Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. Proverbs 20:9, 12, 22
Saved By Grace
Eph. 2:8-9
"By grace are ye saved," declared Paul as he took the crown off the head of man in every respect and gave all the glory to God. He exalted the Lord God, our gracious Sovereign, Who will have mercy upon Whom He will have mercy.
I wish every preacher would proclaim this glorious doctrine. "By grace are ye saved." This is the doctrine that will shake the gates of hell if it is preached. If you are ever to get any comfort or assurance or hope, it will not be in your morality, works, or free will; but it will come from realizing that it is by the grace of God in Christ Jesus that we are saved. What the sun is to the heavens, that is God's grace in Christ to theology. Take away the mercy of Christ in substitution and there is nothing left worth preaching or believing.
Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1982)
Spring Bible Conferences
April 7-9: Hurricane Road Grace Church, Ashland, KY.
April 14-17: Katy Baptist Church, Fairmont, WV.
May 12-14: Central Grace Church, Rocky Mount, VA.
May 19-21: Dingess Grace Church, Dingess, WV.
WORSHIP
There is nothing that the church does that is more important than assembling to worship Christ. To gather in order to honor Christ through praying, preaching and hearing the Gospel is such an important thing that each of us should approach it very seriously. Let each one prepare himself in heart and body so as to arrive on time, having the heart clothed with a desire to hear from Christ and the body dressed modestly so as not to attract attention to one’s self. Let each of us enter into every song and prayer, closing out the thoughts of the world and all the cares it loads on us. Let each of us listen to the Word of God with the intensity of baby birds chirping for food. In short, let each of us give himself to worship in this hour as though there were nothing better or more important in all the world to do – because there isn’t.
Pastor Joseph Terrell
John 4:23-24
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
CHRIST IS MADE UNTO US I Cor. 1: 30
According to the scriptures, those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord by divine election; certainly have no reason to boast nor to brag. It is not because of any merit or righteousness found in them, but simply by His sovereign grace; "but of Him are ye in Christ Jesus." Those who are in Christ according to God's sovereign grace are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ (Eph. 1:3). In this verse the Apostle mentions four of these spiritual blessings: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
1). Our Lord Jesus Christ is made unto us WISDOM!
We are foolish and blind by nature in the things of God. We have no spiritual appetite nor desire to learn anything from God because of our fallen, depraved and sinful nature. “The natural man receiveth not the things of God” (1 Cor. 2:14). But when God is pleased to reveal the gospel unto us and do a work of grace within us (Phil. 1:6), our Lord is made unto us wisdom, by Him we understand (Col. 3:11). In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). In Christ we see and understand the mysteries of the gospel, how God can be just and the justifier of the ungodly (Rom. 3:26).
2). Our Lord Jesus Christ is made unto us RIGHTEOUSNESS!
We are guilty and obnoxious before the holy justice of God. Our Lord is made unto the believer the very satisfying righteousness before God's throne. Christ Jesus completely and perfectly honored the law on our behalf and satisfied every precept and every penalty, thereby earning for His people perfect righteousness before God (Rom. 4:6). He is the Lord our Righteousness and in Him we are complete (Jer. 23:6; Col. 2:9-10).
3). Our Lord Jesus Christ is made unto us SANCTIFICATION!
We have a vile and ungodly nature within us received from our sinful parents (Rom. 5:12) Our Lord has by His grace given us a new holy nature, created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24) "Christ in you the Hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). We are partakers of a divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
4). Our Lord is made unto us REDEMPTION!
We were in bondage to our sin, the law and death. Our blessed Lord by His mighty grace set us free. He is our Deliverer, Redeemer from all the guilt and bondage of our sin (Job 33:24). He has set us free through the power of His effectual sacrifice at Calvary (Rom. 8:32). We are redeemed with the effectual and precious blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:11-12; 1 Peter 1:18-20).
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