Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Two Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 June 22, 2014 Newsletter Number 470 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: ww.sgmbaptist.com

Our Prayer Request: 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, Helen Maggard, Johnnie Stephens, Alecia Stephens, and children, 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, The Muncy Family, Robert Riggs, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, 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 Fails, Nathan & Claire Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, James & Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, 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 Pastor Johnson: Is God Sovereign? "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (14.) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." Romans 9:13– 14 I have asked the question is God sovereign, and I asked it for a reason. I believe that most people say that God is sovereign but in their hearts they refuse to believe that He is. They act as if God can do nothing, cannot think ahead, can not ordain anything, or that He cannot control His own creation. They act as though God’s entire being and will depends on us, mankind. I have heard some “Christians” (and I use the word loosely here) speak of God as though our will overrides His will. Because of man’s free will God must wait on us to make a decision on something before He can proceed forward. I almost regurgitate every time I hear some preacher say “God can’t change your will”, well if God is truly sovereign, then this is a very ignorant statement at best. The very word “sovereign” itself means - One who has supreme power or authority; having supreme rank, and also is preeminent, and indisputable. – This does not sound like one who bends to man’s will. If God is truly sovereign then we must accept the fact that He can do His will without the assistance of others. The day that God’s will depend on what man wills is, is the day God is no longer God. God said in our text verses that He loved Jacob and hated Esau but my question is, why? God said He was not a respecter of persons. Acts 10:34 "...Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:" Which means God does not accept man on any good in them, race, creed, or nationality, God accepts man because He chooses too. God had no reason to love Jacob more than Esau except that He chose too. Even though Esau tried to make himself acceptable to God, he never changed Gods mind. Election in the bible is God’s choosing and not man’s choosing. We are like Jacob and Esau God chooses one and not the other. Paul quoted and Old Testament scripture when he wrote in Romans 9 "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" verse 21 The question is, does God have the right to make (from one lump of clay) two vessels one that is honorable and the other junk? Sure He does, He is God and He can always do as He chooses without question. Paul went on to say in verse 18 of Romans 9 “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." God never has to have mercy on anyone and those that He does He chooses too. Some people act as though God owes them something, but please understand the truth, He has to do nothing except as He chooses. One might ask “then what about one who chooses to follow God? Well if one chooses to follow God then it is God who causes them to repent. Paul went on to say in verse 16 of Romans 9 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Who ever said that man would choose Christ? Who ever said that man would ever choose God over sin? Sinfulness is their nature, it is what they choose, it is their ever desire. If it came to the point when man had to choose Christ or sin they would choose sin every time, God made it very clear that man would never choose Christ over sin. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:11 No one ever was told in the scriptures to choose Christ or God over sin in a lost state. In Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve..." God is speaking to His people not to unredeemed people. This scripture is very used out of context. Folks the choice is not ours, it is God’s and you had better hope He has chosen you. You may have chosen something but it was not salvation. Jacob did not choose God and neither did we. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." 1 John 5:1 The word “begotten” means – caused to be delivered.

A Thought From Former Pastor Oscar Mink: Grace, Faith, And Good Works “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them,” (Ephesians 2:8-10) Good works which accord with the Scriptures are evidences of saving faith, and there is always, as we thus judge, a critical need for the manifestation of good works. Grace, faith, and good works wrought by the Holy Spirit, can never clash, but all works manufactured by the flesh are diametrically opposed to every overture of the Spirit. Notwithstanding, the work of the Holy Spirit CANNOT be in any degree deterred, but He will not honor any work that is not in perfect accord with the record that God gave of His Son (I John 5:11). A sermon or a Bible lesson may be spell binding, emotionally uplifting, and challenging, but if it does not magnify the truth of God’s salvational grace, it is not a good work, and will be found at the mercy seat of Christ; as having no light in it (Isaiah 8:20). The primary heresy in which all religious lies are grounded, is the most ancient, the most successful in deceit, and the greatest devourer of lost souls. The heresy of which I speak, is that devious artifice of the devil, whereby he dupes the unsuspecting, and causes them to believe that salvation of the soul is the product of faith AND good works. This clever ruse of the devil whereby he attempts to destroy the distinction between saving faith and sanctifying faith, merging them, and making them both essential to salvation, is a most dangerous one! The only antidote to this soul damning doctrine is the preaching of the sovereign and all sufficient grace of God. There is NO deficiency in any of God’s works. All of His works are absolutely perfect, and cannot be deprived nor plused with the works of His holy angels, much less that of totally corrupt man. Regenerative faith is instantaneous, and is experienced by all of God’s elect (Titus 1:1). But sanctifying faith is progressive, and is the instrument whereby the Holy Spirit conforms the believer unto the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2; I Corinthians 6:19-20). Generally speaking, where there is saving faith, there is some measure of good works, as with the thief dying by crucifixion on the right hand of Christ. He was saved, and rebuked the thief on the left hand of Christ for his unbelief (Luke 23:39-43). This “thief” will be at the mercy seat of Christ, and will be recognized for his good work. While the good work of the thief is single, it will be rewarded, but there will be multitudes standing there who anticipate great rewards, yet owing to the faulty foundation of all their works none could pass the censorship of God’s infallible word and they will walk away crownless. So it is, some people will go to heaven over and against their utter lack of good works, and their presence in heaven will eternally magnify the sovereign and free grace of God.

Church News: Happy Birthday to Brother Larry Mollette on Monday June 23rd Happy Birthday to Pastor Randy Johnson on Friday June 27th