In This Issue

• THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS
• WRONG IS ALWAYS WRONG
• HITCHHIKERS
• PEPPERCORN RENT
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

Jesus’ trial was over. Pilate released Barabbas to the crowd and ordered Jesus to be crucified. "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. Then when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified" (Matt. 27:27-31).

And so continued the ordeal that would end in the death of Jesus, the Son of God. Matthew continues: "Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

"Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ Likewise the chief priests, also mocking with the scribes and elders, said, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver him now if He will have him; for he said, "I am the Son of God."’ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing" (Matt. 27:32-44).

It is Luke who informs us that before Jesus’ ordeal was over, one of the robbers repented and was forgiven of his sins, Luke 23:39-43. As Matthew pointed out in 27:35, the events of the crucifixion fulfilled the writings of the prophets. The quote in verse 35 is taken from Psalm 22:18. That psalm, written by King David approximately 1,000 years before Jesus was born, tells in detail of His crucifixion almost as clearly as the eye witness accounts written by Christ’s apostles. Also compare Isaiah 53, written about 750 years before it was fulfilled. Truly the Bible is a marvelous volume of the revelation of God.

--CRJ

WRONG IS ALWAYS WRONG

"But he who does wrong will be repaid for the wrong which he has done, and there is no partiality (Col. 3:25). This inspired statement should help us to realize that it is NEVER right to do wrong. We may sometimes be inclined to strongly identify with the wrong-doer, understand his predicament, and even sympathize with him to some extent, but we cannot afford to CONDONE his wrong deeds. Wrong is always wrong.

Wrong is always wrong, no matter who does it. Job’s friend Elihu correctly pointed out that God "is not partial to princes nor does He regard the rich" (Job 34:19). These things may make a difference in the eyes of men, but to God, wrong is wrong even when the rich and powerful are guilty. The same is true whether the wrong-doer is Jewish or Gentile -- even you or me, or our children or grandchildren. See Rom. 2:11-12; Rom. 3:9-10.

Wrong is always wrong, even if you don’t get caught. In our society, many individuals, including most religious people, seem to think that it is alright to do wrong as long as no one sees you do it. Of course, the truth of the matter is that God sees your evil deeds and will eventually reveal your secret sins openly, Num. 32:23; Prov. 15:3; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rom. 2:16. You’ve already been caught!

Wrong is wrong, even if you do it for a good or noble cause. When Paul was accused of teaching men to do evil that good may result, he called the accusation "slander," (Rom. 3:8). He further showed that no amount of rationalization can legitimately excuse sin, Rom. 6:1-2. "To obey is better..." (1 Sam. 15:22).

Wrong is wrong, even if others are doing something you consider worse. We often have a way of classifying sins as small and great. (Ours are small. The other fellow’s are great.) But in reality, every sin is wrong. Often the words of Jesus in such passages as Matt. 7:3-5 and Matt. 23:23-26 are misapplied and abused. Jesus showed that BOTH the plank from your eye AND the speck from your brother’s eye need to be removed. He did not say leave the speck in the brother’s eye. He simply said take the plank out of your own eye FIRST. He did not tell the Pharisees to quit tithing mint, anise, and cumin. They were to CONTINUE to do that, but they also needed to take action in such matters as justice, mercy, and faith. He did NOT rebuke them for straining gnats -- He rebuked them for swallowing camels. They should have strained out BOTH the camels and the gnats. Actually, we humans are poorly qualified to classify sins as to their relative size and importance, but we can clearly see from the Scriptures that wrong is always wrong.

And wrong is wrong, even when it doesn’t bother your conscience. Conscience is the God-given faculty that prompts us to do what we BELIEVE is right, 1 Cor. 2:4, 7. If we have been improperly taught, we can do wrong with a clear conscience, just as Saul of Tarsus did, Acts 26:9; Acts 23:1. The Scripture, not our conscience, must be recognized as the only infallible guide.

Finally, wrong is wrong, even if most people approve of it. Consider Ex. 23:2; Luke 6:26; Rom. 12:1-2. Wrong is always wrong. It needs to be repented of by the wrong-doer, and forgiven by the Lord. The Lord stands ready to forgive when we comply with His conditions, Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38.

--CRJ

HITCHHIKERS

With his thumb, a hitchhiker says, "You furnish the car, gas, attend to the repairs and upkeep, supply the insurance, and I’ll ride with you. But you must be going my way, and if you have an accident, I’ll sue for the damages." Sounds pretty one-sided, doesn’t it?

There are hitchhikers in other places than just along the road ways. Unfortunately, there are sometimes hitchhikers in local churches. These members seem to say, "You go to the Bible classes, attend all of the various assemblies, do the visitation and personal work, shoulder the responsibilities, take care of the meeting house and grounds and all of the things that need doing, and I’ll go along for the ride. But if things aren’t done to suit me, I will complain, criticize, and probably get out and hitchiker to another group."

You’ve seen them, too haven’t you? You’ve seen professing Christians that seem to just be along for the ride. They frustrate the growth and progress of the local church. Because of indifference or lack of total commitment, they add nothing to the furtherance of the Lord’s cause. The only thing they add is more work for the faithful. Preachers and elders are usually at a loss to know how to awaken them to a sense of their personal responsibility. Many times they become so accustomed to riding the coat tails of others that they seem to know of no other way to travel.

What do we say to hitchhiking church members? Shall we let them keep on depending on others without learning to pull their own weight? Shall we stand quietly by while they slip closer to eternity, unprepared to meet the Lord’s judgment? No, someone needs to remind these "thumbing" members that they will never be able to hitch a ride to heaven. And going along just for the ride hinders and holds back the congregation’s work. If you know of a church member hitchhiker like these we have described, why not lovingly talk to him or her about their soul and the need for their help and cooperation. Hitchhikers are not permitted on the interstate expressways today.

Let’s remember that they are not allowed on the Lord’s highway either. Hitchhikers, please read Matt. 25:1-46!

--Bob Dickey, Pruett & Lobit bulletin, Baytown, TX

PEPPERCORN RENT

In feudal times, after the lands of England had been parceled out among her lords, the people were all required to pay an annual rental for the use of the lands. But now and then there came a year when the seasons were unpropitious and the crops failed and the wretched cultivators of the soil could not pay their rent. At such times it became a custom to allow them, in lieu of the rent due, to bring a single peppercorn and deliver the same to the nobleman to whom they were indebted. This became known as the "peppercorn rent," and was understood to be a badge of servitude; an acknowledgement of their dependence. It did the lord and manor no good, but was a confession of their obligation and that they were his servants. In this day profanity is the peppercorn rent which men pay to the devil: it does him no good, but is a simple acknowledgement of their willing allegiance; a badge to show that they are his servants.

--Addison Ballard

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