Timely Messenger Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth Speaking the Truth in Love Volume 63 No. 12 December 2003 WITH ETERNITY S VALUES IN VIEW (Continued from October) W e have seen previously that presently and positionally, we have eternal life because we have trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour. The more we continue to trust Him and give Him pre-eminence as the Lord Jesus Christ, the more this eternal life becomes a reality to us. The more we keep eternal values in view, the less burdensome and bothersome the cares of the world become. When we realize that scripturally and spiritually, we have been made new crea- by Charles W. Wages tions in Christ Jesus and that old things have passed away, it helps us to see what eternity holds in store for all believers! Therefore if any many be in Christ, He is a new creature; old things are passed away: Behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:17-18) When we see that by God s grace and power we have become new creations in Christ Jesus, then it is easier to have the new heavens and new earth in view. When we can see and believe what Romans 8:18 teaches: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. we can surely keep eternity s values in view. We all experience the sufferings of this present time. These sufferings of the present include vainness (vanity), groaning, and travailing (with the old creation) bondage (lack of liberty), and no hope. However, the eternal life that God gives enables us to see beyond this vale of tears and fully realize that, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Rom. 8:21)
The full and fulfilling realization that a believer has eternal life affects our personal life and our prayer life. The apostle Paul s prayer as recorded in Ephesians 1:15-23 was principally concerned with his expectations of a heavenly life. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. (Eph. 1:15-18) Verse 18 of this prayer is especially significant. It concerns and emphasizes the eternal salvation that God gives to those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ. We shouldn t take advantage of the gift. We should recognize the change that has taken place in our lives. We have passed from death unto life. To have passed from death unto life implies a change from one place to another. It also implies a change from one person to another. That is, from Satan to the Saviour. The writer visited a rest home to visit an elderly brother. The attendant at the front office said, Oh, he has passed. I knew what she meant, whether she did or not. It could spiritually be said of a lost sinner when he or she accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, they have passed. Romans 6:1-13 is a great teaching passage on death and life. It clearly teaches that those who believe are baptized into His death and raised unto a newness of life. It also emphasizes that believers should walk in newness of life (vs. 4). This newness of life includes and involves walking with eternity s values in view. How wonderfully important Colossians 3:1-4 becomes! 2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. F or unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, even THE GOD of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death (Psalm 68:19-20). H undreds of years after the psalmist was moved upon to pen these words, God gave the following story concerning a certain man of Jerusalem. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord s SALVATION By Grace, Not of Works By Ike T. Sidebottom Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took He him up in his arms and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel. (Luke 2:25-32) By comparing the above quotations, we find that our GOD is the GOD of salvation. And that the child Jesus is declared to be the Lord s salvation,... prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and (Continued on page 6) Timely Messenger Published monthly by: GRACE BIBLE CHURCH 1450 Oak Hill Road Fort Worth, TX 76112-3017 (817) 451-0937 Website: www.gracebiblechurch-fw.com Email: gbcfw@juno.com Gregg Bing Editor Sent free to anyone upon request. If you live in the Fort Worth area, we invite you to worship with us. Sunday Services: 10:00 AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Morning Worship 6:00 PM Evening Worship Mid-Week Services: Tues. 10:00 AM Ladies Class Wed. 7:00 PM Bible Study JANUARY 1-3, 2004 Winter Youth Retreat To be held at Three Mountain Retreat near Clifton, Texas. For youth, ages 13 through college age. A registration/information form is included in this issue of the Timely Messenger. 3
AN INFORMAL SURVEY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT A Dispensational Approach By R. B. Shiflet II PETER I. Introduction 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:1) A. The Author In spite of attempts by many scholars to discount the Petrine authorship of this letter, the Divine Author, the Holy Spirit, puts His seal on Simon Peter, the disciple who wrote the preceding epistle, and the one to whom our Lord gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Chapter 3, verse 1, surely confirms that. If that verse is not inspired, how could we believe that the remainder is inspired? 1. A Servant The word is doulos, a bond-slave. It is one of the Apostle Paul s favorite words to describe himself. Both had been ransomed from the bondage of sin and now willingly served their Lord and master Jesus Christ. We see a striking illustration of this in a tourist attraction in Nassau in the Bahamas. Chiseled into a limestone cliff is what is known as The Queen s Staircase. Nationals will tell you that this 102 foot high stairway had its 65 steps chiseled out by former slaves in honor of Queen Victoria who had freed them. 2. An Apostle An apostle is one who is sent with an official message. Peter was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by our lord in His earthly ministry; he was chosen to 4
go to his people Israel with a message of repentance and return to God. In his first commission, he was told not to go to the Gentiles, but to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. When he received the commission of Mark 16, he was to go to all the world, but to begin at Jerusalem, then go to Judea, then Samaria and only then to the uttermost parts of the earth. This commission contained a command to baptize these people for the remission of sins, with signs following as evidence of their salvation. He, along with the other members of the Twelve, was promised by our Lord that in this kingdom they would sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Paul, on the other hand, was chosen as the apostle, preacher and teacher of the Gentiles, and it was to Paul that the mystery of the church, the Body of Christ, was revealed. These distinctions must be made, even though we can get numerous applications, word studies and instructions in righteousness from this letter. B. The Addressees to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (2 Pet. 1:1b) For some strange reason, many well known commentaries insist that this letter was written primarily to Gentiles. But as we have already seen, 3:1 obviously indicates that it is to the same people to whom he had already written the first epistle, and that epistle was definitely addressed to the scattered abroad or the dispersion (diaspora). This was a term used of Jews who had been scattered into the various Gentile nations. C. The Affirmation to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (2 Pet. 1:1b) He makes it clear from the beginning that his readers had obtained their faith through the righteousness of God, and in the same sentence, affirms the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. (To Be Continued) 5
(Continued from page 3) eternal life. (Titus 3:3- the glory of God s people Israel. 7). There are also those Oftentimes people who insist upon putting think of salvation as something they can earn. Some even feel that they are worthy of salvation by virtue of their natural birth; but such is not true. The fallacy of such reasoning is clearly themselves under the Mosaic Law, and try to be saved by working themselves into favor with God. Again, we call attention to the testimony of the written Word. seen in the following Scriptures. Now we know that what things soever the For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, law saith, it saith to them who are under the disobedient, deceived, law that every mouth serving divers lusts and m a y b e s t o p p e d pleasures, living in malice (closed), and all the and envy, hateful, world may become and hating one another. guilty before God. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; and being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have 6 sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness that He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (Rom. 3:19-28) Dear reader, if you count yourself among those who are of the works of the law, the Word declares that you are under the curse. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is
written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them s h a l l l i v e i n them. (Gal. 3:10-12) You must see, and believe, that: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree: that the blessings of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.... The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. (Gal. 3:13-14, 21). But what must you believe? You must believe the Word of God. For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). If you are an unbeliever, your soul is condemned; for in the Word it is written: He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18) As an unbeliever, you are also now living under the wrath of God, because it is written again: He that believeth not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of G o d a b i d e t h o n him. (John 3:36) If you are now walking in a way which seems right unto you, you are walking in the ways of death: for it is also written: There is a way which seemeth right unto a 7 man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12). If, in the light of these divine statements of fact, you now see yourself condemned, and living under the wrath of God, and walking in the ways of death, then the Holy Spirit is using His Word to work a work of grace in your heart. Without doubt, the Holy Spirit is speaking through His Word of truth to your heart, saying, through Paul: I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Yes, He died for Paul s sins; He died for my sins; He died for your sins, and for the sins of all the world. It is true that God hath made His Son, His perfect, spotless, sinless Son, to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). This was accomplished by Christ on the cross of Calvary. Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose s t r i p e s y e w e r e healed. (1 Pet. 2:24) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. (1 Pet. 3:18) If you will now hear and believe the above quotations from the Word of God; then God will give you the faith of His Son, and you will rejoice to own Him as your Saviour. Having received Him, even by believing on His name, He will impart unto you His own eternal life, and you will find yourself rejoicing in Christ: For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17) FOR YE KNOW THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT, THOUGH HE WAS RICH, YET FOR YOUR SAKES HE BECAME POOR, THAT YE THROUGH HIS POVERTY MIGHT BE RICH. 2 COR. 8:9 GRACE BIBLE CHURCH 1450 Oak Hill Road Fort Worth, TX 76112-3017 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID FORT WORTH, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 480