March 1, 2020
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
?-----------------------------?
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 services—click
here.
?-----------------------------?
Proverbs 14: 20: The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath
many friends.
?-----------------------------?
DRINK YE ALL OF IT!
Isaiah 25: 6: And in this mountain shall the LORD of
hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the
lees,…wines on the lees well refined.
Normally, there were dregs in the bottom of a cup of
wine. Dregs are yeast that died and settled on the bottom. Yeast represents sin. Dregs represent the wrath of God’s justice
upon the guilty. Christ drank that cup for his people. Therefore, to those
Christ represented on the cross, “Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God
that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand
the cup of trembling, even THE DREGS OF THE CUP OF MY FURY; thou shalt no more
drink it again” (Is 51: 22)
In its place Christ
has provided each believer with “wines on the lees, well-refined.” It is
well-aged wine made very good because the lees/dregs have settled on the bottom. But it is “well-refined” meaning the lees/dregs
have been filtered out. Usually men
would leave the last bit of wine in the bottom of the cup because no one wanted
to drink the lees/dregs. But Christ bore our sin away and satisfied justice
toward his people, removing all the lees/dregs. Therefore, as he said to his apostles the
night he instituted his table, Christ gives the cup of wine to every believer
at his table, saying, “This is the new testament in my blood. DRINK YE ALL
OF IT!” (Mt 26:27; Lu 22: 20).
?-----------------------------?
In everything we have ever done
the only thing we have ever done is sin against God
?-----------------------------?
HAVE YOU GONE BACK
FAR ENOUGH?
I once knew a young man that graduated
from a Lutheran seminary. He told a group of men at a breakfast one morning
that the “motto,” of his alma mater during his last year of attendance was,
“Back to Luther, back to Luther.” Of course this referred to the popular
protestant reformer known as Martin Luther. One of the older, wiser believers
among the group of men kindly said in his slow Texas draw, “Son, you’ve not
gone back far enough.” That’s a problem with many today.
There is no doubt that the Lord used
Martin Luther. None can argue that John Calvin had five spiritually valid
points. Charles Spurgeon was called the Prince of preachers, but Jesus Christ
is the “Prince of Peace.” If your doctrine is not the “doctrine of Christ,”
then you have not gone back far enough. (2 John 1:9-10) If you don’t go back to
“before the foundation of the world,” (Eph. 1:4, Heb. 4:3, Heb. 9:26, 1 Pet.
1:20, Rev. 13:8, Rev. 17:8) where God the Father, with no influence apart from
His own will and purpose, chose and gave a people to Christ to redeem, then you
have not gone back far enough. If you don’t see that God, for the glory of His
own great name’s sake, was pleased to make you (the ungodly) His perfect people
in Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, then you have not
gone back far enough.
I have a friend that calls it, “The
beginning before the beginning.” Our salvation began with God before time ever
was. Before God ever said, “Let there be light,” He said, “Let there be
Christ.” God gave His elect, His chosen,
to His Son to redeem in the fullness of time. If you don’t go back to Christ,
then you have not gone back far enough. The believer’s motto will forever be, “Back
to Christ.” Day after day, it is “Back to Christ.” He died to put away my sins
of yesterday and today, so it is “Back to Christ. When the evil of today comes
and goes, tomorrow it will be, “Back to Christ.” He forever lives to make
intercession for us, so it is “Back to Christ.” Only then have you gone back
far enough. Pastor David Eddmenson
?-----------------------------?
RECEIVE
AS CHRIST RECEIVED
Romans 15: 7: Wherefore receive ye one
another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
A few verses later Paul says Christ received
us in mercy. Believer, knowing that
Christ received us in mercy thereby glorifying God, God admonishes us to receive
one another in mercy that we might glorify God.
Do we know how exceedingly sinful we are? It is only then that we will thank God for
the riches of his mercy toward us.
In
everything we have ever done the only thing we have ever done is
sin against God. Perhaps a brother has
offended me on occasion. We have
offended God every moment of our lives.
Think of someone who had murdered your child or even your entire family. That would be offensive. But it would not compare to how we have
offended God. For one brother to offend
another is offensive; the brother is wrong to offend. But for a sinner to offend holy God! No
offense toward me from another sinner compares to my offenses toward God.
Yet, God had mercy on us, believer. God
owed us nothing but condemnation, an eternity in hell. Yet, Mercy sent his only begotten Son to bear
the condemnation we earned. God can withhold
from us what we deserve because he gave Christ what, in himself, he did not. For a sinner to be merciful to another sinner
is what we should do. But for God who is
holy to be merciful to me the sinner! Amazing grace! When you hear those blessed
words “Christ hath received you; God hath received you” do you see the
glory of God’s mercy in the face of your sin? Through the precious blood of God’s
only begotten Son “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
Oh, I need mercy from God! There is not a moment that goes by that I do
not need God’s mercy because every moment of everyday I am sin and all I do is
sin. Is this so of you? Do you need mercy from God? Has Christ received you in
mercy? If so then let us no longer dishonor
God by setting in judgment condemning our offending brethren. Let us glorify God by showing mercy to others
who are sinners like ourselves. Someone objects,
“But they have offended me, they don’t deserve mercy!” That is what mercy is! “Wherefore receive ye one another, as
Christ also received us to the glory of God.”