Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
August 25, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 430

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 & Martha Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Robert Riggs, 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, Tommy Walker and family, Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Robert, 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.

From Our Pastor:

Faith Is A Gift From God.

John 6:29  “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

When people look at this verse they see many wrong ways to believe it. Salvation is not a choice, it is not a decision one makes on their own, it is not turning over a new leaf, or etc, etc, it is Gods gift to the lost and dying sinner. It is a gift because man on his own will not leave what he loves (sin) for God. Man is depraved from head to foot and will never and can never change his will to believe in Christ. This is also stated very clearly in  Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Because faith is a gift from God then we must absolutely be His workmanship or a product made by Him. The Psalmist also declared this in Psalms 100:3  “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Just as Paul reminded us of it in Philippians 2:13  “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Therefore it must be concluded that our faith is Gods gift and  if He had not caused us to believe then we would have never repented.  Man will never do anything for God unless God causes him to do it. We are His workmanship from start to finish and I praise God for it.

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

Father, glorify thy Name
It is written: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?  Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.  Father, glorify thy name.” (Jn. 12:27,28)  Jesus was in reference to his up coming sacrifice as the Lamb of God upon the cross.

In this age of “SELF-esteem” and “SELF-expression,” it has be-come extremely difficult to get folks to accept the Biblical teaching that they are to die to “SELF” and live unto God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  The mind set of “SELF-centeredness” and lifting “SELF” up has its origin in the heart of Lucifer.  It is this sin of “SELF above all” that caused Satan to be cast down.  Why would the sons of God want to duplicate the sin of their Father’s archenemy?  Is not the righteousness of God eternally superior to the sins of Lucifer?

Jesus acknowledges that the Father sent him for a particular purpose.  His sacrifice was the “cause” for his coming into the world.  Even with his divine nature and abilities, Jesus deliberately denies “SELF” to do the will of the Father.  He delivered an object lesson for the saints to identify with!  Every child of the living God has a “cause” for being in this world at his own particular “hour,” and he is expected to deny “SELF” that he might fulfill the will of the Father.

Another crucial point is this: even when man is in the “hour” of his purpose, he still does not have any power of his own to glorify the name of God.  The believer does have part in the sovereign God glorifying His name, either through obedience to the Father or through rebellion against the Father.  Come what may, God WILL glorify His name, but it will be much sweeter if the believer willingly and joyously denies “SELF” for the “cause” of the “hour” for which he came. 

The prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ was “Father, glorify thy name.”  If glorifying the name of God were left to us, we would make such a miserable wreck of it.  Jesus reveals that if the name of the Father were to be properly and eternally glorified, then God is the only one fully qualified to do so.  We are but clay in the Potter’s hand, un-able of ourselves to glorify Him.  The Name of the Potter is glorified when all the heavenly hosts behold the finished wonders of His GRACE.  The Potter always has power over the clay because the clay cannot shape itself.  Thus, we cry, Father, glorify Thy Name!

By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

A Thought From Charles Spurgeon

Help from Without
Yea, I will help thee. (Isaiah 41:10)

Yesterday's promise secured us strength for what we have to do, but this guarantees us aid in cases where we cannot act alone. The Lord says, "I will help thee." Strength within is supplemented by help without. God can raise us up allies in our warfare if so it seems good in His sight; and even if He does not send us human assistance, He Himself will be at our side, and this is better still. "Our August Ally" is better than legions of mortal helpers.

His help is timely: He is a very present help in time of trouble. His help is very wise: He knows how to give each man help meet and fit for him. His help is most effectual, though vain is the help of man. His help is more than help, for He bears all the burden and supplies all the need. "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me."

Because He has already been our help, we feel confidence in Him for the present and the future. Our prayer is, "Lord, by thou my helper"; our experience is, "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities"; our expectation is, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, whence cometh my help"; and our song soon will be, "Thou, Lord, hast holden me."

Church Notice:

Don’t Forget that next Sunday night September 01 at the conclusion of the services we need all that can to help move everything out of the auditorium because the new carpet will be installed on Monday September 02. If you have any belongings please put them in your car until the new pews are installed on September 09.  Continue to pray about everything because a lot is going to happen between today and the bible conference on September 20. Keep Brother Justin in your prayers because he is working hard to finish the project before the conference.