SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH
2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118
CHRIST ALONE - SCRIPTURE ALONE - GRACE ALONE
January 27, 2008
SUNDAY
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 83
Call to Worship: ‘I Sing My Savior’s Wondrous Death’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Ephesians 5 (David)
Hymn: # 118- ‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross’
Message: CHRIST ONE WITH THE FATHER- John 10:19-42
Hymn: # 192 - ‘According To Thy Gracious Word’
THE LORD’S TABLE
Hymn: # 126- ‘Rock of Ages’
WEDNESDAY
7:00 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
Audio Messages Available On-Line; Updated weekly
Radio Broadcast: 9:00 AM (CST) Sunday on KWKH;
AM Radio 1130, Shreveport, LA area or LIVE streaming at http://www.kwkhonline.com/common/gap_streamer.php
CALL TO WORSHIP
(Tune: #10-‘O God Our Help In Ages Past’)
1- I sing my Savior’s wondrous death;
He conquered when He fell.
‘Tis finished!’ said His dying breath,
And shook the gates of hell.
2- ‘Tis finished!’ our Immanuel cries;
The dreadful work is done
Hence shall His sovereign throne arise;
His kingdom is begun
3- His cross a sure foundation laid
For glory and renown,
When through the regions of the dead
He passed to reach the crown
4- Exalted at His Father’s side,
Sits our victorious Lord;
To heav’n and hell His hands divide
The vengeance or reward.
5- The saints from His propitious eye
Look to the Sovereign Son
And all the sons of darkness fly
The terror of His frown.
WORTH IS THE LAMB
“Saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing’. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
(Revelation 5:12-13 AV)
THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST
“Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds,”
Colossians 3:3
There is no request more important than this, that one of the Lord’s servants can ask. All physical and temporal needs are secondary to this matter of God opening a door of utterance to declare the mystery of Christ. The apostle Paul adds, “for which I am also in bonds.” Even though the Lord’s servant may not be in physical bonds, as the apostle was, yet, he is so spiritually, so to speak, being bound in mind and heart as a debtor to God and His grace, to speak the glories of Christ, and the mystery of the Gospel. ‘Woe is me if I preach NOT the Gospel,” when given the opportunity to do so. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay,” Jeremiah 20:9. Being taught the Gospel, by the Spirit of God, we must not, nor can we ever, shirk from declaring it plainly, out of fear of men, or respect of persons, or desire to protect our own reputation. The Bible calls such actions, ‘dissimulation,’ and to do so is to walk contrary to the truth of the Gospel, even as Peter was guilty of in Galatians 2:14, and for which the apostle Paul confronted him in love.
Why is the Gospel called ‘the mystery of Christ? Because it is hidden from the natural sinner’s mind and heart, and can only be learned by the Spirit of God revealing it in him, through the Word-I Cor. 2:7, 8. It is the mystery of Christ because the Gospel is the revelation of what God purposed through His Son from eternity, according to His secret, sovereign will, Ephesians 1:11. The mystery of His will is that He alone knows whom HE has chosen to save, and the mystery of that will has been progressively revealed in the Scriptures over time to show that His purpose from eternity has been to save unworthy, fallen, and condemned sinners from every tribe, nation and tongue by ONE means alone- the shed blood and imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ exclusively- Revelation 5:9. The full manifestation of the mystery of Christ has been revealed from the beginning of time through God’s holy Word, but now fully in time AT THE CROSS-Ephesians 1:15,16, and progressively over time in the hearts of those for whom Christ died- 2 Peter 1:19.
If the truth of the sinner’s justification full, free, and final at the cross , conditioned on Christ and His finished work alone remains a mystery to anyone, it is because of the darkness and blindness of the heart, and the veil that covers the heart, 2 Corinthians 3:14. The removing of the veil is the work of the Spirit to do. May HE be pleased to make it plain to each heart, in His time, according to His gracious and sovereign will, as HE will! Matthew 11:27.
KEN WIMER
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
Some accept the indisputable fact that God is sovereign in all things, including salvation. Thereby, they rightly conclude that their own efforts to seek God would have no causal role in the finding. They recognize that God’s purpose will come to past. But some react to this truth by choosing the path of fatalism in defiance to God’s commands for us to ask, seek, and knock. They deny man’s responsibility, reasoning, “If it’s really all of God, why should I do anything?” That’s a natural reaction but think about it. Isn’t that mindset a reflection of the natural mind’s sinful, self-serving determination that I will only act if my actions gain something for me? Such fatalistic reasoning is accompanied by the sinful assumption that there is no valid motive for me to seek or do anything beyond that which would be self-serving. And so they ignore His commands to seek salvation God’s way, in rebellion against God, and in defiance of the clear commands of scripture. Instead, in recognition of God’s sovereignty, we should be encouraged to bow down and plead for His mercy – and in the scriptures, that’s the description of all those who ultimately will inhabit His kingdom.
In Romans 9:32 we read how the Israelites of old sought after God but their efforts were futile because they sought it “by the works of the law” as all of us do unless and until the Holy Spirit gives us life. Once again we see that all religion fits into one of two categories – the religion of works or GRACE. To seek salvation conditioned on the merits of Christ alone, His righteousness is the TRUTH of grace. This is God’s way of salvation. Any other way makes salvation conditioned on the sinner, the religion of works, and is equivalent to seeking after God “by the works of the law.” It really is that simple. Seeking God based upon grounds that He has excluded will prove to be a fruitless search. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ye shall find (Matthew 6:33)!
RANDY WAGES, Albany GA