Musick-al Notes

Musick-al note # 201                            

          There has never been a time in the history of the church of our Lord that dedication and service to His cause were not needed. The age in which we live is no exception, yet more and more we are reaping the fruits of indifference.  Elders, deacons, preachers and teachers have all become discouraged because of the indifference on the part of so many Christians.  It has been estimated that only half the membership of the Lord’s church living in the United States attend services to worship God.  Of the Christians who do attend only half of these attend with any regularity at all (that is over half the time).  It adds up to an alarming number who are indifferent to the Lord’s call to discipleship.

          Dear reader of this paper, are you among that number of wonderful souls who attend regularly and can be counted on to help with the work?  Do you give yourself wholly to the Lord to follow His will?  Are you seeking to know more about Him, His work, His promises and His rewards?  Is your schedule so arranged that you are able to take advantage of every worship period to worship God? If not, why not?  Isn’t it a matter of desire, concern and zeal? Doesn’t indifference take a tragic toll among Christians?  Teachers are not immune, for some have been infected with the disease. Deacons can and have fallen prey to this enemy of the Kingdom.

     Preachers have left pulpits and work because they could not withstand the pressures upon them.  Elders have also been overcome and their influence for righteousness has been cast aside because this insidious evil has crept into the church of the Living God. There is no cure that can be applied by brother, preacher, teacher, deacon, or elder. Only God can purify our hearts and cause us again to strive mightily in His kingdom, but only as we love Him enough to give ourselves in dedication and service as a true disciple of the Lord. What about it?  Dear Brother or Sister, will you love Him enough to hear His voice and obey His will (John 14;23-24)?  Will you give yourself to follow Him in self-denial?  Avoid the pit of indifference or lose your soul in eternity, separated from God.

           Gordon Musick

Musick-al Note # 220       

         Let this mind be in you, which was also in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was with God, on equality with God, yes, He was God (Philippians 2:5).  He had greatness, honor, position, enjoyed fellowship with the Father, received worship of the angels and was glorified of all in that place (Hebrews 1:1-12).  Love caused God to send him to earth (John 3:16). He walked among men, humbled himself to obey God even submitting to the death on the cross to save all men.  Love so amazing, so divine to give Himself for the sinner, the enemy of God, even for those who opposed Him and who crucified Him (Hebrews 5:5-9).  Our minds can hardly conceive such love and such devotion yet the apostle exhorts “Let this mind be in you!”

            Mankind has forgotten that there is a God who created all things (including man) (Genesis 1:1-31).  All people are His and will be judged righteously by Him (Ezekiel 18:4).

Yet we, with our positions and titles of seeming greatness find it hard to condescend to men of low estate, much less to have the mind of Christ.  “Look up to me” we cry from a heart of pride.  “My way must be followed” we shout presumptuously.  “If you don’t like what I do, then submit anyway or leave, as far as I’m concerned” our haughty spirit declares.  We fear the loss of honor and esteem if we admit wrongs and mistakes.  We have a position to uphold and therefore we must be right at all times and if we aren’t, then wait until the people forget.  It just doesn’t matter about them, what they think, what they do, what they say, we’ll do what we want to do anyway.  We have forgotten that God knows every one of us and we will come before Him (2 Corinthians 5:10).

          The mind of Christ is in the lowly one, the loving one, the humble one. In those who know they have sinned and yet do sin but now seek forgiveness through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 1:7, 1 John 1:7). They harbor no bitterness in their hearts, no grudge against any and desire the salvation of all.  They must of necessity submit to God and their fellowman for they consider self as nothing.  These indeed are blessed of God and will be raised up in honor in the last day for they have the mind of Christ.

        Gordon Musick

Musick-al note #  219

            John 12:32,”if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me”.  His life would soon end and Jesus knew that the disciples would have a difficult time so this promise foresaw the only way any follower could endure and follow him was to lift him up in their hearts and lives.

        Jesus was lifted up when nailed to the cross.  Suspended between heaven and earth, he was offering himself in sacrifice to ransom all men from their debt of sin (1 Timothy 2:6). God had decreed that everyone who sinned would die (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23) but Jesus took this burden to the cross for all men.  He was reconciling men to God by dying for all men (1 Corinthians 15:3, Colossians 1:20).

            Jesus was lifted up from the grave by the power of God (Acts 3:15, 4:10, 10:40) even as Jesus had stated (John 10:18). The empty tomb declares the resurrection (John 20:1-8) and the testimony of many witnesses affirm him alive (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).    

            Jesus was lifted up from the earth (Acts 1:9-11) and is now seated at God’s right hand (Hebrews 1:3) offering eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9).  Jesus had prayed that God would give him the glory he had before the world was created (John 17:5).  He is also now the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23) to whom God has given all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3) and the promise of being with God (1 Corinthians 15:24-27).

            Jesus will be lifted up when we believe that he is God’s Son, sent into the world and acknowledge him as Lord of life.  He is lifted up when we love and obey Him (John 14:15-25).  He is exalted when we repent of sin and live according to his will (John 1:27-30).  We will lift him up as we proclaim his saving gospel (Romans 1:16) that others may also be saved in his precious blood (Ephesians 1:7). He is lifted up when we worship together, praise God in communion, love and remain faithful until death (Revelation 2:10).

            Gordon Musick

‘INCARNATION OF THE WORD’ 

 Musick-al note # 218   

            The term incarnate means to “become flesh” as he said, “the Word became flesh” in John 1:14-16.  The Word that became flesh is Christ Jesus who was in the beginning with God.  This beginning was before the creation of the world when God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were planning the creation of the world and beings like unto himself.  John stated that Jesus was in the beginning and a part of the creation in John 1:3 when he said, “all things were created by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made”.  The Hebrew writer also mentions this creation when he said, “God has at the end of these days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).  That the Word (Christ Jesus) and the Holy Spirit were in the beginning of the creation with God can be seen in Genesis 1:26 where God said, “let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.  This plurality of speech certainly indicates more than one being. We conclude therefore that the Three Divine Beings were in the beginning together and in perfect harmony.

            There is certainly the indication that the Word came into the world at times before his coming as the “begotten” of God.  However it must not be concluded that He made provision for the sins of man during that time.  He came in the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) for the purpose of saving all men when he paid the ransom for all men’s sins of all men. He paid the price for the sin of the whole world on the cross of Calvary making it possible to save all men in himself.  The Hebrew writer states that He died for every man (Hebrews 2:9).  This includes you as well as me and all others who have lived and who will live on earth.  By God’s grace, God sent his Son into the world to die for us and by His grace, God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the ransom price for the sins of every man (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23).  Every person must be willing to obey Jesus and live for Him, believing that He is the one whom God sent into the world (John 8:24).  The Bible will teach you what you must do to inherit eternal life (Hebrews 5:8-9).  Are you learning?  Are you listening to the Word of Truth that you can be saved?

            Gordon Musick

 Musick-al note # 118   

            The term incarnate means to “become flesh” as he said, “the Word became flesh” in John 1:14-16.  The Word that became flesh is Christ Jesus who was in the beginning with God.  This beginning was before the creation of the world when God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were planning the creation of the world and beings like unto himself.  John stated that Jesus was in the beginning and a part of the creation in John 1:3 when he said, “all things were created by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made”.  The Hebrew writer also mentions this creation when he said, “God has at the end of these days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).  That the Word (Christ Jesus) and the Holy Spirit were in the beginning of the creation with God can be seen in Genesis 1:26 where God said, “let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.  This plurality of speech certainly indicates more than one being. We conclude therefore that the Three Divine Beings were in the beginning together and in perfect harmony.

            There is certainly the indication that the Word came into the world at times before his coming as the “begotten” of God.  However it must not be concluded that He made provision for the sins of man during that time.  He came in the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) for the purpose of saving all men when he paid the ransom for all men’s sins of all men. He paid the price for the sin of the whole world on the cross of Calvary making it possible to save all men in himself.  The Hebrew writer states that He died for every man (Hebrews 2:9).  This includes you as well as me and all others who have lived and who will live on earth.  By God’s grace, God sent his Son into the world to die for us and by His grace, God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the ransom price for the sins of every man (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23).  Every person must be willing to obey Jesus and live for Him, believing that He is the one whom God sent into the world (John 8:24).  The Bible will teach you what you must do to inherit eternal life (Hebrews 5:8-9).  Are you learning?  Are you listening to the Word of Truth that you can be saved?

            Gordon Musick

 Musick-al note # 118   

            The term incarnate means to “become flesh” as he said, “the Word became flesh” in John 1:14-16.  The Word that became flesh is Christ Jesus who was in the beginning with God.  This beginning was before the creation of the world when God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were planning the creation of the world and beings like unto himself.  John stated that Jesus was in the beginning and a part of the creation in John 1:3 when he said, “all things were created by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made”.  The Hebrew writer also mentions this creation when he said, “God has at the end of these days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).  That the Word (Christ Jesus) and the Holy Spirit were in the beginning of the creation with God can be seen in Genesis 1:26 where God said, “let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.  This plurality of speech certainly indicates more than one being. We conclude therefore that the Three Divine Beings were in the beginning together and in perfect harmony.

            There is certainly the indication that the Word came into the world at times before his coming as the “begotten” of God.  However it must not be concluded that He made provision for the sins of man during that time.  He came in the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) for the purpose of saving all men when he paid the ransom for all men’s sins of all men. He paid the price for the sin of the whole world on the cross of Calvary making it possible to save all men in himself.  The Hebrew writer states that He died for every man (Hebrews 2:9).  This includes you as well as me and all others who have lived and who will live on earth.  By God’s grace, God sent his Son into the world to die for us and by His grace, God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the ransom price for the sins of every man (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23).  Every person must be willing to obey Jesus and live for Him, believing that He is the one whom God sent into the world (John 8:24).  The Bible will teach you what you must do to inherit eternal life (Hebrews 5:8-9).  Are you learning?  Are you listening to the Word of Truth that you can be saved?

            Gordon Musick

Musick-al note # 217                   

            The church is God’s house or family (1 Tim.3:15).   When you obeyed the Gospel, the Lord added you to His church (Acts 2:47), you became a part of his family.  “We are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of us as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal.3:26-27).  John wrote, “All who believed and received Jesus receive the right to become children of God.  They were born of God in obedience to Him.  This new birth was by water and the spirit by which they became children and entered the kingdom of God (John 3:3-6).  Those obedient believers were added to the group of ‘called out’, the church, that belongs to Christ (Matthew 16:18, Acts 2:41, 47).   

 As children of God we must become like our Father, for Peter said in 1 Peter 1:14-17 it is written, “As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in the days of your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all you conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear.”

 Those who obey the Gospel are born into the family as Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3   “I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This “new birth” is of “water and spirit” (John 3:5).  Obedience to the Gospel is giving “new life” to those who obey (Romans 6:4) thus Christians begin their life as “babes”.  Peter said in 1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, long for the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.” 

When one is baptized into Christ, he becomes a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27).

            Gordon Musick

Musick-al Note #  216                       

        Our lives are governed to a degree upon the amount of income that we enjoy but perhaps more upon the expenses that we incur.  With more income we begin to live more freely and obtain more of the luxuries and pleasurable things of life.  This brings on more expense in payments which demands more income which causes us to again buy more, and the cycle continues.

          Often completely left out and in many instances minimized is the responsibility and privilege of contributing to the Lord’s work.  Few indeed are they who will increase their contributions when their income increases and few still who visualize their increased income as opportunity for more service to the Lord Jesus. Many readily spend more for pleasures but few give more to enlarge the effectiveness of the local congregation through enlarged contributions.

          When we are able, we take long vacations and week-end trips for our satisfaction, but hardly ever do we plan any spending of the time or the money for increased service to Christ.  Hunting, fishing, golfing or other sports are well and good if rightfully used.  That is — for recreation, the rebuilding ones vitality, but to pervert it to the expending of one’s money, energy and time to the exclusion of God from our lives is sin.  Sometimes we get so involved that we even use the money we purposed to give to the Lord’s work to pay for these “recreational” activities. Such embezzlement will not go unnoticed by the Lord and we will still give an account in the Day of Judgment.  We need to remember that Jesus took note of the contributions (Luke 21:1-3). 

          Sometimes we forget that the obligations begun at home continue even when we are away.  The work and expenses continue whether or not we are there to receive benefit from the.  It is true of the home, of the business and also the church.  Do you neglect paying the bills on your home when you are out of town?  No, of course not.  Then why neglect the church when you leave for the week-end?  Let your stewardship be true.

            Gordon Musick

Musick-al note # 215
Sometimes people read the Bible knowing that it must reveal what they want to know about salvation of their soul, yet miss the message of salvation because they want to understand the WHY of its instruction. They may even miss knowing the great love that God has for mankind. Have you missed that God wants to save everyone? (2 Peter 3:9) and that includes you. God’s great gift of sending His Son to ransom all men by paying the debt man owes because of sin (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23) thereby making it possible for all men to be saved by obeying Jesus (Hebrews 5:9). There is no other savior (Acts 4:12) so every man must come to Christ Jesus to be saved. Have you also missed His message of how to get into Christ? There is only one way given and that is baptism (Galatians 3:26-27). When a person believes that Jesus is our savior and trusts Him to save, that person will obey his gospel which is God’s power to save (Romans 1:16). The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and man is to obey a form of that teaching. That is man will die to sin, be buried in water and raised to live a new life, free of sin. A person’s faith, based on God’s Word accepts that testimony as truth and is willingly baptized.
To keep asking “WHY is it baptism?” “WHY isn’t there another way?” shows a lack of faith and trust in the immortal God. Salvation is designed by God for He is the giver of salvation. He alone has the right to say how any man or every man may be saved. Eternal salvation comes to those who listen to God and are obedient to Him. He sent Jesus into the world to save everyone from sin. Jesus obeyed the Father’s will and was obedient even to death (Philippians 2:8). His death was the ransom to free us from the penalty of sin which is death (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23). Paul said that when we obey from the heart a ‘form of the doctrine’, we will be freed of sin and become a servant of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18). Paul also said that baptism in obedience to God makes one a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27), and gives us redemption through His blood (Ephesians 1:7).
What shall we say then, can man follow just any way he desires and expect salvation from God? No! For if God spared not his only Son for our salvation, how could we look for another to save us? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Gordon Musick

Musick-al Note # 214
Jesus gives a stirring illustration of the way so many people act in regard to Christianity and their response to Him. He said, “It is like children playing in the market, one group calls to another group saying, “We have played the pipe and you did not dance, and we sang a dirge and you did not mourn” (Matthew 11:16-17). Apparently Jesus was saying that God has done everything from offering dancing in joy to showing sadness in funerals to get them to join Him in abundant living but mankind did not respond to His offerings at all. They did not respond to either joy or sadness, choosing to follow their own selfish ways.
Are we are just like that generation. God has shown His great love by sending His son into the world to redeem all mankind (John 3:16). We should respond to His great love by loving Him (1 John 4:10, John 14:15-24). Our love should cause us to respond in obeying His will to the saving of our souls. He extends to us exceeding and precious promises for us to join Him and escape evil (2 Peter 1:4). He has given ample warning of His coming wrath upon the disobedient when Christ returns (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). If we neither respond to His love in obedience nor tremble and fear when we hear the awesome warnings that come from the Word of God but we continue to live complacently by ignoring the warnings or disavow their portent, we are simply playing with Christianity and making up our rules as we go.
We fear neither man or God and we shrug off any thought of opposition to our complacent way of life. We are well satisfied, and do not want anything to violate our peace of mind. Failing to use sober thinking in regard to the coming judgment, we continue to strive after the wind of worldly peace. Heaven is just a word in our language, an idea that is spoken about in sermons, we do not view it as an eternal home which will be given to the faithful. We are not fully convinced that sin will separate us from an eternity of bliss – to be the cause of an eternity of suffering in the fire of Hell which is prepared for Satan and his angels. Never thinking of the eternal punishment to be meted out to the unbelieving and disobedient. Any type of warning is only seen as a threat to their way of life, thus rejected and hated.
God is – and His Word abides forever. We must be about His business both in serving and worshipping Him. He is the savior of all men; without obedience to Him we will be lost throughout eternity, having missed the prize for which we hoped to might gain by our pretended Christianity.
Gordon Musick