December 15, 2013
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, nursery schedule, etc.,
are in attachment. All articles in the bulletin
are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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When we think ourselves humble we would do well to ask,
“Am I so humble that I have persevered faithfully without so much as a sinful
thought, while every evil power in the universe gnashed upon me, while every
man, as well as God my Father forsook me, while I hung naked and nailed to a cursed
cross?” That should deliver the death blow to our pride. (Is 53: 7; 1 Pet 2:
19-25)
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IN CHRIST
Often someone asks what
"position" do you hold on a particular doctrine, such as particular
redemption or the depravity of man. But the word of God never tells us to come
to a position, but to a person, to Christ Jesus the Lord. He himself said;
"Come unto me", again "all that the Father gives me shall come
unto me, no man cometh unto the Father but by me".
The scriptures speak of believers being
"In Christ" in several places. This is the place I want to be found -
In Christ. This is the only place where a sinner can have a secure position
from sin, death, hell, and the judgment and wrath of God. When a sinner comes
to Christ, trusts Christ and learns that he was chosen In Christ before the
foundation of the world, then he has the most blessed position a poor sinner
can have.
Justified! Accepted! Righteous! Where?
Before God, who is holy and inhabits eternity. Before Him who knows our
thoughts afar off. Before Him who knows the heart. "Who shall lay anything
to the charge of god's elect? It is God that justifieth." How? "It is
Christ that died, yea rather is risen again, who sitteth at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us". Rom 8:33-34. – Don
Bell
A LIVING STONE
Those in the glorious temple of God are built up living stones. Not the old white washed stones that covered
up dead men’s bones, but living stones.
His temple is alive and evidences are everywhere of this life. Its testimony is about life – its power is
about life- its origin is life. In Him
was life and this life is the Light of Man (John 1:4). Our coming is unto a living Stone which is
the purpose of life-the revelation of life-the source of all life. Everything about this Temple, in this Temple,
and around this Temple radiates this life.
He is disallowed indeed of men, but He is chosen of God and precious. What could be more precious than life? Without life there can be no service, no
sacrifice, no acceptance, no worship, no fellowship, no rejoicing, no peace,
and no hope of glory. But lively stones
have all this and more. Here is the
preciousness of Christ-In Him is life.(1Peter 21:4-9)
Darvin Pruitt
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THE LOCAL CHURCH
The most blessed privilege we have in
this world is the privilege of public worship. This gathered assembly, this
local church is described in the Book of God as “The House of God,” “The
Temple of God,” and “An Habitation of God through the Spirit”. We recognize the universality of God’s Church
and Kingdom. The Church, the body of Christ, his Bride is made up of all God’s
elect in heaven and on earth. But that does not, in any way or to any degree,
diminish the importance of the local Church. Nothing is more blessed, and
nothing is more needful to our souls than the gathering of God’s saints to
worship him. This is the only place on earth where we are assured of the presence of
our Redeemer (Mt 18:20). When we
come together as a local Church, in the name of Christ, God the Holy Spirit
comes with us and the gathered assembly of God’s saints is the Temple of the
Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16-17). God sends out his Word through Gospel
churches. God gathers his elect by the preaching of the gospel in Gospel
churches. God instructs, comforts, edifies, and establishes his people by the
ministry of Gospel churches. And God is worshipped by his people in divinely
ordained ordinances of public worship maintained in Gospel churches, by reading
the Word, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, gospel preaching, baptism
and the Lord’s Supper. Perhaps it is the very fact that the local Church is so
vital to the welfare of our souls that makes it a huge target for our adversary
the devil. He constantly stirs up confusion about the local Church, its proper
place and usefulness, and its ordinances. Therefore the Holy Spirit gives us
crystal clear instruction concerning these things in Holy Scripture. Don Fortner
"In whom ye
also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Ephesians 2:22
These words will
apply both to the whole body of Christ viewed collectively, and to each
separate member of that body viewed individually; and what the Church of God is
in its completeness in Christ, as it will be in heaven above, and what it is in
its visible and militant state on earth now, so is every individual member of
that Church in this time state; and it is this solemn truth which makes the
words before us to have such a forcible application to every individual
believer. As we shall all have to answer for ourselves, "to die," as
one said, "alone," and as religion is a personal matter, how careful
should it make each individual believer so to walk before God and man that he
may have both an inward and outward evidence that his body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 6:19), and that he is a habitation of God by the Spirit. If
he realize this, and live under its solemn weight and influence, how careful he
will be not to defile that body which is the temple of the Holy Ghost; how
desirous and anxious not to defile his eyes by wandering lusts, nor his ears by
listening to worldly and carnal conversation, nor his lips by speaking guile,
or indulging in light and frothy talk, nor his hands by putting them to
anything that is evil, nor his feet by running on errands of vanity and folly;
but to view his body as a member of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15), and therefore
sanctified to his service and to his glory. JC Philpot
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BE WATCHING
Mark 4: 35: And the same day, when the even
was come,…
They had just spent all day hearing the Lord Jesus Christ
preach the gospel and work miracles. Their hearts were calm. By evening they were in a severe storm. Is it
not so with us, brethren? It may be a
storm of rejection from loved ones, a great wind of worldliness, a storm of
careless presumption or some other fleshly thing. How often we start carelessly
admiring the sunset and take our eyes off Christ. But no matter from where the storm arises, knowing we are apt to be surprised by the
storm of trial, and knowing Christ is our only calm from the storm, what should
believers always be doing? Be watching
for both! (1 Thess 5: 6-8; 1 Pet 5: 8-9)