1) Missed Opportunities (Wayne Goff)
2) God’s Wings (Anonymous)
3) To Desire Life,\u00a0 to Love and to See Good Days (video sermon, Tom Edwards)
4) News & Notes
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Missed Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wayne Goff As prophets go, Jeremiah was a real downer! He was always prophesying doom, gloom and destruction!<\/strong> I mean, who did he think he was?! Besides all the other religious leaders of his day \u2014 prophets, priests, etc. \u2014 were saying things were not nearly as bad as he was proclaiming. Maybe Jeremiah was just depressed. Maybe he needed some pills to pick up his sadness. After all, isn\u2019t someone who goes around crying all the time full of mental issues? \u201cThen the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: \u2018Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant\u2019\u201d<\/em> (Jeremiah 1:9\u201310). Notice what God said to Jeremiah. He was to \u201croot out,\u201d \u201cpull down,\u201d \u201cdestroy,\u201d \u201cthrow down,\u201d<\/em> then \u201cbuild\u201d<\/em> and \u201cplant.\u201d<\/em> Gospel preachers in the past noticed that Jeremiah\u2019s message would be 2\/3 negative and 1\/3 positive. Jeremiah would have a hard time finding a job today. Then again, he wasn\u2019t popular in his day either! So Jeremiah was being commissioned to \u201croot out\u201d<\/em> and \u201cpull down\u201d<\/em> the wicked, immoral, idolatrous hearts<\/strong> of men and women in Judah. His work was difficult and was about as well-accepted as a root canal! But God had previously destroyed the Canaanite people for the same crimes! \u201cAnd the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day\u201d <\/em>(Deuteronomy 29:28). God absolutely knew that Judah would not receive His message. But he sent Jeremiah to preach it anyway \u2014 just in case one poor soul could be saved. Listen further to God\u2019s instructions at the beginning of Jeremiah\u2019s ministry: \u201cBut the LORD said to me: \u2018\u2026 And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,\u2019 says the LORD\u201d <\/em>(Jeremiah 1:7\u20138). \u201cThey will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,\u2019 says the LORD, \u2018to deliver you\u2019\u201d<\/em> (Jeremiah 1:19). -2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n An article in National Geographic<\/em> several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God\u2019s wings. -3-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tom Edwards -4-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Folks to be praying for:<\/strong> 1) Hear<\/strong>\u00a0the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street evangelist\/editor:\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917 “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). ——————– Contents: 1) Missed Opportunities (Wayne Goff)2) God’s Wings (Anonymous)3) To Desire Life,\u00a0 to Love and to See Good Days (video […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1704,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1701\/revisions\/1704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cThe harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!\u201d <\/em>(Jeremiah 8:20).<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Weeping Prophet?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The reality<\/strong> was that Jeremiah was speaking exactly what God was telling him, and the nation of Judah was in denial! <\/strong>Their denial was caused by their unbelief,<\/em> their lack of faith<\/em> in what God was telling them. Those who only want a positive message do not really want to serve the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJeremiah\u2019s Prophetic Calling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
But anyone planting a garden<\/strong> knows that a healthy garden begins by rooting out and pulling down the weeds that hinder healthy, productive growth. That is not a negative; it is a positive. When we break up fallow ground and get the weeds out, we are preparing the ground for something good. Only then can we \u201cplant.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
Likewise, anyone who wants to build on a site<\/strong> where there is a dilapidated building knows that he first must \u201cdestroy,\u201d<\/em> and \u201cthrow down\u201d<\/em> the old building to make room \u201cto build\u201d<\/em><\/strong> the new. Is that a bad thing? No, in fact, it is a good and necessary thing. Imagine trying to build a new building on top of a condemned one! Entire companies do nothing except \u201cdemolition\u201d work.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJeremiah\u2019s Job<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Jeremiah was commissioned \u201cto destroy\u201d<\/em> and to \u201cthrow down\u201d <\/em>the idolatrous high places which littered the land and the hearts <\/strong>of the Jews of his day, Jeremiah 2:5; 8:19; 10:8; 16:18; 18:15. \u201cBut they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; a wooden idol is a worthless doctrine\u201d <\/em>(Jeremiah 10:8). \u201cBut the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation\u201d <\/em>(Jeremiah 10:10).
The people were having their consciences soothed with the salve of falsehoods, and Jeremiah was applying the painful medicine of truth! \u201cThe prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?\u201d <\/em>(Jeremiah 5:31). Notice the important question: \u201cBut what will you do in the end?\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Well, the people of Jeremiah\u2019s day rejected God\u2019s message through Jeremiah! It was too negative, too hard, and too much to accept.
Consequently the nation of Judah was destroyed within about 50 years time (587 B.C.)! The people died or were placed in servitude, and the nation and its temple were destroyed! The sad truth was that if it were all to be done over again, the people would have chosen the same path of destruction! People then<\/em> and now <\/em>are in denial<\/strong> about God and His will. It just amazes me to see it. It is sickening.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDidn\u2019t God Know?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Personally, I wouldn\u2019t have wanted Jeremiah\u2019s job. Then again, Jeremiah didn\u2019t want his job either! But God\u2019s word through Jeremiah accomplished exactly what God wanted it to accomplish. If there were any precious souls who listened and believed in his message, then they were saved when the nation was destroyed. But the majority of the people hardened <\/strong>their hearts against the truth, substituted lies instead, and found it was easier to believe a lie than to believe the truth.<\/strong> And that was their fatal mistake.<\/strong>
You can read the historical record of Judah\u2019s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon in 2 Kings 24-25. I suggest you read these two chapters to refresh your minds. Nations today are not immune from God\u2019s punishment. People are not immune today from God\u2019s judgment. The easy path is the road to destruction.
\u201cAnd the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets\u201d<\/strong><\/em>(2 Kings 24:2).
The sins of Judah and Jerusalem are the sins of America and many churches of Christ today. Perhaps we should revisit the prophet Jeremiah, learn the lessons God spoke through him, and possibly avert our own personal and\/or national doom.
It turns out that the \u201cweeping prophet\u201d had something to cry about! Dear reader, are you mourning our present spiritual condition?
\u2014 Via Roanridge Reader,<\/em> Volume 30, Issue 31, Page 4, August 1, 2021
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGod\u2019s Wings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to access the inferno\u2019s damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree.
Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, the ranger reached out to knock the bird over with a stick. As he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under the dead mother\u2019s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.
She could have flown to safety but she refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze reached her, the heat had scorched her small body, but the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings had lived.
\u201cHe will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge\u201d (Psalm 91:4).
Remember the One who loves you, and then be different from the masses of the world because of that love.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
— Author unknown (via Bulletin Fodder<\/em>)
——————–<\/p>\n\n\n\nTo Desire Life, to Love and to See Good Days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To play the video sermon with the above title, just click on the following link while on the Internet:
https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/1_Peter_3_10.mp4<\/a>
———————<\/p>\n\n\n\nNews & Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A.J. & Pat Joyner<\/strong> have been diagnosed with covid-19, are experiencing symptoms, and are now on medication.
Mia Music <\/strong>is now in a critical state and coma from a serious car accident Tuesday. She has also been diagnosed with covid-19.
Olivia McCarthy<\/strong> no longer has any symptoms from the Covid-19 and seems to be doing very well. Tori<\/strong> thanks everyone for their prayers.\u00a0\u00a0
Benny Medlock<\/strong> will have a pre-op Monday for his eye surgery on the 16th, and will be seeing his heart doctor on the 12th.
The device to alleviate pain worked. So Deborah Medlock<\/strong> will be seeing a counselor Thursday about receiving a permanent replacement.
Also to keep in prayer: Rick Cuthbertson, Jeff Nuss, Alisha Hunter, Michael Rittenhouse, Nell Teague, Rex Hadley,<\/strong> and our shut-ins.<\/strong>
——————–<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2) Believe<\/strong>\u00a0in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent<\/strong>\u00a0of sins.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 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<\/strong>\u00a0in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong>\u00a0in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21).\u00a0 This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).\u00a0 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 \u201cthrough faith in the working of God\u201d (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\u2026
6) Continue in the faith<\/strong> by <\/strong>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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CHURCH OF CHRIST
<\/strong>1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday: 9 a.m. <\/strong>Bible Class and 10 a.m. <\/strong>Worship Service.\u00a0 We also have a Song Service<\/strong> at 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong><\/strong>Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
<\/a>https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go\/all.htm\/<\/a> <\/strong><\/strong>(This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"