The Two Natures of Christ

Transcription

1 Te Power of Example By Tom Ross of Sout Point, Oio For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in te oly Gost, and in muc assurance; as ye know wat manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of te Lord, aving received te word in muc affliction, wit joy of te oly Gost: So Moved wit Compassion tat ye were ensamples to all tat believe in Macedonia and Acaia. For from you sounded out te word of te Lord not only in Macedonia and Acaia, but also in every place your fait to God-ward is spread abroad; (Continued on page 2) Te Cross and Crucifixion By Curtis Pug of Poteau, Oklaoma We do not doubt tat te Lord Jesus Crist, God s Lamb, was nailed to a wooden instrument of deat wic was set uprigt in a ole in te ground. e was left tere to die. Neiter do we doubt is burial and resurrection. Wat we do doubt are te baseless Catolicpagan traditions - false ideas - tat ave grown up around tis event. Te Two Natures of Crist Wile we expect to be opposed by some because of tis article we feel compelled to tell wat we ave learned on tis subject. My Bible says: And tey crucified im, and parted is garments, casting lots: tat it migt be fulfilled wic was (Continued on page 16) Tis Do in Rememberance of Me By Paul Stepp of Indore, West Virginia By Milburn R. Cockrell ( ) By Timoty J. ille of Asland, Illinois And Jesus went fort, and saw a great multitude, and was moved wit compassion toward tem, and e ealed teir sick (Matt. 14:14). I want to talk about te prase in te middle of our text verse, moved wit compassion. I want us to consider, Wat does it mean, wen a person is moved wit compassion? I want us to consider, Wat appens, wen a person (Continued on page 10) For unto us a cild Luke 22:14-20 is born, unto us a son is Te greatest memorial given (Isa. 9:6). wic we ave as saints Te redemption of man of God and members in a from sin was to be affected New Testament missionary troug a Mediator Wo Baptist curc is te ordinance wic Jesus could unite in imself bot te uman and instituted on te nigt of is betrayal, te divine natures. Wen te Second Person of te Lord s Supper. A memorial is tat wic serves Godead became incarnate, tere was a uniting to remind us of someting great, someting of God wit man. Tere was a combining of an of importance and wort, someting witout infinite Person wit a finite being. Tis is one of wic our lives and te tings tat are of greatest (Continued on page 21) (Continued on page 18) God breaks te cistern to bring us to te fountain. Our creature comforts fail us, and ten we go to te Creator imself. Gainful are te losses wic bring us nearer to God. Te sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite eart, O God, tou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:17).

2 Page 2 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 April 5, 2016 Volume XXXVI, Number 4 Wole Number 441 Editor: Cristoper Cockrell Staff: Seron Cockrell, Marsa Kiser, Virginia Cockrell TE BEREA BAPTIST BANNER (UPS ) is publised montly for $6.00 per year by te autority of te Berea Baptist Curc, 3881 igway 363, Mantacie, Mississippi Periodical Publication postage paid at Mantacie, Mississippi. POSTMASTER: Send address canges to TE BEREA BAPTIST BANNER, P. O. Box 39, Mantacie, Mississippi PUBLICATION POLICIES: All matter for publication sould be sent to te editor. All manuscripts are to be typed and double spaced. All suc material becomes te property of BBB and will not be returned unless requested by te writer. We reserve te rigt to edit and condense all materials sent to us for publication. Te publication of an article does not necessarily mean te editor is in complete agreement wit te writer, nor does it mean e endorses all tis person may ave written on oter subjects. COPYING PRIVILEGES: Unless oterwise stated any article publised in tis paper may be copied by oter publications, provided tey give proper credit line stating tat suc was copied from tis publication, and te date of publication; provided tat suc materials are not publised for profit. If we are not on an excange list wit te publication copying, it is requested tat a copy of te issue containing te article be sent to our address. All copyrigted materials may not be copied witout written consent. PUBLISED MONTLY wit paid circulation in most states in te U.S.A. and some foreign countries. SUBSCRIPTION RATES - U.S. One year...$6.00 Two years...$10.00 Five years...$24.00 SUBSCRIPTION RATES - FOREIGN One Year $45 Tune in to te Berea Baptist Broadcast STATION TIME DIAL WATTS WCNA, Myrtle, MS...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,000 FM WCTT, Corbin, KY...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,000 AM WFTA, Tupelo, MS...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,000 FM KARI, Blaine, WA...Saturday 10:30-11:00 a.m ,000 AM KPRV, eavener, OK... Sunday 8:30-9:00 a.m ,000 FM WQRL, Benton, IL...Sunday 9:00-9:30 a.m ,500 FM Berea Baptist Banner PO Box 39 Mantacie, Mississippi (662) request@bereabaptistcurc.org bbcurc@nexband.com Planning a move? Please let us know your new address. Te post office carges us $.59 for eac returned wrong address. PLANNING TO MOVE? Notify us tree weeks in advance. Te post office will only forward periodical mail for 90 days. Tey carge us $.70 for eac cange of address tey ave to send us. Please save us tis expense and te post office time. BUNDLES TO ONE ADDRESS: Tese are sent for $4 per paper for a year. An example: 10 papers for one year at $40 or 20 papers for one year at $ LOCATION OF PUBLISING CURC: Our curc is located on state igway 363 about one mile sout of Mantacie, Mississippi. Readers are always welcome to visit our services. CURC PONE: A PAPER WITOUT SUBSCRIPTION: Some times people write to us and say tat tey did not subscribe for te BBB. Tey are receiving our paper because someone else as paid for teir subscription. We trust te BBB will be received as an outstretced and to you. Take wat you find elpful and discard wat you cannot use.if you do not want to receive suc a gift subscription, please write to us. We are appy to cancel suc a subscription. We do not want to go were we are not wanted. DISCLAIMER: Te Editor assumes tat te articles submitted for publication in te BBB are written by te person wose name tey bear, unless oterwise indicated by a quote from anoter writer. owever, te Editor cannot personally guarantee tat tis is te case in all articles wic appear in te BBB. Te purpose of te Berea Baptist Banner is as follows: 1.To onor God and to exalt te Lord Jesus Crist. 2. To preac te gospel to lost sinners. 3. To spread te wole counsel of God s Word. 4. To encourage God s preacers and to strengt-en is curces in te most oly fait. 5. To motivate God s cildren to a closer fellow-sip around is Word. 6. To inform people of world events in ligt of Bible propecy. 7. To condemn and expose error werever it may rear its ugly ead. 8. To stimulate Cristian growt in grace. 9. To make te Devil and is demons as mad as possible. PAPER GONE OUT TO SEA WIT TE TIDE? Look at your mailing label on te front page of tis mont s paper. If you see above your name Expires 4/2016 ten tis will be your last issue. So don t tink your paper as gone out wit te tide! Renew now so you won t miss next mont s Banner. Power of Example (Continued from page 1) so tat we need not to speak any ting (I Tess. 1:5-8). Paul te apostle, under te inspiration of te oly Spirit, commends te members of te curc at Tessalonica for teir godly example and influence. Te Greek word for ensample is tupos wic denotes te making of an impression, a mold, or a pattern. Paul is, in effect, stating tat te curc at Tessalonica offers us a model, a pattern, an example of a congregation tat onored God. Te curc at Tessalonica demonstrated teir fait by teir actions. Tey were a loving, caring, compassionate curc. Tey were also patient and steadfast in te midst of sore trials and afflictions. Tey ad turned from teir idols and were actively serving God and anticipating te soon return of te Lord Jesus Crist. Te curc at Tessalonica made suc an impression by teir active fait and sacrificial service tat teir example and influence soon spread to oter congregations. Every New Testament Baptist curc ougt to be a sining example of wat Cristianity is all about. Jesus instructed us to: Let your ligt so sine before men, tat tey may see your good works, and glorify your Fater wic is in eaven (Matt. 5:16). New Testament curces are made up of saved individuals wo ave been added to te body by te leadersip of te oly Spirit and submission to te ordinance of scriptural baptism. Wen we followed our Lord in baptism we were, in effect, symbolically declaring tat we were dead to our old way of life, and raised anew to faitfully follow and serve te Lord in is curc. We made a vow before God, te angels, and te curc to surrender ourselves to te Lordsip of Jesus Crist. As individual members we eac ave a solemn responsibility to provide a proper example of Crist-likeness to everyone witin our spere of influence. I callenge you to consider wat kind of impression your life is leaving upon oters. I pray God will stir your eart to carefully determine wat kind of example you are demonstrating by your manner of life. YOUR PERSONAL EXAMPLE INFLUENCES EVERYONE AROUND YOU 1. Every day all of us are setting an example for oters to see. Our example may be good, evil, or mediocre. Make no mistake about it, we are influencing te lives of oters by te way we tink, speak, and act on any given day. Wat a solemn trut! Your life is aving an impact on oters. 2. You and I are toucing and influencing people in every area of our lives. We set an example eiter for good or bad in our omes. Moms and Dads, little eyes are watcing you. Dads, your sons will one day model te way your treat your wife. Moms, one day your daugters are going to model te way you treat your usband. Parents, you are leaving a lasting impression upon your cildren tat in all probability will be perpetuated for generations. Wat are we teacing our cildren and one anoter by our example? Do we love and respect one anoter? Do we onor te Lord and exalt is Word by faitful obedience to its precepts? Are we slotful or diligent? Wat we do is often (Continued on page 3)

3 April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 3 Power of Example (Continued from page 2) more powerful tan wat we say in our omes. Psalm 128:1-6 declares: Blessed is every one tat fearet te LORD; tat walket in is ways. For tou salt eat te labour of tine ands: appy salt tou be, and it sall be well wit tee. Ty wife sall be as a fruitful vine by te sides of tine ouse: ty cildren like olive plants round about ty table. Beold, tat tus sall te man be blessed tat fearet te LORD. Te LORD sall bless tee out of Zion: and tou salt see te good of Jerusalem all te days of ty life. Yea, tou salt see ty cildren s cildren, and peace upon Israel. Jon Balguy wrote: Watever parent gives is cildren good instruction and sets tem at te same time a bad example, may be considered as bringing tem food in one and, and poison in te oter. (Te New Dictionary of Tougts, p. 188) Wen you go into te workplace wat kind of example are you setting for your coworkers? Are you lazy, divisive, and full of complaints? Or do your coworkers see someone wo is committed and consistently aiming to add value to te workplace? Is your speec trutful, edifying, and encouraging? Do your abits reflect te worty name of te Lord Jesus Crist? Do you inspire oters to work ard and do teir job to te best of teir ability? Colossians 3:22-24 declares: Servants, obey in all tings your masters according to te fles; not wit eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of eart, fearing God: And watsoever ye do, do it eartily, as to te Lord, and not unto men; Knowing tat of te Lord ye sall receive te reward of te ineritance: for ye serve te Lord Crist. Lewis Dilwyn said: One watc set rigt will do to set many by; one tat goes wrong may be te means of misleading a wole neigborood; and te same may be said of example. (Te New Dictionary of Tougts, p. 187) Wen you go to curc people are observing your attitude and beavior. Tey are listening to your speec. Tey are monitoring your faitfulness or unfaitfulness. Someone may object and say People at curc ave no rigt to monitor my beavior! Tat is were you are wrong. We are all members of one anoter in te local body of Crist. If one member suffers all te members suffer according to te illustration provided in I Corintians 12. We are all accountable to God and one anoter for te way we live our lives. Wat kind of example are you setting for te oter members of te curc? Are you spiritual or carnal, content or contentious, loving or lukewarm? Wat if every member modeled your personal testimony? Wat if everyone in te curc read and applied te Scriptures to teir lives like you do? Wat if everyone witnessed to te lost as muc as you do? Wat if everyone paid teir tites as faitfully as you do? Wat if everyone prayed for te pastor, te curc, and te missionaries like you do? Solemn and searcing questions! II Corintians 3:2-5 states: Ye are our epistle written in our earts, known and read of all men: Forasmuc as ye are manifestly declared to be te epistle of Crist ministered by us, written not wit ink, but wit te Spirit Little ills Te New Birt #1 Te Necessity of Every Man, Woman, Boy, and Girl Marvel not tat I said unto tee, Ye must be born again (Jon 3:7). Te word must tells us tat born again is required. Te Lord Jesus Crist was speaking to Nicodemus, a very religious man, wen e said tis. Nicodemus was a Jew of te nation Israel. Nicodemus was a ruler of te Jews (Jon 3:1) probably a member of te Jewis religious council. Nicodemus was also a Parisee (Jon 3:1) wo were te most religious group among te Jews. Jesus of te living God; not in tables of stone, but in flesy tables of te eart. 3. Wen you begin to see ow your example affects your world, your spere of influence, you begin to understand just ow important your testimony really is. May God give us grace to follow te admonition of Mica 6:8: e at sewed tee, O man, wat is good; and wat dot te LORD require of tee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk umbly wit ty God? 4. Wen you take an onest look at modern day society you ave to conclude tat te power of good and godly examples are sadly deficient or non-existent. Tis is true in every facet of society, including omes, curces, and government. We live in a world of violence, immorality, ungodliness, disrespect for autority, deception, and political corruption. ig ranking political By Nataniel ille of Caldwell, Kansas... and te little ills rejoice on every side (Psalms 65:12). spoke of te Parisees saying,... except your rigteousness sall exceed te rigteousness of te scribes and Parisees, ye sall in no case enter into te kingdom of eaven (Matt. 5:20). Nicodemus was also a master, or teacer, of Israel. None of tese tings gained Nicodemus favor wit God. An individual may ave many great tings, rices, religion, Bible knowledge, education, citizensip in a nation, even as great as te United States, but if tat individual as not been born again, tey are ell-bound. ave you been born again? figures and teir operatives routinely lie, ceat, and cover up in order to maintain teir power. omes are falling apart because parents are not committed to training teir cildren in te way tey sould go. Curces stand for very little because tey fear tey will lose money and members. Employers ave little or no loyalty to teir employees. We are in te midst of a moral crisis tat is accelerating. Many people are modeling te examples provided by reality stars, ollywood ustlers, and political pimps. Young minds are being corrupted by dope smoking, immoral, liberal, ateistic professors. An old Spanis Proverb states: Live wit wolves, and you will learn to owl. Look at our communities and you will find folks witout a moral compass owling like wolves wit rapacious appetites for tat wic is unclean. Tis (Continued on page 4)

4 Page 4 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 Power of Example (Continued from page 3) know also, tat in te last days perilous times sall come. For men sall be lovers of teir own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blaspemers, disobedient to parents, untankful, unoly, Witout natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of tose tat are good. Traitors, eady, igminded, loves of pleasures more tan loves of God: aving a form of godliness, but denying te power tereof: from suc turn away But evil men and seducers sall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived (II Tim 3:1-5, 13). We ave lost a sense of urgency about te kind of example we are providing and following! Mattew 5:13 declares: Ye are te salt of te eart: but if te salt ave lost is savour, werewit sall it be salted? It is tencefort good for noting, but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men. Unless Cristians in general, and te Lord s curces in particular come to grips wit teir responsibility to provide a rigteous and godly example by way of a consecrated testimony, we will continue to see te moral decay of our world. Dear believer are you even te least bit concerned tat your attitudes, speec, and actions are influencing oters eiter for bad or good on any given day? O tat God would stir eac of us wit a renewed sense of personal responsibility to model te life of our Lord Jesus Crist as an example to oters! I Jon 2:3-6 declares: And ereby we do know tat we know im, if we keep is commandments. e tat sait, I know im, and keepet not is commandments, is a liar, and te trut is not in im. But woso keepet is word, in im verily is te love of God perfected: ereby know we tat we are in im. e tat sait e abidet in im ougt imself also so to walk, even as e walked. BAD EXAMPLES FROM SCRIPTURE 1. Te Old Testament example of Lot provides us wit an illustration ow a man can ruin is testimony and destroy is family. Lot was te nepew of faitful Abraam. Te details of is life are set fort in Genesis capters 13, 14, and 19. Troug covetous desires Lot separated from faitful Abraam. e lusted after te well watered plains of Sodom witout giving any tougt ow suc a move would affect is family. is eyes were fixed upon te prospect of material prosperity. God saw Sodom very differently as Genesis 13:13 records: But te men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before te LORD exceedingly. Sodom was filled to te brim wit omosexuals wo ad violent and perverted intentions (Gen. 19:4-11; cf. Rom. 1:24-27; Jude 7). Lot first lifted up is eyes upon Sodom, ten e pitced is tent toward Sodom, before too long e was living in Sodom. e willfully led is family into an atmospere of wickedness and perversion. Wen God determined to judge Sodom and Gomorra, faitful Abraam interceded for Lot in prayer. God agreed to spare Lot and is family from te coming judgment. Two angels were dispatced to Sodom to retrieve Lot and is family. Lot relayed te message of judgment to is family. Genesis 19:14 states: And Lot went out, and spake unto is sons in law, wic married is daugters, and said, Up, get you out of tis place; for te LORD will destroy tis city. But e seemed as one tat mocked unto is sons in law. Because of Lot s ypocritical example and fruitless testimony is family mocked im. is wife was so enamored wit er life in Sodom se looked back at te city as God rained down fire and brimstone upon it. Se was turned to a pillar of salt. Only Lot and is two daugters escaped te wrat of God poured out upon Sodom. Te two daugters concocted a plan to get teir daddy drunk and ave sex wit im so tat tey could ave cildren. Te result of tat unoly union were te Ammonites and Moabites, wo became te sworn enemies of Israel for centuries. One man s sinful example not only ruined is testimony and cost im is family, is illegitimate and incestuous descendents did muc arm to God s cosen people. Te power of Lot s example led to te embrace of evil and wickedness in is family. Wat a warning for parents, and especially Dad s! Your example is saping your family. Were you live, ow you act, wat you say, and ow you tink is leaving a lasting impression upon your wife, cildren, and grand cildren! A. W. Pink in Gleanings in Genesis commented on te worldly example of Lot and is miserable end: Lot seems to be a type of tat class of Cristians wo aim to make te best of bot worlds, wo are really occupied more wit te tings of eart tan te tings of eaven. Lot was a man wo sowed to te fles, and of te fles e reaped corruption. Temporal prosperity was wat e sougt, but in te end e lost even is worldly possessions. is life on eart was a wretced failure, made up entirely of wood, ay, stubble. Tere was no witnessing for God and no blessing of God upon is family. Lot is a concrete warning, a danger signal, for all Cristians wo feel a tendency to be carried away by te tings of te world Wretced, indeed, must ave been te closing days of Lot--cowering in a cave, stripped of all is eartly possessions, is sons in law destroyed in Sodom, is wife turned to a pillar of salt, and e left face to face wit te fruit of is own awful sin. (p. 154) 2. Te wicked kings of Juda and Israel demonstrate ow an evil example by leaders can ave a devastating effect upon te people of teir country. Jeosapat was a king of Juda wo failed to remove te ig places were people offered sacrifice to idols and e made a peace pact wit Aab, te wicked king of Israel (I Kings 22:41-44). Jeosapat s compromise wit Aab ultimately led to is son (Jeoram) marrying te daugter of Aab and Jezebel (II Kings 8:16-18). Jeoram led is subjects in te practice of evil and idolatry, following te wicked example of is fater in law, Aab. Aab ated God and is true propets. Jezebel is one of te most wicked women to ever live. Jeoram followed teir example and brougt judgment upon is people. Unoly alliances can ave dire consequences! Te story of Manasse, king of Juda, and is son Amon is told in II Kings 21. Manasse reigned 52 years. e was a wicked idolater. e even sacrificed one of is sons as a burnt offering and sougt te counsel of wizards wo were involved in te occult. In spite of Manasse s gross wickedness it appears tat God umbled (Continued on page 5)

5 April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 5 Te Permanent ig Priest Watering te Tulips By Todd Bryant of Nortport, Alabama And tey truly were many priests, because tey were not suffered to continue by reason of deat: But tis man, because e continuet ever, at an uncangeable priestood. Werefore e is able also to save tem to te uttermost tat come unto God by im, seeing e ever livet to make intercession for tem (eb. 7:23-25). Te writer of ebrews spends muc time discussing te priestood of Jesus and ow muc better it is tan te former priestood. Te passage before us is crucial in suc a study. No matter ow well intentioned an Old Testament priest was, e was prevented by deat from continuing in office. Terefore, e was unable to be a permanent priest. e may very well ave been willing to continue eternally as a mediator between God and men. Noneteless, is willingness did not equate to ability. Priest after priest died and were replaced. On tis point alone, te priestood could never be fully perfected. Te system was good. Te servants were inadequate. Enter Jesus. is priestood replaced teirs. Unlike tem, e is...a priest for ever after te order of Melcizedek (Ps. 110:4; eb. 7:17). In great contrast to te priests of te old covenant, Jesus walked out of te grave tree days after being buried and sowed imself victorious over it. Deat as no old on im. e is exalted at te rigt and of God even today (Acts 2:33). Consequently, e is able to save to te uttermost tose wo draw near to God troug im. Jesus is te only way into fellowsip wit te Fater. Remember is words, I am te way, te trut, and te life: no man comet unto te Fater, but by me (Jon 14:6). Only troug te greatest priest ever can men approac God. Te duty of a priest was to build a bridge between God and man. Yet, no oter priest was able to do tis except Jesus Crist. As long as te Old Testament priests served, te temple curtain remained in place, wic made access to God impossible. Wen Jesus died,...te veil of te temple was rent in twain from te top to te bottom (Matt. 27:51). Not only did Jesus pave te way to God troug is sacrifice for our sins, but also e continues making intercession for us. e as saved us to te uttermost! It is not tat we are someow saved by te skin of our teet. Nay, in all tese tings we are more tan conquerors troug im tat loved us (Romans 8:37). Jesus (being te perfect, permanent priest) saves entirely and eternally. If e stands between you and God, you are completely saved. Because of tis, te believer is said to now ave laid old of eternal life (Jon 3:36). Are you seeking fellowsip wit God troug some oter means tan Jesus today? Are you oping to get tere by your good works? It is past time tat you forsake suc a opeless cause and look to te only One tat makes eternal fellowsip wit God a certainty. Jesus as built a bridge between God and man. e is te Bridge. Our prayer is tat God grants you fait to believe tis trut today. Power of Example (Continued from page 4) im and saved im late in life (II Cron. 33:11-20). owever, is example of wickedness still prevailed in is kingdom and is son, Amon followed in is wicked ways. Amon exceeded te wickedness of is fater and was assassinated by is ouseold servants. Te laws of sowing and reaping are always in effect. It is also interesting to note tat depraved cildren often follow te worst abits of teir parents. Manasse was saved late in life, but Amon followed is fater s wicked ways instead of umbling imself before God. Te evil example of tese kings of Juda and Israel not only affected teir immediate family and ancestors. Teir influence was modeled by te citizens of teir kingdom. Consider Jotam and is son Aaz to see ow te power of an evil example corrupts bot families and nations. It is said of Jotam: And e did tat wic was rigt in te sigt of te LORD, according to all tat is fater Uzzia did: OWBEIT E ENTERED NOT UNTO TE TEMPLE OF TE LORD. AND TE PEOPLE DID YET CORRUPTLY (emp. TR). Jotam actually did some good tings (II Cron 27:6), owever is son, Aaz followed after te wickedness of te kings of Israel: For e walked in te ways of te kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover e burnt incense in te valley of te son of innom, and burnt is cildren in te fire, after te abominations of te eaten wom te LORD ad cast out before te cildren of Israel. e sacrificed also and burnt incense in te ig places, and on te ills, and under every green tree (II Cron. 28:2-4). Jotam would not go into te temple of te LORD and is son became one of Juda s worst idolaters. Consider carefully wat our leaders in America ave done. Our nation now worsips at te altar of evolutionary teory. We ave trown off te autority of God, is Word, and te moral law. In 1973 our godless Supreme Court legalized te rutless murder and extermination of cildren. In te Summer of 2015 te same court unilaterally decided tat te perversion of omosexual marriage was lawful. Our political leaders ave created an underclass dependent upon government welfare tat insures te recipients will keep tem in power. We actually ave a confirmed socialist running for te Democrat nomination for president of te United States. We ave an immigration crisis tat is costing trillions. We are ceding our sovereignty and influence to te United Nations. We ave accepted false science under te guise of climate cange. Our education system is in sambles. Our economy is weak. Te racial divide and bitter animus created by crooked politicians as probably never been greater since te 1800 s. Tere is little or no respect for law enforcement or any moral autority, for tat matter. Te downward spiral of America can be traced to te power of ungodly examples from our leaders in every facet of society. Psalm 9:16-17 states: Te LORD is known by te (Continued on page 6)

6 Page 6 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 Power of Example (Continued from page 5) judgment wic e executet: te wicked is snared in te work of is own ands Te wicked sall be turned into ell, and all te nations tat forget God. GOOD EXAMPLES FROM SCRIPTURE 1. Even wit all of is flaws, Abraam is considered to be a good example of a man of fait and a responsible fater. e ad a zeal for God and an entusiasm for following te Lord. God commended Abraam in Genesis 18:19: For I know im, tat e will command is cildren and is ouseold after im, and tey sall keep te way of te LORD, to do justice and judgment; tat te LORD may bring upon Abraam tat wic e at spoken of im. Abraam is one of te most influential men in Scripture. is exercise of saving fait and service to God are set fort as a pattern for believers in te Old and New Testaments (Romans 4; ebrews 12:8-19; James 2:20-24). God used Abraam as te uman vessel wose seed would ultimately blossom into te nation out of wic te Messia would come. Abraam s name and testimony is respected by Jews and Gentiles te world over. is example is a testimony to te fact tat God can raise up a single man wo influenced is family, is community, is nation, and ultimately te world for good. 2. Timoty s moter, Eunice, and grandmoter, Lois are forever memorialized in Scripture as godly women wo ad a profound influence for good in te life of te young preacer. Tey exemplified te caracteristics of te Proverbs 31 woman wo is considered as a paragon of virtue, piety, and service to er family. Paul te apostle reminded Timoty of te godly influence is moter and grandmoter ad on is life: Wen I call to remembrance te unfeigned fait tat is in tee, wic dwelt first in ty grandmoter Lois, and ty moter Eunice; and I am persuaded tat in tee also But continue tou in te tings wic tou as learned and ast been assured of, knowing of wom tou ast learned tem; And tat from a cild tou ast known te oly scriptures, wic are able to make tee wise unto salvation troug fait wic is in Crist Jesus (II Tim. 1:5; 3:14-15). Praise God for godly moters and grandmoters wo follow in te steps of tese virtuous women! Te influence a godly wife and moter can ave upon er family is priceless and will be greatly rewarded at te judgment seat of Crist. Proverbs 31:25-30 declares: Strengt and onour are er cloting; and se sall rejoice in time to come. Se openet er mout wit wisdom: and in er tongue is te law of kindness. Se looket well to te ways of er ouseold, and eatet not te bread of idleness. er cildren arise up, and call er blessed; er usband also, and e praiset er. Many daugters ave done virtuously, but tou excellest tem all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman tat fearet te LORD, se sall be praised. Praise God for women wo sun te advice and accolades of te world to be fully committed to God and family. If you were to dig deep into te istory of great awakenings and revivals, you would find tat tey probably started at te knees of godly moters wo were instructing teir cildren in te truts of Scripture and prayer by precept and practice. O, tat God would raise up a oly band of godly moters to influence teir cildren for good in our day! Wenever te sacred duties of moterood are neglected in a society, you can be sure tat immodesty, immorality, and ungodliness will prevail. Jean Paul Ricter reveals te importance of a godly example in te raising of cildren: Te conscience of cildren is formed by te influences tat surround tem; teir notions of good and evil are te result of te moral atmospere tey breate. (Te New Dictionary of Tougts, p. 188) 3. Paul te apostle is one of te greatest examples of a man wo was fully surrendered and committed to God. e was one of te most prolific writers of Scripture. e was one of te most zealous missionaries te world as ever known. Paul loved te Lord Jesus Crist and was willing to go anywere and do anyting for te glory of God. is was a life of selfless sacrifice to furter te cause of Crist. e pressed on in spite of beatings, stonings, sipwrecks, imprisonment, false accusations, privation, and a ost of oter difficulties. Paul was steadfast in service until te day e died as a martyr at te ands of wicked Nero. Wat a valiant soldier of te cross! I tink te distilled essence of is consecrated life is expressed in Pilippians 3:8-15: Yea doubtless, and I count all tings but loss for te excellency of te knowledge of Crist Jesus my Lord: for wom I ave suffered te loss of all tings, and do count tem but dung, tat I may win Crist, And be found in im, not aving mine own rigteousness, wic is of te law, but tat wic is troug te fait of Crist, te rigteousness wic is of God by fait: Tat I may know im, and te power of is resurrection, and te fellowsip of is sufferings, being made conformable unto is deat: If by any means I migt attain unto te resurrection of te dead. Not as toug I ad already attained, eiter were already perfect: but I follow after, if tat I may appreend tat for wic also I am appreended of Crist Jesus. Bretren, I count not myself to ave appreended: but tis one ting I do, forgetting tose tings wic are beind, and reacing fort unto tose tings wic are before. I press toward te mark for te prize of te ig calling of God in Crist Jesus. Let us terefore, as many as be perfect, be tus minded: and if in any ting ye be oterwise minded, God sall reveal even tis unto you. O, to be tus minded in following te example of te devoted apostle! e urges us to follow is example in I Corintians 11:1: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Crist. 4. Te greatest example we are called upon to emulate and follow is tat of te Lord Jesus Crist. In all of uman istory tere as never been anyone to excel te glories or matc te magnificence of Jesus. is name is above every name and is oly example is unsullied, undefiled, and perfect. Even toug e is te eternal God e was willing to identify wit tose e came to save. Te Lord Jesus, te Second Person of te sacred Trinity condescended to become a man. e walked among sinners wit no sin of is own. e went about doing good. e ealed lepers, caused te blind to see, raised te dead, comforted (Continued on page 7)

7 April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 7 Power of Example (Continued from page 6) tose wo were cast down, fed te multitudes, taugt te trut wit autority, and spread compassion every were e went. Tere is no one like Jesus! e willingly went to te cross to die in te stead of oters as te only perfect and qualified sacrifice. e suffered, bled, and died for oters! e was buried in te tomb of Josep of Arimetea for tree days and just as e said e would, e rose from te dead conquering sin, deat, ell, and te grave! Te power of te Living Crist as literally canged te course and istory of mankind. Tere as never been a more transformative person in all of istory! is followers were so impressed wit is finised work tey took is commission to go into all te world and preac te Gospel to every creature seriously. Tose wo were saved by te sacrifice of Jesus Crist turned te world upside down. Teir message was simple and to te point: Neiter is tere salvation in any oter: for tere is none oter name under eaven given among men, wereby we must be saved. Now wen tey saw te boldness of Peter and Jon, and perceived tat tey were unlearned and ignorant men, tey marveled; and tey took knowledge of tem, tat tey ad been wit Jesus (Acts 4:12-13). Tey were empowered by te presence and example of te Lord Jesus Crist. As tey preaced is worty name as te only way of salvation wit courage and boldness, oters perceived tat tey ad been wit Jesus! Tey were is followers! is life and example ad canged teir life and tey wanted to tell everybody about it! Tis is te ultimate illustration of te power of example. All of us are called to follow te Lord Jesus Crist! I Peter 2:21-23 states: For even ereunto were ye called: because Crist also suffered for us, leaving us an example, tat ye sould follow is steps. Wo did no sin, neiter was guile found in is mout: Wo, wen e was reviled, reviled not again; wen e suffered, e treatened not; but committed imself to im tat judget rigteously. Tere is not a more worty or noble cause tan tat of emulating te life of te Lord Jesus Crist. Te desire to be conformed to is blessed image in tis life and in te life to come ougt to be te aim of every believer wo as been transformed by te power of God. O, to be more like te Lord Jesus! Tis sould be our daily prayer and determined practice! Wat a powerful transformation would take place in individuals, omes, curces, and te world if only we were serious about following te Lord Jesus Crist. CARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD EXAMPLE I Timoty 4:12-16: Let no man despise ty yout; but be tou an example of te believers, in word, in conversation, in carity, in spirit, in fait, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exortation, to doctrine. Neglect not te gift tat is in tee, wic was given tee by propecy, wit te laying on of ands of te presbytery. Meditate upon tese tings; give tyself wolly to tem,; tat ty profiting may appear to all. Take eed unto tyself, and unto te doctrine; continue in tem: for in doing tis tou salt bot save tyself, and tem tat ear tee. Tis passage of Scripture was written to exort Timoty and all oter God called preacers to provide te rigt kind of example to tose tey minister to. Te caracteristics of a good example listed ere are so concise and dynamic I believe we can use te passage to exort all believers to make application in teir lives as well. 1. In tis passage Paul makes it clear tat age sould not be a determining factor wen it comes to setting a rigt example. Timoty was a young preacer, but Paul admonised im to be an example to oters despite is yout. Tis serves as a reminder to all of us tat no matter were we are in life we ougt always to be cognizant of te power of example in young and old alike. Tose of us wo are getting a little age on us sould not be so arrogant as to tink we cannot learn from young people wo love te Lord and are committed to serving im! May God be pleased to raise up an army of young Timoty s in our curces to serve as examples of godliness! 2. In order to be a good and godly example to oters we must govern our tongue. Our speec must glorify God. Epesians 4:29-30 states: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mout, but tat wic is good to te use of edifying, tat it may minister grace unto te earers. And grieve not te oly Spirit of God, wereby ye are sealed unto te day of redemption. Wat a oly standard for our speec! Noting corrupt, putrid, rotten, filty, dirty, or unseemly is to proceed out of our mout! Rater, our speec sould edify and build up. It sould be gracious and wolesome. Dear reader, wat kind words are coming out of your mout on any given day? Are you mean spirited, critical, urtful, or unwolesome in your (Continued on page 8)

8 Page 8 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 Power of Example (Continued from page 7) speec? Do you use your words for good to sare te Gospel, encourage oters, demonstrate love and respect for members of your family? Te only way to insure obedience to te above text is to examine te condition of your eart, mind, and conscience. Your words reveal te condition of your eart according to Mattew 12:34-37: O generation of vipers, ow can ye, being evil, speak good tings? For out of te abundance of te eart te mout speaket. A good man out of te good treasure of te eart bringet fort good tings: and an evil man out of te evil treasure bringet fort evil tings. But I say unto you, Tat every idle word tat men sall speak, tey sall give account tereof in te day of judgment. For by ty words tou salt be justified, and by ty words tou salt be condemned. Our words ave a uge impact on oters! Wat we say and ow we say it is of utmost importance. Colossians 4:5-6 declares: Walk in wisdom toward tose tat are witout, redeeming te time. Let your speec be always wit grace, seasoned wit salt, tat ye may know ow ye ougt to answer every man. I Peter 3:10-11; commands: For e tat will love life, and see good days, let im refrain is tongue from evil, and is lips tat tey speak no guile: Let im escew evil, and do good; let im seek peace, and ensue it But sanctify te Lord God in your earts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man tat asket you a reason of te ope tat is in you wit meekness and fear. aving a good conscience; tat, wereas tey speak evil of you, as of evildoers, tey may be asamed tat falsely accuse your good conversation in Crist. Wen we govern our tongue and use our words for good it gives evidence tat we ave been taugt of God according to Isaia 50:4: Te LORD GOD at given me te tongue of te learned, tat I sould know ow to speak a word in season to im tat is weary: e wakenet morning by morning, e wakenet mine ear to ear as te learned (cf. James 3:1-13). Isaac Barrow, te Englis Puritan wrote: A constant governance of our speec, according to duty and reason, is a ig instance and a special argument of a torougly sincere and solid goodness. (Te New Dictionary of Tougts, p. 636) Anoter Puritan, Tomas Watson gave a scating warning about te improper use of te tongue: Some care not wat tey say in teir passion; tey will censure, slander, and wis evil to oters. ow can Crist be in te eart, wen te devil as taken possession of te tongue? Passion disturbs reason. It is brevis insania, a sort frenzy Let tem wose tongues are set on fire, take eed tat tey do not one day in ell desire a drop of water to cool tem. (A Puritan Golden Treasury, pp ) 3. A good and godly example will be manifested in our manner of life, caracter, and beavior. Te Greek word anastrope is translated conversation wic simply means your way of life. In order to be a good example to oters, our conduct must reflect a sincere reverence for God and obedience to is commands. Ecclesiastes 12:13 declares: Let us ear te conclusion of te wole matter: Fear God, and keep is commandments: for tis is te wole duty of man. Wat do people see wen tey examine your life? Does your life exemplify te caracter of te Lord Jesus Crist? Do oters see Crist in you, te ope of glory (Col. 1:27)? Are you onest, faitful, compassionate, generous, and diligent? Is te fruit of te Spirit evident in your life (Gal. 5:22-23)? Eac and every day we ougt to live our lives wit te understanding tat God sees our conduct and te example we are setting fort. ebrews 4:13 declares: Neiter is tere any creature tat is not manifest in is sigt: but all tings are naked, and opened unto te eyes of im wit wom we ave to do. 4. A good and godly example will be marked by carity, te igest and most noble demonstration of genuine love and concern for oters. Genuine love is muc more tan a sentiment or a verbal expression of affection. Te love of Crist is deep, powerful, constant, unconditional, and sacrificial. God so loved us tat e sent is only begotten Son to die in our stead. Crist Jesus loved us so muc e was willing to give imself as a living sacrifice for our sins. Beold, wat manner of love te Fater at bestowed upon us, tat we sould be called te sons of God (I Jon 3:1). In te work of regeneration te oly Spirit fills our new earts wit te love of God (Rom. 5:5). From tat moment on we are called upon to provide an example of carity and extraordinary love toward oters. Some of te most beautiful caracteristics of tis kind of love are expressed in I Corintians 13:4-8: Carity suffered long, and is kind; carity enviet not; carity vauntet not itself, is not puffed up, Dot not beave itself unseemly, seeket not er own, is not easily provoked, tinket no evil; Rejoicet not in iniquity, but rejoicet in te trut; Bearet all tings, believet all tings, opet all tings, enduret all tings. Carity never failet May God be pleased to fill us wit is Spirit so tat we may be an example of grace and love. May Crist s love be reflected in and troug us as we seek to be a blessing to oters. 5. A good and godly example will be marked by aving a spiritual attitude. ow is your attitude, dear reader? Are you filled wit pride, selfisness, arrogance, and self rigteousness? If tese kind of attitudes are being displayed in your life you can be sure tat you are setting a poor example. We are called to follow te Lord Jesus Crist wo ad a gracious, onest, umble, meek, and loving disposition. Mattew 11:29 declares: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in eart: and ye sall find rest unto your souls. Even in times of great distress and danger our Lord expressed an attitude of resignation and umility regarding te will of te Fater: Wo did no sin, neiter was guile found in is mout, Wo wen e was reviled, reviled not again; wen e suffered, e treatened not; but committed imself to im tat judget rigteously (I Pet. 2:22-23). O, to ave a spirit like te Lord Jesus Crist! Our attitudes are saped by wat we tink about and ow we perceive tings. If we are to ave godly attitudes we must keep our minds upon te Lord (Continued on page 9)

9 April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 9 Power of Example (Continued from page 8) and wat pleases im. Isaia 26:3-4 states: Tou wilt keep im in perfect peace, wose mind is stayed on tee: because e trustet in tee. Trust ye in te LORD for ever: for in te LORD JEOVA is everlasting strengt. Wen our minds are taken up wit te glory, strengt, and power of God we will walk umbly before im, trusting im to guide us in a way tat is rigt, and peacefully resting in is grace. Wen our affections are set upon tings above (Col. 3:1-3) our attitudes will be marked by grace and umility. Tere will be no room for arrogance, pride, or self seeking. I Peter 5:5-7 declares: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto te elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to anoter, and be cloted wit umility; for God resistet te proud, and givet grace to te umble. umble yourselves terefore under te migty and of God, tat e may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon im: for e caret for you. 6. A good and godly example will be marked by fait in God and faitfulness to is cause. Dependence upon God and a commitment to is way are examples of fait and faitfulness tat are sorely needed in our day! It is impossible to be a man of fait and faitfulness apart from a determined commitment to God s Word. We must searc te Word, claim te promises, walk in te precepts, and apply its principles if we ope to display an example of faitfulness. Let us labor to lead oters in te way of unswerving commitment and faitfulness to God. We ave been entrusted wit a sacred responsibility to follow Crist woleeartedly. I Corintians 4:2 declares: Moreover it is required in stewards, tat a man be found faitful. We will be rewarded in tis life and in te life to come if we are consistently faitful: be tou faitful unto deat, and I will give tee a crown of life (Rev. 2:10). O tat we may lead a life of faitfulness so tat we may ear our blessed Lord say: Well done, tou good and faitful servant; tou ast been faitful over a few tings, I will make tee ruler over many tings: enter tou into te joy of ty lord (Matt. 25:21). 7. A good and godly example will be marked by purity in tougt, word, and deed. God is supremely oly and tose wo are called by is grace are likewise called to live a life tat aspires to oliness. I Peter 1:14-16 declares: As obedient cildren, not fasioning yourselves according to te former lusts in your ignorance: But as e wic at called you is oly, so be ye oly in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye oly; for I am oly. oliness is loving wat God loves, and ating wat God ates. oliness involves walking wit te Lord in te ligt of is countenance in agreement wit is precepts. I Jon 1:5-7 expresses te essence of a life of oliness: Tis ten is te message wic we ave eard of im, and declare unto you, tat God is ligt, and in im is no darkness at all. If we say tat we ave fellowsip wit im, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not te trut: But if we walk in te ligt as e is in te ligt, we ave fellowsip one wit anoter and te blood of Jesus Crist is Son cleanset us from all sin. A life of purity requires us to sun and separate from te darkness of sin. oliness also requires us to embrace and deligt in tose tings tat please God. In a world tat is dominated by impurity, immodesty, and immorality God s people must consistently strive against te temptation to get sucked into a cesspool of ungodliness. We must guard our eyes and our minds from te assaults and suggestions of Satan, te world, and our own base, flesly lusts. Psalm 101:3 states: I will set no wicked ting before mine eyes: I ate te work of tem tat turn aside; it sall not cleave to me. Te man wo was inspired to write tat Scripture knew full well te dangers of allowing wickedness to come into is eyes and mind. David allowed is fles to seduce im in te matter of Batseba and is life was really never te same. Psalm 119:9-11 must be applied if we are to enjoy purity of eart and oliness in our daily walk: Werewital sall a young man cleanse is way? By taking eed tereto according to ty word. Wit my wole eart ave I sougt tee: O let me not wander from ty commandments. Ty word ave I id in mine eart, tat I migt not sin against tee. I love te definition of oliness written by Ricard Baxter: Noting else but te abitual and predominant devotion and dedication of soul, and body, and life, and all tat we ave to God; and esteeming, and loving, and serving, and seeking im, before all te pleasures and prosperity of te fles. (A Puritan Golden Treasury, p. 139) CONCLUDING REMARKS 1. In I Timoty 4:15-16 we ave an exortation aimed at practical application of te caracteristics of a good and godly example. Meditate, tink deeply upon tese tings and ten saturate your life wit te practical application of godly principles. If we are faitful to live a life wolly devoted to God our profiting will appear to all witin our spere of influence and beyond. I see a direct correlation between tese verses and Psalm 1:1-3: Blessed is te man tat walket not in te counsel of te ungodly, nor standet in te way of sinners, nor sittet in te seat of te scornful. But is deligt is in te law of te LORD; and in is law dot e meditate day and nigt. And e sall be like a tree planted by te rivers of water, tat bringet fort is fruit in is season; is leaf also sall not witer; and watsoever e doet sall prosper. 2. Is tere a more noble pursuit in life tan to serve God and please im? Add to tat a desire to provide an example of virtue and godliness to oters and you will ave a testimony te Lord can use. Wat joy sould flood our souls in knowing tat God could use our life and testimony as te means of pointing oters to Crist and is salvation! O, tat our spiritual profiting would indeed appear to all! 3. Te solemnity of te power of example must be felt personally on a daily basis. If we are to lead oters in te way of salvation, trut, and godliness we must first begin wit ourselves! We must take eed to ourselves and to te doctrine, te teacing of God s Word if we are to provide a lasting legacy for good. May God be pleased to stir us to meditate upon tese weigty truts and ten sincerely and consistently act upon tem.

10 Page 10 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 Moved wit (Continued from page 1) is moved wit compassion? Of course, you and I know tat men are passionate creatures. We know tat mankind was created by God to be emotional and full of feelings. As we live, we experience and feel our surroundings. And, as we live, we act upon te impulses tat our feelings and passions relate to us. Te passions tat move us can be noble, or tey can be evil; tey can be positive, or tey can be negative; tey can be profitable for ourselves and oters, or tey can be destructive in so many ways. I suppose tat muc good as been done, wile men and women are motivated by te more noble passions love, kindness, mercy, pity, gentleness, goodness, onesty. Caritable deeds ave been performed. Peace as developed between neigbors, and friendsips ave been formed and preserved. Families ave sown teir devotion to eac oter moters and faters loving eac oter and teir cildren; and te cildren loving teir parents and eac oter. owever, muc evil certainly far more tan te good as been done, as men ave acted upon te evil passions wic are common to mankind atred, lust, envy, wrat, pride, covetousness. Men ave ated and fougt wit eac oter. Wars ave been waged. Families ave been broken up, and broters ave killed broters, and parents ave killed cildren, and spouses ave killed spouses. Men and women ave envied wat oters ave ad, and ave stolen from eac oter and sougt to destroy te livelioods of oters. Fornication and adultery ave been rampant, and ave resulted in te destruction of te family many times over. In mankind s istory, te places and times werein men ave indulged in unbridled passions, normally, sin, destruction, and deat will soon follow. I want us to consider one of te noble passions, a passion wic was demonstrated by Jesus Crist in our text passage tat is compassion. Merriam-Webster defines compassion tis way: sympatetic consciousness of oters distress togeter wit a desire to alleviate it. I suppose tat te compassion of Jesus Crist could be described as sympaty for oters distress, combined wit a desire and a will and a purpose to alleviate tat distress. Tis is someting tat is evident trougout te eartly ministry of Jesus Crist. I reckon tat compassion is a motivating force in te lives of many persons. I suppose tat compassion is even a noble emotion or passion, and generally a good and proper reason upon wic to base our actions. But, no man as ever been moved wit compassion, and done so many great deeds, as te Lord Jesus Crist. Jesus Crist is a compassionate Saviour. Our God in eaven is a compassionate Fater to is people. Te oly Spirit is a compassionate comforter, guide, and protector of te cildren of God. It is a wonderful ting tat Jesus Crist was (and is) compassionate towards te people tat e ministered unto. Tis tougt becomes more wonderful still, as we consider tat e as not only te eart of sympaty and te desire to alleviate our suffering e also as te power and te ability and te autority to act upon is desires and is intentions and is compassion. For te rest of tis article, let us notice some of te ways tat Jesus Crist demonstrated compassion, and ten let us consider ow we sould follow im and te pattern of compassion tat e as establised. EAL TE SICK We read in our text verse, And Jesus went fort, and saw a great multitude, and was moved wit compassion toward tem, and e ealed teir sick (Matt. 14:14). In is commentary on tis passage, William Burkitt said, Tose tat came to Crist for ealing, found tree advantages of cure, above te power and performance of any eartly pysician; to wit, certainty, bounty, and ease. Certainty, in tat all comers were infallibly cured; bounty, in tat tey were freely cured, witout carge; and ease, in tat tey were cured witout pain. Tese are remarkable aspects of te compassion and te ealing prowess of Jesus Crist. e could not only eal, but e could eal in an invincible fasion. Not only were is ealing powers invincible, but tey were also accomplised witout cost to te patient. And, tese persons were ealed witout aving to go troug te pain and te processes of recovery wic migt be normally expected. Te compassion and te ealing powers of our Lord are great and gracious, indeed! Later on, wen te Lord ad crossed te Sea of Galilee, and ad come into a new place, te people would again be ealed. And wen tey were gone over, tey came into te land of Gennesaret. And wen te men of tat place ad knowledge of im, tey sent out into all tat country round about, and brougt unto im all tat were... be ye all of one mind, aving compassion one of anoter... (I Peter 3:8). diseased; And besougt im tat tey migt only touc te em of is garment: and as many as touced were made perfectly wole (Matt. 14:34-36). It was a part of te Lord s compassion, tat e would, inevitably, eal bodies as e walked tis eart. Werever e went, te bodies and minds of men and women were, inevitably, ealed. Tis was a part of is ministry, and a part of is compassion. owever, even more tan te ealing of te bodies, Jesus Crist intended to bring life and ealt to te spirits and te souls of men. e always kept, as a focus, te deliverance of men from te bondage of sin. e did someting tat only te Great Pysician could do: e granted eternal life to men, and ealed te souls of tose men and women wo were ordained unto eternal life. But wen Jesus eard tat, e said unto tem, Tey tat be wole need not a pysician, but tey tat are sick. But go ye and learn wat tat meanet, I will ave mercy, and not (Continued on page 11)

11 April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page 11 Moved wit (Continued from page 10) sacrifice: for I am not come to call te rigteous, but sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:12-13). is eartly ministry is a record of te pysically and mentally sick being ealed; and, even more glorious, is eartly ministry provides a record of te sin-sick being ealed. We read tese words, wen te Lord sent out is disciples to minister to te Jews: And tey departed, and went troug te towns, preacing te gospel, and ealing every were (Luke 9:6). Just as in te case of Jesus Crist, te disciples intended to eal bot te bodies and te souls of men. Tey would eal men of teir infirmities, but tey would also give tem te necessary Word of God so tat souls could be saved, lives could be mended, and God and is Son would be praised. I tink a very good synonym for compassion is te word mercy. During te Sermon on te Mount, te Lord Jesus Crist told is disciples, Be ye terefore merciful, as your Fater also is merciful (Luke 6:36). And, in te Old Testament we are told, Tis I recall to my mind, terefore ave I ope. It is of te LORD S mercies tat we are not consumed, because is compassions fail not. Tey are new every morning: great is ty faitfulness (Lam. 3:21-23). Often, wen we refer to tis passage in Lamentations, we remind ourselves tat te compassions of te Lord will not fail tey will continue trougout our lives. But, we ougt to also consider te fact tat te compassions of te Lord will not fail tey will not lose teir potency, tey will not be overcome by some oter power, tey will not fail to accomplis te intents and purposes of God. is compassions are powerful omnipotent just as e is. is compassions cannot be diverted, twarted, or indered by any man or any power of ell. Wen we consider te compassion of Jesus Crist especially is compassions wic were evident during is eartly ministry wat better compassion (or mercy) is tere, tan to eal te sick and to seek te good of men s souls? Te Lord Jesus was always tere for te people e ministered to. Te Lord went about ealing, and saving souls. In our day and time, te Lord is always tere for us, to eal bodies and to save souls. e is always tere to give strengt to te weak, to encourage te discouraged, to lift up te down trodden. We, too, sould be compassionate, and sould elp tose wo are weak, guide tose wo are lost, and give ope to tose wo ave no ope. Toug we are powerless in ourselves, we are commissioned, as curces, in te cause of Crist. Our greatest tool in tis endeavor is te Word of God and te application of te oly Spirit. Troug te Word of God and te power of te oly Spirit we can elp and save oters. We sould sow compassion, just as our Saviour did (and does) sow compassion. We sould give oters strengt troug te Word of God. We sould seek to edify and build up oters. We sould seek to encourage te discouraged. All of tis can be done troug a proclamation of te Word of God. We do not ave te power to miraculously eal bodies; but, we do ave te power troug te preacing of te Word to eal te souls of men. We can bring life to te lifeless; ealt to te sick; strengt to te weak; courage to te fearful; and ope to te opeless. FEED TE UNGRY Secondly, as we consider te importance and te power of true compassion, let us consider wat else te Lord Jesus did in our text capter. And wen it was evening, is disciples came to im, saying, Tis is a desert place, and te time is now past; send te multitude away, tat tey may go into te villages, and buy temselves victuals. But Jesus said unto tem, Tey need not depart; give ye tem to eat. And tey say unto im, We ave ere but five loaves, and two fises. e said, Bring tem iter to me. And e commanded te multitude to sit down on te grass, and took te five loaves, and te two fises, and looking up to eaven, e blessed, and brake, and gave te loaves to is disciples, and te disciples to te multitude. And tey did all eat, and were filled: and tey took up of te fragments tat remained twelve baskets full. And tey tat ad eaten were about five tousand men, beside women and cildren (Matt. 14:15-21). Te feeding of te five tousand is te focal point of tis passage, wic is our text. And, te compassion tat te Lord sowed in filling te ungry bellies of tese five tousand men, beside women and cildren, was a noble and kind compassion. It is good to elp tose wo are in need. Te true cild of God sould reflect tese ig qualities and tis noble compassion of our Saviour: But woso at tis world s good, and seet is broter ave need, and suttet up is bowels of compassion from im, ow dwellet te love of God in im? My little cildren, let us not love in word, neiter in tongue; but in deed and in trut (I Jon 3:17-18). Te love of God in our earts will (or at least sould) ave an effect on our words and our actions. Just like Crist, we sould be moved wit compassion towards tose wo stand in need. It is good to sare wat we ave wit oters. It is good to elp tose wo are in need. It is good to sow compassion in te mortal realm, and in te pysical affairs of men. Our contributions to te world sould not be confined to te spiritual realm; if we ave opportunity, we sould elp in watever ways te Lord will permit us. We read in te Book of James, Pure religion and undefiled before God and te Fater is tis, To visit te faterless and widows in teir affliction, and to keep imself unspotted from te world (James 1:27). Tere are opportunities and responsibilities given unto us, to minister in te fles. But, as tis passage also reminds us, we ougt to keep ourselves unspotted from te world sow ourselves to be faitful servants and followers of Jesus Crist. I believe tat it is our duty to remind oters of teir spiritual needs just as muc, and maybe even more, tan it is our duty to visit and elp te orpans, te widows, and te ungry. Te Lord Jesus Crist said, Blessed are tey wic do unger and tirst after rigteousness: for tey sall be filled (Matt. 5:6). Wo will feed tese, wo unger and tirst after rigteousness, if not te Curces of Jesus Crist? Peraps we can elp some in te fles, and peraps we can alleviate te mortal and pysical unger of a few persons on tis eart. (Continued on page 14)

12 Page 12 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Forum Submit your questions on any Bible topic. 1. In Ezra 4:6-7 we read of Aasuerus and Artaxerxes. Is it possible tat tese are te same person? Maine Roger Reed 20 Ledgewood Dr. Mansfield, Oio Missionary of West Jefferson Missionary Baptist Mission 90 E. Main St. West Jefferson, Oio No, it is not possible tat Aasuerus and Artaxerxes are te same person. Aasuerus s [u-az-yoo-eeruss] (te son of Darius I te great) true name was Xerxes [zurk-seez] and was te king of Persia mentioned in Ezra 4:6 and te Book of Ester and reigned between ( B.C.). Te confusion tat Aasuerus and Artaxerxes may be te same person is because Aasuerus was an official name of te Persian kings. Tis king was te famous Xerxes [zurk-seez] wo invaded Greece and Egypt. After e divorced Vasti [vas tig] (wo was a very beautiful Queen in wic er name implies), Xerxes married Ester wo became te new Persian Queen in (468 B.C.) and saved er people from being massacred in (473 B.C.). Xerxes (Aasuerus) was ultimately murdered by Artabanus, te captain of te guard, and is camberlain at nigt in is bed (465 B.C.). Artaxerxes [ar-tu-zurkseez]- Artaxerxes I Longimanus, wo reigned over Persia forty years, B.C. In te sevent year of is reign e commissioned Ezra to return to Jerusalem, granting large privileges to im and tose accompanying im (Ezra 7:11-26), (457 B.C.) About tirteen years later (445 B.C.) e granted permission to Neemia to assume control of te civil affairs at Jerusalem (Neemia 2:1-8). Artaxerxes I Longimanus died (424 B.C.). So, again, (unless my information is incorrect) Aasuerus and Artaxerxes are not te same person. God Bless! ROGER REED Tom Ross 6339 County Rd. 15 Sout Point, O Pastor Mt. Pleasant Baptist Curc 6939 County Rd. 15 Cesapeake, O For questions like tis, I usually consult Jon Gill, Mattew enry, and Mattew Poole wo all wrote exaustive and complete commentaries on all te books of te Bible. Gill, a Baptist expositor, pastor, and teologian is my favorite go to commentary. From wat I could gater all agree in some degree tat Aasuerus and Artexerxes are indeed te same man. e is also identified as Cambyses by secular istorians. According to Poole, Aasuerus was te Caldean name, and Artexerxes was te Persian name for te same individual. e was te successor of Cyrus. Mattew enry wrote:... In wic is successor was Aasuerus (v. 6), called also Artexerxes (v. 7), supposed to be te same tat in eaten autors is called Cambyses... (Vol. 2, p. 1041). TOM ROSS Mattew Stepp 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV Pastor Big Creek Baptist Curc 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV Ten te people of te land weakened te ands of te people of Juda, and troubled tem in building, And ired counsellers against tem, to frustrate teir purpose, all te days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until te reign of Darius king of Persia. And in te reign of Aasuerus, in te beginning of is reign, wrote tey unto im an accusation against te inabitants of Juda and Jerusalem. And in te days of Artaxerxes wrote Bislam, Mitredat, Tabeel unto Artaxerxes king of Persia (Ezra 4:4-7). In te context, we see a possible consecutive sequence of te Kings of Persia listed, from Cyrus to Darius (skipping over two inconsequential kings: Cambyses and Bardiya). Verse six continues to Aasuerus, ten finally to Artaxerxes in verse 7. Tese last two are generally considered (by many fine scolars!) to be Xerxes and is son, Artaxerxes te Great (Longimanus). Tis makes it unlikely tat tey are te same person, but Sela! Tink about it! Te repetition of names can be confusing. Te Darius mentioned in Ezra 4, was a Persian of te ouse of ystapes, (Darius I te Great). e is not to be mistaken for Darius te Mede of Daniel 6 and te famous Lion s Den! Darius te Mede conquered Babylon for te Median Empire, wic Cyrus te Great later merged into te Persian Empire. As we stated before, tere is a second option for te cronology, partly based upon secular istories and more particularly, upon te Biblical inferences (you know wic one I am leaning toward, now!). Tere is a real possibility tat our text verses are referring to ONLY two kings, te aforementioned Cyrus and Darius. Just as Parao became te TITLE of Egyptian rulers, so too, was Aasauerus te TITLE of KING in te Persian language. Many artifacts bear tis out, as well as te repetition of te name in te Bible. If we add to tat fact tat Artaxerxes means King of Kings (cf: Ezra 7:12- Artaxerxes, king of kings ), it may ave been used as a title for Darius te Great in Ezra 6:14-15, according to te commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. And tis ouse was finised on te tird day of te mont Adar, wic was in te sixt year of te reign of Darius te king. If te ebrew word separating te name Darius and Artaxerxes means continuance, it migt well be reading of TWO kings, not TREE kings in te passage. And Darius te Great migt well be te one and te same: Ester s usband and te preparatory benefactor of later Jews in Persia, suc as Ezra & Neemia. Tis makes more sense tan mentioning anoter Artaxerxes and ten jumping back to point out a ouse built by Darius. To furter upold tis interpretation of Scripture is te cronology of Ezra 4-5, in particular. Tere are many references in tese two capters to Artaxerxes, wic is almost intercangeably used for Darius te Great. If we limit tis TITLE to tat of Xerxes son Longimanus, two Persian kings later, ten it (Continued on page 14)

13 April 5, 2016 Te Berea Baptist Banner Page Wo was Simon te leper mentioned in bot Mattew 26:6 and Mark 14:3? Could e ave been te fater of Mary, Marta, and Lazarus? Maine Te Berea Baptist Banner Forum Submit your questions on any Bible topic. Mattew Stepp 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV Pastor Big Creek Baptist Curc 286 Big Creek Road Wayne, WV According to tese passages, Simon te leper lived in Betany of Judea, as did Marta, Mary and Lazarus. Researc I did on te town of Betany finds te meaning to be ouse of te Poor or ouse of Misery. Likely, it was called suc, as it could ave been te location of a ospice ouse (ospital for te poor) just outside of Jerusalem (15 furlongs, or about 2 miles). Lepers (suc as Simon) could find medical attention and potential lodging provided by te caretakers. Te Bible is silent on Simon s background, but given tat te Lord was lodging wit im te last week before te fateful crucifixion/passover; it would only be natural tat Simon ad been a leper tat Jesus ad previously ealed and wo now ad become a Cristian caretaker for te poor and miserable of Betany (and Jerusalem). Te crux of te question concerning is connection to Lazarus and is sisters, is found in comparing te above passages in Mattew 26 and Mark 14 wit Jon 12:1-8, Ten Jesus six days before te passover came to Betany, were Lazarus was wic ad been dead, wom e raised from te dead. Tere tey made im a supper; and Marta served: but Lazarus was one of tem tat sat at te table wit im. Ten took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed te feet of Jesus, and wiped is feet wit er air: and te ouse was filled wit te odour of te ointment. Ten sait one of is disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon s son, wic sould betray im, Wy was not tis ointment sold for tree undred pence, and given to te poor? Ten said Jesus, Let er alone: against te day of my burying at se kept tis. For te poor always ye ave wit you; but me ye ave not always. I used to tink tat tis was a separate event from our text passages, but as I got to studying it, I noticed tat BOT ave several distinct events, tat really could not be reasonably repeated, especially witin a week s time. First notice tat te Synoptic Gospels are in te same time period as Jon s account. After two days was te feast of te passover, and of unleavened bread: And being in Betany in te ouse of Simon te leper, as e sat at meat, tere came a woman aving an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and se brake te box, and poured it on is ead (Mark 14:1-3). Now, altoug one account mentions te Lord s ead and te oter is feet, neiter account precludes te continuing on to anoint more extensively. And wile tere could no doubt ave been multiple anointings tis week of our Lord, notice te response of te disciples in Mattew 26:8-9, But wen is disciples saw it, tey ad indignation, saying, To wat purpose is tis waste? For tis ointment migt ave been sold for muc, and given to te poor. Now, wat are te odds tat Jesus would ave to rebuke is disciples twice in one week for te same peculiar fault? Te second time, tey migt ave still not understood, but surely tey would ave eld teir tongues. Sela! Tink about it! Te second parallel incident tat cannot be missed is te conclusion te Lord gives tem for te propriety of Mary s actions. And Jesus said, Let er alone; wy trouble ye er? se at wrougt a good work on me. For ye ave te poor wit you always, and wensoever ye will ye may do tem good: but me ye ave not always. Se at done wat se could: se is come aforeand to anoint my body to te burying (Mark 14:6-8). It is just inconceivable to me tat tese are separate events, suc as te Luke 7:36-50 account, were te woman anoints Crist (in Galilee) witout te comments about is burial or te poor. Tere, it was te salvation of te woman mentioned and te anointing was more of te Master as Living Saviour. All tis to sow tat Simon te leper and te tree siblings tat Crist loved were in te same ouse, tat last fateful week. Tis leads to one of two conclusions. 1) A private ome owned by Simon te leper, but Marta doing te serving; it is likely tat e was te fater of Marta, Mary and Lazarus. 2) A public ospice, again owned by Simon, ten tey were probably all just co-workers wo lived (or at least dined) on te premises. It would be a likely place to serve te Lord and if e was wont to go were e was needed, wat better place to go, tan to a ospital. Sela! Tink about it! I always wonder wy Benny inn and oter modern ealers do not follow tis example, and go empty out te ospitals. Wit te facts of Scripture, we can go no furter wit our deductions and conclusions. But weter Simon te leper was teir fater or coworker, tey certainly knew eac oter and loved te same Lord! MATTEW STEPP Roger Reed 20 Ledgewood Dr. Mansfield, Oio Missionary of West Jefferson Missionary Baptist Mission 90 E. Main St. West Jefferson, Oio Tere is noting we can find to support tat Simon te leper was te fater of Mary, Marta, and Lazarus. Tere does seem to be a disagreement among scolars as to Mary in Jon 12:3 and te woman in Mattew 26:7, Mark 14:3 and Luke 7:37. Also, te woman tat is mentioned in Luke 7:37 was found in Simon te Parisee s ouse not in Simon te leper ( s) ouse. A furter study is implied ere. Also, tere is a question raised wy no fater or usband is mentioned. Some tink te two girls were eiter too young (maybe orpans), or too old to be married, or may ave took some vow to serve te Lord and stayed unmarried, but again noting is said about a fater or usband tat we could find. I know tis does not elp answer te question, but we ave exausted our resources and (Continued on page 14)

14 Page 14 Te Berea Baptist Banner April 5, 2016 Forum #1 (Continued from page 12) makes no cronological sense to keep referring to Darius, as te one searcing for te decrees of Cyrus to validate te Jews rigt to build te temple. Te temple, by te way, wic was completed some years before Artaxerxes Longinmanus was even born. Wat makes te MOST sense to me, is tat tese titles in our text verses are referring back (like predicate nominatives) to Cyrus te Great and Darius te Great. Cyrus is referred to as Aasauerus and Darius as Artaxerxes. Tese words tat ad been titles, seem to ave been taken as official names, by te following kings known as Xerxes and Artaxerxes Longimanus Sela! Tink about it! If tis is true, it would likely make Ester s usband Darius te Great, and e is rigtly called Aasauerus trougout tat Book, as e eld te title of King/ Parao/Aasauerus/etc. Ten, as we come back to te books of Neemia and Ezra 7-10, we ave te correct timeframe for te Artaxerxes Longimanus to appear on te scene, probably some 45 years after Ester s coronation as Queen of Persia to Darius te Great. In my mind, tis is te best cronology tat confirms te Biblical timestream of our eroes and teir contemporaries. Te first alf of te book of Ezra is an istorical accounting of Zerubbabel s venture under Darius (Artaxerxes) and te latter alf is is personal venture under Longimanus (Artaxerxes). But, since bot teories seem to ave te backing of gifted Biblical scolars, it makes it difficult for me to dogmatically deny eiter claim. In due course, istory will agree wit te Bible, as well as te Bible will agree wit istory! After all, it is, finally and completely- IS STORY. Sela! Tink about it! MATTEW STEPP Forum #2 (Continued from page 13) could not find anyting tat even ints to Simon te leper being te fater of Mary, Marta, and Lazarus. God Bless! ROGER REED Tom Ross 6339 County Rd. 15 Sout Point, O Pastor Mt. Pleasant Baptist Curc 6939 County Rd. 15 Cesapeake, O It appears tat Simon te leper was one of te lepers tat Crist ad ealed and cleansed. Since e ad been known as Simon te leper up to te ealing, e is still identified as te same after te ealing as well. e must ave been appreciative of Crist s gracious ealing ands and offered to ost a dinner in is ome. e is called Simon te leper to distinguis im from oter Simon s in te Gospel narratives (Simon te Parisee and Simon Peter te apostle, and oters). Te fact tat Mary and Marta were present in te ome does not necessarily mean tat tey were te daugters of Simon te leper. It was not uncommon for disciples of Crist to gater for meals in omes oter tan teir own. It was also not uncommon for women to pitc in and elp wit te serving of meals and clean up. Since tere is no definitive declaration tat Simon te leper was te fater of Mary, Marta, and Lazarus we cannot speculate tat e was. TOM ROSS Moved wit (Continued from page 11) But, tese deeds will only ave an effect in te temporal realm, and will not elp tese persons in te next life; and, tese deeds can be performed by oters in te world, peraps more efficiently tan by te Curces of Jesus Crist. owever, if we will seek to satisfy te spiritual unger if we will labor in te spiritual realm to feed and fill te sinners wo seek after life, ten we can ave an effect in te salvation of souls, and in te eternal matters of te spiritual realm. We migt be able to feed a few in te fles, but we can feed an untold number in te spirit. Jon Calvin said, Mattew makes no mention of any ting but miracles, because tey were of great importance in establising Crist s reputation; but it may naturally be concluded tat e did not leave out doctrine, wic was a matter of te igest importance. Good and godly words sould accompany our good deeds tat we perform. Teacing, preacing, and edifying troug te doctrine of te Word, sould accompany our every endeavor. Te compassion to feed and nouris, bot pysically and spiritually, sould be a motivating factor in our relationsips wit men. And be ye kind one to anoter, tenderearted, forgiving one anoter, even as God for Crist s sake at forgiven you (Ep. 4:32). Put on terefore, as te elect of God, oly and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, umbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one anoter, and forgiving one anoter, if any man ave a quarrel against any: even as Crist forgave you, so also do ye. And above all tese tings put on carity, wic is te bond of perfectness. And let te peace of God rule in your earts, to te wic also ye are called in one body; and be ye tankful (Col. 3:12-15). It is good to fill te mortal belly, and to be a blessing to eac oter in material and mortal matters. But, te spiritual affairs of te soul are far more important. And, te requirements and te necessities and te daily needs of te inner man ougt to be treated wit te utmost diligence. As an institution, only te Curces of God are qualified to labor in tis endeavor to feed te spiritually ungry. It is in te Word of God tat we can find tis necessary spiritual nourisment. Te Word of God is te real food te bread of life tat we sould sare wit te world. Tat wic was from te beginning, wic we ave eard, wic we ave seen wit our eyes, wic we ave looked upon, and our ands ave andled, of te Word of life (I Jon 1:1). Jesus Crist, as e is sared troug is blessed Word, is te means to satisfy te most desperate needs, and te most persistent unger tat men can experience. Dare we say, tat even te feeding of te five tousand in our text capter, serves as a picture of te Spiritual Bread (Jesus Crist) wic all te world stands in need of? For te bread of God is e wic comet down from eaven, and givet life unto te world. Ten said tey unto im, Lord, (Continued on page 15)