Today’s Speaker: Brother Randy Wages will conduct the 11:00 am service today. Pray for him as he delivers God’s word.
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.
Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM –WISK. To hear sermons on your computer click on www.americusradio.com
Web Sites: Visit our newly designed web site at: www.rofgrace.com
The Lord spoke of His hatred of the deeds and doctrine of the “nicolaitans” (Revelation 2:6,15). These “nicolaitans” were an ungodly group who sought to infiltrate the churches of Ephesus and Pergamos. They represent a prevailing problem for all true Gospel churches throughout the last days. The only thing within the text to show us who they were is the meaning of the word itself. “Nicolaitan” is a compound Greek word – “nikao” means ―to conquer,‖ and “laos” means ―the people.‖ We get our word ―laity‖ from the latter. They were more than likely leaders in the church who sought to rule over people with clerical (clergical) authority that went beyond the Scriptures. They sought to conquer and rule the people, gain a following for themselves, rather than acting as Christ’s undershepherds to lead people to Christ and guide them by God’s Word. Men by nature love to follow other men (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-13), and certain men love to have it so (3 John 9-11). But this is not the way of Christ. John the Baptist said it best – “HE [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Consider how the Apostle Paul sought to correct this when the people promoted it – “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 10:13). Christ is the Lord and Savior of His church. No minister, not even a true minister, can eclipse Christ or His Word as our life and authority. Consider how the Apostle John sought to correct this when a man promoted himself – “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God” (3 John 11). Brethren, the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ is a unifying message for God’s people, and whenever men seek to divide, or people divide over men, this is the doctrine and deeds of the “nicolaitans” that our Lord hates (cf. Prov. 6:16-19).
--- Pastor Bill Parker
Psalm 125:1 “They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.”
The righteous (they that trust in the Lord) cannot be removed. They abide forever because they are shut up to Christ. He has rendered all the obedience they owed Gods law, he has satisfied all the law they transgressed, he has suffered all the wrath they earned, he has died the death they deserved, he has paid the ransom they could not and he provided for them a robe of righteousness that, imputed to them, secures them in an unchangeable standing of justification before God.
Winston Pannell
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)
What will satisfy a soul born again? We have a satisfaction, and that satisfaction is Christ. If we are born again of the Spirit of God, no provision will satisfy us but the Bread of eternal life, which comes down from heaven. Christ is the provision of the Father's house, and this provision alone will satisfy a heaven-born soul.
If you and I are born again of God we cannot be satisfied with the world and things of the world; and if you and I are born of God we are not, nor can be, satisfied in or of ourselves. I firmly believe from my own experience, that the longer a heaven-born child of God lives here, the more dissatisfied he will be with himself; the more he will sink in his own esteem; loathe and abhor himself, and repent, in his soul-feeling, in the dust before the Lord. On the other hand, if we are born again we shall feel a growing need of a precious Christ, of His glorious Person as the God-man and Mediator. We need Him as our covenant Head, and to feed upon Him as the mystery of godliness, God-man in the flesh, and we adore Him. We see Him fulfill the law of ten commands; we rejoice in His righteousness, and hunger and thirst after it. We also see Him in His blood-shedding; we see the work is finished, and our soul feeds upon a finished and complete salvation, all of grace, from first to last.
O, there is that in Christ that satiates the soul that is born of God. He is all and in all. It is of importance for you and me and every child of God to learn that He is our Saviour and Redeemer. We read in the prophecy by Ezekiel about a newborn babe being cast into the open field. O! How helpless it is! It can do nothing for itself; it must have all done for it. (Ezek. 16) Now, if you are born again of God, you are yourself as helpless as regards saving yourself, and washing yourself from your sins, and clothing yourself in the robe of righteousness, and justifying yourself in a spiritual point of view, as that little child was. If we are born again we are like the babe cast out, helpless and crying, bewailing our condition, knowing that no man can help us. But when the Lord passes by, He spreads His skirt over us, and feeds and nourishes us with the Bread of heaven, and gives us all that we stand in need of. Heaven-born souls can do nothing for themselves. Christ and Christ alone is all and in all. Amen.
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