March 22, 2009 SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH Of Princeton, New Jersey
Hebrews 13: 11: For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12: Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13: Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14: For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
MEETING LOCATION Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd floor 150 Washington Street, Rocky Hill, NJ, 08553
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES Sunday 10 AM Bible Class 11 AM Morning Worship Thursday 7:00 PM Mid-week Service
Clay Curtis, Pastor 7 Birch Street Pennington, New Jersey, 08534 Phone: 615-513-4464 Email: clay@sovereign-grace.us
GO FORTH UNTO HIM! Hebrews 13: 13: Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. If you confess to this world that all your hope is--not in yourself--but in Christ Jesus your Lord whose suffering without the camp made you holy and accepted with God eternally then you will be an offense to this world.
Glorying in the cross of Christ means renouncing any sanctifying, justifying work that you, or any other man, has or can perform. Glorying in the cross of Christ is to give yourself, your time, your energy, your all to worship and witness of Christ Jesus your Lord and Savior. If you leave behind this self-serving, self-righteous, will-worshipping generation and go forth unto Christ without the camp then you shall bear reproach (2 Tim 3: 12.) You will bear it from unbelieving fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends and family, but the Lord stated that if we love any more than him we are not worthy of him. You will bear scorn from the religious world. Remember: the reproach which Christ suffered was at the hands of religious men and women-religion excommunicated him, kicked him out of the camp, because they would not confess their sin, let go of their self-righteous deeds, and confess him to be Lord and Savior. The political, secular world rejected him because faith in Christ requires no compromise and the world's system requires you to compromise to the world's government, business, and popularity. It is fine with the world if you serve Christ and the world; but Christ is clear that it is an impossibility to do so.
Yet if Christ makes you know in spirit that he was suffering for you then you will find that there is not anything which is too much to suffer for Christ! Either we go without the camp and bear his reproach or we compromise with the enemies of Christ. We can not do both. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach (Hebrews 13: 13.)
THE SAME THAT ASCENDED Ephesians:1: 22 And hath put all things under [Christ's] feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23: Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all....4: 10: He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
Through Jeremiah the LORD declared that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the son of David, descended into the earth to execute judgment and justice in the earth. Part of that judgment and justice would come as King Jesus set up shepherds over his folds to feed his sheep, so that they would no longer fear, be confused, or be lacking. The Lord Jesus Christ who descended, who executed judgment and justice at Calvary, is the same who has ascended up and is now, yet, executing judgment and justice in the earth (Jer 23: 3-8.)
Christ is now filling his body, the church.What is he filling his church with? He is filling it with all the saints for whom he died. How is he filling his church with his saints? He is doing it by filling each of his saints individually with the truth of Christ. By filling all his saints with his gospel, by filling his body with them all, the Righteous Branch fills up the fullness of his body which is the fullness of him--he filleth all in all.
As promised, the Lord Jesus our King is doing this work in truth through the shepherds which he sets over each individual flock. Ephesians 4: 11: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:--till all be filled and all be brought into his church, his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. You see the issue is the glory of Christ through the whole work of salvation-in purposing it, in procuring it, in proclaiming it, in prevailing to increase true understanding in a sinner's heart by it, in preserving his brethren with it. Learning the gospel is by the power of our King Jesus, the Righteous Branch, to the praise of the glory of the grace of God.
We confess it was God who chose a people and not we who chose God; we believe it was Christ who effectually redeemed us, purged our sin, made us holy and righteous in him, and not we who make his work effectual; we believe it is the irresistible grace of God which creates a new heart, gives us all the grace of repentance and faith and love to turn us from ourselves to Christ, lest any man should boast. YET, we deny Christ if we make the claim that he brings his gospel to even one of his elect through a lie. It can not be gospel and be a lie. Make sure we understand that what differentiates false prophets from those Christ has sent, is their word concerning Christ our All. He may use a man to whom he never reveals the gospel, but while he uses the man the gospel he preaches will be the truth. Our Savior is absolutely sovereign and does this work in truth as surely as all other aspects of salvation--Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? (Jer 23: 23)
But dear, beloved, brother-pastor of the reformation said, "I was saved this way or that way!" I don't know the heart of the men of the past, but I know the method of the Dragon and his tail. The prophets who prophecy lies love to take a statement made by dear, beloved, brother-pastor, momma, daddy, whoever, and plant that in your heart so that you attempt to discern the fear of God by the precepts of dear, old, brother so-and-so, rather than by the word of God. Reason from God down and not from man up; hear what he says in his scriptures. Isaiah 61: 8: For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them; Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. This does not limit the sovereignty of God, it declares him sovereign absolutely!
I would like to thank brother Scott Keller who is doing an excellent job restructuring our church website. Be sure to give the site a visit. Under "Messages" you can filter by Date, Speaker, Title, Series or Text simply by clicking on that word in red. Under "Articles" you can filter by the same, as well as by article type--you will find sermon notes here. It is a work in progress. I will let you know as we add the new features we have planned. It is my hope that the website will become a useful tool for the parents and young people to use from home.
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