March 16, 2014
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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Christ's love is like his name, and
that is Wonderful (Isa. 9: 6) yea, it is so wonderful, that it is above all
creatures, beyond all measure, contrary to all nature. It is above all
creatures, for it is above the angels, and therefore above all others. It is
beyond all measure, for time did not begin it, and time shall never end it;
place doth not bound it, sin doth not exceed it, no estate, no age, no sex is
denied it, tongues cannot express it, understandings cannot conceive it: and it
is contrary to all nature; for what nature can love where it is hated? What
nature can forgive where it is provoked? What nature can offer reconciliation
where it receiveth wrong? What nature can heap up kindness upon contempt, favor
upon ingratitude, mercy upon sin? And yet Christ's love hath led him to all
this; so that well may we spend all our days in admiring and adoring of this
wonderful love, and be always ravished with the thoughts of it. Thomas Brooks
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“God never means less than he says,
but he always means far more than we think he says.” Charles Spurgeon
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Election is a
blessed doctrine. It is the eternal
expression of the love of God who has, by irresistible will, predestinated a
people to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself. Election is not the passing by of good
people, people who want to be saved, or people who have some potential in
them. This is a straw man built by
ignorant men who refuse to submit themselves to the word of God. There is none good – none righteous. Darvin Pruitt
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FROM ALIENTED ENEMIES TO RECONCILED FRIENDS
Colossians 1: 22: And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he
reconciled 22: In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23: If ye continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which
ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister;
The believer is reconciled through
faith in Christ, not by our works, but by Christ’s finished work. Notice the key words in this passage.
First, by our original birth every
believer was once “alienated and enemies” of God. We were alienated: from God, from the life of
God, ignorant of God, ignorant of our need of salvation, ignorant of how God
saves. (Eph 4: 18) But our condition was
worse than alienation. We were also “enemies in our minds.” The carnal mind is hatred against God. (Rom
8: 7) We fought actively against God by
our “wicked works.” (Is 59: 2; Ro 5:12)
Now, some wicked works may have indeed been what comes to mind: base, outward,
sinful acts. But most of our wicked works were by good works, whereby we tried
to justify ourselves in our minds. Yes, the works may have been good in
themselves, we may have even professed that we knew God, but with our mind and
conscience defiled, by seeking to come to God by our works, every good work was
a wicked work whereby we denied God. (Ti 1; 15-16) There is no pleasing God
while we are in the flesh. (Rom 8: 5-8)
Oh, but catch this next word: “reconciled.” “Yet now hath he reconciled.” Who did the reconciling? Christ did. He reconciled a particular people, God’s
elect. He did so “in the body of his flesh through death.” In the body of his flesh Christ was made under
the law, in the body of his flesh Christ was made sin for us, in the body of his
flesh Christ was numbered with the transgressors, in the body of his flesh
Christ bore the wounds we deserved, and in the body of his flesh Christ died. By
this Christ reconciled us. “Yet now hath he” means it is done. It can never be
undone. (Ro 5: 10; 2 Cor 5: 18-21) A part of reconciliation involves a work God also
does within the sinner. As Christ’s ambassador preaches the gospel to us, the
Holy Spirit regenerates us and Christ commands effectually into the new heart, “be
ye reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5: 20) Our hearts are purged from dead works as the
Spirit reveals in us that God has already reconciled us into a state of eternal
peace with himself, justifying us of all our sins past, present and future, by
Christ’s blood, which we could never do by our works. (Heb 9: 14) So the glory
goes to God for this inward work, the same as Christ’s work accomplished for
us. But there is more.
Next, catch this important word: “present.” Believer, Christ Jesus has accomplished this
work “to present you holy and unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight.” Right
now Christ, as our High Priest, appears in the holiest of holies in the
presence of God bearing our names on his breastplate. And Christ shall return
to present us to himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, as a bride prepared for her husband.
Lastly, do not miss this word: “continue.” Believer, our faith will be proven to be the
gift of God “if we continue in the faith” to the end trusting Christ. Christ himself, and him presenting us to the
Father holy and without blame, is the hope of the gospel. Some are moved away
from this hope to join with will-workers for the works of the law, for the
wages of unrighteousness or for other crooked reasons. Such who do so are debtors to keep the whole
law, Christ shall profit them nothing. (Gal 5: 2-4) There remains nothing for
them but a “certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversaries.” (Heb 10: 27) But believers continue “grounded
and settled” by God our Father sending forth the Holy Spirit, by Christ Jesus,
strengthening our inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. (Eph
3: 14-17) We are living stones, fitly
framed together, built upon Christ our Foundation. (Eph 2: 19-22) We are truly
grounded on Christ the Foundation when we “settle down” on Christ like a house
settles on its foundation. (Mt 7:
24-25)
Brethren, our life, right now, is hid with Christ in God. It is only “as
though” our life is in this earth. The reality is, we are dead to the law, dead
to this world and our life is in Christ at God’s right hand. (Read Col 2: 20-23;
3: 1-4) We must endure much tribulation before we enter glory with Christ. (Acts
14: 22) But whatever trials come, whatever doubts or fears, remember Christ’s strength
is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor 12: 9)
So turn a deaf ear to every man that would turn you back to the
rudiments of this world and keep looking nowhere else but to Christ. “Ye are
complete in him.” (Col 2: 10) May the
Lord ground and settle us more with these words as only he can.
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Law, precepts, rules and regulations, and all the training and teaching and
adorning that you can give a poor sinner, never conquers the carnal mind, which
is enmity against God. Omnipotent, Sovereign Grace alone can subdue a poor
ruined sinner to the feet of Jesus. Sinners may come forward and make a
decision for Jesus; they may make their commitment and re-commitments; they may
be baptized and join the local Church and begin to talk and act different and
be outwardly religious the rest of their lives, and desire to go to heaven when
they die – and talk a lot about it. But all this will not subdue the sinful
will and carnal mind of a sinner. Only Omnipotent Grace, God’s almighty grace
will do it. Bruce Crabtree