June 7, 2009

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Of Princeton, New Jersey

Matthew 5: 5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

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 Service
Thursday 7:00 PM Mid-week Service

WEB ADDRESSES AND MAILING ADDRESS
www.sovereign-grace.us/
www.sermonaudio.com/sgbcpnj
www.freegraceradio.com

Clay Curtis, Pastor
7 Birch Street
Pennington, New Jersey, 08534
Phone: 615-513-4464
Email: clay@sovereign-grace.us

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN
Matthew 5: 4: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Have you ever thanked the Lord because he made you to mourn? We usually think we have been blessed when things go the way we want them to go, when we are happy. The Lord Jesus Christ says, "Blessed are they that mourn."

This world gives the believer many reasons to mourn. We mourn the death of loved ones. Often unkind words or deeds spoken by us, or spoken by someone to us, may cause us to mourn. We are brought to grieve often in our necessary dealings in this world.

Yet, as sorrowful as those things are that is not why the blessed person mourns. Those who are blessed of God are those in whom the Holy Spirit has created a new spirit (v3.) In that new spirit we are made to behold how poor we are in ourselves, in trespasses and in sins. The mourning of the blessed man is over his sin which he knows he is (Ps 38: 17, 18.)

All sorrow is traced directly or indirectly to sin but what makes sin so exceedingly sinful to those who are blessed is that we know that our sin is against our holy, loving and gracious God who has shown us only goodness all our days (Ps 51:4.) Those who are blessed mourn the fact that it is "my" sins for which Christ suffered (Is 53: 4, 5; Zec 12: 10.) But wait! Knowing that our sin is ever before us, that our sin is constantly mixed with everything we do, and that our sin so often brings us into the depths of sorrow how then is it that the blessed man is comforted? Isaiah 53: 5:...and with his stripes we are healed.

Only our Lord Jesus Christ can produce tears of sorrow then turn them into tears of joy. Oh, how true it is! Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

SOWING IN TEARS, REAPING IN JOY
Psalm 126: 5: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6: He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
When we are made to mourn our sin it is then that the Spirit of God lifts our eyes upward to behold our Lord Jesus Christ. We behold him who went forth weeping, the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He went forth to the cross bearing precious seed, the elect of God given him before the world began. This One, who is himself the precious Seed of God, like that corn of wheat which must fall into the ground, so he was broken that he might bring forth much fruit. Doubtless, he has come again from the grave with rejoicing. Even now, through the gospel he is reaping bountifully in his field. But very soon, he shall come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves, the fruit of his harvest, every single redeemed child with him into the eternal rest of glory. And so it is as the Spirit lifts our eyes to behold this glorious sight of our King Savior, though for now we sow in tears we are strengthened to know that we shall reap in joy.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH
The law was given at Mt. Sinai 430 years after Abraham was saved by the free grace of God in Christ. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Ro 4: 13.)

WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING?
Believer, are you in need of comfort this hour? Consider what the Lord has so freely given to his people. God the Father gave his only begotten Son. The Son of God, Christ Jesus, gave his life for his sheep. We have been given the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth. The scriptures have been given to us, every promise on every page signed with God's name written in the blood of Christ. We have the precious ordinances to remind us of our Lord until he returns. He has given us pastors after his own heart to serve us by feeding us with the word of the sure mercies of our King. Oh, seeing all that God has so freely given, why would we ever look anywhere else for comfort? Our Consolation is Christ. May our great Savior be pleased to make you to know even now that the same great promise he made effectual in your heart the first hour you believed is forever as sure to you as it was then, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28.)

A QUESTION FOR STREETLIGHTS
Isaiah 13: 10: For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
When I was a teenager growing up in the country I almost always had a million-candlepower spotlight in my truck. At night when I would visit a friend's house in town we liked to shine that spotlight on the streetlight in front of his house. The spotlight was so overpowering it would make the streetlight go dark.

In the day of our Lord Jesus Christ's return the stars, the sun, and the moon shall not give their light because of the preeminent Light of Christ. If that be the case between Christ and those celestial bodies, which even now outshine your little streetlight of so-called righteousness, then what shall be the case when you encounter Christ the Light?

SERMONS
Dead Unto Sin, Alive Unto God
True Nobility

ARTICLES FROM OTHERS
For The Love of the Gospel
The Church Where Everybody is a Nobody
We Love Christ More Than His Shadow
Has Any Ever Suffered More Pain?
Walk in Love

SPECIAL MEETINGS
For info on special meetings around the country click here

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Princeton, NJ invites you to attend our meeting Friday through Sunday, July 24-26, 2009. Our guest speakers will be Don Fortner and Marvin Stalnaker. More info will be posted as we approach the time. You may contact our pastor at: clay@sovereign-grace.us.