Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 11-4-2018
Bible TextGalatians 5:11
Date03-Nov-2018
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

October 28, 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

 

?-----------------------------?

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.

?-----------------------------?

 

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: The videos are now listed as individual sermons, as well as full servicesclick here.

?-----------------------------?

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Men, we only have a few more weeks to go before all the leaves will have fallen.  Remember, to blow the leaves off the ramp and parking lot into the yard so you can mulch them.  Thank you, again, for maintaining the yard.

 

?-----------------------------?

 

SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS


Proverbs 12: 10: A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

 

?-----------------------------?

WHAT IS IT TO PREACH CHRIST?

1Corinthians 2:2: For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

To preach the cross is to preach Christ’s person and Christ’s work.  It is to preach who Christ is: the eternal Son of God and the Son of David, the GodMan; the One chosen and sent of God; the Prophet, Priest and King of his people; the Bread from heaven; the Way, the Truth, the Life.  To preach Christ is to preach why Christ came: God sent Christ to manifest the righteousness of God in how God is just and the Justifier of all who believe on Christ; he came to fulfill the law for his people, to put away the sin of those the Father gave to him in eternity, to redeem, reconcile and make his people one with God.  Preaching Christ is preaching what Christ accomplished: he finished those works God sent him to do; Christ glorified the Father, brought in everlasting righteousness for his people; Christ entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for his people.  To preach Christ is to preach where Christ is now: when he had by himself purged our sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; his people are risen in him, seated together with him.  Preaching Christ is preaching what Christ is doing now: as the glorified GodMan he is reigning and ruling with all power over all in heaven and in earth, sending his gospel, calling out his people through the Holy Spirit, filling all in all and he will not lose one!  To preach Christ is to preach what Christ shall do: he shall come again; he must reign till he has put all his enemies under his feet, the last being death; then he shall deliver up the kingdom to God presenting his people holy and righteous and unreproveable in God’s sight.

 

?-----------------------------?

 

THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS


Galatians 5: 11: And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

 

Paul preached the cross of Christ because he was sent of Christ for that purpose, as is every true ambassador of Christ.  (1 Cor 1: 17; 2: 2) Therefore, Paul suffered persecution.  If Paul would have given sinners just one thing to do then he would not have suffered persecution.  But then the gospel would cease to be preached.  Why is the preaching of the cross offensive to men?  The gospel offends because:

 

1) It declares all are sinners, incapable of even contributing to our salvation.  (1 Cor 1: 29-31) The gospel puts no distinction between the most religious man and the worst sinner declaring us all ruined by the fall of Adam, unable to add to the work of Christ.

 

2) The gospel declares sinners are justified from our sins, not by our works, but by the faith of Christ who fulfilled all righteousness, making his people righteous by his obedience.  (Ga 2:16-18, 21)

 

3) The gospel declares sinners must be born again by the Holy Spirit and given faith from God before we can believe on Christ. (Ga 2:19-20) Christ declared that no man can come to him except he be drawn by the Father. (Joh 6:65) The Spirit of God declares that the natural man cannot receive the gospel because it is spiritually discerned.  (1 Cor 2: 14; Jn 6:63)

 

4) The gospel declares Christ is the Sanctifier and the Sanctification of his people.  Most believe that once born of the Holy Spirit, they make themselves more and more holy by their obedience to the law.  Paul said, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Ga 3:2-3) We have the “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” when of God we are made “partakers of the divine nature” when Christ is formed within.  Then we are “made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light.” (Heb 12: 14; 2 Pet 1: 4; Col 1: 12)

 

5) The gospel declares that after faith is given believers are no longer under the law but under grace.  In Galatia, they desired to bring believers back under the law as a rule of life.  Paul declared then Christ is made of no effect unto you. (Ga 5:2-7) The believer’s rule of life is faith in Christ—"The just shall live by faith and the law is not of faith.” (Gal 3: 11-12) Believers are constrained by the love of Christ for us, by the Spirit’s power working in us, not by law. We worship and serve Christ because we want to. 

 

The offense of the cross is Christ because he is the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Alpha to the Omega, the Beginning to the End of our salvation. “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Ga 6:12-16)

 

?-----------------------------?

 

Why do preachers yoke folks to do using the law, using threats, and using promises of reward. God answers, “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.” (Gal 6: 12-13)

 

?-----------------------------?

 

CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” (1 John 2:28).

 

What sweet comfort this precious promise of God gives to the heart of the believer.  Our Lord shall return with glorious splendor to receive us to Himself forever (John 14:1-3).  Now, and in that blessed day we shall have absolute and eternal confidence to stand before the holy throne of God totally justified and complete in Christ (Col. 2:9-10).  True saving faith has all confidence in Christ, not in self (Heb. 12:2).  We say with the Apostle, "We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3).

 

     Believers not only have all confidence in Christ, but we also shall never be ashamed of His gospel now, nor before Him at His glorious coming (1John 3:2: 4:17).  Every believer can boldly say with the Apostle, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16).

 

     Christ Jesus is not ashamed to love us (1John 4:10), to own us (Heb. 2:13), to die for us (Heb. 2:17) and to present us faultless before His holy throne (Jude 1:24).  "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Heb.  2:11).

 

     How could we ever be ashamed of Him?  "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26).

 

     Therefore, those who rest in the Lord Jesus Christ shall have great confidence in Him and shall never be confounded, confused or ashamed to own Him as Lord and Saviour, now and forever.  "Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded" (1Peter 2:6; Rom.9: 33; Isa. 28:16).   Pastor Tom Harding