May 24, 2020
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Meeting Location and Mailing Address
251
Green Lane
Ewing,
NJ, 08368
Clay
Curtis, pastor
Telephone:
615-513-4464
Clay@FreeGraceMedia.com
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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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Until further
notice our online live broadcast begins each Sunday at 9am. No Friday night
bible classes until further notice.
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Proverbs
14: 31: He that oppresseth the poor
reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
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How
blessedly God times His interventions. He is never too early, and never
too late. It is the impatience of unbelief and the fretfulness of self-will
which so often makes us think the Lord is tardy. Often God “waits that He may be gracious” (Is
30:18) in order to bring us to the end of ourselves, and that the deliverance
may more evidently appear to be from Himself. At other times, He delays His intervention
on behalf of His own for the greater chagrin and dismay of their enemies. A.W. Pink
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Nothing is sweeter
or more comforting than the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, is
the Lord God omnipotent who rules the universe.
Pastor
Don Fortner
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Luke
14: 11: Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted.
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TWO SONGS OF COMFORT
There are two
songs that are a source of comfort. One has to do with the providence of God
over all things- over me. And the other has to do with the atonement of Christ
– what happened on the cross of Calvary. The first one is “ How Firm A
Foundation.” The last portion of verse four says, “The flame shall not hurt
thee – I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.” Think about
that dear child of God. How often does a fiery trial threaten to destroy you –
at least in your own eyes? The heat seems so intense you begin to think it’s
going to melt your poor soul. “Their soul is melted because of trouble,” the
Psalmist said (Ps.107:26).
There are troubles which come and go that
you and I can cope with without much thought, but there are those troubles that
are deep and prolonged and melt our hearts like wax. What if in the mist of
such melting we could remember this song and really take it to heart – “This
flame shall not hurt thee.” Well, this calms my fear, because that is exactly
what I was thinking to myself, “This flame will hurt me, it is hurting me.” But
“No” the song says, God has a purpose in putting you in the flame. He has
designed it for your good and his glory – “I only design thy dross to
consume and thy gold to refine.”
We have all this dross – this flesh and its
schemes and self-will etc. and it keeps the gold of Christ’s grace and power
from shining. Putting fire to it is the only way to accomplish a good end. Fire
will not consume gold, only the dross. Repeat this in every trial, “This flame
shall not hurt thee.”
The second song is “ It Is Well With My
Soul.” The third verse says, “My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought
–My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no
more: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.” This gives me comfort to
believe this because my sins often worry me. They sometime make me afraid. I
have these apprehensions of the holiness and justice of God and death and the
judgment to come and eternity. I have noticed there are times when these things
appear awful to my thoughts – even unbearable, but I have noticed what makes
them appear awful, it is the thoughts of my sins mixed with the thoughts of these
things. I don’t fear God’s face or fear facing God when I remember the reality
of this song; “My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I
bear it no more.” If it’s my sins that are making me afraid, then fear not, “I
bear them no more.” Jesus has borne them in my stead and has satisfied for them
in my stead too. Let this comfort you, dear believer, as it has me. Pastor Bruce
Crabtree
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THINGS
PRESENT
I Corinthians 3: 21: Therefore let no man glory in
men. For all things are yours; 22: Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or THINGS PRESENT, or things to come; all are yours;
23: And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
Believer, all things are ours in and by Christ our
Lord. Everything in this world and everything
in the world to come is for our eternal good. Notice, “things present” are ours. That is not always easy to see. But if things present are full of tribulation
it is to remind us Christ is our Peace.
If things present cause great sorrow it is to turn us from all else that
our joy might be Christ alone. If things
present make us weak it is to remind us Christ is our Strength. If things present chasten us for our sins it
is to remind us Christ is our Righteousness.
If things present make us feel we do not have a friend in the world it
is to remind us that Christ is our friend that sticks closer than a brother. If things present make us behold our utter foolishness
it is to remind us Christ is our Wisdom. If things present bring sickness it is
to bring us to rejoice that Christ is our Life. All things present are ours to remind us “All
things are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
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FAITH
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Throughout scripture, faith is distinguished as that
which is the direct opposite of works. Yet, in our day, most speak of faith as
if it were a work by which we save ourselves. In our day, faith is presented as
Christ plus my act of believing which justifies, as if a sinner believes on his
own. Folks are sincere under whatever
denomination they worship. But I fear that there are many who have by their
traditions and doctrines, by their code of morals, and by their particular
ceremony of worship turned from the external rules of the Mosaic covenant, embraced
another set of external rules under the heading of Christian faith, yet have
not moved an inch from Mt. Sinai and the works of the flesh. True faith is the
gift of God. True faith receives justification from Christ its object. True
faith does not trust in our profession or our walk or even in our own faith.
True faith is pleasing to God because it is wrought in us by God and rests on
Christ alone!