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 February 12, 2017            Newsletter Number 607 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, Brandy’s Mother, 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: God Sought Me.“But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.” Romans 10:20   We live in a Religionist Christian world where the call is to seek Christ, but is that true with God? The difference between the Religionist Christian and the Sovereign Grace Christian is that one says man seeks, finds and gets saved, and the other says that God seeks, finds, and saves the sinner. The question is, who is right and who is wrong, because both cannot be right. Romans chapter 10 is a proper passage for this thought because of its wording. If one is not looking, much can be over looked, and a wrong conclusion can be reached about the true meaning. The Lord says in verse 10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,” some will take that to mean that salvation can be accomplished by prayer, some know it as “the Romans Road”. But there is a catch to this verse many miss and it is the very next part of that verse “shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead”. One can confess all their life how much they are saved, they can pray all the sinner’s prayer they want to, and they will still die and go to hell. If one does not believe in their heart than they cannot be a real confession. God made this true in verse 10 when He said “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is the issue for so many who claim that they are Christian but in reality are nothing more than Religionist Christian. In case you might not know the word means, “Religionist” means – an excessive religious zeal – meaning Christianity is about Jesus Christ and Religion is about “expressing a zeal” which is what everything except Christianity is. The difference between a Religionist Christian and a Christian is one is saved and the other is lost seeking a zeal. God defined a Religionist Christian this way in verse 2 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Now back to our point. Believing in the heart is impossible unless God quickens the heart and gives you the faith to believe. Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Proving that salvation is the work of God and is not the choice nor action of the lost sinner. Now let us get back to our text chapter. It is true that God said “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Verse 13 but the question must also be asked “who will call”? Will people defy God’s truth and believe on their own? God also said of the lost sinner “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Romans 3:10 -12 He was speaking of every lost sinner and since He was then, no lost sinner will just simply wake up and seek salvation in Jesus Christ. The truth is a sinner will only seek salvation if they are drawn by God himself. And the drawing I am speaking of is a deity drawing and no other way. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44 Now we see Paul quote Isaiah “But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not…” Isaiah 65:1 "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name." Paul said “Esaias is very bold” as every God called Minister should also be, speak the truth, people may hate you for the truth’s sake, but God will love and reward you for it. Esaias went on to say “…I was found of them that sought me not…” This is what God is saying “I was not sought, and I am found by those not seeking me” this is a total opposite to what the Religionist Christian teaches. God went on in to prove my point Romans 10:14-15 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent…” See the truth is, one cannot simply make a choice or simply pray a prayer, or even simply call, God must send the messenger and call you out and then save your soul, even when you are not looking. I hope you are a saved believer, if not I pray that God will seek you out even though you are not seeking Him.

JESUS LIFTED UPBy Elder Curtis Pugh Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me,” (John 12:32). I have heard this phrase “lifted up” given the meaning to exalt or glorify as in “I just want to lift up the Lord tonight.” Or, “Let's all lift up the Lord tonight,” in some religious service.    But biblically: and we ought to be biblical in our thoughts and actions: there is no basis for saying that is what the above verse means. Those who heard Jesus make this statement did not understand Him to mean that.  “The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?,” (John 12:34). They knew that He meant by being lifted up that He would be nailed to a tree which would be lifted up between Heaven and earth.  Jesus spoke of this kind of death when He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:14-15). Just as looking to the serpent on the pole in the midst of the camp of Israel resulted in life to the one who looked, so when sinners look to Jesus the Christ as their only hope they have eternal life.     “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things,” (John 8:28). For some that knowledge of the meaning of His death, burial and resurrection will come too late. For others that knowledge will accompany salvation.    But as to the first text quoted at the beginning: it is not our praising or exalting the Lord Jesus that draws all sorts of people to Him. And the word “all” here means “all without distinction” or all kinds of men, not “all without exception” meaning all humanity. Whatever meaning you may put on lifting up the Lord neither one results in all men without exception being drawn to Him since all do not come.    It is not anything that we humans do or say that draws men and women to Christ. Jesus Himself said: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day,” (John 6:44). It is the Father's work that draws sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ who was lifted up on the tree. To the Jews Peter said,  “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins,” (Acts 5:30-31).

Church Notices: Happy Birthday to Brother Timothy Fails Sunday February 12th Happy Birthday to Sister Dawana Reigel Wednesday February 15th Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday; March 12 Clocks will spring forward one hour.