[Biblemat] A) GOD HAS SPOKEN

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Saturday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my recent files:

GOD HAS SPOKEN

       A Jewish tax collector who recognized that he was a sin-
ner, guilty before God, and who humbly confessed his need
for the mercy of God could be justified before God.  A Phari-
see who trusted in his own righteousness and who thanked
God that he was not like sinful men including the tax collect-
or cound not becaue of his pride and his blindness to his own
guilt be justified before God (Lk. 18:9-14).  Such Pharisees
justified themselves before men and despised others (Lk. 16:
15; 18:9).  They were like dishes clean outside and dirty in-
side, and like whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones
(Matt. 23:25-28).  On the other hand, a tax collector was imm-
ediately judged by his fellow Jews to be a sinner and thus a
base person, though he sought God with readiness to correct
any errors in his life -- as did Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10; Matt. 9:
9-13).

     One is not inclined to seek help or a doctor unless he sees
that he has need or is sick.  The advantage of the publicans
and sinners over the Pharisees was in their recognition of 
their need for the mercy of God and their need for a Physic-
ian.  When Jesus said, "For I did not come to call the righteo-
us, but sinners, to repentance," pompous Pharisees and any
others filled with pride might have said to themselves, "Well,
He's certainly not talking to me, then"; but Jesus meant no
comfort to them in His statement, for He also said to others, 
"Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of 
heaven" (Matt. 5:20).  A man who has heart
problems but will not admit it to himself or others is in far
greater danger than another who has the same problem but
seeks help.  This is true both physically and spiritually.

     If we face reality, we will recognize that God has a plan
of salvation for all (Rom. 3:23;6:23).  That same reality com-
pels one to acknowledge his need for faith in Jesus Christ
(Jno. 3:16), for repentance of all his sins (Lk. 24:46,47), for
confession of his faith in Christ (Rom. 10:10; Acts 8:37), for
baptism in the name of Christ for remission of sins (Acts 2:
38), and for continued growth and development as a new cre-
ation in Christ (Rom. 6:3,4; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Pet. 2:1,2).  By that
same realization, we are bound to acknowledge that we have
become a part of the body of Christ, the church of Christ
(Eph. 1:22,23; 5:23; 1 Cor. 12:27).  We must see that we have
duties to the body and with the body to do our part (Eph. 4:
15,16).  With this reality set before us, will we be like the blind
Pharisee or like the observant publican?  ---- Gilbert Alexander.   </HTML>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20071013/d7b52293/attachment-0001.html