Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Six Years”

1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501

April 08, 2018          

 Newsletter Number 664

Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                   Brother James Thomas, 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.”

Please Join Us As We Pray For:

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, Archie 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, Gina, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, The Harris Family, Teresa Bookout, Little Titan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James – Diane and Brooke Thomas, Jace Fails, Sister Ann McSwain, Elaine Sparks, James daughter’s mother-in-law, Danny Hammond, Jim and Linda Meier, Ronnie Elam, Bonnie From Ohio, Brother Dan Sullivan the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

From Our Pastor:

Who Are “His People”?

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

We want to look today at this verse under the idea of figuring out who are the people of Jesus Christ. Could it be possible that Jesus Christ has a people of His own and that there are a people that is not His. Is it possible that before the foundation of the world that God truly did elect a remnant of people to be His, and before the foundation of the world that God gave this remnant to Jesus Christ? I know that the clear majority of “Christians” reject this thought, but who are “His people”? The scripture absolutely proclaimers that Jesus Christ has a people. Secondly, could these people be the Jews, and thirdly, could all people be His people?  Jesus said in John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Please notice three, overlooked, and ignored facts in this scripture one, God has a people, two, God gave these people to Jesus Christ, and three, all of them shall be saved. So, there is no doubt that God has a people and all of these people shall come to Jesus Christ and be saved. We also see Paul speaking of a certain remnant of people in Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Paul was not speaking to Jews only here, he was speaking to a young preacher names Titus who was doing a work in churches. Paul says, “he might redeem us from all iniquity” who are the “us all”. All people, well all people are not going to be saved, therefore Paul must be speaking about the remnant chosen by God and redeemed by Jesus Christ. Secondly, who are these “peculiar people” that Paul is talking about? The word “peculiar” means - being beyond usual – that would mean other than all. Thayer defines it - that which is one’s own, belonging to one’s possessions – Paul is not speaking of the whole world but rather a remnant of people who belong to God as though God elected them for the rest. Thayer went on to define this word “peculiar” as - a people selected by God from the other nations for his own possession – this makes a lot of sense because if the who Jewish nation was God’s elected people, then Christ Jesus died for all of them, and wouldn’t all the Jews be saved? There is no argument that God elected the Nation Israel as His elect nation, but God absolutely could not have elected all Jews as His elected people. If God did elect all Jews as His own people, then he failed because God hated Esau among so many others, and God cannot change his love. It is a fact that God’s chosen Nation and God’s chosen people are not the same. God will not save all Jews nor is only Jews going to be saved. God wrote in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Does God love the entire population of the world, well no, He could not nor does He. God hated Esau, God also hates the WORKERS of iniquity, “…thou hatest all workers of iniquity”.  Psalms 5:5 And, aren’t we all workers of Iniquity, yes we are, however God has “a peculiar people” a remnant that was elected and given to Jesus Christ before the world began. And think about this, the word “world” in John 3:16 could not mean the entire would because God cannot love the entire population of the world if He hated Esau, or if He “…hatest all workers of iniquity…”. God cannot love and hate because God does not change. The word “world” must mean the different nationalities of the world and not just Israel as a nation. Therefore, when Paul said “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:” Ephesians 1:4 he was speaking to the remnant that God elected and gave to Jesus Christ BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN. Therefore, when you study the scriptures never understand God’s love, or whom Jesus died for, nor whom will be God’s children as the population of the world, nor is God’s love to the entire population of the world, but to those whom Jesus Christ died for which is only a remnant or God’s “peculiar people”. Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Without fail. And, John 6:44 “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.” So, who are the true people of God, His chosen. John 15:19 “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Thank you, Lord Jesus!

CAN YOU REPENT AND BELIEVE IN CHRIST?

By: Curtis Pugh

   Jesus chose to liken the work of God in initiating the salvation of sinners to a birth. He said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit,” (John 3:6-8). By being born in the flesh (our natural birth) we are flesh only. Our spirit (by which we know God) is dead. Paul said so in Ephesians 2:1: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Just as a natural baby is not causative in its birth, so it is with the new birth or the birth from above, as the marginal note in the King James Bible says.

   This birth is from above because it is of the Spirit and brings a spiritually dead sinner into life in Christ. It is not something that a human being can bring about. It is a sovereign act of God. The Bible says of those born again, “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” (John 1:13). There is nothing a sinner can do to bring the new birth to him: not even an act of his will in making a decision. That is one of the things about God and the new birth that men hate. “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth,” (Romans 9:18).

   All the religious ideas and schemes of men – so-called “plans of salvation” - involve man's good works. Whether it is “making a decision for Christ,” or “being baptized,” or “accepting the Lord,” or whatever terms are used, it is always works. Do this and live the human mind reasons. But the Bible says salvation is all undeserved favor: you cannot do anything to deserve it or partly deserve it! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

   You are completely at the mercy of God. If He does not come to you by His Spirit and regenerate you – make you spiritually alive – by this birth from above you are everlastingly lost. Take your place as a sinner before God: hopeless and helpless in yourself, hating yourself because of your sin. Follow the example of Job whom God caused to see himself as a sinner. He said: “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes,” (Job 42:6). If you can repent: that is, turn from your sins and self-effort to God and trust in the finished work of Christ you have been born again. Jesus said, “...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,” (Luke 13:3).

Church News:

Brother James Thomas has asked we all be in continual prayer for his daughter Brooke April 11, she will have eye surgery soon.