And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD
Volume 19, Number
49
08/20/2017
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
Rich Brooks
Rick Holt
Deacons
Aaron Bass
Shane Bass
Mike Finn
Dan Head
In this issue:
- Desensitized Part 2
- The Compound Effect By Tanner L. Bass
Gospel Meeting September 08 - 12, 2017
The Mt.
Baker
Church of Christ
1860
Mt. Baker Highway • Bellingham WA
Invites you to
our
GOSPEL MEETING
With Evangelist
Steven J
Wallace
(Lubbock,
Texas)
September 08 - 12, 2017
Friday,
Saturday, Monday and Tuesday at
7:00 PM
Sunday,
September 10th at 9:30 and 10:30 AM; 6:00 PM
Hear these gospel lessons:
| Friday: | If I Were Satan's Minister |
| Saturday: | Called Out of Darkness Into Light |
| Sunday Class: | Revealing God's Plan for Salvation |
| AM Sermon: | Now That I Am A Christian |
| PM Sermon: | Defeating Defeatism |
| Monday: | Black and White Discernment |
| Tuesday: | The King's Banquet |
Bring your Bible and join us in learning God’s word and will for our lives!
(From
I-5 take Exit # 255 and go East 4.2 miles)
For more information please call (360) 752-2692
“Destination: Heaven or Hell?
Tanner Bass
When judgment
day comes, two options are presented where all individuals will spend
eternity as a result of their way of living. One, an everlasting punishment
reserved for those people who have rejected God, and obedience to His Word.
This place is called hell. The other place an individual may reside is in
heaven, which is an everlasting reward for those who have followed God’s
Word, and have chosen to obey Him each day, the way He has revealed it in
His Word. Let us look at some distinguishing points about these differing
realms, with the intent to scare all men about hell, and prepare and
encourage Christians for heaven.
Hell has been described in the Scriptures as “a lake that burns with fire
and brimstone, which is the second death,” Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8.
Aligning with this description, Matthew 13:42, and 50 goes on to say that
hell is a furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 9:43, 47-48 reads that hell is an unquenchable fire where their work
never dies. Matthew 25:41 describes this place of torment as an eternal
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Your worst day, moment, or year
simply cannot compare to how horrible hell will be. There will be no re-dos,
or time-outs. Non-stop pain, sorrow, and regret. Does hell sound like a
place you want to be? Live contrary to God’s Word and that is where you are
headed (2 Thess. 1:8-9).
On the other hand, heaven has also been described in the Scriptures. Some of
these descriptions include a place of eternal life (Matt. 25:46), a place
where this will be no night (Rev. 21:25), a place where all who are there
have been freed from all sin (Rev. 21:26-27), and finally a place where the
righteous will serve God. Heaven is a real place with real souls; thus, it
is compared to a mansion with many rooms, John 14:1-3. The Scriptures also
tell us that heaven is the dwelling place of God (Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit), as recorded in Matthew 6:9; 2 Peter 1:18; Hebrews 9:24; 1
Peter 1:12; Acts 1:11. Heaven is truly paradise, Luke 23:43. Heaven is a
prepared place for a prepared people. Does heaven sound like a place you
want to be? Live according to God’s Word and that is where you are headed!
Hell is the epitome of a terrible, wicked, and an undesirable location.
Heaven, is just the opposite. To say that heaven is a great, and desirable
location is an understatement! The desire to be in heaven one day must be
the fuel that drives Christians to keep on keeping on the narrow path which
Jesus spoke of (Matt. 7:13-14). Christians are the prepared people of God
who have a prepared place waiting and reserved for them on the day of
judgment. Everyone else will be cast into hell, where pain, sorrow, and
darkness will linger (Rev. 20:12-15).
Every person has been given an immortal soul, which will live on forever. Do
you want to spend an eternity in a place of fire, pain, and sorrow? Or do
you want to dwell with God, where there will be no night, tears, pain,
regret, and sorrow? Where do you want to live FOREVER? If heaven is your
answer, the Lord’s invitation to you is to become a Christian TODAY! Repent
of your past sins, and choose to be baptized for the remission of those sins
(Acts 2:38). Heaven will be your reward IF you continue in the faith
(Col. 1:23).
You can find the complete outline of this sermon
plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files
at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Desensitized Part 2
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:1-7
1. Review Part
1: We become desensitized to sin because of (1) Lack of knowledge, (2)
Failure to put off the old man, (3) Worldly influences, (4) Complacency
toward God’s will, and (5) Stubborn rebellion.
2. Renew our sensitivity toward immorality and error, Gal. 5:7.
I. RENEW OUR SENSITIVITY TOWARD…
A. Immodest Clothing, 1 Tim. 2:9-10; cf. Prov. 7:10; Jer. 6:15; Titus 2:5;
Isa. 47:2-3.
B. Profanity, Eph. 4:29. (crude, base language)
1. Euphemism: “the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression
for one thought to be offensively blunt or harsh” (Webster’s).
2. Speech should be: Sound (Tit. 2:8); gracious and seasoned (Col. 4:6);
truth in love (Eph. 4:15); boldness (2 Cor. 3:12); as the oracles of God (1
Pet. 4:11).
C. Fornication, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, 18.
D. Doctrinal Error, 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Gal. 1:6-10; Rom. 16:17; 2 Jno. 9-11.
E. Lost Souls, Matt. 9:36-38; 16:26.
Conclusion
When we become desensitized to the world and its sins, and to God’s truth,
we will surely be lost. (cf. Jno. 17:14-19)
You can find the complete outline of this sermon
plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files
at
BIBLE ANSWERS
By Tanner L. Bass
Intro.
This book is NOT the Bible, nor should it be compared to as the Bible. Some
of these lessons can help us grow and mature as we are called, Phil. 1:9-11;
Eph. 4:13-15.
I. CHOICES (DECISIONS):
A. “Our lives are the mirror image of the decisions we make.”
B. How do you base your choices?
-Proverbs 2:6; 3:5-6; 16:25; 19:21
-Are you learning from past choices? Prov. 26:11
-Forethought prior to your decisions? Prov. 14:15; 27:12
II. BEHAVIOR (ACTIONS).
A. “Your behavior rats you out every time.”
B. Our actions must be in accordance with God’s Word, Heb. 10:26-27;
Phil. 1:27; 1 Tim. 4:12; Jas. 3:13.
1 Pet. 2:12; 2 Pet. 3:11; 1 Thess. 2:10
C. Actions speak louder than words, Matt. 7:16.
III. HABIT (REPEATED ACTION):
A. “A routine is something you do every day, without fail…you do it
without conscious thought.”
B. Right habits will lead us to our spiritual goal!
C. “Your habits are learned; thus, they can be unlearned.”
D. We are called to build good habits: Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:1; Heb. 5:14.
IV. COMPOUND EFFECT (TIME)
A. “We will reap huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices.”
B. We will reap our spiritual goal from making Godly (smart) choices.
C. Encouragement: 2 Tim. 4:6-8; 2 Tim 3:14; Gal. 6:9; Jas 1:21-25.
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)
"America's Eclipse"
Joe R. Price
A total solar
eclipse will be visible Monday, August 21 in the U.S., sweeping from the
Pacific Northwest to the southern shore of the Atlantic. There are between 2
to 5 solar eclipses every calendar year, meaning that since Christ lived,
between 3,974 and 9,935 solar eclipses have occurred (“How Often Do Solar
Eclipses Occur?,” timeanddate.com
). Solar eclipses (the shadow of the moon passing across the earth are
regular astrological events that remind us of the symmetry and consistency
of the time piece God created in the heavens (earth, sun and moon).
Yet, some religious teachers will try to convince folks the eclipse is a
message from God – a sign in the heavens warning of judgment or signaling
the approach of the return of Jesus. Here are a few examples with brief
Bible responses.
Mark Blitz (El Shaddai Ministries, Tacoma WA): “…a solar eclipse is
meant as a sign from God. When there is a total solar eclipse, it is a
warning to a specific nation or nations depending on its path. … Could God
be giving us a warning that we need to repent or judgment will be coming to
the United States? The timing couldn’t be clearer!” [Bible Answer: God
has spoken to us “in these last days” by His Son, not astrological events
(Heb. 1:2). God calls all people of all nations to repentance through the
gospel (Acts 17:30-31).]
Paul Begley: Referring to Joel, he concludes it is a sign we are
“living in the last days” (Ibid). [Bible Answer: The “last days”
began on Pentecost in Acts 2:16-17. Christians are to be ready always for
Christ’s return (1 Thess. 5:1-11).]
Scott Clarke (ERF Ministries): “You’ve got this epic solar eclipse
over America and it’s happening right at Regulus, in Leo the Lion—the
constellation…it could happen anywhere, but it’s happening in the
constellation of the king, meaning the return of the king!” [Bible
Answer: Astrology is based in idolatry, not the true God (Isa.
47:13-15).]
Enjoy the
eclipse. Honor God, who made it. Obey His word, without the false teachings
of men. (Source: “What is the Biblical Significance of the Upcoming Solar
Eclipse? 8 Christian Leaders Explain,” Veronica Neffinger, christianheadlines.com)
Created by Chuck Sibbing, last updated. 08/20/2017
The Spirit's Sword is a free,
weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
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