Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWeekly Bulletin 12-10-2017
Bible TextEphesians 5:1-2
Date09-Dec-2017
Article Type Bulletin
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

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

 

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.

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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: The videos are now listed as individual sermons, as well as full servicesclick 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.”