December 14, 2013

From Jim McGuiggan... Punishment——God and government

Punishment——God and government

God’s law as expressed in scripture is vast and complex. The bulk of the laws we read in the Old Testament are to enable Israel to live in covenant relationship with God. They have nothing to do with what we today would call criminal (penal) law. The rules and regulations are to shape the believing society and be the glue that holds it together. (Disputes could arise where no crime was involved and the disputants went to the judge or elder who settled the issue and everyone went back to life.) Glad allegiance to Yahweh included worship as well as proper social relationships so there are laws about how worship was to be shaped and practiced (large sections in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and the whole book of Leviticus make the point). These laws were not given so that Israelites would have an opportunity to offend. God’s instruction about the kind of fire to be used in worship by the priests was not given so Nadab and Abihu would have something to break and so sin (see Leviticus 10).

And laws governing social behavior such as "Honor your father and mother" were not laid down so that children could have a commandment to break. "Honor your father and mother" is not criminal law but the laws that laid out sanctions against law-breakers come under that heading. Penal laws exist not because there are other laws but because people break the other laws.

Aside from the primary directives, God’s laws changed with the changing face and situation of the Israelite society. For example, many of the laws in the Pentateuch became redundant when the temple replaced the Tabernacle. Laws governing the collection of manna and how Israel was to camp in the wilderness reflected current situations and were set aside when the situation changed. Nothing became redundant that was essential to Israel’s self-understanding as God’s elect servant, working with him to gain larger ends.

When God punishes the sinner personal and relational factors are always present. The righteous God sees us as moral beings with whom he wants a personal relationship and in pursuing that he uses punishment as one of his instruments. The ultimate aim is always to produce in sinners a moral state (repentance) that expresses itself in righteousness and in the pursuit of "the good" as envisioned by God.

Whatever a secular society’s vision of "the good" is, it makes laws to promote that vision. Again, law is a complex and changing reality of course because human society is a complex and changing reality and it need laws to take that into account. At the simple level we have traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, stop signs and the like so that accidents and traffic gridlock can be avoided and to enable us to take advantage of these aids there are laws that govern their use. The lights and crossings and the rules connected with them are not introduced so that people can have an occasion to offend. The rules governing the flow of traffic are laws true enough but criminal law and the question of punishment only enters when someone ignores or chooses to ignore them but in and of themselves they have nothing to do with crime. These laws govern a series of societal needs and are intended to see that a society gets what it needs so that while the laws introduce restrictions they restrict in order to enable. (In the OT the choice of a special priesthood excluded all but the family of Aaron but one reason for the restriction was to enable the whole nation to worship, something they couldn’t do if they all had to crowd into the little Tabernacle. (See The Blessing of representation.) It’s true, of course, that along with the rules to govern the use of traffic lights society brings in sanctions against those who pay no attention to the rules but the whole mass of criminal law exists because there are criminals. Law is indispensable if humans are to live in a functioning society (rather than in anarchy) and criminal law is inevitable because we will continue to be law-breakers.

Because all people in society don’t want and can’t have a personal relationship with one another they settle for less. Since they don’t care much for the inner moral state of others except where it affects their freedom and rights they settle for the process that makes their fellow-citizens law-abiding and initiate criminal proceedings were they must. Clearly there are those for whom moral states and behavior are vitally important and those who care little for such questions as long as their human rights are permitted (this itself is a moral issue of great magnitude). Society can’t stand still until these serious moral questions are exhaustively studied, debated and infallible guidance given on them so they express their majority opinions through elected officials. The laws laid down express the current opinion of the majority and the courts render judgements in light of those laws irrespective of the moral state or arguments of individual citizens. So what society via government with the support of armed forces is after is law-abiding-ness whether or not the individual or society at large has any moral convictions. For this reason we often hear statesmen and stateswomen definitively separate legal questions and moral questions. A former Prime Minister here in the UK said, "If you want morals go to your clergyman." At one level this makes perfect sense; nevertheless even people who are so definitely convicted lean on "natural law" as the basis for the human rights which they think should be enshrined in a free society. Whatever we say when pressed, we would insist that human rights and the things that are necessary to achieve those for people are moral rights and a society is "righteous" when it moves to see that they’re gained for the people at large.

This leads to the point of a just society’s punishment of criminals. The capacity and power to punish like every other capacity and power can be abused but we need not take the abuse of it as the only face it has. As Aristotle reminds us, we’re not to take a diseased and stunted tree as the norm for trees. Giving punishment its best face and leaving society’s "the good" to be defined only in general terms, it’s clear that punishment by society needs to be seen as moral and righteous.

It would be immoral for society to knowingly punish a known innocent person. It would be immoral for a society to knowingly punish a person known not to be accountable by reason of mental disability or some other pronounced condition that renders a free choice out of the question. So when a society punishes via government and court structures it wishes to have the approval of "universal moral law" (natural law) even when the crimes are lower level infringements. It is never right to knowingly punish the innocent or knowingly over-punish the guilty no matter how insignificant the offense or punishment attached to the offense. (See Deuteronomy 25:1-3 on over-punishing.) Finding a place for "morals" in governing may be difficult but in the end everyone without exception—either openly or by smuggling them in—appeals to right and wrong. We hear gang-members or police in some parts of the world talk about "a righteous" shooting, by which they mean that it was justified, it wasn’t a mistake and, more to the point, it wasn’t unwarranted.

Societal "righteousness" is shaped and indicated by the values it upholds and seeks to nurture, and society punishes to express that righteousness against the offender’s unrighteousness. Society’s righteousness exists prior to the crime and it is expressed as laws that promote the well-being and moral rights (there’s that phrase again) of the citizens. When it deals with a criminal, society’s righteousness takes the form of punishment, which is society’s homage to the righteousness it stands for. So whatever the criminal thinks or feels, society insists that there is a righteousness to which it is committed and will work to uphold. Once more, punishment is a form that society’s righteousness takes when dealing with a criminal.

In punishing a murderer or rapist society describes itself as valuing the person murdered and acts out that value. But in punishing them it also says to all would-be murderers that it values the lives of all who might be murdered. So that the judgement of one murderer or rapist is a word about murder and rape as potential acts as well as deeds done. Here we’d have specific and general deterrence. That murderer or rapist has been deterred by imprisonment and other would-be murderers or rapists are warned and society at large is better pleased with and therefore more committed to the rule of law so there is a further deterrent effect.

Imagine that the penitent transgressor now sees his crime as unrighteous, deplores it and genuinely commits to promoting the righteousness of the society that just recently acted against him. In such a case the murderer now stands outside his crime, he now rejects the mind-set of a murderer and rejects the justification he offered himself. His state of mind is an anti-murder state of mind. That is, while there is no way to undo the act, he has comprehensively and genuinely condemned the heart that produced the act and is only able to do it because his heart is a changed heart.

Punishment may not be able to achieve such a change of heart in which case the righteousness of the society in the form of punishment failed to gain something it aimed for but it did accomplish some of what it meant to do. But if society did gain a change of heart in the criminal by its dealing with him that would be more than righteousness making itself present in the form of distress inflicted, it would be righteousness echoed in the offender’s heart. It would be righteousness triumphing over the unrighteousness that the offender had championioned. (In the religious and theological realm in such a case we would see Christ truly and fully defeating sin in the person of the sinner—Christians would call it the repentance of faith..)

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Ben Fronczek... The Devil’s Favorite Tool – Discouragement

The Devil’s Favorite Tool – Discouragement

The Devil’s Favorite Tool – Discouragement

To begin with I would like to read you a story from Luke’s Gospel account.

Read Luke 24:13-21a

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶but they were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
¹⁹“What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,”they replied. “He was a prophet,powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”

There is nothing so devastating as having lost hope. It seems that these men lost all hope. The one they had hoped to be the redeemer of Israel, was in their minds dead. With the death of Jesus, came the death of their hope. We have all lost hope in some sense, at some point in our live. Maybe you did not get the job that you wanted. Maybe the bottom fell out of your business, or maybe you lost a good job. Maybe it was because of a health issue and you thought there was no hope for you or a loved one. Maybe your family gathered around the grave of a child, and through tears you asked, “Why God?” Maybe your family has been torn apart by strife. Or your children are rebellious. Or, your parents are suffering from a loss of memory. Or things just did not turn out the way you hope they would.

In our midweek Bible study we are looking at the life of Joseph. I believe the story Joseph was one of the greatest stories recorded in the Bible. As one reads the story of Joseph, if you did not know the entire story including how it ends, you would probably wonder why God was allowing this young man to suffer through so much unwarranted trouble. First we read about how Joseph was his dad’s favorite son. Even though his family was blessed by God, we also read about how dysfunctional that family was. Jacob’s household was plagued with feelings of jealousy, envy, unwholesome completion, envy and rage. As a young man Joseph was also exposed to deception, polygamy, incest, and murder. Then we read about the poor treatment and hatred his brothers had for him, eventually selling him into slavery. And then he was later falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife who said that he tried to seduce and rape her, and so he ends up in prison. What probably really confused Joseph was the fact that he knew that he was innocent and didn’t do anything wrong or anything to deserve such treatment. After he correctly interprets the dreams of the Pharaoh’s Cupbearer and Baker, he asks the cupbearer to speak to the Pharaoh on his behalf. But we read that he is left in jail forgotten for another two full years before he is remembered. Talk about a hopeless situation and a reason to be discouraged, depressed and led to despair. In class we talked about how we would feel if we were in Joseph shoes. And I found the list of emotions similar to what people feel today when we get discouraged and loose hope: Feeling of resentment, bitterness, hostility, anger, hurt, and discouragement, maybe even some feeling of agitation or revenge. But the wonderful thing about Joseph in this story is the fact that Joseph doesn’t seem to let these feeling get the best of him. Even though many could perceive his life as cursed and unfortunate, Joseph remained faithful to God, and to those over him, and to his responsibilities. The author does not record one negative word about Joseph or his conduct even though he suffered one disappointment after another.

We like to come to church here and sing up lifting songs and hear a positive message, but there are times when that is simply not where we are. Sometimes we just feel down and out, maybe even angry because things are not going the way we hoped. Or maybe we feel guilty because we are not as strong and faithful as Joseph seem to be here. So what are we do? First of all we need to realize that these feeling are bound to come at different times in our life. If you are human everything is not going to go your way and sometime even the best of us will be disappointed. What matters is how you are going to handle these disappointments, and how you are going let them affect others around you.

Here is an example… Listen to what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

“⁸We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”

To despair is to lose all hope, or to be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat. The Apostle Paul said he despaired of life. It seems like he was just ready give up and die.
But based on this text, he and his companions eventually recognized God’s hand in their situation. Comfort and peace comes upon the child of God when he or she realizes that God is ultimately in control even in their most disastrous, heart wrenching moments of our life. The Lord, is still Lord even over great personal tragedies, and with Him no situation is ever meant to lead us to despair. In this text Paul goes on to say that he recognized that some of those disappointing things that happened in his life happened

#1 so that he might not rely on or depend on himself, but rather on God, who can raise the dead. Later in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul said that he realize it is when things were at their worst and he was the weakest, he was really stronger because it was in those moment of weakness that he would lean on his Lord more than ever.

#2. In the text he also implied that he recognized that God is the one in control and the one that could deliver him, and he recognized He had delivered him over and over again throughout his life and would do it again.

#3. And because of that reality, knowing that God has and would continue to deliver him, Paul said that he learned to set his hopes on Him, no one else.

#4. And because so many prayed for him, many more would give thanks for the answered prayers .

I want to give a few more reasons why I believe we should not lose hope. First is because the WORD OF GOD GIVES HOPE.

Romans 15:4 says;

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.”

The stories of old are there for us to read and show us that God is in control and works in the lives of mankind. The scriptures are meant to give us hope. We may think that our problems our unique, that what we are feeling is unique, but God has preserved stories of individuals that experienced trouble, some far worse than ours, & yet survived and grew stronger because of them. God ministered to them in their situations and there is no reason why we should believe that He isn’t doing the same for us today. The same Lord and God who worked in the lives of the saints of old, is working with us today. These stories have been preserved for us that we might have hope, and to reassure us that God is still involved in our lives, and that He cares for us. The stories in the Bible are also meant to give us hope and so too are the promises.

The Bible is just loaded with promises that should give us comfort and hope. I like what it says in Hebrews 13:5, it says

“…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 28:20 where He said,

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Like a loving parent who watches over their children maybe without them even knowing it, our Lord watches over us. He was with Joseph in prison. He was with David when Saul wanted to kill him. He was with Daniel in the lion’s den. He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace.

No matter what our situation, it is important for us to remember God’s word; not only the promises He made, but also the stories of how He took care of His own over and over and over again. If you focus more on God’s word and what He has preserved for us and less on your disappointments, it should help you in those times of despair and help you become hopeful again.

The second reason for hope is the Cross of Jesus Christ. If the cross communicates any message, it most definitely should remind you how much God loves you and me. Do you actually think that God would send His son into the world and allow Him to suffer the humiliation and pain He suffered, or do you think He would allow His son to be nailed to a wooden crossbeam to save us from our sins if He did not have an incredible amount of love for us? You may be sad, and you may not understand why you did not get that job, or why a family member died in an accident, you may not understand why things don’t go the way you planed. But if you want to feel better you need to believe that God is ultimately in control and will work all things out for your good and He’ll do that because He really, really loves you. It’s crucial and imperative for us to know and believe that He may be protecting us from something, or He may have something else better in mind, or what we want is not in our best interest, or what you may want may upset a whole chain of events that only He can see.
If you remember His deep love for you and me, it will help you in those difficult times of despair and it will help re-ignite feeling of hope again.

Before I end this lesson I like to share a story with you I read this past week about a yard sale that the devil conducted. It goes like this:

The devil was holding a yard sale one day and displayed his most useful tools, marked at different prices, on a table. Lying side by side were some of his most notable implements of destruction: hatred, envy, jealously, deceit, lust, lying and pride- all on sale. But over to the side of the yard on display was a worn-out tool that cost more than all the others combined. The tool was labeled DISCOURAGEMENT. When asked why it was more expensive than the other tools, the devil responded, “It’s more useful to me than any of the others. When I can’t bring down my victims with the rest of my tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize it belongs to me.” Nothing paralyzes us, nothing stops us in our tracks like discouragement and its partner in crime, hopelessness. Discouragement and hopelessness are no respecters of persons. They keep the unemployed, unemployed. The homeless, homeless. The sick, sick. They can even draw the most powerful ministry to its knees. When you’re overcome with discouragement and hopelessness, you can’t pray, you can’t worship and you become a victim of your environment. Discouragement and hopelessness drain you of courage, vision, faith, expectation and the will to make a difference in the kingdom of God . If the devil can get you discouraged and hopeless, then he has successfully neutralized you. You are left with only enough energy to feel sorry for yourself.

Conclusion: Are you tired of being discouraged? You don’t have to stay that way. Whether or not the situation changes, you can experience joy, peace, and contentment.
For the believer, circumstances don’t have to dictate emotions.

Allow Scripture and God’s love for you to permeate your mind and heart. Don’t dwell on the disappointment, rather keep busy, lean upon the Lord and His promises and discouragement will lose its foothold, and you will eventually become joyous and fruitful, and hopeful again.

To read more Sermons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

December 13, 2013

From Gary... My Prism

Pilate said: "... what is truth?" Given the circumstances of this statement, it sounds a bit "off hand"; that is, treating a deep subject as a trivial or an inconsequential matter. But what if it was not? Suppose Pilate had considered "Truth" and decided on his own parameters of the concept? This could be true; Pilate might well have been a man of introspection and contemplation. Men of importance were placed in positions of importance by an Emperor who wanted to STAY Emperor. The thing about Pilate was- he didn't recognize ABSOLUTE TRUTH when it was right in front of him. This error was a product of his thinking, undoubtedly influenced greatly by the power and majesty of ancient Rome. In Pilate's mind, it is easy to see how Rome's greatness would preclude any genuine wisdom outside of that originating from that great city on the Tiber. Yet, truth there was- and truth that had a wisdom embedded within it that was of a calibre that put the glory of Rome to shame. Yes, it was his "thinking" that blinded Pilate and the question that comes to mind this cold morning is... What do I think about- and why? As a starting point, please consider the following passage from the book of Philippians...

Philippians, Chapter 4

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things. 9 The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in respect to lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. 12 I know how to be humbled, and I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. 13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Paul was a subject of Rome; he was part of a conquered people. But he was free because of his thinking. Not free by his own efforts, but rather free because he considered, correctly recognized and OBEYED the WILL OF GOD as revealed through Jesus. He intellectually considered the things that were profitable for correct living (verse 8) and practically acted upon those truths (verse 9). So, his thinking led to a God-controlled life. No obstacle was so great that it could not be overcome, no concept so lofty that the Almighty did not have the perfect answer. Nothing in Heaven or Earth can overcome the will of God in the lives of those dedicated to serve HIM!!! And so we come to the graphic above; for it is not just a bottle, it is a prism. For me, it represents the word of God, through which I perceive all things. And when I do this, I am able to perceive both truth in concept and in daily living. And it is truly beautiful!!! Too bad Pilate couldn't get it!!! Do you???

From Gary... Bible Reading December 13

Bible Reading

December 13

The World English Bible

Dec. 13

Hosea 5-8

Hos 5:1 "Listen to this, you priests! Listen, house of Israel, and give ear, house of the king! For the judgment is against you; for you have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread on Tabor.

Hos 5:2 The rebels are deep in slaughter; but I discipline all of them.

Hos 5:3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, Ephraim, you have played the prostitute. Israel is defiled.

Hos 5:4 Their deeds won't allow them to turn to their God; for the spirit of prostitution is within them, and they don't know Yahweh.

Hos 5:5 The pride of Israel testifies to his face. Therefore Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity. Judah also will stumble with them.

Hos 5:6 They will go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Yahweh; but they won't find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.

Hos 5:7 They are unfaithful to Yahweh; for they have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon will devour them with their fields.

Hos 5:8 "Blow the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah! Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven, behind you, Benjamin!

Hos 5:9 Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel, I have made known that which will surely be.

Hos 5:10 The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark. I will pour out my wrath on them like water.

Hos 5:11 Ephraim is oppressed, he is crushed in judgment; Because he is intent in his pursuit of idols.

Hos 5:12 Therefore I am to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness.

Hos 5:13 "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.

Hos 5:14 For I will be to Ephraim like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear in pieces and go away. I will carry off, and there will be no one to deliver.

Hos 5:15 I will go and return to my place, until they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me earnestly."

Hos 6:1 "Come, and let us return to Yahweh; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds.

Hos 6:2 After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him.

Hos 6:3 Let us acknowledge Yahweh. Let us press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth."

Hos 6:4 "Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Judah, what shall I do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears early.

Hos 6:5 Therefore I have cut them to pieces with the prophets; I killed them with the words of my mouth. Your judgments are like a flash of lightning.

Hos 6:6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hos 6:7 But they, like Adam, have broken the covenant. They were unfaithful to me, there.

Hos 6:8 Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood.

Hos 6:9 As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder in the way toward Shechem, committing shameful crimes.

Hos 6:10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing. There is prostitution in Ephraim. Israel is defiled.

Hos 6:11 "Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, when I restore the fortunes of my people.

Hos 7:1 When I would heal Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, also the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood, and the thief enters in, and the gang of robbers ravages outside.

Hos 7:2 They don't consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their own deeds have engulfed them. They are before my face.

Hos 7:3 They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

Hos 7:4 They are all adulterers. They are burning like an oven that the baker stops stirring, from the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened.

Hos 7:5 On the day of our king, the princes made themselves sick with the heat of wine. He joined his hand with mockers.

Hos 7:6 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait. Their baker sleeps all the night. In the morning it burns as a flaming fire.

Hos 7:7 They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges. All their kings have fallen. There is no one among them who calls to me.

Hos 7:8 Ephraim, he mixes himself among the nations. Ephraim is a pancake not turned over.

Hos 7:9 Strangers have devoured his strength, and he doesn't realize it. Indeed, gray hairs are here and there on him, and he doesn't realize it.

Hos 7:10 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they haven't returned to Yahweh their God, nor sought him, for all this.

Hos 7:11 "Ephraim is like an easily deceived dove, without understanding. They call to Egypt. They go to Assyria.

Hos 7:12 When they go, I will spread my net on them. I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard.

Hos 7:13 Woe to them! For they have wandered from me. Destruction to them! For they have trespassed against me. Though I would redeem them, yet they have spoken lies against me.

Hos 7:14 They haven't cried to me with their heart, but they howl on their beds. They assemble themselves for grain and new wine. They turn away from me.

Hos 7:15 Though I have taught and strengthened their arms, yet they plot evil against me.

Hos 7:16 They return, but not to the Most High. They are like a faulty bow. Their princes will fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Hos 8:1 "Put the trumpet to your lips! Something like an eagle is over Yahweh's house, because they have broken my covenant, and rebelled against my law.

Hos 8:2 They cry to me, 'My God, we Israel acknowledge you!'

Hos 8:3 Israel has cast off that which is good. The enemy will pursue him.

Hos 8:4 They have set up kings, but not by me. They have made princes, and I didn't approve. Of their silver and their gold they have made themselves idols, that they may be cut off.

Hos 8:5 Let Samaria throw out his calf idol! My anger burns against them! How long will it be until they are capable of purity?

Hos 8:6 For this is even from Israel! The workman made it, and it is no God; indeed, the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

Hos 8:7 For they sow the wind, and they will reap the whirlwind. He has no standing grain. The stalk will yield no head. If it does yield, strangers will swallow it up.

Hos 8:8 Israel is swallowed up. Now they are among the nations like a worthless thing.

Hos 8:9 For they have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers for himself.

Hos 8:10 But although they sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them; and they begin to waste away because of the oppression of the king of mighty ones.

Hos 8:11 Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning, they became for him altars for sinning.

Hos 8:12 I wrote for him the many things of my law; but they were regarded as a strange thing.

Hos 8:13 As for the sacrifices of my offerings, they sacrifice flesh and eat it; But Yahweh doesn't accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins. They will return to Egypt.

Hos 8:14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire on his cities, and it will devour its fortresses."

Dec. 13

1 John 3

1Jn 3:1 Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn't know us, because it didn't know him.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

1Jn 3:3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

1Jn 3:4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

1Jn 3:5 You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.

1Jn 3:6 Whoever remains in him doesn't sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him, neither knows him.

1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1Jn 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn 3:9 Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God.

1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.

1Jn 3:11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

1Jn 3:12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

1Jn 3:13 Don't be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn't love his brother remains in death.

1Jn 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

1Jn 3:16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

1Jn 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?

1Jn 3:18 My little children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

1Jn 3:19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him,

1Jn 3:20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our hearts don't condemn us, we have boldness toward God;

1Jn 3:22 and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

1Jn 3:23 This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.

1Jn 3:24 He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

From Mark Copeland... Holding Up Under Hard Times ( 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7)

"THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS"

Holding Up Under Hard Times (1:3-7)

INTRODUCTION

1. As Paul began his second epistle to the Thessalonians, he expressed
thanksgiving...
a. Thanksgiving which he felt compelled to offer - 2Th 1:3a
b. Thanksgiving which was fitting - 2Th 1:3b

2. He was thankful regarding their faith and love...
a. Their faith was growing exceedingly - 2Th 1:3c
b. Their love toward each other was abounding - 2Th 1:3d

3. Indeed, he was even boastful regarding their faith and patience...
a. Boasting of them among the churches of God - 2Th 1:4a
b. Boasting of their faith and patience in the midst of persecution
- 2Th 1:4b

4. The perseverance of the Thessalonians is certainly worthy of note...
a. They were a congregation that was born in tribulation - cf. Ac 17:
1-9
b. Persecution evidently continued, yet they endured - 2Th 1:4

[What can we learn from the Thessalonians about "Holding Up Under Hard
Times"? First of all, they serve as a reminder that...]

I. HARD TIMES HAPPEN

A. THIS MAY SURPRISE SOME...
1. Contrary to the promulgators of the gospel of health and
wealth, who would have us believe that becoming a Christian is
the key to success in life
2. Many suffer disappointment because of the trials they face as
new Christians

B. THE BIBLE WARNS OF HARD TIMES...
1. Jesus warned His apostles - Jn 15:19-20; 16:33
2. The apostles warned the disciples - Ac 14:22; 1Th 3:4; 2 Ti 3:12

C. WE CAN EXPECT HARD TIMES...
1. We are not spared the affects of sin and evil in this world
a. We still live in a world with sickness and death
b. We may often suffer the consequences of choices made by
others
2. We can anticipate persecution because we are Christians
a. Our families, friends, and foes may ostracize or even
physically persecute us
b. We have an adversary who seeks to devour us - cf. 1Pe 5:8-9

[Be thankful if you seem to be spared trials and tribulations, but be
prepared for difficulties in life that will inevitably come. From the
example of the Thessalonians we learn that...]

II. FAITH, LOVE, AND PATIENCE IS NEEDED

A. FAITH THAT GROWS EXCEEDINGLY...
1. Faith that is:
a. A strong conviction in things unseen - He 11:1
b. Created by the Word of God - Ro 10:17
c. Constantly growing - 2Th 1:3
2. This is the kind of faith that sustains one in persecution
a. Remember the faith of Job! - Job 19:25-27
b. Recall the faith of Habakkuk! - Hab 3:17-19

B. LOVE THAT ABOUNDS TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER...
1. Love that is:
a. Taught by God Himself - cf. 1Th 4:9
1) Through the example of the Father's love - 1Jn 4:9-11
2) Through the example of the Son's love - 1Jn 3:16
b. Increasing more and more - cf. 2Th 1:3; 1Th 4:10; 3:12
2. This is the kind of love that sustains one in hard times
a. Even as it comforted Paul in his tribulation - 1Th 3:6-7
b. So we can endure persecution when we are surrounded by
brotherly love!

C. PATIENCE THAT HOLDS UP UNDER TRIAL...
1. Patience that is:
a. Based upon the hope that we have - Ro 8:25
b. Developed by reading the Scriptures - Ro 15:4
b. Needed if we are to receive the promise - He 10:36
c. Strengthened the more we look unto Jesus - He 12:1-3
2. This is the kind of patience that makes us even stronger!
a. It makes us complete, lacking nothing - Jm 1:3-4
b. Giving us experience, which can strengthen our hope even
more - Ro 5:3-4

[As long as our faith is growing, our love for one another is abounding,
and our patience remains firm, we will be "Holding Up Under Hard
Times". We can also take heart in knowing that...]

III. RECOMPENSE IS COMING

A. GOD'S JUDGMENT WILL BE RIGHTEOUS...
1. For God's people who have endured tribulation with faith and
patience
a. Which is evidence of God's righteous judgment to come - 2 Th 1:4-5
b. Having been made worthy of the kingdom through their
suffering - 2Th 1:5
1) Though we must never forget that it is God who qualifies
us for the kingdom - cf. Col 1:12
2) He is the one Who perfects, establishes, strengthens, and
settles us - 1Pe 5:10
2. For those who have caused tribulation for His people - 2Th 1:6

B. GOD WILL REPAY THOSE WHO TROUBLE HIS PEOPLE...
1. Tribulation will come upon them, a righteous recompense - 2 Th 1:6; cf. Ro 2:4-11
2. Paul will describe the nature of this tribulation more fully in
2Th 1:8-9

C. GOD WILL GIVE HIS TROUBLED PEOPLE REST...
1. Also a righteous recompense - 2Th 1:6-7
2. The same rest enjoyed by Paul, Silas, Timothy ("rest with us")!
- 2Th 1:7
3. This rest to be given when the Lord is revealed from heaven
with His mighty angels - cf. 1Th 4:16-17

CONCLUSION

1. We will consider what more Paul has to say about that great day in
our next study - cf. 2Th 1:7-10

2. What we have seen so far should help us to endure trials and
tribulations...
a. Don't be surprise by hard times, God's Word has told us they will
come
b. Look to God and His Word for the faith, love, and patience needed
to sustain us
c. Anticipate the coming of the Lord, who will bring us rest even as
He brings judgment upon those who trouble us!

Is your faith growing exceedingly? Is your love abounding? Are you
patiently enduring what trials come upon you, looking for the rest to
come when Jesus returns?

Let the Thessalonians be an encouragement to us in "Holding Up Under
Hard Times"!

From Jim McGuiggan... OF BIRDS AND HUMANS

OF BIRDS AND HUMANS

About one thousand years before Jesus came, some poor soul was in awful trouble and poured out his heart to God (Psalm 55). "You must listen to me, please," he said, "because I’ve no one else to turn to and my enemies have me at their mercy—I’m all tangled up in their snare." He sees himself as a frightened and imprisoned bird beating its wings against its prison-bars, instinctively wanting someone to open the door. And if that were to happen it would rise into the air and head for the wide-open spaces. Of himself he says, "Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, ‘Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest’."

It isn’t hard to imagine what floods through the high strung bird, frantic with fear and knowing without understanding that this isn’t life—it isn’t hard to imagine the surge that goes through it when it finds its way to the sky and freedom no longer barred. All the power in its tiny body exerted skyward; the little heart beating like a boiler house at some logging factory—free! Freedom! Enemies below, the skyward spiral, the joy, the delicious joy of relief, and the realisation of what it was made for—freedom, in the bright blue sky! All that’s worth having remains; nothing lost that makes life worth living. The psalmist imagines all this and turns to the God that can give it to him.

Nineteen hundred years after the birth of the Christ, in America, where the great Depression had really taken hold, when tens of millions were jobless, hungry, homeless and despairing, Albert Brumley read Psalm 55 and wrote the hymn, "I’ll Fly Away". He knew that for those who trusted in God, the crushing circumstances of life weren’t the whole story and that one day prison bars would be shattered and the believer would fly home; home to freedom and to the wide-open spaces.

Yes, yes, but what does that hope have to do with the present almost intolerable burdens? Well, for one thing, it says that the burden doesn’t have the last word and that can’t be bad news. I can only imagine how it must be for those who do not believe, especially if their lives are a prolonged purgatory. To live in chronic misery from birth to death, with no one to help and then to die in squalid poverty—end of story? Now that would be inexpressible horror. Never freedom! Never hope of freedom! Only kidding ourselves when we say that maybe something will change; knowing full well there’s not the ghost of a chance?

There are those who think that genuine believers are escapists, that they’re people who don’t want to face life with steady eyes. This is untrue. Real believers are precisely those that take troubled existence and life most seriously. And it’s because they take the whole of it seriously—the lives of others as well as their own— that they turn to God and say,

"You will not leave us alone in this and you are surely offering better to all our fellow humans."

Then comes Jesus and says, "I am come that you might have life to the full and I am the resurrection and the life."

Here, tell me this: has God made a commitment to every human born on this planet? Every human in every age? If he has, then tell me this: how does that commitment show itself to multiplied millions whose lives from birth to death are stories of prolonged crucifixions? Who look heavenward in despair and have never heard a word of the gospel of God in Jesus Christ?

Think noble things of God!

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Ben Fronczek... Electing A Savior

Electing A Savior

Electing A Savior

Isaiah 53:1-12

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised,and we held him in low esteem.

⁴Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

OPENING:

How many of you have noticed that there’s a Presidential election coming up? ☺

I know, you’d have to be a hermit living in a cave in the mountains with no phone or mail to escape the advertising. America has a decision to make in a few weeks and it seems to be coming down to a choice between two men, each of which I think will lead the country in a different direction. These men have raised millions of dollars to be used so that they can try to out-campaign the other candidate.

Many today think it would be a disaster to invest all that money and effort into a candidate who is perceived as someone who is: Un-attractive, un-popular Un-presidential, and generally liked but then unliked by a majority.

Personally I don’t think the American people would even elect Jesus as their president; as our commander and chief. Why?

Because in Isaiah 53:2b-3 he tells us:

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.”

Now, there are those who believe that this passage is implying that Jesus was not physically attractive or as handsome as Obama or Romney. And that may have been the case. Or Isaiah may have been alluding to the fact that most of the people of Jesus’ time simply viewed Him as undesirable.

Jesus probably would never be elected President of the USA or leader of any other country. He just wouldn’t be popular enough. He wasn’t overly popular in the days of His ministry in Judea, and He wouldn’t be popular enough now.

But it wasn’t ALWAYS true. After Jesus fed the 5000 with 5 small barley loaves and 2 fish, He turned some heads…

John 6:15 tell us:

“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

And when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time before His crucifixion… the crowds had the same idea: Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread palm branches they had cut in the fields.

Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!” Mark 11:8-10

These people saw Jesus as a perfect earthly leader (at least for a while). He was a man of power, authority and decisiveness. He could feed thousands with just a small amount of food. He could heal the sick with the touch of His hand, and raise the dead with the command of His voice.

From this perspective He could lead their nation and help Israel overthrow the hated Roman Empire and make Israel a nation to be reckoned with.

But just few days after that “Palm Sunday” event… probably some of these same people and just about everybody else in Jerusalem seem to turn on Jesus, and the crowds cried out

“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Why the change? Why were those who were so excited about Him just days earlier now calling for His death?

Well, part it was because Jesus didn’t give people what they wanted. He did not tickle their ears with false promises like some of our politicians today. Instead, Jesus insisted on telling people things that they NEEDED to hear; even things that they DIDN’T want to hear.

And what was that message? It was the same message then as it is today: We don’t need a politician to fix our most important problem, we need a savior! Why, because just like He let them know, we are all sinners. Our sin is the problem!

Isaiah 53 lets us know that’s why He came, he wrote:

· He was pierced for OUR TRANSGRESSIONS · Crushed for OUR INIQUITIES

· He came to bear OUR SINS · He was punished to bring us peace.

Isaiah 53:6 sums it up by saying

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Like Sheep, he wrote… we’ve all gone astray. We have chosen to go OUR own way – not God’s way. And because we chose to seek our own path rather than His, God says our hearts are filled with iniquity. The root word in Hebrew for iniquity here is “twisted, Warped, distorted, or perverted”. Because we’ve chosen our own way so long, God says we’ve developed a “twisted, warped, distorted, or perverted” character (that is compared to what it should be, and compared to His). And because we are warped, we don’t think and act the way we ought. Simply put, we are all sinners.

Solomon’s wrote

“There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” Ecclesiastes 7:20

We all know that this is a unfortunate truth, we are all twisted, warped or perverted in some way, and it’s not a very popular subject to talk about. You know what presidential candidate I liked who ran for office years ago? Ross Perot. I liked him because he had the guts to tell it like it is. He pointed at the problems and said, ‘Here they are and they have to be fixed, but it’s going to cost everyone of us.’ People did not like to hear that. People don’t want to hear what it’s going to cost them to fix their problems, especially from a political candidate. And so Mr. Perot was not elected. And likewise, Jesus did not gain a popular vote in His final days.

After that triumphal entry where people cried, “Hosanna,” He entered the Temple area and started flipping tables over and accused the Jews of being a bunch of thieves, turning a place of worship into a den of robbers (Matthew 21:12-13)

Each day after that, the religious leaders got angrier and angrier at Jesus the more He spoke; especially when He accused them of being a bunch of show-off hypocrites. He goes on to call them snakes and a brood of vipers and condemns their evil practices. (Matthew. 23)

People who call the kettle black and speak the truth about things people don’t want to hear don’t go too far in the political realm. At this point rather than elect Jesus to be their Savior, many wanted to kill Him. He let all of us know that we all have a problem. We are ALL unholy sinners and we will not be welcomed into the presence of God in heaven after we die.

Now, some folks just don’t want to hear that. They have a problem accepting the idea that they’ve got a problem, that they are broken, and they need help from someone else.

Some people simply think that they’re ok, that they are “pretty nice people”. That’s why, when people are asked if they think they are going to heaven, most will reply: “Well sure, I’m not that bad. I never killed anyone.” They don’t see themselves as ungodly because of the things that they have or haven’t done. They view themselves by their own standards not God’s. They don’t want to hear that God is ready to throw them into Hell and lock the door. Like the Pharisees and other religious leaders in Jerusalem when they hear the truth they get upset when Christians tell them that they are doomed and need a Savior. In their anger many choose not to elect Jesus as the Lord of their lives. What Jesus represents is not really attractive to them in that way. He may interesting… but He is not their source of hope for salvation.

You see those religious leaders of old had a big problem. They were too proud to realize that they were in trouble and needed help; and only the kind of help that Jesus could provide. They were too proud to hear and act on that truth, and wanted to be patronized, not criticized. And we likewise put our self in a dangerous position when we do the same; when we are too proud to hear the truth, when we refuse to act on those truths, and when all we want is to be patronized and not criticized. That’s why Jesus’ preaching didn’t appeal to the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the self-righteous of His day. He exposed them for what they were. He revealed the sinful foundation of their thinking. And they hated Him for it. But Jesus did appeal to some…to those who realized they had a problem. The prostitutes and the tax collectors and the sinners… they KNEW THEY weren’t good enough, nor righteous enough to make it to heaven. They desperately needed the answers Jesus supplied. So, when Jesus came and offered them forgiveness of sins and a new life they chose to follow Him. They elected Him Savior.

Jesus told these self righteous ones,

“I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Matthew 21:28-31

You see, they DIDN’T CARE if He was physically attractive or well dressed.
They didn’t care if anybody else liked Him. They had a problem… and Jesus could fix it.

If my car breaks down and I need to take it in to be fixed I don’t care how good looking my mechanic is. I don’t care how attractive his body shop is. I don’t care how clean his restroom is. All I care is: ‘Can he fix my car?’

If I am diagnosed with a disease and I have to go the hospital I don’t care how attractive my doctor is. I don’t care how fancy the room is decorated. All I care is: ‘Can they help me. Can they fix me?’

Things haven’t changed much from those days of old when the people then sneered at what Jesus had to say and what He represents. Some people are still too proud. In all reality, none of us will ever be good enough to make to heaven on our own. We need a Savior. We need Jesus. And until people realize they have a problem… they’re not going to look for His help, nor will they seek Him out. People who elect Jesus as their Savior do so because they humble enough to ·KNOW that they’ve got a problem.

·They KNOW they can never be good enough to be good enough!

·They KNOW they can never be nice enough to work off their sins!

·They know that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

God knows it too. That’s why He sent his one and only son into the world to pay the price for our sin if we so choose to accept Him.

But the sad reality is, some will never accept God’s gift for whatever reason.

Jesus made a very chilling comment once and I have to admit the reality of what He said here both scares & sadden me.

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus advised,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

I would like to encourage you today to make sure you are on the right road, on the right path. Don’t be too proud and turn a deaf ear on wholesome criticism; it may be for your own good. If you haven’t already, don’t let your pride get in the way of seeking Jesus’ help. Elect Jesus as you Savior. He loves us and has our best interest in mind. He is a leader like no others, He leads by example.

Based on a sermon by Jeff Strite

To read more Sermons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566