March 30, 2014

There will be a Men's Breakfast next Saturday morning. The dates for our Bible Conference this year are June 20-22nd.

A Good Hope

II Thessalonians2:16

There yonder my Anchor's cast; 'Tis Jesus Christ my Lord.
And I know that He holds fast According to His Word.
He gave His sheep the promise: With Him they would be one.
My hope is the Lord Jesus. My hope is Christ, God's Son.

This hope is outside myself. This is what the Lord's done:
To save me He gave Himself; God placed me in His Son.
A good hope He's given me Laid up for me in Heav'n
In Christ the hope of glory Before the world began.

We sorrow not as others. This hope they have not known.
The bless-ed hope we look for: Christ coming for His own.
The One raised up from the dead; By Him we're raised up, too.
"At the last day," our Lord said. This living hope is true!

Let Is-r'el hope in the Lord, Henceforth and forever.
Let Is-r'el hope in His Word; There's peace and joy for her.
Our hope of eternal life, The hope of His calling,
Is in the One who is life, Who keeps us from falling.

By Gary Spreacker

(Tune: The Church's One Foundation, #186)

WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE?

If a person has concern and doubts about his hope of grace and eternal glory, he might consider the following questions.

1. God requires perfection. Am I perfect? No! Then do I have ONE who is perfect to stand for me and I in Him?

2. Do I have a righteousness that can stand the test of God's holy law and presence? No! Then is there ONE who will give to me such a holiness?

3. Will God hear my weak and sinful voice before His throne? No! Then is there ONE? He will hear who shall be my advocate and intercessor?

4. Do I have an acceptable blood atonement and can I act as a suitable high priest before His presence? No! Then do I have ONE who is a great High Priest in the heavens with one sacrifice for sins forever?

5. The scriptures declare, "He that hath clean hands, a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" shall stand in His holy place. Can this be said of me? No! Then do I have ONE in whom all the fullness of holiness, power, and truth dwells who will love me, take my case as His, and bring me to God?

"Yes, there's ONE, only ONE, The blessed, blessed Jesus, He's the ONE:

When afflictions press the soul, And waves of trouble roll, And you need a friend to help you, HE'S THE ONE!"

- Henry Mahan

O the wonder, the glory and beauty of God's Word. It's beyond our ability to fully understand and appreciate it. But we marvel at what we do understand. God uses many things to describe His Word: everyday, ordinary, yet wonderful and necessary things. He likens His Word to things such as: Light, Bread, Milk, Honey, Meat, Fire, Water, Hammer, Sword, Plough, Seed, Rain, Dew, Treasure, Gold, Net, Mirror...a Kiss! All this and more are God's Word for His people.

- Pastor Paul Mahan

Law, precepts, rules and regulations, and all the training and teaching and adorning that you can give a poor sinner, never conquers the carnal mind, which is enmity against God. Omnipotent, Sovereign Grace alone can subdue a poor ruined sinner to the feet of Jesus. Sinners may come forward and make a decision for Jesus; they may make their commitment and re-commitments; they may be baptized and join the local Church and begin to talk and act different and be outwardly religious the rest of their lives, and desire to go to heaven when they die - and talk a lot about it. But all this will not subdue the sinful will and carnal mind of a sinner. Only Omnipotent Grace, God's almighty grace will do it.

- Pastor Bruce Crabtree

A Grievous Error

Some good men who, in grievous error, would impose the law as a rule of life for the believer means very well by it (for they strive to be pious); but the whole principle is false. The law, instead of being a rule of life, is necessarily a rule of death to one who has a sin nature. Far from being a delivering power, it can only condemn such. Far from being a means of holiness, it is, in fact, and according to Paul, "the strength of sin" (I Cor. 15:56).