Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 4-24-2011
Bible Text1 Peter 1:3-5
Date23-Apr-2011
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: Praise: the Cause, the Means & the End (32 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
Audio CD Quality Listen: Praise: the Cause, the Means & the End (128 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
 

 

April 24, 2011

 

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 AM Bible Class

Sunday 11 AM Morning Service

Thursday 7 PM Midweek Service

 

Announcement

There will only be an 11 am service next Sunday, May 1.   Brother Scott Keller will preach the gospel.  I will be preaching in a conference at Central Grace Church in Rocky Mt., VA where Paul Mahan is pastor.

 

Praise: the Cause, the Means and the End
1 Peter 1: 3-5

 

When the word "blessed" is used from God toward man it means "happy" and "favored" is the man.  When this word is used from man toward God, as it is here, it means "praise" God.  Every believer has three great reasons to bless God?  (Hebrews 13: 15.)

 

The Cause of our Salvation—Abundant Mercy

We praise God because "according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again.” No merit in any sinner causes God to bestow any spiritual blessings on us. Our need of being "born again" declares that this mercy is not by our merit.  Something was wrong in our first birth.  We were flesh and spiritually dead (John 3:6.) When every child is conceived in the womb of their mother, Adam's sin-nature is passed to us (Psalm 51: 5.)  What does this result in?  Our nature is corrupt without us doing one thing. Therefore we come forth estranged with no knowledge or fear of God, no love to God, no desire to know God or his ways.  We are conceived with a nature which hates everything about God, especially the Gospel of God's salvation by his free and sovereign grace in Christ through faith alone.  It is the sin of the unregenerate nature that makes men detest God's mercy and grace without which no man can live, or repent or believe or have any willingness to believe on Christ.  In our sin-nature we think ourselves righteous (Psalm 58: 1-5.)

 

God saves in mercy that God might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. How freely he loved us--without a cause in us! How abundantly he shed his grace upon us! Unsearchable, inexhaustible riches of grace! Child of God is there anything more valuable than God's mercy and grace to you? Anything more wonderful than spiritual life, ears to hear, eyes to see, hands and feet to walk after Christ who is greatest of all.  Praise God because all is "according to God's abundant mercy."

 

The Means of our Salvation—the resurrection of Jesus Christ

We praise God for the means by which he saves us which is "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". By his death Christ made satisfaction to God for those given him of the Father and reconciled each one to God, purging us of our sins. By his resurrection he testifies in the hearts of his children through the Spirit that our justification has been accomplished by his death. His resurrection declares that we shall be saved by his life! (Romans 4: 25.)

 

If you have been born again then you have experienced the exceeding greatness of his power.  The same power by which God the Father raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1: 18-21) Not only sovereignty and sheer power, but also, the power of justice satisfied, the power of Christ's blood which demands our birth, the power of covenant grace! By his resurrection, we are kept by his power in his resurrected glory who ever-lives to make intercession before God the Father (Romans 5: 10.) 

 

Christ died while we were enemies but he is keeping not his enemies, but his friends whom he hath reconciled! So from the first hour he quickens you in power to the last hour on this earth he shall keep you.  We shall be saved by his life! (Jude 24-25.)  Brethren, we are not kept by our own strength or by that faith so many boast of as an extension of their own fleshly works but faith which looks to Christ, lives by Christ and wholly depends upon Christ. 

 

The End for which we are Saved—Everlasting Life

We praise God for the end for which he has rebirthed us which is a living hope because Christ lives. Our hope is inheritance incorruptible.  Nothing can destroy our eternal inheritance.  God the Father blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us, the Spirit has sealed us, there is laid up for us a crown of righteousness. Our inheritance is undefiled. Believer we are washed, no longer defiled and we have boldness to enter (Revelation 21:27.)  We have an eternal inheritance which fades not away.  It is as eternal as our God, eternal as our redemption by Christ, as eternal as the life we have now by his Spirit.  It is ours because it is reserved for you by your Redeemer.  Nothing remains to be done.  It is "salvation ready to be revealed” (Romans 6: 8-11; 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15: 21-57.)

 

Oh brethren, praise God for his mercy in Christ. Praise him that all our life and hope is "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." And praise him that you have an inheritance of salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.