Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Dr. (Wake Village) Texarkana, Texas 75501
December 12, 2004 
Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor                     Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director  
Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@countrybaptist.org            Web Site: www.countrybaptist.org/sgmbc
Please Pray For:

Virgil and Alice Hoskins & His Daughter Debbie Wenske & Great Grandson Chad. Ronnie & Sarah Henderson, Wendell & Hazel Henderson, Joe Henderson, Eddie & Lorain Murray, Larry & Linda Mollette, Donna Johnson, Vinson Hoskins, Rosa Graves, Danny Hammond, Bobby & Vickie Thompson and Family, Raymond Hammond, Fay Johnson, Brad Hensley, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Mansfield, Ohio, Bro. Curtis & Sister Janet Pugh, Randy Henderson, Larry Mollette II, Zee Mink and Family, Her son Bryan Armstrong and Sister – in - law Sondra Thornsberry, Bro. Kelly Hinson, Dianna Willis, And All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East.
Safety:
By: C. H. Spurgeon

"Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."

--1 Thessalonians 5:24
Heaven is a place where we shall never sin; where we shall cease our constant watch against an indefatigable enemy, because there will be no tempter to ensnare our feet. There the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. Heaven is the "undefiled inheritance"; it is the land of perfect holiness, and therefore of complete security. But do not the saints even on earth sometimes taste the joys of blissful security? The doctrine of God's word is, that all who are in union with the Lamb are safe; that all the righteous shall hold on their way; that those who have committed their souls to the keeping of Christ shall find Him a faithful and immutable preserver. Sustained by such a doctrine we can enjoy security even on earth; not that high and glorious security which renders us free from every slip, but that holy security which arises from the sure promise of Jesus that none who believe in Him shall ever perish, but shall be with Him where He is. Believer, let us often reflect with joy on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and honour the faithfulness of our God by a holy confidence in Him.

May our God bring home to you a sense of your safety in Christ Jesus! May He assure you that your name is graven on His hand; and whisper in your ear the promise, "Fear not, I am with thee." Look upon Him, the great Surety of the covenant, as faithful and true, and, therefore, bound and engaged to present you, the weakest of the family, with all the chosen race, before the throne of God; and in such a sweet contemplation you will drink the juice of the spiced wine of the Lord's pomegranate, and taste the dainty fruits of Paradise. You will have an antepast of the enjoyments which ravish the souls of the perfect saints above, if you can believe with unstaggering faith that "faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."

A Thought For The Week:

The Bible

The Bible is the richest treasure of the world. Without it the palace is a dark blank.
With it the humble cottage sparkles with celestial light.
It is the transcript of God's heart.
It tells, what human reason is weak to find.
It is pure truth without one shade of error.
It gives knowledge on all things needful for time and for eternity.
It is a safe guide through life's entangled path.
It is a compass . . . through shoals and rocks; amid winds and waves; to heaven's eternal rest. The sage is ignorant without it. The peasant learns from it salvation's road.
It is a solace for every hour.
It is a companion always ready to converse.
It cheers when other comforts fail.
It is arrayed in every charm for intellect.
It never wearies.
It is always fresh.
Its oldest truths cannot grow old.
Its readers become more wise; more holy.
Other books may puzzle and corrupt. The Bible is from heaven, and leads to heaven. It enters the heart with purifying grace.
The more you search the Bible, the more your minds will wonder, and your hearts will love.
Read it as literally true. Then no human philosophy will beguile you.
Ponder its characters. You will find on them the intrinsic stamp of truth.
By: Don Bell
News for the week:

...In the state of Washington, a court has declared that parents eavesdropping on their children's telephone conversations is a violation of privacy laws. Associated Press reports that parents in Washington who want to listen in on their kids' phone conversations will have to think twice from now on. The state Supreme Court has ruled that it is illegal. The high court ruled that a 17-year-old boy should get a new trial on purse-snatching charges. His girlfriend's mother testified that she heard him discuss the crime when she listened in on his conversation with her daughter. The court ruled that the daughter and her boyfriend had a reasonable expectation of privacy on the phone. Washington state law prohibits intercepting or recording conversations without the consent of all participants. [Fred Jackson]
Source The Agape News Press

CONTINUE IN PRAYER
Colossians 4:2

Our Lord said in Luke 18:1, "that men ought always to pray and not to faint." Prayer is not a mechanical performance to be seen of men, the Pharisees prayed that way and were not heard before God (Matt. 6:5). Prayer is not so much and act as it is a attitude of the heart, and a dependence of the soul upon Almighty God. It is also seeking to spread out our heart's desire before God and asking it to be granted according to His sovereign purpose. Real prayer is communion with God through the only Mediator, Jesus Christ the Lord; who is sitting at God's right hand making intercession for us (Heb. 7:25; 1 Tim 2:5). Prayer is never intended to change the purpose of God, but rather to make us know and realize what the purpose of God is. I have often heard people say, "that prayer changes things." I hope it changes our wrong attitudes, our sinful desires and our ungodly conduct, but prayer never changes the purpose of the eternal God (Isa. 46:9-12). He said, "I am the Lord I change not" (Mal. 3:6).

Well then, since God is sovereign and has decreed all things, then why are we instructed to pray? God has decreed all things, but all He has decreed come to pass through the means He has ordained (Acts 4:27-28). God has elected a people unto salvation (2 Thes. 2:13), but He has also decreed that His people shall be saved from their sin by the appointed means, Jesus Christ; His grace and sacrifice (Rom. 3:24). The gospel then is one of the appointed means to accomplish His eternal purpose and prayer is another. Even the prayers of His people are included in His eternal purpose. Therefore, instead of prayer being useless and vain; they are part of the decrees by which God exercises His eternal purpose. I hope you can all say, "Lord teach us to pray" (Matt.6:9-15).

By: Tom Harding, Pastor Zebulon Baptist Church Pikeville, Ky.