Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
April 14, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 411

Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                    Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director
Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com          Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty Years”

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, Junior Baldridge, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Pat Abercrombie, Barbara Brewer, Donna Jones, Dale and Linda Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Gina, Ryan, and Mallary Peel, Tommy Walker and family, Dina Thomas, Brother Steve McCool and the work in Canada, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Our Pastor:

The Majesty Of God

"And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying," Genesis 17:3

We often find ourselves worshiping God with little reverence. Sometimes doing something everyday such as prayer or going to church several times a week can turn into a routine rather than an honor. We all need to work on being most honored when we pray because it is an honor to visit with the Lord whether in person or in prayer. Here we see Abraham getting a visit from the Lord and when God spoke to him he fell on his face at reverence toward the Most High. Abraham recognized his unworthiness of such a visit from God. Folks we are the same way, we are all unworthy to visit with God. We always need to recognize the blessedness in our ability to talk to God and reverence all our time visiting with Him. We need to always recognize having such favors bestowed upon us is an act of grace in which we can never repay God for. I feel such an honor and at the same time such an unworthiness to pastor one of the Lords churches and to be able to be use in speaking His blessed word to His church. Any believer, whether being used greatly or being used in smaller ways ought to always consider the honor to be used of God. Whether we are called to work in His church or to die for His blessed name it is all an honor and should be treated with reverence. God did not have to use Abraham and He does not need you. Abraham was not the only one to show honor in falling on their face before God many others did the same.

“God talked with him” wow what this must have been like to have not only been visited by God but to also have had a one on one conversation with the Most High. I just cannot imagine what it is going to be like to visit with the Lord in person for the very first time. A time when it is no longer by faith, but now a reality. The reality settling in that Jesus is soon to return and I may actually be blessed with that blessed event my forefathers only dreamed of; and that is being alive when the Lord returns. All of them with the Lord as He returns, but us being raptured or being caught up to meet the Lord in the air is a dream all believers have had since Jesus was resurrected and ascended. But imagine what it is going to be like to actually see and speak to God not in faith or prayer but face to face; oh what a blessed thought. While Abraham and others alike spoke with God and fell on their faces to do so, we to will also be blessed in seeing and speaking with the Lord. What blessed day we have ahead of us.

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

The Way You Must Go
“And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.  Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.  And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:3-5) 

This is such a wonderful picture of salvation through Jesus Christ, who is the Covenant of the LORD our God.  Why?  What is the revelation of the “ark of the covenant”?  Notice: “…the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat;” (Heb. 9:4b-5a)  The ark, its contents, and the mercyseat were designed to be direct types of Jesus and the way of salvation through him.  The only way one must go to be saved! 

“Manna” is in reference to Jesus being the bread that gives eternal life by which He said, “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” (Jn. 6:50)  The cut off “rod that budded” (“…shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself…” Dan. 9:26)) is pointing to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the Branch that was cut off, yet he lives forevermore.  The “tables of the covenant” reveal Jesus, the Word, as the everlasting covenant of God.  “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” (Heb. 13:20)

Over all of this, one will find the “mercyseat” where the grace of God is gifted through the sprinkling of the blood of the Lamb.  The ungodly have never passed this way before, but God by direction has shown Jesus to be the only way one must go to reach the mercyseat.

By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Notice:

We want to thank all the men that turned out for our work day. It was a most blessed morning and we thank God.

We will have our church business meeting at 4:00 this afternoon. Please plan to discuss any church business then.

God Routs Fear:

"Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel" Num. 23:23

How this should cut up root and branch all silly, superstitious fears! Even if there were any truth in witchcraft and omens, they could not affect the people of the Lord. Those whom God blesses, devils cannot curse.

Ungodly men, like Balaam, may cunningly plot the overthrow of the Lord's Israel; but with all their secrecy and policy they are doomed to fail. Their powder is damp, the edge of their sword is blunted. They gather together; but as the Lord is not with them, they gather together in vain. We may sit still, and let them weave their nets, for we shall not be taken in them. Though they call in the aid of Beelzebub, and employ all his serpentine craft, it will avail them nothing: the spells will not work, the divination will deceive them. What a blessing this is! How it quiets the heart! God's Jacobs wrestle with God, but none shall wrestle with them and prevail. God's Israels have power with God and prevail, but none shall have power to prevail against them. We need not fear the fiend himself, nor any of those secret enemies whose words are full of deceit and whose plans are deep and unfathomable. They cannot hurt those who trust in the living God. We defy the devil and all his legions.

By Charles Spergeon from his “Faith's Checkbook” series.