The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
August 13, 2006
In
This Issue:
Almighty
God
by
Steve Klein
Something
Better for Us
by Gilbert
Alexander
Almighty God
I met a big burly young man yesterday. His name is Bart and he is 6'10" tall and weighs about 300 pounds, 298 of which is pure muscle. He is an imposing figure to say the least, and I doubt that many would have the nerve to be uncooperative with him if he ordered them to do something. If he said, "Jump!" they would jump and ask "How high?" on the way up.
When God appeared to Abram in Genesis 17, He identified Himself as "Almighty God." The Scripture says that, "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless'" (Genesis 17:1). In Hebrew, the name that God uses for Himself here is El Shaddai -- from "El" meaning "God" and "Shaddai" which comes from a Hebrew root meaning "burly or powerful". The identification of the Lord as "Almighty God" left Abram with no question as to Who he was dealing with or why he should obey God. When God charged Abram to "walk before me and be blameless," I'm certain that Abram wanted to comply completely.
In Job 11:7, Zophar asked Job a question that does not make a lot of sense to me. He asked, "Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" Now, if God is truly "the Almighty" what limits could he possibly have, other than those that He might impose on Himself? All might and power belongs to God. Nothing is "too hard" for Him (Jeremiah 32:27). "He does whatever pleases" (Psalm 115:3).
It is critical for us to realize that our God is "Almighty." When we deal with Him, we are dealing with someone who could crush us with much less effort than we would use to crush a bug. Some may have been lulled by God's kindness and goodness toward mankind, or by the fact that He does not always punish sinners immediately, or by His willingness to allow men to make their own choices, into thinking that God is not really all that powerful. Nothing could be further than the truth.
Jesus Christ, God's Son, is also Almighty. After He rose from the dead He declared, "All power has been given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). He is worshiped in heaven as "Lord God Almighty" (Revelation 4:8). To Him every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10). When we think about the nature of God's Son, our minds often focus on His love, compassion and meekness -- and rightly so. But we should not forget that He is Almighty. His commands and requests demand our greatest attention and effort. When He says "Jump!" we need to jump and jump in a hurry!
--Steve Klein
God provided good things for mankind from the beginning of their existence. Not only physical sustenance was given. Instruction in proper behavior gave the people proper direction and purpose in life. This was true from the Garden of Eden onward. Provisions were made for correcting errors and for making atonement for transgressions. The patriarchs offered sacrifices according to God's direction. Yet there was something better to come. Promises were given to them and their descendants which they did not live to see fulfilled. They lived in hope of that better thing. Then the Law of Moses was given to Israel, providing for sacrifices and offerings for sin so that they could live in hope and could be at peace with God. God gave them promises of something better to come. Faithful people endured life's afflictions and suffered persecutions for their faithfulness to God and for their condemnation of sin. Some of them "were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword&ldots;and all of these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us" (Heb. 11:32-40).
What is that "something better" that we have received and by which the faithful of old were made perfect? It is that sanctifying blood of Christ through Whose sacrifice remission of sins is provided. This provision perfected those faithful ones of old who died in hope (Heb. 9:15). By the instruction of the New Covenant, we learn about the grace of Christ and how we can become beneficiaries of it through obedience to the Gospel (Mark 16:16; Heb. 5:8, 9). How blest Abraham was to have talked with the Lord and to be called the friend of God! How blest Israel was to have seen God's glory and power manifested at Mount Sinai! Yet, He has provided something better for us in that we have known the coming of the Messiah and have been privileged to share in His atonement and in His kingdom. Apart from what we enjoy they would not have been perfected.
Shall we, as Israel did, turn aside from this great blessedness to the false hopes of a rebellious and sinful world? Shall we pursue the glitter of the tinsel of sin, the shallow fun and pleasure of worldliness, the pseudo-wisdom of the doctrines of men? Shall we cast aside the true riches in heaven for the "fools' gold" that Satan offers us in this life? Is a trinket in the hand worth more to us than the unfading and incorruptible inheritance laid up for us in heaven? Are treasures of "Egypt" worth more to us than the reproaches we suffer for Christ, considering the ultimate recompense of reward (Heb. 11:24-26)? Do we appreciate that "something better"?
-- Gilbert Alexander