WELCOME TO RESCUE BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday Morning, May 1, 2016
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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
“More About Jesus” Page 389
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SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 134
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OFFERTORY
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WORSHIP HYMN
“Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” Page 278
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SPECIAL MUSIC
“He Washed My Eyes With Tears”
Duet by Donna Anderson and Shirley Jukich
Judy Harmon, Pianist
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Message Title
“The Word of the Lord Endureth Forever”
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CLOSING HYMN
“How Firm a Foundation” Page 275
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‘Born again... by the word of God’
--1 Peter 1:13 - 25--
It is necessary, because God says it is necessary, for sinners to hear the Word of God in order to be saved. In these days, since the completion of the inspired volume of Holy Scripture, God never saves men apart from the hearing of the Word (1Corinthians 1:21; James 1:18; Romans 10:17). If any dare argue with God, so that he may defend his system of theology, he is a brazenly foolish rebel against God. Those who defy God, I know, will not hear me, but you can be sure of this: where there is no gospel preaching there is no faith in Christ, and where there is no faith in Christ, there is no life in Christ. In his own sovereign purpose and grace God has so highly exalted his Word that he will not save his own elect without the preaching of the gospel. Yes, God’s elect will be saved, but not apart from the hearing of the Word. If need be, God will have a faithful preacher stoned to death and raise terrible persecution to scatter his people, so that those whom he has ordained to eternal life may hear the Word of life (Acts 11:19-21); but God will not save sinners apart from the ministry of the Word.
God’s exaltation of his Word inspires his people in evangelism. We know that without the preaching of the gospel men will perish. We know also that God has a people in this world whom he will save. Therefore we go out into all the world, by whatever means God makes available to us, and preach the gospel to all men. We know that our labor will not be spent in vain (Isaiah 55:11). This high value which God places upon his Word, and which we also place upon it, gives us a sense of reverence for the ministry of the Word. To other men, even the most religious, the ministry of the Word is a convenience. If they hear the gospel, that’s good; but if they miss hearing the Word of God preached, they think they suffer no great loss. God’s people know the Word is vital. It is their soul’s food. They cannot live without it. They want to hear God speak, and they know that God speaks through his servants as they preach the Word.”
Excerpt from Pastor Don Fortner’s devotional book, “Grace For Today”
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“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23).
“... Lose not sight of your oneness and interest in Christ, by which ye are not only betrothed to Him forever, and that before the foundation of the world; but also have been redeemed by him, from the Adam-state of sin in which ye were involved by nature, during this time-state of the Church. And as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as the contemptible idols of carnal men, silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish, and without spot; see to it, that this knowledge, and this conviction, be productive of all the blessed effects, in living upon Christ, walking with Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and making Him what God hath made him to the Church, which is his body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. Reader! Mark the very sweet words of God the Holy Ghost on this vast subject, and observe, how very strong the Lord hath worded the faith of them that believe in God by Him, that your faith and hope might be in God. Not that your faith and hope might be in your own improvements. Not in a work wrought in you, but for you; even centering both faith and hope in God. Oh! how sweet, when Christ is made in the believer’s view as set forth in God’s; and when received by him, as he is made of God, “... wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, that, according as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory only in the Lord” (1Corinthians 1:30).
As in all the other parts of our interest in the covenant of grace, so here eminently the Church is taught her blessedness in the new-birth, from the power of God the Holy Ghost, which, in common with the electing-love of the Father, and the redeeming love of the Son, brings the people of God into the enjoyment of all their mercies, being born of that incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth forever. And, hence, amidst all the mutable circumstances of our sinful, fallen, dying nature, which, like grass, is but of momentary continuance; this spiritual birth everlastingly secures the being, and well-being of all Christ’s redeemed. They are born again, their adoption-character is thereby proved; and they are manifested to be the heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Oh! the preciousness of these divine truths! Oh! the unspeakable mercy, when God hath revealed them to his people by the Spirit!”
--Robert Hawker
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our monthly Fellowship Dinner is scheduled for this afternoon following this morning’s worship service. Please join us.
During this afternoon’s worship service, following our felliowship dinner, we will come to The Lord’s Table.
Our worship service for this evening has been cancelled.
Our monthly Music & Testimony Night is scheduled for next Sunday evening.
**** Cleaning duty this week: Russ Davis and Michael Smith ****
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SUGGESTED BIBLE READINGS FOR THIS WEEK
Monday Wednesday Friday
Numbers 11 Psalm 119:33 - 48 Romans 7
Numbers 12 Psalm 119:49 - 64 Romans 8
Numbers 13 Psalm 119:65 - 80 Romans 9
Hebrews 6 Hebrews 7 Hebrews 8
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The new birth is a miracle of God’s sovereign grace. God is not waiting for a hell-deserving sinner to give Him permission to come into his heart. OH, NO! Jesus Christ, the exalted, glorified God-man, under the preaching of His glorious gospel, gives eternal life to His chosen, blood-bought child, raising him from a state of spiritual death to newness of life.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
THE TRUE MERCY SEAT
“The Lord Jesus Christ is the true Mercy seat, and sinners must flee to Him for mercy. The very word that describes the Old Testament mercy-seat (Hebrews 9:5) is applied to Christ in Romans 3:25; ‘Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (mercy-seat) through faith in his blood.’ The word means that which appeases the wrath of God. Christ made appeasement by bearing the wrath of God on the cross
There is no physical approach to Christ, the true Mercy seat. It is a mental and heart approach. If the Mercy seat were a material object like a seat of wood, stone, or gold, then the approach would be physical. We come to Christ, the true Mercy seat, when we look to Him and trust Him for acceptance with God.”
--C. D. Cole
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“What a person believes that our Lord Jesus ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED at Calvary will determine (in that person's mind) for whom Christ suffered and died! The Scriptures say, ‘He PUT AWAY SIN by the sacrifice of Himself’.”
Pastor Henry Mahan
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“The preaching of the Gospel is not issuing an invitation to sinners to ‘get saved.’ The preaching of the Gospel is the setting forth of God's righteousness in redemption and grace (Romans 3:24-26). It is the declaration of ‘How that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture,’ (1 Corinthians 15:3) as a divine Substitute whose death satisfied the justice of God for chosen sinners and allows God to be both just and the justifier of all who believe.”
Pastor Don Fortner
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“When he was dying said to one by his bed, ‘I heard an old divine once say that, when the most learned Christian minister comes to die, he draws his greatest comfort from the plainest promises of God's Word; and so do I; and I bless God that they are so simple that they do not need any great understanding in order to grasp them. My hope is simply in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.’ And with this he died.”
--Isaac Watts
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THREE THINGS REGARDING GOD’S GRACE
Grace is always sovereign. “Therefore, hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth” (Romans 9:18).
- Grace is always free. “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
- Grace is always saving. “By grace are ye saved” (Ephesians 2:8).
God’s grace is not an offer up for man’s acceptance or rejection. His grace sovereignly, freely saves! We cannot believe grace without believing these three things regarding grace.
Pastor Todd Nibert
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THE WORD OF GOD
"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee...then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord AND FIND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD"
--PROVERBS 2:1, 5--
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‘Search the word; study the word; weigh the words of all preachers BY THE WORD OF GOD. We must make a difference between God's word and the words of men. ‘Man's words are a sound which flies into the air and soon vanishes.’ But the word of God is eternal; it is greater than heaven and earth; it is greater than life or death; for it is the power and wisdom of God! It is ‘with the word of truth’ that He BEGETS us. It is ‘through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth that God has CHOSEN us to salvation’ (II Thess. 2:13). It is ‘by hearing the word’ that FAITH comes. ‘COMFORT one another with these words’, saith the Lord. If there is any one thing that would please God's true preachers, it is that our hearers would ‘receive the word of God with all readiness of mind and SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES daily, whether those things were so’ (Acts 17:11). Honor the words of God and honor the Lord's Spirit, who gave them, by trusting Him to give you light and understanding. We preach and teach, but only our Lord can enlighten the hearts of men.”
Pastor Henry Mahan
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“If someone would ask what we preachers of the gospel would choose for our motto, we would reply, ‘God only is our salvation.’ That is the epitome of our Calvinism; it is the sum and substance of it. I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this, ‘Salvation is of the Lord.’ Tell me anything that departs from this and it will be heresy. What is the heresy of Rome but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ? What is the heresy of Arminianism but the addition of something to the complete work of the Redeemer? Every error and heresy departs from this, ‘He only is my Rock and my salvation’.”
--C. H. Spurgeon
