Central Grace Church
3596 Franklin Street . Rocky Mount, Virginia
March 19th, 2017
9:30 am ----------------------------------------------If Ye Believe Not That I Am – John 8:13-25
10:00 am ---------------------------------------The Truth Shall Make You Free – John 8:31-36
*** No Wednesday Night Service This Week
28 years ago (March 19, 1989), this church asked me to come here and be its pastor. I thank the Lord for that call, thank Him for you; by His grace we are here, still here, and by His grace intend to die here.
Cleaning: This Week: John & Irene, Next Week: Rick & Kathryn Nursery: Aimee Poff
Listen to WYTI Radio, 1570 AM - 104.5 FM, Sundays 8:00 am
Listen to live audio of services on: www.mixlr.com/centralgracechurch New website: www.centralgracechurch.com
A Distinctive Gospel
NOT MANY LOST PEOPLE: The ‘good news’ begins with the bad news that all sinners are lost and condemned before a holy, righteous and just God. Look around you. You will not find very many ‘lost’ people in this world; at least they will not admit that they are lost, even though the Bible clearly says they are. We have got to tell them and make sure they understand they are sinners, lost sinners. And if we tell them that sin is ‘missing the mark’ we must also tell what the mark is. If you shoot a pellet gun at the side of a house from a distance of ten yards you are not likely to miss. But if you try to hit a nickel coin at a distance of 1 mile there is no doubt that you will miss the mark. Sin is missing the mark of the glory of God. Paul tells us that in Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is not just unlikely that we will obtain the glory of God, it is impossible. This is a mark we will never hit.
Proclaiming the Gospel also involves telling lost sinners who God really is. Most people have a false notion of God’s holiness, majesty and sovereignty. God’s greatest purpose, it would appear, is to be kind and good to all, preserving them from problems and difficulties. We have all heard it at some time or another, or we may even have said it ourselves: ‘What have I done to deserve this pain and suffering?’ ‘If there is a God He would not allow such suffering in the world.’ ‘Where is God? Even the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar knew it: “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’ (Dan.4:34-37)
A QUESTION WITH NO ANSWER: God does not have to save any guilty sinner—and that means any of us. He would be just and righteous if He condemned us all without exception. This is what we merit. But the Gospel states clearly (and this is the ‘good news’) that God chose to save some. ‘Why some and not all,’ some may ask. To that question there is no answer, for God has not revealed it to us. Even the apostle Paul did not have the answer. People in his day were asking the same question, ‘Why does He (God) still find fault? For who has resisted His will,’ and Paul replies with a reprimand, ‘Indeed, O Man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, why has thou made me like this?’ (Rom.9:19-20)
The marvel is that God chose to save any. In the Day of Judgment no condemned sinner will be able to say that God is unjust and that he does not merit God’s righteous condemnation. Nor will any saved sinner be able to say that he merited the salvation that God provided for him in grace and mercy. Could God have saved all fallen sinners if He so desired? He certainly could, but He chose not to. Was the death of Christ not sufficient to save all mankind? It certainly was, but that was not God’s intention. -- Bill Clark
Lie Still, and the Shears Will Not Cut You.
“As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth..” (Isaiah 53:7) O friends, what infinite patience is here, - patience which endured woes unknown to us, for our Lord's griefs and agonies were deeper than we shall ever be able to fathom! Yet to the end he bore all without a struggle. I went to see a friend, the other day, who has had a great number of sore afflictions, yet I found her singularly cheerful and content; and when I was speaking with her about the matter, she said, “I have for years enjoyed perfect submission to the divine will, and it was through what I heard you say.” So I asked her, “What did I say?” She replied, “You said that you had seen a sheep in the hands of its shearer, and that, although all the wool was clipped off its back, the shears never cut into its flesh; and you said that the reason was because the sheep was lying perfectly still. You said, ‘Lie still, and the shears will not cut you; but if you kick and struggle, you will not only be shorn, for God has resolved to do that, but you will be wounded in the bargain.’” O beloved, it is a blessed thing to lie still under the shears, so still as not even to bleat! “As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” May the perfect example of the Lamb of God teach us a holy submissiveness to the will of God! – Charles Spurgeon
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