SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH
2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118
CHRIST ALONE-SCRIPTURE ALONE-GRACE ALONE
February 6, 2005
SUNDAY
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 99 (David)
Call to Worship: ‘Reigns Jehovah, King Supreme’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: I Samuel 26 (Mike)
Hymn: #452 – ‘My Savior’s Love’
Message: JESUS CHRIST-FAITHFUL WITNESS – Rev. 1:1-6
Hymn: #334 – ‘Be Thou My Vision’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Luke 15 (Jim)
Hymn: #188 – ‘I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord’
Message: OFFERINGS TO THE LORD - Numbers7
WEDNESDAY
6:30 PM- Mid-week Service
Nursery care available for all services for ages 4 and younger.
Ken Wimer, Pastor- ( (318) 687-4943
E-MAIL: pastor@shrevegrace.org
WEB SITE: http://www.shrevegrace.org Updated weekly with audio messages now available on-line.
CALL TO WORSHIP
(Tune: ‘When I Survey’ #118)
Words by Richard Mant, 1824 - Based on Psalm 99
REIGNS Jehovah, King supreme,
Let the nations own His Way!
Throned between the cherubim,
Prostrate let the earth obey!
High exalt Jehovah’s name,
Fall in worship at His feet;
Wide our God’s renown proclaim,
Holy is Jehovah’s seat.
Loud Jehovah’s praise recount,
Spread His glorious name abroad,
Worship on His holy mount:
Holy is Jehovah God.
REDEMPTION BY THE CREATOR
A little boy worked very hard, and, with a fine piece of wood and some tools, made himself a fine little yacht. He was very proud of it, and used to go to the lake with the other boys who had their yachts also, and sail it on the tranquil waters of the lake near his home. One day it drifted away out of sight, carried by a strong breeze and all the lad’s efforts to reach it or even follow it with his eye were unsuccessful. Some days later, as he was going through the busy street where most of the shops were, he saw the yacht in a shop window. He went in and claimed it as his lost yacht. But in spite of all his claims, and his repeated assertion that he had made it with his own hands, the shop keeper said, “If you want it, you must pay for it.” He returned home, counted up his little savings in his money box and found he had just sufficient to meet the cost of the yacht. So he went in and bought it back. “You’re twice mine!” he exclaimed, as he looked thankfully and proudly at his little yacht: “I made you; and I’ve purchased you. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS
Had our own righteousness any part or share in clothing us in our justification, how could the righteousness of another be said to be imputed to us, or Christ be said to be the ‘Lord our righteousness, or be made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,’ I Cor. 1:30. As Christ was not made sin for us by any sin inherent in him, so neither are we made righteous by any righteousness inherent in us, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.” BENJAMIN KEACH
“WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD”
“And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” Ex 12:13
Free-will religion has made the difference between heaven and hell, salvation or damnation, to be dependent on, or conditioned on the sinner seeing the blood of Christ. Preachers make the sinner’s sight the key. How foreign this reasoning is to what the Scriptures teach. Notice the text, even with regard to Israel of old. God did not say, “When YOU see the blood, I will pass over you.” He declared, “When I SEE the blood…”
Some would argue that since God is eternal, seeing the end from the beginning, then salvation occurred in eternity, God having seen the blood then. While that may seem logical to some, yet, what God reveals to us in His Word is always as progressive revelation, or the unfolding of what He purposed and decreed from eternity, and accomplished accordingly, Ephesians 1:11. Therefore, the Scripture says of God, ‘When I see the blood, I WILL pass over you,’ and not ‘having (eternally) seen the blood, I have passed over you.’ His justice required a just satisfaction and accomplishment of what He purposed, Hebrews 9:16.
It is also important to point out that the blood of which God spoke of seeing here was NOT the blood of the typical Passover lamb. Yes, symbolically, it had to be shed, but the Scripture is clear that those sacrificial lambs looked forward to the One True Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Earthly physical lambs could not take away sin, Hebrews 10:4. Those Old Testament lambs were but an atonement (covering), by which God was forbearing of the sin of His people, Romans 3:25, until Christ, THE LAMB OF GOD, did come and PUT AWAY their sin, Heb. 1:3. God received the Old Testament saints, and accounted them forgiven and righteous based on the certainty and promise of the Lord Jesus coming, living, and dying to put away their sin once for all. Therefore, God declared even then, ‘When I see the blood (the death of the Lord Jesus), I will pass over you (Christ our Passover was slain, I Cor. 5:7)
The sinner who by faith sees the blood of Christ (His death and what He accomplished) does so because the Spirit of God gives him eyes to see. Such a one will and does respond to the Spirit’s call and Christ’s command to ‘LOOK and LIVE.’ However, such a one will readily confess that salvation is not in our seeing, but in God having seen the blood. Our seeing is but the free gift of Him having seen the blood and being satisfied in the doing and dying of His blessed Son! KEN WIMER
A SPIRITUAL DISCERNING OF THE GOSPEL
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. II Cor. 4:6
THERE is a vast difference between a conviction of the doctrines of grace in the head, and an adoring the grace of those doctrines in the heart. A speculative knowledge of gospel truth, that goes no further than a mere outward notion of it, may be found in a natural man. This knowledge of truth is a cold, unaffecting, and unattractive knowledge that leaves the will and affections just where it found them. A natural man, indeed, may have some natural pleasure in getting some new notions of truth, but he experiences no soul-attraction to the things known.
A spiritual discernment of gospel truths is very different from a bare speculative knowledge of them; in that the glory of truth shines into the mind, which produces a sweet and strict adherence thereto, by all the inward powers of the soul. The understanding discerns the truth in its beauty, glory, and excellency; the judgment approves it; and the will and affections embrace and clasp about it. In a word, the whole soul unites with the truth, and is changed into the image of it.
Oh! When the least beam of Gospel truth shines in upon the mind with such a ravishing beauty and majestic glory as draws the heart to love it, and makes the soul bow down before it, this is a saving illumination, set up in the soul of a vessel of mercy, which is the very beginning of its future glory. It is God’s shining into our hearts by a new creating efficacy to give the light, not only of the knowledge of God, but of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ; which word imports the ravishing beauty and all-attracting efficacy of gospel grace darting in upon the mind as a supernatural revelation, which unites the soul to the things beheld, to the objects revealed. From this saving illumination the soul feels a sweet and strong attraction, by which, being drawn with cords of love, it comes unto Christ in its desires after Him, as beheld, altogether lovely. Wherever the truths of the gospel are known, and so known in their beauty and excellency as to knit and unite the heart to them, or to draw out the soul into desires after and adoration of the glories beheld – that man is a regenerate man.
Excerpt from a letter by Anne Dutton, (1692-1765)
NOTES
· CLEANING SCHEDULE: Wimers (2/7-2/20)
Atchison (2/21-3/6)
· NURSERY SCHEDULE: Today – Atchisons
Next Sunday – Pam Carter / Travis Wimer
· BIRTHDAYS / ANNIVERSARIES: 2/2-Justin Atchison;
2/22-Christopher Powell; 2/28-David & Elizabeth Strange