February 15, 2009
Sunday 10:00am WLEX TV Channel 18

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


HYMN OF THE DAY
And can it be that I should gain, An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain,
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou my God, shouldst die for me?
Refrain: Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

‘Tis mystery all, th’ Immortal dies, Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
‘Tis mercy all, Let earth adore! Let angel minds inquire no more!

He left His Father’s throne above, so free, so infinite His grace
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free, For O my=2 0God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast bound in sin and nature’s night
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light
My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread, Jesus and all in Him is mine
=0 D
Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

(Tune: “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?” p. 44)

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We welcome Chris Cunningham, Pastor of The College Grove Grace Church, who will preach both messages today. Don Fortner will preach on Wednesday night. Lynn and I will return this Friday evening.

Birthdays
15th – Amber DuFour 16th – Andrea Vincent 18th – Kevin Bailey
19th – Brooklyn Bigelow 20th – Megan Harries 21st – Tim Daniel

“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” -Proverbs 20:19


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“HATERS OF GOD”
“Haters of God,” is one of the descriptions Paul gives of the natural man in Romans 1:30. This is what we all are guilty of. The cross is proof! This hatred can be expressed in many ways. Hatred of and persecution of those that love Him. Hatred of the doctrine of His word. But hatred is also expressed by not loving. To not love God in all of His character is to hate Him. To not disregard all things in comparison to Him is to hate Him. To treat with indifference or as unimportant any aspect of God or His word is to hate Him. While it is true that all men by nature are haters of God, it is also true that every believer, by the grace of God, is a lover of God.

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Judgment is a stripping process in which the outward form is removed to reveal the inward reality. In the judgment, many are stripped of their fair appearance in the flesh in order that the wretched, shriveled, rebellious inner man of the spirit might be seen for what it is. In their lives, they had spent a great deal of effort beautifying the flesh in order to hide the ugliness of the spirit; but judgment shall make the reality known.
; In the similar way, there are many who are possessed of a beautiful inner man, a regenerated spirit that is like its Creator, the Lord Jesus. But, for all their lives here, that nature has been hindered, suppressed and frustrated by an ugly flesh that will not cooperate. But judgment shall remove that wretched flesh, and reveal the beauty of the work of God in the inner man, as it is written, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” (Romans 8:19)
Judgment will not change anyone: it will merely reveal what they are. Are you ready to be revealed? - Pastor Joe Terrell


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We resemble Christ the most when we freely and unconditionally forgive others.
The unsoundness of a vessel is not seen when it is empty, but when it is filled with water, then we shall see whether it will leak or not. It is in our prosperity that we are tested. Men are not fully discovered of themselves till they are tried by the fullness of success. Praise finds out the crack of pride; wealth reveals the flaw of selfishness; and learning discovers the lack of unbelief. David’s (troubleso me) sin was little seen in the tracks of the wild goats, but it became conspicuous upon the terraces of his palace. Success is the crucible of character. Hence, the prosperity which some welcome as an unmixed favor may far more rightly be regarded as an intense form of test. O, Lord, preserve us when we are full as much as when we are empty! - Thomas Manton


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“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
-Galatians 6:14
The cross of the Lord is a wondrous mystery. It is a token of shame but the believer’s glory. It is an instrument of death but the source of life to millions. It is the symbol of Divine curse, but the means of God’s grace. It was instigated by man’s hatred of God, but has worked a love for God in the heart of many a man. It bears the insignia of failure, but is in truth, the greatest achievement of the Lord Jesus. It was designed to put an end to the Lord’s message, but became the very essence of all that the Lord preached. It is a mass of contradictions to the natural mind, but is pure simplicity to th e people of God.
- Pastor Joe Terrell

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SOVEREIGNTY BELONGS TO GOD
The sovereignty of God is absolute. To acknowledge this truth is at once to acknowledge that God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass; that nothing else can come to pass; that predestination is a fact; that God does rule in the kingdoms of men; that all human ties, bonds and relationships are divinely appointed and formed; that salvation rests solely, fully and only in God’s election; that salvation is by God’s grace and His grace alone; and that no part of man’s salvation is of himself either in origin or execution. Where men get the idea that man’s will is the all-determining factor or moving cause of his salvation is hard to see. Certainly they do not get it from the Bible. – Pastor Scott Richardson