December 10, 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.
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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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SUNDAY’S READING IN PROVERBS
Proverbs 10: 17: He is in the
way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
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“Thou Art My God” Ps. 31:14
Here is the saint’s refuge in times
of grief, trouble, weakness and calamity; when enemies within and without seem
to abound, “But I trusted in Thee, 0 Lord!”
David here, being typical of all believers, had no other refuge but that
which he found in the Lord his God. If enemies slandered him, he did not render
railing for railing, but he calmly trusted in the Lord. His enemies ran here
and there, devising all kinds of schemes to make the man of God their victim.
But he met all their devices with the one simple defense, “Trust in God.”
Many are the fiery darts of the wicked one, but our shield is sure, “But
I trusted in the Thee, 0 Lord.” We have another glorious claim, the
greatest claim that a man has made or ever can make, “I said, Thou art my
God.” He that can say, “This kingdom is mine,” makes a royal claim,
he that can say, “This mountain of silver is mine,” makes a wealthy
claim, but he that can say to the Lord, “Thou art my God,” has said more
than all the monarchs and millionaires can ever say.
If this God is your God, by the
gift of Himself to you, what more can you desire or have than God Himself? If
Jehovah has been made yours by an act of faith, what more can be conceived of?
You don’t have the world, but you have the Maker of the world, and that is far
more than having the world! There is no measuring the greatness of the treasure
of the soul, who has God to be his all in all!
God’s people must have the truth for they are begotten of it; therefore
they love it, though it often cuts to the very heart. They also hunger and
thirst after righteousness, because they are aware of how desperate their need
of it is; for in themselves they know they are destitute of it. Do you love and
desire the truth? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? – Pastor Don
Bell
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THE BODY OF CHRIST
The church is called "the body
of Christ" several times in the New Testament, and individual Christians
are referred to as "members," different parts of the body of Christ. There
are several things we learn from this beautiful description of Christ and his
church.
(1) How precious every individual
believer is to Christ himself...a member of his body:
(2) The way you treat a fellow
Christian is how Christ considers that you treat him. How you treat a part of
my body is how you treat me. In Christ's description of judgment day in Matthew
25, the ones who had heaven prepared for them from the foundation of the world
were the ones who treated the least of Christ's people well. He said,
"inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me." Those who were sentenced to "everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels, were those who did not treat the least
of Christ's children well. "Inasmuch as ye did it not unto the least
of these my brethren, ye did it not unto me." Your own, personal
commitment to Christ can be seen and proved genuine only by your commitment to
"the least of these (his) brethren."
(3) We see from this how all of the
children of God are to treat each other. Paul said, in I Corinthians 12: 25-26,
"There should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members
should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all
the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice
with it." Take heed how you treat any child of God. Treat them all with
love, honor, respect and tenderness. Remember, how you treat them is,
literally, how you treat the Lord Jesus Christ himself! Be especially attentive
to "the least of these (his) brethren." Do not form a clique in the
body of Christ. That member that is needing attention is the one to whom you
are to give your attention. What a joy it is to be a member of the body of
Christ. Child of God, do not be a spectator. Get involved: Be a friend! Give
yourself: In doing this to "the least of these (his) brethren," you
actually do it to Christ! Pastor Todd
Nibert
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WALK IN LOVE
Ephesians 5: 1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2:
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Over again in his epistle to the Ephesians,
Paul speaks of love? God knows the
heart. The Lord’s letter to the Ephesians was to remember their first love,
repent and do the first works. (Rev 2: 2-5) The chief purpose of these
exhortations to love is so that we will be helpers of our burdened brethren, so
that we all can continue without distraction hearing the gospel of our Redeemer,
as we send forth the gospel in search of Christ’s lost sheep. Love makes carrying a brothers burden no
burden at all.
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We Believe T.U.L.I.P
Total depravity: all are ruined by Adam’s fall
Unconditional election: God elected his people in Christ
by his free grace
Limited atonement: Christ made atonement for the sins of God’s
elect alone
Irresistible grace: the Holy Spirit gives life and faith
in Christ and none can stop him
Perseverance: believers continue trusting Christ by God’s
preserving grace
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DEAR CHILDREN
Ephesians 5: 1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2:
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
“Dear children” means we are children
everlastingly beloved of God our Father. (Rom 1: 7; 1 Jn 3: 1) “Dear children” speaks of the spirit in
which we follow God. Remember our sister with the alabaster box of ointment?
Christ said, “Wherefore I say unto thee,
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.” (Lu 7: 47)
Children who know our sins are many, know we are forgiven much. Therefore, we
follow our Father, not as slaves by law, but as dear children by love. Most of
all, “dear children” speaks of the
dearest child of God, the pattern we, follow the only begotten Son of God—“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear
children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath.”
First,
Christ did not merely say he loved us; he loved
us and gave himself. To follow God as dear children, walking in
love, is not merely to talk, but to love and give ourselves. (1 Jo 3: 18)
Furthermore, Christ gave himself “for
us.” Who were we? We were haters of
God. But Christ loved us and gave himself for
us when as yet we considered him our enemy. Christ’s lost sheep are in that
same state. We never know if that one who appears to be our greatest enemy may be
Christ’s redeemed. This is one reason Christ teaches us to do to men as we
would that men should do to us. (Lu 6: 31-36) And what about our brethren
already called? “Hereby perceive we the
love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren.” (1 Jn 3: 16)
To follow God as dear children, walking in love as Christ also hath loved
us, is to give ourselves for all those who Christ purchased with his precious
blood.
Lastly, Christ gave himself for us “an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” By giving himself Christ made reconciliation to
God for our sins. By his one offering, he perfected his people forever. (Heb
10: 14) To do so, Christ had to come where we are, bear our sin, our judgment
and our death. Therefore, to follow God
as dear children, walking in love as Christ also hath loved us, we will have to
go where our brethren are, bear with their sins, bear their burdens, foregoing our
comfort and ease. So he tells us “bear
one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6: 2) Doing
so, we will be to God our Father, in the sweet savour of Christ and his
finished work, “an odour of a sweet
smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.”