April 27, 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
Be sure to check the order of service, announcements,
nursery schedule, etc., in the attachment.
All articles in the bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
So that the preaching of the glory of Christ is the full
focus of our attention, for those attending with children 4 and under, we have a nursery equipped with a
digital flat screen television broadcasting all services, with faithful ladies
to care for the little ones.
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Is
Vain Religion Worse than No Religion?
Is a sinner worse off being under the sound of a preacher if that
preacher is not preaching the gospel? The Lord Jesus said he is. Christ said that the man who is falsely
religious is two-fold more the child of hell because he is not only lost, but he
thinks he is saved; the light he thinks he has is darkness. (Mt 6: 23; 23: 15)
Also, Christ said the publicans and harlots would go into the kingdom before
the vain religionists. (Mt 21: 31) According to Christ, who is the Truth, God-dishonoring,
man-exalting religion is the worst enemy of souls. The message of salvation by the sinner
contributing, even one work, is not only untrue it is damning.
Sinners should seek the message that gives the triune God in Christ all
the glory for working all the works of saving whom he will and declares that the
sinner contributes nothing, leaving the sinner no room to boast. God’s people
are nothing but sinners saved by grace. Salvation is of the LORD beginning to
end.
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Everlasting Love
Isaiah 54: 10: The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but
My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace
be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you.
[Believer] consider the love of God for you, as everlasting love. It
never did, it never will, depart. Notwithstanding your fall in Adam, your
depraved nature, your constant sins and departures, the love of God continues.
He may veil for a little moment the light of His countenance, may chastise and
afflict you for your revoltings and backslidings; still, having loved you once,
He loves you to the end. Whatever else departs, His love never will. Wealth may
leave you, health may fail you, friends may forsake you, and life itself
expire; but God's paternal love, and Christ's fraternal sympathy, will never, never
change.
The covenant of peace made with Christ, on your behalf, O my soul,
sealed with His blood, even the "blood of the everlasting covenant,"
which procured peace, speaks peace, and bequeaths peace, even "the peace
of God which passes all understanding," shall never be removed. The
mountains of human strength, lofty and sun-gilded, the hills of creature good,
clad with verdure, and smiling with fruit, shall be removed; the strongest, the
loveliest, and the dearest, the first to die. But, "Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday, today, and forever." Amid the vicissitudes and changes of
the present, the dying friends and revolving landscapes of life, cling, O my
soul, to Him whose covenant never alters, whose kindness never changes; who,
having loved you before all time, and loved you in all time, will love you to
the end of all time—yes, when time shall be no longer. The Lord that has mercy
upon you has said it.
Unconverted soul! the day will come when, if found out of Christ, you
will cry to the mountains and to the rocks to cover you—but will cry in vain!
Before His face of glory the heavens and the earth will flee away, and your
soul will stand without a shelter or a hiding place. Escape for your life!
There is one mountain, and one only, where you can find shelter from the wrath
that is to come—it is Mount Calvary. Hidden there, the "Avenger of
Blood" cannot reach you. No refuge but the cross—no fountain but the
blood—no righteousness but Christ's—no Savior but Jesus—will meet your case. "Him
that comes unto Me I will in no way cast out.'' Octavius Winslow
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How long shall Christ continue to give preachers? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” (Eph 4: 13)
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No King, No Rule, No Right, No Wrong
"In
those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that
which was right in his own eyes." -- Judges 21:25
This
scripture clearly describes the day in which we live. These days there is
no absolute Sovereign God being preached; no Judge; no Lord on the
throne; no fear of God; so there is no right or wrong, no sin, no
punishment for sin; so everyone is free to do anything they like. Blame
it on the pulpit. Blame our sick society on the many false
preachers who have told everyone for so long now, how much God loves them all,
no matter who they are or what they are doing; no matter that they live like
hell and hate God in Heaven . . . he loves you anyway (they say). So men
and women believe these liars and live as they please, with no fear of God, and
no fear of any consequences for sin. O' the great and terrible surprise
people are in for when they face the true and living God; the God of the
Bible; the Holy and Righteous Lord and King of the universe Who hates
sin. May the same Lord unite our hearts to fear His Name, and call upon
Him to have mercy on us all. Paul Mahan,
pastor of Central Grace Church, Rocky Mount, VA
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Unto, Unto, Unto
1 Corinthians 1: 23: But we preach Christ crucified,…
The gospel declares Christ is the Wisdom and Power of God, who saves his
people, with no help from those being saved. Therefore all, except those called
by Christ through the gospel, have great trouble Christ and with the gospel of
Christ being the means God uses to call his people.
“UNTO the Jews a stumblingblock.” The Jew represents all who are religious but who
stumble at Christ because they are attempting to come to God either without
Christ or by adding their wisdom and power to the work of Christ. They deny Christ all the glory in some aspect
of regeneration and wisdom (Jn 3: 1-12; 6:44; Ps 110: 3), righteousness (Rom 5: 19-21; 10:4 ), sanctification
(Rom 5: 20; 3: 19-20; Gal 3: 2-3) and redemption. (Heb 9: 12; 1 Cor 1: 30-31)
“UNTO the Greeks foolishness.”
The Greek represents all who have their hearts set on the world’s wisdom,
riches, and honors. The Greek may
believe a man needs salvation but it is foolishness to him to declare salvation
is by Christ only, through the preaching of Christ only.
“But UNTO them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” Only by experiencing the power and wisdom
of Christ, through the call of the gospel, do we know Christ, the Power of God
and the Wisdom of God, as well as the importance of continuing to hear Christ
through the gospel. (Job 23: 12)