10/31/13

From Mark Copeland... Paul's Thank-You Note (Philippians 4:10-23)

                    "THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS"

                     Paul's Thank-You Note (4:10-23)

INTRODUCTION

1. In our study of Philippians, we come to point where Paul mentions the
   occasion which prompted the writing of this epistle

2. In these verses we find an expression of Paul's gratitude, a
   "Thank-You Note", if you will - Php 4:10-23

3. In these concluding verses, there are a number of notable things I
   would like to emphasize

[The first being...]

I. THE PHILIPPIANS' GENEROSITY

   A. AS DESCRIBED BY PAUL...
      1. Notice especially verses 10,14-18
      2. Clearly they demonstrated an "on-going" support and concern for
         the apostle
         a. When Paul first departed from Macedonia, they shared with him
         b. Even before leaving Macedonia, while still in Thessalonica,
            they sent aid on several occasions
         c. Now at last, while in Rome, they sent a gift by the hands of
            Epaphroditus

   B. WHAT A WONDERFUL PICTURE OF FELLOWSHIP BETWEEN A CHURCH AND A
      PREACHER!
      1. The kind that ought to exist today!
      2. Where churches and preachers continue to maintain their
         fellowship in the gospel of Christ as the need calls for it,
         long after the preacher has gone on to other works
      3. How sad, that in many cases preachers leave a congregation in
         such a way that there is no desire on the part of the
         congregation to maintain such fellowship!

[Another notable thing in this passage is...]

II. PAUL'S CONTENTMENT
       
   A. AS EXPRESSED BY PAUL...
      1. His expression of thanks was not to hint that he was in great
         need - Php 4:11a
      2. For he was quite content with the "state" or condition he found
         himself in - Php 4:11b
      3. This "contentment" was something he had learned - Php 4:11b-12

   B. WHAT WAS THE "KEY" TO PAUL'S CONTENTMENT?
      1. As expressed in Php 4:13, it involved strength given by the
         Lord
         a. Who enabled him to be content whether full or hungry
         b. Who enabled him to be content whether abounding or in need
      2. Part of this strength from the Lord may have been the proper
         perspective which Paul likely received from the Lord
         a. The proper perspective about life and death - cf. Php 1:21-24
         b. The proper perspective about the true necessities in life 
            - cf. 1Ti 6:6-8

[Having mentioned the strength given by the Lord, let's look a little 
closer at...]

III. CHRIST'S POWER

   A. THERE IS INDEED WONDERFUL POWER AVAILABLE FOR THE CHRISTIAN!
      1. As Paul indicates, this power enables one to do all things
         necessary in serving the Lord- Php 4:13
      2. We learn more about this wonderful power in Paul's epistle to
         the Ephesians...
         a. It is power about which Paul wanted them to know - Ep 1:
            18-19
         b. It is power that is in accordance with the power used to
            raise Jesus from the dead, and to seat Him at the right hand
            of God! - Ep 1:19-21
         c. Paul attributes such power to the Holy Spirit, dwelling in
            the Christian - cf. Ro 8:11-14
         d. He prayed that God would strengthen the Ephesians with such
            power, which is described as being able to accomplish great
            things - Ep 3:16,20-21
      3. In other words, with the Spirit as the instrumental agent, God
         and Christ enables the Christian to do all that he or she is
         required to do!

   B. THE RAMIFICATION OF THIS POWER...
      1. We are not alone in our efforts to "work out our own salvation"
         - cf. Php 2:12-13
      2. There is no excuse for not doing what God desires!
      3. When we fall, it is usually a problem of the will, not the
         ability! (unlike those outside of Christ, where it is a problem
         of ability - cf. Ro 7:18,22-25)
      4. For Christians who sin knowingly, it is not that they CAN'T do
         the will of God, but they WON'T!
         a. Of course, because we have imperfect knowledge, we may
            sometimes sin ignorantly, and therefore are always in need of
            the cleansing blood of Jesus
         b. But when we know the will of God, there are no excuses for
            not doing it!

[What a wonderful blessing for those who are in Christ, to have that
power!  But there is even a hint of more blessings in our text, as we
notice what is said about...]

IV. GOD'S RICHES

   A. AS DEFINED BY PAUL...
      1. These are "riches in glory" which God supplies by Jesus Christ 
         - Php 4:19
         a. I.e., one must be "in Christ" to enjoy these "riches"
         b. Indeed, "in Christ" is the realm in which God provides every
            spiritual blessing - cf. Ep 1:3-13 (note the use of the
            phrase "in Christ", or "in Him")
      2. But God provides not only spiritual needs, but "all your needs"
         a. Which includes the necessities of life, like food and
            clothing
         b. As Jesus Himself taught in Mt 6:30-33

   B. WITH "RICHES" LIKE THESE...
      1. How can we not be content?
      2. We have an abundance of "spiritual" blessings, and an assurance
         of "physical" needs, how could we ever be less than satisfied?

[May God forgive us when we take these "riches" lightly and begin to 
feel discontented with what we have!

Finally, we note...]

V. THE SAINT'S GREETINGS

   A. AS READ HERE IN PHILIPPIANS...
      1. Paul first sends his greetings - Php 4:21a
      2. The brethren with him (Luke?  Timothy?) send their greetings 
         - Php 4:21b
      3. Then "all the saints...especially those who are of Caesar's
         household" send their greetings - Php 4:22

   B. THE SIMPLE ACT OF GREETING CAN SERVE AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION...
      1. Clearly, Paul thought so - cf. Ro 16:3-16,21-23
      2. Some possible benefits of greeting one another:
         a. Greeting one another expresses our love and appreciation for
            one another
         b. Greeting one another frequently (in letter or in person)
            nourishes the relationship we have as brethren in Christ
      3. Note that Paul desired to greet "every" saint in Christ Jesus;
         no room for favoritism here! - Php 4:21
      4. How we greet (or fail to greet) other Christians in our
         assemblies reveals a lot about ourselves
         a. Either that we are caring and loving without partiality
         b. Or cold and insensitive, except to those in our "clique"!

CONCLUSION

1. Such are some the things we can glean from a simple "thank-you
   note"...
   a. The Philippians' generosity
   b. Paul's contentment
   c. Christ's power
   d. God's riches
   e. The saints' greetings

2. What this reveals is the high quality of life experienced by those in
   Christ!
   a. Who despite the sort of circumstances faced by Paul...
   b. Could still feel and write such a letter as the epistle to the
      Philippians!

3. As we close this study on this wonderful epistle, I leave with you two
   words:  "glory" and "grace"
   a. "Now to our God and Father be GLORY forever and ever.  Amen." 
      - Php 4:20
   b. "The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen." 
      - Php 4:23

Have you received the wonderful GRACE of our Lord in your life, by 
obeying His gospel?  Are you living so as to offer GLORY to God, both 
in word and deed?

May such portions of God's Word like the Epistle to the Philippians 
inspire you to do both!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011


From Jim McGuiggan... Are Gentile Christians NT Israel?

Are Gentile Christians NT Israel?

I'm of the opinion that the terms "Israel," "Israelite" and "Jew" are reserved for the physical descendants of Abraham through Jacob. I believe the scriptures speak of unbelieving Jews as children of Abraham (John 8:37). I believe the scriptures deny that unbelieving Jews are children of Abraham (John 8:39,44). Before Jesus of Nazareth came along a prophet called Ezekiel called apostate Jews the children of Amorites and Hittites and sister to Sodom (16:45,48).

I believe the scriptures call unbelieving Jews "Israel" (Romans 11:25 and see Romans 9:25-29). I believe the scriptures deny that unbelieving Israel is Israel (Romans 9:6 and Hosea 1:9).

The above is doubted by no one. Nor is this. The Scripture speak of believing Gentiles who have been baptized into Christ and calls them "Abraham's children" (Galatians 3:26-28). Abraham and only Abraham is called the father of all that believe (Romans 4:11-12, Galatians 3:7).

But Paul is very particular about this. He insists that Abraham was justified with God prior to his circumcision so that he might be the father of all that believe (Romans 4:11). He tells us that only Abraham received circumcision as a token of the relationship that he had with God prior to his circumcision (4:10-11). Abraham's circumcision came after his relationship with God was established and Paul takes pains to make that clear. This was not true of Isaac or Jacob (Israel). Gentile Christians as well as Jewish can say that Abraham is our father but only Israel can say Israel (Jacob) is our father.

Galatians 6:16 is awkwardly constructed. Scholars still, I think, favour the notion that there are two groups. Those who "walk by this rule" (Gentile believers) and "the Israel of God". The Israel of God would be the Jewish believers who trust to the Messiah. In any case, the least we can say is that the text doesn't establish the case for saying that Gentile believers are called "Israel".
I think this is worthy of reflection because it affects how we hear Paul's theology, especially as he works it out in Romans and Galatians.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Ben Fronczek... Raising The Righteousness Bar

Raising The Righteousness Bar

Raising the Righteousness Bar

INTRODUCTION.
In High school, did you ever try to do the high jump. You know, where you try to jump over that bar. And if you make it they raise it a few inches and encourage you to jump even higher until you can’t make it over anymore. The world high jump record is 2.45 meters (that’s 8 feet ½ inch). That’s the greatest height anyone has ever cleared with their body. One person has did it once in 1993 & no has done it again. It is the standard by which all great jumps are measured. If a jump doesn’t meet or exceed that height, it falls short of being the best that was ever done.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were almost universally respected for their righteous  and vigorous attention to the laws of God. They were, in a sense the, “world record holders at law keeping.” Their righteousness was by many considered the standard by which everyone else was judged.  They just seem so religious as well.

But if you’ve read the NT you know that Jesus had something to say about their righteousness as He spoke to on the sermon on the Mt.. 

In Matt 5:20 He said,

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The average Joe there must have been shocked, even stunned at what Jesus had to say there. The Pharisees and teachers were the most religious people they knew, and yet Jesus was telling them that their righteousness must surpass that of those scholars. Surpass means to go beyond, sometimes even way beyond.
So in essence Jesus said, ‘If you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, your righteousness must, must exceed that of the Pharisees, maybe even by a lot.’  Or, ‘Those guys you may think are the most religious simply are not near good enough for God. What you see in them all as being good, is flawed and full of holes. What looks like perfection is actually broken to the Father. You have to go beyond what they are doing.’

I imagine the people wondered, ‘What more can I do? I’m just a simple guy. It’s just not possible to do more than they are doing?’ But Jesus looked at the Pharisees and teachers of the Law and said, “What they’re doing is not good enough” And so what was Jesus doing? In a sense He was raising the righteousness bar. So what did He mean by saying all this? Well, the Pharisees identified 613 rules in the OT Scriptures 248 commands to do something  and 365 prohibitions. They aspired to keep them flawlessly. If anyone would be considered really, really righteous, you’d have to figure it would be them.
And yet, Jesus still raised the bar. Their kind of righteousness  wasn’t good enough.

In the following verses Jesus lets them, and us know up front that He did not come to change or abolish God’s Law that the Pharisees and teachers were  trying to follow, but rather He tells the people that He came to fulfill it, or obey it completely. And He did! And He is the only one who has ever fulfilled perfectly to this day. You see the problem was, the Pharisees and teachers may have understood the letter of the law, but where they were flawed was in the fact that they did not understand the spirit of those laws, nor did they have an intimate relationship with the One who gave those laws.

In the following verses in Matthew 5 Jesus tries to points out and illustrate what God really wanted and expects of them,     and us.  For example:

- In vs. 21-26, Jesus talks about anger.(READ)

  21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
   23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
   25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Now a Pharisee would never dream of pulling the trigger of a gun to kill someone – there was a rule against that, ‘Thou shall not kill’ - but they’d still be happy to destroy a person’s dignity with their words. Or, ruin and hurt an individual in some other way, possible using another to do the dirty work.  For example: They used Romans to do their dirty work and kill Jesus….   But there on the mount, what did Jesus teach the people? Yes the letter of says ‘Do not Murder,’ but the spirit of it goes much deeper and speaks about the relationship we should have with one another, that we should do our best to push aside those hostile feelings and resolve our differences in a peaceful manner. God the Father doesn’t want His children fighting and killing one another, rather He wants to see the spirit of peace to prevail.
- In vs. 27-30, Jesus talks about adultery. (READ)

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Many of those early Jews would never have an affair and neither would we – Why, because God has a rule against that. But Jesus addressed something deeper and personal that shows the very Spirit of that law. Yes God does not want you to go behind your spouse and commit adultery, but neither does He want you to get carried away with, and lust after, and commit adultery with, and cheat on your spouse in your mind. In doing so your mind is divided and so too is you allegiance to your spouse. (He lets us know that we need eliminate whatever may be causing us to lust like that.. literally cut it out of your life, or else) (Joseph ran) Unfortunately we don’t have the time to look at all the examples he gives in this text, but do you see what Jesus is stressing here? It’s not the just the law that’s important, rather it’s the heart and the principles behind the law that God is interested in us following. The Pharisees knew the rules, but they really didn’t know God. In their attempt to be letter perfect, they didn’t seem to care about spirit or principles that stood behind God’s rules.     Later in Matt. 23 Jesus will slam these Pharisees and teachers and call them phonies and hypocrites.   

25”Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.     27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

And so Jesus was telling His disciples, and I believe us as well, ‘Don’t act like these guys.’  And so He raised the righteousness bar. You may think that those Pharisees almost sound a little comical. Who could be that committed to  studying God’s Law and then miss what God really wanted? It’s funny until we realize we may be doing some of the same things: Claiming to be a Christian and then acting or thinking just as bad and sometimes worst that our non-Christian friends.

-          We know Jesus said that the greatest command is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and being. But how does that reflect in our life? Or in our attitudes? How does that reflect in our worship, our service to Him, or in our giving?

-          When asked Jesus said that the 2nd greatest command was to love our neighbor as our self, and later He upgraded by saying,  

“Love one another as I have loved you.”

But how does that reflect, or play out in our lives, and attitudes?(at Home, at Work, in your car in traffic?) We’ve all heard stories or seen how ‘so called Christians’ act just as phony and hypocritical as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law; in how we judge, and make fun of other people, in how we treat others, in how we dabble in things we shouldn’t which stain our purity and integrity. And so outsiders Christianity because of them. You don’t believe me go to the internet and google Christian hypocrites, you’ll be shocked. In a sense, I believe we all fall short. I know do. But I also believe Jesus in a loving way is saying here, ‘Don’t settle for those hypocritical standards’. And so He raises up the righteousness bar for us and says, ‘now shoot for this I know you can do it.’ Just calling yourself a Christian and obeying a set of rules is not enough.  ’He said ‘Unless you surpass that superficial phony kind of religion, you are not going to enter the Kingdom of heaven.’   Isn’t that what he said in that text?

Let me give you few ways to help you reach those new heights and truly become more righteous before God, even more than the Pharisees of yesteryear and today:

#1. I really believe that one thing that will help us to become righteous in God’s sights is to focus more on becoming a lover of God, than a keeper of rules  
The Pharisees seemed more interested in keeping the rulebook than building a relationship with and learning to love God Himself. It doesn’t seem like they took the time to understand God and the heart of what He really wanted. The laws seem more important than the very principles that were behind them.   Matt. 23:23

How do you think you would feel if your kids were only concerned about doing their best to keep the rules of your household and doing their chores, but then never pursued or wanted to have a personal relationship with you. I believe that’s another reason why Jesus came; to open our eyes so we can see past the rules to the One that rules all.  The Jews would not even mouth God’s name, but Jesus taught His disciple to address Him as, “Our Father who art in heaven” , and even “abba, Father” or dad. Yes Jesus wanted His disciple to honor our Father in Heaven, but to honor Him by giving Him our heart and our love. And if we love Him like that, then obeying God will not come out of a feeling of obligation, but rather doing what God wants will be a natural byproduct of that love.. So we nee to nurture a relationship with our Lord. Court Him, spend time with Him, talk to Him in prayer, ask Him for help in this matter, do everything you can do to develop this relationship.

#2. Step out of the spotlight 
When it comes to our religion we shouldn’t be looking around for approval or recognition from others.   Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:1, He said,

 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

(It’s not about you or me and being a braggy show-off Christian.) As a matter of fact He even said when it come to doing good, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. It’s not about standing up and saying, ”Look at me I am a Christian,” before others! But rather it’s about REALLY loving your Father in Heaven and then , 

‘Letting your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’ (not you)    

We need to remember, people may see what we do, but God knows our heart and why we do it!

#3. Go to God’s word. Not like the Pharisees, but Read it, study it, meditate on it, digest it. It his message to you and me.  The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and early Christians,

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  2 Tim. 3:16-17  God has given us what we need to know and understand Him!

#4. Find those who seem to sincerely love God and His word, spend time them and learn from their example. The wisest man who ever lived wrote,  

“As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17   We’ll never be too old to learn from another.

In Philippians 4, Paul told those early Christians  

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”        He’s saying, ‘folks, learn from my good example!’ 
Even the best high jumper needed a Coach.

#5. And last of all and most importantly, the one thing I believe that will make us righteous in God’s sights is to receive His righteous Gift… Jesus

No matter what we do in and of ourselves, without and His cleansing blood we will never be right before God.  As a matter of fact the prophet Isaiah compared our  righteousness to filthy rags – that was just a polite way of saying,  our righteousness is like used toilet paper. That’s how much our own righteousness is worth. Why, because not one of us is 100% righteous and pure. (Isa. 64:6)
Even the Apostle Paul wrote to Roman church saying,  

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Romans 3:21-22f he wrote:
 “But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known…This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

In Philippians 3:8 he wrote
“…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

When we accept Jesus in our life, God gives us His righteousness. Jesus makes us right in God’ sight.  That’s why Jesus died on the cross for you and me.  Because of His incredible love and mercy, He being perfect, died for you and me who are imperfect.

The Bible in Romans 8:3-4 tells us that God sent Jesus to die for us so that in Him the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us.
In Col. 2:10f Paul writes,    

10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.(and then he tells us how) 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,(so he said that Christ performed this cutting away or circumcision on us. When?) 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you] alive (or declared righteous) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 

When we truly love God with all our heart and mind and being we’ll want to please Him because we love Him and He will help us reach new heights with His help, with His spirit, and by His grace.

Closing:

Jesus let us know that God’s rules are important. They were Important to Him and should be important to us. But more important than following rules, and standing up and declaring ourselves to be a Christian, is our personal relationship to Him.

My Challenge for you this week is the very challenge that Jesus put before us all in this lesson to surpass the false righteousness of the phonies of this age, and become GENUINE disciples of our Lord Jesus, one who is in love with Him.

For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Gary... Strangers and pilgrims




























If you were watching TV during the day on Wednesday, you probably saw Katherine Sebelius (see information about her at: Kathleen Sebelius ) testify before congress.  Frankly, I only watched about 15-20 minutes before I turned it off in disgust.  Think about all the scandals, broken promises, dead locks and outright crimes in our nations capital and literally it is enough to make you physically sick.  A senator made reference to the "not in Kansas, anymore" quote from the movie "The Wizard of OZ" as a jab at her because she was the former govenor of Kansas; with all the obvious implications of that statement.  Frankly, over the past few years, I feel like I live in a different USA (A United Socialist America).  Then, this morning, it hit me; that I am indeed a stranger in a strange land, for my true home is in heaven.  Sound unusual?  Remember this passage from the New Testament...

Hebrews, Chapter 11
 1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.  2 For by this, the elders obtained testimony.  3 By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.  4 By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks.  5 By faith, Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn’t see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God.  6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.  7 By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.  8 By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.  9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.  10 For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  11 By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised.  12 Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.  13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  15 If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return.  16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Our society has changed; we are no longer a predominately Christian nation.  The days of "Father knows best", "Leave it to Beaver" and "The Dick Van Dyk show" are gone.  Innocence has given way to sin and like  ancient Israel, we are sick from the head to the foot with the putrid effects of rebellion against God.  Isaiah puts it this way...

Isaiah, Chapter 1
 1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 
  2 Hear, heavens,
and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
and they have rebelled against me.
  3 The ox knows his owner,
and the donkey his master’s crib;
but Israel doesn’t know,
my people don’t consider.”
  4 Ah sinful nation,
a people loaded with iniquity,
a seed of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken Yahweh.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel.

They are estranged and backward.
  5 Why should you be beaten more,
that you revolt more and more?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
  6 From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it:
wounds, welts, and open sores.


I really do not know if it is too late to save our country, but as Christians, we need to pray that God's will for our country be done.  Please, Please pray for this country; I will!!!  The movie: "The Wizard Of Oz" has many moral lessons in it, but the one I like the best is "There is no place like home".  Pray to God that it becomes a fit place to call home once again!!!

10/30/13

From Ben Fronczek... He Will Make All Things New

He Will Make All Things New

In Revelation 21:5 The Apostle John records Jesus saying 

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”

I don’t know a person that doesn’t like and appreciate things which are new! Our children’s eyes light up when we talk of giving them a new toy, a new gadget, or a new book. Even we like new clothes, new cars, new appliances, new tools, jewelry, furniture, and even new ideas. In this respect, we are all like children.

So we should not be surprised, that the mere words of the text this morning sound like a pleasant song in our ears; but I am thankful that their deeper meaning is even more joyful. The newness which Jesus brings is bright, clear, life changing, ongoing, heavenly, and even enduring.

Most of us here this morning are ready for a new year. Most of us have grown weary of 2011 with all its hardships. We are glad to escape from what has been for many twelve-months of trials, and we hope that this newborn year will be better than its predecessor. At any rate, it is new, and we are encouraged, even happy, so we say to one another, “I wish you a happy New Year.”

It is a shame when people get stuck in the past and lose the joy because they don’t see the ever evolving progression of God’s plan for their lives. The Bible in 2 Cor. 5:17 declares that when we become a Christian we become a new creation in Christ. The Bible speaks a lot about new things; specifically of new songs, new covenants, new mornings, new hearts, new garments, new wine, new heavens, and a new earth. In fact, even in the closing words of the Bible, 

God finalizes His eternal agenda by declaring,

 “Behold I make all things new…” (Rev 21:5)

The Lord has been in the business of renewing ever since the beginning. From the Creation event where He manipulated matter itself, to making new covenants, to remaking lives and now even on a personal level of making us anew.

As we read thru the New Testament we read about individuals who after meeting Jesus, their lives were changes, made new.
Do you remember the stories of Zaccaheus and Matthew. When Jesus first met them they were both looked down upon because they were Tax collectors. And after their encounter with Jesus Zacceheus  choose to make it right with anyone he ever cheated, and then had Jesus into his home, and likewise Matthew opened his home to Jesus and eventually became one of the 12 apostles. Peter, James and John, mere fisherman also became his greatest spokesmen and apostles.
Those steeped in sin and immoral ways of life after meeting Jesus change their lives. Even Saul who persecuted the church and Christians with a vengeance after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus became a new man, even receiving a new name like Peter who was on called Simon, Saul was later called Paul, He was a new man and became one of Jesus’ greatest missionaries and apostles.
Over and over we read stories in the New Testament of men and women whose lives were changed when they came in contact with Jesus, and it’s still happening today.

Someone once said, “Newness can also come from rediscovering that which may be old.”

As people hear the old, old story about the Savior, lives change. Criminals give up their life of crime and become missionaries. Addicts give up their addictions and become servants and spoke persons for the Lord. You hear about the personal testimonies over and over again, of how Jesus can make us new.  I want to show you two videos that illustrate this:

IMPORTANT   
   
   Click on and View      


Then
            
               Video 2               

You may not believe how these men saw their visions but they do, and it changed them. Or maybe your story is not a dramatic as these two examples but it is happening every day. Why do we change and do things we never thought we’d be capable of doing because of Jesus? Is it because He forces something on us, twisting our arm saying, ‘you better do it or else?’

No, rather it’s because when someone reads or hears about Jesus, and learns about who He really is, and how much He loves us, and then what He did for us, some believe. Something touches our heart and we fall in love with Jesus. Faith wells up, a want, a desire, a hope for something better something new, and a life changes.

Some of you personally know exactly what I am talk about. You are not the person you were when you first learned about Jesus.  - You heard about Him, You learned about Him, how much He loves you, and wanted to save you from your sin and restore you back to the Father, How He was willing to die for us.                                                                      -
- You believed, you put your faith in Him, you asked Him to save you and take away your sin. You trusted Him as you went down in the waters of Baptism to remove your sin,
- and now you want to live for Him, asking Him to be the new Lord of your life,
And because of the new relationship with our Lord Jesus your whole life has turned upside down. Because of our relationship with Him, we think differently, we act differently, our priorities change, we become better people as we draw even closer to Jesus. Some of us are even different than we a year ago.

As we enter this new year, He still wants to work on you and me, renewing us and helping us become more than we ever thought we could become. Whether you realize it or not, if you are a Christian the best is yet to come.
In Philippians 3 Paul was basically saying, ‘Yea as far as my old life goes, I’ve given that up because knowing Christ and His way is so much better. Compared to knowing Jesus and doing His will my old life was no more than garbage.’
I think he was saying, ‘Yea even if I have to suffer and die like Jesus did, it’s still worth it just to be able to experience a resurrection and the prize of Heaven. He goes on to say, “Not that I already have it, (Just like none of us have it easy or perfect now) but he says, 

“but I press on to take hold for that which Christ took hold of me.’ He said,  ‘One thing I do: I try to Forget what is behind me and strain toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’  

 He goes on to say that you should all have the same attitude if you are a Christian.            To read entire context click on the following link  Philippians 3:7-14 And I think we should likewise seek a new righteousness that comes from God on the basis of our faith.  I believe that Jesus will help us and wants us to become all that we can be if we just let Him.

In John 14, John records Jesus saying,  

15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

In Chapter 16 John records Jesus saying,

 “12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what he hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

When we think we can’t change, or conquer a sin habit, or change a lousy attitude, or overcome a fear, or do something we never thought we could do before on our own, Jesus tells His disciples, ‘You don’t have to do it on your own.

As this new year begins I want you to realize Jesus going to be there to help you. His Spirit will be with you and in you to help you make those changes. He will convict you from within. He will silently help and guide you.’
That promise if for everyone who is a Christian.

If you are not a Christian I encourage you to consider becoming one. Learn about who Jesus is and what He has done for you. He is God’s one and only son who was born with flesh and blood just like you and me. He lived a perfectly pure life and then was willing to give up that life as a sacrifice for us. He was beat and abused and was willing to suffer punishment and a cruel death on a wooden cross for your and my sin. If you believe that let others know as well a Jesus Himself. Do your very best to turn from your sin in repentance and follow Him. And then He tells us that He will take away and remove our sin in the waters of Baptism (see Acts 2:36-41 and Colossians 2:8-13 )   I encourage you to find a Church of Christ near you and let them help and assist you learn more about our wonderful savour.

So may challenge is to pick something you want to change about yourself or something you want to improve in your life and lay it before Him. If it’s something He wants to help you with, He will. If Jesus could change those men we saw in the videos, or dramatically change the lives we read about in the Bible I think is He strong enough to help you with an attitude problem or a bad habit.
Trust Him and just watch what He will this up and coming year.

For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Jim McGuiggan... All Israel will be saved (5)

All Israel will be saved (5)

The common evangelical view is that a mass of Jews, the bulk of living Jews close to the time or at the time of Christ's final appearance will turn to God in faith in Jesus Christ. This they think is the fulfillment of Romans 11:6, "And so all Israel will be saved." Perhaps this is true but we need to recognize the gravity of the loss if this view is correct. Besides, I don't think such a view would accomplish Paul's aim. First, there's the gravity of the loss if this view is correct.

As Paul presents it, God hardens the Jewish unbelievers and they reject the Christ but this is to bring salvation to the world (11:8-11,15). He says the hardening would last "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in" (11:25). Numerous people take that to mean "until the last Gentile is saved," or as some versions render it, "until the full number" of Gentiles has arrived. Since Gentiles are still being saved these people think that 11:25 hasn't yet been fulfilled. They think it will be fulfilled close to or at the final appearance of Christ. When the last Gentile is saved, God will end the hardening that blinds Israel and they will turn to Christ en masse.

And what of the Jews between the 1st century and the 21st? Imagine a Jew asking Paul how God proposes to maintain his faithfulness to all of Abraham's descendants through Jacob. Imagine Paul saying something like, "God will continue to harden Israel for two thousand years and then, close to the time when the Messiah makes his final appearance, God will end his hardening work and save the bulk of that generation then alive." What do you suppose that Jew would say?

Remember that "all Israel will be saved" is Paul's way of denying that God is faithless! And would his saving the bulk of a single generation of Jews in (say) the 21st century show his faithfulness to fifty generations of Jews that he hardened? Two thousand years of hardening is to be offset by his saving the bulk (or even all) of a single 21st century generation of Jews?

As for me, it seems better to hold that God's judicial hardening of unbelieving Jews lasted until the door was opened for Gentile blessing (see 11:30-32). That was occasioned by the death (and glorification) of the Messiah when God made Gentiles full of the spiritual wealth that he had always promised to Israel. Once the door had been thrown wide open the gospel was for all (11:32).

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.