SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH

BIBLE CLASS- 10:00 AM

The Plagues of Egypt- Exodus 8

MORNING WORSHIP- 11:00 AM

Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 35 (Mike)

Call to Worship: ‘O for a Heart to Seek My God’

Scripture Reading/Prayer: Romans 8 (David)
Hymn: #222- ‘There is a Fountain Filled with Blood’

Message: WHAT IS IT TO BELIEVE? –John 20:26-31

Hymn: #192- ‘According to Thy Gracious Word’
THE LORD’S TABLE
Hymn: #475- ‘Redeemed’

FELLOWSHIP MEAL – 12:30PM

nd when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed,”

xcept for God’s mercy and grace in choosing some, and except for Christ’s faithfulness unto death to deliver those that the Father chose, and except for the Spirit’s work to bring those the Father chose and Christ redeemed to the Savior, who bought them with His own blood, and keeps them unto final glory; but for God’s mercy and grace, just condemnation would be the rightful and certain end of us all!

“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me,” 2 Corinthians 12:9

here are those who try to convince themselves that there is created in them at regeneration a sinless nature exactly like that which our Lord Jesus Christ possessed, and therefore, by it are considered sinless and righteous before God. Someone evidently forgot to tell the apostle Paul, who although given special revelation regarding Christ and His finished work, yet, was given much affliction in the flesh, unless he should be exalted above measure. It is in this that we see the twofold dilemma that every regenerated child of God faces- the difference between our POSITION in Christ and His imputed righteousness, and the reality of our experience in sin and weakness in our flesh.

Paul being caught up into the third heaven and hearing unspeakable words (2 Corinthians 12:3,4), may be compared to our POSITION in Christ, being seated with Him in the heavenlies as redeemed and justified sinners by His righteous obedience unto death. Who can aptly describe the reality of this truth for everyone of God’s elect? We were chosen in Him from eternity, Eph. 1:3,4. We were in Him positionally as He lived and died as our representative upon earth, Romans 4:25. We were risen together with him in His resurrection, and ascended on high and seated with him in heaven as our High Priest, Eph. 2:5. This privilege is ours, not by faith, but by Christ. True, it is by faith that our position already established is REVEALED, Romans 1:17, but it was accomplished for us even before we knew anything about it.

That is the purpose of Paul writing what he did in 2 Corinthians 12:1. In his fleshly affliction, he needed a fresh revelation of His immutable position in Christ and His righteousness, lest he should be overcome with discouragement and trouble, but also exalted above measure (v.6). His infirmities were a constant reminder of what any of us are in the flesh, even as regenerate sinners. There is no perfection in us, and for that, we glory (rejoice) in those infirmities, not because we enjoy the sin or weakness in the flesh, but it is a constant reminder of our absolute need of Christ in all things. We can glory in any trouble, sin, and weakness as constant reminders to look outside ourselves to Christ alone. It is in looking to Him and His finished work that we see and acknowledge the very power (dunamis) resting ON us- flowing from His blood and righteousness accomplished and charged to our account at Calvary, and keeping us unto our entering into glory. As we are made to glory in OUR infirmity (something unnatural to our flesh), we are made to see again and again, the POWER of Christ and His finished work for us, resting on us, and revealed in us, as immutably and everlastingly ours by God’s grace.

e are taught to look to the Lord our Redeemer alone, and pray that HE not lead us not into temptation, but that HE should deliver us from evil, Matthew 6:13. We cannot not charge God with our sin; neither can we attribute any success to our will. Anything done to the glory of Christ is wrought by the Holy Spirit through our members. All else is of our sinful, carnal flesh. The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians- "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh"? Galatians 3:3. One may say when I sin, “Is it not because God did not keep me from it and therefore part of His sovereign purpose? Yet again, Paul in Romans 9:20 answers this objection with, " Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? James tells us that God cannot be tempted with sin, neither tempteth He any man. Therefore how dare we the wretched, depraved creature, even allow any thought in our mind, that The Holy One can have any participation in man’s sin.

Isaiah 45:7 does teach that God is Lord of all and that He creates evil. This truth exalts God as Lord of all, including evil. There is no underworld so-to-speak where God is not sovereign, and where He does not rule and reign. God by nature is the only self sufficient Being. Therefore all that is required for a creature to fall into sin or decay, if you will, is for God to simply withhold His sustaining power. God controls and restrains evil by His Spirit, but is in no way chargeable for any part of sin. “For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh,” our Lord said in Matthew 18:7.

It is equally woeful to any who would walk with the idea that God is in control of evil so therefore, “I will sin, or do good as I please”. God alone does restrain and enable. However, such reasoning is not the work of the Spirit of God, and none can claim to be redeemed who walk in such a manner. On the other hand, neither can we say, “I or you must do this thing or that thing, or else we have no hope. Doing anything of our will gives the flesh the glory and denies that our whole strength and hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. “O Lord, lead us not into temptation and to deliver us from evil ... for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and forever! Amen!”