Again, due to the Corona virus pandemic, we are asking you to stay home this morning and watch Pastor Parker preaching the messages on live-stream at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. You can access our live-stream by going directly to SermonAudio.com or through our website at www.rofgrace.com. Last week Sermon Audio had a hard time dealing with the high traffic load and people had trouble getting and staying connected. If you cannot stay connected, know that we are recording both messages, and they will be posted on SermonAudio and on our website as soon as possible.

We continue to pray for our nation and that our sovereign Lord would cause this virus to pass soon. Let us all live in the light of our Lord and Savior. We know that we are safe in His arms and secure in His grace that reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Pastor Parker

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TODAY’S SERVICES – Messages by Pastor Bill Parker

BIBLE CLASS – 10:00 a.m. –

Paul’s Request for Prayer – Romans 15:30-33

MORNING WORSHIP – 11:00 a.m –

READING – Ezekiel 36:16-33

MESSAGE – Bearing the Fruit of Faith – 2 Peter 1:5-11

Birthdays: Mills Fuller – Mar. 31^st

These are certainly trying times for all people and especially for the people of God in this world. But we need to consider the fact that for a true child of God, all of life here on earth is a trial of our faith. This is that God-given faith that causes us to look to and rest in Christ for our whole salvation. We do not look to ourselves to be saved temporally from any earthly disease, and we do not look to ourselves to be saved eternally from the deadliest of all diseases – sin that brings eternal damnation and death. Christ has appeared and put away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself. HE IS OUR HOPE AND OUR CURE FROM ALL SIN, DISEASE, AND DEATH.

—Pastor Bill Parker

There are some who regard it a great mark of spirituality to be ever looking in at their own hearts, and dwelling upon what they find there, even though that be the work of the Spirit. This is a great mistake. So far from it being a proof of spirituality, it is a proof of the very reverse: for it is expressly declared of the Holy Ghost that "He shall not speak of Himself," but that, on the contrary, "He shall take of Mine and show it to you." Therefore, whenever one is looking inward, and building on the evidences of the Spirit's work there, he may be assured he is not led by the Spirit of God in doing so. It is by holding up Christ that the Spirit draws souls to God.

—C. H. Mackintosh

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We dare not hope to be accepted with God because of anything that is in us by nature or may be infused into us by grace. We are accepted in the Beloved, and apart from Him we look not to be found accepted. Even what the Holy Ghost works in us does not furnish us with any merit which we can plead, for it is a gift of grace, and no part of our justifying righteousness. We rest upon Jesus Christ crucified (His imputed righteousness, atoning blood and mediation alone), and not upon our faith, repentance, or prayers. – Copied

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THE GODLY WALK OF BELIEVERS

When it comes to the godly walk of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious reality of God’s grace is this – Before we take the first step in the walk of faith, we are already completely justified, sanctified, fit, and entitled to all of salvation unto final glory, all based on the righteousness of God worked out and found in Christ and imputed to us. We are to run the Christian race, persevere in the faith, walk in the light, seek to bear fruit and be instruments of good works, not in order to become saints, but we are to do all of this as having been made full-fledged saints by virtue of the sovereign grace of God in Christ alone. It is THIS kind of grace that motivates us by love and gratitude to walk after and mind the things of the Spirit. This is the godly walk of believers in newness of spirit. —Pastor Bill Parker

JUSTIFICATION & FAITH

Question – But doth not the Scripture say, that we are justified by faith? What is faith? And how are we justified by the same?

Answer – There be in Scripture divers kinds of faith mentioned, by reason whereof, many think, that they believe to justification, and are deceived; {Mt.7:22;} for justification is free on God’s part, and without any condition at all on our part, for if faith were a condition of our justification, then it were not free, justification being an act of God in his eternal counsel and purpose, before the world began; {Rom.8:29;} if faith were a condition thereof, then are we justified for some fore-seen grace in us, and not freely by his grace. Now faith is neither a means, nor yet any condition of justification, but rather an evidence, or demonstration thereof; {Rom.11:5,6;} for true faith is that, whereby we close with God in the promise of life and salvation, in and by Jesus Christ. {Rom.4:19,20, Jn.6:44-47} Now this faith is not in us by nature, but is wrought in the heart, by the manifestation of God in the soul. When the Lord is pleased to reveal Christ in the soul, and to discover to the same, that he is well pleased with him in Christ, and that he hath freely forgiven all his sins, merely for the merit and righteousness of his Son, and that now he accepts of him as righteous, in his beloved Son; and that in Christ he hath adopted him to himself, to be his Son; now when the soul apprehends this, then it is thereby enabled to believe it, {Rom.4:21,} and rests upon it. And thus true faith doth not act in the works of justification, but only believes it when it is revealed in the soul; and then believing, hath peace with God, and can look upon him with comfort, and can joy in him in all tribulations. {Rom.5:1,2} Now no man can believe in Jesus Christ, until he be revealed unto him by the Father; {Jn.6:44;} and according to the measure or degrees whereby God is pleased to discover Himself to any man, so he can believe or confide in him more or less; so that it is plain, that faith is no means or condition of our justification; but by faith we believe it, and rest confidently assured of it when it is revealed, and so have joy and peace in believing.