Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 6-16-2019
Bible TextRomans 10:14-15
Date15-Jun-2019
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: The First Cause (32 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
Audio CD Quality Listen: The First Cause (128 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
 

June 16, 2019

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

 

Services Broadcast Live @ www.FreeGraceMedia.com/live

 

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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 servicesclick here.

 

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REMEMBER

·         The Bible class for our young people is scheduled for the third Friday, June 21, at 7:00 pm.

·         Sunday, July 7, Jeff Moyer, Joyce Moyer and Greg Cooper are scheduled to confess Christ in believer’s baptism.

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Proverbs 13: 12: Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

 

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ONLY BELIEVERS CALL ON THE LORD

 

Romans 10: 14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?

 

Have you ever called on the name of the Lord? If you answer no then the Spirit of God tells you why right here.  You have not believed in the Lord.  A sinner only calls on the name of the Lord for salvation when he believes the Lord’s word that he is a sinner who cannot save himself or even contribute to his salvation.  He believes the Lord’s word that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is able to save.  Consider the leper—"It came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Lu 5:12).  The leper did not come boasting, “Lord, I believe I WILL let you make me clean.”  The leper believed himself to be full of leprosy with no ability to make himself clean.  But he believed the Lord Jesus could.  So he called on the Lord. “And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him” (Lu 5:13).  

 

     Sinner, do you believe the Lord that you are a sinner with no ability and that Christ alone can make you whole?  Only believers call on the Lord.  And all believers do!

 

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THE FIRST CAUSE

 

Romans 10: 13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Will-worshippers use this verse to make the vain boast that salvation is by the sinner’s will.  They portray the Lord as a weary beggar who has done all he can but now needs the sinner’s help.  They exalt sinners by begging them to do the Lord a favor by calling on the Lord so he can save them.  But if we read the next few questions we find that the first cause is not the sinner but the Lord—"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?”  Let’s begin with this last question and follow the order until we come to the sinner.

 

     The time comes which God ordained before the world was made for Christ to call one of his lost sheep.  The Savior has already redeemed this chosen child of God long ago on the cross.  His Substitute has already purged his sins and brought in everlasting righteousness for him.  Now, the Redeemer will reveal himself to his vessel of mercy.  So first, Christ sends his preacher to declare this good news to his redeemed for “how shall they preach, except they be sent?”  Then Christ’s sovereignly rules everything in their lives to make his preacher and his lost sheep cross paths for “how shall they hear without a preacher?”  Next, Christ gives his preacher the words to preach so that this sinner hears Christ exalted in all his redemptive glory for “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” As the sinner hears that Christ accomplished the redemption of each of God’s elect, Christ sends the Holy Spirit who gives this sinner spiritual life and faith for “how shall they call on him whom they have not believed?”  Then the sinner calls on the name of the Lord and Christ gives him peace in knowing that he is complete in Christ for “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

 

     That sinner will tell you that, indeed, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  But that sinner will also tell you that the one who gets all the praise for making him willing to call on the name of the Lord is the Lord himself.    Are you that sinner?

 

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THE OUTCOME

 

Romans 10: 15:…as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

 

With these words Christ foretold the outcome that he would produce in the heart of each of his saints by calling us through the means of preaching (Is 52: 6-8)

 

     In that day when Christ sends his preacher and calls his lost sheep through the preaching of the gospel, Christ said, “My people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”  From that day forward, the sinner Christ saves through this means loves the Lord Jesus, the Lord’s preacher and the Lord’s people because he beholds how they sacrificed to send him the gospel through which Christ saved him.  He esteems assembling with his brethren under the preaching of the gospel to be so priceless that he cannot forsake it.  Through this means Christ has fitly framed (cemented) him together inseparably with Christ and his brethren.  He values the preaching of Christ so highly that when faced with the shortcomings of his brethren, he forebears and forgives.  He endeavors to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace because he needs to hear Christ preached above all else.  Having experienced that the preaching of the gospel of Christ is truly the power of God unto salvation, he grows to be a generous, cheerfull giver because he knows the need of sending the gospel to other lost sheep.  Christ said this would be the outcome that he would produce through this means when he said his people would say with hearty agreement, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publish peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

 

     This is the difference God makes between those who must have the preaching of the gospel and those who can leave it!  He who imagines he taught himself simply does not value the preaching of the gospel, does not value Christ’s preacher nor his people, therefore, he cannot commit himself to a local church to be used of Christ to love his brethren by supporting the preaching of Christ crucified.  But that sinner saved through this means esteems assembling with his brethren under the preaching of Christ to be more necessary than his temporal bread; he must have Christ; he must have the preaching of Christ; therefore, he considers it his richest blessing and greatest privilege to be used of his Head to provide the gospel for brethren he loves!   The wisdom of God in using his people to send his preacher with his gospel to save his lost sheep grows more amazing to his people each day!  Lord Jesus, may you use this means to add another lost sheep to your church today and ever keep this esteem in our hearts!