Rescue Baptist Church
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Preaching God's Sovereign, Electing Grace

   

 

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WELCOME TO RESCUE BAPTIST CHURCH

Sunday Morning, December 6, 2015

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SCHEDULED MEETINGS

     Sunday Morning Bible Study     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10:00 AM

     Sunday Morning Worship           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   11:00 AM

     Sunday Evening Worship           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     6:30 PM

     Friday Night Bible Study           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7:30 PM

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OPENING HYMN

   “His Name Is Wonderful”                                                Page 101  

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SCRIPTURE READING

     Psalm 119:97 - 112

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OFFERTORY

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WORSHIP HYMN

   “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”                                 Page 97

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SPECIAL MUSIC

     To be announced.      

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Message Title

   “The Willful Sin of Unbelief

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CLOSING HYMN

   “I Know Whom I Have Believed”                                   Page 409

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   “... After a person has embraced and professed the gospel of Christ (and particularly the great truths revealed in this chapter: that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only and all-sufficient High Priest of God’s elect, that his blood is our only effectual atonement, and that his sacrifice is the end and fulfillment of all the types and shadows of the law) and yet, against all evidences, light, and revelation, wilfully denies the sufficiency of Christ and the efficacy of his sacrifice, there is no other sacrifice for sin, there is no other Saviour! There is no help for him, no hope for him, but only a certain fearful judgment awaiting him eternally. There is no going back to the Mosaic Law, rituals and ceremonies. So if anyone wilfully turns from Christ, there is no hope! (Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 3:11). The wilful sin spoken of in verse 26 is the abandonment of Christ, his gospel, his worship, and his people. It is going back to the law, going back to works religion, going back to the world.

     That is exactly the way this apostasy is described in verses 28-29. God gave the law to Israel by Moses. Anyone who rejected God’s law or set at naught the rules and sacrifices of the law was put to death (Deuteronomy 17:1 - 6). While the tabernacle, temple, and ordinances of the law stood, they were binding upon the people. If God poured his wrath upon those who made light of the types, think how severe his judgments shall be upon those who reject and make light of the precious blood of his dear Son! A return to circumcision and ceremony is turning away from Christ! It is bringing contempt upon the Son of God and the gospel of God’s free grace (Galatians 5:1 - 4; 4:21).

     We must not shy away from the very strong words the apostle was inspired to use in describing what this apostasy involves. It is treading under foot the Son of God. It is counting the blood of the covenant, wherewith a person has been outwardly sanctified (by the profession and practice of religion), an unholy, common, ordinary, meaningless thing. It is doing despite to the Spirit of grace.

Awaiting Judgment

Those who abandon Christ and the gospel of God’s grace and glory in him never knew him. Nothing awaits them but wrath and judgment (vv. 30-31). ...”

Excerpt from Pastor Don Fortner’s book, Discovering Christ in Hebrews (Chapter 10)

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“If we sin wilfully” (Hebrews 10:26).

   The willful sin we read about in Heb. 10:26 has absolutely nothing to do with an enlightened child of God. Any sin we commit is willful. If the above text refers to believers, there would be no hope for God’s chosen, blood-bought children. But the believer’s hope is not based upon what we do, or what we don’t do. Our eternal hope is based upon what Jesus Christ has done for His elect. By the supreme sacrifice of Himself, our suffering Saviour took care of our sin-debt in full. So much so, that NOTHING can be laid to our charge (Rom. 8:32 - 33). If a child of God could do something to cause them to lose their salvation, something that would bring God’s eternal wrath down upon us, it would make God a liar - AND THAT CANNOT BE! Jesus Christ would have died in vain, His cross would be absolutely meaningless, and not fulfilling the promise He made to God the Father to be the Surety of His people would make Him a failure - AND THAT CANNOT BE! Brethren, God says what He means, and He means what He says. HE CANNOT LIE! Our Great Majestic God promises eternal life to all who believe the Biblical record He has given us of His son. I ask this question: DO WE BELIEVE GOD?

   Those who have true saving faith are painfully aware that we still sin against our God - EVERY DAY! Believers hate sin. But our sinful weaknesses DO NOT move us away from the hope of the Gospel. TO THE CONTRARY! Our love for Jesus Christ and the truths of His Gospel is one of the very reasons we DO NOT forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is. It is the believer’s sincere desire to assemble together at God’s appointed times to worship and praise our Great Triune God for His electing grace, His redeeming grace, His sanctifying grace, His preserving grace, and His persevering grace. IS THAT NOT SO WITH YOU?

   “If we sin wilfully” has reference to those who hear the true gospel of God’s amazing grace; those who make a profession of faith but wilfully forsake the assembling of God’s saints; those who make a willful, sinful decision to embrace a false gospel; those who exercise their sinful free-will, and go back into the world. They trample under foot the Son of God, count His precious covenant blood an unholy thing, and do despite unto the Spirit of grace. The righteous, vengeful, eternal wrath of God will be their just reward.                            

Pastor

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our annual Church Family Christmas Dinner is scheduled for this afternoon following our morning worship service. A warm invitation is extended to all our visitors.

Lord willing, we will come to His Table during our afternoon worship service following our fellowship dinner.

Our worship service for this evening has been cancelled.

Our monthly Music & Testimony Night is scheduled for next Sunday evening.

*** Cleaning duty this week: Trevor Garlock and Anna Jayne ***

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SUGGESTED BIBLE READINGS FOR THIS WEEK

Monday                  Wednesday               Friday

Exodus 20               Psalm 64                    Luke 23

Exodus 21               Psalm 65                    Luke 24

Exodus 22               Psalm 66                    John 1

2 Corinthians 4        2 Corinthians 5            2 Corinthians 6

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God’s children do not go to an earthly priest to hear him say he will absolve our sins if we will worship Mary. We worship Jesus Christ, the same High Priest Mary worshipped (worships), who, by Himself, purged, absolved, all our sins by the supreme sacrifice of Himself.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 The Testimony of a True Believer

   “I believe God my Father chose me in Christ, conditional only upon what Jesus Christ would do for me. I believe the everlasting covenant of God’s grace was ratified by the blood of God the Son. I believe the blood of Jesus Christ purged all my sins, removing them from God’s sight forever. I believe my belief is a result of the life-giving power of God the Holy Spirit. I believe that I would not have believed if God had not given me a new heart to believe. THEREFORE, I believe that ‘Salvation is of the Lord’ from start to finish.   My sincere cry before my Sovereign God is, ‘Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief’.

Pastor

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My English dictionary defines a Surety as ‘One who is legally liable for the debt, default, or failure of another.’ The Lord Jesus Christ is the Surety of the everlasting covenant of grace (Heb. 7:22; 13:20). Before the foundation of the world, He covenanted with the Father to be the Surety for the elect (Rev. 13:8). From that time the Father looked to Him to answer for those sinners, not as a mere co-signer, sponsor, or helper, to make up for their deficiencies, but to assume and fully discharge ALL of their debts and obligation, for they were (are) totally bankrupt! From the very moment that He, by covenant, agreed to be their Surety, the Father no longer looked to them but to Him, for all that they owed. He fully satisfied God in their behalf. Therefore, they MUST be set free and enter into the glories of Heaven. What a message of Hope this is to guilty sinners! Full, free, everlasting salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, their Surety, BY FAITH, TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN HIM!

Brother Maurice Montgomery

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   “God is glorified when the perfections of His nature are recognized. God is glorified when the Gospel of His grace in Christ is believed, His beloved Son is received, loved, worshipped, and exalted. God is glorified when His people obey His word, love one another, and adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. So, ‘let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’ (Matt. 5: 16)

Pastor Darvin Pruitt

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   “Are you trying to seek the Lord among this world’s dead religion? I don’t care if you are very sincere, very knowledgeable or even fanatical. If you think that you can find Christ by dead works, ceremony or law, then you are seeking Him, the glorious living One, amidst life-less and vain religion. And the word from God, directly to you is: He is not here.”

Pastor Drew Dietz

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   Religion is not the believer’s hope. The only hope for a believing sinner is Jesus Christ and His perfect redeeming work. BUT WHAT A WONDERFUL, GOD-GIVEN HOPE HE IS!                  

Pastor

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“Sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14).

   All unregenerate men and women are held captive by the power of sin. They not only delight in their sinful, lustful desires, they love the darkness they’re in. The power of sin and darkness dominates their sinful nature. For that reason, they not only CANNOT come to Christ Jesus that they might freely receive God’s forgiveness for their sins, THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE TO COME TO JESUS CHRIST (John 6:44; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:14). That Biblical truth proves that sin does have dominion over them.

   Romans 6:14 clearly states that sin shall not have dominion over God’s enlightened children. While I do believe that when Jesus Christ sets His blood-bought children free from the power of sin, our life-style will give evidence of His delivering power. We no longer practice sin because of God’s Spirit who works in us. But I also believe that the above passage of Holy Scripture teaches us that sin shall not have dominion over us TO KEEP US FROM CONSTANTLY COMING TO CHRIST begging for His merciful, loving forgiveness when we do sin. The Apostle John, writing under Divine Inspiration, said: “... if any man sin, we have an advocate (an intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”.

   Jesus Christ, by His Substitutionary Death, obtained eternal redemption for all of His elect (Heb. 9:12). He is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, representing all those He laid down His life for. As our Great High Priest, our Heavenly Advocate pleads for us before a Thrice Holy God who gives every believer this blessed assurance: “.. by him (by Jesus Christ) all that believe are JUSTIFIED from all things (Acts 13:39).

   Believers still have the old sinful nature. We constantly do the things we shouldn’t do, and don’t do the things we know we should do (Romans 7:14 - 20). But sin does not have dominion over us, to keep us from coming boldly (without fear) to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

   While the unbelieving heart will NEVER turn to Christ, by God’s Sovereign Grace, the new heart of the believer has turned to Christ, is turning to Christ, and will continue to turn to Christ until our appointed time of departure ushers us into the eternal presence of the Glorified God-man, Jesus Christ our Saviour.                          

Pastor