January 20, 2008
Sunday 10:00am WLEX TV Channel 18

With broken heart and contrite sigh
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry
Thy pard’ning grace is rich and free
O God, be merciful to me.

I smite upon my troubled breast
With deep and conscious guilt oppressed
Christ and His cross my only plea
O God, be merciful to me.

Nor works nor deeds that I have done
Can for a single sin atone
To Christ, the Lord, alone I flee
O God, be merciful to me.

And when the redeemed from sin and hell
With all the ransomed throng I dwell
My raptured song shall ever be
God has been merciful to me.

(Tune: “Doxology”)

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We rejoice with Mitch and Amie Steeves who confessed Christ in Believer’s Baptism last Sunday.


Mark Daniel will bring the message this Wednesday evening.


Birthdays
23rd – Wanda Nevels 26th – Brian Bailey
26th – Mike Farmer 26th – Lynn Nibert


“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” - Proverb 25:19



THE FAITH
One of the names for the gospel in the early church was “The Faith”. This name expresses the object of faith and the act of faith; that which is believed and the act of believing. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith” (II Cor. 13:5). Make sure you believe the faith. Make sure you believe the faith.

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OBEDIENCE
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). While we are not saved by our personal obedience, we are not saved without our personal obedience. Christ is to be obeyed. The Gospel is to be obeyed. The Truth is to be obeyed. Faith without obedience is not faith at all. Love without obedience is not love at all. Repentance without obedience is not repentance at all. Worship without obedience is not worship at all. Faith is obedience. We read in Romans 1:5 of “obedience to the faith.” Love is obedience. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Repentance is obedience. “God commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance is obedience to that command. Worship is obedience. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (I Sam 15:22). The wise man summed it up like this, “Fear God and keep His commandments: this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc. 12:13).

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“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6). When Paul wrote those words, he was not just urging us to talk ABOUT the grace of God (this we will do), he is telling us that our speech and general conversation should reveal the grace of God in us and be “good to the ear and a blessing to the heart.” Hard words reveal a hard heart; unkind, cutting remarks reveal a bitter spirit; cursing reveals an unregenerate soul. Grace is to the speech what salt is to meat – it makes it acceptable, profitable and useful! Grace in the heart will not only determine WHAT WE SAY, but also HOW WE SAY IT. There are plenty of folks who have made a study of the doctrines of grace whom we avoid because they usually manage somehow to offend, hurt, and uselessly wound even the Lord’s people. God forbid that we should add to the burdens and sorrows of God’s children by our sharp tongues! -Pastor Henry Mahan

AS HE IS, SO ARE WE
I cannot help but feel sorry for the masses of people following the religion of this world, a religion based on some effort of man to earn his salvation, to make himself savable, or one “saved”, to improve his holiness and standing before God by stopping this, starting that, saying this, not saying that, running himself in circles. I realize this is all the will of God, but I also realize and give thanks that but for the grace of God, there go I. The only difference between a believer and a lost religionist is the grace of God, and nothing else. How thankful I am to my Father for revealing His gospel to me and every believer, my brothers and sisters in Christ. He has given us faith to trust His Son, and to believe His Word. I realize we still carry this flesh around, and we still fall prey to trying to make ourselves look better than others, and to live a more “holy” life. Don’t get me wrong, we should desire to never sin again, and bring honor to the Gospel of Christ, but that will in no way improve my standing of holiness before God. I stand in Christ alone. The very moment I trust Him as my Saviour, I am as holy as I will ever be, for He is my holiness, my sanctification, for “Because as He is, so are we in this world”(I John 4:17). Can you believe that? A believer can. My salvation was settled by Christ. He took my sin, nailing it to His cross. He gave me His righteousness – imputed as my justification, imparted as my sanctification.
When God saves a sinner, that sinner is made a saint at that moment, as holy as he will ever be. Most people think this would lead to lawlessness, and an uncaring attitude of the believer – if I can get no holier, why try? I beg to differ. When I see the grace, mercy, and love of my Saviour shed so freely on this undeserving sinner, I cannot help but want to “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).
May God give us grace to take up our cross daily, and follow Him. It is so easy to follow One who is so beautiful, knowing that in God’s eyes, I am as beautiful as He.
– Brian DuFour