June 2, 2019
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
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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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CONFERENCE
DATES
Our summer
meeting is always on the third weekend in July.
This year the dates are Friday, July 19 through Sunday, July 21. We have four preachers scheduled to preach
two messages each: Pastors Don Fortner, Paul Mahan, David Eddmenson and John
Chapman. Services are scheduled for Friday
night, Saturday morning, Saturday night and Sunday morning.
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Proverbs 13: 11: Wealth gotten by
vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
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How often should I forgive my brother? As often as you would have God forgive you. Pastor John Chapman
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Charles
Spurgeon once said, “Nine out, of ten of the arrows in a preacher’s quiver
ought to be shot at the sinner’s good works, for these are his worst enemies.”
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“Run, sinner, run, the law commands,
But gives us neither feet nor hands,
Far better news the gospel brings
It bids us fly and gives us wings.”
John
Bunyan
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THE
VALUE OF GOD’S ELECT
“Every one that passeth among them that are
numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the
LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half
a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for
your souls.” Ex. 30:14-15
The individual value of the soul of each
of God’s elect is the same…the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. All in Israel, from twenty years old and
above, were required to give an offering, half a shekel, to make an atonement
for his soul. Obviously, they were not
redeemed with money, but the same amount of money for all represented the
consistency of the immeasurable value of the blood of Christ. The price paid to redeem Abraham, Moses, the
prophets and the apostles was the same price paid to redeem the repentant thief
on the cross...the fountain of blood which flowed from the side of our precious
Lord and Savior… Pastor Marvin Stalnaker
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HAGAR,
SARAH, ISHMAEL & ISAAC
Genesis
15:4; Gal 4: 21-31
The
LORD promised Abraham that his barren wife, Sara, would have a son with whom
the LORD would establish his covenant and his seed after him. After ten years passed, Sarah suggested
Abraham take her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, to wife so that Sarah might obtain children
by her (Gen 16: 1-4, 15). Hagar bare
Abraham a son named Ishmael. After fifteen
more years passed the LORD fulfilled his promise and Sarah bare Abraham a son named
Isaac. (Gen 21: 1-2). When Sarah
saw Hagar’s son mocking her son she said unto Abraham cast them out “for the son of this bondwoman shall not be
heir with my son, even with Isaac.” Though
it grieved Abraham, the LORD told Abraham to cast them out “for in Isaac shall thy seed be called (Gen
21: 10-12). In Galatians 4: 21-31
the Spirit of God teaches us this is an allegory which shows us two covenants,
two religions and two people.
Two Covenants—Hagar represents the covenant of works given
at Mt Sinai. It genders bondage because
it requires the sinner to obey the law, even in thought, to earn eternal life. God gave the law to show us our sins to
declare us all guilty. Sarah represents the everlasting covenant
of grace which God the Father made with his Son to save his elect. Sara is the freewoman; so the everlasting
covenant is of God’s free grace. Sarah remained Abraham’s true wife, though
Hagar entered in; so the covenant of grace remained unchanged though the law at
Mt. Sinai entered in (Gal
3: 16-17). Hagar was only a handmaid to Sarah; so the law was only a
handmaid to the covenant of grace to teach us our need of Christ (Gal 3: 24-25). Abraham’s heir could not come
through Hagar because then it would not be by God’s promise; if we were saved
by the works of the law salvation would cease to be by God’s promise and grace (Gal
3: 18, 21-22).
Two Religions—Hagar represents works religion (Gal 4: 25). She was a slave and brought forth a son into
slavery; works religion produces children into bondage (Galatians 3: 10-12; 4:
3, 8-10). Sara represents the true
church of God above which is free and is the mother of all true believers. When Christ finished redeeming his people, he
arose to true heavenly Mt. Zion in true heavenly Jerusalem above. So the prophecy is fulfilled which says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days,
that the mountain of the LORD’S
house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go
and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of
the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his
paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem (Isa 2:2-3) All true
believers come to Christ in heavenly Mt Zion in heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12: 18-24).
Two People—Ishmael was born of a bondwoman, by Abraham’s
works, therefore Ishmael was born after the flesh. He represents those who make a profession in
religion which was produced by law-preaching and fleshly means. Isaac represents true children of God born-again
by God’s promise by God’s grace, by the Spirit of God. We were born because God the Father chose us
in Christ, because the Son of God redeemed us from the curse of the law and
because God the Holy Spirit regenerated us (Gal 3:29; 4: 4-7). Like as Ishmael mocked Isaac, those
born after the flesh persecute those born of the Spirit. The self-righteous world persecuted Christ and
today will-worshipping religion still persecutes God’s true children. They call true believers antinomians because
we declare believers are not under the law but under grace since Christ fulfilled
the law for us (Rom 10: 1-4; Gal 4: 16, 17; 6: 12-14; Php 3: 3) But false religion with her sons of
flesh shall soon be cast out by God as was Rahab and Ishmael.
“So
then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if
ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever
of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith. For in Jesus
Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith
which worketh by love” (Ga 4: 31; 5:1-6).