SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH
2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118
CHRIST ALONE-SCRIPTURE ALONE-GRACE ALONE
January 16, 2005
SUNDAY
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 96 (David)
Call to Worship: ‘Sing To the Lord Ye Distant Lands’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: I Samuel 23 (Mike)
Hymn: #126 – ‘Rock of Ages’
Message: THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST – Rev. 1:1-3
Hymn: #210 – ‘Saved By the Blood’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Luke 13 (Jim)
Hymn: #355 – ‘From Every Stormy Wind That Blows’
Message: THE NECESSITY FOR SACRIFICE - Numbers 6:12
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: ‘O for A Thousand Tongues To Sing #46)- Based on Psalm 96
SING to the Lord, ye distant lands,
Ye tribes of every tongue;
His new discover’d grace demands
A new and nobler song.
Say to the nations, “Jesus reigns,
God’s own Almighty Son;
His power the sinking world sustains,
And grace surrounds His throne.”
Let an unusual joy surprise
The islands of the sea:
Ye mountains sink, ye valleys rise,
Prepare the Lord His way;
Behold He comes! He comes to bless
The nations as their God;
To show the world His righteousness,
And send His truth abroad.
But when His voice shall raise the dead,
And bid the world draw near,
How will the guilty nations dread
To see their Judge appear! ISAAC WATTS, 1719
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRESSING ON IN THE RACE
Lord, make me deaf and dumb and blind;
To all ‘those
things which are behind’:
Deaf to the voice that memory brings,
Accusing me of many
things,
Dumb to the things my tongue could speak,
Reminding me when I
was weak;
Blind to the things I still might see,
When they come back
to trouble me;
Let me press on to Thy high calling
In Christ, Who
keepeth me from falling
Forgetting all that lies behind –
Lord, make me deaf,
and dumb, and blind;
Like Paul, I then shall win the race;
I would have lost
but for Thy grace!
Forgetting all that I have done
–
‘Twas Thee, dear
Lord, not I, who won.
(Phil. 3:12-14)
UNKNOWN AUTHOR
SEVEN THINGS GOD CANNOT DO
The hardness of men’s hearts, unbelief, and rebellion are no obstacle for God- “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26. Yet, we must not falsely assume from this that God can or will do anything to save sinners. Yes, He is sovereign, but the Bible teaches us that there are seven things that it is impossible for God to do.
1. God cannot lie or repent- “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent,” Numbers 23:19. He will not save any through a lie or in contradiction to His Word, no matter what men profess nor how hard they strive, John 1:12,13.
2. God cannot clear the guilty- “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty,” Exodus 34:7. Unless just satisfaction was made by the blood and righteousness of His Son, all others will be found guilty.
3. God cannot justify sinners by any other means than the shedding of blood unto death of His Son- “without shedding of blood is no remission,” Hebrews 9:22.” To say that God can or would declare sinners righteous on any other ground than the death of His Son is to make Him a liar and to dwell in a refuge of lies, Isaiah 28:17.
4. God cannot condemn any for whom Christ died- “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,” Romans 8:34. Our Lord Jesus will have every one for whom He died because the just result of His death before God is the redemption, justification, sanctification, and adoption of His people, I Cor. 1:30. “Justice cannot twice demand, first at my Surety’s hand and then again at mine.”
5. God cannot fail to do all that He has decreed and promised- Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure, Isa 46:10. He will have everyone that He chose in Christ, redeemed by Christ, and consequently draws to Christ by His Spirit, through the Gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
6. God cannot deny Himself- “he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself’ 2 Timothy 2:13. He is faithful to save and keep His own.
7. God cannot give His glory to another- “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another,” Isa 48:11. Any doctrine that would give man any part or credit in his salvation is not of God.
KEN WIMER
CORNELIUS’ JUSTIFICATION BEFORE GOD
ACCORDING to Peter, Cornelius did NOT hear and believe the gospel until Peter preached it to him: “And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should HEAR the word of the gospel, AND BELIEVE” (Acts 15:7). Yet God informed Peter BEFORE he ever met Cornelius, that Cornelius was already cleansed: “And the voice spake unto him (Peter) again the second time, What God HATH CLEANSED, that call not thou common “(Acts 10:15). This surely proves that Cornelius was ALREADY freed from the guilt of sin BEFORE he heard and believed the gospel. Cornelius was justified in this sense BEFORE he believed! Furthermore, it is the Holy Spirit’s own testimony that Cornelius had been a devout man and had feared God BEFORE he ever believed the gospel, Acts 10:2! Peter acknowledged this at the outset of his first discourse at Cornelius’ household: “But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness (Cornelius did both), IS (not ‘will be’) accepted with him” (Acts 10:35)
Cornelius worked righteousness. I John 3:7 makes an interesting point about people who work righteousness: “Little children, let NO MAN deceive you: he that doeth righteousness IS RIGHTEOUSNESS, even as he is righteous.” By his works of righteousness Cornelius MANIFESTED that he was righteous; and, if righteous, he was justified.[1] Therefore, Cornelius was declared justified in the sense of being free from the guilt and penalty of sin BEFORE he ever trusted in Christ! Thus, his faith IN Christ could have been neither the cause nor the instrument of his justification. Cornelius was justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ BEFORE he believed the gospel.
Therefore, justification as it refers to freeing men from the guilt and penalty of sin is accomplished by the faith of Jesus Christ Himself. The words “faith OF Jesus Christ” themselves suggest this, Galatians 2:16. Christ’s faith ALONE is the cause and the instrument of a sinner’s justification. When Paul concludes his line of thought in Romans 3:19-28, he says that “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” The context shows that this faith is the faith of Christ Himself,[2] as well as God’s faith in the blood of Christ. Justification is entirely in the hands of the Godhead.
HARALD GRANBACKA