Today’s Speaker: Brother Mark Pannell 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 click here
Web Sites: Visit our newly designed web site at: www.rofgrace.com
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
True believers, in looking to Christ for all of their salvation, give evidence that they are among the saints for whom the Holy Spirit makes intercession – and that intercession is all in accordance with God’s will. If the Holy Spirit Himself and Christ Himself (See Rom 8:34 & Heb 7:25) are ever interceding for each one of God’s saints, then all of his or her prayers are ultimately submitted before the Father in accordance with His perfect will. And His will shall always be done! (Isa 46:10) Some are disappointed to learn that God’s will and purpose shall always be realized and that their prayers will not change His mind. But that does not mean that the prayer of a righteous, justified sinner is not effectual and powerful. In ways I do not come close to fully understanding, God uses the prayers of His people as an effectual means in accomplishing His objectives. I know the prayers of a true believer are powerful and effectual because God says so. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man <a justified sinner> availeth much.” (James 5:16b)
--- Randy Wages
THE BLESSED DOCTRINE OF IMPUTATION
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). Here Christ stands with all the curse of a broken law charged upon Him, as the sinner’s Surety; yea, as the curse itself. And consequently, as in the doing of this, He takes it from His people; they are redeemed from it. The original debtor, and the Surety who pays for that debtor, cannot both have the debt at the same time charged upon them. This, therefore, is the blessed doctrine of imputation. Our sins are imputed to Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us. And this by the authority and appointment of JEHOVAH; for without this authority and appointment of JEHOVAH, the transfer could not have taken place. For it would have been totally beyond our power to have made it. But surely not beyond the right and prerogative of God. And if God accepts such a ransom; yea, He Himself appoints it: and if the sinner by Christ’s righteousness be made holy and if the sins of the sinner be all done away by Christ's voluntary sufferings and death; if the law of God be thus honored, the justice of God thus satisfied, all the divine perfections glorified by an equivalent, yea, more than an equivalent, inasmuch as Christ’s obedience and death infinitely transcend in dignity and value the everlasting obedience of men and angels; surely, here is the fullest assurance of the truth of the doctrine of Christ’s imputed righteousness, and the perfect approbation of JEHOVAH to the blessed plan of redemption.
--- Robert Hawker
GIVING OUR CHILDREN THE BEST
I read with sadness the news of scores of young people being killed by a crazed gunman in Norway. How awful when God holds back His restraining grace and allows us to see the depravity of every heart. But I was also reminded of something else, the responsibility of those who know and believe the gospel to bring their children up showing them the importance of the gospel of Christ and God's salvation. No doubt the parents of these young people, just like parents in this country, wanted the best for their children. Parents in our day spend amazing amounts of money, expend hours of time and subject themselves to great inconvenience for their children. They must be given the best education from their very early days of childhood. They must have social opportunity and interaction with other children, participating the arts, in every sport, club, school function and social event. Parents complain about the time, the cost and the hardship but they still do it (they say) for their children. These Norwegian parents no doubt did the same. They sent their children off to a camp where they would enjoy all these things and maybe learn beneficial things. Sadly, they died there. Even more sadly, most probably died without any true knowledge of Christ and His salvation. The best we can do for our children is to bring them up showing them the importance of Christ and the gospel by the making them priorities in our lives as well as theirs. There is no blanket promise in scripture that God will save them but they will not be saved apart from faith in Christ as He reveals Himself to be in the gospel. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4) They are all like us, depraved sinners, and only God can save them but He does so oftentimes using His word as He did for Timothy. Paul said: "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15) God give us grace and strength against this tide of ungodliness to tell them the gospel "Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:" (Psalms 78:3-7) Then, whatever happens to them, we will know that we gave them the BEST and this will be our consolation.
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