May 25, 2014
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
Be sure to check the order of service, announcements,
nursery schedule, etc., in the attachment.
All articles in the bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
So that the preaching of the glory of Christ is the full
focus of our attention, for those attending with children 4 and under, we have a nursery equipped with a
digital flat screen television broadcasting all services, with faithful ladies
to care for the little ones.
*******
This week
a woman asked me a question I rarely, if ever, have been asked. She asked, “What is different about your
religion from all the other religions in the world?” What a good question! My answer to her was this, “The gospel of God’s
sovereign grace in Christ Jesus is the one message out of all religions in the
world that declares God does it all. Every other religion, not matter if it
calls itself Christianity or something entirely different, puts a work in the sinners
hand for salvation. The gospel declares salvation is of the LORD: God choose
whom he will save, the Son came in human flesh and accomplished their
redemption from sin, Christ brings the gospel in truth to each one, the Holy
Spirit regenerates them, gives them faith and repentance by which they believe
on Christ, and God keeps them until the day he brings them home to glory. So God gets all the glory man gets none. This is offensive to natural sinners. But God gives his people a new heart so that
we delight for God to have all the glory.” My new friend said she had never heard
anything like that. She asked for our website so she can hear more. Pray for her that the Lord will make her do
so.
*******
THE GREAT I AM
Exodus 3: 13-15
Christ revealed himself in the burning bush as God, saying, “I AM”. During his earthly ministry, the
Lord Jesus declared himself to be God by saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
Abraham was, I AM.” (Jn 8: 58; 10: 33; 36; 6: 35) It means he is God in every aspect of our
salvation. Here are seven things we need in order to be saved. These seven things the Lord Jesus Christ is
as God, the great I AM.
Spiritual Life: The Lord Jesus said, “I AM the Bread
of Life.” (Jn 6: 35) Every person
reading this was born dead, without spiritual life. Christ is the Bread who gives Life and is
Life. By his Spirit we are born again
and we eat. We eat of the Bread of Life by faith, believing on Christ. (Jn 6: 28-29;
40-48)
Spiritual Light: The Lord Jesus said, “I AM the
Light.” (Jn 8: 12) We are born in darkness in sin. If we would see, we must have Light; if we
would have life we must have Light. Christ
is the Light of the world. His Light, like the sun shining all over the world, shines
into the hearts of his people, enlightening us to life wherever we are in the
world. He that follows Christ shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.
The Way, the Truth and the Life: Christ said, “I AM the way, the truth
and the life.” (Jn 14: 4-6) The only way
we know God is by Christ teaching us and being formed in us. He puts us in Christ the Way. He teaches us Christ the Truth. He gives us Christ the Life—“no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.”
Entrance: Christ
said, “I AM the Door.” (Jn 10: 7) All God’s people shall enter God’s
presence one way, Christ the Door. If
someone sneaks in through the window they are a thief, a robber. Christ’s sheep come through the door. (Jn 10:
8-9)
A Shepherd: Christ said, “I AM the good Shepherd.” (Jn 10: 11) The good Shepherd gave his life for a
particular number of elected sinners whom the God the Father gave to him before
the world was made. He did not lay down
his life for the sheep but make it possible for goats to become sheep if they
will just give their horns to Jesus. (Jn 10: 14-15) The success of Jesus Christ putting away the
sin of his people, obtaining eternal redemption for us by his one offering, is
where the very glory of God is set forth.
(Heb 1: 3; 9: 12, 26; 10: 12 -14;
Rom 3: 25) By laying down his life for
his sheep the law is fulfilled for his sheep, justice is satisfied for his
sheep, sin is put away for his sheep, righteousness is accomplished for his
sheep, and redemption is obtained for his sheep. Now, the righteousness of God
demands that they must be called by our gospel, regenerated and given faith in
Christ Jesus and they shall.
Fruit: Christ said “I Am the true vine.” (Jn 15: 1, 5-6) He is the Vine in whom we
live and bring forth fruit. He grafts us
into the vine in divine election. His
spirit is live flowing into us like sap from the vine to the branches. All fruit is by Jesus Christ. ((Php 1: 11)
Resurrection: Christ said, “I AM the Resurrection.” (Jn 11: 25-26) If
there is one work a sinner cannot do then he must have Christ to do them
all. Sinner, can you resurrect yourself
from the dead? Then you must have Christ do all the work from A to Z. If we
would be partakers of resurrection glory and eternal life, he who is the
Resurrection and the Life must be ours.
Friends,
you cannot find another Salvation for there is no other than Christ the great I
Am. Salvation is of the Lord. How can I know this salvation is mine? How can I know this Savior is mine? “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom 10; 9)
*******
One of the
paradoxes of salvation in Christ is that it is both vast and narrow at the same
time. There is vastness in salvation by
Christ. His blood cleanses the deepest
stain. Christ saves sinners who are in
the deepest depths of sin. Christ the
Good Shepherd finds and brings home the lost sheep who is furthest away from
Him. Christ saves sinners from every
nation, every race, every language, and every walk of life. The obedience of Christ is vast enough to
cover every requirement of God’s law.
Yet at the same time, salvation in Christ is so narrow that only
helpless, hopeless sinners, who bring no merit or deeds of their own, may
enter. Frank Tate pastor of Hurricane
Road Grace Church
*******
The word ‘uttermost’ is a comforting
description of the people Christ came to save. Christ is able to save the most
sinful, most vile, most wicked, most impossible, most helpless, most useless,
most distant, most perverted, most unbelieving, and most worthy of hell! Christ
has the power, the will, and the right to rescue every sinner who’s utterly
lost. In fact, He came to save only those who are LOST! Are you a lost cause? Are
you the most wicked and unworthy of God’s mercy? Are you so perverted and
corrupt that you suppose Christ cannot save you because you’re too far gone?
Will you hear the word of God? “He is
ABLE also to SAVE them to the
UTTERMOST that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” He
intercedes for those who come to God by Him. If you come to God by Him, it is
because He has always interceded for you, long before you knew His blessed
name. Eric Richards pastor of San Diego Grace Fellowship