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Sovereign Grace
Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Dr. (Wake Village) Texarkana, Texas 75501 January 23, 2005 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 Coty, Ronnie & Sarah Henderson, Wendell & Hazel Henderson, Joe Henderson, Randy Henderson, Eddie & Lorain Murray, Larry & Linda Mollette, Donna Johnson, Vinson Hoskins, Rosa Graves, Danny Hammond, Bobby & Vickie Thompson and Family, Mrs. Thompson, Raymond Hammond, Fay Johnson, Brad Hensley, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Mansfield, Ohio, Bro. Curtis & Sister Janet Pugh, Zee Mink and Family, Her son Bryan Armstrong and Sister – in - law Sondra Thornsberry, Bro. Kelly Hinson, Dianna Willis, Mrs. Grace and Daughter Barbara, Larry Mollette II, Danny & Nita Mollette (about moving here and getting a job), Charles & Debra Burton and Family, Tammie Hairston, Howard Flescher, Randi, And All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East. |
| A Thought For The
Week: "Free And Sovereign Grace" In the matter of salvation we must go to the Word of God. There is no other source to tell us of God, man, sin, Christ, and salvation. The word "Grace is of the utmost importance, the scriptures are full of this word "Grace"; 38 times in the Old Testament and 115 times in the New Testament. Moses was interested in knowing if he had found "Grace in the sight of the Lord." Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Grace is what the New Testament is teaching us - "Salvation by Grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." To be ignorant of Grace is to be ignorant of the scriptures and of salvation. The meaning of "Grace" has been lost to most people, to most it's a word used to get a "celestial battery charge" when they go to church. The majority of preachers in preaching and religious people in practice deny God's grace and even frustrate it! There is not a more urgent need today than for people to have a true understanding of Grace and what it means. What is the biblical definition of grace? Grace is God's undeserved favor, his unmerited love. It means the favor one finds in the eyes of a superior person from whom one cannot claim favorable treatment as a right! If you don't receive grace what can you say? You didn't deserve it anyway. Grace is Free, the one who shows it is in no way obligated to do so. God is not "bound" by anything about us to show grace to us, "Being justified freely by his grace" (ROM. 3: 24). Grace is entirely depending on God's will, it is never deserved, if it were it would cease to be grace. (ROM. 11:6) Men in the bible where overwhelmed by the fact that God's love towards fallen men is a Free gift (Rom. 9:16). Grace is love, eternal, electing love manifested, "God commendeth his love toward us in, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) This electing love is unconditional, unevoked, undeserved. Grace is sovereign and unconditional. Grace is God spontaneously working out in a sinner what he purposed to do from all eternity, "grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). Grace is God loving the unlovely, covenanting himself to them, forgiving their sins, accepting their persons, revealing himself to them, causing them to respond. God gives them a knowledge of Himself, bringing them to enjoy Him. God in his sovereignty overcomes every obstacle to fulfill his purpose towards them. God has, God does, and God will continue to show grace to his elect people. Grace is not an impersonal energy automatically switched on by prayer, ordinances, or works, it is the heart and hand of the living almighty God manifested to an innumerable company of sinners, whom he calls own, his children. Grace is a wonder and it is amazing. To know mans corruption, to know our absolute uselessness to add anything to God. To know the reality of God's justice and wrath against sin. When and if you ever know these things, you will in stand in amazement that there would be such a wondrous thing as Grace at all. Grace that God shows sinners at the expense of the death of his dear Son on calvary's tree! With all the "wonders" of the world, the wonders of nature, of science, of space, these are nothing as they are compared to the Wonder of the Grace Of God. Nothing we can say can do it justice, all words fall short of describing it, it is "God's inexpressible gift" (2 Cor. 9:15).
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| News for the week: ...Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has introduced a bill that will
raise death benefits for families of soldiers who die in combat. He says
the legislation is needed by the military families who have lost loved
ones, and would also correct an injustice. "It will take the basic death
benefit from $12,000 to $100,000 and increase a serviceman's group life
insurance from $250,000 maximum to $400,000 maximum," Sessions says.
This will make a difference for the families, the senator points out,
adding, "We need to be generous to families who serve our country and
[to the survivors of those] who have given their lives." Sessions
contends that this bill to increase military death benefits is one way
to honor America's fallen heroes while providing for those they leave
behind. The measure is co-sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman of
Connecticut. [Bill Fancher] |
| Dependent on Grace: by C. H. Spurgeon "Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?" --Ezekiel 15:2 These words are for the humbling of God's people; they are called God's vine, but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God's goodness, have become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the Lord hath trained them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring forth fruit to His glory; but what are they without their God? What are they without the continual influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor. Consider thine origin; look back to what thou wast. Consider what thou wouldst have been but for divine grace. Look upon thyself as thou art now. Doth not thy conscience reproach thee? Do not thy thousand wanderings stand before thee, and tell thee that thou art unworthy to be called His son? And if He hath made thee anything, art thou not taught thereby that it is grace which hath made thee to differ? Great believer, thou wouldst have been a great sinner if God had not made thee to differ. O thou who art valiant for truth, thou wouldst have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon thee. Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate--a wide domain of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call thine own except thy sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that thou, who hast borrowed everything, shouldst think of exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner upon the bounty of thy Saviour, one who hath a life which dies without fresh streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on thee, O silly heart! |
| Something to feed on:
Electing love has selected some of the worst of men to be made the
best.Pebbles of the brook Grace turn into jewels for the Savior's crown.
Worthless dross he transforms into pure gold. |