. ____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ August 30, 2009 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) When Bad Things Happen (Jeff Belknap) 2) "Demas Hath Forsaken Me" (Jarrod Jacobs) ____________________________________________________ -1- When Bad Things Happen by Jeff Belknap One thing to remember when bad things happen to God's people -- "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Not all that happens to us is good, but all things can work out for good if we will patiently look at it from the right perspective. Can good come out of devastating things and deeds? Yes, consider these: The Lord's Crucifixion Isaiah 53:11 says, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." Without this horrible injustice, we could not be saved. The Evil Brothers of Joseph Sold Him Into Slavery What did Joseph say about this evil deed years later? "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Genesis 50:19-20). Joseph's great faith, noble character, and magnificent patience and courage would have never been brought to light if this evil deed, and the sufferings that ensued, had never taken place! Persecution In Acts 8:1-5 the Bible says, "And Saul was consenting unto his death (Stephen, ch. 7; jhb). And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria... As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them...." The very thing that Satan was using in an attempt to destroy the church, caused the church to grow! Physical Weaknesses In 2 Corinthians 2:7-10 it is written, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." Trials, Temptations & Tribulations In James 1:2-4 the Spirit says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." In 1 Peter 1:5-7 the text says, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." The temptations of the devil bring out the great character of those who love God (1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 4:13), just as the darkness brightens the flickering stars. "Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men" (Readers Digest, August 1962, pg. 63). For example, the awful trials, responsibilities and heartaches thrust upon Lincoln by the Civil War did not MAKE his noble and truly great character; they simply unveiled it to the eyes of men. His magnificent character was attained through the lean, long, weary years BEFORE he became the President! Heresies, Factions, or Parties In The Church "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Corinthians 11:19). Dissentions and difficulties cause us to "plainly recognize" those who are "genuine and of approved fitness" and "sound." Trials within the body are helpful to reveal the true character of the individual members of it. We learn who we can count on to be true! "Giant" Problems In Life In 1 Samuel 17:32-37 the Bible says, "And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee." David had faith to overcome the giant, because he had a history! Many times there's a purpose for our difficulties! -- Via Contending for the Faith ____________________________________________________ -2- "Demas Hath Forsaken Me" by Jarrod Jacobs Paul's words, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world..." are familiar to most students of the Bible. Demas was one of Paul's friends and companions (Col. 4:14; Phile. 23-24). He associated himself with Paul, and other Christians. Have you ever wondered why Demas "loved this present world"? What was he doing? Paul did not reveal the specifics. However, there are lessons for us to learn from this short verse. Demas is the example of all who have (or will) become unfaithful to God in this life. When Paul said, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world" we learn: He Had Misplaced Love. Demas loved "this present world" rather than God. Though this is not an uncommon thing (even today, II Tim. 3:1-5, esp. v. 4), it is still tragic!! Those who are Christians, must understand that our first priority in this life is to love God (Matt. 22:36-40). Why? Because He created us (Acts 17:24; Rev. 4:11), He sent His Son to die for us (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:6-9), and He has given us a Bible to read and study so that we might know God, and know He wants us to be with Him in Heaven (II Pet. 1:20-21; Jn. 14:1-3). Besides the physical blessings (Matt. 5:45), God provides spiritual blessings to those in Christ (Eph. 1:3). The saddest part of II Timothy 4:10 is knowing that Demas was a partaker of all these things and still turned away. Can we understand why this was so foolish? Even in the face of persecutions and death threats, Demas and other early Christians had it better than the richest Roman (II Cor. 4:17-5:1)!! How many of us in this great nation forget all the great blessings that are showered upon us by God? He Rejected Christ As King. "This present world" ruled Demas, rather than God (II Tim. 4:10; Rom. 6:16; Matt. 6:24; II Pet. 2:19). Let us remember that when we put on Christ in baptism, we are declaring that our life is not our own, and we live for Christ (Gal. 2:20, 3:27)! Do we truly believe that Christ is King (I Tim. 6:14-15)?? If we believe this, we will not argue or refuse to do what Christ tells us to do!! Who will rule us? We will either serve God or sin (Matt. 6:24; Rom. 6:16). Look at who ruled Demas (II Tim. 4:10)!! He Crucified Christ Afresh. This is the result of Demas turning from God and turning to the world (II Tim. 4:10; Heb. 6:4-6)! Peter said that Christians who turn from God like Demas did are like a dog turning to his own vomit or a sow that had been washed that then turned back to the mire (II Pet. 2:21-22). Hebrews 10:26-31 shows us that it is a fearful thing to stand in opposition to the God of Heaven!! His Influence Was Ruined. Demas was once a good friend and trusted companion of Paul (Col. 4:14; Phile. 23-24). While not everything is recorded about Demas, we do know that he was known and had influence on the Colossian brethren (Col. 4:14). He was known by Philemon, and had influence upon Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, and Luke (Phile. 23-24). He also was known by Timothy (II Tim. 4:10). In addition to this, there were untold individuals that were influenced by him. His leaving the Lord had an impact on many. Regardless of the reasons, Demas' influence for good was ruined when he turned and left the Lord for worldly, sinful pleasures! (Ezek. 18:24, 26). Modern-Day Demas' Though Demas is dead, his attitude lives in the hearts of men and women who turn from God and turn back to their lives in sin! Modern-day Demas' are those who say and do not (like the Pharisees, Matt. 23:3-6, 6:5, 16). Modern-day Demas' are those who will not sacrifice the old man (Rom. 6:3-6; Col. 3:1-10). They "resurrect" the old man and willfully sin time and time again! Modern-day Demas' are "fair-weather" Christians. They are only faithful to God when they "feel like it." There is no difference between them and Demas (II Tim. 3:4). Modern-day Demas' are those who forget who is the master and who is the slave. Some think that they can simply "pick and choose" what they will obey and leave the rest out. These people have forgotten the Lord who bought them (Rom. 6:16-18; II Jn. 9-11)!! Conclusion Are you on the verge of being a modern-day Demas? The Bible says it is possible (I Cor. 9:27; Gal. 6:1; II Pet. 3:17). Though the Bible is not more specific than to say, Demas "loved this present world," it doesn't have to be more specific. Anything that takes our focus off of God is based in "this present world" (I Jn. 2:15-17)!! An erring child of God can return to God if he or she has been unfaithful (Acts 8:22; I Jn. 1:9). So long as we have this day, it is not too late to return to the Lord! Don't harden your heart, and turn away from the truth!! -- Via In-Depth Studies ____________________________________________________ CHURCH OF CHRIST 201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn) Denham Springs, LA 70726 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 tedwards@onemain.com http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go DIRECTIONS: Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road, and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to the reception counter. ____________________________________________________