July 29, 2018
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
MEETING LOCATION
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08368
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
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
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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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UPCOMING
·
Friday and Saturday, August
10-11,
Pastor Darvin Pruitt and I are scheduled to preach at Grace Baptist Church of
the Ozarks in Nixa, Missouri for the ordination of Pastor Eric Lutter.
·
Wednesday, August 29, I am scheduled to preach
for Katy Baptist Church in Fairmont, WV where Brother Marvin Stalnaker is
pastor.
·
Friday-Sunday, August
31-September 2, I am scheduled to preach in the conference at Grace Baptist
Church of Danville, KY where Brother Don Fortner is pastor. Brother Kevin Thacker is scheduled to preach
here Thursday, August 30th.
Brother Bob Coffee from Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church in Kingsport,
TN is scheduled to preach here Sunday, September 2.
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SUNDAY’S
READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 11: 27: He that
diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it
shall come unto him.
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If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. I Jn. 1:9
Confession of sins,
heartily admitting what we are as being born in Adam, is truly performed by
those who are convinced of their sin before and against God. They have been
made aware of their desperate need of forgiveness and have God’s word and
promise that the forgiveness they seek is faithfully and justly rendered unto
them, not based upon their own merit but because of the obedience and sacrifice
of Christ on their behalf. Pastor Marvin Stalnaker
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Perfect, complete, without blemish, holy, blameless, spotless; these
are just a few of the words the scriptures uses to describe Gods saints. We do
not feel that we are any of these things in ourselves, but this is what God
says about us. Do we believe what we see in ourselves or what God says about
us? God describes us with these glorious words because of what our Lord Jesus
Christ accomplished for us by his holy sinless life and his sacrificial death
for us on the cross. God’s word describes us as what we are in Christ. Thanks
be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Pastor
Don Bell
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SIN IS NOT IMPUTED WHEN THERE
IS NO LAW
Romans 5: 13: (For until
the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14:
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not
sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that
was to come.
Read
it and be sure to get what it means: “sin
is not imputed when there is no law.” God will not impute sin unless a man has been
made sin under law. God is righteous! He
only judges righteous judgment! Therefore,
God only imputes what a man is in reality.
God never imputes something to a man and treats him “as if” he is
something he is not. This verse declares
the reason God justly imputed sin to men who lived between Adam and Moses, even
though they did not have a law and had not broken a known law like Adam, is
because in Adam all have sinned (v12).
This one statement—“sin is not
imputed when there is no law”—declares that God imputes what is just and
what is reality. This is the word of God on how God imputes. Let God be true but every man a liar. God will not impute what a man has not been
made under law, be it sin or righteousness.
God imputed sin to Adam because by Adam’s
disobedience he was made sin under law. (v12) God imputed sin to Adam’s
posterity because in Adam all have sinned. (v12) God imputed sin to Christ because
by his obedience the spotless Lamb of God presented himself to the Father, laying
down his life the Just for the unjust, and “he
hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor 5: 21)
Believer, here is the good news for us: God imputes righteousness to
the believer, and will not impute sin to us, because by Christ’s obedience all
God’s elect are righteous and have no sin to impute. (v19) Since our old man IS
crucified with Christ so that our body of sin IS destroyed and since we ARE risen
with Christ so that death HAS NO MORE DOMINION over us, God commands us not to
impute it to be “as if” but God says “Likewise,
RECKON [impute] YE YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN, but ALIVE UNTO GOD through
JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.” (Rom 6: 6-11)
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Living for God is living for the benefit of others, and serving God is
serving others. — We can serve others without serving God; but we cannot serve
God without serving others. Pastor Don Fortner
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THE SERVANT’S OBEDIENCE
TO HIS MASTER
Ephesians 6: 5: Servants,
be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with
fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6: Not with
eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of
God from the heart; 7: With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to
men: 8: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
In scripture, there were voluntary servants who dedicated themselves
to others such as Joshua to Moses and Elisha to Elijah. Under the law some
servants sold themselves to their debtor or were servants to make restitution
for theft. (Ex 21:7; Le 25:39-47; 2 Ki 4:1; De 15:12-18) A willing-bond-servant
had served his time and was free to go but loved his master so he continued to
serve him. (Ex 21:2, 6; 25:40) A slave was a servant forced to serve—Joseph is
the first slave in scripture. (Gen 37:27-28) This kind of service is oppression
and abhorred by God. (De 24:14 Ps 103:6 Isa 10:1-3 Am 4:1 Mal 3:5 Jas 5:4)
Today, most of us are hired servants working for our employer for a wage. In this text, God gives the believer, who was
a forced servant, instructions how he was to serve his master. It does not
suggest we should practice slavery in our culture where slavery is illegal any more
than Paul meant that women should show their subjection to the man by wearing a
head covering in our culture where head coverings are not the way women show
their subjection to their husbands. But
in both cases, it is the principle which applies. No matter a believer’s position,
we are Christ’s free men and are to serve in subjection as unto Christ.
We learn all truth by looking
to Christ Jesus. In Philippians 2, we see Christ Jesus “took upon him the form of a servant.” (Philippians 2: 5-8) God the Son, equal with God the Father,
willingly took the form of a servant because his elect fell into slavery in sin.
(Romans 6: 17, 20) Only our Kinsmen
Redeemer could provide righteousness for us and pay eternal death for our sins. (Hebrews 2: 14-15) Due to sin’s
corruption, we think being served is the great thing. But in Christ we behold
that serving for those we love is the greatest thing. (Luke 22: 26-27; Matthew
20: 26-28; Luke 9 48)
How did Christ serve? He
served the Father obediently. Therefore,
he says, “Servants, be obedient to them
that are masters according to the flesh.” (Eph 6: 5) Christ served with
fear and trembling as unto God his Master. Therefore, he says, “Servants, be obedient to them that are your
masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your
heart, as unto Christ.” (Eph 6: 5)
Christ served not as pleasing men but as the servant of God, doing the
will of God from the heart. Therefore he teaches servants to serve “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as
the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will
doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” He served believing God
would honor the pure motive of his heart. Therefore, he teaches servants to
serve “Knowing that whatsoever good thing
any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or
free.” He teaches us that even in the lowest place of service we glorify
God by being the best servant our master has and God honors those who honor him.
(Read 1 Peter 2:18-24) May God make us
great by making us willing to be least to serve one another rather than being
served!