____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ July 21, 2002 ____________________________________________________ The Judgment Day by Jim R. Everett The "Judgment Day" will not be a time when people can argue their case before God so that He will consider all the extenuating circumstances and overlook their sin -- as though God did not know and they must explain why they did not obey Him. Nor will it be a time when folks can speak up for someone else and give God detailed information that might change His mind -- after all, there may be things that might sway God's judgment, if He only knew the person as they did. "The Judgment Day" is actually a time for receiving a final sentence based on how man has lived on earth, for, once we have lived and died, there will be no second chance (Hebrews 9:27; Luke 16:19-31; Matthew 25:31-46). Purgatory, a place where men are supposed to be purified from their earthly sins by fire, is a figment of man's imagination -- there is no such place. There are generally three, different kinds of responses to man's contemplation of "The Judgment." Some deny "The Judgment Day" because they don't believe there is anyone to whom there is any accountability. And, logically, if there is no God, there is no judgment! That is exactly why some atheists are atheists -- they want to live their lives without any restraints that come from accountability to a higher power. The Athenians listened to Paul until he affirmed that they were responsible to a God that required them to repent. The assurance of their standing before the God-appointed judge, Jesus Christ, was his resurrection. The resurrection statement caused many to mock (Acts 17:32). Then there are others who are terrified at the thought that there will be a final accounting of their lives. Their expectation of what will occur at the judgment is to hear the final words of doom. Felix might have been offended by Paul's very pointed reasoning about temperance and righteousness but Paul's statements about "judgment" caused him to tremble -- without "judgment," self control and fairness are inconsequential (Acts 24:25). The third response is one of expectation of joyful tidings because there is great anticipation of a life far better than this one. That confident expectation might be inaccurate because it is based on ignorance or self-deception (Matthew 7:21-23; Galatians 6:7-8). Or, it might be based on awareness of acquittal from the knowledge of forgiveness made possible by a savior who paid a redemptive price for us (1 Peter 1:18-19). David had said, "Blessed is the man whom the Lord has forgiven" (Romans 4:5-8). But the prospect is not based on never having done anything wrong; therefore, being innocent of any charge by The Adversary, for all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Repentance and Judgment The universal call for repentance is based on the reality of the Day of Judgment (Acts 17:30-31). "Repentance" requires the concept of accountability, for you cannot require one to feel remorseful about his deeds nor change his mind about "wrong deeds" if there is no authority to whom he is accountable. Put very simply, if there is no judgment, there is no need for repentance. The prodigal son of Luke 15:15-31 recognized the ultimate accounting for the responsibility of sin -- "I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight..." (vv. 18, 21). That is exactly what Paul preached -- "Repentance toward God..." Acts 20:21). Whether or not we believe it, there will be a day of reckoning and that ought to say to man that he needs to repent of sins (cf. Hebrews 9:27; John 5:27-29; 2 Corinthians 5:10). The Authenticity of the Judgment is Based on the Reality of the Resurrection of Christ "He hath given assurance unto all men, in that he raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). That means that there must be some evidence of this event. If it is the basis upon which God has given assurance, it is one of the most significant events in the history of the world, so it certainly was "not done in a corner" (Acts 26:26). Jesus referred to his resurrection as the supreme, undeniable sign (Matthew 12:39-40). Because of its importance, "the resurrection" was the foundation of almost every sermon recorded in the NT (Acts 2:22-ff;10:34-48;13:14-37;17:31-32; Acts 23:6-8; Acts 26:1-23). If Jesus had not been raised, where was his body? Remember that the Jews paid the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15). The possibility for that happening is absurd -- these were Roman soldiers; responsible to do duty at loss of life; skilled at being soldiers. And how would they know what happened if they were asleep? Furthermore, even if the disciples had been able to steal the body when the soldiers were asleep, why would they want the body when they didn't believe Jesus' prediction that he would be killed and raised again? (cf. Matthew 16:21; Luke 18:31-34; 24:7). Remember also that the tomb was empty and the body of Jesus was gone -- where was it? All the sermons recorded shortly after his resurrection that contained claims of his resurrection were in the vicinity of Jerusalem. The disciples could not have stolen the body. If the Jews had it, they would have produced it to disprove the claims being made by the apostles' preaching and, by presenting Jesus' dead body, exposed and destroyed the whole system of faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus was raised. He will judge the world in absolute fairness. God assures us of the final, universal judgment by the resurrection of Jesus; therefore, there is a legitimate call for universal repentance. We will give an ANSWER for the way we have lived (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). ___________________________________________ ?You Know What? Bro. Turner: "Please comment on what is meant by `calling on the name of the Lord"' (WV). Reply: I suppose I should first make the usual comment, and one most obvious to serious students. The verbal expression, "Lord, Lord!" is not what is under consideration, although one who truly "calls on" the Lord may be moved to such an expression. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). One cannot "call" except he believe; and this kind of faith demands an objective approach to external evidence or testimony (Rom. 10:13-17). It is gendered by teaching; not by an "experience of faith" which is usually an emotional feeling, stirred in those who expect God to operate upon them in an immediate fashion. Paul was "calling on the name of the Lord" when he was baptized, and in that act of submissive obedience (Acts 22:16). But we have not exhausted the meaning of "calling upon the Lord" when we cite such cases. The "name" of the Lord refers to Christ as "means" or "power" by which a thing is accomplished (Acts 4:7-10). When Peter said, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (v. 12), he was not giving us the "label" to put on the church building. He was saying we are saved through God's mercies, extended in Christ, or not at all. It is by HIM -- His death in our behalf -- His intercession at God's throne -- His "way, truth, life" -- that man may be saved; hence, "in His name." Now "calling on His name" means to look to Him for salvation, putting our trust in Him. If we "call upon the Law" to protect us, we depend on the law and its operation. If the police says, "Halt, in the name of the law!" he is saying by the authority of the law, and subject to its power. Samuel reminded the Israelites of past times when they "cried unto Jehovah" for deliverance; but now they wanted a king (like other nations) to save them from their enemies (1 Sam. 12:6-15). He said, "If ye will fear Jehovah, and serve him, and hearken unto his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and...be followers of Jehovah your God, well." That is what Old Testament writers meant by "calling on the Lord." Joel said, "whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered" (Joel 2:32); and Peter quoted this to show that salvation in Christ was of universal application (Acts 2:16,21). When he was asked what men must do, he replied, "Repent and be baptized" (2:38-f). There is no legitimate reason for anyone to think that a verbal outcry, or prayer alone, is "calling upon the name of the Lord." Those who look to Christ for their salvation are heeders, learners, and followers of Christ. They realize He has content, that He has spoken words by which they shall be judged in the last day. They believe, and obey, and thus "call upon the name of the Lord." -- Via Plain Talk, May 1981 ___________________________________________ The Gospel Standard by Curtis Wubbena Have you ever taken the time to examine your life in light of God's precious word? Have you ever thought about using the Bible to accurately learn of your strengths and weaknesses? Jesus once set forth, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day" (Jn. 12:48). If those things written in the New Testament are going to judge us, then shouldn't we take time to use the Gospel as our life's standard? James writes in 1:21 of his letter to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion, "Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." There is a common tendency to quote this passage to everyone but ourselves. We need to understand that James wrote this to apply to individual Christians. Before we take this passage and others to those who are not in Christ, let's be sure we take it to ourselves. It is much too easy to let the scriptures apply to everybody on earth except ourselves. As a poet once wrote, "We need so often in this life this balancing set of scales, Thus seeing how much in us wins and how much in us fails; But before you judge another, just lay him on the shelf, It would be a splendid plan to take a walk around yourself." Only then does the standard of God do us good. The apostle Paul was a great man of God; yet, he too had to take time for appraisal of self. That is what made him great! He was continually trying to make himself more like the Lord. "...I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected" (1 Cor. 9:27). He kept himself enslaved to the Gospel. The literal meaning of buffet is to bruise. Maybe this explains why it seems that so many of us find it so difficult to study and apply the Word to our personal lives. Truth sometimes really hurts! The Gospel is our spiritual blueprint. What contractor would glance at the plans only once or twice while constructing a house? There must be a continual check against straying from the standard. What good are plans that are seldom used? Brethren, let's be careful. It is imperative that our spiritual blueprint is followed. After all, what good are the best-laid plans if they are not used? "For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholdeth himself and goeth away, and forthwith forgetteth what manner of man he was" (Jas. 1:23-24). The first application of a text must be to self. The wise man is the one who tries to use truth as the focal point for living. This truly means we must take time to study God's message. It also means we must apply it to our lives. "But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing" (Jas. 1:25). Let's truly take time to use the Gospel as our standard! -- Via Plain Talk, May 1981 ___________________________________________ News & Notes We are glad to hear that Joshua Watts' leg is now healing well. His father Billy wrote the following last Tuesday: "The doctor removed the pressure bandage yesterday and was VERY pleased at the condition of the leg. The swelling has gone down and he has very good circulation. Today Josh was released from the hospital with a cast on his leg. The doctor told Josh he could walk around on his crutches and did not need to stay in the bed. He is to go back in two weeks from today to have the stitches removed and have a walking cast put on. At that time, if all is still doing well, he could be released to return to Fayetteville. Thank you all for your many cards, emails, calls and prayers. Our entire family is thankful for the power of prayer and the thoughtfulness of close friends." [UPDATE: Joshua was back in the hospital Friday due to more bleeding. Apparently, he overworked his leg since the Tuesday before last; and was, therefore, told to keep it elevated for about 1 week. He will see his hematologist this Friday. So far, all appears to be coming along fine.] Heather Ragsdale is in the process of moving to Texas. We will miss her, but let us pray that all will work out well for her. ________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ________________________________________