Salvation is of the Lord

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 June 20, 2010 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

You Were Asked To 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, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr., Vickie Sims, Debbie and Morgan Farmer, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Doris Hammock, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout and her Niece, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Betty, Janie Capps, Scott and Gina Sillivan, Katie Norton, Sadie a child, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Helen Rowe, Linda Hughes, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Pastor Johnson: Our God Is Sovereign! “The Foreknowledge of God” Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” For the next several weeks we are going to look at several words from Romans 8:29 – 30. Every one of these words deals with the Sovereignty of God as far as salvation is concerned. We must understand that salvation that is preached from most pulpits is a myth at best. It clouds the mind with a fairytale of somehow man being able to change his own will and make a choice to follow Christ and this is done by the sinner himself. However as God brilliantly told us through the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:10 - 12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11.) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (12.) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” This means that no one, not one single human being will ever be able to make a choice for Christ, EVER! However there is hope God said in Ephesians 2:8 - 9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9.) Not of works, lest any man should boast.” This means that salvation is possible because God by His loving grace has elected to save some, not all but some by grace through faith and that faith is not of themselves (or within their own means) but by grace is the gift of God. It is also not by works because that praises the sinner instead of God. Salvation is not something we can boast about but rather something we can praise God for, because it is His gift to all that have it. With this being understood we now want to look at the word “Foreknowledge” and that is the “The Foreknowledge of God”. Paul said in the 29th verse of Romans 8 “For whom he did foreknow…” The word “whom” tells us that he is speaking of a people but who; well if this verse and verse 30 are taken in context he is speaking of those who are going to be saved and those are the ones that God foreknew. The word “foreknow” means - to know beforehand or to ordain” now most of those fairytale Pastors will tell you that God looked into the future and saw who would make a choice for Christ and foresaw their choice of faith and chose them to salvation, however this whole theory makes no biblical sense because God cannot look into the future if He is already in the future, and this fairytale is not taught anywhere in the entire bible. What this word means is that all things from eternity past, to eternity present, to eternity future are known to God. There is no future with God as he defined by calling Himself “I AM” in Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” When God called Himself “I AM” here He expresses as absolute, unchanging and the eternal Being. God cannot change therefore before the creation of all creation known unto God was all His works Acts 15:18 “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” This is the facts; God chose them that were going to be saved before the world was created and in time called them to come to Christ, this is why we say God saves sinners. It is not up to man to change his own heart but God Who will change it for him. It is not up to man to choose Christ God chose us in Him before the world began. This is in the “ordained will of God” as stated in Ephesians 1:11 “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” and Jesus prayed “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:2 or those foreknown of God or those ordained to eternal life before the world began.

Experimental Salvation, By A. W. Pink: SALVATION may be viewed from many angles and contemplated under various aspects, but from whatever side we look at it we must ever remember that “Salvation is of the Lord.” Salvation was planned by the Father for His elect before the foundation of the world. It was purchased for them by the holy life and vicarious death of His incarnate Son. It is applied to and wrought in them by His Holy Spirit. It is known and enjoyed through the study of the Scriptures, though the exercise of faith, and though communion with the triune Jehovah. Now it is greatly to be feared that there are multitudes in Christendom who verily imagine and sincerely believe that they are among the saved, yet who are total strangers to a work of divine grace in their hearts. It is one thing to have clear intellectual conceptions of God’s truth, it is quite another matter to have a personal, real heart acquaintance with it. It is one thing to believe that sin is the awful thing that the Bible says it is, but it is quite another matter to have a holy horror and hatred of it in the soul. It is one thing to know that God requires repentance, it is quite another matter to experimentally mourn and groan over our vileness. It is one thing to believe that Christ is the only Savior for sinners, it is quite another matter to really trust Him from the heart. It is one thing to believe that Christ is the Sum of all excellency, it is quite another matter to LOVE HIM above all others. It is one thing to believe that God is the great and holy One, it is quite another matter to truly reverence and fear Him. It is one thing to believe that salvation is of the Lord, it is quite another matter to become an actual partaker of it through His gracious workings. While it is true that Holy Scripture insists on man’s responsibility, and that all through them God deals with the sinner as an accountable being; yet it is also true that the Bible plainly and constantly shows that no son of Adam has ever measured up to his responsibility, that every one has miserably failed to discharge his accountability. It is this which constitutes the deep need for GOD to work in the sinner, and to do for him what he is unable to do for himself. “They that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). The sinner is “without strength” (Romans 5:6). Apart from the Lord, we “can do nothing” (John 15:5). This is where the sinner shows what an incorrigible rebel he is, and demonstrates that he is deserving only of eternal torments. But it is just at this point that God manifests His sovereign and wondrousGRACE. He not only planned and provided salvation, but he actually bestows it upon those whom He has chosen.

Happy Birthday: Larry Mollette – June 23rd