September 3, 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
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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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ANNOUNCEMENT
Sun, Sept 1-3, I am scheduled to preach this morning at the conference at Grace Baptist Church, Danville, KY where Don Fortner is pastor and tonight at Todd’s Road Grace Church were Todd Nibert is pastor. We are thankful to have Brother Eric Lutter preaching hear this morning.
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SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 10: 2: Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. 3: The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
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SANCTIFY YOURSELVES AND THE HOUSE
2 Chronicles 29:5: And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
King Hezekiah had such reverence for God that he commanded the priests to make themselves presentable in reverence toward God, to reverence the Lord’s house as holy and to carry forth everything that was disrespectful out of that holy place. If we truly sanctify the Lord God in our hearts with the highest reverence, then like Hezekiah, we should also sanctify the house of the LORD each time we come together to worship our Redeemer. (1 Pet 3: 15) We must never disrespect our Redeemer or his house by regarding this time as common. It is separated by God as time to honor and glorify him! God gave his very best to clothe us in the wedding garment of Christ our Righteousness. The least we can do is come before him with our best. Remember, where Christ gathers us, it is the house of the LORD God and where the King of glory gathers his sheep, our Prince promises to be here in our very midst! How would we show up if we had an appointment with an earthly leader who had our heart’s highest respect? When Israel gave second-rate offerings, God said, “Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? Saith the LORD of hosts.” (Mal 1: 8) Then each, and every time, that we gather in the Lord’s house to hear how he made us accepted by giving his only begotten Son, we ought to show a thousand times more reverence to the ever-present Son of God who suffered the fire of justice that we might freely enjoy this great privilege!
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I WILL BE SANCTIFIED
Leviticus 10: 3: Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Nadab and Abihu came to God with strange fire. They approached God in a way other than how God commands he must be approached. God destroyed them with fire. Then God declared why. All that come near God must sanctify God. We must reverence God in a way that manifests before all people that God is holy and must be worshipped in his ordained way, the way that puts him above everything, everyone, giving him all the glory.
The way we do so is approaching God through faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God will only receive the sinner who sanctifies God. The way for a sinner to sanctify God is to approach God trusting our acceptance is by the one sacrifice God himself has provided, Jesus Christ. (Jn 14:6)
Any attempt to come to God any other way is to sanctify ourselves rather than God. Let Nadab and Abihu assure us, God is a consuming fire to all who approach him with strange fire.
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A man’s acts are always the truest index of his desires and purposes. We must make Christ the paramount object of our soul’s pursuit or our spiritual life will decline. It was Christ yesterday, and it must be Christ today, and Christ forever. It will not do to feed partly on Christ and partly on other things. As in the matter of life, it is Christ alone; so in the matter of living, it must be Christ alone. Pastor Scott Richardson
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People do what they want to. They do what they do freely and uncoerced. People were not forced to crucify Christ. Pilate was said to have, “Delivered Jesus to their will.” While they were acting freely and uncoerced, they were doing neither more nor less than “Whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done.” Men do precisely what they want, and God exercises absolute sovereignty over men’s will - a paradox; but certainly not a contradiction. They are both true. Pastor Todd Nibert
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“It is the way of love to desire to make itself known.”—Charles Spurgeon
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Faith does more than simply believe doctrinal facts about love, mercy, and grace. God-given faith exercises love, mercy, and grace toward all men, especially toward the brethren. Pastor Frank Tate
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ROYAL APPARAEL
Esther 5: 1: Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 2: And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
Every sinner, naked in ourselves, who approaches God’s throne of grace in the royal apparel of Christ’s righteousness shall be received and preserved by God for the sake of Christ our King. None ever perished confessing his sin and seeking God’s forgiveness at the footstool of mercy. God is faithful to his promises and just to his Son “to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4: 16)
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AARON LOOKED, AARON CONFESSED, MOSES CRIED
Numbers 12: 9: And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 10: And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 11: And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 12: Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. 13: And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
Aaron and Miriam sinned against God by speaking evil of their brother, Moses. Therefore, God made Miriam leprous. Aaron was the high priest of God. It was his responsibility to look upon a leper and pronounce them leprous. So he was called to look upon Miriam. It is not hard to imagine Aaron’s shame and how his heart was broken to do that! He partook of the sin for which Miriam was made leprous. Yet, he was not made leprous. His own sister was made leprous in his place while he went free. By this chastening, God brought Aaron to cry out to the very one he sinned against. Aaron begged Moses to intercede with God on his behalf. And when Aaron confessed his sin, that very one he sinned against interceded for him.
Believer, though we committed the sin, though we deserved the justice, God brought us to look upon Christ, our own elder Brother who was made sin for us that we might go free. Each time we need chastening, God has brought us to look upon Christ. This look brings us to the feet of Christ, the very one against whom we have sinned. The love of Christ constrains us to confess our sin. How amazing! The one we sinned against intercedes for us before the Father and heals us.