CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune: "The Church's One Foundation")

Give me a sight, O Savior, of Thy great love to me;

God's love that has provided all He requires of me.

For pardon and for glory - His righteousness I plead.

Thy righteousness, O Savior, that grants me all I need.

O wonder of all wonders that through Thy death for me,

My guilt and my defilement can all abolished be.

Then melt this heart, O Savior, ring forth the Gospel sound;

And let me trust Thee only, my Lord and Savior crown!

O lead me to the fountain filled with His precious blood,

O fill my heart with worship, with His grace my soul flood;

I trust the risen Savior, and on His merits rest,

He is my one foundation, the brightest and the best.

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 54:17)

Bible Study 10 AM. "The Fountain Gate" Nehemiah 3:15-25

Today's Speaker: Brother Randy Wages will conduct the 11:00 am service today. Pray for him as he delivers God's word.

Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM -WISK. You can also hear the sermons on your computer. Just click on http://www.americusradio.com/

Birthdays: Alex Wages - June 1st

WHO ARE THE GODLY?

"But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for Himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto Him." (Psalm 4:3)

Basically, there are two things that set godly people apart from the ungodly:

(1) The godly live and walk in the realm of God's grace and mercy in Christ. They are saved, but not by anything they do or are. They are saved by the grace of God alone, forgiven because of the blood of Christ and justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed.

(2) They strive to submit to God's Word in worship, prayer, obedience, love, and good works, NOT to be saved, and NOT motivated by legal threats of punishment and loss or mercenary promises of earned reward, but motivated by God's grace, by love, and by gratitude. They live in continual conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit and continual faith and rest in the Lord Jesus Christ as their all in all. -Copied

Separated from the ungodly world

Gospel ministers are rejected, opposed, vilified; they are accounted troublers of the world, because they dare not, cannot stand silent, while sinners are perishing before their eyes. And if, in the course of many sermons, they can prevail but on one soul to take timely warning, and to seek to Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life-they may account it a mercy and an honor, sufficient to overbalance all the labor and reproaches they are called to endure. From the most, they must expect no better reception than the Jews gave to Jeremiah, who told the Prophet to his face, "As to the word you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord-we will not hearken to you at all; but we will certainly do whatever goes forth out of our own mouth!"

John Newton - May 24, 1774

Comfort My People

Isaiah 40:1

The chief instrument employed by God in the comforting of His mourners is His Holy Word. Listen to the confession of the Psalmist, "This is my comfort in my affliction; for Your word has quickened me," (Ps. 119:50). The same continuing conflict is experienced by all the people of God, and to them the consolations of the Spirit with the comforts of the word ever abide, and are ever the same. That term, "Your word," embraces God's decree, determination, promise, and performance. We see it set forth in Rom. 15;4: "For whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." This is blessedly true to us because they testify to our hearts of the Consolation of Israel, of what His Father, "the God of all comfort," has made Him to us. The abiding Comforter sweetly reveals this in the second verse of our chapter, "Speak comfortably to Jerusalem," that is, to the heart, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished," Christ has done all the fighting with Satan, sin and death, and, "we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us," "that her iniquity is pardoned." All Zion's iniquity in the lump was removed in one day when Jesus put it away by the sacrifice of Himself. How comfortable the privilege to say with the Psalmist, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and do not forget all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities," (Ps. 103:2,3). How many? "All your iniquities." How clearly Paul states this in Col. 2:13: "having forgiven you all trespasses." Well might dear John Kent sing with all his heart, and so may I,
"Here's pardon full for sin that's past,
It matters not how black the cast;
And, O my soul, with wonder view,
For sins to come here's pardon too."

Where are the sins of God's people? Hezekiah says, "You have cast all my sins behind Your back," (Isaiah 38:17). The soul says, "Sought for, they shall not be found," (Jer. 50:20). Micah says, "You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea," (Micah 7:19). Not in the shallows, but where they can never be seen or re-appear. The soul that once enjoys the comfort of that, is very uncomfortable without the enjoyment of it. And what a blessing to know that we are now receiving double favors, favors more abundant, in spite of all our sins. "Yours, O Lord, is the glory!" Amen.