Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletion 12-9-2018
Bible TextRomans 7:6
Date08-Dec-2018
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

December 9, 2018

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

 

MEETING LOCATION

251 Green Lane

Ewing, NJ, 08368

Clay Curtis, pastor

Telephone: 615-513-4464

Clay@FreeGraceMedia.com

 

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

 

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.  

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 servicesclick here.

 

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SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 12: 15: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

 

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SIN IS IN THE HEART OF FLESH

 

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?” (Eze 14:3)

 

God is speaking of the elders of Israel that came each day and sat before Ezekiel to hear a message from God. (v1) They came with the offerings God commanded in his law.  Outwardly, they appeared to be true worshippers of God.  Yet, God looks, not on the outward appearance, but on the heart.  God said that though they appeared outwardly to worship God, in their hearts they had set up their idols and put the stumblingblock of iniquity before their face.

     Though they pretended to sit in God’s house and hear God’s prophet and seek God’s counsel, they set their idol god before their face.  The “stumblingblock of their iniquity” God called “the greatness of thy way.”   No matter what God’s messenger declared to be the word of God, they preferred their own word, their own wisdom, their own will, their own traditions, their own ways and rejected the clear declaration of God’s word: they sought other places to assemble rather than with God’s people (Is 57: 5); they exalted themselves and their understanding of God’s word rather than bow to God’s word (Is 57: 7); they hid the truth of God behind the doorpost while they embraced every false way for the sake of gain (Is 57: 8); they used means and methods of worship which were not ordained by God (Is 57: 9-10); the found life by their own hand therefore they were not grieved over their sin (Is 57: 10); they feared man—father, mother, son and daughter—and were more fearful of offending them rather than fearing God and being fearful of offending him (Is 57: 10).  God called their iniquity a stumblingblock because they not only caused themselves to stumble by their perversity but they caused others in their sphere of influence to stumble.

    Brethren, each depraved sinner has a god crafted in the imagination of his own heart.  Every unregenerate sinner, though he may profess to believe the true and living God in truth, thinks the true and living God is like the idol he has carved out in his own heart.  Never think that idolatry—or any other sin—is only sin when it is manifest outwardly.  Outwardly these men appeared genuine.  The sin was in their heart.  Depraved man always looks to himself: his wisdom and word rather than Christ our Wisdom who is the Word of God, his works rather than Christ our Righteousness, his holiness rather Christ our Sanctification, his bondage rather than Christ our Redemption.  The law only works in his depraved heart concupiscence—the desire for the very thing the law forbids—which is summed up on the first commandment which he breaks—he makes himself to be his god.  God must create in us a new man, giving us a new spirit, which is after God created renewed in knowledge after the image of Christ who created him.

 

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CHRIST REVEALS HIMSELF

 

Christ reveals himself to his chosen vessels of mercy. He will not leave them in darkness. They shall know they are his. “That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves” (Isaiah 49:9). Christ sought her out when she was healed. He would have her to know she is his Daughter. So it is for every sinner saved. They shall know that Christ died for them. He paid for them by shedding his own blood to put away their sins. He made a covering with his own precious blood to hide us from the wrath of God. He clothes us in the white robe of his righteousness. We shall not need to hide in fear or shame before God who sits on the throne to judge the hearts and deeds of men. We shall be joyfully presented to the Father unashamed, for Christ died to cleanse us of our iniquity. And Christ arose from the grave to give us life in him. “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Colossians 1:22). “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:13).
                                                                                                             Pastor Eric Lutter

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THE MOLD OF DOCTRINE

Romans 6: 17: But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Believers are freed from the dominion of sin reigning over our person so that we can believe on Christ and put no confidence in our flesh.  How is this deliverance from sins domineering reign over our person accomplished?
     God be thanked.”  It is only by God that we are delivered from the dominion of sin.  Believer, we have no reason to thank ourselves—we “were the servants of sin’—the slaves of sin.  But God made us to “obey from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” "  The margin tells us it is that form of doctrine "whereto"—into which—"you were delivered.”   The word "form" means “mold” or “die.”  The word "doctrine" means “teaching”. (1 Tim. 4:13; Titus 2:7)
     The picture is that of a mold from which coins are made or into which molten metal is poured.  The doctrine is the mold; we are the melted metal poured in.  “Doctrine” does not signify a mere external creed which we learned and gave mental assent unto.  Murch more, it is the word of God which comes effectually in spirit and in truth by the Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit delivered us into this mold by which a new man was created, conformed to the image of the mold of teaching into which we were delivered. “Brethren, God be thanked, ye were the servants of sin, but you have been poured into the mold of divine teaching, by which your heart was conformed to the exact shape of the mold of divine truth.”

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THEY FOLLOW ME
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (JOHN 10:27)

Beloved, we follow Him. Why do we follow Him? Why do we follow the LORD our righteousness? Because beloved, as the Psalmist puts it ever so blessedly He “set us in the way of His steps” (PSALM 85:13). How does He do that? Beloved, He grants His sheep to hear His word, to hear His voice and are made to know the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, He goes before us; indeed, every step we take the Lord took first and we follow Him who is our righteousness. AMEN!                          Pastor Joseph Murphy

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“EN” NEWNESS OF SPIRIT

 

Romans 7: 6: But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve IN newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

 

By the body of Christ dying unto sin and death, then arising again to newness of life, every sinner born of God is dead to sin, dead to the law and alive unto God.  (Rom 6: 6-11; 7: 4) God gives this assurance “sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not UNDER law, but under grace” (Rom 6: 14).  The word for “under” is “hupo.” Being “under” law was to have external law in the letter telling us what we must do, yet giving us no new spirit, no forgiveness, no union, no new constraint, only declaring us guilty.  We were unholy, flesh; God is Holy Spirit.

     But in 1 Corinthians 9:21, Paul said we are now “under the law to Christ.”  Here the word “under” is “en”. We are “in” law to Christ as members of a body in union with the head.  We have the Spirit of Christ in us and are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, united in Christ as members of a body in union with its head. (Rom 8: 9) We “serve in newness of spirit” controlled by Christ our Head like our bodily members move by our head.  Our hand does not have external rules by which it tries to obey our head in fear of being cut-off; our hand is “en” lawed to our head as one body.  Being “en” lawed to Christ, "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor 6:17).  Therefore, to “serve in newness of spirit” is not to serve as slaves but as sons who love our Father controlled by Christ.  At God’s right hand, Christ lives under no legal obligations, but freely, in union and love unto God.  With "the Spirit of his Son" in our hearts we do not serve in bondage or fear.  The Spirit bear witness with our spirit that we are sons of God in the same relationship and nearness to the Father as God’s Son.  Being “en” law to Christ, we serve “en” newness of spirit, constrained by Christ’s love because we want to.