April
17, 2022
Weekly
Schedule of Services
Sunday:
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10:15 AM
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Bible Class
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11:00 AM
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Morning Service
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Thursday:
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7:00 PM
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Mid-week Service
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Services
Broadcast Live @ www.FreeGraceMedia.com/live
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Web Address
Be sure to bookmark our website for daily
articles and audio messages:
www.FreeGraceMedia.com
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Weekly Meeting Location
and mailing address
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08638
Clay Curtis, pastor
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Phone: 615-513-4464 | Email: clay@freegracemedia.com
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If you would like to receive this bulletin
sent weekly
to your email then send a note to the email
address above.
Articles
in this bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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Our summer meeting
is scheduled for July 8–10.
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Proverbs 18:5:
It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the
righteous in judgment.
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TRUST
ME
John 13:7: Jesus answered and said unto him,
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Our Lord’s
word here could be summed up, “Trust me.”
In providence, most of what our Sovereign brings about we know
not now. The Lord reveals much in time
but not all. Some things we may never
know in this life. Secret things belong
to God. In grace, there is much
we know not now: we see through a glass dimly; we know in part, we preach in
part. But Christ promises “thou shalt
know hereafter.” In all things, let us
trust our Savior. If and when the Lord
is pleased to reveal it, thou shalt know.
We say to our questioning children, “Trust me.” It is enough for us to trust the Lord Jesus.
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“Providence is like a curious piece of tapestry, made
up of a thousand shreds, which, single, we know not what to make of, but put
together and stitched up orderly, they represent to the eye a beautiful
history.”
–John Flavel
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THE SON OF MAN IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
John 12:46: I am come a light into the world, that whosoever
believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Fallen sinners
are only darkness who cannot and will not believe on Christ. It is in Christ’s Light that we see light so
that we know and believe. Our Savior
promises we shall not abide in darkness (Ps 36:9; 1 Jn 5:20; 2 Cor 4:6; Jn 12:46). Christ our Light makes us abundantly
satisfied with HIM (Ps 36:8-9). By
Christ’s light we have spiritual discernment and know all things that are
freely given to us of God (Pro 28:5; 1 Cor 2:12; 1 Jn 2:20).
He gives us the “mind of Christ” so that
we know and rejoice that God freely chose us in Christ by sovereign grace so
that nothing shall make God cease to be gracious to his people.
By Christ’s light we know and rejoice that
Christ has made atonement by his blood.
And knowing that Christ reconciled us by his death when were enemies, being
now reconciled, we know we shall be saved by his life (Rom 5:6-10). He promises
to never leave us nor forsake us. He
promises we are complete in him.
Therefore, we trust Christ for all (Col 2:6-10).
Sometimes we are in darkness concerning our Lord’s providence. But as the old saying goes, “We don’t know
what the day holds but we know who holds the day.” Knowing Christ is ruling all, saving all
his people and shall not fail, we know all.
“I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth ALL THINGS for
me” (Ps 57:2). “For of him, and through
him, and to him, are ALL THINGS: to whom be glory for ever. Amen”
(Rom 11:36). Even in dark providence, Christ gives us Light when he speaks into
our heart, commanding, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth
the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him
trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God” (Is 50:10).
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“. . . AND THOU BECAMEST MINE”
Ezekiel
16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the
time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea,
I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD,
and thou becamest mine.
His, whatever else I am, I am His. In this
context, I am accurately depicted by God as a cursed, loathsome, forsaken,
polluted dead baby lying in an open field, and so I was before He passed by me,
but I was His dead baby. The Apostle Paul as a believer cried out, O wretched
man that I am (Rom 7:24), and I must daily cry with him, but I’m His wretch.
The Canaanite woman cried to the Lord Jesus for mercy, but He dismissed her as
an unworthy dog. Yet, she answered in effect, truth Lord, but I’m your
dog. (Mt 15:21-28).
Since the Master called me, covered me,
covenanted with me, cleansed me, clothed me and claimed me (vs 6-10), refer to
me in whatever way that you will, I am His. My sin is covered by Christ’s work
as my Representative, I am washed in His precious blood, clothed in His perfect
righteousness and claimed as His own son. I am nothing, yea less than nothing
and vile, but in Christ, I am very beautiful even in the sight of God Himself
(vs 13).
Is there any man or devil who thinks to
bring a charge against me? Should any wish to argue either the wretched
vileness of my nature or any aspect of the incessant river of iniquity that has
flowed from my mind, heart, lips and hands since my birth, you would have an
infinite supply from which to choose. But being given to Christ by the Father,
I am His, and He has pled my case upon His own exemplary merits (John 17).
Therefore, malign me for the worm that I am and you’ll get no argument from me,
but know that I am His worm, and through Christ’s comeliness (vs 14), I am
precious and beautiful to Him, and someday I shall be like Him. His forever, only His. Who the Lord and me
shall part? Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ has filled this sinner’s heart
–Chris Cunningham