to take the gospel to others, but each and every Christian. How does God look upon those who would know His will but not share it with others? He will hold us accountable for what we do with the things which He has entrusted to us.

— Via Expository Files 1.5; May 1994
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“not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord”

Romans 12:11, NASB
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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” (Psalm 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 Corinthians 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, June 12, 2022
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Our Responsibility Toward One Another

Tom Edwards

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

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/Serving_Others_080722.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 Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

July 31, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) This Man You Nailed to a Cross (Chris Simmons)
2) There is no Substitute for God (Jon W. Quinn)
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This Man You Nailed to a Cross

Chris Simmons

Following Christ’s ascension to the right hand of God’s throne, Peter, having received the Holy Spirit, which Christ had promised His apostles, took his stand with the other eleven and responded to the accusation that they were drunk because they were speaking in tongues. In Acts 2:15, Peter pointed out that devout Jews such as the apostles would not be so intoxicated at the third hour of the day, which is the hour of prayer (9 a.m. as we know it). Then, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, Peter established that they were all witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Joel; Peter stated, “This is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32). Having defended the twelve and establishing what they were all witnessing, Peter then took the offensive and began to teach and convict the multitude. He began by teaching them about Jesus of Nazareth, convicting them of what they had done to Him, and then in contrast, establishing what God had done for Him.

In Acts 2:22, Peter began by establishing that Jesus’ works proved that He was from God. “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs.” The word attested, in the Greek, means that Jesus was demonstrated, exhibited, or accredited to be the Divine Son of God.

During His ministry, a multitude came to Jesus and asked, “What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?” (John 6:30). Just prior to that incident, in John 5, in addition to citing the witness of John the Baptist (verse 33), the Father (verse 7) and the Scriptures (verse 39), Jesus also spoke to the witness of His works when He said, “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36). At least some recognized this about Jesus, as Nicodemus in John 3:2 said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Not only did Peter point out Jesus’ works, which attested to His Divine status, but in Acts 2:22, he also pointed out that they were “performed … in your midst, just as you yourselves know.” There was no need for Peter to argue his point regarding the miracles, and wonders, and signs. Jesus had not performed His works in secret. The fact that He performed them was irrefutable. They could not be denied. The only thing His enemies could do was attempt to ascribe them to the power of the “ruler of the demons” (Matthew 12:24). Jesus proved that argument to be fallacious when He stated, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?” (verses 25-29).

Likewise irrefutable were the mighty works performed by Jesus’ apostles. The Jewish council noted this fact when, regarding the healing of the lame man that had taken place in Acts chapter 3, they said, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:16).

Next, in Acts 2, Peter taught that Jesus’ deliverance to “godless men” was not because of Divine inability to rescue Him or establish Him as a physical King; rather, it was part of God’s eternal plan. “This Man (was) delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Jesus’ crucifixion was not an accident. It was part of God’s “predetermined plan and foreknowledge.”

The word “predetermined” means “what is defined, marked out, or bounded; as, to mark out or define the boundary of a field” (Barnes’ Notes, Electronic Database by Bible Soft).
The word “plan” carries with it the idea of one’s purpose, decree, or will.

Thus, it was God’s will or purpose, “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:3-12) to mark out or define that man’s salvation would come through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the blood He shed. Jesus “laid down His life” (John 10:14-18). Christ’s life was not taken from Him against His will; He offered it according to God’s will.

However, although it was God’s will for Christ to bear the sins of the world, Peter made sure the multitude understood that they were guilty of sin because of what they had done. He stated, in verse 23, regarding this Jesus of Nazareth, “You nailed (Him) to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” Peter made it clear that all who participated, as well as those who simply shouted their encouragement and support — “crucify Him” (Mark 15:13-14) — were guilty of murdering God’s Son.

To the Jews, condemning a person to die by nailing him to a cross (crucifixion) was condemning him to die as the worst of criminals. “To the Jewish people, crucifixion represented the most disgusting form of death: ‘He who is hanged is accursed of God’ (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13). Yet, the Jewish Sanhedrin sought and obtained Roman authorization to have Jesus crucified (Mark 15:13-15)” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary).

The fact that the one who claimed to be the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:11) was put to death in such a horrible, demeaning way presented to many Jews a most imposing stumbling block to claiming Him as the “Lord and Christ” and accepting Him as the true Messiah. Paul summed up the crucifixion in this way, “We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

In Acts 2:24, Peter emphatically established that the efforts of those godless men who nailed Jesus to the cross to thwart God’s predetermined plan failed because God raised Him up. We see the contrast between men’s feeble will (they put Christ to death) and God’s immutable, sovereign, and predetermined will (God raised Him up). Jesus’ resurrection is the foundation for our hope and salvation, and the culminating declaration of His Divinity and victory.

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

Also, in Romans 1:1-5, we read, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

In Acts 2:36, Peter concluded his sermon regarding this Jesus whom they had nailed to a cross, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.” Those Jews then asked, “What shall we do?“ We, too, must give attention to the question, “What shall we do with the crucified Christ?”

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, March 2009
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2 Corinthians 5:14-15

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

— NASB

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There is no Substitute for God

Jon W. Quinn

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2).

I read the following statement some time ago. I thought about it. “God may well be taken as a substitute for everything; but nothing can be taken as a substitute for God.”

That’s true. It took me a bit to see the truth in it, but finally the light came on.

With God there is always hope for the faithful. There is always prospect and assurance and peace. There is confidence that, at last, all will be well… more than well… perfect. We can suffer the loss of anything, even life itself, and still have this assurance. As long as we have God, then ultimately all will become as it ought to be because God is more powerful than death. That is why nothing can be a substitute for God. Nothing else does that.

But, on the other hand, without God we are destined to lose everything worthwhile and there is no hope of even a glimmer of good. This is why we ought not spend our lives chasing after futile things and neglect God. Nothing can take the place of God. Not really. We can put other things in God’s place, but they will fail to do what God does. Nothing can take His place in our lives.

The Lord told His people, “You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile” (1 Samuel 12:21).

Jesus once asked His apostles if they were giving up and going away. The answer came back, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

Jesus identifies Himself as “The Bread of Life” because He sustains us through our deepest needs. Just as candy can spoil our appetite and cause us to pass up needed nourishment, the love of things of the world can rob us of our hunger for righteousness and leave us growing ever sicker and ultimately dying a spiritual death. Things of this creation can never do for us what God can do. There is no substitute. People need to stop looking for one.

— Via the Facebook site for the Bradley church of Christ, June 22, 2022
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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 Song Service at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. for Bible Classes

The Gospel Observer

July 24, 2022 / Tom Edwards

Contents:

1) Love — The More Excellent Way (Heath Rogers)
2) Leave the Solution to God (Frank Himmel)
3) Thankful to God for the Great Debt He Paid! (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
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Love — The More Excellent Way

Heath Rogers

First Corinthians thirteen is a favorite chapter of the Bible to many people. Perhaps its appeal lies in the fact that, in just a few verses, the Holy Spirit is able to do what no poet, professor, or philosopher has been able to do throughout all of human history — give man an accurate and complete understanding of what it means to love.

Verses 4-7 provide a list of fifteen characteristics of love. As one progresses through this list, he gains a better understanding of love and can come to understand why it is the greatest gift that man can possess. Unless otherwise noted, quotations are from the New King James version.

Love suffers long: This characteristic emphasizes patience with others. It is translated from the Greek word makrothumeo. This is actually a compound word: makros meaning “long,” and thumos which means “temper.” Thus, the person who is longsuffering is literally the individual who has a long-burning fuse. It describes the man who has the power to retaliate when he is wronged, but has the presence of mind and strength of character to hold his anger in check.

and is kind: The term in the original language literally means to show oneself “useful”; the carrying out of useful deeds to help others. Love is considerate and always provides what is of value or worth to others.

Kindness is the perfect compliment to longsuffering. While longsuffering is willing to take anything from anyone, kindness is willing to give anything to meet the needs of others.

love does not envy: The New American Standard renders this characteristic as “not jealous.” This phrase is translated from a Greek word meaning “to be heated or to boil.” This term can have a positive meaning, “to desire earnestly,” and a negative meaning, “to envy another.” Here, it is used in the negative sense. Love does not cause one to “boil” over the success or advantages of another.

love does not parade itself, is not puffed up: Various versions have translated this phrase differently. For instance, the King James reads “charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” while the New American Standard reads “love does not brag and is not arrogant” (NASV).

The first of these expressions represents the speech or action that is produced by pride, while the second represents the attitude of pride itself. The root word for the first expression in the Greek means “wind bag,” while the root for the second means “bellows.” Bragging is fed by an arrogant attitude. Love has neither quality. Love is humble, seeking to perform its work without desire for recognition or reward.

does not behave rudely: This phrase is also rendered differently by various translations: “doth not behave itself unseemly” (KJV), “does not act unbecomingly” (NASV). William Barclay translates the phrase as “Love does not behave gracelessly.”

The phrase is translated from the Greek word aschemoneo, which literally means to go against the scheme. It refers to the act of going against what is accepted as the norm, to “stick out” or to be inappropriate. An arrogant man, in an effort to promote himself, will forget to treat others with respect and consideration. However, love is mannerly in that it never conducts itself in a way that is contrary to accepted standards of decency.

does not seek its own: This characteristic describes the person who is more concerned with his duties than his rights. Love does not make “self” the center of the universe. Jesus manifested this characteristic of love to the world in that He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

is not provoked: This characteristic is translated from the Greek work paroxuno which means to spur on, to stimulate, or to stir to anger. This describes the person who has control over his temper. Love does not go around with a chip on its shoulder looking for reasons to become upset or irritated at personal offences.

thinks no evil: The New American Standard renders this phrase as “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” This is translated from the Greek word logizomai. This was a bookkeeping term that was used for the act of entering a debt on a ledger so that it would not be forgotten. Love does not keep a running account of offenses against itself with a view towards revenge. With a less technical understanding, love does not dwell upon personal offenses or evil deeds that it has been called upon to endure. Love does not harbor bitterness and resentment. It knows how to forget.

does not rejoice in iniquity: Many people rejoice in sin, either their own sin or the sins of others (Rom. 1:32). Love is active goodwill towards others; sin brings harm and loss to others. As such, the two are opposed to each other. Love is free from the malice that takes pleasure in sin and finds satisfaction in discussing the sins of others.

but rejoices in the truth: Love has the courage to face the truth and to rejoice when the cause of truth, justice, and righteousness is upheld. Love takes pleasure in the truth being taught, defended, and lived (2 John 4; 3 John 3-4).

bears all things: In one sense, love has the strength to bear whatever afflictions or persecutions may personally come upon an individual. However, the meaning of this term in the original language indicates that this quality is shown outwardly as opposed to inwardly. The Greek word means “to protect or preserve by covering.” Love will do everything it can to cover the sin and shame of the person who is the object of its affection. “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins'” (1 Peter 4:8). Love does not ignore sin. It will warn, rebuke, and chasten as needed, but its first impulse will be to protect the object of love.

believes all things: Love is not gullible or naive, but neither is it cynical. Love’s first impulse is to give others the benefit of the doubt, believing in them and expecting the best from them.

hopes all things: When things do look bad, love hopes for the best. Instead of putting the worst interpretation on another’s actions or motives, love compels us to put the best interpretation upon them.

endures all things: Even when it has been proven wrong, love does not give up. It stands up and continues onward against all odds.

The New International Version renders verse seven as “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” These four statements form a progression. Love bears or protects the one who it believes in. When the evidence suggests otherwise, love will continue to hope for the best. Even if love is brought to the point of personal injury, it will continue to endure.

Love never fails: This phrase is found at the beginning of verse eight, which begins another section in chapter thirteen. However, I personally like to join it to the fifteen characteristic found in verses 4-7. Love is the greatest gift because it is permanent. It will never fail.

This great chapter can be studied for a lifetime and yet it will never cease to challenge those who desire to be like their Master. May we turn our attention to it more often and take the time to consider the standard that it sets for our lives. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matt. 22:37-39).

— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, March 2012
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Leave the Solution to God

Frank Himmel

Paul observed that we do not know how to pray as we should (Romans 8:26). That being true, we can learn a valuable lesson from the apostles.

When Peter healed a lame man at the temple, it provided occasion for the second recorded gospel sermon (Acts 3). That sermon ended when the temple guards arrived to arrest Peter and John. A night in jail was followed by a day in court. But filled with the Holy Spirit, the accused became the prosecutors. Peter charged the court with having crucified Jesus, and in so doing rejecting the very cornerstone of God’s building. He added that Jesus is the only means of salvation.

The judges were taken aback. They marveled at Peter and John’s boldness. They doubtless were tempted to respond severely, but the presence in court of the man who had been healed and public interest in the case left them few options. The court decided on a “cease and desist” order: the apostles were not to speak at all in the name of Jesus. After further threatening, they were released.

Peter and John went to their brethren. Together they prayed about the situation (Acts 4:24-30). The prayer first addressed God the creator, who has all power. It then recognized His foreknowledge and rule. When this same court, along with Herod and Pilate, had done their worst—when they crucified Jesus—they had done nothing more than what God’s hand and purpose predestined to occur.

Now it was time for the apostles’ request. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence” (v. 29). Rather than telling God what to do about the problem, they simply prayed that He would take note of it. They left it to Him as to how best to deal with it. And they asked for strength.

One of the benefits of praying to an all-wise God is knowing that He will do what is best. We don’t need to tell Him how to solve our problems. Just bring them before Him and pray for strength. Then leave His throne, confident that He will do what is best.

— Via Pathlights, January 2, 2022
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Thankful to God for the Great Debt He Paid!

Tom Edwards

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

https://thomastedwards.com/wordpress/Indebted_072422.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 Classesand 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

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

To Timothy: How To Live By Faith In Any Century1 Timothy 6:1-20

Concern for God’s Reputation

Concern for Sound Doctrine

Concern for Proper Values

Concern for Winning the Fight

Concern for Honoring Christ

Concern for Our Stewardship

Pointed Perceptions

Our Responsibility Toward One Another

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

This Man You Nailed to a Cross

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

There is no Substitute for God

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Love — The More Excellent Way

Leave the Solution to God

Thankful to God for the Great Debt He Paid!

The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

Archives by Month

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

To Timothy: How To Live By Faith In Any Century
1 Timothy 6:1-20