January
8, 2012
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7 PM Midweek Service
WHY DID GOD
CALL YOU?
Isaiah 45:3-6
Here are three reasons God calls his child to life in
Christ:
1. For you personally (v. 3)—that thou mayest know.
Before God worked grace in your heart, the riches of Christ were hidden
unto you. What a blessing that God would
regenerate and fill you with the riches of knowing your salvation is
accomplished by Christ!
2. For God’s elect (v. 4)—For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have called thee
by thy name. God has given you the
riches of Christ that you might be zealous in this most gracious privilege
which God has given you. Namely, to be
an instrument in his hand to send forth the gospel for the elect whom God has
yet to call out of darkness as well as for the present help of those here, and
in other places, whom he has already called.
3. For his glory (v. 5-6)—I am the LORD, and there is none else.
His own praise and honor is the reason God called you. To glorify God is to have Abraham’s
assurance, “God will provide himself…” (Gen 22:8).
*******
WHAT
SCRIPTURE TO PREACH?
I found upon the vestry table this morning a letter
requesting me to preach from a certain text, "Jesus wept." The writer
of that letter must know very little of the perplexities and exercises that I and
every minister of truth have with respect to the texts that we preach from. I
cannot take a text, and speak from it in the mere exercise of my judgment.
Before I can take a text, and preach from it, I must have three things. First,
I must see a vein of experience in it; in other words, I must have light upon
it: secondly, I must find a measure of sweetness and savor in it; I must know
something personally of the experience contained in it, and feel a measure of
dew and unction to rest upon it; in other words, I must have life from it: and
thirdly, I must find in it sufficient matter to form a tolerably full and
connected discourse. I cannot run here, there, and everywhere all through the
scriptures, nor deal in vague, loose generalities: but as far as the Lord gives
me wisdom, strength, and ability, my path is to unfold the mind of the Spirit
in such portions of the scripture as are commended with some savor to my
conscience. In making these remarks, I wish not to condemn other gracious men
who are led differently. Each has his own path and his own work: and God will
bless each according to that line in which he leads him.
JC Philpot
*******
IN THEE DO I
PUT MY TRUST
Psalm 7:1
What is my trust?
My trust includes my confidence and hope in God. It includes what I am entrusting to God: my
eternal soul. The Holy Spirit teaches
his child how God is worthy of all trust by showing us the great work of
redemption God has performed in perfect trust between God the Father and his
Son, Christ Jesus.
The Trust of
God
An earthly trust tries to imitate heavenly trust. Property
is transferred by one party to be held by another party for the benefit of a
third party. For example a father makes his eldest son a trustee of all his
estate. When the father gives it over to
his son the father trusts his son and the son his father. The son gives the inheritance to the rest of
the children at the time appointed. In
the everlasting covenant of grace God the Father entrusted Christ Jesus to
glorify his name in the salvation of chosen sinners. The Father promised to honor the Son and
Christ Jesus promised to honor the Father, laying down his life to put away the
sin of the children of God to make them the righteousness of God in him and to
give to them the inheritance of eternal life.
The third party who benefits from this trust is the elect children
chosen of God and given to Christ for whom Christ has finished the whole work
entrusted to him (Rom 8:29-30).
Perfect Trust
Manifest
Beholding God the Father and his Son Christ Jesus the Holy
Spirit teaches his child the trustworthiness of God. Christ honored the Father’s trust by coming
into the earth at the appointed time and accomplishing the justification of his
people through his death at Calvary. The
Father honored the Son’s trust bearing witness of him, pouring out the Holy
Spirit upon him, raising him from the dead and giving to his Son the
inheritance promised (Jn 17:1-5). When
the command comes in power, being born of the Spirit of God, those who put
their trust in Christ receive the promise of free inheritance--“joint-heirs
with Christ.” (Rom 8:17; Is 54:7).
Put Your
Trust in Christ
Do not put your trust in man “for wherein is he to be
accounted of?” (Is 2:22; Ps 7:1) “I said
not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right” (Is 45:19).
Trusting God the Father is to trust the one God trusted, his Son, Christ
Jesus (Jn 5:23; 12:44). No one that trusts Christ shall ever be ashamed (Is
45:17). God is worthy of trust!