Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Three Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 January 25, 2015 Newsletter Number 501 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, 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, Doris Hammock, 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, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan & Claire Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, 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 & Brooke Thomas, Gina Peel, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Melissa Elliott, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, Mr. Hedges, Danny Hammond, Claire’s friend, 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 For Your Bible Study: Through Much Tribulation "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22b We are tempted to think that when we come to Christ ours will be an easier road. For after all, doesn't it say in the Proverbs, "The way of the transgressor is hard"? Yet it is in understanding the place of difficulty and hardness that we find strength in Christ. The way of the transgressor is hard; though he be rich and famous, rarely have a care in the world, or have everyone around him adoring his name. His way is hard because, whether he has few or many cares in this world, they all lead down the same road: to hell. Psalm 73 verifies this. Asaph was enduring great difficulty, struggling from day to day. As he struggled, he noticed that the ungodly were prosperous! This hardly seemed fair: here he was barely making a living from day to day, struggling with various trials, trying his best to serve God, and the ungodly sat in wealth and contentment. Asaph at first grew envious of the rich. How could God be fair in all of this? Then he realized as he went to the sanctuary of God: "Surely You set them in slippery places: You cast them down into destruction ... So foolish was I, and ignorant... You shall guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." (vs. 17-24) Asaph realized true delight and true riches: "Whom have I in heaven but You? and there is none on the earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fails: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." (vs. 25-26) Sometimes it seems a hard road God takes us down. Disappointment, illness, aloneness, trials of various sorts; all while the ungodly live life to the fullest, and seem to have their dreams come true. Yet it is not so. God sees the beginning from the end; and He sees the heart and what it needs to become a Christ-honoring soul. Very often it needs intermittent bouts of tribulation. Christian on the road to the Celestial City found this out. It wasn't Appollyon he had to fight. No, he fell into the slough of despond; he foolishly crossed lines he was told not to and wound up a prisoner to Giant Despair, of Doubting Castle. Others came and mocked him for remaining on the road to the City; they urged him to take a shortcut, or abandon his journey all together. Though he got confused, sinned and got off track at times, Christian remained faithful, and was joyfully received into the Celestial City. "Tribulation works patience" Paul instructs us in Romans 5:3. There is a purpose--a Divine purpose--in the illness, the aloneness, the difficulties and troubles of the true believer in Jesus Christ! God is at work through our difficulties: conforming us into the image of His Son. (Romans 8) Take heart, downhearted Christian! Though our lives are not always easy, there is meaning and purpose to everything that comes our way. Cling to Christ, fainthearted! Find comfort in His Word, and you will have strength to go on until YOU reach the Celestial City! By Tamra Lee

A Thought From Our Pastor: Why Resurrect An Unworkable Salvation?Acts 15:10 - 11 "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (11.) But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." The single most wish in my life is that everyone everywhere would be saved. Even those who hate me most I would to God, He would save every one of them. But all the wishing in the world cannot save a single lost soul. There is noting we can do to change what a lost sinner is except to preach the gospel and pray that the Holy Spirit brings salvation to them. These Israelites were recycling old ways of salvation that had not worked, ever! Salvation is not in us to be had unless the Holy Spirit convicts our depraved hearts and delivers salvation to us. Jesus Christ is our Saviour and salvation is in Him alone. God said there is not salvation in any other but only Jesus Christ Acts 4:12. His blood and it alone is Gods source of forgiving our sin. I could teach lies and hope that man makes false choices or does some false change or false work but all that does is to create a lost sinner remaining a lost sinner. These are old unworkable ideas that never saved a single sinner from the lake of eternal fire. Nothing can replace Jesus Christ as Saviour. Faith in God is what made Abraham righteous and faith in Gods Saviour is what make us in New Testament times saved. Paul spent the first seven chapters of Romans trying to convince people that works was an unworkable salvation. Here we are in the 21st Century still battling old worn-out resurrected unworkable ideas for salvation. Jesus Christ is Saviour and nothing else. John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.