[Biblemat] Walking in the Light (1/21/07)

Sun Jan 21 22:56:42 CST 2007

Walking in the Light

"For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."
"The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the
simple." 

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another...."
(Psalm 36:9; 119:130; 1 John 1:7a)

January 21, 2007

www.thetfordcountry.com <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/> 

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INFORMATION: My WEB Site  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/>
www.thetfordcountry.com has just been updated to include the articles and
sermons listed below. All the sermons posted each week to my web site are in
.pdf format.  The PowerPoint charts are also included with ALL the sermons
that are posted to the web site. To access the sermons page, visit the site
and click on "Richard's Page" and then click on "sermons." Please visit the
"Reference Works" links page for updated links to various Bible study
resources. If you are a newcomer to the area or wanting information
concerning the Valley church of Christ here in Grand Junction, Colorado,
then click on the Valley church of Christ Web Site,
<http://www.valleychurchofchrist.net/> www.valleychurchofchrist.net. Thank
you for visiting my web site and as always, your comments are welcome. 

If you know of someone that would like to receive the "Walking in the Light"
electronic bulletin each week, please send an e-mail message to
<mailto:Richard at Thetfordcountry.com> Richard at Thetfordcountry.com  with their
name and e-mail address and I will add them to the list.

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CONTENTS:

"What If You Were the Last Remaining Christian?" (Greg Gwin)

"That's Impossible!" (Richard Thetford)

"Do We Really Take the Worship Service Seriously?" (Dennis L. Reed)

"Unconditional Salvation" (Richard Thetford)

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WHAT IF YOU WERE THE LAST REMAINING CHRISTIAN?

Greg Gwin

A tired and discouraged Elijah proclaimed to God, "I, even I only, am left;
and they seek my life to take it away" (1 Kings 19:10).  He was wrong, of
course.  The Lord explained that He had 7,000 who remained faithful (vs.
18).

But, what if Elijah had been right?  What if he really was the last
remaining faithful servant of God in all the earth?  Two things seem clear:
1) He could not have used this as an excuse to give up, to surrender, to
stop doing the will of God; and 2) The urgency of his work would have been
even greater.  The need for his proclamation of God's word would have been
even more pressing.

There's a lesson here for us.  Have you ever felt like you were alone in
your stand for the truth?  Has it seemed like no one else was committed to
doing what was right?  If so, you should take heart in knowing that there
are many others who share your convictions and dedication.  You are NOT
alone.  As in Elijah's day, God knows and has an accurate count of all those
who are faithully living for Him.

But, even if you were the last faithful Christian in all the world, you
would still need to work hard to teach and practice the will of God.  This
would not be an excuse for you to give up or surrender in your service for
Him.  In fact, your work would be more important than ever.

If all men were to let us down, and we truly stood alone, we would still
have this promise from God: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
And our reaction to this truth should be to "boldly say, The Lord is my
helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb.13:5,6).

Christian, you are not alone.  You have a host of faithful brethren who
stand with you.  And, you have the Almighty God of heaven who supports you.
Stand fast!

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THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

Richard Thetford

We have all heard someone say "that's impossible" when responding to
something that someone had just told them that they could do, knowing that
it could not be done. Webster defines impossible as "not capable of being,
being done, or happening." Certainly there are many things which are
impossible for man to do here on this earth.

In the religious realm there are also some impossible things to consider.
God has told man that unless one has faith it is impossible to please Him.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him" (Heb 11:6). If we are not determined to grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior (2 Pet 3:18), gaining faith by reading His
word (Rom 10:17), then we are not going to be pleasing to God. Do you think
that those that are not pleasing to God will enter heaven? Think about it.

In Hebrews 6:18 we read "....in which it is impossible for God to lie..."
Now if it is impossible for God to lie and he has told us that He is a
rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek Him, then if we do not seek Him (Matt
6:33; Col 3:2), then it is certain that we will not see Him in heaven. The
Hebrew writer so stated this fact in Hebrews 2:3. We see from that passage
of scripture that it is impossible to neglect salvation and be saved. If we
want to be saved then we will strive to do whatever God asks of us (Matt
7:21).

Let's consider some other impossibilities. It is impossible to be saved
without the shedding of blood (Heb 9:22). It took Christ's death on the
cross, the sacrifice for our sins in order for us to be saved. Therefore, it
is impossible to believe in Christ and obey Him and not be saved (Mark
16:15-16; Matt 28:18-20). It is impossible to enter into heaven without a
birth of water and the Spirit (John 3:3-5), and it is impossible to enter
into the Kingdom (heaven or church), except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6;
Gal 3:27). If you think that you can and will be saved in eternity AFTER
this life is over, without being obedient to Christ while living on this
earth, that's impossible (Luk 16:19-31)! Think.

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DO WE REALLY TAKE THE WORSHIP SERVICE SERIOUSLY?

Dennis L. Reed

Am I REALLY taking the worship services seriously?  What importance do I
place upon each worship service in the local church where I am a member?  Do
I have an absolute priority established about being at every worship
service?  Does my attitude during services reflect that my being there is an
absolute priority?  

Brethren, I am really troubled at times when I see what attitudes seem to
prevail in far too many of our worship services.  I would like very much to
stimulate each one to give some very sober consideration to the observations
mentioned in this article, and then really try to evaluate our own personal
attitudes and priorities regarding our personal participation in the
services.  

If you have accepted the responsibility to be an usher at the services, are
you making certain that you are among the very first ones to arrive for each
service?  Since you have accepted the responsibility to greet visitors, get
visitors to complete a visitor's card, help visitors to get into their
appropriate classrooms, to give out the weekly bulletin, class materials,
and sermon outlines to everyone in attendance, then how do you expect to do
this when you arrive at the service just at starting time - or even worse -
ten or fifteen minutes late to the service.  Are you really taking the
worship service seriously?  Are you really a "responsible" and "dependable"
brother? 

If you have accepted the responsibility of making the announcements, do you
arrive in plenty of time before services to be able to accumulate all of the
information needed in making the announcements?  Are you totally familiar
with all the information which has been provided for you on the announcement
sheet?  Are you certain that everyone is present who has been appointed to
participate in the service and have you checked that out with the brother
who is responsible to make substitutions?  Since the service begins with the
announcements, do you expect everyone to wait until you arrive just at
starting time or even five, ten or fifteen minutes late to begin the
service?  Are you really taking the worship service seriously?  Do you
seriously consider yourself to be a responsible and dependable individual?

If you have accepted the responsibility of leading singing for the service,
have you selected and practiced your songs well in advance of arriving for
that service?  Have you been one of the first ones to arrive for that
service so that you can post your song numbers on the boards?  Or do you
arrive just at starting time and hurriedly shuffle through the songbook to
pick out some songs, and then hold up the starting time of the service so
that you can post your numbers?  Or is it that you are so late that the song
numbers are not posted and the brethren have to hope that you announce the
numbers with enough clarity so that everyone in the audience, even those
with difficulty in hearing, can find the correct song?  Are you really
taking the worship service seriously?  Are you really a "responsible" and
"dependable" member?

If you have been appointed to lead a prayer in the service, do you speak
loudly and clearly so that everyone can understand what you are saying and
thus be able to say "amen" to your prayer?  Have you given some attention
and serious thought to what you are going to address in your prayer?  Have
you planned your thoughts so as to meet the desires and needs of each person
who is participating in your prayer?   Do you seriously consider that you
are leading a prayer for everyone in that particular assembly?  And, did you
arrive at services in plenty of time so that it was not necessary to make a
substitution for someone else to lead the prayer?  Are you really taking
your responsibility in the worship service seriously?   

If you have been appointed to read the scripture in the services, do you
read that scripture over and over so that you are very familiar with it
before reading it publicly?  Do you read loudly and pronounce your words
distinctly so that the audience can understand and identify with what you
are reading?  Do you read the scripture as if the inspired writer was
speaking directly to this audience?  Do you really give this part of the
worship service the seriousness which it deserves?

If you have been appointed to be responsible for serving the Lord's Supper,
do you plan well in advance what scriptures you are going to read and what
comments you are going to make on that occasion?  Have you determined who is
going to be called on for prayer at the table and have they been informed
that they will have that responsibility?  Do you make serious plans to serve
the Lord's Supper with the soberness and dignity which it deserves?

And if we have a responsibility to serve in a particular service, and we
know that we are going to be absent, do we give consideration to informing
the brother who makes substitutions that we are not going to be present?
Does this brother have to wait until just before the service to find out
that you are not going to show up and then he has to make a last minute
substitution?  Do you give the seriousness that you should to your
responsibilities in these matters?  When brethren are habitually late or
habitually sporadic in attendance, does this really show that we take the
worship services seriously?  Maybe that calls for another lesson about
spiritual responsibility.

And do we not take the worship services seriously, when we habitually parade
in and out of the worship service.  Most brethren could accurately tell you
in advance just who will be going in and out of the service because it has
become a habitual practice on the part of some.  It is surely not a rest
room emergency (even though some brethren DO have such emergencies), but is
it not a trip to the water fountain or to the rest room to look at oneself
in the mirror or to make a social telephone call, or possibly just to get
out of the service to "kill" some of the time because of disinterest in
spiritual matters?  And if it is a restroom emergency, why does it seem to
habitually happen just a few minutes after the 10 or 15 minutes which are
set aside for that between Bible study and the assembly?  Are we not
responsible enough to take care of such things in a timely manner and not
disturb others with our habitual parade?  Are we really serious about what
is taking place in the worship service?

And brethren, do we really take seriously how we are dressed if we are going
to get up and participate in the worship service.  Would we gladly contend
that we are dressed in a manner which would be an example to everyone who
might participate in a public worship service?  Will I be dressed in a
manner which will reflect the reverence and soberness of worshipping God and
being in the same assembly with the Son of God?  Would I wear these same
clothes to a banquet, a wedding or a funeral?  Would I wear them if I were
going to various employers seeking a job?  Would I wear them if I were to
report for my job as a clerk in a fine department store?  Would I wear them
if I were summoned before a judge or in an audience with a high government
official?  Why is it then, that we can come in to the worship of Almighty
God with any less seriousness?  When one comes into the service, and
especially to participate in the worship service, with his shirt tail
hanging out, with his undershirt hanging down below his shirt, with dirty or
dingy play or sport tennis shoes on, he clearly gives the appearance that he
has walked directly off the ball field and into the worship of God!  I often
wonder just how serious this person is about worship? How much priority did
this person give to how he is perceived by others?  How really serious is
this person about being an example to others?  Does this person consider it
an "inconvenience" to dress with a more respectful appearance?  When you and
I sit side by side with the Lord in worship services (Matthew 18:20), when
you and I approach the throne of God in worship, when you and I are present
before God and man to tell the greatest story every told, do we fail to take
our physical appearance into consideration?  Do we not desire to appear with
the dignity and self respect which is deserved in giving reverence to the
Lord?  Do we really take the worship services seriously?  Can we really be
considered a "responsible" and "dependable" brother who desires to be an
example in word, manner of life, love, faith, and purity?  I am sincerely
pleading with my brethren to realize that if you seriously want people to
"be like you" and to follow your example in giving priority to the reverence
of God, then you should seriously look at your physical appearance as well
as your spiritual appearance when you assemble to worship the Lord.  We
would gladly accept the person into our assembly with "vile clothing" as
being acceptable to the Lord, (James 2: 1-9), and we are careful not to make
distinctions among ourselves and judge one brother above another.  But when
we willfully put our appearance in the worship far below how we would appear
in other public circumstances, aren't we saying a great deal about our
priorities concerning worship?  

Before you might begin to get defensive in saying that the Lord doesn't
demand a "suit and tie" appearance, would you think soberly with me about
that for just a moment.  What would you think about a brother who got up to
serve the Lord's Supper wearing a baseball cap turned backward on his head?
Would you say anything to him about it?  What criteria would you use? What
would you think about a brother going before the assembly with no belt on
and his pants hanging half way down his bottom and having his under clothes
showing?  Would you say anything to him about it?  What criteria would you
use? What would you think about a brother who habitually doesn't take a bath
getting up and serving in the worship service?  Would you say anything to
him about it?  What criteria would you use?  What if a brother habitually
got up in the services with his tennis shoes hanging untied with the shoe
strings dragging and his shirt unbuttoned all the way down the front to
expose his chest?  Would you say anything to him about it? What criteria
would you use?  What if a brother got up to serve the Lord's Supper who had
his hair dyed green and standing straight up on his head?  Would you say
anything to him about it?  What criteria would you use?  We may have never
seen or ever will see such examples happening, but, you see, brethren, we DO
have LIMITS in what we believe to be an acceptable physical appearance in
the worship service.  But our problem is that we don't really appreciate
anyone making a suggestion to us that we should evaluate our own appearance.
All that I am asking is that we soberly think about how we appear to others
and how we appear to the Lord when we assemble to worship Him!  There is
another whole spectrum regarding modesty in dress for both men and women
which we really haven't addressed in these thoughts, but we had better be
dead serious in our thinking about those things as well.  The trend,
especially among women, of showing plenty of skin and dressing in clothes
which are two sizes too small is becoming a serious matter in the services
of the church as well as in daily life.  Hello? Hello? Are we really
listening?   

Brethren, are we really serious about our worship of the Lord?

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UNCONDITIONAL SALVATION?

Richard Thetford

Has God promised to save man unconditionally? To answer this question open
your Bible to Matthew 7:21. There we can read: "Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." In this verse we can learn
that the only ones that are going to be able to enter into heaven are those
that DO the will of God. Again in 1 John 2:17 we read: "And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever." Obviously, God has placed a condition on us that before
we can be saved, we must keep God's commandments. The commandments that we
must keep to be able to enter into heaven is to believe in Him (Heb 11:6;
John 8:24), repent of past sins (Acts 2:38; 17:30-31; Luke 13:3), confess
Christ (Rom 10:9-10; Acts 8:37; Matt 10:32), be baptized INTO Christ (Acts
2:38; Mark 16:16; Rom 6:3-5; Gal 3:27; 1 Pet 3:21), and be faithful unto
death (Rev 2:10). God's salvation is conditional - we MUST DO His will in
order to be saved!

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SERMONS

Failure to Accept the Obvious (with PowerPoint Charts)

Heaven, Our Eternal Home (with PowerPoint Charts)

Sermons can viewed at my web site:  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/>
www.thetfordcountry.com

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Valley

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Meets at:
491 Sparn Street
Grand Junction, CO   81504
(970) 245-5112

 <http://www.valleychurchofchrist.net/> www.valleychurchofchrist.net

ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY
Bible Study..................9:45 A.M.
Morning Worship.......10:45 A.M.
Evening Worship.........5:00 P.M.

WEDNESDAY
Bible Study..................7:00 P.M.

Evangelist
Richard Thetford

Building: (970) 245-5112
Home:     (970) 314-7261

E-Mail:  <mailto:Richard at Thetfordcountry.com> Richard at Thetfordcountry.com

Web Site:  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/> www.thetfordcountry.com

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Richard Thetford

E-Mail:  <mailto:Richard at Thetfordcountry.com> Richard at Thetfordcountry.com

1918 Barberry Court, Grand Junction, CO  81506

Home: (970) 314-7261

Please visit my web site:  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com>
www.thetfordcountry.com

Evangelist, Valley church of Christ

 <http://www.valleychurchofchrist.net> www.valleychurchofchrist.net

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