Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

Author Various
TitleWeekly Bulletin 4-17-2022
Bible TextVarious
Date17-Apr-2022
Article Type Bulletin
 

April 17, 2022

 Weekly Schedule of Services

Sunday:

10:15 AM

Bible Class

 

11:00 AM

Morning Service

Thursday:

 7:00 PM

Mid-week Service

 

Services Broadcast Live @ www.FreeGraceMedia.com/live

 

Web Address

Be sure to bookmark our website for daily articles and audio messages:

www.FreeGraceMedia.com

Weekly Meeting Location and mailing address

251 Green Lane

Ewing, NJ, 08638

Clay Curtis, pastor

Phone: 615-513-4464 | Email: clay@freegracemedia.com

If you would like to receive this bulletin sent weekly

to your email then send a note to the email address above.

Articles in this bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.

  

Our summer meeting is scheduled for July 8–10.

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Proverbs 18:5: It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

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TRUST ME

John 13:7: Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

Our Lord’s word here could be summed up, “Trust me.”  In providence, most of what our Sovereign brings about we know not now.  The Lord reveals much in time but not all.  Some things we may never know in this life.  Secret things belong to God.  In grace, there is much we know not now: we see through a glass dimly; we know in part, we preach in part.  But Christ promises “thou shalt know hereafter.”  In all things, let us trust our Savior.  If and when the Lord is pleased to reveal it, thou shalt know.  We say to our questioning children, “Trust me.”  It is enough for us to trust the Lord Jesus.

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“Providence is like a curious piece of tapestry, made up of a thousand shreds, which, single, we know not what to make of, but put together and stitched up orderly, they represent to the eye a beautiful history.” 

–John Flavel

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THE SON OF MAN IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

John 12:46: I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Fallen sinners are only darkness who cannot and will not believe on Christ.  It is in Christ’s Light that we see light so that we know and believe.  Our Savior promises we shall not abide in darkness (Ps 36:9; 1 Jn 5:20; 2 Cor 4:6; Jn 12:46).  Christ our Light makes us abundantly satisfied with HIM (Ps 36:8-9).  By Christ’s light we have spiritual discernment and know all things that are freely given to us of God (Pro 28:5; 1 Cor 2:12; 1 Jn 2:20). 

     He gives us the “mind of Christ” so that we know and rejoice that God freely chose us in Christ by sovereign grace so that nothing shall make God cease to be gracious to his people.

     By Christ’s light we know and rejoice that Christ has made atonement by his blood.  And knowing that Christ reconciled us by his death when were enemies, being now reconciled, we know we shall be saved by his life (Rom 5:6-10). He promises to never leave us nor forsake us.  He promises we are complete in him.  Therefore, we trust Christ for all (Col 2:6-10).

     Sometimes we are in darkness concerning our Lord’s providence.  But as the old saying goes, “We don’t know what the day holds but we know who holds the day.”  Knowing Christ is ruling all, saving all his people and shall not fail, we know all.  “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth ALL THINGS for me” (Ps 57:2).  “For of him, and through him, and to him, are ALL THINGS: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:36). Even in dark providence, Christ gives us Light when he speaks into our heart, commanding, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God” (Is 50:10).

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“. . . AND THOU BECAMEST MINE”

Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

     His, whatever else I am, I am His. In this context, I am accurately depicted by God as a cursed, loathsome, forsaken, polluted dead baby lying in an open field, and so I was before He passed by me, but I was His dead baby. The Apostle Paul as a believer cried out, O wretched man that I am (Rom 7:24), and I must daily cry with him, but I’m His wretch. The Canaanite woman cried to the Lord Jesus for mercy, but He dismissed her as an unworthy dog. Yet, she answered in effect, truth Lord, but I’m your dog.  (Mt 15:21-28).

     Since the Master called me, covered me, covenanted with me, cleansed me, clothed me and claimed me (vs 6-10), refer to me in whatever way that you will, I am His. My sin is covered by Christ’s work as my Representative, I am washed in His precious blood, clothed in His perfect righteousness and claimed as His own son. I am nothing, yea less than nothing and vile, but in Christ, I am very beautiful even in the sight of God Himself (vs 13).

     Is there any man or devil who thinks to bring a charge against me? Should any wish to argue either the wretched vileness of my nature or any aspect of the incessant river of iniquity that has flowed from my mind, heart, lips and hands since my birth, you would have an infinite supply from which to choose. But being given to Christ by the Father, I am His, and He has pled my case upon His own exemplary merits (John 17). Therefore, malign me for the worm that I am and you’ll get no argument from me, but know that I am His worm, and through Christ’s comeliness (vs 14), I am precious and beautiful to Him, and someday I shall be like Him.  His forever, only His. Who the Lord and me shall part? Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ has filled this sinner’s heart

–Chris Cunningham