SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH
2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118
CHRIST ALONE-SCRIPTURE ALONE-GRACE ALONE
February 20, 2005
SUNDAY
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 101 (David)
Call to Worship: ‘Him to Whom All Praise Belongs’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: 1 Samuel 28 (Mike)
Hymn: #126- ‘Rock of Ages’
Message: Brother Jim Pennywell
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.
Tune: #236- ‘Amazing Grace’
Words by William Hiley Bathurst, 1831
Lord, when I lift my voice to Thee,
To whom all praise belongs,
Thy justice and Thy love shall be
The subject of my songs.
Let wisdom o’er my heart preside,
To lead my steps aright,
And make Thy perfect law my guide,
Thy service my delight.
All sinful ways I will abhor,
All wicked men forsake:
And only those who love Thy law
For my companions take.
Lord! That I may not go astray,
Thy constant grace impart;
When wilt Thou come to point my way,
And fix my roving heart?
THE BLOOD-SPRINKLED DOOR
During a cruel and bloody war, a commander took an oath in the presence of his troops that he would slaughter the entire population of a certain town, and in due course the bloodhounds of war were let loose on them. It so happened that a fugitive, seeking for shelter, watched as a number of soldiers broke into a house and put the residents to death. On leaving it, the soldiers fastened up the place again, and one of them, dipping a cloth in a pool of blood, splashed it on the door, as a token to any who might follow of what had taken place inside. Quick as his feet could carry him, the poor fugitive sped away to a large house where a number of his friends were concealed and breathlessly told them what he had seen. At once, they located a goat in the yard, and killing it, splashed its blood on the door. No sooner had they shut the door than a band of soldiers rushed into the street and began to slay right and left. But when they came to the blood marked door they made no attempt to enter. While many around were put to death, all inside the blood-sprinkled door were saved. (Exodus 12:13; I Corinthians 5:7) SELECTED
JUSTIFIED BY FAITH
There is much confusion today over the term ‘justification by faith,’ for this very reason. People assume that our justification (righteous standing) with God is by ‘personal faith,’ and therefore assume that it is upon believing that a person is ‘made righteous’ with God. However, Paul’s use of it in Romans 3:28 must be seen in the context of how it is used in Romans 3:27. There it is juxtaposed to ‘the law of works,’ (conditions, rules and requirements of works) vs. ‘THE LAW OF FAITH’ (conditions and requirements fulfilled by Christ as revealed in the Gospel). The obvious use of ‘faith’ in verse 27 is as a synonym of ‘Christ’s work fulfilled at the cross and summed up in the Gospel of grace.’ Therefore, faith in verse 28 and the following verses must also be a reference to the same. Rather than repeatedly use the term ‘law of faith,’ the apostle summarizes by the word ‘faith,’ much as one may do today in referring to one’s set of beliefs as ‘one’s faith.’
In Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:8 Paul does indeed write about Abraham believing God, and it being accounted or imputed to him for righteousness. However, if we’re not careful here, some might wrongly conclude that it was Abraham’s believing that was the ground of his being declared righteous. On the other hand, a careful look at Romans 4:1,2 shows that it wasn’t anything in Abraham, not even personal faith, which many make to be a necessary ‘work’ for justification. Romans 4:9 clearly shows ‘what’ was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. It says, ‘That FAITH was reckoned to Abraham…’ Does Paul mean here his ‘personal faith?’ No, because ever since Romans 3:27 Paul is describing ‘THE LAW OF FAITH,’ i.e. the content of Gospel truth that declares the sinner as justified before God based on the righteousness of Christ, established in His obedience unto death. Here is an example where the Spirit of God makes a distinction between ‘believing,’ and ‘faith.’ Abraham believed God. Yet, what He believed was revealed as “the faith once delivered to the saints”- Jude 1:3), pertaining to the righteousness that Christ would come and establish on his behalf at the cross. That is why Christ said, ‘Abraham saw my day and rejoiced.’[1] KEN WIMER
SIN UPON THE SAVIOR
“…he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:12)
The scriptures teach Christ was God’s satisfaction. They teach He was the elect sinner’s substitute. No matter how one looks at it, that’s a mystery. Consider the two phrases in our text. First, “he was numbered with the transgressors”. It appears in Mark 15:28 and Luke 22:37. Numbered is translated reckoned in the Luke passage. Strong's Dictionary defines both the Hebrew word of Isaiah and the Greek word of the two Gospels as meaning to count, reckon, number, assign, etc. He further said it means to pass to one’s account, or to impute. It is the common word for impute in Paul’s writings, especially where it is so significant in Romans. Secondly, “he bare the sin of many”. A near reference to that phrase in the NT is Hebrews 9:28, “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many”. Both the Hebrew and Greek word have similar meanings: to carry or bring. Christ actively engaged Himself in bearing sin, but also, the Father acted toward Him by charging Him with the sin of His chosen seed.
Christ was numbered or reckoned to be among transgressors and bore the sin of the elect away. However, He never became a sinner. He was not in darkness and ignorance as a sinner. He was not in stubbornness and rebellion as a sinner. While bearing the sin of the first Adam, He remained the Last Adam. Neither His humanity nor deity was compromised. He willingly stepped into the place of the elect to bear their sin, guilt and condemnation. Their sin was charged to Him; He became willingly chargeable in their behalf. That is substitution. Sin became so attached to Him and inseparable from Him that the Father turned His face away. Sin was upon Him but not in Him. He was made sin, yet He never knew sin as a sinner; even to His last breath. Christ identified with sin but without becoming a sinner! His whole earthly life moved toward this point. God discharged the sin of the elect from their account and charged it to His account. By this act they were forgiven. Simultaneously, the Father took the righteousness Christ established and charged it to their account. By this act they were justified. What a mystery! I understand enough of it to fall in the dust at the feet of the Savior.
DAVID SIMPSON, Providence Church, Knoxville, TN
NOTES
· CLEANING SCHEDULE: Wimers (2/7-2/20) Atchisons (2/21-3/6)
· NURSERY SCHEDULE: Today Freda Powell
· BIRTHDAYS / ANNIVERSARIES: 2/2-Justin Atchison;
2/22-Christopher Powell; 2/28-David & Elizabeth Strange
· BIBLE CONFERENCE- April 15-17, Providence Church, Powell, TN. Speakers: Doug Weaver and Ken Wimer. All Invited! For more information, please contact Pastor David Simpson at tdavidsimpson@comcast.net.
[1] John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.