SHREVEPORT GRACE CHURCH
2970 Baird Rd., Shreveport, LA 71118
CHRIST ALONE - SCRIPTURE ALONE - GRACE ALONE
March 30, 2008
SUNDAY
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Psalm 92 (Mike)
Call to Worship: ‘Thou Only Sovereign Of My Heart’
Scripture Reading/Prayer: Colossians 4 (David)
Hymn: # 144- ‘Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices’
Message: WALKING IN THE LIGHT-Isaiah 2:1-5
Hymn: # 488- ‘My Redeemer’
THE LORD’S TABLE
Closing Hymn: #256- ‘It Is Well With My Soul’
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: #118- ‘When I Survey The Wondrous Cross’)
1 – Thou only Sovereign of my heart,
My Refuge, my Almighty Friend;
And can my soul from Thee depart,
On whom alone my hopes depend?
2 – Whither, ah! Whither should I go,
A wretched wanderer from the Lord?
Can this dark world of sin and woe
One glimpse of happiness afford?
3 – Eternal life Thy words impart:
ON these my fainting spirit lives;
Here sweeter comforts cheer my heart,
Than all the joy that nature gives
4 – Low at Thy feet my soul would lie;
Here safety dwells and peace divine;
Still let me live beneath Thy eye.
For life, eternal life is Thine.
GOD’S GRACE FOR US AND IN US
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ut of Christ, God is a consuming fire; and we, sinners, can no more stand before Him than dry stubble before a devouring flame. But in Christ, all the glories of the Godhead shine in the bright form of love! God is the God of peace to every poor sinner who draws near to Him through the Lamb's blood. Fury is not in Him unto such souls. Oh, how rich, free, and sovereign is Jehovah's grace unto us, that the Lord should thus save us, while thousands round about us sit in darkness and the shadow of death! We must say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight."
Indeed it is a very great blessing to see the plague of our own hearts, to have a living and painful sensation of the being and working of indwelling sin, and earnest longings and inexpressible groanings wrought in our souls even after a full and eternal freedom from it.
Excerpt from the letters of Ann Dutton
. “HOLDING FAITH AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE”
“Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck,” 1 Timothy 1:19
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n this context, ‘holding faith’ is not a reference to the grace of faith, but the doctrine of faith. This is how it is used in other places in Paul’s epistles to Timothy, such as in 1Timothy 3:9 (“holding the mystery of the faith”); 4:1(“some shall depart from the faith”); 5:8 (“he hath denied the faith”).
The “holding” of faith is not to be a mere profession of faith, or a hanging on to that profession at all costs, even though false. Rather, it is a tenacious adherence to the doctrine of the faith, that which is wholly bound up with the truth as it is in Christ, and forgiveness full and free, and justification through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ exclusively by His obedience unto death, as set forth in Romans 5:19- ‘For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’
In the same sense, a faithful preacher of righteousness will hold fast to the faith, in opposition to a concealing of it, or couching it in confusing terms, in part or in whole, so as to avoid controversy or contention. On a ship, if the ropes were broken which held the mast, the ship would toss and turn in every direction and eventually break apart. How we need to hold fast today, without wavering, and in opposition to a departure from the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3) or any cowardice about it even against all opposition.
To this is added ‘a good conscience’- We know that the conscience is not naturally good, because it is defiled by sin. It can only be called ‘good’ because of the blood shed of the Lord Jesus at Calvary whereby sin was put away, the elect justified, and by the Spirit of God, the conscience has been purged from dead works- Hebrews 9:14. The effect of the Spirit’s work on the conscience is a good work of grace that causes the sinner NOT to put any confidence in the flesh, or trust in any personal works of obedience, even repentance or faith, as any cause, ground, merit, or reason for God’s blessing. Rather it is manifest by a complete submission to Christ, His righteousness worked out- completed, accepted and imputed at the cross, Daniel 9:24. The Gospel to which the saved preacher holds tenaciously is that of Christ and His finished work alone, apart from works, as ALL in the salvation of sinners. One taught of the Lord believes it and preaches it in good conscience. It is that same Gospel, when revealed by the Spirit of God that moves and motivates the sinner to live to the glory of Christ.
KEN WIMER
THE MEDIATOR OF THE COVENANT
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 3:1.
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ebster defines a mediator as one who acts on behalf of opposing parties to bring about a just reconciliation. Because the opposing parties are unable to make reconciliation themselves, a mutually acceptable mediator, skillful in the art of reconciliation, is appointed at the approval of all parties. Through the expertise of this mediator reconciliation is pursued.
God is in the reconciliation business too, but sinners have no part in His reconciliation. They don’t even know they need reconciliation. Since He, the One offended is Holy, righteous and just, (“and will by no means clear the guilty,” Exodus 34:7) and the offender is ungodly, unjust and unrighteous, (“there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:12) and since we are helpless to contribute toward our reconciliation with God, being ignorant of God’s way of reconciliation and even our own need of reconciliation, God, faithful to His promise in the Everlasting Covenant of Grace made with Christ before time, acts to reconcile His people unto Himself. He appoints the Mediator.
By nature, we would never agree to the true Christ being our Mediator. God appoints One who is wise in the way of reconciliation. One who knows what the offended party requires and the offending party needs. One who Himself can and will meet the requirements of a Holy God toward an ungodly sinner. Such a one is the Messenger of the Covenant. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.”(2 Corinthians 5:19)
The Hebrew word for messenger is from the root word meaning “to dispatch as a deputy or ambassador.” This, God has done in sending His Son to mediate between a Holy God (the offended party) and ungodly sinners (the offenders). We were not even present when the particulars of this reconciliation were transacted.
WINSTON PANNELL, Albany, GA