Church Websites: lantanagrace.org sermonaudio.com/dleeb
Call to Worship
Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For, Lord that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hast Thou not chosen me.
Thou from the sin that stained me,
Hast cleansed and set me free,
Of old Thou hast ordained me
That I should live to Thee.
Your love had no beginning,
No cause in me was found;
That you should choose to save me,
A sinner strongly bound.
But grace not earned or sought for,
Was purposed for my soul,
For me, salvation wrought for;
Christ paid the dreadful toll.
‘Twas sovereign mercy called me,
And taught my op’ning mind;
The world had else enthralled me,
To heav’nly glories blind.
My heart owns none before Thee,
For Thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing if I loved Thee,
Thou must have loved me first
(Tune: The Church's one Foundation Pg.186)
THE MIRROR Colossians 3:5
When a person stands before a mirror, he sees three things--the mirror, himself, and other things which are in the room. When I sincerely look by faith into the scriptures, I see many things, but primarily three things.
(1) I see the
LORD JESUS CHRIST, for He verily is the WORD OF GOD. It is of Him, from Him, and to His glory that it is written. "To Him give all the prophets witness."
(2) I see MYSELF as I truly am, for the word reveals the true nature and need of this son of Adam. "Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner! Let Thy blood atone for me on the mercy-seat."
(2) I see OTHER PEOPLE and my RELATIONSHIP and my RESPONSIBILITY to them!
The image of myself reflected in a mirror is larger than others in the room, but NOT SO WITH THE SCRIPTURES. "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:27-28). Paul rebuked those at Ephesus who "walked in the vanity of their own minds and desires," and said to them, "You have not so learned Christ." The person who is often in the word of Christ is often in prayer, in concern, and in the care and concerns of others!
- Henry Mahan
~~~ O ~~~
REMEMBERED BY GOD
The most precious gift of all is to be remembered of God. "God remembered NOAH," (Genesis 8:1). "God remembered ABRAHAM," (Genesis 19:29). "God remembered His covenant with ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JACOB," (Exodus 2:24). And none of us can forget the prayer of the dying thief, "Lord, remember me," (Luke 23:43). All such pleaders shall not be forgotten of Him.
- Thomas Bradbury
Back To Christ
Acts 5:42
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
The tendency of man, if God leave him alone and to himself will be to continually go further and further from God! This divinely revealed truth confirms to the heart of the believer the dire necessity to hear the message of Christ preached and taught at every God-given opportunity. This is the heavenly manna and the everlasting water that sustains the believer’s spiritual life.
God meets and saves sinners where His Gospel is faithfully preached. (1 Cor. 1:21) In the early days of the church, as we can see from our text, Christ was constantly preached and taught daily, both in the temple and in every house. But gradually, over time, men have departed from the “one thing needful,” to preach ceremonies, offices and self-righteous works religion, rather than the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I once knew a man who graduated years ago from seminary that told me about a new and exciting movement within his denomination. The theme and slogan for this reformation of theirs was simply, “Back to Luther!” Though I love and hold dear the doctrines that Martin Luther believed and preached we must go back further than Luther to the preaching of Christ of whom those doctrines speak! God’s chosen people’s desire concerning preaching is and always will be, “BACK TO CHRIST!” Salvation is in Him, and our message is not the doctrines about Christ, but in the Christ of the doctrines.
- Pastor David Eddmenson
~~~ O ~~~
Hell
Hell is a real place, real torment, real separation from God, as I heard my pastor say one time, ‘hell is truth realized too late".
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