February 26, 2017
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
MEETING LOCATION
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08368
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
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.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: watch videos of our full services—click here.
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SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 3: 29: Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
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ELECTION NOT BY WORKS, SALVATION AND DAMNATION IS
When God chose Jacob and Esau it was before the two had done any good or evil. This is to show us that God electing some to salvation, and God passing by others, is not based on anything in us. It is purely by the free and sovereign grace of God alone that God chooses whom he will. But make no mistake, Jacob’s salvation and Esau’s damnation were each based on a work. Jacob’s salvation was due to Christ’s finished work on Jacob’s behalf. Esau’s damnation was due to the work of Esau who chose a bowl of beans over Christ and the birthright. Election is not by works. But salvation and damnation is. Salvation is a gift to the sinner through Christ’s work. Damnation is a wage earned by the sinner through his own. How do we know this is so? By the word of God, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6: 23)
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WHY? HOW? WHEN?
It is not until the enlightened sinner is made by grace to see the sovereign character of God that these three questions will always be answered in a way that gives the believer true peace, comfort and rest. Here are the final answers to every question that begins with “Why? How? When?
WHY? “Even so Father: it seemed good in thy sight.” (Matthew 11:26, Luke 10:21)
HOW? “According to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
WHEN? “But when it pleased God.” “Until the time appointed.” (Galatians 1:15, Galatians 4:2)
I am so thankful that our God is in the heavens doing whatsoever He has pleased. Remember, God doesn’t do something because it is right, it is right because God does it. Pastor David Eddmenson.
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Love and Trust: The Ties That Bind
"And above all things, put on love, which binds everything together in ideal harmony" (Colossians 3:14).
The relationship which exists between true believers in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and between that of the pastor and the people within the family of God is one that cannot be understood by the natural man or by the unsaved religionist. The carnal church must have strings attached to the pastor to regulate his comings and goings: he is assigned a vacation time, so many outside meetings, pulpit and visitation duties, set times for business meetings, certain quorums at which he must be present, things which must be voted on and dutifully announced a set number of days in advance…even members are not allowed the freedom to designate gifts! By-laws, constitutions, and rules of order are printed and distributed so that the pastor dare not act without the approval of the deacons and the deacons dare not act without the approval of the congregation and the congregation dare not act without the due process and vote of the monthly business meeting.
All of this has come about because these people do not love and do not trust one another! The pastor who loves Christ, the church, and lost souls will not need rules and regulations of men to motivate him or keep him in line. Deacons who love Christ and one another do not need to be assigned duties, serve limited terms, and be consulted on every matter. Church members who love Christ and one another and trust their God-given leaders do not require a written report of every move made, every cent spent, and every work undertaken. Their relationship is one of fervent love and complete trust. Each member is allowed to exercise his own gift, act as a free steward of his own grace, and engage in the ministry God has given him without interference and forced control by others. Yet all together fulfill the will of God and none are complete without the others. Regenerated men understand this and you waste your time trying to explain it to the rest. Pastor Henry Mahan
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Our Sufficiency is of God
Eric Lutter
Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Ewing, New Jersey
“And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” (2 Corinthians 3:4)
Our sufficiency is never dependent on us. Our sufficiency is of God. It is by the grace of God given to us through Christ that we are made to see that we have no righteousness of our own. It is the Spirit of God that turns us from having high thoughts of ourselves. God gives us a contrite spirit. God causes us to tremble at his Word (Isaiah 66:2) so that we must ask ourselves, “And who is sufficient for these things?”
The design of our God in this is beautiful. It drives us to our Lord and Savior. — “To whom shall we go?” Christ alone has the words of eternal life. Though we know ourselves to be totally insufficient, the child of God believes and is sure of this one thing: that Jesus is the Christ, “the Son of the living God” (John 6:68-69). We are made to see that Christ alone has honored, glorified and pleased God the Father on our behalf. Even, our trust toward God is by Christ and him alone. He has cleansed us by his obedient work and his shed blood.
Trust in Christ and have no confidence in self. Isaiah’s words are fitting: “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” (Isaiah 50:10).
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SIN IS NOT IMPUTED WHEN THERE IS NO LAW
Romans 5: 13: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14: Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
“Sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Think of that statement. It declares that God only imputes to a person what he is. God will not impute sin unless a person is guilty. But though they had no law to transgress, still they were guilty and died. This means sin was imputed to them.
But how was it just for God to impute sin to those who could not have committed a trespass against a known law like Adam? God did not impute sin to them to make them sin by imputation. He imputed sin to them because they were made sin by Adam’s disobedience. As the previous verse states, we all transgressed and were made sin when we broke that one law in the garden when Adam transgressed. Therefore, God imputed to him, to them and to us, what we are, sin.
Adam was a figure of Christ. But how could Christ become sin if God only imputes to a person what they are? Christ never transgressed a law! God will not impute sin where there is no law. Therefore, God would not impute sin to him unless he was made so by a prior act. How then was Christ found worthy of the imputation of sin? “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor 5: 21)
Believer, do not miss the good news in this. When God imputes righteousness to us, it is not to treat us as if we are righteous when we really are not. According to God’s definition of imputation in scripture, God imputes sin or righteousness to a person only if that is what they are by a prior act. It is not imputation that makes us so. It is the prior act. Therefore, God imputes righteousness to us because it is what we are by the acts of Christ. God imputes righteousness to us because we were made righteous by the obedience of Christ Jesus the Lord. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Rom 5: 19)