THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD 

Volume VII, Number 23
November 16, 2003

Published by

Mt. Baker
church of Christ
Bellingham, WA
(1860 Mt. Baker HWY)
(360) 752-2692

Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship.........10:30 & 6:00
Wednesday:
Bible Classes..........7:00 PM

Web sites:
www.bibleanswer.com/mtbaker
www.bibleanswer.com

Editor.............Joe R. Price

"And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)

In this issue:

• An Upset Stomach  (Joe R. Price)
• Hell Ought to Scare You  (Donnie V. Rader)
• Sermon Outlines:
  • "If I Accept What You Teach, I Condemn My Loved One!"  (Luke 13:22-30)
  • Journeys of the Apostle Paul - #3  (Sent to the Gentiles) (Acts 22:17-21)

An Upset Stomach
Joe R. Price

The flu season has certainly arrived here in Whatcom County, Washington.  A headache, body aches and pain, fever, nausea and vomiting; if you’ve ever had the flu, you know the symptoms.

Another kind of nausea is spoken of in Scripture: 

14 And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ —and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”  (Rev. 3:14-19)

The Lord is made sick to His stomach by lukewarm Christians who are tepid in their faith, devotion and service to Him. 

The lukewarm Christian is neither fervent (“hot”) nor indifferent (“cold”) toward the Lord; he inhabits the no man’s land which borders each.  Never too zealous yet never too idle, the lukewarm Christian is just active enough to appear righteous before men, yet never so eager as to appear a zealot.  Do you stand out as different when others observe your life, your speech, your worship of and service to God?  (Matt. 5:13-16; Col. 4:5-6; 1 Pet. 2:11-12)

The lukewarm Christian is self-deceived, content that his life is suitably adorned with godliness.  Self-sufficiency is the offspring of pride, and in turn breeds apathetic complacency.  It has a “don’t rock the boat” view of Christianity, for it believes the “boat” is already (and always) heading in the right direction!  (cf. Rev. 3:17-18)  A study of the book of Acts teaches us that early saints “rocked the boat” of religious error and pagan worldliness, ever vigilant in service to Christ.  And, churches that needed to be “rocked” were not excluded, either (see 1 Cor. 5:1-2, 6; 6:5; 11:17).

The Lord rebukes and trains those He loves (Rev. 3:19).  We are thankful for such love; for without it we would be unable to discern whether we are mature in Christ or only think we are (Rev. 3:17-18).  The Lord’s remedy for the cause of this stomach ache is to purify oneself, clothe oneself with humility, and heal one’s spiritual sight.  Such a one will truly possess the riches of Christ (Rev. 3:19; Jas. 4:6-10; Col. 3:12-17).

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Hell Ought to Scare You
Donnie V. Rader

The young man I was talking to had been a Christian for several years. He had sinned a year or so before our discussion and had repented. Then about four months prior to our talk he had again yielded to the temptation that Joseph would not (Gen. 39). This time there was no repentance and seemingly no concern. Perhaps, no cessation of the sin either.

One question kept coming to my mind before we had any discussion, “Does he ever think about hell?” I wondered if he understood that if he died in this condition that he would spend eternity in hell. So, I ask if he was afraid of hell. His answer: “I guess not as much as I ought to be.” I suggested that he wasn’t afraid at all! Why? I’m not certain. But one thing is sure: when one can lay his head down at night knowing that he is in sin and will go to hell if he dies and not be afraid, there is little hope.

The above story could be duplicated time and again. Perhaps because we have neglected the old hell fire and brimstone preaching. Let’s revisit this old subject that may be somewhat “new” to some. It oughta scare ya!

Hell Is Real

Hell is not a fictitious story or myth. It is not a condition or state of mind. It is a real place. Luke 16, which speaks of the realm of departed spirits (Hades and not the eternal abode), is a foretaste of greater things to come. The rich man spoke of this “place” of torment (vv. 23, 28). He was in a real place. It is merely a foretaste of worse to come.

Hell is just as real as heaven. They are often put on an equality as far as their nature goes (cf. Matt. 25:46). If Heaven is real, so is hell. If hell is a state of mind, so is heaven.

Jesus said we ought to fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). In this we learn that (1) Hell should be feared. (2) It is beyond the grave. (3) It should motivate us to live so as to go to heaven. All of these point to the reality of hell.

Hell Is Terrible

It may be that some of those who believe in hell think that the biblical descriptions of it are overstated. Surely it could not be as bad as the old fashion preachers used to say it would be. The following points tell us how terrible hell really is.

     1. Gehenna. The word hell (when referring to the eternal abode of the wicked) is from the Greek word Gehenna. When we understand how that word came to be used to describe the eternal damnation, we will appreciate how tragic hell is.

     a. Gehenna points back to the Valley of Hinnom. “Originally the Valley of Hinnom, near Jerus, Gehenna became among the Jews the synonym for the place of torment in the future life” (ISBE 1371). “Gehenna is a transliteration from the Aram. form of the Heb ge-hinnom, “valley of Hinnom” (ISBE 1183).This valley was to the southwest of Jerusalem.

     b. This valley was the seat of worship to the idol Molech. “That ‘the valley of Hinnom’ became the technical designation for the place of final punishment was due to two causes. In the first place the valley had been the seat of the idolatrous worship to Molech, to whom children were immolated by fire (2 Ch. 28:3; 33:6). Secondly, on account of these practices the place was defiled by King Josiah (2 K 23:10), and became in consequence associated in prophecy with the judgment to be visited upon the people (Jer 7:32)” (ISBE 1183).

     The sacrifice that was made to Molech was awful. Many texts tell of parents burning the sons and daughters to honor this idol (cf. Jer. 7:30-31; 19:5-6; 2 Kings 23:10). “The image of Molech was a human figure with a bulls head and outstretched arms, ready to receive the children destined for sacrifice. The image of metal was heated red hot by a fire kindled within, and the children laid on its arms rolled off into the fiery pit below” (ISBE 2075).

     c. The valley came be used to burn the city’s trash and rubbish. It was the city incinerator. Jeremiah spoke of the valley of dead bodies and of ashes (Jer. 31:40). “Into this valley dead bodies were probably cast to be consumed by the dogs...and fires were kept burning to consume the rubbish of the city. Such associations led to the Ge-Hinnom (NT ‘Gehenna’) becoming the ‘type of Hell’“(ISBE 1393).
 

     2. Lake of fire. Hell is described as a lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8). Imagine a literal lake that you know. Picture that every drop of water were a flammable substance (i.e. gasoline). If that were set aflame, what would it be like to be thrown into the middle of it?

     Brimstone is perhaps sulfur that melts and runs in streams. It spreads and is sticky. Picture that some sticky substance is poured all over you (i.e. honey or molasses). What if that were a flammable substance set aflame? Can you image the intense pain, the agony and the suffering?

     Other passages portray hell as a furnace of fire (Matt. 13:42, 50), a flaming fire (2 Thess. 1:7-9), a baptism of fire (Matt. 3:11-12), and an unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43).
 

     3. Weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Those who are cast into hell will be howling, crying aloud and grinding their teeth (cf. Matt. 8:12; 13:50; 25:30). What a picture of punishment!

Hell Is Eternal

The above descriptions of hell would be bad enough if it only lasted for a day or a even an hour. However, the pain and suffering of hell is eternal. Jesus equated “hell fire” (Matt. 18:9) with “everlasting fire” (v. 8). Jesus contrasted the “everlasting punishment” with “eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). Hell is as long as heaven is. The smoke of torment ascends “forever and ever” (Rev. 14:10-11).

     It scares me to think about hell. It oughta scare you too!

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"If I Accept What You Teach, I Condemn My Loved One!"
(Arranged from material provided by Kevin Kay.)

I.  EMPHASIZE THE ABIDING TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.

  A.  The Bible Really is God’s Word – 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Tim. 1:13; 3:14; Isa. 8:20.
  B.  We Must Accept Whatever God Teaches – 1 Ths. 2:13; 1 Cor. 2:1-5 (cf. Rom. 3:4; 5:12).
  C.  Whatever the Bible Teaches on Any Subject, It Taught the Same Thing 2,000 Years Ago – Psa. 119:89; cf. Lk. 16:27-30

II.  BIBLE TEACHES THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL BE LOST – Mt. 7:13-14.

  A.  Not Because God Desires any to be Lost, but Because Most Sinners will not Do the Father’s Will – 1 Tim. 2:3-4; Matt. 7:21.
  B.  That Number Will Include Many Sincere People – Matt. 7:22-23; Lk. 13:22-30; Matt. 10:34-36; Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1-2; Matt. 10:37.

III. ETERNAL DESTINY OF THE DEAD IS SEALED AT DEATH – Heb. 9:27.

  A.  Nobody on Earth Can Change Where One Goes at Death – Lk. 16:22-26.
  B.  We Will Each be Judged – 2 Cor. 5:10.
  C.  Final Judgment is in the Hands of God – Jno. 5:26-29; Rev. 20:12; Gen. 18:25; Rev.16:7
  D.  Jesus is the Judge – 1 Cor. 4:3-5.

IV. YOUR LOVED ONE’S CONDITION AT DEATH DOES NOT CHANGE BIBLE TEACHING – Psa. 119:89.

  A.  NT Plan of Salvation Has Not Changed.
  B.  What the NT Teaches Has Not Changed.
  C.  Bible Still Says We Will be Judged by Word of Christ – Jno. 12:48.

V.  YOUR LOVED ONE WANTS YOU TO BE SAVED – Lk. 16:27-31.

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Journeys of the Apostle Paul - #3
(Sent to the Gentiles)

I. SENT TO THE GENTILES (Acts 22:21; 26:17)

  A.  Paul Goes Home to Tarsus –Acts 9:30 (Gal. 1:21); cf. Matt. 13:53-57;  10:34-38.
  B.  In the Meantime…the Gospel is Spreading into Additional Gentile Regions, Acts 11:19-24.
    1.  Persecution scattered saints – Acts 8:4; 11:19.
    2.  Lord blessed this work w/ His power (miracles) & many were saved – cf. Acts 8:5, 12, 35; Jno. 1:12; Acts 2:37-38; 3:19.
    3.  Barnabas sent to Antioch by the Jerusalem church – 11:22-24.
  C.  Barnabas Found Saul & Brought Him to Antioch – 11:25-26.
  D.  Lessons for Us:
    1.  Don’t be discouraged when gospel is rejected. 
    2.  Look for new opportunities for the gospel.  (Acts 22:21; 11:19-21)
    3.  Good & honest hearts still exist & will receive the gospel.  (11:26)
    4.  Christ will bless the faithful work of His servants.  (11:21, 24, 26)
    5.  Disciples belong to Christ, not the world.  (11:26)

II.  SAUL PREACHES THROUGHOUT JUDEA – Acts 11:27-30; 12:25 (Gal. 1:22-23).

  A.  Worldwide Famine Predicted by Prophet Agabus – 11:27-28.
  B.  Antioch Saints Responded with Relief to the Brethren – 11:29-30; 12:25."
  C.  Lessons for Us:
    1.  Test of a prophet, Acts 11:27-28 (Deut. 18:22).
    2.  Ability + opportunity determines response, 2 Cor. 8:12 (Gal. 6:10).
    3.  First example of one church cooperating with other churches in benevolence.
    4.  Be disciples who can be depended on to faithfully serve, 11:30.
    5.  Training younger men is an important & vital work, 12:25.

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The Spirit's Sword is a free, weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
Send all questions, comments and subscriptions to the editor at: ssword@bibleanswer.com