March 28, 2010
Sundays 7:00 am Channel 27 WKYT
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
Compared with Christ, in all beside
No comeliness I see
The one thing needful, dearest Lord
Is to be one with Thee.
The sense of Thy expiring love
Into my soul convey
Thyself bestow; for Thee alone
I absolutely pray.
Less than Thyself will not suffice
My comfort to restore
More than Thyself I cannot crave
And Thou canst give no more.
Loved of my God, for Him again
With love intense I burn
Chosen of Thee e’re time began
I choose Thee in return.
Whate’re consists not with Thy love
Oh teach me to resign
I’m rich to all the intents of bliss
If Thou, O God, art mine.
(Tune: “According to Thy Gracious Word” p. 192)
*****
We will have a church dinner on April 18th. There will be no evening service
that Sunday.
Birthdays
3rd – Mariesha Watters
“The lot is cast into the lap: but the whole disposing thereof is of the
Lord.” - Proverbs 16:33
A LITTLE LEAVEN
“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Paul said this twice.
Once in I Corinthians 5:6, and once in Galatians 5:9. In I Corinthians 5:6,
he was speaking of the church tolerating sexual sin in their midst. Paul said
that the toleration of this moral evil would end up working its way through
the whole church if it was not dealt with. In Galatians 5:9, he was referring
to the leaven of salvation by works. If you allow salvation to be by works in
even the least degree, it will leaven through the whole lump and you will no
longer have the Gospel of God’s grace. This should serve as a warning
to all of us. If we tolerate or turn our heads away from a “little sin”
in our lives, it is sure to grow. If we allow the leaven of salvation conditioned
upon our works in the slightest degree, it will work its way into everything.
A needful warning…. “a little leaven leaventh the whole lump.”
*****
Any belief we have that is not founded on “It is written” will prove
to be error. Any position we hold that is not held up by a “Thus saith
the Lord” is a wrong position. Any doctrine we promote that does not arise
from “what saith the scripture”is false. God has given us the written
revelation of Himself, the Bible! Can I prove the Bible is God’s inspired
Word? No. But I know it is. The Truth commends itself as the Truth. Only that
which is less than the truth needs proofs to hold it up.
*****
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).
And who is this good man? Every believer! Every step of every believer was and
is ordered by the Lord. Nothing has happened that the Lord did not will to happen
before it happened. What comfort and encouragement there is in that! This makes
us cry out, “Order my steps in Thy Word, and let not any iniquity have
dominion over me” (Psalm 119:133).
SECONDARY IMPORTANCE?
I have noticed that the main issue that men grapple with over the doctrine of
election is not whether or not the Scripture teaches it. Any honesty at all
will make a man admit the Scriptures do teach this doctrine. What men grapple
with is whether or not it is essential to believe this doctrine and preach this
doctrine. Most preachers will admit the Bible does teach election, but they
relegate it to a doctrine of secondary importance. (Judgment day will reveal
the motive behind such actions.)
But will the Scriptures support such a position? In Exodus 33:18, Moses said
to God, “Show me your glory…” To which God replied, “…I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” Paul quotes this in Romans
9 to answer the carnal mind’s objection to election (Romans 9:14-15).
According to Scripture, God’s glory and election go together. If the glory
of God can be thought to be a doctrine of secondary importance, so can the doctrine
of election. But we know the glory of God is of primary importance. What does
that make God’s electing mercy in Christ? - Pastor Henry Mahan
*****
The doctrines of the Gospel, commonly known as the doctrines of grace, are distinguished
for this peculiarity above every other, namely, that they sink the creature
very low, and present the Lord Jehovah before us as sitting on a throne, high,
and lifted up. So true is this, that the most uneducated Christian may, even
if he is incapable of refuting an erroneous discourse, always be able to discover
the untruthfulness, if it glorifies man at the expense of God. The merest babe
in grace may carry this test with him: in the midst of the diversities of opinion
with which he is surrounded, he may always judge, and judge infallibly too,
of the truth or falsehood of a doctrine by testing it thus – DOES IT GLORIFY
GOD? If it be so, it is true. “Does this exalt man?” Then it must
be false. On the other hand, does it lay man very low, and speak of him in terms
which tend to make him feel his degradation? Then doubtless, it is full of truth.
And does it put the crown upon the head of God, and not upon the head of man’s
free will, or free agency, or good works? Then assuredly it is a doctrine according
to godliness, for it is the very truth of the Lord our God. – C. H. Spurgeon