8/4/13

From Gary... Needful things


I like this picture because it says a great deal about life.  Just a few birds longing to be fed; a simple fact of life, yet, this picture made me think about what WE really NEED in LIFE!!!  I remembered verse three below and the others just seemed tied to it.  Please read the passage below...

Luke, Chapter 11
  1 When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” 



  2  He said to them, “When you pray, say, 
‘Our Father in heaven, 
may your name be kept holy. 
May your Kingdom come. 
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 
  3  Give us day by day our daily bread. 
  4  Forgive us our sins, 
for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. 
Bring us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one.’” 


I noticed several things here:

1. We need to acknowledge God and his rule over everything - verse two.  2. We should pray for the necessities of life - verse three. 3. We should be conscious of sin and therefore a "forgiving" people - verse four.  4. We should be aware of the pitfalls of sin and ask for help to avoid temptation - verse four (b).

At the center of all things is God and if we seek HIM and what we really need (instead of just what we WANT) we will do well in this life.  Simple thought here- LORD, help me need you as much as these birds need their next meal!!!  Please- just think about it and most of all- PRAY ABOUT IT!!!!  

Your Friend,

Gary

From Jim McGuiggan... Chimps, Orang-utans and God

Chimps, Orang-utans and God

Look I know about parasites that eat the eyes out of children and mosquitoes that carry malaria and predatory bacteria that hunt the human race. I’ve spoken about this at some length in various writings. I mention this to make the point that like everyone else that has some common sense I have no Pollyannish view of life. So when I speak of the humor, the pleasure, the delight and the warm silliness that much of life has and brings, you should know that I haven’t taken leave of this world. There are harsh and ugly realities in life but that’s far from all that’s on offer even in this world.

If someone tells me that marriage is a tough road with plenty of grim slogging and more than a few pains and disappointments on the way, what can I do but agree? But if anyone that tells me that that’s the whole story of marriage I’ll tell him to dream on. It hasn’t been my marriage and if I can believe the tens of thousands that witness to their joys and delights, my own wild and glorious ride of coming up on fifty-two years is not at all unusual. 

Like almost everyone else, I suppose, I can rehearse a lot of pain, vividly recall moments I would never want to experience again and remember excruciating losses. But like everyone else I have known times of falling-down, side-splitting, stomach-aching laughter; times when my Ethel and I smiled till our faces hurt.

I remember as though it was yesterday, that many years ago she and I lay in bed talking and I got my tongue all tangled up. She began to titter and then to laugh out loud and found it difficult to stop. I was the tiniest bit miffed at the pleasure she was getting out of it all. “What’s so funny?” She could barely respond for laughing but finally blurted out, “You made a midake.” Now she had tangled her tongue up and we both began to screech with silly laughter. Ethel, now laughing more at her “midake,” and my laughing at the irony of it, we were nearly insane, rolling with stomach pains, sobering for a second and then bursting into another mirth-quake. Suddenly the door burst open and our son George, whose room was across the hall, wakened out of a sound sleep, indignantly wanted to know if we knew it was nearly three in the morning. We were screeching and he fumbled his speech and we went berserk. What made it even funnier was his serious indignation. We couldn’t tell him for squawking and as he stomped out of the room unimpressed, we looked at each other and off we went into another gale of gut-wrenching, pain-bringing, headache-hastening laughter. I thought I heard him mumbling complaints to himself in his room across the hall.

I like God because he brings laughter into our lives and if that is one of his gifts it says something about him! He says he delights in showing mercy and that tells you something about his character. If he delights in giving us laughter, that tells us something about his character. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a gloomy and baleful figure, murderous at heart like bloodthirsty Kali. He doesn’t burn with vindictive resentment like a Zeus or ceaselessly snarl like the god of the poor legalists. He creates and takes pleasure in the works of his hands. He rejoices in the things that he has made. The psalmist tells the nations of the world to rejoice because Yahweh is Lord. The simple but truthful little hymn says, “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.” Yes, all right, there are other realities in the world but for the vast majority of us (at least in the West) we have no grounds to mutter on and on morbidly about harsh realities. The fault dear Brutus, said Shakespeare, is not in the gods but in us. Morbidity is not the fruit of the creation—it most often lies—I would suggest—in us. It wasn’t Christmas that needed to be changed—it was Scrooge! And when he changed, Christmas changed!

I confess with some regret that I’m not able to rejoice greatly in flowers and gardens and forests. I recognize that I’m the one that loses out here. But the sight of acres of daisies or buttercups, miles of green fields, skies of blue and fluffy clouds that rise right up into God’s own living room can move even me. The pleasure of watching a tiny kitten (or several) “attacking” the mother that sits there patiently while the baby bites on her ear or paws at her back is a lovely experience. To watch pups climb all over a little boy or girl and hear the children giggle hysterically is one of the wonders of the world. I like God for giving us such sights and sounds.

Many years ago I went to the Dublin Zoo and believe me when I tell you that I actually saw what I’m about to describe. 

I watched a whole company of chimpanzees in an enclosure, having the time of their lives (or so it looked). There were three or four hunkering down the way people do and they were watching the girls go by (girl chimps). Eyeing them as they passed by; the way boys do on the corners (or at least the way we used to do). One of them really eyed this pretty thing as she minced by without giving him a glance. As she just got past him, he leaned over and rattled her rear end with the back of his hand and then looked the other way and around him as if he hadn’t done it. I nearly fell down laughing. I half expected the three or four “corner boys” to look at each other and grin. “Nice one, Harry!” I can hear them chuckle while he smirked, pleased with himself.

I went from there to where the great apes were. They were enclosed behind heavy glass windows and there was a rail that separated us from the window with maybe a couple of feet between. One big fellow gave us some attention, pulling faces and acting up. Two or three kids were enjoying him no end and they were leaning over the rail to get as close to him as possible. He looked at them, I thought, with a bit of special interest and then turned his back to us, leaned against the window without movement, while the kids leaned farther and farther in toward the window. Suddenly he turned and went “boo” and scared the livin’ daylights out of the kids before walking away apparently satisfied with himself. [He didn’t really say “boo” but I can’t spell the sound he made; still, it clearly functioned as a “boo”.]

Finally, I went to see the long-legged monkeys that they had on a little island in the middle of a big pond. Frequently they would burst out into whooping. The whoop would begin moderately but would increase in volume until it was (not quite) deafening. The kids loved it and tried to get the monkeys to get on with it. Immediately across from where we were watching the whoopers was an orang-utan enclosure. There was a young lady there (I read her name but I’ve forgotten it). She gave us a very languid performance of hanging and lounging and sitting examining her tummy and smiling at us with those big teeth and eyes of hers. She was obviously enjoying our attention but just at that point the whoopers went into one of their sessions. We looked around and then back at our lady friend and she yawned a big yawn and gave a scornful slow-handclap. She wasn’t impressed with the whoopers and wanted us to know it.

I’ve been to a few zoos in my life (not many) but that was one memorable day and I can’t help thinking as I reflect on it that God must have a sense of humour. I don’t even mean the “laugh at a good joke” type humour. No, I mean there must be an aspect of him that leads him to look at such things and smile with pleasure and say again what he said in Genesis 1, “Now that’s good!” I think God gets cross when he witnesses cruelty to animals but I think it’s more than that. I think God finds pleasure in ostriches and armadillos, koalas and camels, eagles and donkeys, foals and kittens and puppies, fish and whales and kangaroos and the whole animal world. The psalmist (104) says they all look to God for their food and he provides for them. Yes, yes—yes! I know there are other things to be said—but not here and not at this moment.

How can we say God has no sense of humour when he made kittens and orang-utans, penguins and a duck-billed platypus? And colours? In the movie Colour Purple, Sugar and Celie were walking together through the fields and Sugar says that everything wants to be loved and urges Celie to look at how the trees wave to attract attention. Then she says, “I think God gets irritated when people walk by and don’t even notice the colour purple.” Maybe she was right. Well, whether we all can get pleasure in these things, God can, and that tells me something about him.

I remember on a visit to Thailand I saw the sun going down. The horizon must have been about a hundred yards from me and the sun came to within fifty feet of me (it had to be that close). It filled the whole sky. It was a mingled orange and red and yellow—all soft, none of it harsh on the eyes, smooth and liquid and big and perfectly round. “You ever see anything like me?” it whispered to me as it sat there for half of forever, just letting me gaze dumbfounded, before it silently slipped down behind the rim of the earth, eventually leaving the sky a gorgeous black velvet.

The world would be one gloomy old spinning Alcatraz if there was no laughter in it. If we believe God put music and colour and beauty in it, where do we think the laughter came from?


©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 Jim McGuiggan... Cassius doesn't smile

Cassius doesn't smile

You don't have to be a Shakespeare specialist to know that he must have been a great observer of men because in his plays he entered into the depths of so many diverse hearts. And he did it with such convincing power and sensitivity that his name continues to live despite the centuries that have passed. He has Julius Caesar say to Mark Antony:
"Let me have about me men that are fat,
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep at nights.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look!
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.
He reads much; he is a great observer and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays…he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mock'd himself and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything
Such men as he be never at heart's ease."
Is there not too little joy, even where there is good reason to believe that joy should be? Are we not too solemn? Is gloominess really the same as depth of character and thought? Cannot a grinning, life-and-soul-of-the-party type not also be a deep thinker and a sensitive soul?
Must the awful hurt of this world paralyse us so that we can't be thankful for our comfort? Must their hunger make us feel guilty for having good food sitting there before us? Must we hate ourselves for having loving families because so many poor souls are abandoned? Is it true that the only way we can prove our sadness at their poverty is to be miserable because we are richly blessed?
There is a gospel for the sad and those in misery; is there no gospel for the happy? Must we despise happy endings? Must we hear no music, love no plays and must we scorn the spirit that could be moved to smile at anything?
Men like Cassius are dangerous, especially if they are Christians.

©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.

Fro Jim McGuiggan... Big Brother and other things

Big Brother and other things

Anyone who watches Big Brother deserves all they get. Those that pay to be a part of it…oh well. And then the producers try to kid the public into thinking there's something deeper going on by inviting psychologists to study the inmates—"Ah, yes, this is a deep learning experience!" Good grief! Bookmakers just lost a bet on which couple on the set would have sex first—which couple would "bonk" first. The production cheapens everything it touches, it leaves a trail of slime behind it and then in a hypocritical demonstration of political correctness it punishes "inhabitants" for speech that reflects the spirit that a programme like that generates and nurtures. They have no sense of societal obligation. One of them made it clear in an interview I saw some months back that they will knowingly invite those who will push the limits. These shrewd hucksters, like the drug pushers, play on our weaknesses and bring us down further. They do their best not to run too far ahead of broad public taste all the while they slyly see what they can get away with. They depend on the fact that hosts of us don't know when we're being insulted and used.
The soap operas, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and such are saturated with booze (what was it a report said about them several months ago?—about fifteen minutes of boozing going on in the foreground or background in each thirty-minute episode!). In this past year an increasing number of reports lamented about how much boozing is going on in Britain even among the very young. Sexual promiscuity in the young and venereal disease is climbing, "alarming" some watchdogs, and the figures on abortions are climbing again in England and Wales (over 190,000 last year), including abortions in the very young.
But the shrewd PR people create buzz words like "binge" drinking to cover their tracks, "Drink responsibly," supported by the sly booze industry while they sell the stuff that deadens our sense of propriety and our ability to be responsible. Then there's "safe sex" (with an abortion or "the night after" pill just in case). These writers, producers and booze providers feed on our weaknesses. I'm talking about the whole box-and-dice of us and not just non-Christians; they lead us around by the nose even while we know what they're up to because even though we say, "Hah, I know what you're doing," we still go along with them and they smile all the way to the bank. Meanwhile we have moral weakness in dysfunctional families presented as the norm in the leading soaps or hedonism in those geared for the younger set and desert island inanity and on others.
Now we have a school that threatens with expulsion young Christian girls who would dare to wear a "purity ring" (that says they want to keep themselves for their future husbands). I'm going to presume that the school feels this is being morally judgmental (otherwise, why would they object?) so it would appear these girls aren't permitted freedom of speech and conscience. It would appear that the schoold heads in a politically correct fever would rather these girls kept their views to themselves and practiced "safe sex" with a pill in their pocket just in case. Or, "Okay, remain a virgin if you wish but don't make it public that that's what you're going to do! Keep your mouth firmly shut."
And then just last week—listen to this! The television advertising board banned an advertisement the re-showing of a forty-year old advertisement by the Egg Marketing Board that said: "Go to work on an egg!" The reason they banned it was that it "violated the principle of having a varied diet." Good grief!
It's this kind of thing that sometimes leaves you stunned. At this kind of thing thirteen-year old kids and old codgers like me look at each other and shrug—these are the people who are making the decisions for us?

©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 Jim McGuiggan... Be patient with God

Be patient with God

Frank Boreham, one of my favourite authors, in his essay The Queen Bee urges us to have patience with God. Indeed! It's good advice to an age so full of demands. It's good advice to any age, for have we not always been full of demands. In fairness, there are millions down the ages that have suffered so much for so long that we who have so much should be slow to say to, "Hold your tongues!"
I don't say it's always the case but it's those of us who have known for a long time what it is to be treated well that find ourselves quickly irritated if we don't get just what we have come to fully expect as our rights. It's the poor and the plundered poor that have developed "the long long patience" that Edwin Markham spoke of.
It's the people well enough off and who have the luxury of putting God in the pillory that especially need to be urged to be patient with God, for this "stand-and-deliver" attitude is ugly as well as unjustified in our cases. I can understand the pop group Queen demanding "I want it All and I want it now!" and I've no doubt that they express the attitude of millions but I wasn't thinking of pure and simple hedonists.
God is engaged in an eternal enterprise that affects the darkest corridors of the farthest reaches of the universe and the plundered poor of all the ages who never had a chance to live. And when he's done, not only will all who share in that life that is brimful and overflowing with life be gob-smacked, they'll thank him for "taking his time" so that they'd be ready to appreciate and absorb it all.  They'll look back at what hedonists clamored for in that gluttonous, smash-and-grab way and turn and thank God again for pursuing his purpose regardless of the clamoring.
Why does he wait so long? Why is he so slow in coming to my aid? Depending on the circumstances such questions make good sense and more than one psalmist sobbed them out as did apocalyptic martyrs—"How long O Lord?" But he knows what he's about and he will work as he works and those of us with less reason to moan than those who know deprivation and loss up close and personal—we'll not keep him from his purpose. He will not be buffaloed by claims that he doesn't care; he will simply say, I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE! And in the end we will be glad beyond our ability to express it.

©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... Christ Did Not Send Me To Baptize (1 Corinthians 1:14-17)


                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

              Christ Did Not Send Me To Baptize (1:14-17)

INTRODUCTION

1. An objection commonly raised concerning the necessity of baptism is
   based on Paul's statement to the church at Corinth - cf. 1Co 1:14-17
   a. Note Paul's words:  "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to
      preach the gospel..." - 1Co 1:17
   b. From which some conclude baptism must not be essential to
      salvation

2. However, when one takes into account the context...
   a. The immediate context of his words in this epistle - 1Co 1:10-13
   b. The remote context of Paul's ministry in Corinth  - Ac 18:1-18
   -- Paul preached baptism, and his comments should not be taken out of
      context

[In this study, let's take a closer look at the context in which we find
Paul's statement.  Note that...]

I. PAUL WAS ADDRESSING A PROBLEM AT CORINTH

   A. WITH THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD PREACHERS...
      1. They were divided - 1Co 1:10-11
      2. Their division was a result of "preacher-itis" - 1Co 1:12
         a. They were claiming, "I am of Paul", "I am of Apollos", etc.
         b. As Paul expounded later, they were thinking too highly of
            the different preachers
            1) Their attitude was a mark of carnality - 1Co 3:3-4
            2) Preachers were simply fellow servants - 1Co 3:5-9
            3) Thus they were not to boast in men - 1Co 3:21-23

   B. IT APPEARS RELATED TO WHO BAPTIZED THEM...
      1. As indicated by Paul's rhetorical questions - 1Co 1:13
      2. E.g., "Were you baptized in the name of Paul?"
      3. Some evidently claimed to be disciples of those who personally
         baptized them

   C. THUS PAUL WAS GRATEFUL HE PERSONALLY BAPTIZED FEW...
      1. Thankful that he baptized only Crispus, Gaius, and the
         household of Stephanas
      2. Lest any should say that he was baptizing in his own name
         - 1Co 1:14-15

[So Paul was addressing a problem at Corinth.  Are we to construe from
this that Paul didn't preach baptism, or didn't think it necessary?  To
the contrary...]

II. PAUL'S PREACHING HAD RESULTED IN MANY BAPTISMS

   A. LUKE RECORDS PAUL'S WORK AT CORINTH...
      1. How he worked with Aquila and Priscilla - Ac 18:1-3
      2. How he reasoned in the synagogues, testified that Jesus is the
         Christ, and persisted despite rejection by unbelieving Jews
         - Ac 18:4-7

   B. LUKE RECORDS THE SUCCESS OF PAUL'S PREACHING...
      1. Crispus, ruler of the synagogue, and his household believed on
         the Lord (and whom Paul personally baptized) - Ac 18:8; cf.
         1Co 1:14
      2. But also "many" of the Corinthians believed and were baptized
         - Ac 18:8

[Though Paul personally baptized few, his preaching resulted in many
baptisms!  Baptism must have played a significant role in his preaching.
That is one reason why we must not twist Paul's words to the church at
Corinth as implying that it was not necessary.  As we return to 1Co 1:13, we should also note that...]

III. PAUL'S WORDS DEMONSTRATE THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM

   A. NOTE CAREFULLY PAUL'S REASONING...
      1. For one to call himself after Paul (or any other man) required
         two things:
         a. Paul would have to be crucified for the person - 1Co 1:13
         b. One would have to be baptized in the name of Paul - 1Co 1:13
      2. Neither happened, of course, which is why they should not be
         calling themselves after men

   [But consider what Paul's argument means positively...]

   B. TO BE CALLED AFTER CHRIST, TWO THINGS ARE REQUIRED...
      1. Christ would have to die for the person (which of course He
         did)
      2. The person would have to be baptized in the name of Christ!
         a. Have you been baptized in the name of Christ?
         b. If not, then you cannot rightfully be called a Christian!

[In the very context of a passage which many use to claim that baptism
is not essential, Paul implies one cannot be called a Christian unless
they have been baptized in the name of Christ!

How then are we to understand Paul's statement ("For Christ did not send
me to baptize, but to preach the gospel...")?  The answer is easy...]

IV. PAUL WAS EMPHASIZING HIS ROLE AS AN APOSTLE

   A. PAUL WAS SENT TO PREACH, NOT BAPTIZE...
      1. As an apostle (which means "one sent"), Paul's role was to
         proclaim the gospel
         a. As explained to the Ephesians, he was given the task to
            preach "the unsearchable riches of Christ" - Ep 3:8
         b. Which he did by inspiration - cf. Ga 1:11-12
      2. Though his preaching resulted in baptism (cf. Ac 18:8), it was
         not imperative that he do it
         a. Others could easily do the baptizing (such as his traveling
            companions)
         b. Which happened at Corinth, for while many were baptized, he
            personally baptized few

   B. PAUL USED A COMMON STYLE OF SPEAKING...
      1. Notice the words of Jesus in Jn 6:27...
         a. "Do not labor for the food which perishes"
         b. "but for the food which endures to everlasting life"
         c. Jesus was not saying one should not work, but rather was
            emphasizing the importance of seeking after spiritual food
            over physical food
      2. In a similar way Paul says 1Co 1:17...
         a. "For Christ did not send me to baptize"
         b. "but to preach the gospel"
         c. Paul was not saying he was not to baptize, but that his role
            as an apostle to preach the gospel was more important!

   C. HOW OTHERS HAVE UNDERSTOOD PAUL...
      1. "That is, not to baptize as my main business.  Baptism was not
         his principle employment, though he had a commission in common
         with others to administer the ordinance, and occasionally did
         it." - Barnes (Notes, on 1Co 1:17)
      2. "According to Semitic idiom, 'not so much to baptize, as...'.
         The word 'sent' involves the meaning 'made me an apostle'.  The
         primary function of an apostle was 'to bear witness'." - Farrar
         (Commentary on 1Co 1:17)
      3. "Baptism was not his principal work, not the main business for
         which Paul was sent, it was part of his work, otherwise he
         would not have baptized Crispus, or Gaius, or 'the household of
         Stephanas,' but preaching was his principle work." - Poole
         (Annotations, 1Co 1:17)
      4. "...bearing mind Paul's other utterances about baptism, v.17 is
         to be interpreted in the light of the Semitic manner of laying
         stress on an issue:  Christ sent Paul to preach the gospel
         rather than to baptize.  But this is no depreciation of the
         value of baptism." - Beasley-Murray (Baptism In The New
         Testament, p.181)

CONCLUSION

1. When one considers all the evidence we have about the situation at
   Corinth, we learn...
   a. Many were baptized as a result of Paul's preaching - Ac 18:8
   b. Paul was glad that he did personally baptized few, because of the
      problem that later arose in Corinth - 1Co 1:14-15

2. In the passage so many use to say that baptism is not important...
   a. Paul emphasizes his role as an apostle - 1Co 1:17
   b. Paul's reasoning implies the necessity of baptism (to be called
      after Christ, one must be baptized into the name of Christ)
      - 1Co 1:13

Can you rightfully be called a Christian?  True, Jesus Christ was
crucified for you; but have you been baptized in the name of Christ...?


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Mark Copeland... The Problem Of Religious Division (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)



                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

              The Problem Of Religious Division (1:10-13)

INTRODUCTION

1. The picture the world sees of "Christianity" is one with much
   religious division...
   a. Between Catholics and Protestants
   b. Between various Protestant denominations
   c. Between liberal and conservative factions of any denomination
   d. Between members of the same congregation

2. Many people do not take the problem of religious division
   seriously...
   a. Content to perpetuate the denominational names and doctrines that
      divide so many
   b. Considering such differences as not important, often praising such
      diversity as commendable

[Yet in the early church, "The Problem Of Religious Division" was not
taken lightly.  As we turn to our text (1Co 1:10-13), we are
immediately struck with...]

I. THE SEVERITY OF THE PROBLEM

   A. IN THE WORDS OF PAUL...
      1. Prompting the apostle to beg ("I plead with you, brethren...")
         - 1Co 1:10
      2. Appealing to the authority of Christ - 1Co 1:10
      3. For the contention division creates - 1Co 1:11
      4. For the impression such division gives - 1Co 1:12-13
         a. That Christ is somehow divided
         b. That their allegiance is to some man rather than to Christ
      5. For such division is indicative of carnality and spiritual
         immaturity - cf. 1Co 3:1-4
      -- Paul certainly took the problem of religious division
         seriously!

   B. IN THE WORDS AND DEEDS OF JESUS...
      1. Jesus prayed for unity among those who would believe in Him
         - Jn 17:20-21
         a. Unity akin to that between the Father and the Son - Jn 17:
            21b,22b
         b. Participating in the unity between the Father and the Son
            - Jn 17:21c,23a
      2. For two reasons Jesus prays for unity among believers
         a. "that the world may believe that you sent Me" - Jn 17:21
         b. "that the world may know that you sent Me, and have loved
            them as You have loved Me" - Jn 17:23
      3. He even passed along glory from the Father to make unity
         possible! - cf. Jn 17:22
      4. He also died to bring about unity between Jew and Gentile - cf.
         Ep 2:13-16
      -- Jesus prayed and died for unity...He certainly took religious
         division seriously!

[How can we who profess to be Christians today take "The Problem Of
Religious Division" lightly? If we appreciate the concern of both Jesus
and Paul, what can we do about it?  In our text, we find...]

II. THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

   A. SPEAK THE SAME THING...
      1. So the apostle enjoins in our text - 1Co 1:10
         a. Of course, it is easier said than done
         b. But this is the goal to which we are to strive
      2. The goal is more likely if we heed the words of Peter - 1 Pe 4:11
         a. "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God..."
         b. Let those who teach or preach do so in accordance with the
            Word of God
         c. Too many teach or preach their opinions, rather than the
            Word of God
      -- I.e., "Speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the
         Bible is silent"

   B. HAVE THE SAME MIND...
      1. Again the apostle so enjoins in our text - 1Co 1:10
         a. Those of the same mind will more likely speak the same thing
         b. Striving to be of the same mind) will help us speak the same
            thing
      2. The "same mind" we should have is the "mind of Christ" - Php 2:
         1-5
         a. Which results in consolation, comfort, fellowship, affection
            and mercy
         b. Which requires lowliness of mind, thinking highly of others,
            concern for others
      -- As we develop the mind of Christ, the more likely we will be of
         one mind

   C. HAVE THE SAME JUDGMENT...
      1. As stressed in our text - 1Co 1:10
         a. Where we have the same knowledge, similar processes of
            reasoning
         b. Which leads us to the same conclusions on various issues
      2. Much religious division is the result of different standards of
         authority
         a. Many appeal to majority rule, traditions of men, personal
            feelings, etc.
         b. Christians in the New Testament were expected to abide in
            the apostles' doctrine, as taught in every church - cf. 
            Ac 2:42; 1Co 4:17; 14:37; 1Ti 3:15
      -- Where different conclusions are drawn, someone, somehow, is not
         submitting to the mind of Christ as revealed through His
         apostles!

CONCLUSION

1. We should not be surprised when people do not...
   a. Speak the same thing
   b. Have the same mind
   c. Have the same judgment

2. We should expect that it will require...
   a. Time for people to develop the mind of Christ
   b. Patience and love to give each other time to grow

But wherever "The Problem Of Religious Division" exists, we should not
rest content.  With the same fervency of Paul's words and Jesus' prayer,
we should strive to overcome it...!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Mark Copeland... Admonitions To The Strong And Weak (Romans 14:1-15:7)



                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

             Admonitions To The Strong And Weak (14:1-15:7)

INTRODUCTION

1. An important part of the Christian life is getting along with
   brethren...
   a. Jesus prayed for unity among believers - Jn 17:20-23
   b. Paul condemned division among Christians - 1Co 1:10-13
   c. Jesus died to make Jew and Gentile one new man and one body - Ep 2:14-16

2. Unity did not come easily in the early church...
   a. Jewish Christians were reluctant to accept Gentile Christians
      - cf. Ac 15:1-5
   b. Knowledgeable Christians were not always considerate - cf. 1Co 8:10-12

3. Unity does not come easily in the church today...
   a. People come into the kingdom from all sorts of religious
      backgrounds
   b. Their level of knowledge, their rate of spiritual growth, varies
      widely

[To ensure that brethren receive one another as they should, Paul wrote
a lengthy discourse in which he provides "Admonitions To The Strong And
Weak" (Ro 14:1-15:7).  As we consider these admonitions, let's do so in
the form of answering some key questions...]

I. WHO IS A 'WEAK' BROTHER?

   A. ONE WHO IS 'WEAK' IN THE FAITH...
      1. Who has doubts about certain things - Ro 14:1
      2. One who eats only vegetables - Ro 14:2
      3. One who esteems one day above another - Ro 14:5-6
      4. One who stumbles over meat and wine - Ro 14:21
      -- E.g., a new Jewish Christian whose conscience had been trained
         by the Law to abstain from certain foods, to observe certain
         holidays

   B. NOT ONE 'IGNORANT' IN THE FAITH...
      1. The weak brother was certainly not ignorant after reading this
         epistle
         a. He is told that God accepts the other brother - Ro 14:3
         b. He is told that God declares all foods clean - Ro 14:14,20;
            cf. Mk 7:18,19; 1Ti 4:4
      2. But his conscience was not yet ready to accept what the Lord
         allows
         a. There are still lingering doubts - Ro 14:1
         b. He is not yet fully convinced - Ro 14:5b
         c. He is grieved by certain foods - Ro 14:15
         d. He cannot eat without offense - Ro 14:20
         e. He is prone to stumble and become weaker - Ro 14:21
         f. He cannot eat with faith (a strong conviction) - Ro 14:23
      -- E.g., a Jew or Muslim who becomes a Christian, yet still
         struggles with their newfound liberty in Christ

[The weak brother knows what is right, but his conscience has yet to be
sufficiently retrained to partake in that which for so long had been a
sin for him.  On the other hand, consider...]

II. WHO IS A 'STRONG' BROTHER?

   A. ONE WHO IS STRONG IN 'THE' FAITH...
      1. He knows that God has received him - Ro 14:3
      2. He knows what the Lord has revealed - Ro 14:14,20; cf. 
         Mk 7:18,19; 1Ti 4:4
      -- I.e., a Christian who is well taught in the ways of the Lord

   B. ONE WHO IS STRONG IN 'HIS' FAITH...
      1. Who believes he may eat all things - Ro 14:2
      2. One who observes every day alike - Ro 14:5-6
      3. One who does not condemn himself in what he approves - Ro 14:22
      -- I.e., a Christian who can enjoy God-given freedom without
         qualms of conscience

[In any congregation, you are likely to find both strong and weak
brethren as described in this passage.  What is expected of those who
are weak...?]

III. ADMONITIONS TO THE WEAK

   A. DO NOT JUDGE (CONDEMN) YOUR BROTHER...
      1. For God has received him - Ro 14:3
         a. God has revealed that what he does is acceptable - cf. Mk 7:
            18,19; 1Ti 4:4
         b. The weak brother knows this; by reading this epistle, if not
            before - Ro 14:14,20
      2. He is Christ's servant, not yours - Ro 14:4
         a. We cannot judge or condemn another servant whom God has
            accepted - Ro 14:4
         b. Such judgment belongs to Christ, before whom we will all
            stand - Ro 14:10-13a; cf. also Jm 4:11-12
      -- The weak brother is not told to accept a brother whom he
         believes to be in error; rather, he is not to condemn a brother
         who is doing what God has revealed

   B. DO NOT VIOLATE YOUR CONSCIENCE...
      1. Do that which you are able to do with full conviction - Ro 14:5b
      2. Refrain from doing anything about which you have doubts - Ro 14:22-23
      3. Serving the Lord with a clear conscience is important
         a. Jesus shed His blood to cleanse our conscience - He 9:14;
            10:22
         b. The goal is to have a good conscience - 1Ti 1:5,19; 2 Ti 1:3
         c. The conscience can be rejected, seared, and defiled - 
            1 Ti 1:19; 4:1-2; Tit 1:15
      -- Paul would not have the brother whose faith is weak to do
         anything to weaken his conscience

[Paul's concern for the weak is evident elsewhere (cf. 2Co 11:29), and
in our text by noting that the bulk of this passage is actually directed
toward the strong brother...]

IV. ADMONITIONS TO THE STRONG

   A. RECEIVE YOUR WEAK BROTHER...
      1. Not for the purpose of disputing over what he has doubts - Ro 14:1
      2. Don't despise your brother - Ro 14:3
      3. Don't show contempt for your brother - Ro 14:10
      4. Bear with their scruples - Ro 15:1
      -- A strong brother must be careful not to be arrogant, but
         considerate

   B. DON'T PUT UP STUMBLING BLOCKS...
      1. Don't put up occasions for him to fall - Ro 14:13b
      2. Don't grieve your brethren with your liberty - Ro 14:15a
      3. Don't destroy your brother with your liberty - Ro 14:15b,20a
      4. Don't let your good be spoken of as evil - Ro 14:16
      -- A strong brother must be careful lest his abuse of liberty lead
         to his own downfall

   C. PURSUE PEACE AND EDIFICATION...
      1. For the kingdom of God is not about food - Ro 14:17-18
         a. It is about righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit
         b. He who serves Christ in such things is acceptable to God,
            approved by men
      2. Strive for that which brings peace and edifies one another - Ro 14:19
         a. Blessed are the peacemakers - cf. Mt 5:9; 2Co 13:11; 1 Pe 3:10-11
         b. Our goal should be one of building each other up - cf. Ro 15:2
      -- A strong brother must care more for his brother than for
         himself - Ro 15:1-3

CONCLUSION

1. What is the goal of such admonitions to the strong and weak...?
   a. That brethren be like-minded toward one another - Ro 15:5
   b. That brethren might glorify God with one mind and one mouth - Ro 15:6
   c. That brethren might receive one another to the glory of God - Ro 15:7
   -- Is this not sufficient motive to take Paul's admonitions
      seriously?

2. Thus we are to receive one another as Christ received us...
   a. He received us in our weakness - Ro 5:6
   b. His longsuffering works toward our salvation - 2Pe 3:15
   -- Should not we who are strong extend the same courtesy to our
      weaker brethren?

Speaking of Christ having received us...have we received Him in faith
and baptism? - cf. Jn 1:12; Ga 3:26-27



Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Mark Copeland.... It's Time To Wake Up! (Romans 13:11-14)


                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

                    It's Time To Wake Up! (13:11-14)

INTRODUCTION

1. Apathy and lethargy are problems that often afflict the people of
   God...
   a. Many Christians simply "go through the motions"
   b. Many Churches exist, but with little zeal or progress

2. Such problems were common in New Testament times...
   a. The church in Ephesus left their first love - Re 2:4
   b. The church in Laodicea became lukewarm - Re 3:15-16

3. Paul felt the need to exhort the brethren in Rome to awake from sleep
   - Ro 13:11-14
   a. "To awake from carelessness and indifference" - B. W. Johnson
   b. "To shake off slothfulness, security, and all former sinful
      courses" - Poole
   c. To awake from "stupid, fatal indifference to eternal things" - JFB

[Have we become lethargic and indifferent to eternal things?  If so,
"It's Time To Wake Up!"  With Paul's exhortation before us, consider
some reasons...]

I. WHY WE NEED TO WAKE (11-12a)

   A. KNOWING THE TIME...
      1. Knowing the nature of time
         a. Time is short
         b. Time is fleeting - Jm 4:14-17
      2. Knowing what time it is
         a. Now is the time to obey the Lord
         b. Now is day of salvation - 2Co 6:1-2

   B. OUR SALVATION IS NEARER...
      1. Our salvation is nearer - in what way?
         a. The Lord's return is nearer
         b. Our own death is nearer, should we die before the Lord
            returns - cf. He 9:27
      2. Than we first believed
         a. Every day brings us closer
         b. Think of how much time has gone by since we believed!

   C. THE NIGHT IS FAR SPENT...
      1. The night - referring to the moral darkness of this world - cf.
         1Jn 2:8
      2. Is far spent - lit., "is cut off" It is becoming short; it is
         hastening to a close - cf. 1Co 7:31b
      3. This world and time as we know it will not last long

   D. THE DAY IS AT HAND...
      1. "The day of eternal blessedness is at hand - is about to dawn
         on us in our glorious resurrection unto eternal life" - Clarke
      2. Until which the Word of God serves as a light shining in the
         dark - cf. 2Pe 1:19

[Since these things are true, let us walk (conduct ourselves)
properly...]

II. HOW WE OUGHT TO WALK (12b-14)

   A. CASTING OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS...
      1. Such things as mentioned in this text:
         a. Revelry, drunkenness, lewdness
         b. Lust, strife, envy
      2. Such things as mentioned in other texts:
         a. Adultery, fornication, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
            contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
            ambitions, dissension's, heresies, murders - cf. Ga 5:19-21
         b. Passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, malice,
            blasphemy, filthy language, lying - cf. Col 3:5-8

   B. PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT...
      1. The breastplate of faith and love, the hope of salvation as a
         helmet - 1Th 5:8
      2. That armor of God including truth, righteousness, the gospel,
         faith, the hope of salvation, the Word of God - cf. Ep 6:10-17

   C. PUTTING ON THE LORD JESUS...
      1. First, in baptism
         a. For in baptism we "put on" Christ - Ga 3:27
         b. We are raised "with" Christ, "made alive together with Him"
            - Col 2:11-13
      2. Then, in developing Christ-like character
         a. Putting on the new man, renewed in knowledge, with tender
            mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering,
            forbearance, forgiving one another, love - Col 3:10-14
         b. Being renewed in mind, a new man in true righteousness and
            holiness - Ep 4:20-24
         c. Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ - cf.
            2Pe 1:5-8; 3:18

   D. MAKING NO PROVISION FOR THE FLESH...
      1. Something we must do!
         a. If we want to live spiritually - cf. Ro 8:12-13a
         b. If we desire the love of the Father - cf. 1Jn 2:15-17
      2. Something we can do!
         a. With the aid of the Spirit - cf. Ro 8:13b; Ep 3:16,20; Ga 5:
            16-17
         b. With the aid of God's providence - cf. 1Co 10:13
         c. With the aid of watchful prayer - Mt 26:41; cf. 1Pe 4:7;
            5:8
      3. How serious are we in this regard?
         a. Do we avoid circumstances that might tempt the flesh?
         b. Do we abstain from activities that arouse fleshly lusts?

CONCLUSION

1. Brethren, are we sleeping...?
   a. Indifferent to matters of the spirit, careless about things
      eternal?
   b. Lethargic in our service to the Lord, apathetic about our
      spiritual well-being?

2. If so, then "It's Time To Wake Up!"...
   a. The time to change and grow will be soon be gone!
   b. The day of eternity will arrive and we won't be ready!

3. Let us be children of the day, not of the night...
   a. Put on the Lord Jesus
   b. Put on the armor of light
   c. Walk properly
   d. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its fleshly lusts

...and we can look forward to obtaining salvation through Jesus Christ!
- cf. 1Th 5:1-11


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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