A prayer for the devil!

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(Charles Spurgeon, "Free Will--A Slave" 1855)

You have heard a great many Arminian sermons, I dare say; but you never heard an Arminian prayer--for the saints in prayer appear as one in word, and deed and mind. An Arminian on his knees would pray desperately like a Calvinist. He cannot pray about free-will--there is no room for it. Imagine him praying:

"Lord, I thank you I am not like those poor presumptuous Calvinists. Lord, I was born with a glorious free-will; I was born with power by which I can turn to you of myself; I have improved my grace. If everybody had done the same with their grace that I have--they might all have been saved. Lord, I know You do not make us willing, if we are not willing ourselves. You give grace to everybody; some do not improve it, but I do. There are many that will go to Hell as much bought with the blood of Christ as I was; they had as much of the Holy Spirit given to them; they had as good a chance, and were as much blessed as I am. It was not Your grace that made us to differ; I know it did a great deal--still I turned the point; I made use of what was given me, and others did not--that is the difference between me and them."

That is a prayer for the devil, for nobody else would offer such a prayer as that!

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Three homilies from one text

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, ... healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, ...and he healed them. ” Matthew 4:23-25
Suggested Further Reading: 2 Kings 6:11-23
Take care that you bring your relatives to Christ on the arms of your faith. Faith is that which puts strength into prayer. The reason why we do not receive the answer to our supplications is, because we do not believe we shall be heard. You remember my sermon the other sabbath morning from the text, “Whatsoever things ye shall desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.” (See August 13) If you can exercise faith for a dead soul, that dead soul shall be quickened and receive faith itself. If you can look to Christ with the eye of faith for a blind soul, that blind soul shall have sight given it and it shall see. There is a wonderful power in vicarious faith—faith for another. Not that any one of you can be saved without faith yourself; but that when another believes for you and on your account, and quotes the promise before God for you, you may be unconscious of it, but God hears and answers that faith, and breathes on your soul, and gives you faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not think Christians exercise enough of this power. They are so busy with faith about their troubles, faith about their sins, faith about their personal experience, that they have not time to exercise that faith for another. Oh but surely that gift was never bestowed upon us for our own use merely, but for other people. Try it, Christian man; try it, Christian woman; see whether God is not as good as your faith when your faith is exercised concerning the soul of your poor neighbour, of your poor drunken kinsman, or of some poor soul who thus far has defied every effort to reclaim him from the error of his ways.
For meditation: Sometimes Jesus healed the sick as the result of the faith of others (Matthew 8:10,13; 15:28; Mark 2:5; 9:23,24; Luke 8:50; John 4:50). Are you praying like this for the conversion of some who at present can’t and won’t pray for themselves?
Sermon no. 333
2 September (1860)
C.H. Spurgeon

We are not saved by a creed!

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(J.R. Miller, "Help for the Day")

That which makes one a Christian is not . . .
  the acceptance of Christ's teaching,
  the uniting with His church,
  the adoption of His morals,
  the espousing of His cause--
but the receiving of Him as our personal Savior, the entering into a covenant of eternal friendship with Him as our Lord and Master.

We are not saved by a creed which gathers up the essence of the truth about Christ's person and work, in a few golden sentences. We must have the Christ Himself, whom the creed holds forth, in His radiant beauty and grace.

A good many people think that being a Christian is . . .
  to pray a few moments morning and evening,
  to read a daily chapter or two in the Bible,
  and to attend church on Sundays.
These duties are important as means of grace--but they are not vital religion.

True religion is living out the principles of Christianity in one's ordinary week-day life. It is getting the Bible and the prayers and the services--into thought and act and character!

We must not cut our lives in two and call one part secular, governing it by one set of principles--and regarding the other part as sacred, to be controlled by another set of rules. All of life is to be made religious, in the sense that everything is to be done in such a way as to please God, under the direction of His counsel. We have just as much religion, as we get into our week-your life, and not a whit more!

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Election

“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14
Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 33:1-12
Revelation points us to a period long before this world was fashioned, to the days when the morning stars were formed; when, like drops of dew, from the fingers of the morning, stars and constellations fell trickling from the hand of God; when, by his own lips, he launched forth ponderous orbs; when with his own hand he sent comets, like thunderbolts, wandering through the sky, to find one day their proper sphere. We go back to years gone by, when worlds were made and systems fashioned, but we have not even approached the beginning yet. Until we go to the time when all the universe slept in the mind of God as yet unborn, until we enter the eternity where God the Creator lived alone, everything sleeping within him, all creation resting in his mighty gigantic thought, we have not guessed the beginning. We may go back, back, back, ages upon ages. We may go back, if we might use such strange words, whole eternities, and yet never arrive at the beginning. Our wing might be tired, our imagination would die away; if it could outstrip the lightnings flashing in majesty, power, and rapidity, it would soon weary itself before it could get to the beginning. But God from the beginning chose his people. When the unnavigated heavens were yet unfanned by the wing of a single angel; when space was shoreless, or else unborn when universal silence reigned; when neither a voice or whisper shocked the solemnity of silence; when there was no being and no motion, no time, and nothing but God himself alone in his eternity; when without the song of an angel, without the attendance of even the cherubim, long before the living creatures were born, or the wheels of the chariot of Jehovah were fashioned, even then, “in the beginning was the Word,” and in the beginning God’s people were one with the Word, and “in the beginning he chose them into eternal life.” Our election then is eternal.
For meditation: God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 103:17).
Sermon nos. 41-42
1 September (Preached 2 September 1855)
C.H. Spurgeon

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
September 01, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 431

Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                    Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director
Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com          Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

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

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, Junior Baldridge, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Robert Riggs, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Charles Lemmon, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Pat Abercrombie, Barbara Brewer, Donna Jones, Dale and Linda Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Tommy Walker and family, Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Robert, Brother Steve McCool and the work in Canada, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

From Our Pastor:

Could Baptism Be A Part Of Salvation?

Acts 22:16  “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

I find it interesting that some people will easily fall into any of Satan’s traps of deception. The truth in the scriptures are fully clear and easy to see, however one who does not trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour is destined for the eternal lake of fire. People will use any scripture out of context to prove their heresy, however the bottom line is to believe Satan’s lie is to find oneself in the eternal lake of fire. God has made it unmistakably clear that salvation is in Christ and Christ only. Baptism was never a saving tool nor is works a saving tool. Salvation is in Christ Jesus and none other and to add anything to salvation outside of Christ makes Him, His death – burial – and resurrection, and His precious blood irrelevant.  God makes it clear that the blood of Jesus washes away our sins and not just some of them but all of them.  Ephesians 1:7  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Now if baptismal waters or tap water in a tub is as significant as the blood of Jesus Christ then that does not say much about the blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:7  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Now I ask; would you rather the blood of Jesus Christ wash your sins or tap water? I know it appears that baptism is part of salvation as some see it but it must be a mistake on their part, because Jesus Christ is a Saviour all by Himself. There is not one place in the entire scripture that declares one will go to hell for not being baptized but there are countless scriptures that declare that one will go to hell without faith in Christ. One cannot have full faith in Christ if they believe that baptism is a must for salvation. John 3:15  “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” How can this scripture be true if baptism or works is necessary for salvation. Is Christ not enough to save the sinner? If He is not then why believe in Him at all, or could it be that those that do not trust Him really don’t trust Him at all. Is one that works for salvation sin free? If so then what made him sin free? I see a lot of people that believe in works for salvation and their sins are as great as mine or greater, they are not sinless after repentance. God said; “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10 is this only before repentance? Does it all change since repentance? Do we have different rules once repentance comes? God said; “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” Romans 6:10 Christ died once and lives eternally so if we died with Him then why is it we have to die again. Are you saved everyday because you sin everyday, what are you going to do with those sins? In fact to be truthful we cannot draw one breath of air without sin. The truth is all that believe in works of any sort have in their hearts made the blood of Christ Jesus irrelevant. Folks, the scriptures are clear and could not be mistaken that that salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ and none other. To believe in anything else is to believe in make-believe. There are a lot of scriptures that are easily taken out of context but salvation is as clear as it can be and Jesus and Him alone is the Saviour of mankind. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 5:39   While you think you have eternal life the scriptures have declared that salvation is in Christ and Him alone. Baptism is good, works are great but neither one will save a sinner or even cleanse on single sin. Don’t be blinded by Satan’s lies and trust anything but the blood of Jesus because nothing can cleanse a sin or save a sinner out side of the blood of Jesus Christ.

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

Agape
It is written:  “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” (I Jn. 4:7)

“Agape” is a transliteration of a peculiar, personal, and particular Greek word.  It is peculiar because it is a word unknown outside the New Testament.  It denotes love in its fullest conceivable form.  It has its origination in the bosom of the Heavenly Father and is carried by the Holy Spirit into the heart of the true believer when the Spirit makes His abode there.  This was not a word used in the secular world.  Agape has its beginning and fulfillment in God; and it cannot exist apart from God.  Agape is the divine holy love that is God.

“Agape” is personal because to experience it one must have that true personal relationship with the Father, the Spirit, and the Son in salvation through the blood of the Lamb.  This salvation or heavenly birth ushers in the Father’s divine nature on a one-to-one basis.  It is the Father knowing YOU, the Spirit knowing YOU, and Jesus know-ing YOU!  If one personally has not experienced the new birth, then he personally cannot experience “agape.” 

It is particular because it represents that fullest conceivable form of love, which is given to the believer from the Father.  Agape is hea-vens apart from any other type of love.  It enables the believers to ab-ide together as brethren in unity for the common cause of the King-dom of God.  It is given particularly because of the varying character-istics and deficiencies of each believer.  Without this particular form of love, the duties of our ambassadorship for the Heavenly Jerusalem would be found heaped upon ruins.  Our witness for the Lord Jesus Christ would be empty words.  It is the glue that binds the will of the Father to the heart.  It denies self for His name’s sake.

A believer is absorbed by this “agape” love as he is plunged into the blood of the Redeemer.  It overflows him and permeates him as it shapes that new creature so as to become a living exhibition of the love of God and Jesus Christ.  As God is love, so are His children.  Jesus said:  “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love (agape) one to another.” (Jn. 13:35)  If the God one says he serves were judged by the love he exhibits, what would others think of that professor’s God?  Would others desire to worship his God? 

By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Church Notice:

Our monthly business meeting today at 4:00pm also the carpet will be installed tomorrow (Monday) so we need to clear everything out of the auditorium at the conclusion of the service.

There has been an issue with the delivery of our pews and it may be the 16^th before they are delivered. If not we will have to rent chairs for the Bible Conference. Also Brother Larry Wilson has withdrew from the Bible Conference due to having surgery that day, we will miss him. Pease keep all these issues in prayer.