September 30, 2012
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST
CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd
Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
Order of service, announcements, etc, are in
attachment.
WE DO WELL TO TAKE HEED
2
Peter 1: 19-21
After telling us what he witnessed and heard concerning the power and
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter tells us we do well to take heed to the
word of holy God. The scriptures we hear
through the gospel declaration are as a light shining in a dark place. All scripture is given by inspiration of God
through the men who God divinely ordained and gifted to write our scriptures.
(1Tim 3: 16) Search the scriptures daily
to see if what you hearing preached is true, comparing scripture to scripture.
(Acts 17: 11; Is 8: 20; 1 Co 2: 13)
The
Dark Place
This world is
a dark place in which believers sojourn.
The darkest place on earth is the natural heart. Adam sinned, darkness entered, and without
the light of God shining into our hearts we are altogether darkness (Is 60: 2;
Ro 1: 21). A person may be an
intellectual sunbeam as far as a study of worldly or spiritual things, ability,
wealth, even natural disposition, but until the Sun of righteousness arises in
our hearts the understanding is dark and alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in man because of the blindness of the heart. (Ep 4: 18; 2
Cor 4: 6)
The
Day Dawn and the Day Star
First, all must hear the Light of Truth through the Word, the gospel of
Christ revealed in the scriptures. (Ro 3: 10)
All must be taught by Christ through his ambassadors that Christ is the
believers Righteousness. He has accomplished the work of perfecting his people
so that by the new birth of the Spirit, believers rest in Christ alone through
faith. (2 Co 4: 3)
Secondly, it is the same DayStar that arises in each new heart and that
Light is Christ the Light. Christ is the Star prophesied to come from the
lineage of Jacob (Nu 24: 17). Christ is the Sun of righteousness arisen with
healing in his wings (Mal 4: 2)--“the bright and morning star.” (Rev 22: 16; Mt 2: 2). Christ the Light has come to those who sat in
darkness to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1: 78-79) He has “abolished death and brought life and
immortality to LIGHT through the gospel.” (2 Tim 1: 10) Christ is the Light of righteousness in that
he was made sin, who knew no sin and with his bruise God alone is the Justifier
of all who believe on Christ. (2 Cor 5: 21) And Christ is the Prophet who
instructs us in light in the new heart. (Jn 8: 12)
Furthermore, Christ our Light is irresistible. Who can stop the sun from rising? Not one.
When Christ begins to shed his beams in the new heart none can stop this
dawning of light.
Lastly, where his Light begins to shine he will continue to shine:
"He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ." These things are the
same in all who are born of God: Christ the Daystar is the same Light which
lights all those born from above.
Believers Await That Perfect Day
As of right
now we are still in the twilight before the perfect daybreak of glory (Pro 4:
18). For now, many shadows surround
us. But every artist knows it takes
light and darkness to make the object in the picture stand out. So it is that the dark shadows, accompanied
by grace, cause us to ever lay hold on Christ the object of our faith. (1 Cor 13: 9-12; Job 30: 28; Heb 2: 1;
10: 25)
The most important thing is to hear
the gospel with our brethren. Each
believer’s presence matters—never think it doesn’t. What if you were the only one to show
up? It is that discouraging for your
brethren when you are missing. Give heed, “so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.” (Heb 10: 25-26)
Also, as we face shadowy clouds and
strong winds of providence, look to Christ. God uses strong wind of painful
providence to cleanse us. But faith
which knows that Christ is our Light, even in the troubling clouds, shall be guided
by the "bright Light that is in the clouds." (Job 37: 21) Live not so
much with our eye on the present clouds, but with our eye set on the horizon of
that future glory, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ."
Then there is
that "valley of the shadow of death.” Never was it as dark on this earth as when Christ
suffered and entrusted his Spirit into the hands of God on the cross. Yet, never did the light of God’s glory shine
so bright. He arose. Here is the sweetness of
Christ our Light. By his death, Christ
so destroyed death, that death to the believer is but a shadow. My brethren, who are near, believe it!
When does this
day dawn for the believer? The natural
day dawns on us now sometimes as soon as we close our eyes on our pillow. You
see that dear saint who just took their last breathe of this sin-filled air, the
day-just dawned and the Day Star just arose in their hearts. Their very next breathe is in the clean air
of perfected holiness. But others will
remain and the perfect day of glory will be at the second coming of our Lord in
majesty and great power, to gather together his elect when, "He shall come
to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all those who
believe."
No matter the case, for each
believer, in a little while the day will break, the shadows will flee away, and
we shall bathe our souls in Christ’s full, unclouded, endless light. It will be as the light of the morning, when
the sun rises, even a morning without clouds.
There will be no need of the sun or the moon in that city—“for the glory
of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Re
21:23.)
Brethren, think
on the day when we shall see him as he is, the day with no more night of sin or
any of its effects.
Brethren, if
the day breaks today, I will meet you in that heavenly city in Light. But if not, I will meet you in this hill of
frankincense to hear of his Light in the mountain of myrrh one more time as we
await that great day—we do well to take heed!
(SOS 4: 6)