Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 11-14-2010
Bible TextVarious
Date13-Nov-2010
Series Parables
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

November 14, 2010

 

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

 

Weekly Schedule of Services

Sunday:

10:00 AM

Bible Class

 

11:00 AM

Morning Service

Thursday:

  7:00 PM

Mid-week Service

 

RESTING IN GOD'S REST (HEBREWS 10: 4)

After the creation of the world, the bible says that God rested from all his works. Did God not know that Satan was in the world? Was He unaware that Satan would beguile Eve and consequently cause Adam to fall and plunge the whole world into spiritual darkness? Did God not know that under the curse of sin every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart would only be evil continually? Was God not aware that mans sin would bring a flood of water in judgment to destroy all but a handful of men? Did the eternal God not understand that even after the flood that evil man would wax worse and worse upon the earth? Did the all seeing and all knowing God not take into account that His own people would reject him and the promised redeemer and hang his son on a cross? Did the eternal living God not see evil man, even after the death and resurrection of Christ, despising his gospel turning their backs to the truth and doing despite to the spirit of grace?

Of course, God saw these things “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4: 3). “He declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure (Isaiah 46: 10). But if God knew these things, and it is apparent that he did, how then could he rest? How could he rest knowing the utter chaos and corruption that lay ahead? In Ephesians 1: 9 we are told that God has made known unto us the mystery of his will. The mystery of his will is his eternal purpose: What God has done, is doing, and yet intends to do. “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That (in order that) we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1: 9-12).

God rested because he trusted all things into the hands of his beloved Son. And then immediately he tells us that so shall we after we hear this glorious word of truth and gospel of our salvation.   

 

Darvin Pruitt is pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Taylor, Arkansas

 

 

THE TREASURE AND THE PEARL

Matthew 13: 44-46

 

Christ's Treasure Are His Children

God's elect children are the treasure of our Lord Jesus Christ (Malachi 3:17; Deuteronomy 32:9; Psalm 135:4).  Throughout the scriptures, God’s elect are spoken of as a people scattered among, chosen from, redeemed out of, and called from the nations of the world. The field is the world in which his children are hidden (Matthew 13: 38).

 

Christ Jesus is the Man, God in human flesh who came.  He came for joy (Hebrews 12:2).  In order, to have his treasure, he sold all he had and bought the field (2 Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 13: 24). It cost HIM all that he had: he came to this sin-cursed earth from heavens glory, despised and rejected of men, made sin for his people, the wrath of God was poured out upon him, he poured out his blood as the price and purchased his people out of this earth.  He did not make satisfaction for the field (earth, the world); he made satisfaction for his elect within it.  But the deed to the field is his, to go and take out of the field his children, his treasure (Psalm 2:8; John 17:2). Our Lord shall gather out his chosen, redeemed, treasure and not one child for whom he shed his blood shall be lost (Isaiah 43: 4-7).

 

The Believer's Treasure is Christ

The Lord Jesus is the Treasure--the one Pearl of great price--of every believer.  When Christ begins revealing himself in us it is like finding treasure in a field (Colossians 2: 3; Luke 24:32).  The one pearl of great price describes the singleness of heart God gives in the believer for Christ.

 

Believers will confess that we were like the "merchant man": buy and selling--trying to strike a bargain.  We thought we had "goodly pearls" in the treasures of this world, in our religious profession, in our church denomination and our moral change.  But by God's grace--he brought us to find THE ONE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE--Christ Jesus (Matthew 13: 46).

 

Ask a believer, "How valuable is Christ to you?" (Ephesians 1: 3-11).  Even during the days of my rebellion, I have always been holy and without blame before God in Christ.  By his predestinating grace and power, I am a child of God's own adoption to himself by Jesus Christ.  This sinful wretch is accepted by the holy God in Christ the Beloved Pearl of great price.  Not shall, but I have redemption through his blood; have "the forgiveness of sins," all according to the riches of his grace. Our inheritance can never be taken away because it is according to the purpose of him that works all things after the council of his own will, all according his unchangeable grace.  By this one Pearl we are complete in Christ Jesus--what a pearl of great price!  (Lamentations 3:24).

 

Emptying and Filling the Hand

A good friend told this story.  This little boy in a restaurant would not let go of a buttery corn cob.  There was nothing left on the cob.  Still, he would not let it go.  But when the owner of the restaurant held out a chocolate bar, he dropped the old empty corn cob and latched on to that better thing. 

 

Only when you behold Christ will you turn lose of the empty corn cob and lay hold of Christ.  The rich young ruler had his hands full of goodly pearls but he would not let them go because he did not behold Christ the Pearl of great price.  Yet, with one command Levi, the tax collector's eyes were opened to see Christ.  Luke says, "He left all, rose up and followed Christ." 

 

Where is your treasure?  Are you still holding on to the goodly pearls in your hands or have you dropped all for the ONE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE? (Matthew 16: 25-27; Mark 8: 38; Matthew 16: 46; 6: 21).  Are you like Mary? (Luke 10: 41-42).  Are you like the apostle Paul? (Philippians 3: 7-11).  If not, I pray God will not let you find rest till you forsake all for Christ the Pearl of great price! But if you have dropped all for him! Brethren, read Paul's word to the Colossians and rest your soul (Colossians 3: 1-17).

 

 

SERMONS
After clicking on the following sermon links you will go to sermon notes where you will find an option at the top of the page to access the audio.

 

ARTICLES

Mouth to Ear to Truth to Faith

The Slain Goat

Substitution

The Blood within the Veil

The Blood within the Tabernacle

The Blood upon the Altar

  

ARTICLES FROM OTHERS

Born Again

Proclaiming My Goodness

Whom Jesus Loved

True Love

 

FREE E-BOOK

Abstract of Systematic Theology

  

PRINTABLE TRACTS

A Good Place to Rest and Raise our Young

Saved in Childbearing

A Letter to a Preacher

The Church Were Everybody is a Nobody

O Ye of Little Faith