CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune – The Church’s One Foundation – p. 186)

(Words by Pastor Jim Byrd)

When Jesus died on Calv’ry, salvation’s work was done,

Redemption was accomplished by God’s eternal Son;

Christ bore our sins and sorrows, He made them all His own,

And died to honor justice, our sin-debt to atone.

O what a wondrous Savior, O what a matchless Friend,

What love and great compassion which none can comprehend;

The Lord came down from glory, His very life He gave,

He died by God’s appointment our guilty souls to save.

With deepest gratitude Lord, we praise Thy gracious Name,

And thank Thee for Christ Jesus Who took our sin and blame;

O may we fully trust Him, may He within us dwell,

Who died to seal our pardon and save our souls from hell.

TODAY’S SERVICES – Messages by Pastor Bill Parker

BIBLE CLASS – 10:00 a.m. –

A Nation Privileged But Lost – Romans 9:4-5

MORNING WORSHIP – 11:00 a.m –

• OPENING – 1 Samuel 2:6-9

• CALL TO WORSHIP (above)

• HYMN – Leaning on the Everlasting Arms – p. 460

• READING – Psalm 62

• MESSAGE – The Danger of Apostasy (2) – Hebrews 6:1-8

• CLOSING HYMN – Jesus Paid it All – p.125

Birthdays: Frank Jones – July 21^st | Leigh Ann Flynn – July 27^th

Wherefore He [Christ] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an High Priest became us, Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. –Hebrews 7:25-26

GOD ALONE EXALTED IN SALVATION

My friends, do you love to hear Christ lifted up and exalted as your all and in all? If you do, you are willing to be made less than nothing and vanity in yourselves. Professors of religion, generally, do not like to be thus humbled; they love to have something to do, in whole or in part, to recommend themselves to God. But the Lord’s salvation is not a mixture of grace and works. It is of free and sovereign grace, and received by faith alone, which is the gift of God. It is “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9). The Lord alone be exalted as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last in the salvation of His people. —John Kershaw, April 30, 1848

Always remember, Satan and his ministers do more harm in sheep’s skins than by roaring like lions – “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) Satan and his false apostles are most dangerous when they transform temporarily and preach some truth mixed with lies – “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14) Always be on your guard against his deceptions and devices – “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) —Copied

The doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ is a doctrine of great importance. The apostle speaks of it as if the essence of the Gospel lay in it and calls the opposite to it, justification by the works of the law, “another gospel” (Gal. 1:6,7; 3:8). It is a fundamental article of the Gospel. Some have called it the basis of Christianity. It was the great doctrine of the reformation, what our first reformers made their chief study and by it cut the sinews of popery, the anti-christian doctrines of penance and purgatory, of pardons and indulgences, of the merit of good works. One called it the article of the church by which it stands or falls. As this is, the church is. If this remains pure and uncorrupted, the church is in a well-settled and prosperous state. But if this loses ground and is rejected, it is in a ruinous one. This doctrine is the ground and foundation of all solid joy, peace, and comfort in this life and the hope of eternal glory hereafter. —John Gill, 1769

“WITHOUT FAULT BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD”

Weak hearts are apt to sit down troubled and discouraged, when they look upon that body of sin which is in them, and those imperfections which attend their best services. They are ready to say, "We shall one day perish by the strength of our lusts, or by the defects of our services!" Oh, but to strengthen them against all discouragements, they should remember this – that they stand before God clothed with the righteousness of their Savior. "They are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:5). There is no flaw in God's account. God looks upon weak saints in the Son of His love and sees them all lovely. Ah, poor souls, you are apt to look upon your spots and blots, and to cry out with the leper not only "Unclean! unclean! Undone! undone!" Well, forever remember this – that you stand before God in the righteousness of Christ upon which account you always appear before the throne of God without fault. —Thomas Brooks

STRIVING FOR THE MASTERY

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” (1 Corinthians 9:25)