____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ February 24, 1991 ____________________________________________________ The Essentiality of Belief in the Resurrection by Tom Edwards Someone once mentioned that the pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contain the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings. Westminster Abbey in London is renowned because in it rest the bodies of English nobles and notables. Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones which it contains. Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C., is revered, for it is the honored resting place of many outstanding Americans. All of these are famous because of what they contain. Christ's tomb, however, is renowned because it is empty! Part of believing in Jesus is believing in His resurrection. This is imperative; and, as one person described, the ``linchpin of our complete system''; and that if removed ``the whole structure of Christianity collapses'' (Arlie J. Hoover). Paul conveyed to the Corinthians how futile one's belief in God would be had it not been for the Lord's resurrection: ''...if Christ has not be raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins'' (1 Cor. 15:17). And in writing to the Roman brethren, he emphasized ``that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved'' (Rom. 10:9). These verses lucidly declare of the need not only for the Lord's resurrection, but also for our belief in that resurrection. A belief, therefore, that doesn't terminate in a tomb of hopelessness, but one that, just as Christ arose, can also help to elevate the believer from his death in sin to a new life in Christ, and where he can see by the eyes of faith Jesus alive and well and at the right hand of God from which He reigns. What a marvelous sign the Lord's resurrection was (Matt. 12:38-40; John 2:18-22). It served to confirm His deity (Rom. 1:3,4; Acts 1:3) and helped others to believe. Had it not been for His personal appearances to the apostles after His death, they would have probably remained despondently hopeless in their unbelief. During this interim between the Lord's death and their witness of His resurrection, they appeared as a sad and timid group of lost sheep who were in the process of wandering back to their old pastures of occupation and leaving behind the mission for which Christ had selected them. Even after hearing the testimony of faithful Mary, as she testified of the risen Lord, they were not moved to believe. Apparently, there was not even the slightest inkling that any of them possessed toward the possibility of the Lord's resurrection. After seeing Jesus for themselves, however, they were then enabled to give their all for His cause -- even though that meant suffering on His behalf. Perhaps one of the greatest testimonies towards the resurrection of Christ is this great transformation that occurred in these cowardly and faithless apostles to becoming heroically adamant in their stand for the truth and their endeavors to propagate its teachings even at the cost of their very lives. Because Christ arose, we, too, can have hope of not only a resurrection, but of also a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35). There is coming a time when the dead in Christ shall be risen first and then we Christians which are alive to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thes. 4:13-18), when time shall come to a halt and every element of this physical universe will be dissolved into nothingness. Then the ``mortal'' will have put on ``immortality'' (1 Cor. 15:50-53), and the Christian shall be made ``like Him'' (1 John 3:2) in the sense that He has an eternal, glorified body. Now is the time to be thinking seriously about making ourselves ready for that day. Whether it will be for you a ``resurrection of damnation'' or a ``resurrection of life'' depends on the choice which you make while upon this earth (John 5:29). If we can help or encourage you in any way to make this decision for the ``resurrection of life,'' feel free to contact us at the address shown in this bulletin. Yes, as the song tells us, ``There's a great day coming...when the saint and the sinner shall be parted, right and left. Are you ready for that day to come?'' ___________________________________________ A Glimpse At Psalm Two by Tom Edwards ``Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed: `Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!' He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury: `But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.' `I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, `Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee''' (Psa. 2:1-7). The worst scheme ever devised by man was undoubtedly the plot made and the consent given towards the crucifixion of God's beloved Son. Many of the very ones who had hailed the Lord during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem were soon heard shouting out from the same mouths just a few days later to ``crucify Him!'' They were willing to take the full responsibility of His execution, and this they affirmed by saying, ``His blood be on us and on our children'' (Matt. 27:25). The psalmist prophesied that the kings would take their stand and the rulers would take counsel ``against the Lord and against His Anointed,'' which Peter shows to have been fulfilled in the days of Christ when ``both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel'' took their stand against Jesus whom God had later anointed (Acts 4:24-28). This same Jesus, however, God had also raised up to become a ``King upon Zion'' -- God's ``holy mountain.'' Earlier, Peter had expressed that Jesus had been crucified by the ``predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God'' in order to then be ``raised up again'' (from the dead) to become both ``Lord and Christ.'' By so doing, Jesus fulfilled the promise to David that God would set one of his descendants upon his throne to rule (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2:22-36). It's interesting that God the Father uses the expression ``Today I have begotten Thee'' (Psa. 2:7) with reference to the Lord's resurrection. Notice also the following from Acts 13:23-37, as we sum up some of its highlights: Though they had found no fault in Him, Jesus was unjustly put to death. God, however, raised Him from the dead ``and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem.'' By raising Jesus from the dead, God had fulfilled His promise ``as it is also written in the second Psalm, `Thou art My Son; today I have begotten Thee.' And as for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: `I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David''' (vv. 33,34). As we reflect upon the words of the psalmist, the fulfillment of his prophecies are clearly defined in the New Testament. Jesus is the great King who is now reigning over all. Though the people had become uproarious, and the kings of the earth had taken their stand and the rulers had taken counsel together against Him, which led to His crucifixion, God was able to raise Him from the dead and exalt Him to His right hand in glory, where he now reigns as the great King of kings and Lord of lords. Are you allowing Christ to reign in your life? Though God is omnipotent in His undying strength, because of the free will He has given you, you have the power to shut Him out or to let Him in. The choice is yours. Won't you respond to His gracious invitation to enjoy an eternity of blissfulness in ultimate glory? That sounds pretty good to me. The Lord shows that in order for one to be saved, that individual must believe (Heb. 11:6; John 8:24), repent (Luke 13:5; Acts 2:38), be baptized (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21), and continue in the faith throughout life (Heb. 10:35-39; Rev. 2:10). If we can help you in learning of the plan of salvation more thoroughly, feel free to contact us at the address shown in this bulletin. ___________________________________________ 24 YEARS IN THE FIRST GRADE Statistics show that if public schools met only as often as Sunday Bible classes at church, it would take 24 years to get through the first grade! Many people attend about half that time; thus a span of 48 years in the first grade would be spent. Solomon says the trouble with knowledge is that it is limited. Yet, we live in a society based on knowledge, and hopefully the element of wisdom. The trouble is that we concentrate so heavily on intellect of secular things that little if any thought is given to Bible knowledge. ----- an excerpt from an article by Gary Fiscus ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________