12/10/13

From Ben Fronczek... Our Legacy

Our Legacy

Legacy Remembered     2 Peter   Part 3
(By Ben Fronczek)

Read  2 Peter 1:10-21    (NIV)

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Introduction

As of late, I have been interested in getting to know a little more about my family, especially those who came before me. I really don’t know too much about my ancestry and so I’ve started to do a little research and I hope to make up some kind of family tree recording not only names but if possible I would also like to record a little about each of my former relatives as well.

Thus far I have not made much progress only going back to my great grandparents. For example I know that my great grandfather on my mother’s side was an engineer that was hired by the Freihofer bakery of Philadelphia, PA to design and set up a bakery in Troy, NY. His wife Sophie was a talented musician who went to the Troy Conservatory of Music. She was a talented pianist and Organist, and even played the awesome organ in the Round Lake Auditorium, in NY

The more I investigated these different individuals the more I became aware of the legacy, or lack of which they left behind. Some made a meaningful contributions and impressions while others made very little or none at all.

And I could not help but think about my own life. In 100 or 200 years from now will what I have done, or who I am be completely forgotten? Will I just be forgotten like so many others who have come and gone before me. Will all my work, my efforts, things that I have learned and taught be just washed away by the sand of time?

As I read the next section of 2 Peter, I realized that Peter recognized that what he was sharing with them was very important and he hoped to somehow preserve this wisdom. As a matter of fact he goes on to say,

 “I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.”

He was concerned about what he would leave behind, and here we are reading and studying his words today. I guess some things, important things, such as words inspired by God stand the test of time better than others.

So what did he have to say that was so important?

In our last lesson we read how Peter encouraged the early Christians to make every effort to grow and mature as individuals by growing in certain virtues.  

to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”      

He said it would help them survive this in evil world, it would enable them to participate in God’s own divine nature, and here in vs 10 he said that it would help keep them from falling away and make their calling and election sure.

Verse 11 says that there would also be a heavenly reward. He said that they would receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom. His message was indeed important worth remembering!
As Peter continues in verse 12-15, he said that he wanted to remind them of these things even though he knew that they already heard and knew what he was saying.

●Just as a side note, that’s the job of a good preacher, and a father like leader; not only to teach new stuff but also to keep reminding those in their care and encouraging them even though they may have heard it all before.

Concerning certain important matters we need to refresh one another’s memory over and over. And Peter said that he planned to do this right up to his death (which he knew was right around the corner.)

In verse 15, he said that he would make every effort to see to it that we would remember his advice, his words, even after his death….. and like I already said before, here we are reading and studying his words today.

And then Peter seems to change gears a bit and talks about something every generation seems to struggle with… and that is the validity, the accuracy of scripture; their Bible and ours. If it is not accurate or real why bother following it?

In verses16-18, Peter mentions the fact that he and others were eyewitnesses to some of those recorded events (just like Peter, James and John saw, heard and experienced the event that took place on the Mt. of Transfiguration. So when we read about that account, it was based on eye witness testimonies.

In 19-21, he also talks about the Prophecy written in scripture; he said that the origin of those prophecies in scripture were from God, not man, not the prophets who recorded them.
Someone once said, “Today when people think about prophecy they think about it as predictions about the future; but Biblical prophecy refers to God revealing things that we could not figure out on our own, future things could be included in that, but the focus of prophecy is God revealing Himself.”
So what Peter is saying here is that the origin of the Bible is God not human authors. Although human authors did write the words, they spoke from God.

“Verse 21 Makes reference to these prophets being carried along – in the original Greek it is a sailing term used to describe the wind blowing into a sail which ‘carries the sail boat along.’  In this context it refers to….the human authors were consciously involved in the writing process but behind the process God “carried them along” to ensure that the end result would be what God wanted.”  (Timothy Peck)

So what are some other reasons we should trust the Bible? There are many. Scholars break the evidence down into two areas; internal and external.     

For example its make up:  

1. The Bible is a collection 66 books written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,600 years on three different continents.
 
2. The Bible was written in three languages: Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.                

3. It is most definitely a most unique book because it was not composed by one man but by many over a long period of time yet all are amazingly linked.                     

4.The Bible addresses some of man’s deepest questions, about the purpose of life, death and eternity.
 
5. It has been proven to be archaeologically accurate over & over.                                                                                                                     

6. All 318 prophecies in regard to the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus.
 
The odds of any one person fulfilling just eight of the prophesies is one in one  hundred billion. The odds of any one person to fulfill forty eight of these prophesies would be one chance in a trillions.

The Bible is also Historical accurate.                                                                                                                                                                                  
1. The serious challenges to the accuracy of the Bible is being answered by the work of archaeologists everyday, for example…The Old Testament mentions a group of people called the Hittites, scholars doubted their existence until 1906 when the Hittite capital was discovered about 90 miles east of Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

There are other more recent discoveries like:  – Noah Ark in 1959 sighted by those flying over Mt. Ararat in Turkey – Mounting evidence of a worldwide flood – Evidence in Egypt of some of the Biblical Patriarchs. – Discover of Joseph’s tomb – Discovery of Jericho having it wall fallen outward which seem unnatural – Discover of Sodom and Gomorrah – Discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls which demonstrate the accuracy of our present day Bible – Discover of the Elba Tablets in 1975 which go back to 2500BC. Many scholars did not believe that humans were writing yet but these tablets  prove otherwise. They also contained mention of different Biblical facts and people like the creation event, Abraham, David, and more. Just go to the internet and Google Archeology and the Bible or Scientific discoveries and the Bible, there is a lot of information out there proving the Bible. Here’s one example: http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/scientific-proofs-of-the-bible.html

2. Nelson Glueck, a Jewish archaeologist states that there has never been an archaeological discovery that has ever disproved a Biblical reference.

Even though the Bible is not a book of science, it mentions many scientific facts that have not been substantiated, proven, or discovered until more recently. For example: -That the earth is round not flat, and is freely suspended in space, –That the number of stars cannot be numbered and each star is unique – The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe. – The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere and some principles of fluid dynamics. – The Bible talks about phases of the hydrologic cycle—the worldwide processes of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation, condensation with electrical discharges, and precipitation and the recirculation of water. –The Bible also talks about the ocean bottom and its terrain as well as the paths in the sea or ocean currents.

The amazing unity of the Bible, it’s indestructible nature, its historical and scientific evidence therefore, merits our trust. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a single story: the rescue of mankind from sin through the death of Jesus Christ.
T
he Old Testament presents Jesus as the hope of mankind; the New Testament shows Him to be the fulfillment of that hope. Now, if the Bible had been written by one person at one time, one could understand how it would be unified in general thoughts and specific details, but it wasn’t Rather it was God who authored this great book using a variety of men over a period of 1600 years
Want even more evidence…

No book has changed the heart and life of so many men and women like the Bible. Why?  Because they are the words of God. Down through the ages men like Saul of Tarsus, the brilliant scholar,  Augustine, The vicious slave trader John Newton those who were former drunkards, thieves and killers eventually changed their lives, did a 180 degree turnabout and became great servants of God because of what is in this book.

There is a good possibility that you and I, and what we have done, said, and accomplished here in this life will not be remembered much beyond 100 years or just a few short generations, but the word of God will stand forever!  I can’t help but believe that what we do in this life count for something and every bit of it will be remembered by God, the good and the bad. If we accepted His Son as our Savior those sins we committed have been pardoned or put aside. And those things we have done for Him will be remembered.

Of all the things that a person could do with their life, I can’t think of one more important than sharing their faith, sharing the message of the Bible, God’s word; first of all with their family and children and then with others.

You may never paint a picture like Leonardo Di Vinci or sculpt a statue like Michelangelo, or design a building like Frank Lloyd Wright, or compose a song like Mozart or build an empire like Napoleon, or do anything that will put you in the history books. If you are not remembered for doing anything special this in this world sharing God’s word can have eternal result in the lives of those you share it with.  Many earthly things are just that, wood, hay and stubble. They are here today and gone tomorrow.

I can’t help but believe that those who have died and are in that Heavenly Paradise now, are and will be ETERNALLY grateful to those who were willing to share the Good News about Jesus with them. The Spiritual things we share with others can have Eternal results in the lives of those you share them with.

Close:
 It was my 5 year old granddaughter Emma’s first day of school last week, her first day of Kindergarten and the first time to ride on a school bus. As she sat at the breakfast table alone before leaving do you know what my daughter found her doing? She heard her talking and when she asked who she was talking to she said she was a little bit afraid about riding on the bus so she decided to pray to God. Proud and a little choked up, my daughter sat down with her and they prayed together that she would have a good day, and she did.  Sharing our faith makes our life meaningful and worthwhile, like nothing else. These are the kind of things we want to live on in our family, that is a knowledge of Jesus and the peace He can give us.

Challenge: 
Do the best you can in the here and now but don’t be overly concerned about how long you will be remembered here on earth. Do those things which you will be remembered for all eternity in the lives of others. These are the treasures which we store up in Heaven.

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

From Jim McGuiggan... God's righteousness and ours (2)

God's righteousness and ours (2)

To say that human righteousness is a mere shadow and a severely limited version of God’s righteousness is one of those things you have to say though you don’t have to say it. At the personal character level we are sinful and our love of righteousness is fitful at best but no one knows this better that God and he still calls his elect to righteousness. He calls the nations to righteousness also and in fact assures Nebuchadnezzar that he will bring him down if he will not practice righteousness (see Daniel 4, especially 4:27). In the Major Prophets we have many chapters that are addressed to the nations around Israel and the psalmists frequently speak of God judging the nations in light of their lack of righteousness. All that to say, while God knows about human sinfulness he does not exempt us from pursuing righteousness and behaving in a righteous manner. The non-elect (pre-Christ or since Christ’s appearance) have some understanding of what righteousness is and are able (by God’s grace) to live righteously (not sinlessly!). This is clear from Romans 2:12-16, 1 Peter 2:12 where pagans recognize goodness and uprightness and we see it in cases like Cornelius in Acts 10.
God expects society to behave righteously and he grants wisdom and power to governments and leaders that they might be stewards of the creation goods he provides (Romans 13:1-5 would move that way and see again Daniel 4:27 in light of 2:37-38). All this is true despite the fact that God knows very well that human goodness and, more particularly, human justice and righteousness cannot reflect his own without serious distortion. We have neither his holiness, wisdom nor power so when we make judgements we must confess that so many of them are educated guesses. For example God has enabled us to see a deed but we’re not equally able to say why the deed has been carried out. Motives are beyond our reach even though we make decisions about them in light of the evidence we have available to us. In our better moments we confess that we’re unsure in many cases but equally, in light of some things that appear to be very obvious, we insist on acting as though we’re sure enough about the motive. You will construct your own illustrations for such cases but they’re not hard to find. Still, it is a complex matter and we aren’t always sure of our own motivations (plural) so those who believe in God trust him to balance things out in a final judgement that will right all wrongs.

©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 Mark Copeland... Our Duty To The Truth (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)

               "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS"

                    Our Duty To The Truth (5:19-22)

INTRODUCTION

1. The last chapter of 1st Thessalonians is filled with exhortations to
   various duties that we have as Christians awaiting the coming of the
   Lord...
   a. Our duty to those who serve - 1Th 5:12-13
   b. Our duty to those in need - 1Th 5:14-15
   c. Our duty to ourselves - 1Th 5:16-18

2. Before Paul closes his epistle with a final blessing and admonition,
   he lists another series of exhortations...
   a. Do not quench the Spirit - 1Th 5:19
   b. Do not despise prophecies - 1Th 5:20
   c. Test all things; hold fast what is good - 1Th 5:21
   d. Abstain from every form of evil - 1Th 5:22
   -- Taken together, we can categorize these exhortations as "Our Duty
      To The Truth"

[What is our obligation to the truth?  What does God expect of us
regarding the reception of truth, and that which proves to be error?
From the exhortations in our text, we can say first...]

I. DO NOT STIFLE REVELATION OF THE TRUTH

   A. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TRUTH...
      1. In Proverbs, we are exhorted to "buy the truth, and do not sell
         it..." - Pr 23:23
      2. Why is truth so important?  In Psalms we learn...
         a. God's truth preserves us - Ps 40:11
         b. God's truth is a shield and buckler - Ps 91:4
         c. God's truth provides atonement - Pr 16:6
      3. Jesus taught regarding truth...
         a. It provides freedom from the bondage of sin - Jn 8:32
         b. It is the means by God sanctifies Jesus' disciples - Jn 17:17
      -- In view of its benefits, we should never be guilty of stifling
         the truth!

   B. THE REVELATION OF THE TRUTH...
      1. God's truth was made known through His Holy Spirit - Jn 16:13
         a. In Old Testament times, He did this through prophets - cf.
            1Pe 1:10-11 ; 2Pe 1:20-21
         b. In New Testament times, He did this through the apostles and
            prophets of Jesus Christ - cf. Jn 16:13; 14:26
      2. These inspired apostles and prophets communicated God's
         truth...
         a. Through their spoken word - cf. 1Pe 1:12
         b. Through their written word - cf. Ep 3:3-5; 1Co 14:37
      3. This truth was fully and finally revealed....
         a. Completed through the work of the apostles - Ac 20:32; 2 Pe 1:3
         b. Revealed one time for all times - Jude 3
         c. Thus we have that which can make us complete - cf. 2Ti 3:
            16-17
      4. Today, if we desire to receive God's truth...
         a. We cannot look to their spoken word, since they are no
            longer living
         b. We must look to their written Word, i.e., the Bible
         c. We must accept God's Word in its entirety - cf. Ps 119:160

   C. THE SUPPRESSION OF THE TRUTH...
      1. Mankind has a history of resisting God's truth...
         a. Israel suffered this affliction - cf. Hos 4:1
         b. The Gentiles likewise, especially the wise - cf. Ro 1:18-23
      2. In New Testament times, Christians could be guilty of resisting
         truth also...
         a. By "quenching the Spirit" - 1Th 5:19
            1) Refusing to heed what the Spirit was still making known
               at that time
            2) Cutting off the revelation of God's truth intended for
               them
         b. By "despising prophecies" - 1Th 5:20
            1) Belittling the prophecies being made known through the
               prophets
            2) Refusing to accept what the prophets of God were
               revealing
      3. Today, we can stifle the truth of God...
         a. "Quenching the Spirit" through neglecting God's revealed
            Word
         b. "Despising prophecies" through rejecting the apostles'
            teaching

[Through neglect or outright rejection of God's Word, we can be guilty
of stifling the truth, and suffer the consequences of not having the
benefits of truth in our lives.  To avoid being misled by false prophets
or false interpretations of God's word, we need to...]

II. EXAMINE ALL THINGS BY THE TRUTH

   A. CLAIMS OF TRUTH NEED TO BE CHALLENGED...
      1. As Paul wrote:  "Test (prove, KJV) all things" - 1Th 5:21a
         a. This is not quenching the Spirit nor despising prophecies
         b. But a recognition that not all claims to be from God are
            true
      2. As John wrote:  "...do not believe every spirit, but test the
         spirits" - 1Jn 4:1
         a. For many false prophets have come into the world
         b. It is not quenching the Spirit to test what people claim is
            a revelation from God

   B. EXAMINING CLAIMS OF TRUTH...
      1. The Bereans provide a noble example - Ac 17:11
         a. They received the word with all readiness (i.e., they paid
            careful attention to what Paul said)
         b. They searched the Scriptures daily (to see if what Paul
            taught was true)
         -- This is how the Bereans tested Paul's teaching, for which
            they were commended as being "fair-minded"
      2. In examining all things by the truth today, we need to...
         a. Give people a fair hearing - Ac 17:11
         b. Search the Scriptures daily, looking at God's word in its
            entirety - Ps 119:160
         c. Accepting that which is in harmony with the apostles'
            teaching, and rejecting that which is not - cf. 1Jn 4:6;
            Ac 2:42

["Our Duty To The Truth" does not end with simply believing the truth
and rejecting that which is false, we must also "hold fast what is good"
(1Th 5:21).  I take this to mean we must...]

III. APPLY THE TRUTH IN OUR LIVES

   A. WITH PROPER ATTITUDES...
      1. A prayerful attitude, like David possessed - e.g., Ps 86:11
      2. A meek spirit, allowing God's word to be implanted - Jm 1:21

   B. WITH RIGHT ACTIONS...
      1. In deed, not just in word; e.g., our love - 1Jn 3:18-19
      2. We must be doers of the Word (truth), not hearers only - Jm 1:
         22-25
      3. Thereby walking in the truth, which delights those who see you
         - 3Jn 3-4

[Our duty is to hold fast what we find to be true, to practice what we
believe to be true.  At the same time, we must also...]

IV. ABSTAIN FROM WHAT THE TRUTH DEFINES AS EVIL

   A. THE TRUTH DECLARES THAT EVIL EXISTS...
      1. There is that which is false, that which is wicked - e.g., Exo 23:7
      2. Those who do evil, do not want to hear that which is true - Jn 3:19-21

   B. THE TRUTH DEMANDS THAT WE ABSTAIN FROM EVIL...
      1. When we are not valiant for truth, we will become progressively
         worse - Jer 9:3
      2. Therefore we must "abstain from every form of evil" - 1Th 5:22
         a. KJV has "appearance" instead of "form"
            1) Leading many commentators to conclude that we must always
               abstain from that which may "seem" to be wrong (e.g.,
               Barnes, Clarke)
            2) Yet Jesus did things that "appeared" to be wrong; e.g.,
               eating with sinners which appeared to be toleration of
               their evil deeds - Mt 9:11
         b. The Greek word is eidous - "As commonly explained, abstain
            from everything that even 'looks like' evil. But the word
            signifies 'form or kind.' Compare Luke 3:22; John 5:37, and
            see nearly the same phrase in Joseph. 'Ant. x. 3, 1.' It
            never has the sense of 'semblance.' Moreover, it is
            impossible to abstain from everything that looks like evil."
            (Vincent's Word Studies)
         c. "'Abstain from every form of evil,' i. e., every sort or
            kind of evil (not 'appearance,' KJV). This meaning was
            common in the papyri, the Greek writings of the closing
            centuries, B. C., and the New Testament era." (Vine's
            Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
      3. This we do by taking heed to both our thoughts and our actions
         a. Thinking on things that are true - Php 4:8
         b. Walking righteously and speaking uprightly - cf. Isa 33:
            15-16

CONCLUSION

1. "Our Duty To The Truth" is made clear in our text...
   a. Do not stifle revelation of the truth
   b. Examine all things by the truth
   c. Apply the truth in our lives
   d. Abstain from what the truth defines as evil
   -- Because of the benefits that comes from knowing and walking in the
      truth, we should be careful to fulfill "Our Duty To The Truth"!

2. What about those who do not have a love for the truth?
   a. They will be susceptible to the lying wonders and unrighteous
      deception of the lawless one - cf. 2Th 2:9-10
   b. Having no love for truth, God will harden their hearts even
      further by sending them a strong delusion - 2Th 2:11
   c. Not believing the truth, but taking pleasure in unrighteousness,
      they will be condemned - 2Th 2:12

We must therefore have the prayer and attitude of David regarding God's
truth:

      "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of
      my salvation; On You I wait all the day." - Ps 25:5

Is that your prayer?  Is that your attitude?  Are you walking in the
truth?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011


From Gary.... From famous to infamous


























Without God, things change; goodness, love, truth and beauty become perverted into something else, something detestable.  Most people who know anything about the Bible are familiar with John 3:16, but don't stop there- read on.  Some people refuse to to listen and someday their infamy will be exposed for what it is.  And then comes the judgement, first man judges God as being of no-account and then ultimately, God will judge them for their decision.  Here are a couple of passages worth considering....

John, Chapter 3
 16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.   17  For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.   18  He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.   19  This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.   20  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.
Isaiah, Chapter 5
 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness;
who put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
From John, chapter 3, we progress from the famous to the infamous in just a few short words.  Like most perversion, it begins with our definitions of what evil really is.  This is where the Isaiah passage comes to bear.  Let God do the deciding as to what is GOOD and EVIL, not whatever we human beings think it should be.  What do you love- Good or evil?  In the words of the picture- what makes your heart skip a beat? Now there is a topic worth considering on a warm and sunny winter day in Florida!!!!!