Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 December 19, 2010 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

You Were Asked To Pray For: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Frank Trusty, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Daughter Ashley, Lilly Stansord, Vickie Sims, Debbie Farmer, Terry Farmer, Morgan Murchison, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Gina Sullivan, Katie Norton, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Marshall Risinger, Jeremiah Kelleher, Jack Johnson, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

The Pastors Corner: How does God save sinners? “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: (28.) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (29.) Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. (30.) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. (31.) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:27 – 31 God has one form of saving the lost sinner, and it is through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” The preaching of the gospel for salvation is foolishness to them that believe it takes more than the simple preaching to save the lost because they know not the way of salvation. The word “power” in 1 Corinthians 1:18 means – force or miraculous power – which is what it takes to save the lost, it takes the power of God. Now this does not mean that we as pastors or ministers have the power to save the lost but that God CHOSE to use this preaching to save the lost sinner. It is the message of the gospel that pricks the heart and causes one to accept the gospel; however this is only possible because the Holy Spirit of God causes the heart to be pricked. In our text scripture we see the rich man speaking to Abraham, the rich man being in hell and Abraham being in his bosom. The rich man was so tormented that he wanted Abraham to send Lazarus from the dead to cause his father and brothers to believe. However Abraham said “…If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” In other words nothing outside of the gospel has the power to cause a sinner to repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has a system, and that system is the only one that will work because it is the way that God has chosen to save the lost sinner. Man can invent millions of different ways to cause a sinner to repent, but the only sure way that works is by hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore all these invented ways of causing one to be saved are in vain. All the hell movies, scare houses, hell fire sermons and etc. are useless and in vain, and yes this includes the decision and choice myth also. You will never find any preacher that can out do one rising from the dead and if that will not work than nothing else man can invent will work. Salvation only comes from the simple message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, therefore some preachers need to stop attempting to show how powerful they are and simply preach the Gospel. Every time in the scriptures you find someone witnessing to a lost sinner they are simply telling them about Jesus Christ and nothing else. This is because this is the path that God has chosen to save the lost sinner. How simple, and how wonderful, God saves sinners and uses His word to do it. Abraham said “…They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” Because nothing, even the dead rising from the grave will cause them to repent. So if you are going to be saved you will hear the message of the pastor or minister because they are Gods sent men with the message from God. So in conclusion, to them that invent other ways to prick the heart of the lost sinner, God has a message for you, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20 AMEN!

A Thought For The Week: Man Or Worm I recently heard a Baptist preacher say: "When I was lost, I wanted to be saved, I thought, If I could just get saved!" I ask: Do you think somewhere in the world there is worm who wants to be a man, and is sincerely trying to be a man? The lettered and unlettered man bluntly replies; "Of course not, the question is utterly absurd." I fully concur with the reply, such a thought is rank foolishness, but I can as easy believe there is somewhere in the world a worm who wants to be a man, as there is somewhere in the world an unsaved person who in truth wants to be saved from his or her sins. For the sake of honesty, I present an impossible hypothesis, and ask: Which account would you believe if it were left to your discretion, the lost man who said he wanted to be saved, or the supposition that there is a worm somewhere that wants to be a man? To allow there is in this world a worm who wants to be a man is no more ridiculous that to say, there is a lost person who in truth wants to be saved. To opt for the man or the worm would be equally foolish, but if there was any weight in the matter it would be on the part of the worm, for I have never read nor heard of a worm that hated God. Conversely, there is not ONE person whose heart is not filled with enmity against God. It is the epitome of ignorance to say a person wants to become that which he hates with a perfect hatred. (John 15:18, 25, Romans 1:30, 8:7; etc.). By Brother Oscar Mink, former Pastor of our church, now with our Lord.

Is Jesus like anybody we know? By J. R. Miller 1902 A little child, after reading in the New Testament one day, asked her mother, "Is Jesus like anybody we know?" The child was eager to discover just what were the elements of the character of Christ, His disposition, His spirit, the mind that was in Him. The mother ought to have been able to answer, "Yes, I am trying to be like Jesus; if you will look at my life, and study my character—you will see a little of what Jesus is like." Every follower of Christ should be able to say the same to all who know him. The likeness is imperfect, for in many things we come short; but, if we are true Christians, we must be trying to live as He would—if He were in our place. "Leaving you an example—so that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21