Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 1-22-2012
Bible Text1 Peter 5:10
Date20-Jan-2012
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: God Shall (32 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
Audio CD Quality Listen: God Shall (128 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
 

January 22, 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 AM Morning Service

Thursday 7 PM Midweek Service

 

 

THE GOD OF ALL GRACE SHALL…
1 Peter 5: 10

God is the God of all grace.  If you believe on Christ it is because God hath chosen, redeemed, regenerated and called you by his grace.  And there is more.  As we suffer in this life the God of all grace teaches us continually that our sufficiency is his grace. There are four words here joined together without conjunction.  They teach us that the same God of all grace who hath called us shall himself work these things in us—in us individually, and in his local assembly. The God of all grace shall…

 

PERFECT YOU

This is not the word which means “perfection” such as sinless perfection.  The root word means “to fit” or “join together.” The same as “framed” in Hebrews 11: 3; the same as to “mend together what is divided” as in Matthew 4: 21; the same as being “joined together in the same mind and judgment” as in 1 Corinthians 1: 10.  We have seen the games where everyone is tethered together by one rope.  As long as they all try to go their own direction they stumble and fall and the whole group suffers.  But when they are of one mind then they all go in the same direction together.  After we suffer a while, the God of all grace shall make each of us of one mind so that we work together as one body (1 Pet 3: 8; He 13: 20-21). What do we do if someone is not of the same mind?  The same word “perfect” is used in Galatians 6: 1 translated “restore.”  Do what Peter is doing here. Remind each other of what God has, is and shall do in Christ.  Cast all our care upon the Lord for he is caring for each of his children.

 

STABLISH YOU

The word means “turn you resolutely in a fixed direction.”  In this epistle, Peter is doing what Christ taught him after Peter suffered a while (Luke 22: 31-33).  The Lord said to Peter that once Peter had been turned from Peter to Christ the Rock then “strengthen”, “stablish”, turn your brethren to Christ.   How did Peter do so?  In this epistle Peter is encouraging his brethren with what the Lord taught him, that is, after you have suffered awhile, the God of all grace shall himself turn you resolutely toward Christ alone (1 Thess 3: 11-13).

 

STRENGTHEN YOU

This is the only place this word is found in the word of God but the truth is taught throughout.  It means Christ himself shall be our Life, Vigor, Health.  The strength of our faith, hope, and love is Christ Jesus our Bread, our Life, our Righteousness.  Our strength is not in our wisdom or power, not in any one man, or a host of men (1 Peter 1: 18-19; 2: 2-3.) Our strength to bear the cross, reproaches, and persecutions and to perform the work God has put into our hands in this place is Christ Jesus the Power and Wisdom of God (Eph 3: 16).  We are exhorted through his gospel to feed upon him, to live upon him, but here is the good news, after that you have suffered awhile, the God of all grace shall strengthen you by Christ Jesus reminding and reassuring us again that Christ is all our Strength.

 

SETTLE YOU

When the God of all grace, joins us together, turns us resolutely to Christ, and makes Christ Bread unto our souls, God himself shall make us settled, rooted, grounded, and anchored in Christ our Solid Rock.  God works that which is well-pleasing in his sight within the heart of his people. How thankful that God shall perform it even as he has called us unto his eternal glory, by his grace, by Christ Jesus (Eph 3: 16-21).  One day the foretaste God gives us in this life, God shall make full in final glory.   To him be the praise and dominion forever and ever! Amen!


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Continually leaving off hearing the good news of the God of all Life and Provision in an effort to make provision for self in this life is like skipping the worship of the God who rules the storm in an effort to beat the storm home.  God may permit it.  But have we truly been bettered or have we really missed out?  Don’t  forget the God of first cause for fear of causes.


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     HE WHO DOES NOT HATE THE FALSE DOES NOT LOVE THE TRUE.  I cannot endure false doctrine, however neatly it may be put before me. Would you have me eat poisoned meat because the dish is of the choicest ware? It makes me indignant when I hear another gospel put before the people with enticing words by man who would fair make merchandise of souls; and I marvel at those who have soft words for such deceivers. "That is your bigotry," says one. Call it so if you like; but it is the bigotry of the loving John, who wrote, "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed; for he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds." I would to God we all had more of such decision, for the lack of it is depriving our religious life of its backbone and substituting for honest manliness a mass of tremulous jelly of mutual flattery.

     HE WHO DOES NOT HATE THE FALSE DOES NOT LOVE THE TRUE; and he to whom it is all the same, whether it be God's word or man's, is himself unrenewed at heart. Oh, if some of you were like your fathers, you would not have tolerated in this age the wagon loads of trash under which the gospel has been of late buried by ministers of your own choosing. The apostle spake by inspiration when he said, "If we or an angel from heaven preach to you any other gospel than that ye have received, let him be accursed." According to modem effeminacy he ought to have said, "Let him be kindly spoken with in private, but pray make no stir. No doubt the good brother has his own original modes of thought and we must not question his liberty. Doubtless he believes the same as we do, only there is some little difference as to terms."   This is treason to Christ and treachery to truth and cruelty to souls.

     IF WE LOVE OUR LORD, WE SHALL KEEP HIS WORDS AND STAND FAST IN THE FAITH, coming out from among the false teachers. Nor is this inconsistent with charity; for the truest love to those who err is not to fraternize with them in their error, but to be faithful to Jesus Christ in all things.                                

                                                     C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)