What is repentance?

   ~  ~  ~  ~

 
      (George Everard, "Welcome home! Plain teachings from the story of the Prodigal" 1871)

"I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father." Luke 15:18-20
Notice the spirit of deep self-abasement in the resolution which the prodigal made.

True repentance is intensely personal. The prodigal felt it was his own sin. "I have sinned!" He can scarcely see any sin but his own. He sees his own sin in the very worst colors. Study the fifty-first Psalm. See how David again and again speaks. It is my transgression, my iniquity, my sin ever before me.

True repentance beholds the wrong done to God by sin. The prodigal felt that his sin was primarily against God. It was a breach of His holy law. It was opposition to His holiness. It was sin against His goodness, and against redeeming love. So David cries in his bitter sorrow, forgetting for the moment the wrong he had done to Uriah--in the far greater wrong which his sin had done to God: "Against You, You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight!"

True repentance makes no excuses. The prodigal seeks for no palliation, no covering, no cloak. He says nothing of the circumstances which led him to do evil, or of companions who had drawn him aside. He does not attempt to shift the burden from his own shoulders to that of others. He makes no self-justifying pleas--he has too much sorrow, too much true brokenness of spirit, to desire or attempt it. One thing, and one thing only, he sees--his own terrible fall, and his own exceeding guilt.

True repentance takes the very lowest place. Once to be a son was not enough for him--but now he will be content even to be a slave or a hired servant! He feels utterly unworthy. As Jacob felt: "I am not worthy of all the mercies You have showed me." As the centurion felt when he sent to Jesus: "I am not worthy that You should come under my roof." So did the young prodigal esteem himself: "I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

Be sure that God delights in the humble and contrite soul.
Lift yourself up in pride and self-satisfaction--and God will assuredly cast you down.
Cast yourself down in humble confession of your sin--and God will assuredly lift you up.
"God resists the proud--but gives grace unto the humble."

But we see here the purpose of the heart accomplished. The young man not only made the resolution, but he kept it, "So he got up and went to his father." He turned his back forever on that far country and his old companions--and turned his face homeward. Doubtless it was with many a tear, with many a bitter feeling of regret for all that had passed--since in so different a spirit he had trodden that path before. Yet onward he trudges with weary heart and weary footstep, in the hope that a place may still be found for him in his father's house.

Do you ask, What is repentance? I can scarcely better describe it than from the path of this wanderer. It is turning the back . . .
  on sin,
  on the ways of the world,
  on the lusts of the flesh,
  on the service of the devil.

And it is turning the face God-ward, Heaven-ward, confessing all that is past, looking upward for grace to live holier, with one single desire--to abide in the fear and love of God.

   ~  ~  ~  ~

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Day By Day By Grace

Bob Hoekstra
January 30, 2016

The Ability of God's Grace

And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance. (Acts 20:32)

God's grace has such marvelous ability. It is able to give the eternal inheritance of God to His children. It is also able to build up their lives here on earth for greater service and increased fruitfulness.
It is by the grace of the Lord that we can anticipate being recipients of a heavenly inheritance. "The word of His grace, which is able to … give you an inheritance." One qualifies for an inheritance by being born into a family. We have been born into the family of God. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born…of God" (John 1:12-13). We who believe in Jesus are God's children, "and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). We are blessed beyond measure to know that heavenly treasures of fellowship, worship, and service await God's children in glory above. All of these eternal riches are ours by the grace of God alone.
God's amazing grace also has the ability to build us up as we await our inheritance here on earth below: "The word of His grace, which is able to build you up." This edification process involves having our spiritual roots of hunger and trust growing deep into the Lord. Christ wants our lives to undergo continual spiritual construction and transformation. He wants our character to become increasingly stabilized in the faith, as revealed in His word. "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith" (Colossians 2:6-7).
It is the will of God that we be edified. "Let all things be done for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26). All along the way from new birth into His family until our full heavenly inheritance as His family, God desires that His children be spiritually strengthened and increasingly developed in Christian maturity. Our ministry to one another can be instrumental in this edification process. "Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another…Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification" (Romans 14:19; 15:2). It is essential to remember, however, that God's grace is what accomplishes the building up process: "The word of His grace, which is able to build you up."

My God and Father, I rejoice exceedingly as I think of the inheritance that You are preparing for me by Your grace. O Lord, my strength, I need Your mighty work of grace that I might be edified myself and be edifying to Your children. Please purge my life of any matters that are not edifying, all by the grace of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 30, 2016

Thou [art] my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:7)

The Lord our God is the High King of Deliverance! There is no calamity so great that He might be unable to rescue us. Even when we were dead of spirit and purebred haters of Him, He saw fit to rescue us from ourselves. He gave the dead new life. There is no difficulty so strong that He cannot save us. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and He will surely deliver!

Daily Devotions January 29th

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

OBEDIENCE BRINGS BLESSING

 

"Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God" De 12:28

 

Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God. The curses our Lord took away, when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.

 

We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it, but to "all these words." There must be no picking and choosing, but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded. This is the road of blessedness for the father and for his children. The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation. If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed.

 

No blessing can come to us or ours through dishonesty or double dealing. The ways of worldly conformity and unholiness cannot bring good to us or ours. It will go well with us when we go well before God. If integrity does not make us prosper, knavery will not. That which gives pleasure to God will bring pleasure to us.

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

The living God

Dan. 6:20

How many times we find this expression in the Scriptures, and yet it is just this very thing that we are so prone to lose sight of! We know it is written the living God; but in our daily life there is scarcely anything we practically so much lose sight of as the fact that God is the Living God; that He is now whatever He was three or four thousand years since; that He has the same sovereign power, the same saving love toward those who love and serve Him as ever He had, and that He will do for them now what He did for others two, three, four thousand years ago, simply because He is the living God, the unchanging One. Oh, how therefore we should confide in Him, and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact that He is still and ever will be the Living God.

George Mueller

O shame upon every one of us!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      (George Everard, "Help and Consolation from the Sanctuary" 1868)

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ--set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things!" Colossians 3:1-2

O shame upon every one of us, that our thoughts are so buried in the perishing things of the world! Why are we so taken up with our little cares, or even our heavier crosses, or our daily duties--that we so seldom lift up our eye heavenward and behold our Friend, who is so ready to aid us by His counsel and strength? Why does the prospect of a little present gratification, so soon draw the heart away from Him who is the source of endless joy?

Reader, watch against this dangerous snare! Give not your heart even to lawful enjoyments, but reserve it for Christ. Thankfully use in their right measure, the blessings that God confers--but strive evermore to rise above them and hold communion with your Lord.

"Whom have I in Heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:25-26

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 29, 2016

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

If we seek God, it is promised that we shall find Him. How wondrous then that it is God who makes us to be seekers of Him! In His beautiful supremacy over the history of His redemptive purpose, God has ignited in each of His chosen people, a divine and unquenchable spark of desire to know Him. So rest, O believer, assured in the fact that you love God because He first loved you—and because of His love for you, He will in nowise cast you out!

 

Daily Devotions January 28th

 

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

TEARS SHALL CEASE

 

 

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" Revelations 21:4

 

Yes, we shall come to this if we are believers. Sorrow shall cease, and tears shall be wiped away. This is the world of weeping, but it passes away. There shall be a new Heaven, and a new earth, so says the first verse of this chapter; and therefore there will be nothing to weep over concerning the fall and its consequent miseries. Read the second verse, and note how it speaks of the bride and her marriage. The Lamb’s wedding is a time for boundless pleasure, and tears would be out of place. The third verse says that God Himself will dwell among men; and surely at His right hand there are pleasures for evermore, and tears can no longer flow.

 

What will our state be when there will be no more sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain? This will be more glorious than we can as yet imagine. O eyes that are red with weeping, cease your scalding flow, for in a little while ye shall know no more tears! None can wipe tears away like the God of love, but He is coming to do it. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Come, Lord, and tarry not; for now both men and women must weep!

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Not as I will, but as thou wilt

Matt. 26:39

There are no disappointments to those whose wills are buried in the will of God.

Faber

The two trees!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

 

(George Everard, "The Piercing of Jesus' Side!" 1868)

One tree has been the channel of all the evil that is to be found in the world.

Another tree has been the channel of all the good that is to be found in the world.

From the fruit of the tree of which Eve partook, has arisen . . .
  all the sin,
  all the care,
  all the sorrow,
  all the disease, and
  all the death that are to be seen on every side.

From the fruit of another tree, that on which Jesus bore our sins, has arisen . . .
  all the grace,
  all the holiness,
  all the hope,
  all the consolation,
which the redeemed have received from above.

Oh, that we might gaze upon that cross, and in faith behold Him who hung there!

O blessed Redeemer, grant us the Spirit of grace and supplication . . .
  that we may look upon You whom our sins have pierced, and mourn;
  that we may again look upon You, and rejoice in such a loving Savior, in such a blood-bought salvation!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 28, 2016

For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. (Proverbs 8:35)

Whatever wisdom exists finds its identity in the person and being of Christ Himself. Seek this wisdom and thereby seek out the Lord of our rest. In Him alone lies all life and love and joy and meaning. Turn to Him and embrace true wisdom! Turn to Him and be comforted with the promise of eternal Sabbath! In Christ alone stands our hope!

Daily Devotions January 27th

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

PRECIOUS REPENTANCE

 

"And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled;

and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed" Ezekiel 20:43

 

When we are accepted of the Lord, and are standing in the place of favor, and peace, and safety, then we are led to repent of all our failures and miscarriages toward our gracious God. So precious is repentance, that we may call it a diamond of the first water, and this is sweetly promised to the people of God as one most sanctifying result of salvation. He who accepts repentance, also gives repentance; and He gives it not out of "the bitter box," but from among those "wafers made with honey" on which He feeds His people. A sense of blood-bought pardon and of undeserved mercy, is the best means of dissolving a heart of stone. Are we feeling hard? Let us think of covenant love, and then we shall leave sin, lament sin, and loathe sin; yea, we shall loathe ourselves for sinning against such infinite love. Let us come to God with this promise of penitence, and ask Him to help us to remember, and repent, and regret, and return. Oh, that we could enjoy the meltings of holy sorrow! What a relief would a flood of tears be! Lord, smite the rock, or speak to the rock, and cause the waters to flow!

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Are there not twelve hours in the day

John 11:9

The very fact of a Christian being here, and not in Heaven, is a proof that some work awaits him.

William Arnot

Reader, go near to that cross!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      (George Everard, "The Piercing of Jesus' Side!" 1868)

Reader, go near to that cross! As John and the faithful women stood beneath its shadow--so you likewise go and behold the Lamb of God slain for sinners!

Behold that head, lately anointed with fragrant spikenard--now encircled with a chaplet of sharp thorns!

Behold that face, fairer than the children of men, upon which angels delighted to gaze--covered with mingled blood and spittle!

Behold those eyes, which beheld the city with such compassion, which shed tears over it, as at the tomb of Bethany--now growing dim in death!

Behold those ears, which never in vain heard the cry of sorrow or distress--now greeted with bitter mockings and reproaches!

Behold those lips, which spoke as never man spoke, which said to the widow, "Weep not;" and to the waves, "Peace, be still"--now swollen with blows and parched with thirst!

Behold those hands, which healed the leper by their touch, which lifted up the daughter of Jairus and restored her to life--now torn by rugged nails!

Behold those feet, which ever went about doing good, which trod the waves of Gennesaret--now sore wounded, and painfully transfixed to the cruel wood!

Behold that body, so holy, so chaste, so pure--suffering unknown agonies!

And now behold the heart of Jesus, so tender and true, so kind and loving--pierced with the soldier's spear!

Ah, it was a savage, cruel hand that inflicted this last wound on the body of our Lord! There was no need for it. The spirit of the Redeemer had fled. His enemies had done their worst. He could no longer suffer pain or grief. But that spear-wound was, as it were, a mark of the hatred which still existed against the Crucified.

Let every Christian look at his own sin, and see how it has wounded his Lord. Surely it has been as the scourge, the nail, the spear!
My sin is that which has wounded the One who bore me nothing but good will, and who ever sought my peace. My sin is that which has slain my Friend, my Savior, my Redeemer! May I ever regard it as an accursed thing! May I never more look upon it with favor, but with the utmost abhorrence. May I keep far away, shrinking from its very touch, as the deadliest pollution!

How utterly we should loathe and forsake the sin that wrought the sufferings and death of our best Friend!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 27, 2016

Thou [art] my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. (Psalm 119:114)

The Lord promises to protect us from the attacks of our enemy, the Devil. It is in God's Word that we find the salvation that gives us hope to live.

Daily Devotions January 26th

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

GOD ROUTS FEAR

 

"Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel" Numbers 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.

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Despising the shame

Heb. 12:2

And how is that to be done? In two ways. Go up the mountain, and the things in the plain will look very small; the higher you rise the more insignificant they will seem. Hold fellowship with God, and the threatening foes here will seem very, very unformidable. Another way is, pull up the curtain and gaze on what is behind it. The low foothills that lie at the base of some Alpine country may look high when seen from the plain, as long as the snowy summits are wrapped in mist; but when a little puff of wind comes and clears away the fog from the lofty peaks, nobody looks at the little green hills in front. So the world’s hindrances and the world’s difficulties and cares look very lofty till the cloud lifts. But when we see the great white summits, everything lower does not seem so very high after all. Look to Jesus, and that will dwarf the difficulties.

Alexander Maclaren

The cup!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      (George Everard, "Submission in Trial" 1868)

"Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given Me?" John 18:11

O let us consider the contents of the cup of which Jesus drank.

Every bitter ingredient was there--none was lacking.

What bodily suffering and extreme weariness and pain did He endure! No limb of His sacred body, but had a share in the agony He bore.

Beyond this, what soul grief did He endure in the base ingratitude of a people whose every need and sorrow He had been ready to relieve!

What desolation of heart did He experience through . . .
  the treachery of Judas,
  the denial of Peter,
  the desertion of the rest of His disciples!

What pangs must have rent His spirit when upon the cross He heard the reproaches that were cast upon Him!

What darkness of soul did He pass through when He uttered the cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Who can express, who can fathom one of these depths of untold woe?

The object of our Lord in drinking this cup, was that He might empty at one draught, that cup of wrath which His people must forever have been drinking--and yet never have exhausted!

O blessed Jesus, in Your wondrous love You have taken the cup of poison--that You may give to me the cup of salvation! You have drained to the very dregs, that cup in which was the curse due to my sin--that You may give to me the cup of blessing, of peace, of everlasting life! To my lips, You now hold the cup which is full to the brim of everlasting consolation!

Oh, how can I thank You enough for all this love of Yours!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 26, 2016

And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

The incredible love of the Father shines upon His children bringing them out of their evil darkness and into His glorious light. His light guides His people through the shadows of death. And through the grave difficulties of their lives, they are brought into places of indescribable peace and joy. As believers of Christ, we are promised this ever-present light that will lead us into the gracious sanctuary of the Lord. In this we can find hope in an everlasting rest.

Morning Devotions January 25th

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

HE ACTS ON HONEST CONFESSION

 

"He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;

he will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light" Job 33:27-28

 

This is a word of truth, gathered from the experience of a man of God, and it is tantamount to a promise. What the Lord has done, and is doing, He will continue to do while the world standeth. The Lord will receive into His bosom all who come to Him with a sincere confession of their sin; in fact, He is always on the look-out to discover any that are in trouble because of their faults.

 

Can we not endorse the language here used? Have we not sinned, sinned personally so as to say, "I have sinned?" Sinned willfully, having perverted that which is right? Sinned so as to discover that there is no profit in it, but an eternal loss? Let us, then, go to God with this honest acknowledgment. He asks no more. We can do no less.

 

Let us plead His promise in the name of Jesus. He will deliver us from the pit of hell which yawns for us; He will grant us life and light. Why should we despair? Why should we even doubt? The Lord does not mock humble souls. He means what He says. The guilty can be forgiven. Those who deserve execution can receive free pardon. Lord, we confess, and we pray thee to forgive!

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

My God shall be my strength

Isaiah 49:5

Oh, do not pray for easy lives! Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks! Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. But you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come in you by the grace of God.

Phillips Brooks

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Four Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 January 24, 2016            Newsletter Number 552 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                    Brother Ronnie Henderson Sr., 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, Ted O'Bonion, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family,  Wendell Henderson, 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, Donna Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan 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, Brandy Sullivan, Ryan & Gina Peel and his mother, Tammy Hairston and family, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Manual Seymour, Sr, Brother Jerry Dodson and family, Dewayne Sewell, The Harris Family, Teresa Bookout, LittleTitan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James - Diane and Brooke Thomas, Steve Sparks, 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:   Believing Is God's Work, Not Man's!"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? (29.) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." John 6:28 - 29   I have a question for you today, what does man have to do to be saved? The answer is nothing! Salvation regardless whatever man may say is not in the hands or power of man. If you think about it every religion in the world is built on what man can do to be successful in salvation, therefore its entire fulfillment depends on what man can do. However, when you look into Christianity it is not about mankind, it is about God. Christianity is built on a man, but not just any man but God incarnate, Jesus Christ. There is not one single part of salvation dependent on man, it is all dependent on God. The question was "...What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" and Jesus answered "...This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." There is a very simple and logical answer as to why God left nothing involving salvation in the hands of man, and that is mankind are altogether "failures" at everything scriptural. The only assurances God had of making sure that salvation was successful was to accomplish it himself. The works of God are "...that ye believe..." this tells us that it is God who causes us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If anyone ever teaches that salvation involves mankind outside of being the beneficiary of it is so wrong. This teachings you find being taught today in "Christianity" in the churches of Arminianism is simply false. God told us that man would change the truth into a lie and worship the creature more than the creator. This is exactly what Arminian churches do they lie about God and salvation and serve the creature instead of the creator. God never told anyone in the bible to do anything outside of believing to be saved, and here it tells us that God causes us to believe. So anytime anyone tells you to do something to be saved, it is scripturally evident that they are teaching false doctrine. If you listen to the average Arminian preachers message about salvation you will not find that message in the scriptures. The only thing the scriptures ever tells anyone to do to be saved is to believe. The words your decision, your choice, your prayer, or your anything is not scriptural. What those words do is to take the power out of God's hands and puts it into the depraved sinners hand which is what God said in Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator..." Please remember our text said "...This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." It is not your work because it is impossible for you to change who you are because you are a depraved sinner, who is at enmity with God. James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." God never said that the sinner would ever desire to be anything but a sinner. God never said that the words of man would cause you to change from wanting to be depraved sinner to being His child. Lets look at it this way, think of the family you hate or dislike the most on the earth and then think of yourself as all of a sudden you changing your mind about them and wanting to be a part of that family. Now compare that to choosing to be saved, because if mankind are truly at enemy with God then why would you want to be a part of His family. This is why God draws us, God's Spirit convicts us, God begets us or births us, and this is why God causes us to believe. This leaves no room for man in His deliverance and no room for Gods failure, which is impossible. John wrote in 1 John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." Arminianism is simply false and full of lies, and in case you do not know Arminianism is any church or teacher who fails to teach that God is sovereign and that God saved sinners. Or think of it this way if they teach that you do anything to be saved that are Arminian and changing the truth of God into a lie.

A Thought For Your Week:   John 12:43 “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”   As we leave the old year and enter the new, pay attention to where the praise of the world is focused. We see those of the world focus on praising this one and that one for their accomplishments in the past year. No thought to the God of Heaven. But we expect that from them. Don't we? After all they are not God's children.   But also notice many of those who wear the name of Christ. There are those who we believe to be the children of God. Yet they follow after the example of the world and not after the example of their Savior. They will celebrate with the darkness of the world and not with the light of Christ. So at this time of remembering the past year remember Who it was that gave you that year. Remember the One who brought you through that year. And remember to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for it all.   As for the year to come, waste not your time and energy on silly resolutions but instead strive to live your life according to the Word of God.   John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” If you are a child of God flee the darkness and concentrate on the Light. If you have not been saved and the Holy Spirit is calling you “believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”   Praise ye the Lord!!!   By Brother Steve McCool

Church Notice:    Pastor Johnson will be speaking between  Friday June 03 thru Sunday June 05 at the  Grace Bible Baptist Church in Denham   in Denham Springs, La. The schedule has not been posted but when it is we let you know. Please plan to attend if you can, I promise you will not be disappointed. Also please be in special prayer this week for Brother Jerry Dodson and this church because of the passing of Sister Jean Dodson. Sister Jean will be missed, but has to be most happy this morning.     Psalms 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

 

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 25, 2016

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

The compelling blood of Christ offers great power to Christians as they fight this spiritual battle against evil. By the magnificent name of Jesus Christ, we can conquer all things and nothing shall destroy us! We are victorious because Christ is with us; therefore, no one could possibly be against us (Romans 8:31).

Daily Promises

Blue Letter BibleJanuary 24, 2016

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

Once we have devoted our lives to Christ, we become a working part to further the kingdom of God. We are His field that He cultivates as we produce fruits for His glory. We are the structure of His building as He resides in our hearts. Yet, we are only His field and building by the grace of God. The triumph of Christ over death allows us to be used to His glory. After all, to be used of Christ is one of the greatest blessings in the Christian life.

God's care for you reaches to the very least matters!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

    
      (George Everard, "God's Mindfulness of His Redeemed People" 1885)

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

We learn, in this passage, the particularity and the individuality of God's care. The very sparrows, shot down by thousands in Palestine, are remembered by Him. Not one is forgotten.

How dear then to His heart, are His own redeemed people!
Chosen by the Father,
redeemed by His Son,
renewed by His Spirit--
they are the sheep of His pasture, His own beloved children--as near and dear to Him as the apple of His eye.

Nor is the individuality and tenderness of God's care less now, than in days gone by. The Good Shepherd knows each of His flock by name--and our Heavenly Father has a place in His heart for each of His redeemed children.

Struggling believer, God cares for you, even for you, and loves you with an everlasting love! Your name is engraved on the palms of His nail-scarred hands--and when those hands are stretched out to protect and to bless, you cannot be forgotten. When others scorn you--He smiles upon you. When the storm is high and your heart is overwhelmed--He is at hand to shelter and to support you. Even when your foot has slipped and sin has come in--He will not cast you away, but will gently rebuke you and then graciously forgive and heal.

But for your comfort, remember another point. God's care for you reaches to the very least matters! "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered!"

With the Omniscient and All-wise God, there is nothing small or great. Therefore be persuaded that no concern of yours is too small for your Father's eye and a Father's love.

Bring God into everything. The very least anxiety that weighs upon you--you may roll upon Him. He will not despise it. The very least ache or pain of mind or body is a part of His loving discipline--and will do its work the better if brought to Him. The heaving of a sigh, the dropping of a tear, the unuttered desire and longing of the heart--He marks and considers.

Be as a little child with your Heavenly Father. Rejoice that with filial confidence you may bring all that concerns you to His mercy-seat. Your home trials, petty annoyances from those about you, the wearied frame, a nervous temperament, something in the house or in the shop that disturbs your peace, which you have reckoned scarcely important enough to name on your knees--tell it out in your Father's ear, and leave it to His merciful and wise ordering!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 23, 2016

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)

Impregnable is the bulwark of defence the Lord has provided in the regenerative blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! Take great courage and comfort in the sure bastion of the Lord's sovereign plan. He cannot be thwarted. He cannot be dismayed. His chosen people can never be trampled or destroyed. Be strong in passion for this truth and proceed in your battle boldly! You are called to righteousness and evangelism-and God's power will be your power in these things.

Daily Devotions January 22th

Faith’s Check Book

By C.H. Spurgeon

 

CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY

 

 

"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble" Psalms 41:1

 

To think about the poor and let them lie on our hearts is a Christian man’s duty; for Jesus put them with us and near us when He said, "The poor ye have always with you."

Many give their money to the poor in a hurry, without thought; and many more give nothing at all. This precious promise belongs to those who "consider" the poor, look into their case, devise plans for their benefit, and considerately carry them out. We can do more by care than by cash, and most with the two together. To those who consider the poor, the Lord promises His own consideration in times of distress. He will bring us out of trouble if we help others when they are in trouble. We shall receive very singular providential help if the Lord sees that we try to provide for others. We shall have a time of trouble, however generous we may be; but if we are charitable, we may put in a claim for peculiar deliverance, and the Lord will not deny His own word and bond. Miserly curmudgeons may help themselves, but considerate and generous believers the Lord will help. As you have done unto others, so will the Lord do unto you. Empty your pockets.

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God

Hebrews 4:9

How sweet the music of this first heavenly chime floating across the waters of death from the towers of the New Jerusalem. Pilgrim, faint under thy long and arduous pilgrimage, hear it! It is Rest. Soldier, carrying still upon thee blood and dust of battle, hear it! It is Rest. Voyager, tossed on the waves of sin and sorrow, driven hither and thither on the world’s heaving ocean of vicissitude, hear it! The haven is in sight; the very waves that are breaking on thee seem to murmur, So He giveth His beloved Rest. It is the longdrawn sigh of existence at last answered. The toil and travail of earth’s protracted week is at an end. The calm of its unbroken Sabbath is begun. Man, weary man, has found at last the long-sought-for rest in the bosom of his God!

Macduff

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
January 22, 2016

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (Acts 15:11)

Sweet is the aroma of such a glorious salvation as ours. When once we bloated in our spiritual death-rot, we now stand cleansed and brilliant, arrayed in robes of purest white and crowned with life eternal. We were dead. We were destined for death everlasting. Yet now, believer rejoice! For our destiny is life never-ceasing!

Daily Devotions January 21st

 

Faith’s Check Book

By C.H. Spurgeon

 

 

GOD’S ENEMIES SHALL BOW

 

"The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord" Exodus 7:5

 

The ungodly world is hard to teach. Egypt does not know Jehovah, and therefore dares to set up its idols, and even ventures to ask — "Who is the Lord?" Yet the Lord means to break proud hearts, whether they will or not. When His judgments thunder over their heads, darken their skies, destroy their harvests, and slay their sons, they begin to discern somewhat of Jehovah’s power. There will yet be such things done in the earth as shall bring skeptics to their knees. Let us not be dismayed because of their blasphemies, for the Lord can take care of His own name, and He will do so in a very effectual manner.

 

The salvation of His own people was another potent means of making Egypt know that the God of Israel was Jehovah, the living and true God. No Israelite died by any one of the ten plagues. None of the chosen seed were drowned in the Red Sea. Even so, the salvation of the elect, and the sure glorification of all true believers, will make the most obstinate of God’s enemies acknowledge that Jehovah He is the God.

 

Oh, that His convincing power would go forth by His Holy Spirit in the preaching of the gospel, till all nations shall bow at the name of Jesus, and call Him Lord!

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths

Ps. 25:4

There is a path in which every child of God is to walk, and in which alone God can accompany him.

Denham Smith