CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune: “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”)

God is holy, just, and righteous

When He saves us by His love;

He is so based on the merits

Of Christ’s righteousness and blood.

Christ our Savior, Christ our Savior;

Look to Him and Him alone;

In His merits we find favor;

He our Lord is on the throne.

Christ has set us free from bondage;

We the debt no longer owe;

He has paid the fullest ransom,

Now the law must let us go.

Free in Jesus, free in Jesus;

Free to serve Him graciously;

He has bought our full salvation

Pardon, peace, and liberty.

TODAY’S SPEAKER: Eager Avenue Grace Church extends a warm welcome to Bill Parker. Bill is pastor of Thirteenth Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Ky. He will conduct both the 10:00 am and 11:00 am services today. Pray for him as he delivers God's Word.

Fellowship Meal: We will have a fellowship meal immediately following the 11am service. All are invited to attend.

Television Broadcast: Our Reign of Grace Television program is being broadcast on WFXL Fox 31, Channel 4. The program will air every Sunday morning at 11 AM. Pray that God will use it for His glory.

Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM –WISK. To hear sermons on your computer click on www.americusradio.com

Web Site: Visit our newly designed web site at: www.rofgrace.com . Also visit us at: www.Sermonaudio.com\reignofgrace

Birthdays: Leigh Ann Flynn – July 27^th. – Jackie Renfroe – July 28^th.

Jake Jones – July 30^th.

The ‘Children of the Resurrection’ Shall Live

“Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: ¹⁴And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ¹⁵Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. ¹⁶For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: ¹⁷And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” (I Cor. 15:12-17)

Consider how Paul’s reasoning here with the Corinthians is just as relevant in our day and time. Like some of these among the Corinthians, many in our day likewise readily accept the fact that Christ truly arose from the grave while at the same time believing that many of those for whom Christ lived and died shall not be resurrected, but rather shall perish unless they presumably do something to seal the deal. If even one for whom He died and rose again fails to be resurrected into heaven’s glory, then it would have to follow that Christ must not have truly risen from the grave for (or because of) their justification (Rom. 4:25). I pray God will show men and women the illogical, God-dishonoring contradiction of believing that Christ arose while at the same time imagining that any could perish for whom He lived, died, and arose? Sadly, any who cling to such notions might accurately have attributed unto them the same indisputable conclusions that Paul related to the Corinthians – that such a faith is indeed vain (empty, useless, worthless) since apart from the full and complete satisfaction He rendered to justice which merited and demanded His resurrection, all sinners would be left in their sins.

Randy Wages

"WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED"

Any view of our being in Christ or being righteous by our union with Him that minimizes our death with Him and His death for us is error. If we could have been saved simply by being "in Him," He would not have needed to come into this world and die the death of the cross in our place. He had to come and die because of our sins. The wages of sin is death. That's why the true gospel is not about Christ as some mystical person but about "Christ crucified." It isn't about what I don't do in Him but about what He did for me. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Why? "It is God that justifieth" "so who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died." (Rom. 8:1, 33,34)

Gary Shepard

BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” (Eph. 5:18)

What is it to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Here are just a few things to consider. It is:

-- To be filled with a true and constant sense of our need of Christ, the grace and mercy of God in and by HIM, His blood for the forgiveness of all our sins, His righteousness imputed for our complete, eternal right standing before God. It is to know that our only hope, now and forever, is to look to and rest in Christ, crucified, and risen, the One who is seated in the heavenlies ever living to make intercession for us, the One who saves us and keeps us in His grace.

-- To be filled with a desire to follow Christ in His Word, not so as to earn our salvation and blessings, but as we are motivated by love, grace, and gratitude to Him for all He has freely given us. It is to be filled with His Word, knowing that without Him and without His Word, we are blind and ignorant and can do nothing for the glory of God. It is to fight against the sinful desires of the flesh, not seeking and finding victory in our own power and goodness (we have none), but in the power and goodness of Christ.

-- To be filled with love for Christ and His people, our brethren in the faith, so as to seek His glory and preeminence, not our own, and to seek the good of the body of Christ (the Church), to be an instrument of edification and not set on our own personal desires and goals.

-- To be filled with a love for the lost in desiring their salvation as evidenced by zeal in evangelism and prayer for the good of their souls. It is to know that our whole salvation is owing to the sovereign mercy and grace of God in Christ and not to anything in and of ourselves. We, therefore, seek and pray for the salvation of sinners and seek to tell them the truth as it is in the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ.