February 4, 2018
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
MEETING LOCATION
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08368
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
MAILING ADDRESS:
7 Birch Street
Pennington, NJ, 08538
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.
All articles by the pastor
unless otherwise noted.
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: The videos are now listed as individual sermons, as well as full
services—click here.
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SUNDAY’S
READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 10: 27:
The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be
shortened. 28: The hope of the
righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall
perish.
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Next Sunday, February 11, Brother Eric is scheduled to
preach for you. I am scheduled to preach next Saturday and Sunday for Free
Grace Fellowship in San Jose, California
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I have heard a lot of excuses that men give for leaving
the preaching of the gospel. Not one of
those excuses would cause them to stop traveling to the grocery store for their
daily bread. Not one of their excuses would make them quit their job and their
paycheck. In fact, they put up with much, much worse in order to do those things
because they consider that which they receive to be their life. Yet, a far less excuse is enough to make them
walk away from where Christ is himself preaching through his earthen vessel. Make
no mistake, we reveal what our real treasure is by what we will endure to have
it! “Where
your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
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Here are some questions worth considering: Does my
knowledge of sin make me hate it? Does my knowledge of Christ cause me to trust
him, love him and honour him? Does my knowledge of God’s will cause me to seek,
in all things, to obey it? Does my knowledge of doctrine make me useful to
others? Does my knowledge of grace make me gracious? If the knowledge I have
does not move my heart heavenward and does not make Christ precious to me, my
knowledge is useless knowledge that will only add to my condemnation in hell.
Pastor Don Fortner
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"The
Lord Is The Portion Of Mine Inheritance" (Psalm 6:5)
Therefore, if I never have what this world considers to be
desirable, if I never have this world's wealth or applause, that is all right.
The Lord is my portion. If my life does not turn out as I thought it would and
I never make an impact, the Lord is still my portion. If I am brought to see
that I am nothing, that is not damaging knowledge to me. It makes me see more
clearly that "Christ is ALL." He that has nothing but the Lord as his
portion, in reality has everything! He who has everything but Christ, in reality
has nothing. Blessed is the man who can see the vanity of this world and
rejoice that "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance." -Pastor Todd Nibert
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FOUR KINDS OF
HEARERS
Very few hear and rejoice in the gospel of Christ. In the parable of the sower only one out of
four heard. (Lu 8: 4-5) I have seen young people grow up, move out and cease
coming to hear the gospel. Do not ever
take for granted the fact that God has sent the gospel to you nor forsake the
preaching of the gospel. If God saves us
this will be the means by which God does it from the first hour to the last. (1
Cor 1: 21; 1 Pet 1: 23-2: 3; Rom 10: 12-15) Take heed how ye hear!
Wayside
Hearers: “A sower went out to sow
his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down,
and the fowls of the air devoured it… Those by the
way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word
out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” (Lu 8: 5, 12) These are most common. The fowls of worldly
care and fleshly lusts take the word away as soon as the message is over. Take
heed therefore how ye hear. (Gen 15: 11)
Stonyground
Hearer: “And some fell upon a rock;
and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked
moisture…They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of
temptation fall away.” (Lu 8: 6, 13) The truth
of the gospel finds an entrance with these hearers but only as far as the
natural understanding. So “when
affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are
offended.” (Lu 8: 13; Mt 4: 17) Christ
is not formed within, (Lu 8: 13; Gal 4: 19), they have no new heart created of God in righteousness and true
holiness and they do not have the love of Christ dwelling in their hearts!
Without this it is impossible to stand with Christ against loved ones or
opposition of any kind. So they side with others against Christ and his people
and disappear. Take heed therefore how ye hear.
Thornyground
Hearers: “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns
sprang up with it, and choked it….And that which fell among thorns are they,
which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and
pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” (Lu 8: 7, 14) The thorny ground hearer attempts what
Christ says cannot be done: to serve God and mammon. Ccares such as a spouse, children, occupation,
bills, community, the deceitfulness of riches, the pleasures of life, applause,
position, and power steal their hearts. Something is more valuable to them than
Christ. So they fall away. (Lu 12: 34; Mt 6: 24) Take heed how you hear!
Goodground
Hearers. “And other fell on good ground, and sprang
up, and bare fruit an hundredfold…But that on the good ground are they, which
in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth
fruit with patience.” (Lu 8: 8, 15) These
are God’s elect given a new heart of God in regeneration. (Eph 2: 8-9) All their
fruit is of God. They do not all bring forth the same amount of fruit but all
bring forth fruit. One of the fruits of a “good-ground hearer” is that they
take heed how they hear. (Lu 8: 8-9)
It is a rare
thing to hear the gospel with spiritual ears. In this parable, only one in four
was given ears to really hear and believe. Take heed how you hear.
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TAKE HEED HOW
YOU HEAR
Luke 8:18: Take heed therefore how ye
hear.
Do you take heed to how you hear the gospel? It takes the
pastor days to prepare a message. How much time do we spend hearing the word
preached? Before we arrive at services,
do we spend time preparing our hearts to hear the gospel? Once at the building,
do we arrive early enough to sit and prepare ourselves to hear? Afterwards, do we spend time studying what we
have heard? Here are four reasons to take heed how we hear the gospel.
First, we heard
Christ give the parable of the four kinds of ground. Only one out of the four
truly heard and brought forth fruit. A hearing ear is given by the grace of
God. It is a rare thing to have the truth preached, even more to hear it with
spiritual ears. Christ commands his
people, “Take heed therefore how ye hear.”
Secondly, the
Lord said that he gives us grace and light to teach others what he has taught
us in the gospel. “No man, when he hath
lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but
setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For
nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that
shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear.” (Lu
8: 16-18) How can I tell others the good news of Christ if I do not take heed
how I hear?
Thirdly, as we
hear, Christ gives more grace to those who hear. Yet, he takes from those who
only appear to have but who in truth have no real interest in their hearts. He
said, “for whosoever hath, to him shall
be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he
seemeth to have.” (Luk 8: 18) “Take heed therefore how ye hear.”
Fourthly,
Christ says those who heed this word and do it are his true family. “Then came to him his mother and his
brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by
certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see
thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these
which hear the word of God, and do it.” (Luk 8: 19-21)
Christ’s people will read this and “Take heed therefore how ye hear.”
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The church of the elect, which is partly militant on
earth, and partly triumphant in heaven, resembles a city built on both sides of
a river. There is but the stream of death between grace and glory. Death, to
God's people, is but a ferry-boat. Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)