August 23, 2015
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
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NURSERY
We have a nursery equipped with a digital flat screen television broadcasting all services live, for children four and under. Check the announcements.
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All articles in the bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Thursday, August 27, Joe Terrell, pastor of Grace Community Church, Rocky Valley, Iowa is scheduled to preach our mid-week service at 7:30 pm.
· Friday, August 28, all are invited to our Fourth Friday Fellowship at 7:30 pm at 7 Birch Street, Pennington, NJ, 08534.
· Wednesday, September 2, I am scheduled to preach the mid-week service at Hurricane Road Grace Church, Ashland, KY, where Frank Tate is pastor.
· Thursday, September 3, no mid-week service here.
· Friday-Sunday, September 4-6, is the conference at Grace Baptist Church in Danville, KY. I am scheduled to preach last on Sunday.
· Sunday, September 6, Brother Ravi Doodnath is scheduled to preach here—one service at 11 am.
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I know most of you are faithful to the Sunday worship services, and I know you tarry after services to visit and talk with one another. But what about the other six days of the week? Do you have much fellowship with those whose conversation is seasoned with grace and who are a good influence on you and your children? The people of the world (religious world and social world) ARE NOT an influence for good or spiritual growth. "Evil companions and associations corrupt good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33). But our brethren comfort us, encourage us, instruct us, and regular fellowship with them and their families will be a great blessing to you and your children. Do not spend your social and family time with those who do not know God (86% of the week) and expect to correct the effect with a couple of hours on Sunday. As much time as you can devote to good fellowship in Christ with other believers will reap great blessings to you and your family. Henry Mahan
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IT IS A MIRACLE!
Matthew 11: 2: Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3: And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4: Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Now our Lord was certainly telling John that He was indeed the one foretold in Isaiah’s narrative, that He was The Christ. However, I believe Christ was also saying something perhaps as wonderful and glorious as that; look with me again at our text, here we have an enumeration of miracles and right along with the list is “the gospel preached!” My, oh my, this is telling us that the preaching of our gospel, the one and only true gospel of the grace of God is considered by Christ as a miracle. Do you see it this way? Every time a Gospel ambassador gets up to proclaim the free and sovereign grace of God in the person of our dearest Lord Jesus Christ, It Is a Miracle! What a wonder it is to the soul of one who has been made aware of his corruptions and the glory of the Redeemer in the saving of his or her soul! Do we treasure it by our frequent attendance? Do we honor it by humbly listening to the message morning after morning? Do we love its melodies, phrases and content? Oh, to the child of God, each time he or she gathers together with the saints, they are in amazement and adoration at this miracle of God towards sinners! Now we know that the Miracle is truly Christ in the Gospel, yet listen to me friends; the fact that we now understand The Gospel regarding The Son is a Miracle of Grace, do not ever think it is not. It has been said by the ancient preachers that the first sign of apostasy is the forsaking of the assembly of the saints, and I believe that can be seen by how highly we esteem the message of Christ as He is proclaimed in that assembly. Drew Dietz, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Jackson, MO
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2 Timothy 1:8: Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
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DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER
1 Corinthians 2: 3: And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
It was a demonstration of the Spirit and of Power that God made this Paul’s bodily presence before his hearers. (2 Cor 10: 10) God gave Paul infirmities for the very purpose that the demonstration would not be of Paul’s power but of the Spirit and Christ. (2 Cor 12:7-9; 11: 30) Historians say the Apostle Paul’s body was short and bent; he was hooked-nose, partially blind, and preached in a high-pitched annoying voice. But it was God’s purpose so that everything God accomplished through Paul’s preaching might be an obvious demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God rather than of Paul. (1 Cor 1: 26-29) We see other examples throughout the scripture. The GodMan had “no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” (Is 53: 2) Moses had a speech impediment before and after God converted him. (Ex 4: 10-12) Jeremiah was a child. (Jer 1: 4-10) David looked nothing like a king and soldier and that was God’s purpose for choosing him. (1 Sam 16: 7) When scripture speaks of the gifts God gives to prepare a man to be his preacher, unlike us, God speaks of infirmities which would disqualify him before the eyes of the world.
More importantly, it was a demonstration of the Spirit and of Power which made Paul see himself as “weak, fearful and trembling.” God made Paul realize his insufficiency for this weighty task of preaching the glory of God in Christ and him crucified to perishing eternity bound sinners. Only the Spirit and Power of God could give Paul the fear of God, making Paul reverence the holy and righteous triune God in Christ! Paul’s reverence for God’s word made Paul speak God’s word, rather than his own and that was an evident demonstration which only the Spirit and Power of God can produce. The greatest demonstration of all was that God made Paul determined to preach nothing but Christ and him crucified—the Son of God who accomplished the redemption of his particular people by his own offering at Calvary. He did not preach with enticing words, but he preached Christ crucified in simplicity which demonstrated he was preaching by the Spirit and Power of Christ. Any man who speaks for God, or even comments on scripture, needs to first be made to see his own weakness, to fear and tremble by this demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God. The tongue will sound the message which will either be used to save sinners or further damn them. If that does not cause us to tremble, we ought to never comment on God’s word. (2 Cor 2: 15-17; 3: 5-6)
Lastly, the effect of Paul’s preaching was a demonstration of the Spirit and of Power. Sinners who were once arrogant trusting in their self-made philosophies suddenly had their ears opened to hear Christ speak in power. Yesterday they boasted they would never believe Christ, today they were confessing their sins and begging to be found in Christ alone. What made these sinners forsake their former friends and identify themselves with Christ and his church? All of it was a demonstration of the Spirit and of Power of God. God did it this way for one purpose—“that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the Power of God!”