September 24, 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
?-----------------------------?
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.
?-----------------------------?
SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 10: 6: Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
?-----------------------------?
Pray for brethren in error that God would grant them repentance! And thank God for keeping your focus on Christ alone!
?-----------------------------?
How do you know a preacher is preaching vain doctrine? They may say it is about Christ and God’s glory but when their motive is to merely make you believe some meaningless doctrine it is vanity. When men have a pet doctrine in which they are trying to build a movement their pet doctrine is all they see in scripture and all they preach. Preterists only look for scripture that says Christ has returned already. Campbellites preach baptismal regeneration. Pentecostals preach speaking in tongues. Their pet doctrine becomes the issue rather than Christ! “From such withdraw thyself!”
?-----------------------------?
WHY DO WE GO TO CHURCH?
This is something that our children wonder. It is a good and fair question that we should ask ourselves before our children or anyone else asks us. Do we go to church because that is our habit on Sundays and Wednesdays? Do we go to church to feel better about ourselves? Do we go to church to appear righteous to others? Do we go to church to worship the Lord and be fed from His Word?
The Lord told Moses that children would ask about the Passover: “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?” (Exodus 12:26) The Lord gave fathers the answer to give: “It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.” (Exodus 12:27)
The reason believers go to the worship service is to be reminded how the Lord delivered His elect people, spiritual Israel, by suffering and dying as their substitute. They go to hear how the sacrifice of Christ has set His people free from sin, death, and hell. They go to the worship service to hear again how the blood of Christ has blotted out their sin and they are safe from God’s wrath under the blood of Christ. And believers go to the worship service to bow in the heart and worship such a wonderful Savior who would do something so wonderful for a wretch like me.
Is that why you have come to the worship service this morning!
?-----------------------------?
THE ONLY ISSUE!
Matthew 22: 41-42
Vainly religious men came to Christ trying to make the issue everything from sabbath days to washing hands before you eat. They made up vain scenarios to make the issue something other than Christ. (Mt 6: 10; 15: 2; 19: 3; 21: 23; 22: 17; 22: 28) But the Lord Jesus Christ declared there is only one issue to preach and believe when he asked them this question, “What think ye of Christ?” (Mt 22: 41, 42) Christ is the only issue.
What do you think of Christ? The question is not what others think but what do you think of Christ. “As a man thinketh with his heart so he is.” (Pro 23: 7) “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” ( Mt 6:21) “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Mt 12: 34-35) Cult leaders and false preachers have the same method of operation. In order to make disciples after themselves they make another banner to rally under other than Christ our Banner. They separate themselves in proud, arrogance, as they rebuke faithful, experienced elders. God says their spirit is of the devil. (Ja 3: 13-18; 3 John 9-11; 2 Tim 2: 17-26) But Christ’s true preacher and people say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Jn 6: 67-69) Christ is “the one thing needful.” (Lu 10: 41) When you meet Christ, you never grow beyond Christ. “Christ is all!” (Col 3: 11) Is Christ all to you? What think ye of Christ?
There is far too much to preach concerning Christ to turn to meaningless babble. Christ’s preacher and people never grow weary of preaching who Christ is: God in human flesh, the GodMan. (Is 7:14) We never grow weary of preaching why Christ came: to save his people from our sins and to declare the righteousness of God. (Mt 1:21) We love preaching what Christ accomplished: “for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” (Heb 10: 12-14) We never grow weary of preaching where Christ is now, what he is doing now and what he shall do as our reigning Head who shall soon return again. (Eph 1: 20-23; 4: 11-16; Heb 9: 28) Christ is the whole counsel of God, the subject of all Scripture. Christ is the Bishop of our souls. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Christ is the Bread of life. Christ is the Captain of salvation. Christ is the Foundation, the Corner-stone, the Door, the Mediator, the Prince of life, the Rock, and the Shepherd. Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the world, the Light of men, the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Christ is the Foundation of the church and of this world! It is not some literal ice foundation that holds this world in place. It is Christ! Everything thing made was made for him and glorifies him! Christ is Christianity. Christ is Salvation! Heaven will be Christ! He is our exceeding great reward!
What think ye of Christ! Never move away from Christ! If we are God’s saints we never will by his sovereign, keeping grace!
?-----------------------------?
GOD PRESCRIBES THE WAY TO HIM
Leviticus 1: 1: And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
The only way to find acceptance with God is to come to God in the way God has prescribed. Christ is God’s Way. Christ is the sacrifice God has accepted. Faith in Christ is God’s Way. Here, in type, God prescribes the way to him.
· It is God who must first initiate the work of grace toward us, “God called…” In eternity, God called his people in Christ and in time God calls his people into Christ.
· God only communicates through a Mediator—“God called unto Moses…” He told Moses to “speak unto the children.” Moses stands here as a type of Christ our Mediator, the only go-between God and his people, who brings us together in peace.
· God speaks the gospel to the hearts of his people through the tabernacle of the congregation, his church—“out of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Christ speaks out of the heavenly temple in Mt Zion where the spirit of just men made perfect are assembled and Christ speaks through the temple of his church which Christ has fitly framed together in the earth. This he does through the preaching of the gospel.
· God only speaks grace to his elect typified in the children of Israel—“Speak unto the children of Israel,…”
· God commands we come only with the exact sacrifice he commands—“If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.” We must come washed from our sins in the blood of Christ alone. The ox or bullock from the cattle pictures Christ in his strength and ability to save. The sheep from the flock pictures Christ in his harmless innocence as God’s spotless Lamb. The goat from the herd pictures “he hath made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” These animals were to be taken from among their flock picturing the truth that Christ was made like unto his brethren and chosen from among us. These offerings were dear to their hearts as Christ is to his people.
God first speaks to man; God only speaks through the Mediator, Christ Jesus; God speaks from and into the tabernacle of the congregation, his church, through the preaching of the gopsel; God speaks only to his elect; and God prescribes the one way in which God will be approached by the sinner, Christ Jesus the Lord. Submit to God, repent from man’s way, believe on Christ, confess him publicly and God will receive you. May God make it so for you today!