SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH
2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118
CHRIST ALONE - SCRIPTURE ALONE - GRACE ALONE
March 23, 2008
SUNDAY
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 91 (Mike)
Call to Worship: ‘Jesus Our Lord and King’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Colossians 3 (David)
Hymn: #129- ‘At the Cross’
Message: ZION REDEEMED- Isaiah 1:21-31
Hymn: # 112- ‘Blessed Redeemer’
WEDNESDAY
7:00 PM - Mid-week meeting
Nursery care available during 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: #187- Bless Be The Tie That Binds)
1-Jesus, our Lord and King
Thou art our hope and trust;
Thy boundless love and grace we sing,
And of Thee we will boast.
2-As sinners saved by grace,
And made alive to God
Thy righteousness we would embrace
And bow to Christ our Lord.
3-Thy wisdom did ordain
Christ’s solemn death to show
How He was plunged in wrath and pain,
To save our souls from woe.
4-We come Thy name to own
And gratefully confess,
Thou art our Life, our Joy, our Crown,
Our Strength, and Righteousness.
CHRIST’S SACRIFICE FOR SIN
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.” Ephesians 5:2
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otice the words, ‘Christ loved us and gave Himself.” The sacrifice offered by the Jew had to be carefully selected, killed, and consumed before the offender and the offended at the same time. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14.
The red heifer and other sacrifices of the Old Testament all represented Christ’s person and work. As the sacrifice, Christ met all that sinful man could possibly need in every way. Adam’s fall put his race in the enemy’s camp, but the blood of the Lamb bought the way back to God for His race, and provided the saved sinner three needful things: The sacrifice, the priest, and the place of worship. The sacrifice provided by the Lamb had to be suitable to GOD, and offered only through a priest, and had to be presented in the place of worship appointed by God-the tabernacle where God met with His people. Christ is all three. Without the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sin, and without the knowledge of that remission, there is no joy or true worship of the Lord. Edited from the late BROTHER ED HALE’S notes
THE AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION
“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him,” Hebrews 5:9.
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here are those who contend that because God is eternal, and that from eternity He purposed to save an elect number of sinners, that essentially then, they were ALWAYS saved, redeemed, justified, and glorified, and therefore, were never subject to the wrath of God, nor condemnation in Adam, because they have always been in Christ. While this position appears to be harmless enough for those of us who know and love the truth of God’s sovereignty, and unchangeable, immutable will from eternity to eternity, yet, it is NOT the language of Scripture. True, the Lord knows the end from the beginning, and there is no question that all whom He chose in eternity shall most certainly be SAVED for eternity-John 6:37-39. Yet, the Scripture never gives us the sense that because it was eternally purposed, that it was already done before it was done- Isaiah 46:10Acts 4:28, Luke 22:37 with Isaiah 53.
Notice the language of Hebrews 5:9 for example-‘Being made perfect…’ In his obedience, through sufferings; having completed his obedience, gone through his sufferings, and finished his sacrifice, and being perfectly glorified in heaven: ‘He BECAME the author of eternal salvation.’ Yes, the salvation of which Christ is the author is eternal, in that it was purposed from eternity, and for eternity, but HE BECAME its author in His coming, doing, and dying. Being purposed from eternity, there was never any doubt as to its accomplishment, but it wasn’t accomplished until He came. Hebrews 10:7- ‘Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.’ Did our Lord have a body or soul in eternity? Could just satisfaction be made apart from the travail of His soul, and the death of His body? Isaiah 53:10. Could there be just satisfaction before the shedding of His blood? Was Christ set forth as the propitiation just so that God might ‘appear’ just in justifying the elect, as one author put it, OR did He first have to accomplish that righteousness, that He might (SHOULD) be just, and (even) the just justifier, as the Scriptures state it, Romans 3:26.
The salvation of the elect and the abiding virtue of that eternal salvation rest in the person of Christ as the God-Man, and the blood and righteousness he accomplished and imputed for the salvation of the elect there at Calvary- Romans 5:9-11. There are not three different imputations- one in eternity, one at the cross, and another at faith. The one imputation took place at the cross, once for all- 2 Corinthians 5:21. Was it purposed from eternity? Yes. Is it revealed by faith? Yes. From eternity, the cross of Christ was forever fixed in God’s mind and will as the way that He should be just to justify sinners. By faith revealed, the cross is forever fixed in the mind and heart of regenerated and called sinners that it is the only way that God should be just to justify them.
KEN WIMER
THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS
"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Eph. 1:7
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ere is a field in which no idle curiosity may sport, or skeptic speculation place unhallowed foot; but, traversed by faith, it leads into rich pastures. Revelation then discloses a covenant framed before the foundation of the world. The eternal Father stipulates with the co-eternal Son that Jehovah's glory shall be magnified in the accomplishment of salvation. To Christ belongs the main concernment--He is the substance of the whole--He is so intertwined in every part that He is emphatically called the Covenant itself. It is the Father's voice--"I will preserve You, and give You as a Covenant to the people." (Isaiah 49:8.) He is the "Surety" of it. As such He is pledged for the performance of its every term. He is the "Messenger" of it. As such He publishes its sure mercies. But especially He affixes to it the seal of blood. To accomplish this He takes man's nature, becomes bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh, and thus is qualified to pay the price.
In foresight of this expiating death the prophet proclaims, "By the blood of Your covenant I have sent forth Your prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." (Zech. 9:11.) The Apostle re-echoes the same--"Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work." (Heb. 13:20, 21.) Thus the covenant of eternal origin demands blood--forgiveness must be purchased by this price. Peter, gazing with rapture on the scheme exclaims, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." (1 Peter 1:18-20.) Thus line upon line confirms the glorious truth that blood is the covenanted price of forgiveness. The Apocalypse in varied terms gives repetition. In its visions "the Lamb slain" appears. The countless multitude are arrayed in robes, "white in the blood of the Lamb." The rebels against God are described as they "whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8.) The victim dies--conditions are fulfilled. O Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, who will not bless You, who will not adore You--that You did covenant in eternal counsels to shed Your most precious blood to purchase forgiveness, and in time did redeem the pledge!
HENRY LAW 1875