Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 4-24-2016
Bible TextIsaiah 53:6
Date23-Apr-2016
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

April 24, 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

 

Services Broadcast Live @ www.FreeGraceMedia.com/live

 

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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 by the pastor unless otherwise noted. As you read the bulletin at home with your children be sure to look up the scripture references.

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2 John 1:9: Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

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THINKING OF MARRIAGE?

     For our brethren thinking of marriage, I encourage you to read every scripture and listen to every sermon from faithful pastors that you can find on the subject.  Marriage is about much more than a man and woman obtaining a license to live under the same roof. God patterned the institution after the unbreakable union of Christ and his church. Believing men learn to be husbands by how Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.  Believing women learn to be wives by how the church submits to Christ in everything. As it is with all, it pleased God that Christ have all preeminence in marriage. 

    Therefore, knowing marriage is ordained by God to glorify his Son, it is reason enough to take time to learn what God says in his word about the lifelong responsibilities of husband and wife. If Christ’s honor is not enough to make a young couple deny themselves so as to seek God’s counsel before rushing into an institution for whose glory it was ordained then it will likely not be enough to make them deny themselves and seek God’s word after they are married.  But if by God’s grace Christ’s love is the constraint of each heart when they stand before God to utter that solemn vow then by God’s grace they will know to whom all glory is due when many years finds them still happily honoring their word.

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THE LAW OF CHRIST

1 Corinthians 9: 8: Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? 9: For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10: Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope….15: But I have used none of these things:…

     Though this was a binding law under the old covenant of works, it is not so under the new covenant of grace. Paul does not bind the Corinthian church to support the pastor using this old covenant law.  The only reason he spoke of this law, as well as several other principles presented in his list of rhetorical questions, was to show that though all these things made it clear he had a right to be supported, yet he had used none of these things to claim his liberty or to put his brethren under a legal yoke.    

    Instead, because Paul was constrained by Christ’s love to do what most honored Christ and to do what was best for his brethren, Paul laid aside his liberty and provided for himself so that he would not be a hindrance to anyone hearing him preach the gospel of Christ. By not binding them by this law or any other law, as well as by his own example of being constrained by Christ’s love, Paul shows that the law of Christ which governs believers is different from the law of Moses. 

     The law of Christ which every believer is under is the law of liberty from all legal constraints because Christ has fulfilled the law for his people in full. The rule which governs believers is Christ’s love for us which makes us desire for Christ to have all glory and for our brethren to be saved. Therefore if we have to put up with one another’s faults, we do so in order that the gospel of Christ is not hindered—“Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The rule the believer is under is “Faith which worketh by love.”  The only way a sinner comes under this rule is by being made a new creation by Christ by grace—“Circumcision avails nothing nor uncircumcision but a new creation, as many as walk according to his rule, peace be on them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Gal 6: 2; 5: 6; 6: 15-16)

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THE INIQUITY OF US ALL

 

Isaiah 53:6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

    Picture a tall mountainside. Coming down the side of that mountain are thousands of little streams from every direction.  All those streams flow down converging together until at last they converge into one giant stream. That one giant stream then dumps into one lake at the bottom of the mountain. All those streams are the iniquities of all God’s elect past, present and future. The LORD made all the iniquities of every elect child of God to converge into one giant load of iniquity and the whole load to bare upon our sinless Substitute who bare our sins in his own body on the tree. Then manifesting his righteousness, God justly forsook our Redeemer instead of forsaking us in order that he might be just in showing us mercy.

   Now, God has raised him from dead declaring before the whole earth his righteousness has been manifested, his justice is satisfied, propitiation has been made for his people. God is just and the justifier of all who believe on Jesus Christ the Lord (Rom 3: 25-27; Jer 50:20) Believers need no other constraint!  It is this great sacrifice of the Father giving his only begotten Son and the Son laying down his life for us that constrains his regenerate people to live unto Christ our Righteousness—“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto Righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1 Pet 2: 24-25)

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Isaiah 66: 8…as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.  “If any minister can be satisfied without conversions he shall have no conversions. God will not force usefulness on any man. It is only when our heart breaks to see men saved that we shall be likely to see sinners’ hearts broken.” Charles Spurgeon