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 September 28, 2014 Newsletter Number 484 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: www.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, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette and Her Family, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family, 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, 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, James and Lynn Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, James & Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Melissa Elliott, 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 Our Pastor: Do You Follow Jesus Voice? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:27 We live in a world that contains billions of Christians, some of whom are Christians and some of whom are counterfeit Christians. I do not mean to be rude with my names but there are a lot of Christians that are so by name only. A real Christian loves the Lord Jesus Christ, they love to worship Him, they love to learn from Him, and they love to walk in the path of His righteousness. The Real Christian depends on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour; they depend on the gift of His life, death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation. They depend on His glorious blood to cleanse them from all their sins, and trust that it does just that. The real Christian takes the word of God literally as His word and trusts it to be alive in their heart. They trust what it says and will stake their eternal being on its contents. The question I have for you the Christian is; do you trust the word of God? Do you hear it speak to you personally? Do you cherish it in your heart as a book of Godly learning, and a book to rule your life? Jesus said in verses 25 and 26 "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me...But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." They did not believe because they were not His sheep, what a sad thing to hear. These poor folks were not the children of God; they were all destined for eternal hell fire. I believe this is why there are so many counterfeit Christians in the world today and have always been. They think they hear Jesus but in reality they only hear what they want to hear and that is the devil controlling their hearing and actions. God said in Romans 1:24, 25 "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves...Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." God gave them up to their own voices and they changed the truth into a lie and served themselves over God. Let me ask, does your doctrine in church worship the creature or the Creator? Do you truly serve God or man? It is important that you know this because the teachings of Jesus never worships man, never glorifies man, and never, no never puts the wishes and wants of man over God. Not even the Lord Jesus Christ ever put His will above that of the Fathers. John 5:30 "...because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." The question here us; who’s will do you seek to do? Do you read the bible wanting to learn or to teach? The bible was written for our understanding of God’s teaching us and to learn us of His teachings and His will for us. If we believe a lie then we have not heard God speak or we do not believe what He has said. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice, which means they hear what He said and understand spiritually what he has said. Just as He followed His Fathers will we follow His because He and the Father are one. That means they are one in knowledge, thinking, and in doing things. Are you one with them? Jesus said not only do we hear Him but we also follow Him, we follow Him as one of authority and power to teach and lead. Following Him, not in our own ways and thinking but in His. It is like James taught us in James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Then wouldn’t it be safe to say that Christians without learning and following also be dead? I have to wonder about “Christians” who refuse to learn, follow, and serve our glorious Saviour and God in truth and righteousness. If faith without works is dead then what is Christianity without truth. Truth is defined as God, and what He says is truth because He cannot lie. Seek the truth and follow it. Let God speak to you and stop telling God what He means. When God speaks if you follow him and you will never be wrong.

A Thought From A. W. Pink: A hazardous game! "If we play around the viper's hole — it no wonder that we are bitten!" An old proverb advises us not to play with sharp-edged tools, lest we cut our fingers. It is a sin to trifle with sin! If we must play, we had better find harmless toys! That evil which caused Christ a bloody death, is no fit theme for any man's sport. Playing with wickedness is a hazardous game! Sooner or later, we will pluck the lion of sin by the beard, and we shall be torn in pieces! This is true of indulgence in strong drink: "Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper!" This is equally true of all other forms of evil, especially of the lusts of the flesh. Lewd words, soon lead to foul deeds. Yet such is the folly of men, that they run dreadful risks in sheer wantonness, as though vipers and cobras were fine playmates, and devils were merry-makers! "Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Do not let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin." Psalm 19:13 By Charles Spurgeon, from his "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden" 1883

Half-hearted Christianity! If you are Christians, be consistent. Be Christians out and out — Christians every hour, in every part. Beware . . . of half-hearted discipleship, of compromise with evil, of conformity to the world, of trying to serve two masters, of trying to walk in two ways, the narrow and the broad, at once. It will not do. Half-hearted Christianity will only dishonor God, while it makes you miserable! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money!" Matthew 6:24 By Horatius Bonar

What we are in secret devotions: What we are in secret devotions — that we are in the sight of God, and no more. - John Berridge