October
28, 2018
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
MEETING LOCATION
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08368
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Clay@FreeGraceMedia.com
MAILING ADDRESS:
7 Birch Street
Pennington, NJ, 08538
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
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NURSERY
We have a nursery equipped with a digital flat screen television
broadcasting all services live, for children four and under.
All articles by the pastor unless
otherwise noted.
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: The
videos are now listed as individual sermons, as well as full services—click here.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Men, we only have a few more weeks to go
before all the leaves will have fallen.
Remember, to blow the leaves off the ramp and parking lot into the yard so
you can mulch them. Thank you, again,
for maintaining the yard.
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SUNDAY’S
READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 12: 10: A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the
tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
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WHAT IS IT TO PREACH CHRIST?
1Corinthians 2:2: For I determined not
to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
To
preach the cross is to preach Christ’s person and Christ’s work. It is to preach who Christ is: the eternal
Son of God and the Son of David, the GodMan; the One chosen and sent of God;
the Prophet, Priest and King of his people; the Bread from heaven; the Way, the
Truth, the Life. To preach Christ is to
preach why Christ came: God sent Christ to manifest the righteousness of God in
how God is just and the Justifier of all who believe on Christ; he came to fulfill
the law for his people, to put away the sin of those the Father gave to him in
eternity, to redeem, reconcile and make his people one with God. Preaching Christ is preaching what Christ
accomplished: he finished those works God sent him to do; Christ glorified the
Father, brought in everlasting righteousness for his people; Christ entered in
once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for his people. To preach Christ is to preach where Christ is
now: when he had by himself purged our sins he sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty on high; his people are risen in him, seated together with him. Preaching Christ is preaching what Christ is
doing now: as the glorified GodMan he is reigning and ruling with all power
over all in heaven and in earth, sending his gospel, calling out his people
through the Holy Spirit, filling all in all and he will not lose one! To preach Christ is to preach what Christ
shall do: he shall come again; he must reign till he has put all his enemies
under his feet, the last being death; then he shall deliver up the kingdom to
God presenting his people holy and righteous and unreproveable in God’s sight.
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THE
OFFENSE OF THE CROSS
Galatians 5: 11: And I, brethren, if I
yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence
of the cross ceased.
Paul
preached the cross of Christ because he was sent of Christ for that purpose, as
is every true ambassador of Christ. (1
Cor 1: 17; 2: 2) Therefore, Paul suffered persecution. If Paul would have given sinners just one
thing to do then he would not have suffered persecution. But then the gospel would cease to be
preached. Why is the preaching of the
cross offensive to men? The gospel
offends because:
1) It
declares all are sinners, incapable of even contributing to our salvation. (1 Cor 1: 29-31) The gospel puts no
distinction between the most religious man and the worst sinner declaring us
all ruined by the fall of Adam, unable to add to the work of Christ.
2) The
gospel declares sinners are justified from our sins, not by our works, but by
the faith of Christ who fulfilled all righteousness, making his people
righteous by his obedience. (Ga 2:16-18,
21)
3) The
gospel declares sinners must be born again by the Holy Spirit and given faith
from God before we can believe on Christ. (Ga 2:19-20) Christ declared that no
man can come to him except he be drawn by the Father. (Joh 6:65) The Spirit of
God declares that the natural man cannot receive the gospel because it is spiritually
discerned. (1 Cor 2: 14; Jn 6:63)
4) The
gospel declares Christ is the Sanctifier and the Sanctification of his people. Most believe that once born of the Holy
Spirit, they make themselves more and more holy by their obedience to the
law. Paul said, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of
the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the
Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Ga 3:2-3) We have the “holiness without which no man shall see the
Lord” when of God we are made “partakers
of the divine nature” when Christ is formed within. Then we are “made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light.”
(Heb 12: 14; 2 Pet 1: 4; Col 1: 12)
5) The
gospel declares that after faith is given believers are no longer under the law
but under grace. In Galatia, they
desired to bring believers back under the law as a rule of life. Paul declared then Christ is made of no effect
unto you. (Ga 5:2-7) The believer’s rule of life is faith in Christ—"The just shall live by faith and the law is
not of faith.” (Gal 3: 11-12) Believers are constrained by the love of
Christ for us, by the Spirit’s power working in us, not by law. We worship and
serve Christ because we want to.
The offense
of the cross is Christ because he is the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Alpha
to the Omega, the Beginning to the End of our salvation. “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a
new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the
Israel of God.” (Ga 6:12-16)
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Why do
preachers yoke folks to do using the law, using threats, and using promises of reward.
God answers, “As many as desire to make a
fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they
should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves
who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they
may glory in your flesh.” (Gal 6: 12-13)
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CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST
“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we
may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” (1 John 2:28).
What sweet comfort this precious
promise of God gives to the heart of the believer. Our Lord shall return with glorious splendor
to receive us to Himself forever (John 14:1-3). Now, and in that blessed day we shall have
absolute and eternal confidence to stand before the holy throne of God totally
justified and complete in Christ (Col. 2:9-10). True saving faith has all confidence in
Christ, not in self (Heb. 12:2). We say
with the Apostle, "We are the
circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3).
Believers not only have all confidence in Christ, but we also shall
never be ashamed of His gospel now, nor before Him at His glorious coming
(1John 3:2: 4:17). Every believer can
boldly say with the Apostle, "For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek." (Rom. 1:16).
Christ Jesus is not ashamed to love us (1John 4:10), to own us (Heb.
2:13), to die for us (Heb. 2:17) and to present us faultless before His holy
throne (Jude 1:24). "For both he that sanctifieth and they
who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call
them brethren" (Heb. 2:11).
How could we ever be ashamed of Him? "For
whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man
be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of
the holy angels. (Luke 9:26).
Therefore, those who rest in the Lord Jesus Christ shall have great
confidence in Him and shall never be confounded, confused or ashamed to own Him
as Lord and Saviour, now and forever. "Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner
stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded" (1Peter 2:6; Rom.9: 33; Isa. 28:16). Pastor Tom Harding