Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 August 01, 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 Farmer, Morgan Murchison, 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, Michael Helm, Roy Lemmon, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Pastor Johnson: The Sovereignty of God “Total Depravity” Romans 3:9 - 10, 18 “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (10.) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (18.) There is no fear of God before their eyes.” In our study on the Sovereignty of God we now come to the first letter of T.U.L.I.P. which is the “T” and it stands for “Total Depravity”. Please understand these are short articles and I can only cover these subjects in short order, therefore I will leave much unsaid. In most places of worship the thinking is not about a Sovereign God, it is about a sovereign man in total control of his own salvation and in total control of deciding to be saved or not, however this thinking is NOT scriptural in any fashion and contradicts what the scripture has concluded and that is; man is incapable of making that choice in fact the scripture has concluded that mankind and that is all mankind will choose sin over God and that is because we are all “… both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin…” that is we are slaves to sin and “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34 the word “servant” means slave in which we cannot escape because we do not want to escape. The natural heart will never desire anything but sin and to remain in sin. The bottom line is that the natural man enjoys sin because it is his nature to enjoy it. We were conceived in iniquity “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalms 51:5” we came from our mothers wombs speaking lies “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” Psalms 58:3 This is all of mankind and its roots go back to our natural father Adam, it is because of his sin and because we are all a product of him that we are born sinners and will remain sinners as long as we live. Adam had no desire to see or be with God after he sinned, he hid himself from God and we too hide ourselves from God from birth. This is our nature to rebel against God rather than to worship a Holy God. This is called “Total Depravity”. While the scriptures conclude that man (because of sin) will never come to God on his own, it has also concluded that there is hope and that hope is in Jesus Christ. He died because of our sins and therefore we can have what Adam lost in the fall and that is holiness once again. But if man does not desire to come to Christ for salvation then someone must force us to come and that someone is the Holy Spirit. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14 The Holy Spirit breaks our will for sin and causes us to flee to Christ for salvation. Mankind will never do this on his own because of his love for sin, let us not forget, God said “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” because “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” We will conclude with this, I never said that man does not have a desire to worship God nor did I ever say that man did not want to serve God, but what man does want to do is to do it on their own terms and by their own choice and power and that is totally impossible. God said they would seek to worship Him but not in righteousness. Romans 10:2 - 3 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (3.) For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Mankind cannot worship God on his own terms nor will he ever choose on his own to worship God in holiness because it is against his nature to do so. Therefore man is Totally Depraved!

An Appeal; Deliverance: "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Ps. 50:15 This is a promise indeed! Here is an urgent occasion -- "the day of trouble." It is dark at noon on such a day, and every hour seems blacker than the one which came before it. Then is this promise in season: it is written for the cloudy day. Here is condescending advice, "call upon me." We ought not to need the exhortation: it should be our constant habit all the day and every day. What a mercy to have liberty to call upon God! What wisdom to make good use of it! How foolish to go running about to men! The Lord invites us to lay our case before Him, and surely we will not hesitate to do so. Here is reassuring encouragement: "I will deliver thee." Whatever the trouble may be, the Lord makes no exceptions, but promises full, sure, happy deliverance. He will Himself work out our deliverance by His own hand. We believe it, and the Lord honors faith. Here is an ultimate result: "Thou shalt glorify me. Ah! that we will do most abundantly. When He has delivered us we will loudly praise Him; and as He is sure to do it, let us begin to glorify Him at once. By Charles H. Spurgeon from his “Faith's Checkbook” series

I Am Not What I Once Was: I am not what I ought to be. Ah, how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I wish to be. I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be. Soon I shall put off, with mortality--all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be--I can truly say that I am not what I once was--a slave to sin and Satan. And I can heartily join with the apostle and say that "by the grace of God I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10 By John Newton