CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune: “Come Thou Fount”)

Glory to the Holy Father,

Fountain of eternal love,

Who, His wand’ring sheep to gather,

Sent the Savior from above.

Glory to the Son be given,

Who with love unknown before,

Left the bright abode of heaven,

And our sins and sorrows bore.

Glory to the Holy Spirit,

Let His praise our tongues employ,

Author of all saving graces,

Source of wisdom, peace, and joy.

Praise the God of our salvation,

Hosts on high His pow’r proclaim;

Heav’n and earth and all creation,

Laud and magnify His name!

Today’s Speaker: Eager Avenue Grace Church extends a warm welcome to Pastor Gary Shepard. Gary will conduct both the 10:00 am and 11:00 am services today. Pray for him as he delivers God's Word.

Television Broadcast: Our Reign of Grace Television program is being broadcast on WFXL Fox 31, Channel 4. The program will air every Sunday morning at 11 AM.

Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM –WISK. To hear sermons click here

Web Sites: Visit our web site at: www.rofgrace.com

Also visit us at: www.Sermonaudio.com\reignofgrace

Birthdays: Felton Riggins – Sept. 11^th

"O LORD, REVIVE THY WORK"

"O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years" (Habakkuk 3:2). The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the "workmanship" of the sovereign God (Ephesians 2:10). She did not make herself to be His people, and she does not maintain herself as the children of God. We are the sheep of His pasture, the offspring of the Lord, the chosen remnant set apart from old eternity in everlasting grace. We are the redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ; we are those who stand before God without spot and without blemish for our sins were imputed to Christ, and His righteousness has been imputed to us. We have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and brought to repent of our idols and dead works and led to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Being the masterpiece creation of God, we, therefore, humbly request of Him, "revive Thy work." We do not seek to bring about revival by man-made efforts, rather we request, "O LORD, revive Thy work." Now, to be sure, there is much within the assembly of believers and much within each individual child of God which is not the work of God. We do not ask Him to revive that which is not His work; we ask Him to destroy that which is not His work. "O Lord, remove from us anything that is not of Thyself." But, as one old writer said, "wherever there is anything that is properly called God’s work, and any of the mind of Christ, any sincere prayer, any faith, any hope, any love, any consecration, we earnestly cry, ‘O LORD, revive Thy work.’" We may be assured that if we are the Lord’s work, then nothing can destroy that which He has created; and He will, in His time, by His Word and Spirit, revive His work. What is the purpose of this reviving? Why do we beseech Him to spiritually refresh us? In Psalm 85:6, the Psalmist says, "Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?" The reviving, then, is that we may rejoice in and give glory to the Lord more fully. It is a time of revival when the Lord causes us to glory in the wonderful person, the sin-cleansing blood and the justifying righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord. Such views of Him will revive the work of God, fill our hearts with gladness and lead us to delight ourselves in the Lord.

--- Pastor Jim Byrd

The Fruit of Our Marriage to Christ

The Bible tells us plainly that we cannot be married to Christ and married to the law at the same time. To be married to the law means to be motivated to act as if we owe a debt to God's law and justice, one which we cannot pay because we are sinners (Rom. 3:10-20). To be married to Christ is to see that the debt was paid in full by Christ, our Substitute and Surety, as He obeyed the law's precepts perfectly, and as He satisfied its demand of justice for our sins. Therefore we cannot be married to Christ until we are dead to the law, and we cannot be dead to the law but by the body of Christ – His substitutionary obedience and death to establish a righteousness for us. All who believe in Him, who have sought and found salvation based on His righteousness alone, are dead to the law and married to Christ.
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." – Romans 7:4
One of the reasons for our marriage to Christ and being freed from and becoming dead to the law is that we should bring forth fruit unto God as opposed to fruit unto death. "Fruit unto God" refers to the works and efforts of justified sinners, those who are married to Christ and dead to the law, aimed at obeying God's commandments, aimed at pleasing God, in our personal character and conduct. "Fruit unto God," then, is that which proceeds from our personal character and conduct aimed at perfect conformity to Christ. Therefore, "fruit unto God" must be excluded totally as to attaining or maintaining any part of our salvation. "Fruit unto God" is the works and efforts of believers, and our works and efforts are not good enough to save us, keep us, make us holy and fit and qualified, nor are they good enough to earn God's favor and blessings, nor can they make us more certain for Heaven. All of these things are attained by Christ, and we are partakers of all these blessings of grace as we become dead to the law and married to Him. "Fruit unto God" is pleasing to God as it is the fruit of faith that honors God, exalts Christ, and excludes boasting in ourselves. They are motivated by the assurance of salvation based on the righteousness of Christ