CALL TO WORSHIP
(Tune – Revive Us Again – p. 485)
(Words by Pastor Jim Byrd)

Give thanks unto God, for the Son of His love;
Who in covenant mercy was sent from above.
(CHORUS) Hallelujah, praise the Savior, praise the Father’s dear Son;
Hallelujah, praise the Savior, redemption is done.

The angels sang praise, on that wonderful day;
When the Savior descended for sheep gone astray.
(CHORUS)

On Calvary’s hill, Jesus died on the cross;
Shed His blood to save sinners from infinite loss.
(CHORUS)

Christ rose from the dead, and ascended on high;
Let us trust in the Savior and on Him rely.
(CHORUS)

Some glorious day, we shall be with our King;
And with all of the ransomed in heaven we’ll sing.
(CHORUS)

Today: Bible Classes – 10:00 a.m.; Morning Worship – 11:00 a.m.
messages by Pastor Bill Parker

Television Broadcast: Reign of Grace Television
Sunday morning on WALB-TV @ 9 AM.

Live Streaming – 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. – Sermon Audio web site

Web Sites: Reign of Grace: www.rofgrace.com
Sermon Audio: www.Sermonaudio.com\reignofgrace

Birthdays: Leigh Ann Flynn – July 27^th | Jackie Renfroe – July 28^th
Andie McMillan – July 29^th | Jake Jones – July 30^th

Hymns for service: Look Ye Saints – p. 141
Blessed Assurance – p. 255

THE LORD’S SUPPER – NEXT SUNDAY (JULY 31, 2016)

We will serve the Lord’s Supper in our worship service next Sunday morning. We will have our fellowship dinner following these services.

SAVED BY GRACE

We are saved by grace free grace, rich grace sovereign grace, distinguishing grace without one atom of works, without one grain of creature merit, without anything of the flesh. Oh! Sweet grace, blessed grace! Oh! What a help, what a strength, what a rest for a poor, toiling, striving, laboring soul to find that grace has done all the work, to feel that grace has triumphed in the cross of Christ, to find that nothing is required, nothing is needed, nothing is to be done! -- J. C. Philpot

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed (Romans 9:6-8)

The birth of Isaac was by promise, and without a miracle it would never have taken place. But the birth of Ishmael was not by promise, but in the ordinary course of nature. Thus the children of God specially promised to Abraham were those who, according to the election of God (who had chosen Isaac in preference to Ishmael), were to come into a spiritual relation with Christ, who is emphatically the promised seed in the line of Isaac. – Robert Haldane

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:20-21)

WHAT PLACE FOR WORKS?

The natural (unregenerate and unbelieving) man is so entrenched in his own self-righteousness and self-proclaimed goodness that if he is presented with a salvation TOTALLY by the grace of God and based on the merit of the works of the Lord Jesus Christ alone (without any contribution from himself), he sees no place at all for good works and obedience. All he sees is legal threats of punishment and mercenary promises of earned reward to motivate him to fight sin and promote good works. What he does not see in this kind of motivation is that all he accomplishes is to encourage sin in himself and produce nothing but dead works and fruit unto death (Rom. 7:5). All his works and efforts (which he believes pleases God and earns blessings for himself) are in reality an abomination unto God (Luke 16:15). This is why he views his own salvation as conditional upon his faith, repentance, and/or obedience. But the Gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace through the Lord Jesus Christ and based upon His righteousness imputed alone puts all good works in their proper place as “FRUIT UNTO GOD” (Rom. 7:4). The good works of believers are never meritorious or conditions by which they earn God’s favor and blessings. The source and power for all good works is never the sinner saved by grace but only the Savior of sinners who saves by grace (John 15:1-2). God’s grace in Christ is a beautiful and glorious doctrine of the Bible. But it is more than a doctrine – It is “the POWER of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). It is the power of the Holy Spirit to regenerate a spiritually dead sinner and give that sinner a new heart to believe in Christ and give that sinner a desire to follow Him in His word. So the place of good works in a believer’s life is the place of the power and glory of God’s grace in and by Christ Jesus – “For we are HIS workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).