February 24, 2008
Sunday 10:00am WLEX TV Channel 18

With broken heart and contrite sigh
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry
Thy pardoning 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 alms, nor deeds that I have done,
Can for a single sin atone
To Christ alone I gladly flee
O God! Be merciful to me.

And when, 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: “Just As I Am” p. 249)


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I am preaching today for the Apopka Grace Church in Florida where Greg Elmquist is Pastor. Mark Daniel will bring the message this morning and Brian DuFour tonight.



Birthdays
24th – Nick Verenich 26th- Donna Meek
29th – Meagan Shively 1st – Caleb Benton



Salvation by the grace of God gives a person a full pardon of all sin but does not lead him to presumption; it gives him rest but does not make him lazy, slothful, or indifferent. – Pastor Charles Pennington
“Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” - Proverb 23:23

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“A sinner is a scared thing: the Holy Ghost hath made him so”
To the unregenerate man, the words of this hymn on the surface appear close to blasphemy. A sinner a sacred thing? The Holy Ghost has made him so? Yet these words are the truth! There are a lot of hypothetical sinners, a lot of theoretical sinners, but very few real sinners. Real sinners believe themselves to be destitute of personal righteousness. They cannot not sin. It was the Holy Spirit who taught them what they are. And what a blessed thing it is to be a real sinner. For every real sinner, there is a real Saviour. It is only as a sinner that we can come to Christ. It is only as a sinner that we can hear the gospel as good news. It is only as a sinner that we can truly rejoice in the grace of God. It is only as a sinner that we can have true fellowship with our brethren, sinners saved by the same grace. It is only as a sinner that we trust the Saviour of sinners. Yes, “a sinner is a sacred thing: the Holy Ghost hath made him so.”

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THE GOD OF OUR SALVATON
The beliefs and practices of anyone’s religion depend entirely on the object of his worship. False religion is false, not simply because its teachings are false, nor because its observances are false, but because its god is false. In the same way, true religion is true, not because its doctrines are true, nor because its worship and walk are true, but because its God is true. There are not enough theologians, preachers, or teachers in the world able to set straight the religion of a single person whose god is a lie. By the same token, there’s no power in heaven, on earth, or under the earth able to destroy the religion of that one who worships the true and living God. Therefore what we believe is established by Who we believe. If your god is not sovereign, you will naturally believe your salvation depends on something you do. If your god isn’t holy, you will automatically believe your best efforts are acceptable to him. If your god isn’t gracious, you will be necessity believe in the decisive power of your own free will. But those who worship the GOD of the Bible, who is sovereign, holy and gracious, trust in His sovereign power to save, delight in the beauty of His holiness, and rest in His unfailing grace.
- Mark Daniel

 

WHEN TOLERATION IS INTOLERABLE
Quite often toleration is very commendable. May God make us tolerant men and women. It is a sign of growing in grace. But with regard to the Gospel, toleration is the first step towards apostasy. This is illustrated throughout the Old Testament. The children of Israel were called upon to completely eradicate the peoples of the lands God gave them. When they failed to do so, it invariably became a snare to them. They would begin to tolerate their false religion, and leave God. In the New Testament, when false doctrine was tolerated in a church, it acted like the leaven that leavened the whole lump (Gal. 5:1-9). The Lord Jesus was displeased with several of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 because of their toleration of those in their midst who held to the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:14-15). Because the church at Thyatira “sufferest that woman jezebel…to teach” the Lord was displeased with them. Notice, it was not so much what they did, but what they allowed to be done, what they tolerated that the Lord was displeased with.
This sinful toleration is certainly easier for the flesh. To go with the flow, never stir up anything, and never be faced with conflict. It is much easier to condemn as to harsh those who stand for God’s truth and are opposed to those who either teach or tolerate that which does not glorify Christ. But be warned. This spirit of toleration toward false doctrine is the first step toward apostasy. The scriptures give us many examples of this! To tolerate that which is contrary to Christ is no different that tolerating unfaithfulness in your spouse. If we can tolerate our spouse having illicit relationships with others, it says we don’t really love our spouse in the first place! And if we tolerate doctrine that does not give Christ all the glory, it says we do not really love Him. In this sense, toleration is intolerable.


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I thought to prepare myself for great things only to learn that it was the rough voice in the wilderness He planned to use and not the polished preacher; it was the weak, impulsive shepherd with the sling that He planned to use and not the mighty warrior with his armor of wit and arsenal of facts, doctrines, and learning. If we don’t pour contempt on ourselves, GOD WILL! - Pastor Henry Mahan