And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD
Volume 19, Number
05
10/02/2016
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
Deacons
Aaron Bass
Rich Brooks
Mike Finn
Dan Head
In this issue:
- Plundered Treasure (2) & (3)
Serve God in Sincerity and in Truth
Joshua
challenged Israel as he approached death, “Now therefore, fear the Lord,
serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your
fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord”
(Josh. 24:14). Herein is a three-fold principle that applies to all who
would be true to God in their lives.
First, one
must fear the Lord. A genuine dread of displeasing Him in our lives must
motivate us to right thinking and right living. The purpose of our life on
earth is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl. 12:13). Jesus
commanded that we “fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell” (Matt. 10:28). We will turn away from God if respect for Him does not
drive our thoughts, words and deeds, (Rom. 1:28-32).
With proper
fear of God within the heart, we can then repent of our sins (“put away the
gods...”). Repentance is a genuine change of mind toward one’s sinful
conduct that is produced by godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:10). Such repentance
bears the fruit of a reformed life – by putting sin away and conforming to
truth (Acts 26:20; Rev. 9:20-21). It is not enough to be sorry for our sins.
To repent means we are so sorry that we change our minds toward it and live
according to God’s truth. Many are deceived into thinking they can be
sincerely sorry for their past sins, yet continue to live in them and please
God. This is no more possible than it was for Israel to be sorry for her
past idolatry and yet continue in it.
Thirdly, one
must serve the Lord. Conversion to the Lord is not conversion at all
unless it is reflected in an obedient life (Lk. 6:46). When one becomes a
Christian he becomes a “servant of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17-18). It is
axiomatic that we serve the master whom we obey (Rom. 6:16). So, if we
profess a fear of the Lord in our lives and repent of our sins, we will then
sincerely serve the Lord in truth.
Sincerity
without truth is vain (Matt. 7:21-23). Truth without sincerity is hypocrisy
(Matt. 23:1-3). The gospel of Christ brings together sincerity and truth.
Read and carefully consider Ephesians 4:20-24:
“But you have
not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by
Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former
conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man
which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Jesus saves all
who obey Him in sincerity and truth (Heb. 5:8-9; 1 Cor. 5:8). Does this
describe you? If not, today is the time to start.
A Monument to Atheism
In 2013 the
American Atheists gained permission to erect a public monument to atheism
alongside a monument of the Ten Commandments displayed in front of the
Bradford County Courthouse in Starke, FL. Their goal is to add more
monuments to atheism throughout America.
The Ten
Commandments were given to the nation of Israel as part of the covenant God
made with Israel, spoken from Mt. Sinai and then engraved on two tablets of
stone by the finger of God (Exo. 31:18; Deut. 4:12-13; 5:1-4). While we do
not live under that covenant today, but under the better covenant (the
gospel of Christ), the concepts of the Ten Commandments have formed a
framework for the rule of law in societies for millennia, including the
United States.
We would do
well to learn from them that God commands faithful living toward Himself and
toward others. Refresh your memory:
The Ten
Commandments
You shall have
no other gods before Me.
You shall not
make for yourself a graven image.
You shall not
take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your
father and your mother.
You shall not
murder.
You shall not
commit adultery.
You shall not
steal.
You shall not
bear false witness.
You shall not
covet. (Exo. 20:3-17)
The monument to
atheism in Starke, FL has quotations on it from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas
Jefferson, John Adams and Madalyn Murray O'Hair (the founder of American
Atheists). David Silverman, president of American Atheists, said ‘‘Some
people think it’s an attack simply by us exerting our existence. They put a
monument on a public lawn that, if you put it in context, says atheists
should be killed,’’ Silverman said. ‘‘It is an attack, but it’s an attack on
Christian privilege, not an attack on Christians themselves, and not so much
an attack on Christianity” (“Atheists unveil monument by Ten Commandments,”
foxnews.com).
Consider what
we think would be more appropriate on a monument to atheism:
Ten
Commandments of Atheism
You shall be a
fool for saying there is no God. (Psalm 14:1)
You shall not
inherit the earth. (Psalm 37:9-11)
You shall be
cursed for trusting in the strength of man. (Jeremiah 17:5)
You shall be
without excuse and under the wrath of God. (Romans 1:18-21)
You shall be
given up to uncleanness and dishonor. (Romans 1:24)
You shall
exchange the truth for a lie. (Romans 1:25)
You shall be
given up to vile passions and corrupt thinking. (Romans 1:26-28)
You shall live
in ignorance. (Acts 17:22-23)
You shall live
in futility, moral blindness, lewdness and greed. (Ephesians 4:17-19)
You shall
suffer punishment forever in the lake of fire and brimstone, the second
death. (Revelation 21:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
Joe R. Price
Joe R. Price
You can find the complete outline of this sermon
plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files
at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Plundered Treasure (2) & (3)
Scripture Reading: Colossians 2:6-10
1. Review
Part 1: All things are yours, 1 Cor. 3:21-23 (18-20). We have great
treasures that can be plundered, Col. 2:8 (2-3).
2. When this happens, faith falters, hope is unsure, and love is
unstable (1 Cor. 13:13).
I. WE MUST NOT LET PEOPLE PLUNDER (TAKE AWAY) OUR TREASURE.
A. Do Not
Let Evangelicals (Franklin Graham, et al.) and Many Others Plunder the Plan
of Salvation, Acts 2:37-38; 16:30-31; 22:16 (Jas. 2:24; Mk. 16:16; Matt.
18:3).
B. Do
Not Let Calvinists (Presbyterians, Reformed, Baptists, etc.) Plunder the
Grace of God, 1 Pet. 5:12 (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1-2, 20-6:2; Tit. 2:11-12).
C. Do
Not Let the Calvinists (Presbyterians, Reformed, Baptists, etc.) Plunder the
Confidence of Our Salvation, 1 Jno. 5:13 (Jno. 10:27-30; Gal. 5:4; Heb.
3:14; 6:17-19).
D. Do
Not Let False Brethren Plunder the Truth on the Work and Organization of the
Local Church, 1 Tim. 3:15 (Acts 2:42-47; 14:23; Phil. 1:1).
E. Do
Not Let False Teachers in Churches of Christ Plunder the Truth on Marriage,
Divorce and Remarriage, Matt. 19:3-6, 9; Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:10-15.
F. Do
Not Let False Teachers in Churches of Christ Plunder the Truth on Fellowship
with Error on Romans 14 (2 Tim. 3:15-18; 1 Jno. 1:5-7; 2 Jno. 9-11; Eph.
5:11).
Conclusion
Perversions of the gospel by men must not deter us from boldly living by
its truth, Gal. 1:6-10. All things are yours, 1 Cor. 3:21-23.
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)
Fact Checking
Joe R. Price
During this presidential election cycle we hear a lot about fact checking; examining the candidates’ statements against the available record to determine their accuracy. There is even a website dedicated to this project (factcheck.org). Fact checking is often used by a candidate and his or her supporters to expose inaccuracies and lies of their opponent (I don’t recall a candidate fact checking themselves, do you?).
Fact checking the Christian’s words should not be necessary. A Christian puts away lying to “speak truth with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). Neither do Christians need to swear to validate what we say, for our “yes” means “yes” and our “no” means “no” (Jas. 5:12).
What a person teaches as being from God must be fact checked against the Scriptures. The Bereans did this when Paul and Silas preached to them (Acts 17:10-11). We are glad when those who desire the truth examine what we say against what the Bible says. Because God’s word is truth we must be in agreement with it, both in what we teach and what we do (Jno. 17:17; Lk. 6:46). The Bible is always right. So, whenever our teaching does not agree with the Biblical record we must repent and correct ourselves (Acts 26:18-20).
We ought to fact check ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). Self-examination, using “the faith” (the gospel) as our standard to measure what the good and acceptable will of God is vitally important. Without this fact checking we will likely believe a lie and lose our souls. We must fact check all our words and deeds to be sure we conform to the authority of Christ (Col. 3:17).
A word of
caution is in order: We must fact check with pure hearts, respectfully using
God’s word (2 Cor. 4:2). Avoid evil motives, for they will distort the truth
in an attempt to justify ourselves and our sin. “Buy the truth, and do not
sell it” (Prov. 23:23).
Created by Chuck Sibbing, last updated. 10/03/2016
The Spirit's Sword is a free,
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