ZEBULON BAPTIST CHURCH
Weekly Bulletin
Sunday, April 12, 2009

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5

LAST WORDS
When friend or foe dies, most men and women are far kinder with their words than they have ever been before. When a person dies people usually try to remember only the good things about the departed. They are slow to criticize and quick to praise. Grudges are forgotten; misunderstandings are forgiven; unneeded assistance is sincerely offered.

Oh, that we would be as kind IN LIFE as we are in death. I can think of no reason why we shouldn't, unless we have unregenerate, unbroken hearts and a perverted view of our own natures. The love, mercy, and grace of Christ toward us should at all times motivate us to love, forgive and build a good relationship with one another. Unfortunately, many who profess faith and love toward Christ appear to be strangers to the Spirit of Christ and they go on in bitterness, unforgiving and unloving . . .until someone dies, then they try to say and do what they should have said and done when it would have glorified God and blessed all concerned, . . . especially themselves!

Lord, let me live this day as if it were my last day on earth and let my words to others be so seasoned with grace that my words would be fitting - ‘LAST WORDS.' Pastor Henry Mahan (2009)

THE SALVATION OF THE TRIUNE GOD
Each glorious person in the Godhead has a glorious part in our salvation. GOD THE FATHER chose, sanctified, and set us apart in Christ before the world was; GOD THE SON took our humanity into union to His personal Godhead, was made flesh, lived a perfect life, suffered and died a solemn death, rose again from the dead, and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father, ever living to make intercession for us; GOD THE SPIRIT awakened the dead and "called us with a holy calling." This call is the solemn, soul-quickening, heart-rending call of the Holy God from death to life, from darkness to light, from the power of sin and Satan to the kingdom of the Son of His love. So that, BEFORE THE WORLD WAS, the church was saved purposely by God the Father; IN TIME meritoriously by, the God-man, Christ Jesus, who now lives above, their mediator, High Priest, and advocate; and IN THE DAY OF GOD'S POWER they are saved manifestly and vitally by the "washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:4-7). WILLIAM GADSBY

WE BELIEVE AND ARE SURE
"Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (John 6:69).

From the standpoint of God's eternal decree, it may be truly said that believing sinners will not turn away from Christ because they CANNOT; but from the standpoint of the believer's experience, it may just as truly be said that believers cannot turn away from Christ because they WILL NOT. And this is not presumption. It is the simple, saving, childlike faith and trust of a believing sinner, a true believer. The desperate NEED of his soul can only be satisfied in Christ Jesus the Lord! Pastor Maurice Montgomery

ALL THINGS IN CHRIST
Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough (All things). And he urged him, and he took it [Gen. 33:11].

In this chapter we have the meeting between Esau and Jacob. They had been separated for twenty years due to Esau's threat to kill Jacob (Gen.27:41). When Jacob came back home he sent a large herd of livestock as a present unto Esau to appease his anger (Gen. 32:13-15). At first, Esau, in his pride rejected Jacob's present and said he had enough or that he had much, "I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself" (Gen. 33:9). Later, at the urging of Jacob, Esau received the gift and they were reconciled as brothers again. On the surface this is a most interesting story, however there is an excellent gospel principle given to us here.

Esau's standing before God was one of condemnation (Rom. 9:1-13; Heb. 12:16-17), having so much cattle and material things, yet without Christ and without hope (Eph. 2:12). Esau was content and was not concerned about his spiritual state before God. Alarming place to be, without Christ, yet content "I have enough" yet having no righteousness to satisfy God (Rom. 10:1-4 ), no sufficient atonement for sin (Heb.10:12-17).

Many people like Esau, are insistent they have adequate works (religious) or sufficient merit (righteousness) to meet God's high standard of holy justice (Luke 16:15; Rom. 3:23). They are most confident they need not the righteousness of Christ to justify (Rom. 4:6-8) or His atonement for their sin to be accepted of God (Heb. 1:3; 2:17). How sad to hear people say, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;" when God's says, "knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17).

Esau's enough was much, but Jacob's enough included all things, all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3; 1Cor. 1:30). Notice, that Jacob attributes all he has to the sovereign grace of God, "God hath dealt graciously with me" (Gen. 33:11; 2Tim. 1:9). Every believer can say with Jacob, in Christ we have all things freely given through His grace (Rom. 8:32; 1Cor. 2:12; 1Cor. 15:10;). Someone might ask, "Is the Lord Jesus Christ enough?" If the Lord Jesus Christ is all you have, God says, that is enough (Gen.22:8; Eph.1:6; Col.2: 9-10; 3:11). My friend, never be satisfied or content just having or resting in some religious experience, but rather seek salvation in Whom it is found and rest in the Lord Jesus Christ alone (Matt. 6:33; Acts 4:12; 2Tim. 1:12). Pastor Tom Harding