Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Five Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 January 15, 2017            Newsletter Number 603 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                   Brother Ronnie Henderson Sr., Song Leader Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com                                          Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com “A Church Seeking To Please God In Prayer, Song, Preaching, And Worship.”

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, Tyrell Loyd, Bonnie, Ted O'Bonion, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Adcock, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family, Lee & Mary Mollette, 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, Vickie Adkins, 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, Linda Hughes, Donna Jones, Brandy Sullivan, Gina, Tammy Hairston and family, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Manual Seymour, Sr, The Harris Family, The Morris Family, Teresa Bookout, Little Titan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James – Diane and Brooke Thomas, Jace Fails, Steve Sparks, Sister Ann McSwain, Brother Archie and Barbra Griffin, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From our Pastor:   Predestination.Ephesians 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”   I know this passage of scripture has been written about and spoken of probably more than any other in the scriptures by Sovereign Grace Baptist. However, there is one single word we want to look at, I inserted the entire context to make sure, and as proof of what my idea is here. I want to look at this word “predestinated” because it is a wonderful power act of Jehovah God. There is so much preaching in our modern day about what God cannot do, that it on surface appears to many think that God has some inabilities or weakness. In this same modern day preaching we find preachers preaching that God is liken unto a man, but not just a man, but a man begging and pleading for us to obey him, or to serve Him, and this is profoundly arrogance on man’s part. There is so much of this today that it has reached the point of sickness in the mind of ever churches of error. If you understand the basics about God you would know that He is Sovereign, elective, self-power, self-knowledge, self-holiness, self-accomplishing, and a self-supplier of everything. There was a time when only God existed, there was nothing else in existence. Now we hear all the unprovable stories of man that everything (including human life) just dropped to the earth and evolved into the great human beings that we are today, however there is no proof of this. The whole theory is flawed from start to finish, so much so that NONE of it is (1.) provable and (2.) logical of a right thinking mind. God gives detail of creation and explains in detail how everything got here. However, man would rather believe an unprovable lie than the God of creation. It is the same theory of Arminianism in Christianity, they serve unprovable theories in order to de-value God and uplift man. This attempt to lift up man is to make man a valuable creature. These same Theorist wants people to understand that God is irrelevant and not needed in our accomplishments. Christ is not needed in prayer, or anything else, because man has it all figured out. Well, here is the truth of the scriptures. God is in complete control of everything. God before the creation of the world predetermined everything. Everything that happens, happens because God has brought it forth. God has time planned out and everything works according to His predestinated plan. Every world leader is put into office and taken out of office according to His will. Every war and death happens according to His will. He chooses who lives and who dies according as He predetermined it to be. God is not a man nor does He think, act, or move as a man. God does not need man’s help, He does everything alone and by himself and if He chooses to use a person to accomplish any of His Will, He still sees it through. He uses the selfish, sinfulness of man to accomplish His will and condemns them to eternal damnation for doing it, as he did with them that crucified Jesus Christ His Son. God is slowly taking the world to the tribulation period and there is nothing man can do to change anything because it is how God predetermined it to be. God loved Jacob and hated Esau because He chose too. God will save those He elected in eternity past and no one can change what He does. There is no unrighteousness with God because He is the creator, creation belongs to Him and He has the right to save one sinner and send the other to eternal hell without explanation. If you do not believe this then you do not believe in God.  Romans 9:13-16, 21 “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. (15) For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (16) So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (21) Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”

"GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS"By Don Fortner “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” Acts 10:34   These words do not mean, as many imagine, that God treats all men alike in providence and grace. He does not. "God's grace is his own; and he dispenses it according to his own sovereign will and pleasure" (Charles Simeon). God sovereignly distinguishes men from one another (I Cor. 4:7), in election (II Thess. 2:13), in redemption (John 10:11, 15, 26), in providence (Rom. 8:28), and in his saving grace (I Tim. 1:9). The illustrations of God's distinguishing grace in the Scriptures are numerous. The Lord accepted Abel, but not Cain. He chose Isaac, and rejected Ishmael. God loved Jacob, and hated Esau. God gives light and withholds light, gives grace and withholds grace entirely according to his son (Matt. 11:20-26).   The text simply means that God has no regard for those things that distinguish men from one another in this world: wealth or poverty, morality or immorality, learning or ignorance, race or face. God does not prefer any man or despise any man because of his earthly condition. God's grace is entirely free and sovereign. He says, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy...and whom he will he hardeneth" (Rom. 9:15-18). No earthly condition, hereditary descent, outward circumstance, or religious heritage will secure God's saving grace, or even make a man a likely candidate for salvation. And none of these things will keep God from saving any man, or make him less likely to be saved than others.   "God is no respecter of persons", and neither should we be. There is no place in the church of God for the honoring of human flesh. We court none, and we despise none. We receive as brethren all who worship our God. All are to be treated with equal love, care, and esteem. The rich and poor, black and white, male and female, are all equals in Christ.

Church Notices:   Pastor Johnson has accepted two invitations to speak at their Bible Conferences. He will be in Oakdale, La. on March 17 – 19 at the Northside Baptist Church. He will also be at the Grace Bible Baptist Church in Denham Springs, La. on June 02 – 04. He may be absent from the pulpit on these two Sundays. More info will be given as the speaking schedules are released.