May 25, 2008
Sunday 10:00am WLEX TV Channel 18

It is requested that children under the age of five stay in our nursery
so there will be no distractions during the preaching of the Gospel.


HYMN FOR THE DAY

Precious Savior, friend of sinners
We, as such, to Thee draw near
Let Thy Spirit dwell within us
With that love that casts out fear.
Matchless Saviour, let us know Thee
As the Lord our Righteousness
Cause our hearts to cleave unto Thee
Come, and with Thy presence bless.


Open now Thy precious treasure
Let Thy word here freely flow
Give to us a gracious measure
‘Tis Thyself we long to know.
Come and claim us as Thy portion
Let us all find rest in Thee
Leave us not to empty notions
We would find our hope in Thee!

(Tune: “Our Great Savior” p. 49)



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There will be a Bible Conference June 20 - 22 at the Lantana Grace Church of Crossville, TN where Donnie Bell is Pastor. Information is on the hall table.



Birthdays
27th – Thomas Kincer 28th – David Walmsley 28th – Stephen Walmsley
“Buy the truth, and sell it not: also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” - Proverbs 23:23


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True faith is in a Person. “Abraham believed God.” Paul said, “I know Whom I have believed.” I do not trust the finished work of Christ. I trust Him who finished the work. Faith is not believing that Christ died for me. I may believe that He died for me when it may be that He did not. Faith is believing that He in His life, death, resurrection, and Person is able to save me. Faith is a reliance upon Him! Faith is not believing a doctrine, proposition, or historical event, although all of that is involved in faith. Faith is believing a Person! Faith is not giving assent to the Truth, although it does give assent to the Truth! Living faith trusts the Living Lord. What we believe is determined by who we believe. If we believe Him, what we believe will be settled. It is impossible to believe Him and not believe sovereign grace! As Henry Mahan said, “We do not come to Christ through doctrine, we come to our doctrine through Christ.”

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HOW CAN I KNOW IF CHRIST DIED FOR ME?
To some that is a mute point because they believe He died for all men without exception. But according to the Bible, He only died for His sheep (John 10:16). Not everybody is a sheep. There are also goats. So how can I know that I am one for whom He died? Am I simply to have faith that He died for me? No. You can believe that He died for you and that does not mean He did. Faith is not believing He died for you. Faith is not believing you are saved. Those things have to do with assurance. When the Ethiopian eunuch asked Phillip, what hinders me from being baptized? Phillip said, “If you believe with all your heart you may.” Notice what the eunuch did not reply. He did not say, “I believe that Christ died for me personally,” or “I believe that I am saved.” He said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” It is believing the Gospel, believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God: it is believing that He is the only successful Savior and that he is able to save you. Do you believe the Gospel? It you answer no, that is no assurance that Christ died for you. But if you believe the Gospel, yes, Christ most assuredly died for you. “And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
Every aspect of the Gospel of Christ is according to the predestinating will of God, so much so that the final salvation of the elect is spoken of in the past tense before it takes place. “Whom He justified, them He also glorified.” Any gospel that is not founded upon the sovereign, predestinating will of God is a false gospel, because, if it is not founded upon God’s will, it is necessarily founded upon man’s will. And we know from Scripture, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”



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BOW TO CHRIST AND LOOK TO HIM
When Pharaoh exalted Joseph to be ruler over Egypt, he made several decrees concerning Joseph, but his instruction to the people were only two. The first was, “bow the knee” (Gen. 41:43). Next, when the people were in need, he instruction them to “Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do” (Gen. 41:55). Those who would preach the Gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ must strictly adhere to both the content and the order of these decrees. We tell men first of the majesty of His Person, His Lordship and sovereignty. Should anyone be in need, we direct them to Him, for He alone can save and that by the power of His Word. – Pastor Charles Pennington




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Justification, as it is revealed in Holy Scripture, is much more than a mere forensic (legal) standing. It is a state of being (Rom. 5:1-11). It is more than a judicial declaration. Justification is the real emancipation of our souls in Christ. To be justified before God is to be free of guilt in your conscience by the sprinkling of Christ’s blood, that is by the Spirit’s application of Christ’s atonement (Heb. 9:14).
- Pastor Don Fortner