October 6, 2013

We will have a Men's Breakfast the 19th. Daniel Parks will be here to preach Wednesday, Oct.16tth.

ALL THINGS DECREED

There's not a sparrow nor a worm
But's found in God's decrees;
He raises monarchs to their thrones,
And sinks them if He please.

If light attend the course I run,
'Tis He provides those rays;
And 'tis His hand that hides my sun,
If darkness clouds my days.

When He reveals the Book of Life,
O may I read my name
Among the chosen of His love,
The followers of the Lamb!

(Tune: Amazing Grace #236)

Christian, do not assume the presence of Christ in your daily walk, call upon Him early, seek Him out afresh and anew each day. Stand still and wait upon Him. Keep your eyes upon Him and you will never have to suppose Him to be in your company.

- Pastor Bruce Crabtree

Gratitude for God’s Grace

Many preachers and people claim to believe salvation all of God’s Grace but they will tell you they don't "harp on it". How does someone "harp" on the doctrine of Grace? To a man who does not believe that salvation is by grace alone, preaching it one time would be "harping on it". To a man who knows that all that he is, has, or ever will be is by the grace of God, preaching it every service would not be too much! "0 to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be."

Scripture teaches salvation by grace through faith, not by works. Salvation by faith alone is the exact equivalent of salvation by grace. But nowhere does scripture teach salvation by a faith that does not work, in fact they denounce such faith as dead and utterly worthless (James 2:26). Salvation by grace presents the purest motive for godly living while all other religions tell men to do good in order that they might be saved. The bible teaches that saved sinners do good because they are saved. Every other religion says "Do and live". True Christianity alone says "live and do". The Christian is motivated in his actions by love to God and GRATITUDE to God and the ultimate aim of his life is not his own good, not even his own highest good, but the glory of God his Savior.

Salvation by grace is nothing else than salvation by God and God does all the saving. Even when believers work out their own salvation with fear and trembling as they most certainly must, they do so only because God first worked in them and continues working in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). Thus God is entitled to all the credit and glory for man's salvation. This has a direct and important bearing on the life of him who is saved.

If God had done, let us say fifty percent of the saving and he himself had done the other fifty- percent, he might reasonably devote half of what he is and has done to God and half to himself. If God had done ninety percent of the saving and he himself had done ten percent then he should in fairness devote to God ninety per-cent of what he is and has and reserve the remaining ten percent for himself. But the fact is that God has done the entire work of saving him, and therefore it behooves him to say: Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life my all

- Pastor

“God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16)

This Christ-honoring truth is not up for debate. The inspired Word of God says, “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh. ... (1 Tim. 3:16). Every enlightened child of God (there are no exceptions) bows down to Jesus Christ the God-man, and will echo the words of the Apostle Thomas with this public confession: “My Lord and my God”. Those who refuse to bow down to the exalted Christ of God and honor Him even as they honor God the Father DO NOT HONOR GOD AT ALL (John 5:23).

That same Jesus who was hated without a cause while He was here on this earth was God manifest in the flesh. Those unbelieving Jews didn’t know Him or they would not have mocked Him; they would not have spit in His face; they would not have crucified Him. But there’s absolutely no excuse for their sinful hatred. Our Lord Jesus not only told them in plain words that He was the Son of God who was sent from heaven by God the Father, the miracles He performed proved He was who He claimed to be.

Those who believe the doctrine of man’s so-called free will don’t know the Christ of God either. If they did they wouldn’t believe that devilish lie. And, like those unbelieving Jews, they have no excuse for their hatred of Jesus Christ. His Word is plain enough (Rom. 9:9-18, Heb. 1:1- 6). They have no love for the truth, so God sends them strong delusion to believe a lie that they all might be damned (2 Thess. 2:1 - 12).

But the exalted Christ of God gives His chosen, blood-bought children faith to believe Him and His Glorious Gospel. We bow down to our risen Savior, worshipping Jesus Christ, the glorified God-man, embracing and confessing Him to be the True and Living God.