The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 2001

'The Newsletter Promoting Jn.terdependence Among The Ohio Association ofRegular Baptist Churches Vol. 74 No. 6 December 2001 esus esus' fi rst coming always calls to my rnind His Second Coming. Since the Christn1as season comes ri ght at the end of one year and anticipates the beginning of the new year, it eems quite appropri ate and natural to put the two together and to look ahead to His at-any-moment return in 2002. The writer to the Hebrews brings our Lord' s two comings together in the same breath when he says, ""But nov1 once in the end of the world has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himse lf. And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after thi s the judgment~ so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many : and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salva tion" (Hebrews 9 :26-28). 1-fc has appeared - 11c shall appcar– that 's the though t of the wri ter. As surely as I f c.: came the first time I le \.viii come the ~ccond time. S ure(}•. That is the emotional tone of thi~ pa~sage. There is no quc~t,on 1n the n11nd of lhe writer, an<l he v..·ant~ to leave nunc in th t: rninc.J uf hi~ reader. ()f tv..·o c~rtain l1c~ he is sure-- the fir"' t coming and thL sct.:ond cor11ing of ( ' hr1~t. As su rely a~ death is followed hy judgemen t, so the fir ..,t corr11ng wil l be followed by the ..,ccond. ~on1eti1nl!s we .1ok 1ngly say th at there a, 1..: only lwo thing\ th at art: certain in life : death und l~xc~. r o the,.: tv..·l) \...-c n1u~t nov. add a th1 rJ t ht: ~t:~und ( 'onu ng u f ( 'hr1~l. Nut rnut:h ,ccn1~ , cry sure any n1orl: dt>C~ u'! W c ,annut take rnui:h for gr,uHt:u a~ we o ften did be fur~ Scph: nlhl."r I I /\ \ I \.\' file these \\lords Pat Hild I art 1n tht• prot·css of dc:c1d111g ubuut au tru\'t:l to l)cnver to ~\.!C uur L:hild, en anc.J gn.u1drhi 1- drcn \Vh1ch u1rpon tu h:a, ~ trunl? \\ 1 h1 \.! h one to fl y into'! fl ow rnany connections or would a direc t flight be better? Wha t day s to depa rt and return? Now al l those decisions are not n1adc s impl y on the bas is of ou r schedul e or even our money ( Iike th ey used to be). No\v we n1u st add the poss ibi Iity of terrorist act ivi ty and \Vhethc r or not to trust th e sec urity of our a ir traffic sys tem. It 's rathe r di fficult if not i,npossib le to ant ici pate or to outw it terrori s ts. The ir act ivi t ies have a way of s haking our sense of sure ty. Earthl y security is al bes t elusive! Yet s11retJ 1 is the nnn1c of the gan1e. Ano ther word for it is fai th- a quiet ton fidcnce in the Lord and His care and provision. He a lone is ou r surety and f1 is two co rr1 ings ~erve as a parenthesis of su rety around our li ves . Sin. At J{ is first con1 ing our Loru Happcarcd to put av1ay sin by th~ Sa Cr I fi CC O r I J i I11 SC I r • a n U.. t O O Car l h l .. sins of many." ·1 hat is , 1It: \.\' a \ n1 anifcstcd once on earth to dea l conclu sive ly \.vith s in . I li s con1ing \\ a:-. thc cIi Ill a c: ti c fo caI ro int n I' hi story a I which tin1c ht: offcrl'd th e perfect S a C r i fi C: l' l O J C iJ I f LI II y a ll d ri fl il 11 y \\ 1l h the s in of the wu , Id fur all tintL' . I n co n t ra., l t o t h L' <) Id · re, t an 1 l' n I !) tructurc \.\ 11h it s n1any "iaL·ril1L'l'\ v.' hi t: h rnuld onl y tc111purarll y c.:o\'L' I' '>i ll , al I I i~ li r, t ,on11ng our I orll o ffcr L· d I li1t1~l· I r on the cro:---, :t, thl' onL· Ulti1nate Sal'rl fi ci; !'or sin fo l l.'\ L'I . f I 1-. v..·a:--- 1101 the bluud uf brut L' an1111al s. un,villing virt1111, al h~·-..1 . hut lllL' hl~it id o f av. ill111 g hun1a11 h"'·111g \\' hu ~uh1111 1- IL'd I l11n-.t•ll tn the,, tll ol' I It s l'a tb c:1 , f I i ... '" a", t h l' .., ti L' r I r. l,.' t: t l) I..' I) d • ll I '1 I l I I - ftLL''- h,: cau ... c,; n f' 11:-. all -a, ,t1l111!! "'i LJft'1~it·nc 1 l ',d, .. ,r 1 did nut :-- 111tpl, c.. n , ..: r o u r " 111 \ 1 L ; 11..: 1u a II v 1"' 11 u ) , ,: d tlie111 UIIL'l. a11d hit ,ill I h1 , \\,l :-. till' stunning u1.:con1 pli shn1 cnt of Il is first con11ng~ r I e ho r c t h e s 1 n ~ o f rrl any - Ea r I i c r i n 11 cbrcws be su vs that c·h ri s I lasted .. dea th for every one ( 2: 9) . Ac cordin g. to Isa i ah the Lord ha.', laid on ll in1 " the iniquity ofusn ll''( [sa jah 53:6) . ( ' hri st died not only once for al l ~i n. and once r f<..l r a 11 t i n1 c, hut nI ~ o oncc fn r a 11 r cop I c . II is dca lin~ dcci'-.ivclv \Vith s in al Jli~ .... J firs t con1ing becomes the ha ~is for uur su rctv hcl<.l rc God anu others. ., !ia/~ 1 atio11 . /\t I-tis second Ct) 111in l! nur' .... Lord \\' i ll con1L· "v .. ··ithou l si n unto sa l,nti on.·· tl is ,,ork of"in-rcn10,al i:-– fini~hcd and never needs to he re- p cn t c J . \\I h cn I l c ~ a i d. .. 1 t i , ti n i ~ 11 l' d... 11 c 111 ca n t i t : 11 i s ~ a c r i ri cc fo r s I n 1 n unrcpcatabl c. t l e ,vho 1..; "hol~. hn rn1- I css. un d c Ii I c J . il n u ~ L' p ara t L' fr on1 .-. inners" ( I l ch 7:~6L ,, ill fl'lUr n not tu repeat the unrepcntahlc hut rathL·r tu re-...cllL' I Ii~ pcoph:, to .',e l up I I i.', kingdo,n.• ind ti\ iudgl' thosl' ,, ·hl) hH\'L' rc_jl'CtL·d l l1111 . Sal, utiPn 111l'an, dl'li, l'l'litll' L': ,, L' lllok fl) r\., nrd to I hL" Lll'I i , ·cr:1 nL.·c I lL' "ti I al' L' () 111 r I 1:,.. h \' h <: 11 I IL~ I l' I u ['II:,. I I h ll :,; \ \ L' I HI\ L' h l l r L' ~ a :,. L' l t IL' d con tidcnL't:. ~l L'lll)fidL' tll l'\J)L'l'l,111011 th.11 11 ~ is toIn in g a g a 111 .111 d ,, h c 11 11 l' '-..° u In 1.· .... 11 c \\ ii I ~ L' L a II th, n ~ :-. r IL! ht ( ; 1, l· 11 I h\.' 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