Anna Church of Christ
833-5815
Website: www.annachurchofchrist.com
Vol
22. Issue
27 July
6, 2008
Away With
Pessimism!
Even after witnessing the awesome power of God, the
Israelites were still doubtful even after they had been delivered from Egyptian
bondage. These people had witnessed the
plagues, the parting of the
Contrast that story with the one of
David and Goliath. Years after
How can we combat feelings of
pessimism? One way is to trust God to
keep his promises. “God is
faithful...” (I Cor. 10:13). “The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise...” (II Peter 3:9).
God promises to care for all of our needs (Matt.
Another thing we should do is give our
problems to God. We do this through
prayer. In I Peter 5:7 and in
Philippians 4:6 & 7, we’re admonished to cast all of our cares upon Him,
for He cares for us.
We must also develop a positive, thankful
attitude. What we think shows in what we
say and do. Proverbs 23:7 tells us “For
as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...” Philippians
SERMON TOPICS
A.M. – “Knowledge vs. Ignorance”
(Hosea 4:1-7)
P.M. – “Is God An ‘Indian Giver’?”
(I Cor. 9:24-27)
Those For
Whom We Are Praying:
Kathleen Ritchey
Loren Eddleman
Rosemary Dillow’s mother & Son
–in-law
Jerry & Betty Ward
Rodney & Nikki Lingle
Bill Whitnel
Sheilah Whittington
Paul Frailey – Carolyn’s father.
Wardell Barnhart – injured his knee recently.
Virginia McIntyre – in and out of the hospital last week. Has some blockage in two arteries supplying her heart.
Renee McAlister – having an MRI on her knee tomorrow.
Wisdom
From Proverbs: “But
whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of
evil” (Prov.
Sentence Sermon: When
sowing your wild oats, pray for crop failure.
Quotable Quote: “Learn to see things as they really are, not as we imagine them” – Vernon Howard
Cruel and Unusual Postponement
Can a person uphold the value of life and at the same time
argue for the death penalty? The truth is—we esteem life as sacred when we
support the principle of capital punishment.
In February of 2006, the State of
Questions were raised regarding the ethics of lethal
injection. How can it be known whether or not Mr. Morales would feel pain
during the administration of the lethal injection, after he has been
anesthetized? And could this violate his constitutional right against cruel and
unusual punishment?
The fact of the matter is,
execution has never been more painless. But more importantly, according to the
sole moral authority on the matter (that would be God, by the way), “Thine eye
shall not pity him” (Deuteronomy
The law of Moses perpetuated in
Two points regarding the murderer are in order:
First, it was supposed that someone guilty of murder might
flee to a city of refuge in
Second, the application of these laws of punishment
facilitated social stability in
The
people would incur guilt if injustice was tolerated. Therefore, they were
commanded, “Thine eye shall not pity him [the murderer], but thou shalt put
away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee”
(Deuteronomy 19:13). The scales of justice would remain woefully out of balance
as long as the innocent blood remained in the land (i.e., when either murder or
manslaughter was overlooked).
It is sad when murderers receive
more pity than those who are slaughtered at their whims. No wonder Solomon
declared, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set on them to do evil”
(Ecclesiastes 8:11).
Murder did not become illegal at Sinai (cf. Genesis 9:6),
nor did it cease from being a crime when the law of Moses was nailed to the
cross. Murder is wrong because of the nature of the offense. While the nation
of Israel was obligated to pursue criminal matters, today God authorizes civil
authorities in the administration of justice (cf. Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy
1:8-10).
It is erroneous to argue against capital punishment on the
basis that God said, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
The “theologians” who gather at the gates of San Quentin to
display their protest signs till midnight ought to consider the distinction
made in scripture between murder and manslaughter. Innocent life is not truly
valued when people call for the life of a murderer to be spared. Tragically,
the blood of Abel cries from the ground daily.
Life
is precious. Innocent blood demands justice because human beings are made in
the image of God. This timeless principle is unabashedly ignored by those who
argue for a woman’s “right to choose” to kill her unborn, unwanted, and unloved
baby; by those who work for the right to doctor-prescribed murder (i.e.,
euthanasia); and by many who mistakenly protest against the implementation of
“the sword” (cf. Romans 13:4) in punishing murderers.
Human life is precious, and any society that fails to value
life, made in the image of God, is filling the cup of providential wrath ever
closer to the brim.
God is the author of life. He alone has the right to say
when a life should be terminated. At times, he struck people down whose
rebellion required it—in both miraculous and providential ways. God alone
possessed the right to authorize Israel to drive out the heathen from Canaan,
whose iniquity had become full. God solely has the right to give to civil
powers the authority for capital punishment.
Moral authority regarding life and death issues belongs to
God. When he is excused from the debate, life’s practical value experiences an
immediate downturn.
An entire society is blessed wherein life is valued as
sacred. When life is esteemed so are the principles of justice, mercy, fair
deliberation for the accused, protection of the defenseless, and equal
treatment under the law—just as Israel’s refuge policy was available to
Israelite, foreigner, and sojourner alike (Numbers 35:15).
What is cruel and unusual about the Morales case is the
injustice to Terry Winchell and her family, and to our society as a whole, as
her innocent blood remains in the land. -
Jason Jackson
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
*Today is Potluck Sunday. Make plans to share a meal with us
after our service.
*We now have invitation letters to our services to mail out. If
you’d like to be a part of this, see
R.W.
*West Kentucky Bible lectures
July 12-13.
*Our own VBS begins July 20th
and runs through July 24th. Let’s begin inviting people now!
*Feel free to drop any Bible
questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer.
*Men – Be sure to sign up for a
Wednesday nigh in July if you’d like to offer the invitation. So
far, Jamie and Wardell have stepped up. Who’s next?
*Men – A date this month will be set for our prayer
breakfast. Considering the 19th.
Hearing assistance for any service is available upon
request.
BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:
Last week’s answer: Cornelius
(Acts 10:1-2)
New question: How many times did Noah send a dove from the ark?
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Rodney
Lingle – 7/4
Kathy
Capel – 7/11