ZEBULON BAPTIST CHURCH
Weekly Bulletin
Sunday, January 24, 2010

I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. Psalm 119:113-117

Our sincere sympathy is extended to Charles Nichols and family in the death of his bother, Jack Nichols.

STRIVING LAWFULLY
“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (2 Timothy 2:5).

If a man crossed the finish line, but has not obeyed the rules of the race, or did not stay on the proper course, he is disqualified. No short-cuts allowed.

Few preachers pay attention to this warning. In their thirst for success in the ministry, which they cover up by calling it, “seeking to win the lost,” they take short-cuts. They do not obey the rules of the Gospel. They cut corners on Gospel Truth in order to make their message more likely to be received. They by-pass certain parts of the race to speed up the process. But they will find in the end that no one was truly saved through their ministry. Even more horrifying will it be when they find that they themselves were not saved. Pastor Todd Nibert

BEWARE OF SATAN’S MINISTERS
The apostles of Satan are not saloon-keepers and white-slave traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to “flee from the wrath to come” they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that “without shedding of blood is no remission,” they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to “follow in His steps.” Of them it must be said, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” ( Romans 10:3).

Their message may sound very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them— “for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing (not to be wondered at) if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). A. W. Pink

LORD, DON'T LEAVE US ALONE
Mark 1:23-24
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God (Mark 1:23-24).

When the Lord Jesus went among the people preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, the people in the synagogue were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them with authority. They did not recognize, acknowledge nor confess His person as God the Son, but they were amazed at His words. What is most remarkable the "unclean spirit," knew exactly Who He was and confessed that Jesus Christ is the, "Holy One of God." The demon spirit also confessed he was deserving of God's righteous judgment, "art thou come to destroy us." The demon spirit also cried out and said, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee."

The believer's cry before the Lord is similar, yet completely different. We, by His grace do confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour (Phi. 2:9-11), but not only acknowledging His Lordship over us, but we willingly submit to Him and love Him supremely (1Pet.2:7). We say with Thomas, Jesus Christ is, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).

Believers also confess they are deserving of God's righteous judgment against our sin and plead for mercy (Psa. 51: 1-4; Luke 18:13-14). Our plea before the Lord is, don't leave us alone, we need thee every hour in everyway. We need Thee, to be Surety and Sacrifice for us (Heb. 7:22), Mediator representing us (1Tim. 2:5), Advocate pleading for us (1John 2:1), Captain guiding and fighting for us (Heb. 2:10), Redeemer delivering us (Heb. 2:14-17), Great High Priest interceding for us (Heb. 4:14-16), the Chief, Great, and Good Shepherd providing all things for us (Psalm 23:1-4; Phil. 4:19).

This is the Lord's unwavering and steadfast promise to His covenant people that, He never will leave us. "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). What sweet comfort this affords the believer! As one old writer put it, "The Lord Jesus Christ freely gives us all grace now and all glory hereafter" (Rom. 8:32). Pastor Tom Harding