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Grace Baptist Church of Danville October 17, 2010
ÒNeither Jew nor Gentile, Papist nor Protestant will stand accepted before God without the imputed righteousness of Christ to justify and the regenerated life, created life, which the Holy Ghost imparts to qualify for the enjoyment of God.Ó — Joseph Irons
Daily Readings for the Week of October 17-24 Sunday Luke 4-5 Thursday Luke 12 Monday Luke 6-7 Friday Luke 13-14 Tuesday Luke 8-9 Saturday Luke 15-16 Wednesday Luke 10-11 Sunday Luke 17-18
á I am preaching today for Grace Baptist Church in Taylor, AR, where Bro. Darvin Pruitt is pastor. Bros. Larry Criss and Ron Wood will bring the messages here today. á College Grove Grace Church, College Grove, TN will host its annual sovereign grace Bible conference October 22-24. Scheduled speakers are: David Eddmenson, Todd Nibert, Paul Mahan, Chris Cunningham, and Don Fortner. — Bro. Chris Cunningham is the host pastor. Telephone: 615-368-7853 — Email: cunninghamtn@gmail.com á Quarterly Fellowship — October 31st
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Ruth Wall-19th
NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK Today: ShanteÕ Birchum (AM) Mindy Peterson (PM) Tuesday: Debbie Bartley
Am I Called? — Jane Gray (Tune: #303 — Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me 77.77.77)
1. Am I called? And can it be! Has my Savior chosen me? Guilty wretched as I am, has He named my worthless name? Vilest of the vile am I, dare I raise my hopes so high?
2. Am I called? I dare not stay, may not, must not disobey; Here I lay me at Thy feet, clinging to the mercy-seat: Thine I am, and Thine alone; Lord with me Thy will be done.
3. Am I called? What shall I bring, as an offering to my King? Poor, and blind, and naked I, trembling at Thy footstool lie; Nought but sin I call my own, nor for sin can sin atone.
4. Am I called? An heir of God! Washed, redeemed by precious blood! Father, lead me in Thy hand, guide me to that better land Where my soul shall be at rest, pillowed on my SaviorÕs breast.
BelieverÕs Baptism — Baptism is the symbolic picture of righteousness fulfilled and brought in for GodÕs elect by ChristÕs obedience unto death (Matthew 3:15). By this blessed ordinance our Lord Jesus commands all who trust him to confess him before men (Romans 6:4-11).
Children Blessed of the Lord — Pastor Bruce Crabtree
ÒHe took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them.Ó Mark 10:16
This was by no means a mere Jewish ritual or symbolic of a blessing bestowed. No! The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory Òblessed them,Ó and they were blessed; and no man could reverse it. It would have been rewarding to follow these children unto adulthood and watch as the blessings were revealed. These were no carnal blessings. Christ would have dismissed such a request with a Òhaving food and raiment let us be contentÓ. These were spiritual blessings. — Blessings from heaven above! From a child Timothy knew the Holy Scriptures, what a blessing! Some of these children perhaps became preachers of the same Christ who had blessed them. — What a blessing! Some, perhaps, became godly mothers, loving their husbands and guiding the home. — What a blessing! They all became good citizens of their country. They all became believers and worshipers of the living God. They all lived and died in faith and hope. They are all in heaven today! — What a blessing! Jesus blessed them and none could reverse it. The blessing may have seemed slow in coming to some. A mother watched her son go off into open sins, the tempter telling her the blessing had been made void. But in her eye of faith she still sees the Lord Jesus taking her son up in his arms and blessing him. Her faith is strengthen, she believes and prays and waits patiently, and lives to see the blessing fulfilled, and mother and son rejoice together. — ÒThe blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.Ó You and I cannot see the Lord Jesus, but this should not stop us from taking our children to him in faith. — ÒThey brought young children to him.Ó And how did they do it but in faith? Take them to him in prayer. Take them to him in his Word and point him out to them. Take them to him in public worship. Take them to him in a spiritual song. If the Lord blesses them, they shall be blessed.
ÒI think when I read that sweet story of old, When Jesus was here among men, How he called little children as lambs to His fold, I should like to have been with them then. I wish that His hands had been placed on my head, That His arm had been thrown around me, And that I might have seen His kind looks when He said ÔLet the little ones come unto me.ÕÓ
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Saving Faith
ÒJesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.Ó (Luke 18:42)
Some men preach as if they are scared to death one of the non-elect might get saved! They throw up barbed wire, razor fences all around the gospel, doing everything they can to keep sinners from believing on the Son of God. I never cease to be amazed that the heads of sinful men often swell with such dizziness, under the intoxication of heart-pride, that they imagine themselves smarter than God and presume to assert that that the very language of Holy Scripture is heretical and blasphemous, if not qualified by their own Òexplanations.Ó Recently, an imaginary theologian, who thinks he has come to Ònew light,Ó has vehemently asserted that anyone who uses the terms Òsaving faithÓ and Òeffectual faithÓ is a blaspheming heretic. Were his assertions not so serious and deluding, they would be laughable.
GodÕs GiftWe
recognize and rejoice in the fact that faith in Christ is the gift and
operation of God the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 1:12). No
sinner can or will believe on the Son of God, except God the Holy Spirit
graciously causes him to do so by omnipotent, effectual grace (John 5:40;
6:37, 44; Psalms 65:4; 110:3). Every gospel preacher proclaims, and every
saved sinner knows that it is Christ (the solitary object of our faith) who
has redeemed, justified, and saved us by free grace alone. He has reconciled
us to our God. Yet the Word of God plainly declares that we receive the
atonement by faith in Christ (Romans 5:10-11). We have the peace of complete
justification and reconciliation to our God, by faith in Christ. Yes, faith
in Christ is effectual and saving in the experience of it. — ÒThis
is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faithÓ (1 John 5:4). Our FaithFaith in Christ is not a notion, or a doctrine, or a principle. It is the heart confidence of every needy sinner who looks to Christ as his only Savior that causes him to confess, ÒMy Lord, and my GodÓ (John 20:28). Yes, it is GodÕs gift and GodÕs operation in us. Faith is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Yet, it is our faith. If God gave it to me, that makes it mine.
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