ZEBULON BAPTIST CHURCH
Weekly Bulletin
Sunday, November 30, 2008

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. Psalm 89:14-17

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Ephesians 1:3
How often have we heard someone say, "You need to count your blessings"? This is said whenever some calamity takes place or someone is feeling sorry for himself and is down in the dumps about something. As men begin to "count their blessings," they invariably start counting their cars, their houses, their health and that of their family, jobs, husbands, wives, friends, etc. All these things have their place, I'm sure; and we are truly thankful for them. But when the saints in the Bible "counted their blessings," their COUNTING was always different from ours. "They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). They counted suffering shame for Christ to be a blessing! They also counted whatever was gain to them to be but loss, to be dung that they might win Christ. They counted it a blessing to give up all, to count it all loss for Christ, their Lord.

Paul, when counting his blessings in Ephesians 1, started counting election, God's eternal love, God's predestinating purpose, God's glorious sovereignty, Christ's blessed redemption, and the effectual work of the Holy Spirit. He counted being chosen in Christ before the world began and being accepted in the Beloved to be the CHIEFEST BLESSINGS. Maybe we need to rethink this thing of "counting our blessings." Pastor Don Bell

THE SHEEP OF THE SHEPHERD
Exodus 29: 20, "Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about."

This is the way God's sheep are branded and marked. The priest of the Old Testament when he was consecrated a priest; they put three marks on him with blood. First of all, on his right ear they put blood, and then on his right thumb they put blood, and then on the big toe of his right foot they put blood. It was the ear, the hand and the foot that were marked with blood. This is how God's sheep are marked:

1). The Lord marks the ear, they hear His voice; they hear God's Word. "Another shepherd they will not follow," a stranger they will not follow. They can discern the truth, they can hear the truth; they know when a man is preaching the truth. They know when a man is telling the truth; they know the truth; they hear His voice and they discern truth.

2). The Lord marks them on the hand. They have the mark of the blood of Christ on their hands. They are generous, they are forgiving, they are kind, and they reach out to others. "Be ye kind one to another, forgiving one another as Christ's sake He hath forgiven you." That's right, they are marked and they are branded.

3). The Lord marks their feet. They walk in His Word, they walk in His will, they walk in His way, and they walk with Him. "They follow me." That's my sheep! This is the sheep of the Shepherd.

I'm not talking about religious folks, and I'm not talking about all those nice folks who made a profession of faith, and put their name on the church roll and said, "Goodbye God, I'll see you in heaven, if you make it." I'm talking about the sheep of the Shepherd. They are consecrated, dedicated, ordained, anointed, called, and redeemed in Christ, the sheep of the Shepherd. "My sheep hear My voice, they follow me." Listen, "And I give them eternal life." They don't earn it, they don't merit it, they don't deserve it; the Shepherd gives to them eternal life and they follow Him. (Taken from a transcribed TV sermon by Pastor Henry Mahan)

THE JUDGMENT THRONE OF CHRIST
He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matt. 25:33-34).

In this great and notable day of judgment, the Great Shepherd of the sheep shall make a just distinction between His elect, chosen and blessed in Christ and those left to justly perish in their sins (Matt. 25:41). As the sovereign Lord of all, He has the supreme knowledge and divine right to make these exact distinctions between the sheep (believers) and the goats (unbelievers) (2Tim. 2:19). I want you to notice carefully the words of commendations and grace given to His church, "The King shall say unto them...."

1). "Come." The great Shepherd calls His sheep unto Himself, ten thousand welcomes (John 17:24). Come to Me, come unto my dearest embraces, come into my sweet and eternal communion, come into my spiritual kingdom and take possession of all covenant mercies ( Rom. 8:32; Matt. 25:21). Come unto my throne of glory (Rev. 5:10).

2). "Come, ye blessed of my Father." The reason of our coming and blessing is found in the eternal covenant of grace (Jer. 31:3; Psa. 65:4; John 6:44-45). As the Spirit glorifies the Son (John 16:14), so the Son glorifies the Father by referring the salvation of His sheep to the eternal purpose of God (Rom. 11:36), He is the first cause and last end in justifying His elect (Eph. 1:3-14; Eph. 3:10-11).

3). "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you." This is the eternal inheritance of God's grace (1Peter 1:3-5), bought with the precious blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:5-6; John 14:1-6). Not acquired by our merit, but rather by His free grace (Rom. 3:24). This inheritance is freely given to all those made heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:17; Rev. 21:6-7).

4). "Prepared for you from the foundation of the world." All of God's preparations for the sheep on His right hand are by His eternal decrees (Acts 15:11; Rev. 13:8). These preparations are not only eternal but also particular, "for you" (2Thes. 2:13). The Lord Jesus Christ lived as Mediator (1Tim. 2:5) and died as Substitute for the sheep on His right hand (John 10:15; Matt 1:21). For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him (1Thes. 5:9).

One can easily see that the whole of our salvation and final glorification is all of God's free and sovereign grace, to the total exclusion and any consideration of creature merit or righteousness (2Tim 1:9; 1Cor. 1:30-31). Pastor Tom Harding