Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 11-04-2012
Bible Text1 John 5:11
Date29-Oct-2012
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: This is the Record (32 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
Audio CD Quality Listen: This is the Record (128 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
 

November 4, 2012

 

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

 

LOCATION

Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd Floor

150 Washington Street

Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553

Clay Curtis, pastor

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.  All articles in the bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.

 

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THIS IS THE RECORD

1 John 5: 11

 

What is the truth of the gospel?  In this one verse God tells us plainly.

 

That God

Salvation begins not with the sinner but with God—in the beginning God.  God the Father chose his Son to come forth as the arm of his strength to uphold his righteousness. (Is 59: 16; Rom 3: 25-26)  God chose whom he would in his Son. (2 Thess 2: 13)  Redemption from the fall and from sin is by God the Son. (Ro 8: 3-4; Jn 17: 4; He 9: 26)  Did he put away sin?  Whose sin did he put away?  God in Christ put away the sin of each one for whom Christ died!  This is the record, that God hath put away sin. (Acts 20: 28)  We are taught this record—this witness—this testimony of God—in the heart by God the Holy Spirit. (Jn 3: 6; 6: 45)  This is the record—THAT GOD.  The only thing the elect of God get credit for doing is sinning.

 

Hath Given

Nothing that God gives to a sinner is or can be earned.  A sinner is conceived and born in sin so that we can do nothing by our own hand to make God receive us.  God owes no man anything but to leave us in our sin and give us the wages of that sin which is death.  God has not given because of good in us.  Every sinner God saves was as wicked as the next—There is none good, no not one.  But this is the record that God hath GIVEN.  When we are talking about the gift of God we are talking about grace: unmerited, unearned favor. A gift given to you is not earned by you nor can it be or it ceases to be a gift.  Salvation is the gift of God’s grace. (Rom 11: 6)

 

To Us

Who are “the us”?  They are all of us who were chosen of God unto salvation before God made time. All of us who shall be saved by grace were ordained unto eternal life, meaning God arranged in an orderly manner, assigned, appointed, and determined who, what, when, where and how God would save us. The us who are ordained to eternal life shall be born of God and believe this record (Acts 13: 48); the us are as many as God entrusted to his Son; the us are all for whom Christ died and redeemed by his blood; the us rejoice that this record is true because it gives God all the glory and assures us of our eternal inheritance. When God bears record in our soul our stony hearts melt and with a new heart we are grateful and rejoice that God gave all this to us freely!

 

Eternal Life

Eternal life is life without beginning or end.  It is without beginning because we have always been alive eternally in Christ, created in Christ in the purpose of God from the beginning.  Our life is without end because there is no end to God.  Life without beginning or end is too big for our finite minds.  Still the truth remains, “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1Jo 2:25)

 

And this Life is in His Son

It is by the Son of God that we have an understanding and know him that is true. (1 Jn 5: 20)  Christ is the Word of life, the life manifested, and the eternal Life by whom we have fellowship with God the Father. (1 Jn 1: 1-3)  As sin reigned unto death, grace reigns through Christ our Righteousness unto Christ our eternal life.  He is the gift of eternal life from God. (Ro 5: 21; 6: 23)  Christ our Life calls us by his Voice effectually and gives us eternal life. (Jn 10: 26-29)  Christ gives eternal life to as many as the Father gave him and the life he gives is knowledge of God through the Son. (Jn 17: 2-3)  The Son of God is the Wisdom of God required of God by his people; the Son of God is the Righteousness of God which God requires we have; the Son of God is the Holiness of God which God requires we have; the Son of God is the Truth of God by which we know God; the Son of God is the Fidelity of God and having Christ we have the perfect faithful One God requires; the Son of God is the Way to God and the only way to God; and the Son of God is ours by God’s gift to you who believe him.  This is the conclusion of the whole matter, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”  Now do you believe the record which God has given?

 

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Blessed are the Dead who Die in the Lord

Rev 14: 13

By Henry Mahan

 

     This is the message from heaven. It was a voice from heaven which COMMANDED JOHN TO WRITE, Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord"

     The world will take you into a lavish country club where wealth, power, and success abound. These people are laughing, singing, drinking, and merry. Nothing on this earth is beyond their reach. The best is none too good. The world will take you to a university where the scholars of the world delve deeper into the wisdom of the world; or to the Olympic games where men and women in excellent health vie for prestigious, precious medals; or to the field of battle where officers win a place in history; or to the halls of legislature; for the doctrine of men is "blessed are the living who are rich, wise, healthy, and powerful."

     The voice from heaven takes you into a darkened room. There is complete silence except for the breathing of a weary pilgrim. A loving husband and grateful children stand at the foot of the bed as tears flow silently down their cheeks. In a moment, with a deep sigh, her eyes open and a smile crosses her face as she says, "I am ready to go and be with Christ which is far better; for I KNOW WHOM I have believed and am persuaded He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him FOR THIS VERY DAY." She breathes for the last time and she is gone; and the voice from heaven says, "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord that they may rest from their labors."

     The world may try, but they cannot write BLESSED where God has written CURSED; and try as they might, they cannot write CURSED where God has written BLESSED! It is so sad that what the world calls rich, God calls poor; and what the world calls poor, God calls "rich in faith and heirs of His kingdom" (James 2:5).