CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune – Jesus Calls Us – p. 374)

Precious Saviour, 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 must find our hope in Thee!

TODAY’S SERVICES – Messages by Pastor Bill Parker

BIBLE CLASS – 10:00 a.m. –

Married to Christ – Romans 7:1-6

MORNING WORSHIP – 11:00 a.m –

• OPENING – Psalm 27:1-5

• CALL TO WORSHIP (above)

• HYMN – Praise Him! Praise Him! – p. 442

• READING – John 10:11-30

• MESSAGE – Who Is Every Man? (2) – Hebrews 2:9-18

• CLOSING HYMN – Take My Life, and Let It Be – p. 393

THE LORD’S SUPPER WILL BE SERVED SUNDAY, MARCH 31

A NOTE FROM THE PASTOR

Debbie and I are thankful to be home from our trip to Hawaii. We thank the Lord we were able to meet with and enjoy fellowship with our brethren there, and spend time with our daughter-in-law, Alissa, and our grandboys, Aiden and Neil. I will tell you more about it in the coming days.

CHRIST MUST BE ALL!

We cannot keep our eye too exclusively or too intently fixed upon Jesus. All salvation is in Him. All salvation proceeds from Him. All salvation leads to Him. And for the assurance and comfort of our salvation we are to repose believingly and entirely on Him. Christ must be all! Christ the beginning – Christ the center – Christ the end. Oh, sweet truth to you who are sensible of your poverty, vileness, and insufficiency, and of the ten thousand flaws and failures of which, perhaps, no one is cognizant but God and your own soul! Oh, to turn and rest in Christ – a full Christ – a loving Christ – a tender Christ, whose heart’s love never chills, from whose eyes dart no reproof, from whose lips breathes no sentence of condemnation! Christ must be all! —Octavius Winslow

In His death for the sins of His people, Jesus Christ brought forth an everlasting righteousness enabling God to be both a just God and a Savior, a righteous Judge as well as a merciful, loving Father. His righteousness is given by God to His people in the same way that their sins were made to be His – by imputation (2 Cor. 5:21). This is a legal accounting of the merits of Christ’s righteousness to the elect and their sins to Christ. All the agony and suffering unto death Jesus Christ experienced on the cross was due to the sins of His people imputed to Him. All blessings of salvation, spiritual life, and final glory God’s elect gain and experience are due to the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them. The sins of His people imputed to Him and the suffering He experienced were all necessary for the salvation of His people. The righteousness of Christ imputed to His people and the blessings of spiritual life in the new birth and glory in heaven are all necessary for the salvation of His people.

—Pastor Bill Parker

A FITTING SALVATION

“For such an high priest became us…” (Heb. 7:26) The Amplified New Testament reads, “Here is the High Priest perfectly adapted to our needs.” The salvation of God in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only salvation for such a one as myself. Others may think they find a lesser one that is sufficient for them but not me. This salvation which is in Christ who is the Wisdom of God is suited for both God and me. It satisfies God in what He requires, and if God is satisfied then surely I can be. First, the CHOICE in salvation is God’s. This suits me, for as the songwriter said, “Tis not that I did choose Thee, For, Lord, that could not be; This heart would still refuse Thee, but Thou hast chosen me.” It was God’s choice and He made it before the foundation of the world. He chose me “in Christ” and “unto salvation” and this made things sure! (Eph. 1:4; II Thess. 2:13)

It was also a salvation of SINNERS! “Christ came into the world to save sinners: of whom I am chief.” (I Timothy 1:15) God’s salvation is not for those who, like Pharaoh, Balaam and Saul say “I have sinned” while distressed over the consequences of their sin, but for those like David and the publican who say “Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned.” They beg God to “be propitiated toward me the sinner.” Sin is not only what I’ve done but what I am! God’s salvation is just for such as this.