3/8/20
Call To Worship
God's mercy is for ever sure;
Eternal is His name;
As long as life and speech endure,
My tongue this truth proclaim.

I basely sinned against His love,
And yet my God was good;
His favor nothing could remove,
For I was bought with blood.

That precious blood has paid all sin,
And fully cleared from guilt;
It makes the foulest sinner clean,
For ?twas for sinners spilt.

He raised me from the lowest state,
When my just due was hell,
I broke His law, and, worse than that,
Disdained His Son as well.

My soul, thou hast, let come what will,
True righteousness in Him,
Let thy poor soul rest in Him still,
Who put away thy sin!

(Tune: "Amazing Grace", pg.236)

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Remember In Prayer This Week:
Tracey Riedstra; Kim Mullings; Pam Austin; Sarah Caniano; Judy Ward;
Leroy Moore;Stanley Dison; Monica Aaron; Tye Wilson;
Lael Pedersen; Devonne Lewis; Jackie Gaddis; Dusty Adams;
Ashton Ward; Rayna Kay Bartley; Diane Balsamo

Happy Birthday This Week:
Lynn Taylor - March 12
Richard Warmack - March 13

"Train Up Your Child" by Richard Warmack
All parents, especially those who truly believe God's Gospel of salvation conditioned solely on the blood and imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been entrusted with an awesome responsibility when God graciously gives them children. God the Holy Spirit through His wise servant Solomon informs us of that responsibility in Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." This responsibility isn't to be taken lightly, nor is it to be left in the hands of well-intentioned grandparents, friends, teachers, or even the church. While the church has a responsibility to faithfully and consistently declare Christ and Him crucified every time they gather to worship the one true and living God, it is your own activity through the week before your children by your words and your actions which impress on their young minds what you as a parent truly love and appreciate. If you expect your unregenerate children to love and value the Gospel, you can't just expect it to miraculously happen through their being brought to church and plopped down in a pew once a week. As your Pastor, I will preach the Gospel to them every Sunday, and those who teach the classes for the children and youth in our church body do the same. But as Solomon wrote: "Train up (literally catechize) a child in the way he should go." Webster's defines catechize this way: To teach by means of question and answer, i.e., to question closely as in testing. How many of us have done this with our children today? This week? This month? This year? Or at anytime in their lives? Here is a Scriptural example of both a parent and a grandparent fulfilling their responsibility to God's revealed will by way of commandment: "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also."(II Tim.1:5,6) Do you think for one second God intends for parents to allow children, unregenerate sons and daughters of Adam, to make up their own minds in determining what should be important? Do you think Lois or Eunice gave Timothy an option of attending or not attending the worship of God? What did they "train up" young Timothy in: "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (II Tim.3:14,15)

Now I realize all of the supposed experts tell us a parent must let children grow up and make their own decisions, and for a parent to force them to do otherwise will cause them to rebel. Here's the question: Are you going to believe God and His word, or the mumbo-jumbo of unregenerate fools who don't have a clue of the natural depravity every person possesses due to their oneness with Adam? Many who believe in God's sovereignty in all matters use this as an excuse, thinking if it is God's will to save them, He will. THAT IS A FOOLISH, UNSCRIPTURAL ATTITUDE, which actually borders on "tempting God". God has plainly told us HOW He will call all His elect to true belief and true repentance, and it is through the preaching and teaching of God's Gospel, from the voice of His people. I encourage you, MAKE YOUR CHILDREN'S SOULS YOUR TOP PRIORITY. Don't seek to be their friend, instead seek to be their guide to God through your words, your actions, and especially your faith.

THE BELIEVER'S PERFECTION

I am most exceedingly distressed by my sins, and feel the need of Jesus' precious blood every hour! I need a supply from the Fountain! On that day "a fountain will be opened"..... a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and defilement." (Zech. 13:1). Feeling fully what I am in myself, and proving afresh that "in my flesh dwells no good thing," in this sad state I fly to Jesus as my only refuge! Oh that the depth of my sin and misery may be overcome by His rich grace, that with Mary I may weep at His dear feet, and love much, having much forgiven. While in the body we shall never be free from sin. I had been looking for something from and in my flesh which the Word of God does not warrant me to expect. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" -- and ever will be! The believer's perfection is in Christ. Oh that He may condescend to teach me, and lead me to look straight out of self to a glorious Christ! "And you are complete in Him" (Col. 2:10)
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Gospel: The glorious gospel in all its assimilating truth and indispensable doctrine is a pure declaration of free & sovereign grace – the proclamation of an accomplished redemption through the sole merit, righteousness, and death of the Lord Jesus Christ – a Declarative Sentence of Absolution unto all the elect, to whom alone it does belong – the glad tidings that God has saved His people from their sins; which sweet savor of the knowledge & revelation of Christ will ultimately prevail in the hearts of all ordained to eternal life in Christ Jesus – thus bringing to light & manifestation that heavenly infusion of life by the Spirit in the New Birth.