Psalm 40:16-17

We welcome Brother Roland Browning to our worship service today; he is a dear friend of many years and an able preacher of the gospel. I am preaching today in Rocky Mount, Va. for Pastor Paul Mahan.

Christ Did Not Suffer in Vain

God has declared in His Word that He will show mercy, that He will redeem and glorify a people, and that heaven will be populated with a holy people like His beloved Son. And here is the greatest evidence that His promise will be fulfilled: “HE THAT SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON” (Rom. 8:32).

The Father did not withhold the Son from all that He must be, endure, suffer, and accomplish in order to take up our hopeless case and redeem us. He gave Christ to be our representative, sacrifice, sin-offering, and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5).

If God so loved that He gave Christ, and Christ so loved that He gave Himself, shall we NOT freely and abundantly receive all that He purchased for us? Did our Lord suffer in vain? Perish the thought!

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1985)

DIVINE REVELATION

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me.” (Galatians 1:15-16.

In our text Paul shows us three things about the Divine revelation of God.

1. Firstly, we see that divine revelation comes to a sinner when it pleases God. “But when it pleased God.” “Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. (Romans 9:15)

2. Secondly, Paul informs us that it is God who initiates and separates His elect unto Himself. “But when it pleased God who separated me.” It is God who sanctifies, and sets apart, and makes the chosen sinner perfectly holy and righteous in Christ.

3. Thirdly, Paul explains that our salvation was/is not a result of anything that we do. “But when it pleased God who separated me from my mothers womb, and called me by His grace.” Before any of us were born. Before any of us had done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. Our salvation is not of works, but of Him, (of God) that calleth.”(Romans 9:11)

God did these three things for one reason. “To reveal His Son in me.” God’s Son, my Savior, my Substitute and Sacrifice, was REVEALED in me, when it pleased God. He is the One that separated me before the foundation of the world to be His own. I am saved only because God effectually called me by His grace. When God calls the sinner, that sinner will come. It is then that Christ is revealed in them to be everything they need and everything that God requires. I am truly thankful for the Lord’s divine revelation. Aren’t you?

Pastor David Eddmenson

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, let God be magnified" (Psalm 70:4).

Every believer can truly identify and say with David, that we love the salvation that God has abundantly, eternally and sovereignly given to the poor and needy sinner in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that everyone is in need of salvation (Rom. 3:23), but few seem to have any real interest. The warning of scripture is, "how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation" (Heb. 2:3). Why does the true believer love the salvation of God? Let me give you several scriptural reasons.

1). We love God’s salvation because of the experience of it in the heart. This salvation is not only a perfect work accomplished for us at Calvary with His justifying blood atonement, it is also a work of God the Holy Spirit making application to the sinner’s heart. Salvation, that is revealed in scripture is an experience of the grace of God revealing Christ to the heart (Phil. 1:6).

2). We love God’s salvation because of the method of it (1 Peter 3:18). The method of this salvation was devised, implemented and executed by God Almighty. It is the way of sovereign grace through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Who satisfied the demands of God’s justice and supplied every need for the guilty sinner (Phil. 4:19).

3). We love God’s salvation because of the sureness of it (Rom. 4:16). We run no risk when we trust the eternal welfare of our soul upon Jesus Christ the righteous; it is truly a safe salvation (Psa. 62:8). He guarantees and gives eternal life to all those who believe on His name (John 3:36).

4). We love God’s salvation because of the completeness of it (Col. 2:9-10). Nothing remains unfinished or lacking. God’s salvation is not waiting upon the sinner to add something to make it complete or effectual. Only that which God provided will be accepted (Gen. 22: 8). Sin is put away (Heb. 9:26), redemption is accomplished (Heb. 9:12), righteousness is established (Phil. 3:7-9), reconciliation is achieved (2 Cor.5:18).

5). We love God’s salvation because of the person of it (1 John 5:10-12). Jesus Christ Himself is the sum, substance and subject matter of the gospel (Rom. 1:1-3). "He is altogether Lovely" (Song of Sol. 5:16). Salvation is not in a profession, place nor a position but rather in a person.