Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 5-7-2017
Bible TextEphesians 4:14
Date06-May-2017
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: Kept from the Evil (32 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
Audio CD Quality Listen: Kept from the Evil (128 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
 

May 7, 2017

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

 

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.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: watch videos of our full services—click here.

 

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SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS

Proverbs 6: 12: A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13: He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14: Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15: Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

 

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We are thankful to have Brother’s Scott Keller and Eric Lutter preaching the gospel here this morning and Brother Art D’Armiento leading singing.  I am preaching for brethren down south. Lord willing I will be back Monday. Next Sunday we plan to observe the Lord’s Table then have our monthly meal together after services.

 

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FREE BUT NOT WITHOUT COST

Salvation is free to the believer apart from our works because God gave his only begotten Son who gave his life for his people.  Yet, in terms of denying godly lusts so that we might honor Christ in our lives our faith costs us much.  In terms of rejection we suffer from family and friends by standing with Christ and refusing to compromise the gospel, Christ teaches us we should expect to pay dearly.  When it comes to giving of ourselves in time, money and talents to provide a well-kept place to worship God with our families, God’s family is willing, by God’s grace, to pay whatever the costs.  It is terribly wicked and false to think free grace, free justification, free salvation equates to a life free from godly devotion to Christ which costs the believer.  JC Ryle said very correctly, “A religion which costs nothing is worth nothing. It will do us no good in the life that now is. It will lead to no salvation in the life to come.”

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DO I?

Do I apply the instruction of my heavenly Father to even the smallest occasions in my life?  Do I react in a kind way toward brethren when we disagree about even insignificant things?  Do I really put brethren before myself?   Do I guard against coming across moody or petty?  Do I treat my brethren as I would my Redeemer, not only when they give me my way but when they do not?  Do I act as though my way is the only way to do things, expecting brethren bend to my will or do I allow brethren to teach me a better way to do things?  Do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men? Do I dare answer any of these questions as though I need no improvement in all these areas? These questions are not for me to answer for my brethren, but as I sit here reading this now, the question is: Do I?

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PRECIOUS HEART PICTURES
Missionary Daniel Parks

In my heart are indelible and precious pictures of my parents seated on a living room couch with their six children seated before them.
     In some pictures, all eyes are on my father as he reads to us from the Holy Scriptures, then instructs and exhorts us therefrom.
     In other pictures, every head is bowed as he prays, calling all our names and entreating God to be merciful and gracious to us.
     In all these pictures I see parents genuinely concerned for the salvation of their children, and endeavoring to exercise means of grace to them.
     I hope and pray that we Christian parents paint such pictures in the hearts of our children, and that those pictures ever remain indelible and precious.

                                                                                              

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TOTAL DEPRAVITY ILLUSTRATED

Missionary Daniel Parks

 

A certain minister and his wife, knowing that I preach God’s sovereign grace and the doctrines of grace, and having been warned against those truths by their teachers, requested I explain them to them.
     I gladly complied, explaining all these truths from the Scriptures.
     I explained the doctrine of man’s total depravity and complete inability in salvation.
     I then explained the doctrine of God the Father sovereignly and graciously and unconditionally choosing and predestining His people to salvation before the foundation of the world.
     I then explained the doctrine of Jesus Christ dying as the substitute for God’s elect and thereby efficaciously redeeming them from their sins and to God.
     I then explained the doctrine of the Holy Spirit effectually calling God’s redeemed elect from sin to Him and applying to them the benefits of Christ’s atoning death.
     I then explained the doctrine of God’s chosen and redeemed and called ones preserving to the end through His unfailing grace to them.
     When I finished, the pastor’s wife said, “If I ever meet a God like that, I will spit in His face!”
     I replied, “Madam, you just illustrated total depravity!”

 

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HOREB AND SINAI

There is something to be learned from the fact that with both Moses and Elijah the same mount called Sinai was called Horeb. (Ex 3; 1 Ki 19) Why the two different names? Horeb means desert. Sinai means thorny. When Christ appeared to them in this mount, neither Moses nor Elijah saw the mountain on fire with a tempest, as was the case when the law was given to Israel.  On that occasion, the mount was called Sinai.  The reason has to do with the fact that both Elijah and Moses came to that mountain already converted believers.  The fire of the law against the believer has been revealed to us by Christ. So when God finds a believer leaving Christ for the mountain of the law, though the law is still a desert to us, the thorn has been removed by Christ.  Hence no fire, hence the name Horeb instead of Sinai, hence God putting Moses and Elijah in the cleft of the Rock, Christ Jesus. From there God taught Elijah in a still small voice to leave Mt. Horeb and return to Jerusalem where was Mt. Zion, a type of turning from the law and returning to Christ!  Believer, the law is not Sinai to us anymore in Christ. Still, apart from Christ, the law is yet a desert to us where no life is.  We have not come to the mount that burned with fire and tempest. We have to to Mt. Zion to Christ our Mediator.  Let us never leave him for Horeb by looking to our will and works. Hear only Christ. Follow only Christ!  (Heb 12: 18-29)

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KEPT FROM THE EVIL

Ephesians 4: 14: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

 

Christ gives his preachers not only for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ, not only to bring us to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God but also to keep us from the evil influence of false preachers. (Eph 4: 8-14)  Christ intercedes with the Father, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (Jn 17: 15-17) So Christ sends his true preachers to warn us of false preachers. God’s preacher has not been faithful to Christ who does not do so.

 

     God always describes false preachers as “using sleight of hand, cunning craftiness, lying in wait to deceive.”  Scriptures give three things that false preachers do to commend themselves to men: they commend themselves BY themselves: by their education, achievements, letters of recommendation; also, they commend themselves TO men: to fleshly appetites by preaching man’s will and works; also, they commend themselves in the SIGHT of men: doing all to impress and please men and gain the favor of men. Christ’s preachers simply preach Christ from the word of God giving God all glory in Christ and the sinner none in every message they preach. Christ himself commends his preacher to his people writing the truth on the hearts of his people through the gospel. (2 Cor 3: 1-3)