March 16, 2008
Sunday 10:00am WLEX TV Channel 18

Great God, we come to meet
With Thee, our Lord and King
To bow before Thy sovereign throne
And here Thy praises sing.

May every worldly care
Be banished from our mind
May we Thy word with profit hear
And peace and comfort find.

Our strength will soon decrease
Unless our souls be fed
We know our health, our joy and peace
Depend on living bread.

So let our hearts be drawn
To Jesus Christ our Lord
Find sweet redemption through His blood
And feed upon His Word.

(Tune: “I Love Thy Kingdom” p. 188)

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We welcome Paul and Mindy Mahan who are with us today. Paul, Pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, Virginia will preach for us this morning.

I will be preaching for the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Harrodsburg, KY this Friday and Saturday evening.


Birthdays
16th – Jacob Davis 17th – Gene Rutledge 19th – Rachel Daniel
21st – Doris Daniel 21st – Frank Singleton 22nd – Jean Bradford


“He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” - Proverb 10: 5

THE REPETITION OF THE GOSPEL
“To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe” (Philippians 3:1). Paul is not speaking of the repetition of certain words or phrases that need to be stated or the Gospel is not preached. When a preacher adopts that mentality his words do indeed become grievous (irksome; tedious), and in reality it is not safe, because the standard of soundness becomes certain key phrases rather than the Word of God.
However, you cannot preach the Gospel without the repetition of the “same things”. Even if certain words or phrases are not used, the foundational truths of ruined by the fall, redeemed by the blood, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit are there. God’s sovereign election, justification by faith, sanctification by grace, union with Christ, and the glory of God is the framework of all that is said. When preached in the power of the Holy Spirit and heard by needy souls, the Truth is never tedious. It is always safe.
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“IF A PERSON IS TRULY SAVED……?”
I introduced a Sunday morning sermon with an excellent question asked by a friend, “If a person is truly saved by the grace of God in Christ, will he love, rejoice, give, share, forgive, and endeavor to glorify Christ in his life or MUST HE BE TAUGHT THESE THINGS?” My answer: “Yes, he will and yes, he must.”
The principles of grace and truth are in the heart by regeneration, as is the love of Christ and love for others; but children must be taught, reminded, corrected and even chastised. “Go ye and make disciples, TEACHING THEM to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). The very fact that our Lord gave us the Lord’ Table to “do in remembrance of Me” is proof enough that we need to be taught and reminded of spiritual truth. - Pastor Henry Mahan

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If God is sovereign and He is (Daniel 4:35); if we are begotten of God according to His own will, and we are (James 1:18); if the New Birth is not a result of the will of man, and it most certainly is not (John 1:13); then what is being preached from most pulpits is not from God. Brethren, listen to the message that is being preached and if it contradicts God’s Word, COME AWAY FROM IT! Irreverence to the inspired Word of God breeds irreverence to God Himself.
–Author Unknown

DO YOU KNOW WHO, HOW, AND WHY?
I believe that all who come to our Redeemer in saving faith do so PERSONALLY. I wish that I could believe God for my family; but unless a man in his own heart believes on Christ, he will perish. Those who come to Christ will come SINCERELY. A man is not only persuaded that Christ is the way, but in his heart he lovingly and sincerely agrees with God’s terms of salvation. “My son, give me thine heart” (Prov. 23:26). It is the heart or nothing in this heavenly marriage. Also those who come to Christ do so RATIONALLY, in knowledge and understanding. They know WHAT He saved them from – sin’s curse and condemnation. They know WHO saved them – our Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. They know HOW He saved them – by His perfect obedience and precious blood. They know WHY He saved them – “according to the good pleasure of His own will” (grace, grace, and more grace). And those who come to Christ come PERMANENTLY, with no intention of ever leaving Him; and by His grace, with no possibility of every being forsaken by Him.
– Pastor Henry Mahan


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ACCUSED OF BEING EXCLUSIVE
Our Gospel is often accused of being exclusive, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Good News of God’s sovereign grace in Christ is the only truly inclusive Gospel in the world. In fact it ensures in no uncertain terms that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). The Gospel does not allow for the least possibility that any sinner will go to Hell who truly desires to be saved by the Lord Jesus. False gospels, on the other hand, are highly exclusive. They exclude those who cannot understand the mystery of Christ, who cannot repent and believe, and who cannot forsake their sin. The Gospel of Christ includes all who find themselves in this condition. The truth is, when properly understood, what most people call the “Good News” is actually bad news. For its conditions exclude all true sinners from the hope of salvation.
- Mark Daniel