WE SING OF SOVEREIGN LOVE Tune to DOXOLOGY LM Words by JIM BYRD
1. Ye saints now sing of sovereign love, Unto our God who reigns above; All glory to the Trinity, Who loved us from eternity.
2. Sing of the Father’s choosing grace, Sing of the Son who took our place; Sing of the Spirit of the Lord, Sing praise to God with one accord.
3. O may the Lord be magnified, By all His chosen, ransomed bride; His loving kindness let us tell, He saved our souls from death and hell.
4. While on this earth exalt His Name, His gospel Word with joy proclaim; And when we rise to heights above, We still shall sing of sovereign love.
“Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” (Psalm 128:1-2)
CONGREGATIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY: MORNING: 1 PETER 2:11-25 EVENING: JOHN 4:43-54
FREE-WILL - THE FREEDOM OF SLAVERY Our Lord said to the Jewish leaders of His day, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me that ye might have life” (John 5:39-40). While many are quick to defend the freedom of man’s will, our Lord essentially dashed that heresy to pieces with these words. No man has ever or will ever, by his own defiled volition, come to Christ to be saved by His blood and righteousness. Man’s natural will is free only in the sense that it is at liberty to do whatever his evil heart desires, subject of course, to the sovereign purpose of God. It would be far more accurate to say that man’s supposed freedom is merely the freedom of slavery. He is in bondage to sin; Satan holds him captive at his will (2 Timothy 2:26). Man, uninfluenced by free grace, has neither the desire nor the ability to draw near to Christ by faith. “No man can come to Me except the Father which hath sent Me draw Him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). Man is free in the same sense a prisoner in a jail cell is free. He has the liberty to do within that cell whatever he may desire, but he has no ability to release himself. Furthermore, the unregenerated sinner does not even realize he is in bondage, so he has no awareness of his spiritual captivity. How could anyone, therefore, ever conclude that man’s will is free? Rather than speak of man’s free-will, it would be more accurate and appropriate to ascribe to every man self-will. The will of man is controlled by sinful and wicked self, that is, a depraved heart which is said to be stony, (Ezekiel 11:19), foolish (Ephesians 4:18) and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The only way any sinner desires Christ and comes to Him for a full pardon and free justification is because of the free grace of God that makes him willing to be saved by the merits of another. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power...” (Psalm 110:3). –Pastor Jim Byrd
SUBSTITUTION “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Go on and hold tightly to your self-righteous rags if that’s what you want to do. Build all of your hopes of acceptance with a holy God upon your prayers, tears, good works, repentance, church attendance and faith. Revisit your religious experience and try to find some comfort, if you foolishly look to that as the basis of your assurance. Make plans for your heavenly mansion based upon your faithfulness if you dare. But as for this sinner, my only plea now and evermore is that when Christ died, He died for me. Substitution is the very heart and soul of the gospel. Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God, bore my sin, took my place, satisfied on my behalf the demands of a broken law, suffered, bled, died and arose in my stead and by His perfect obedience brought in everlasting righteousness for this sinful man. When I face the Lord, should the question be raised, “Why should a sinner like you be allowed into My holy presence,” my only response will be, Lord, let me in for Christ’s sake! My debt of sin I could not pay, But God a ransom found; Since Jesus put my sin away, My soul is heaven bound! –Pastor Jim Byrd
It is not enough to hear sound gospel preaching. Judas heard all of Christ’s sermons. We need the illuminating power of the Spirit of grace to drive the gospel home to our hearts. –copied
THE SOVEREIGN PROTECTOR A sovereign Protector I have, unseen, yet forever at hand, Unchangeably faithful to save, almighty to rule and command. He smiles, and my comforts abound; His grace as the dew shall descend; And walls of salvation surround, the soul He delights to defend. –Augustus Toplady
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