January 31, 2016
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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When the Spirit has made us feel sin's guilt, we are coming to know something of what true sin is and there is hope for us, and it will not be long before He will reveal Himself to us in Mercy. When we come to know what sin really is, then we know it takes something apart from what we can do to take it away.—Milton Howard, pastor of Kitchen’s Creek Baptist Church, Ball, LA
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FROM SERMON TITLED “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD”
By Henry Mahan
I hear preachers often exhorting their congregations in a very pitiful plea: “Won’t you make Jesus your Lord; won’t you please make Jesus your Lord?”
Now listen to me, my friend, and I’m not being harsh; I’m being truthful. Men do not make Jesus Christ Lord. The Father beat you to it. He’s already made Him Lord. He’s Lord by decree. He’s Lord by divine purpose. He’s Lord by divine power and He’s Lord by purchase.
He purchased the right to be Lord. He ascended the throne by the way of the bloody tree. Our Lord Jesus Christ bought His throne with His own precious blood. He bought the right to have authority. He conquered sin, Satan, death and hell, and that Lordship belongs to him. You don’t give it to Him. You don’t make Him Lord. It’s not by your permission that He reigns; He reigns by decree and by the decree of the Heavenly Father. He is Lord.
Listen to Peter preach at Pentecost; “let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified to be Lord and Christ.” God made Him Lord. “God hath highly exalted him. God hath given him a name above every name.” God hath decreed that all authority and all power to be vested in the Son. “God hath committed all judgment to the Son.” That’s what the Scripture says. You don’t make Jesus Christ Lord. He is your Lord.
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GOD’S TRUE ISRAEL
Genesis 21: 12…In Isaac shall thy seed be called
God told Abraham not all his physical children were God’s true Israel. God told him to cast out his son Ishmael, “For in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” (Gen 21: 19) God tells us what he meant. “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.” (Rom 9: 6-9) God’s true Israel are the children of promise, elected of God by free grace. He promised that each elect child shall be born again of God the Holy Spirit at God’s appointed time like Isaac was born of God at the set time.
Furthermore, God told Abraham that God’s true Israel were not only among political Israel but also scattered among the Gentiles. God said of Abraham, “All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” (Gen 18: 18) Again, God tells us what he meant. “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham…(Gal 3: 8-9)
Lastly, God told Abraham that it was in Christ that all God’s elect would be made into his one holy nation. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 22: 18) Once more God tells us what he meant. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” (Gal 3: 16) The reason it is certain that all God’s elect, redeemed children shall be born-again and called to faith is because the Father promised Christ they would the same as God promised Abraham. The word of promise is “at this time will I come” and each elect child shall be born of the Spirit like as Isaac was born at the set time according to promise.
So we see that God made political Israel and fulfilled every earthly promise to them to show that God alone puts a difference between his spiritual Israel and the rest of the world by divine election, by blood redemption and by divine regeneration. Those for whom the triune God has performed this promised work are the true Israel of God, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal 3: 26-29)
“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” (Gal 4: 28)
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THE TWO-FOLD WORK OF CHRIST
God makes his elect one with God and one another by a two-fold work which Christ accomplishes.
1) Christ is the peace of his elect because he fulfilled the law for us on the cross—Ephesians 2: 14: For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15: Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16: And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
2) Christ is our peace by sending the Spirit into our hearts through the preaching of the gospel thus giving us access unto the Father—Ephesians 2: 17: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18: For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19: Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
God said to Israel, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (Ex 19: 5-6) No sinner in Israel ever obeyed and kept God’s covenant. But Christ did for his people! Now, by this two-fold work Christ performs for and in his people that very promise of God is fulfilled that we might praise Christ alone, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Pet 2: 9)
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PEACE BETWEEN BRETHREN
There was no greater enmity than between Jew and Gentile. Jews used law to exalt themselves over Gentiles. Christ abolished the enmity by fulfilling the law for his people. (Eph 2: 14-15) So each elect child was reconciled to God before God made us know it. Likewise, God’s elect were one with each other before God made us know it. Brethren, be kind and declare the gospel to those who are enemies of the cross. If Christ has reconciled them to God then they are one with us though neither of us know it yet.