June 9, 2013
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST
CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd
Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
Order of service, announcements, nursery schedule, etc.,
are in attachment. All articles in the
bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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And now why tarriest
thou? Arise and be baptized!” There are people in our assemblies who have heard
the Gospel of Christ with the heart. They believe Him, they love Him, and they
truly rest in Him as Lord and Redeemer; but they have not confessed Christ in
believer's baptism. The question is asked, "Why tarriest thou?" I
believe I can answer for them.
l. They are troubled by
the presence and strength of indwelling sin—
"In my flesh dwelleth no good thing."
2. They are shocked by
the weakness of their faith.
3. They fear that they will fail and dishonor the Lord and embarrass
the church.
4. They are waiting for
greater assurance and more grace.
5. They are by nature very timid and shun public demonstrations.
But no such reasons are
valid; for in baptism we are not confessing our holiness, but His; not our
strength, but His; not our life, but His! "We are dead and our life is hid
with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Henry Mahan
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CALLED AND SEPARATED
Romans
1: 1, 6-7
The saints of God in this world are described as “called and separated.” The apostle Paul describes himself and those
saints at Rome as such. When we see how
Paul was called separated we see how all God’s saints are called and separated.
Who Called and Separated Us
In the eternal purpose of God, by divine election all who shall be saved
by God were chosen of God in Christ and shall be called through the gospel of
Christ in time. (Gal 1: 15-16 ;Jer 1: 5) Just as the Father and Son called and
separated Paul, so too, the Holy Ghost called and separated Paul to the work
for which he had called him. (Acts 13: 1-4)
Saints are called and separated by God the Father, by Jesus Christ the
Son, and by the Holy Spirit. It is by
divine election, by blood atonement and by the internal work which always gets
the job done.
From What Are We Called and Separated
We are called and separated from our sin and vain righteousness. Paul
had been a Pharisee, “a separate one.” He
had separated himself by confidence in his flesh (Phil 3: 4-6), through much study (Acts 22: 3), and by his religious zeal in works
religion. (Gal 1: 13-14) But Paul
had not truly separated himself at all. (Isaiah 59: 2; Jude 19) Paul was like all of God’s elect before God
saves us. We were lost in the darkness of our own depraved hearts, some in a
form of religion we called the worship of Christ even as Paul thought he was worshipping
God, but we were all ignorant of God, of his providence, of ourselves, our sin,
of the scriptures, of the gospel, of Christ, of righteousness, of salvation and
ignorant of our own ignorance. This is
what Paul had to be called and separated from and all God’s elect are called
and separated from our self-righteousnesses.
Unto What Are We Called and Separated
One, Paul was
called and separated unto the gospel of God. Paul was separated to preach the
gospel, but like Paul, God separates all his elect unto the message of the
gospel, Christ himself (Ro 1: 2-4; Ro 1: 16-17) We are called to bear witness
of Christ, that salvation is of the Lord.
God chose whom he would, Christ redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit regenerates
us and keeps us unto that day.
Two, Christ
calls and separates his elect from darkness into Light. (1 Pet 2:9) Just as Christ our Light
appeared in this earth, abolished death and brought immortality to light, in
like manner, Christ appears in our hearts, makes us see our death and brings
light and immortality to light within us through the gospel. (2 Ti 1:9-11; 2 Cor 4: 6; Pro 28:5; 1 Cor 2:15-16; 1 Jn 2:20; Jn 10: 4-5)
Also, God
separates his elect out of bondage into liberty. (2 Cor 3: 17; Gal 5:13) We were by nature children of wrath, even as
others. Now, in Christ, we are freed from the curse and condemnation of God’s
holy law. We were slaves to sin. Now, in
Christ, we are the servants of righteousness.
We were under the bondage of the prince of the power of the air. Now we
are Christ’s free men. We were driven by the law of works. Now we are led by the
Spirit, walking in the law of faith which works by love. (Gal 5: 1)
Finally, God’s elect are separated out of this world unto the
fellowship. (1 Cor 1:9) At no time
has God ever called his people, told them to be joined with this world and the
religion of this world. God seperates his children from falsehood, effectually
commanding us to no longer join with it. (Deut 7: 2-6; 26; Rev 18:4)
Paul was in works religion but he was not saved by it or left in it. God
saved him by Christ himself calling him out of it and separating him to Jesus Christ in Mt Zion, heavenly
Jerusalem. We now have access and
communion with our triune God at his throne of grace! We have fellowship with His saints on earth
and in heaven. (Heb 12:22-23; Eph 2: 19;2 Cor 6:14-17; 7: 1)
One last question, shall those he has
called and separated ever be separated from him again? No way!
(Ro 8: 35-39)