March 8, 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
Not saved are we by trying
From self can come no aid
‘Tis on the blood relying
Once for our ransom paid
‘Tis looking unto Jesus
The Holy One and Just
‘Tis His great work that saves us
It is not try, but trust.
No deeds of ours are needed
To make Christ’s merit more
No frames of mind or feelings
Can add to His great store
‘Tis simply to receive Him
The Holy One and Just
‘Tis only to believe Him
It is not try, but trust.
(Tune: “The Church’s One Foundation” p. 186)
*****
We will have a special meeting April 17 – 19.
Speakers will be Donnie Bell, Bruce Crabtree, and Jesse Gistand.
All ladies are invited to a Bridal Shower for Amy Daniel this Saturday. The
invitations are in the foyer.
Birthdays
8th – Clare Charron 10th – Sean Bigelow 11th – Bill Dent
12th – Chance Borders 13th – Renee Brice
13th – Nicholas Creamer 2013th – Isaac Hands 14th – Aaron
Greenleaf
“Open rebuke is better than secret love.” - Proverb 27:5
WHAT DO YE MORE THAN OTHERS?
“And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do
not even the publicans so?” – Matthew 5:47
The fact of the matter is, we ought to do more than others! What grace has
been given us! When people are looking to see how little they can get by with;
when questions are asked like, “How much is necessary to believe?”;
when Christian liberty is used to excuse sinful behavior rather than the joy
of obedience, surely something is wrong. I know this- nobody needs grace more
than me. Nobody is more greatly indebted to the grace of God than me. Therefore,
nobody ought to be more loving, forgiving, generous, and obedient than me.
Brethren, we ought to do more than others!
*****
I believe the Lord may send a reviving in our midst if we do those things
the Scripture say will facilitate it. Confess our sins; pray for outpouring
of the Lord’s Spirit; seek more earnestly to spread the message of the
Gospel; earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints; live
lives that reflect the glory of Christ. But if the Lord does not send a reviving
of His work in our midst, we are still to do those things just as earnestly.
It is still our prayer, “O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the
years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”
– Habakkuk 3:2
*****
If we would remember that we live among people who are imperfect, we would
not be in such a fever when we discover one another’s failings. Old
cloth will tear and cracked pots will leak. Blessed is he who expects nothing
of poor flesh and blood, for he will seldom be disappointed. The best of men
are only men at best.
- C. H. Spurgeon
*****
The church of God has many critics, but no rivals. This is the Family of God,
the Kingdom of Heaven, the Temple of the Holy One, the place where Christ
manifests forth His glory, spreads His table, and meets with His people. Blessed
beyond description are those people who are privileged to be a part of this
family! Truly, as Paul puts it, this is “a habitation of God through
the Spirit!” - Pastor Don Fortner
CHRIST DID IT ALL
To enter heaven, one must have kept God’s holy law perfectly….and
if one breaks any law, he must pay the consequences according to the justice
of the law, which is eternal death. This is why hell is eternal, because God
can never be satisfied and appeased for how we’ve offended Him. We have
done nothing but spit in God’s face all of our lives, and unless He
reveals that to you, you will never really come to Him for mercy, because
you will continue to think you have something to offer Him. But to20those
with awakened hearts, we do see something of our complete sinfulness, and
we know that the only way salvation will ever come our way is if He has mercy
on us for Christ’s sake.
When God looks upon Christ, and me united to Christ, He sees One that has
kept His law perfectly and One that has satisfied His justice through death
on that cross. Christ did it all, and He carried His elect with Him the whole
time. That is saving grace, when Christ does it all…and everything that
God requires of me for salvation (a perfect righteousness and justice served
and satisfied) He looks to Christ for. How thankful I am for my loving Saviour.
– Brian DuFour
*****
RELIGION PROMOTES FEAR
Religion promotes a number of fears. By encouraging human pride they produce
a fear of failure. By elevating self-righteousness they instill a fear of
shame. By magnifying man’s intelligence they advance a fear of ignorance.
By upholding free will and human ability they create a fear of weakness. By
far, the number one fear by which they maintain the faithfulness of their
adherents is th e fear of Hell. But the Bible never speaks of the fear of
failure, shame, or ignorance. In fact, the teaching of Christ is that these
are inevitable for creatures of flesh. What’s more, the Scriptures do
not impose the fear of Hell, but they have much to say about the fear of the
Lord. Even when Christ spoke of the torments of Hell, His precise wording
directs us to fear the God who condemns sinners, not the place where they
are punished. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able
to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
- Mark Daniel