And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD
Vol 13, Num 16, 05/23/2010
Published
by
Mt. Baker
church of Christ
Location:
1860 Mt. Baker HWY
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 30821
Bellingham, WA 98228
(360) 752-2692
Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship..10:30AM; 6:00PM
Wednesday:
Bible Classes.........7:00 PM
All sing last Wednesday
Web sites:
Mt. Baker church
Bible Answers
Editor......Joe R. Price
Elders
Morris Bass
Rick Holt
Joe Price
Deacons
Aaron Bass
Rich Brooks
Mike Finn
John Hague
Dan Head
In this issue:
- Return to the Lord (Zechariah 1:1-6)
- God's Agenda for the Homosexual Agenda (Psalms 11:3-7)
Who Gave You this Authority?
Joe R. Price
Our need to understand and correctly apply Bible authority has not diminished. Nor will it as long as God’s word says to do all things “in the name of the Lord” (by His authority), Colossians 3:17. To the degree that we fail to know, to obey and to teach brethren how to establish and apply Bible authority we invite spiritual weakness and the danger of doctrinal error and immoral conduct (1 Tim 4:1-3). Consequently, the apostle Paul told Timothy to continue to “instruct the brethren” in the truth. To accomplish his work as a “good minister of Jesus Christ” Timothy himself had to be “nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine” and also “carefully” follow the word of God (1 Tim 4:6).
Do you know why you believe what you believe and why you do what you do? Even the enemies of Jesus asked Him, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” (Matt 21:23) Can you give accurate Bible answers for what you believe and what you practice? Do you even see the need to do so? If you cannot or you do not think it is necessary to do so, then you are already turning the commands of God into traditions that can (and will be) changed according to your own will and pleasure (cf. Matt 15:1-9).
Possessing Bible authority means that God approves of our faith, our teaching and our practices (Matt 28:18-20). God speaks to us “in His Son” in “the word of the truth of the gospel” (Heb 1:3; Col 1:5). We must handle it properly in order to have God’s approval (Heb 1:3; Col 1:5; 2 Tim 2:15).
Bible authority is established in any one of three ways:
1) By command or direct statement.
One example is Mark 16:16: “He that believes and is baptized will be saved”. Again, the Lord commanded His disciples to eat the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:23-25).2) By apostolic approved example.
We are to do the “things which you learned and received and heard and saw in” the apostles as they imitated Christ (Phil 4:9; 1 Cor 11:1). The day on which we eat the Lord’s Supper is due to an apostolic approved example (Acts 20:7).3) By necessary inference.
This is the undeniable, exclusive conclusion that is drawn from what is stated. A necessary inference was used to affirm the circumcision-free gospel that Paul and Barnabas preached to the Gentiles. The miracles God worked through them led to the necessary conclusion that God approved their message. The frequency of eating the Lord’s Supper is due to a necessary inference (Acts 20:7).Do not grow lax in equipping yourself with the fundamentals of establishing and applying Bible authority.
Does the
Bible Indicate a Young Earth?
Jerry Fite
If organic evolution is true, the earth must be billions of years old. The complexity of life and life forms would need enormous amounts of time to evolve into what we presently observe. Such theorists also believe it would take billions of years for the particles to cool after the so called “Big Bang”, and then solidify to form earth and the other planets in our universe. Thinking of the earth as being between 6,000 and 10,000 years old is unconscionable, because the present known complexities would take much more time for mere chance to work.
Evolutionists therefore consider the earth to be 4.5 billion to 20 billion years old. People who advocate a young earth believe the earth is between 6,000 and 10,000 years old. God creating, instead of chance operating, does not need large blocks of time to work. We are therefore looking at an enormous difference between the two camps.
Does the Bible indicate a comparatively young earth? While we may not have the exact month, day and year of creation, does the Bible lead us to reject the notion of the earth being billions and billions years old?
Some who want to hold to the teachings of the Bible and an old earth believe the six days of creation could have covered billions and billions of years. Each day would therefore be a long period of time, not twenty four hours as we know it. What does the Bible have for us to consider?
The life span of Adam shows that such a theory is unsustainable. God reports, “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died” (Genesis 5:5). According to the Bible, Adam was created on the sixth day and lived through the seventh day (Genesis 1:25-31). If each day were “ages long” or billions of years long, Adam’s life span would not be 930 years, having lived in part of one age and continuing beyond the completion of the next “day”.
On the fourth day of creation, God made the sun, moon and the stars. These lights were placed in the firmament of heaven “to divide the day from the night. . .” (Genesis 1:14). “Evening and morning” were not the only things dividing the day, but the sun was now giving light on one side of the earth while the other side was experiencing nightfall. For a day to be a billion years old, the earth would have the light from the sun for 500,000 years while the other side was going through half a million years of darkness. Life would not be sustainable. The Bible here and observable life show that a day, ruled by the light of the sun and the night by the lesser light, could not be billions of years.
Moses, in Exodus, gives an inspired commentary on what he revealed in Genesis. Moses is commanding the Israelites that they will work six days and rest on the seventh day, “for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). As Jehovah’s day had an “evening and morning” in his days of creation, so the Israelite would recognize the same in his days of work. Six days, not six ages would they work. They would rest on the seventh day, not rest for a billion years. If the Bible is true, the foundation for an old earth theory does not exist.
Glad Tidings
(XIX:12), March 21, 2010You can find the complete outline of this sermon plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files at BIBLE ANSWERS
Return to the Lord
Scripture Reading: Zechariah 1:1-6
1. The history of the northern kingdom (Israel)
reveals an endless stream of rebellion against God, from its inception
(Jeroboam) to its demise (Assyrians).
2. Throughout its 200+ yr. history, God repeatedly sent His prophets,
calling Israel to return to Him, Hos 6:1; Zech 7:8-14.
3. Isaiah 6: Things we must return to if we are to return to the Lord.
I. RETURN TO A FEAR OF GOD, 6:1-4.
A. The Glory of God Compels Us, Rev 4.
1. His holiness, Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 1 Pet 1:13-16; Heb 12:14.
2. His powerful presence (Acts 14:15-17)
B. Fear of the Lord: Dread Displeasing Him, Job 28:28; Psa 111:7-10; 36:1;
Matt 10:28; Eccl 12:13.
II. RETURN TO UNDERSTANDING AND CONFESSING OUR SIN, 6:5 (Rom 3:9-18).
A. Refusal to Identify and Confess Our Sins is
Deadly, Isa 5:20-25; 1 Sam 7:3; Jer 3:1, 6-7, 10-14, 22; 4:1; Rev 2:4-5.
B. Stubborn Refusal to Return, Jer 5:3; Heb 12:5-7; Jas 4:6-10.
III. RETURN TO THE JOY OF YOUR FORGIVENESS, 6:6-7.
A. Obtain Mercy; Forsake Sin, Hos 14:1-4.
B. Requirements to Rejoice in Salvation.
IV. RETURN TO BOOK-CHAPTER-VERSE PREACHING AND LIVING, 6:8-10.
A. God’s People are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge (God’s Word), Hos 4:6; Mal 3:7; Isa 8:19-20 (Rom 1:16); 6:11-13; Rom 2:1-4
Conclusion
Do not think that you cannot fall away from God, Heb 3:7-8, 12-13 (Hos 6:1).
You can find the complete outline of this sermon plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files at BIBLE ANSWERS
God's Agenda for the Homosexual Agenda
Scripture Reading: Psalms 11:3-7
1. There is a clear,
definable homosexual agenda on the rise on America’s social landscape. (Prov
17:15; Isa 5:20)
2. How shall we respond?
3. God’s agenda:
Condemnation of sin and salvation in Christ.
I. GOD CLEARLY CONDEMNS HOMOSEXUALITY AS SIN
.
A. God Opposes this Sin
in Every Age:
1. During Patriarchs, Gen 19:5, 12-13, 24.
2. In the Law of Moses, Lev 18:22; 20:13.
3. In the New Testament (Rom 1:18, 24, 26-28; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 2 Pet 2:6-7;
Jude 7-8).
B. Why Condemn Homosexuality?
1. Overturns marriage, Gen 2:18-25; Eph 5.
2. Destroys the family as God designed it.
3. Destroys societies, nations and souls.
C. The Bible is Clear in its Condemnation of the Sin of Homosexuality and
in its Defense of Heterosexual Marriage, He 13:4
II. GOD’S AGENDA TOWARD THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA IS THE CONDEMNATION OF SIN AND SALVATION IN CHRIST
.
A. Condemnation: Sin of
Homosexuality Will Keep one Out of Heaven (send one to hell), Rom 6:23; 1
Cor 6:9-10; Eph 5:5.
B. Salvation: The Gospel of Christ Calls on LGBT to Repent, 1 Cor 6:9-11;
Acts 18:8; 1 Ths 4:3-5; Rom 6:16-18; Jno 3:16; Ro 1:16.
III. WHAT CAN RIGHTEOUS DO?
Psa 11:3
A. Do Not Compromise what
the Bible Teaches, Psa 119:104-106.
B. Suffer for Righteousness, 1 Pet 3:13-17.
Conclusion
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)
When a Lie is not a Lie
Joe R. Price
When is a lie not a lie? When a politician tells you it isn’t! At least, that’s what we are supposed to believe from the mouth of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (who is running for the US Senate). Blumenthal admitted this week that he had “misspoken” when he said he had served in Vietnam. He never did (although he did serve in the US Marine Corps Reserve).
“On a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service and I regret that and I take full responsibility," Blumenthal said Tuesday. But he described those remarks as “absolutely unintentional,” and said the mistake has only happened a few times out of “hundreds” of addresses he’s given.” (“Blumenthal Claims He Misspoke About Vietnam Military Record, Defends Service”, FOXNews.com)
Now, maybe it’s just me, but I think I would remember if I had ever been in Vietnam – especially if I had been a Marine fighting a war there.
Misspeaking is one thing; we all do that from time to time. A lie is different. It is speaking what is false as if it is the truth (Jno 8:44). A lie is the opposite of an honest statement of truth. A lie is a falsehood.
God expects us to be honest in all our dealings with others, and that includes our speech (Eph 4:25). Honesty begins with being honest with ourselves – honest in our hearts. Bearing false witness (telling a lie) comes from a corrupt heart (Matt 15:18-20). Repentance is necessary to cleanse the dishonest heart (2 Cor 7:10-11). Until the liar admits his dishonesty to himself he will not repent in his heart.
Remember: all liars will have their part in the eternal lake of fire (Rev 20:8). No lie is worth that!
Created by Chuck Sibbing. 06/10/2010
The Spirit's Sword is a free,
weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
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