[Biblemat] Walking in the Light (9/16/07)

Mon Sep 17 21:06:47 CDT 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)

September 16, 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 San Juan church of Christ here in Montrose, Colorado, then
click on the San Juan church of Christ Web Site at
<http://www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org/> www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org. 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:

"Do You Believe in Jesus?" (Richard Thetford)

"How Does One Become A Friend of Christ?" (Carrol R. Sutton))

"God's Teaching on Baptism" (Richard Thetford)

"Life in Christ is Forward Not Backward" (Selected)

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DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS?

Richard Thetford

John was a witness of the many signs and miracles that Jesus did and
documented some of the miracles in the book which bears his name. "Jesus did
many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not
recorded in this book." (John 20:30) But the ones written were done so "that
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31). John begins the book
by pointing out that Jesus is deity by stating "In the beginning was the
word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in
the beginning" (John 1:1). During 20 days of Jesus' life John recorded some
amazing miracles that were performed by Jesus. These miracles included the
changing of water to wine (ch 2), the healing of the official's son (ch 4),
the healing at the pool (John 5), the feeding of the five thousand (ch 6),
Jesus walking on water (ch 6), the healing of the blind man (ch 9), the
raising of Lazarus from the dead (ch 11), and the miraculous catch of fish
(ch 21). These miracles were performed by Jesus so that those present could
see that He really was the Christ - but even after seeing, many still did
not believe in Him. We that believe in Jesus today are blessed because we
have not seen Jesus. (John 20:29). It takes faith to believe in Jesus
Christ. Heb 11:1 tells us that "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen." How blessed is the one that reads the
Holy word of God, has faith in it, believes in it, and then does what God
commands us to do. Do you believe in Jesus? If so, you will prove your
belief by your actions.

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HOW DOES ONE BECOME A FRIEND OF CHRIST?

Carrol R. Sutton

One cannot become a friend of Christ by going "to the altar and praying
through to salvation." Advocates of the "praying through" theology never
give a Scripture that teaches that alien sinners can be saved from their
past sins by going to the altar and praying. No where in the Scriptures do
we find where any alien sinner was ever told to "come to the altar and
pray." Neither does one become a friend of Christ by "picking out some good
church" he likes and joining it. Every denominational church is destined to
"be rooted up." (Read Psalms 127:1 which says, "Unless the Lord builds the
house, They labor in vain who build it," and Matthew 15:13 which says,
"Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up").

A religious "experience" does not make one a friend of Christ. There is no
Scriptural evidence that one is a friend of the Lord just because he may
have had a religious "experience." Giving so-called "testimonials" about how
good the Lord is and how much one loves Him does not make one a friend of
Christ. The fact that one lives an upright moral life does not necessarily
mean that he is a friend of the Lord.

In John 15:14 Jesus told His disciples: "Ye are my friends IF ye do
whatsoever I command you." It is quite obvious from this statement of Jesus
Christ that one can not be, and thus cannot become a friend of His unless he
does what Jesus commands.

To do what Jesus commands one must learn and believe what Jesus says. Only
then can he truly do what Jesus says. The source of information must be the
Scriptures. As we study the Scriptures we learn that FAITH, REPENTANCE,
CONFESSION, and BAPTISM are conditions set forth by the Lord that we must
meet in order to become His friends. Please read and study carefully Heb
11:6; John 20:30-31; Rom 10:17; Acts 17:30-31; Rom 10:9-10; Mark 16:15-16
and Gal 3:26-27. Do you believe what these verses say? If so, you will
become a friend of the Lord when you obey them!

To continue to be His friend, you must continue to learn, believe and obey
whatever Jesus commands. This is how one becomes and remains a friend of
Jesus Christ.

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GOD'S TEACHING ON BAPTISM

Richard Thetford

We have learned over the past several articles where we need to hear God's
word, believe it, repent from our ungodly way of life, and to confess Jesus
as the Son of God. It has been stressed that all this had to be done to be
pleasing to God, not man. In the next few articles we will look at God's
teaching on Baptism. No doubt you have heard many versions about baptism
(what it is, why is it necessary, and who should be baptized). But let's
open our Bible and see what God has said concerning baptism, not what man
has said. In the next two articles we will look at "why be baptized" and
"who should be baptized", but today let us look at "what baptism is". It is
an immersion or burial in water (Acts 8:36; Rom 6:3-4; Col 2:12). The Greek
word baptizo literally means: "to dip, immerse, submerge or plunge". That
would rule out sprinkling and any other form. Baptism is a command of God
(Mar 16:16; Acts 10:48). It is a death, burial and resurrection (Rom 6:3-5).
It is a new birth (John 3:3-5). It is a washing away of all one's past sins
(Acts 2:38; 22:16). Have you been immersed for forgiveness of sins?

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LIFE IN CHRIST IS FORWARD NOT BACKWARD

Selected

Life lies in front of us, not behind with all its past failures,
frustrations, and regrets. Paul told the Corinthians, "Therefore 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)

While we cannot change our past, Christ can change the way we feel about the
past. He wants us to look forward after forgiveness and not turn on the
lights in all those old dark rooms of our past. Our past is all now under
the blood of Christ and we are now new Creatures.

The Christian walk is a walk of faith. That means that, by faith--and in
faith, we put our past in God's hands. What counts is what we do today. What
counts also is that we plan for tomorrow and for the rest of our lives--to
live for Jesus!

It matters not how young or how old you are, you can start TODAY to forget
your past and GO FORWARD each day of the future IN Christ.

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SERMON

The Value of Righteous Living (with PowerPoint Charts)

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

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Meets at:

2740 Commercial Way, Suite B
Montrose, CO   81401
(970) 249-8116

 <http://www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org/> www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org

ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY
Bible Study....................10:00 A.M.
Worship.........................11:00 A.M.
WEDNESDAY
Bible Study......................6:30 P.M.

Evangelist
Richard Thetford

(970) 626-5558

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

1491 Canyon Drive, Ridgway, CO  81432

Home: (970) 626-5558

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

Evangelist, San Juan church of Christ

 <http://www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org> www.sanjuanchurchofchrist.org

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