CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune – Doxology)

Upon the high and sovereign throne,

Sits One who by Himself alone,

Has purged our sins and gone on high,

That those in Him should never die.

Is this the One who just before,

Our sins in His own body bore,

There justly dying in our place,

For all the chosen of His grace?

Yes, it is He, the King of kings,

A full salvation now He brings;

The Victor, He now sits at rest

Forever all our Righteousness

And only those He makes to see,

Salvation by His cross made free;

Can see in Him by all expressed,

God’s grace that reigns through righteousness.

TODAY’S SERVICES – Messages by Pastor Bill Parker

BIBLE CLASS – 10:00 a.m. –

The Indwelling Presence of Christ – Romans 8:9-11

MORNING WORSHIP – 11:00 a.m –

• OPENING – John 6:27-29

• CALL TO WORSHIP (above)

• HYMN – My Faith Has Found a Resting Place – p. 228

• READING – Psalm 127—128

• MESSAGE – Let Us Labour – Hebrews 4:11

• CLOSING HYMN – Unsearchable Riches – p. 495

Birthdays: Mary Margeson – Apr. 29^th | Jimmy Casey – Apr. 30^th

Debbie and I will be traveling to Ashland, KY, where I will be preaching Wednesday, May 1, and Sunday, May 5, for the Thirteenth Street Baptist Church where Brother Jim Byrd is pastor. Debbie will stay in Ashland awhile to help take care of our grandsons, but I will return to Albany and be here to preach on Sunday, May 12. Please pray for us as we travel and for me as I preach the Gospel to our brethren in Ashland. Brothers Jason Renfroe and Randy Wages will be preaching here on Sunday, May 5.

The Bible is not only a great book; it is the greatest of all books. Its greatness is not necessarily found in its fulfilled prophecies, its historical accuracy, its accounts of God’s mighty acts, or its guidelines for living. These are indeed fascinating aspects of the Bible. Each one adds its own evidence of authenticity to the “big picture” of the Bible as a whole. The Bible’s greatest wonder is its revelation of Jesus Christ Himself, along with the work of redemption He has accomplished to save His people from sin and provide all things necessary to bring them to eternal life and glory. The truly remarkable facet of the Bible is that Christ crucified and risen as the righteousness of God for His people can be seen in each and every book – Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Every book, every chapter, every line holds a picture of Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners. —copied

The Word and the Spirit are so intimately conjoined, that we are scarcely warranted in thinking of the one, without the other. The Word does not operate without the Spirit's agency, and the Spirit does not work apart from the Word. It was by the Spirit's inspiration that the Word was first given, for "holy men of God spoke, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). It is by the Spirit that we are enlightened (Eph 1:17, 18), yet the Word is the means He employs. It is by the Spirit that we are sanctified (Rom 15:16), yet not apart from the Truth (John 17:17). It is by the Spirit that we are strengthened (Eph 3:16) as He causes the Word to dwell in us richly (Col 3:16). It is by the Spirit that we are comforted (Acts 9:31) as He applies the Divine promises to our hearts. How appropriate, then, that the grand instrument employed by the Spirit of grace should be termed "the Word of His grace." —A. W. Pink

“THOU HAST THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE” (JOHN 6:68)

Many people hear the Word of God, and some even claim to believe it, but few have been given real spiritual life to truly receive and believe the Word as the Spirit leads us to Christ Who is our life. These are words of eternal life because they reveal how Christ has conquered our sins, death, and hell itself by His obedience unto death as our Surety, Substitute, and Redeemer. These are words of eternal life because they reveal how God’s grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. When the Spirit gives us life, then we will see these words as the words of eternal life in Christ. —Pastor Bill Parker

WHAT DID CHRIST DO ON THE CROSS?

On the cross Christ offered “Himself without spot to God” (Heb. 9:14), i.e. without fault and without sin. But if He was truly “without spot,” how could God the Father justly punish Him unto death? Death is “the wages of sin” (Rom. 6:23a). Behold the glory of God in His wisdom, power, and grace shining forth in the truth of Christ as the Surety of His people whom the Father gave to Him before the foundation of the world. God imputed (charged, reckoned) all the sins of all His people to His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly submitted to His Father’s wisdom to save His people from their sins by His grace in Christ as the Substitute and Redeemer of His people. In this way alone could the spotless Son of God die for His people in a way consistent with the justice of God. He Who was spotless in Himself was legally accounted guilty and cursed under the law for the sins of His people imputed to Him. Sinful, ignorant men cannot grasp this because they look upon God as they look upon themselves. They reason that if they themselves could not find a just way to do this, then God could not find a way. But God is all-wise and all-powerful. His wisdom shines through Christ, the Surety, Substitute, and Redeemer of His people. God’s way of justifying the ungodly is so unique, so glorious, so miraculous, that the natural man cannot believe it. But the Scripture is clear – “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:30-31).