Today’s Speaker: Eager Avenue Grace Church extends a warm welcome to Pastor Bill Parker. Bill will conduct both the 10:00 am and 11:00 am services today. Pray for him as he delivers God's Word.
Fellowship Meal: Immediately following the 11am service today, we will have a fellowship meal. All are invited to attend.
Television Broadcast: Our Reign of Grace Television program is being broadcast on WFXL Fox 31, Channel 4. The program will air every Sunday morning at 11 AM.
Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 10:30 am on Mix 107.7 FM
Web Sites: Visit our web sites at: Reign of Grace: www.rofgrace.com
Birthdays: Kelsey Jones – June 10th – Smith Flynn – June 11th
ARE WE GETTING BETTER?
One thing we need to consider seriously in this question is what do we mean by “getting better”? There is no question that we all need to improve in many areas of our lives, such as our love and appreciation of Christ, His Word, our brethren, our character, attitude, and conduct, our knowledge of and skillfulness in the Scriptures, our diligence in prayer, devotions, worship, and in our relationships with other people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. We ought to pray every day and make a serious effort continually to be better Christians in every way. We ought to strive to be like Christ and follow His example of holiness and righteousness. However, some who claim they are “getting better” imagine that their efforts in all these areas, and any improvements they see, contribute to their holiness and righteousness before God. Many of them speak of “getting better” as if the sinfulness of the flesh is dying more and more, the contamination and effects of sin rendered less and less powerful, so that they see themselves as getting holier and more righteous. But there are no degrees of holiness and righteousness. And our efforts to improve in the areas mentioned above, even when we do see some growth, do not
make us holier or more righteous. OUR HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN CHRIST ALONE, not in ourselves. The improvements we experience in these areas of Christ-likeness are the work of the Holy Spirit within us by the grace of God, and they are described in Scripture as growth “in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18; 1 Pet. 2:1-3). The fact is that the more we grow, the more we see our sinfulness and weakness, and the more we see the glory of Christ as the Lord our only righteousness. In Christ we can be no better than we are. We have His righteousness imputed to us. In ourselves, we can, by the grace of God, grow in all areas of being conformed to the image of Christ. So let’s strive to be better as we rest in Christ alone for all holiness and righteousness before God.
---Bill Parker
Reconciliation
Consider what is written; "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." {II Cor.5:18,19} Now compare we this with that which we find in the next verse; "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." {II Cor.5:20} In the former place the Apostle told us we were reconciled; and in this place, he beseecheth us to be reconciled. To take up this difference, I say that in the former he speaketh of our original reconciliation, wherein our nature was reconciled to God by Christ, in the second I say, he speaketh of our actual reconciliation, wherein our consciences become reconciled to God, through the apprehension of the reconciliation which Christ hath wrought for us. When we speak of our original reconciliation, I lay down this proposition, that we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, without any previous conditions in us, or performed by us. You see it is the act of Christ upon the Cross, it was done by His death; the Lord Christ taking our nature upon Him; and we are said to do that which He did, and to have that done unto us which was done unto Him. As in the first Adam we all sinned before we were, or had committed any actual transgression; so in the second Adam we were reconciled. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Rom.5:19. I say we are said to do that which he did, as to be buried with Christ, by baptism into death, Rom.6:4. We are said to be crucified with Christ, as our old man is crucified with Him, Rom.6:6; to be dead and alive with Him. Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord, Rom.6:11. We are said to be risen with Him, Col.3:1, which is elegantly set forth by the Prophet Hosea, speaking of the resurrection of Christ. He speaketh on this wise, "After two days will he revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." Hosea 6:2. Yet more we are said to be placed together in heavenly places with Him, Eph.2:5,6. This is that which I call original reconciliation; whereby we see that not only God was reconciled unto us, but also that our nature was reconciled unto God by the death of His Son, without any condition, or qualification wrought in us. Thus much for our original reconciliation; now follows our actual reconciliation; namely, the manifestation of God's reconciliation to us. Let us learn to distinguish, when God speaketh of His reconciliation to us, and when He speaketh of our reconciliation to Him. Let us learn to distinguish between the actual event, and the manifestation thereof; the want of which distinction, breedeth an horrible confusion in the interpretation of Holy Scripture.
--- Henry Denne {Grace, Mercy & Peace, Reprinted 1696}
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