October
23, 2022
Weekly
Schedule of Services
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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: claycurtis70@gmail.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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Proverbs 19:11: The
discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a
transgression.
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Our tears, our faith, and the
very best of our good works are so full of sin that, were they not washed in
the blood of Christ, they would demand our eternal damnation!
–Don Fortner
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The seed of Christ (every
chosen child of God) were in Christ before time. When God our Father chose Christ to be the Head
of his body, the church, then each elect child was in Christ our Head. “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). As Levi was in the loins of Abraham and paid tithes
in Abraham so every elect child of God was in Christ on the cross and obeyed
God (Heb 7:9-10). When the Holy Spirit gives
us a knowledge of Christ then we are made to know that as eternally and inseparably
one as God the Father and Christ his Son are one, so we are one with God our
Father in Christ his Son (Jn 17:21-23). What comforting assurance for believing
sinners!
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Legalists attempt to force others to obey (Gal 6:12-13). The might of the flesh may produce outward conformity
yet it will never change a sinner’s heart but only produce more inward contention. God is the only one who can give a new,
willing, obedient spirit. He does so using
those God has already given a new heart so that they preach only Christ and him
crucified in peace. “The fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (Ja 3:18).
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THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE
“To the praise of the glory of His grace,”
is mentioned twice in the book of Ephesians. No truth is taught more
plainly in God’s word than this: that the salvation of sinners is entirely of
the grace of God.
Grace is given “in spite of” our
sin, and our fleshly nature. The scriptures declare that men are lost by their
own works, but saved through the free favor of God. Their ruin is justly
merited; their salvation is unmerited. Men earn the wages of their
sin...death. But men cannot earn their salvation!
From election, to effectual calling, and
final entrance into heaven, it is all by grace. The glory of His grace
is:
1)
Sovereign – “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.”
2)
It is free – “I will love them freely,” Hosea 14:4.
3)
It is full – It is never a little grace.
4)
It will never fail.
No wonder it
says, “To the praise of the glory of His grace.”
–Don Bell
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So many today are stressed out and anxious. The cure for anxious care is to cast all our
care on the Lord Jesus Christ for our Savior cares for his people (1 Pet 5:7). A
lot more of God’s word and a lot less social media will do us good. Let’s fill our ears and hearts with God’s
word rather than the noise of this world (Mt 6:31-33).
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The gospel of
Christ is called the “gospel of peace.” (Rom 10:15) It is because “being
justified, by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”
(Rom 5:1).
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The sacrifices
offered under the old covenant never made any sinner perfect “For then would
they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged
should have had no more conscience of sins” (Heb 10:2). It is only when our conscience has been
purged by the blood of Christ so that we know Christ has put away all our sin
that we will cease trying to earn salvation by our works.
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The work of
sanctification is all of God. The Spirit of God created a new man in the image
of God within the body of this death. He
taught us that God our Father through the blood of his Son has made us fit to
enter heaven with the saints already there.
So we give God the glory. “Giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins…” (Col 1:12-14).
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As God’s children our Father had given us a new heart to want to
please God in all we do. At the same
time, our sins are ever before us. Yet,
God continues to show us mercy for the sake of his Son in and by whom our
Father receives us. It is God’s mercy
and forgiveness that works most to grow us in love to God, in hatred of our
sins and makes us seek to glorify God in our lives.
Brethren, always remember and never take
for granted that our cup is sweet because our Savior’s was bitter; God communes
with us because he forsook our Substitute; we are enlightened because Christ
endured darkness for us. This is why we give
God all the glory, saying, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort!” (2 Cor 1:3).
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Great value is
given to a believer’s trouble as God comforts us by making the consolation of
Christ abound in us so that we may be able to comfort our brethren who are in
trouble with the same comfort wherewith God has comforted us. (2 Cor 1:3-5).