SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH

2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118

CHRIST ALONE-SCRIPTURE ALONE-GRACE ALONE

SEPTEMBER 2, 2007

OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORSHIP

SUNDAY

Wednesday

7:00 PM- Mid-week Service

Nursery care available for all services for ages 4 and younger.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ken Wimer, Pastor- ( (318) 687-4943

PO Box 5028, Shreveport, LA 71135

E-MAIL: pastor@shrevegrace.org

WEB SITE: http://www.shrevegrace.org Updated weekly with audio messages now available on-line.

RADIO BROADCASTS: 9:00 AM (CST) Sunday on KWKH, 1130 AM, Shreveport, LA or live streaming at http://www.am1130thefan.com/pages/listen_live.html  

CALL TO WORSHIP 

(Tune: “Doxology”)

ejoice, my soul, arise and sing

The matchless grace of Zion’s King;

His love as ancient as His name,

Let all my powers aloud proclaim.

Though sin and guilt infest us here,

In Christ we all complete appear;

The whole that justice e’er demands

Received full payment from His hands.

Eternal Ruler of the skies

Is ever gracious, ever wise,

While all our times are in His hand,

And all events at His command.

Then let our souls in Him rejoice

As favored objects of His choice;

Redeemed, and saved by grace, we sing

Eternal praise to Christ, our King.

BY THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE

 Y soul, no obedience of thine, before faith in Christ, can make thee righteous!  Obedience after faith doth not make thee righteous; so then thou art made righteous by the one obedience of Christ.  Settle this matter well in thy conscience.  The glory of thy God and the comfort of thy soul spring from it, for (1) it is positively asserted, “By the obedience of One, or the One obedience of Christ, shall many be made righteous.”  The faith of God’s elect takes the comfort of this, and will love Christ, live upon His righteousness, and give Him the glory of it.  But, (2) who are made righteous by Christ’s one obedience?  “Many,” the many sons whom Christ shall bring to glory, Hebrews 2:10.  Even all who see themselves miserable sinners, and believe in Christ as their righteousness.  What a glorious way is this of making sinners righteous!  It secures all the glory to Christ. It keeps the sinner humble before Him, dependent on Him; and prevents all self-righteous boasting.  It gives a poor sinner the greatest boldness, with access of confidence to God.  It inspires warm love to Christ, and cheerful obedience of faith.               

SELECTED

SAMSON

f Samson’s name were not recorded in the list of the Old Testament saints as one of the Lord’s (Hebrews 11:32), would we consider him so?  He loved a harlot, and was so committed to her that he brought on himself the most dreadful evils, even death.  What can we learn from this?

1. Grace reigns!  Is this an example of sinning that grace may abound?  God forbid, Romans 6:1.  Yet, the fact is that ‘grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord,’ Romans 6:21.  Although Samson lived before the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth, and lived and died on his behalf, yet God was forbearing with his sin, Romans 3:25, having purposed all his sins to Christ who would come and bear them in His death on the tree, Hebrews 9:15.  On that basis, God was just in declaring him righteous and granting him eternal life, by Jesus Christ, just as with any who are the Lord’s. It is only by Christ’s obedience unto death that any of us were made righteous, and God has forgiven sins, Romans 5:19.

2. God did not punish Samson for his sin, but certainly chastened him with his sin.  His example should cause any who are the Lord’s to fear even the slightest influences of sin in the heart and conscience.  Perhaps the greatest chastening is recorded in Judges 16:20, “He wist not that the Lord was departed from him.”  The Lord had not completely given him over as with reprobates, but for a season, left him to his own devices to humble him and cause him to cry out to Him for mercy once again.  As one writer stated, “No sweet communion with his dear Lord as heretofore.  No precious assistance from the Spirit.  No inward testimonies of His love, and gentle whispers of peace to his soul…He goes from ordinance to ordinance, but he finds not his Lord in them.  All is dry formality, dreary and uncomfortable.”

3. The Lord caused Samson’s heart to return unto Him once again. Just as with any of the Lord’s beloved, chosen, and redeemed ones, the Lord does bring them again and again to cry out to Him for mercy.  ‘Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee,’ Judges 16:28.  Was this not the thief’s prayer on the cross?   Was not mercy granted because of Christ’s work alone?

KEN WIMER

OUR BROTHER HIGH PRIEST!

how highly favored are the people of God’s covenant mercy, since His exalted and glorified Son calls them, “My brethren!”  “Behold , what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!”  I John 3:1. While this sonship embraces sinful people of the Jews and Gentiles alike, it is in the sonship of the Son of man, and in His holy life and divine nature; for the sinless Jesus is “the only begotten Son of God,” and in His life and righteousness only are we the sons of the Father who is holy.  That the people whom the Father gave Him in the perfect covenant should be made “The holy people,” the holy Son of God came to them in the flesh and under the law; and thus is He their near kinsman and beloved Brother, and in Him was the right of redemption.  The noble and compassionate Boaz, the near kinsman of the widowed and impoverished Naomi, who represented the state of the Jews, and as betrothing Ruth unto himself, as representing the Gentiles, thus redeemed them both and made them rich, in which he is a beautiful type of our spiritual kinsman, of whom Paul says:  “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”  II Cor. 8:9.            

D.BARTLEY

THE BLESSED MAN

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.                                                              PSALM 65:4

NOTES

·         CLEANING SCHEDULE:  Atchisons (8/26-9/8)

·         NURSERY: Pam Atchison

·         BIRTHDAYS: Dylan Cassel-9/8; Mathieu Kobou-9/23 ; John Pennywell-9/24 ; Jan Fegley-9/26.

·         OVERSEAS PREACHING TRIPS: August 29^th thru September 3^rd in Malawi, Southern Africa; September 4^th thru 9^th, India.  Pray for Brother s Ken and Layne as they travel, and for the people that the Lord will gather to hear the Gospel preached.

·         BIBLE CONFERENCE- Providence Church, Powell, TN- October 5-7.  For more information, please contact Brother David Simpson- (865) 705-7471 or 865-705-3939.  Plan now to attend!