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Sovereign
Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro.
Ronnie Henderson, Song Director "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still
Taught" |
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You
Were Asked To Pray For: All
of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle
East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter
Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry,
Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and
Debbie Gray, Alecia Clements, Bryndon
Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston,
Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II
& Family, Linda Mollette, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn,
Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie Henderson Jr,
Donnie Henderson, Kevin Henderson, Ricky Henderson, Rosalie Graves, Terry
Hanson, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don
Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Larry Platt, Bro.
& Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler, Kathy Rosinbaum,
Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna
Johnson, Fay Johnson, Bobby Walker, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis
Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother
David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel
Seymour & Family, Doris Hammock, Letha Langford, Leacho
Tittle, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson, Brother
& Sister Frank James, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout and her Niece, Pastor G. L. Burr, Alicia Lightsey, Melody Carr, Betty, Gina, Janie Capps, Kathy
Johnson, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches
in Russia. |
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A Though From Pastor Johnson: The Preservation Of God. Two main points we need to focus on here; (1.) “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” and
(2.) “…and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”
Please notice that God does both, He delivers the godly and He also reserves
the unjust, this is the same God that the average Religionist Pastor will
tell you God cannot change mans will. The godly spoken of here is those who
have been saved by God’s wonderful grace and the unjust is all that did not
receive His wonderful grace and is lost and will die lost. Some will say
these “unjust” are the very evil ones among us and chances are great they
will never decide to choose Jesus as their Saviour and there is nothing that
God can do to change their minds, but doesn’t that theory contradict what the
actual verse says? If God delivers the “godly” and reserves the unjust then
can’t God deliver evil men as He chooses, i.e. Saul of Tarsus also know as
the Apostle Paul. If God says that all are ungodly and that none seek Him
(Romans 3:10 - 11 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not
one: (11.) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God.") then how else is it that man seems
to imagine it is not God that changes mans will? First, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the
godly out of temptations…” God not only knows how to deliver His beloved
elect (the chosen ones) to salvation but He also knows how to preserve them
from sin. The Lord does not save us and than allow us to walk alone in this
evil world but rather walks with us everyday of our Christian life. Satan is
not one who only enjoys to tempt the lost to do evil but he gets a greater
satisfactory in causing the godly to sin. It is only by the work of God that
we do not fall into Satan’s temptations. Please remember he also tempted the
man Christ Jesus. God cannot be tempted and Satan is no fool as to even think
that tempting God would advantage him, therefore he tempted the Son of Man in
hopes there was a weak point but as we all have read there was not one. But
just as He did not fall into temptation we also do not have too. God kept the
Son of Man from sin and He can also keep us from sinning. Christians
sometimes want to think of themselves as strong enough to overcome Satan’s
temptations but it is God keeping us from sinning. God preserves those that
He has chosen to do certain works i.e. Pastors, Deacons, church members, and
etc. other wise how else can His will be an absolute. Secondly, “…and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be
punished:” This a much harder fact for most to
swallow than the teaching of election and preservation, because while the
godly are kept in most part pure by God the non-elect are kept in their evil
state also by the power of God. Please notice what the scripture says; “to
reserve the unjust unto” the word “reserve” means - to guard by keeping the
eye upon – That is God keeps them evil and therefore they will never change
their evil ways. Please understand God does not cause them to be evil, that
credit goes to Satan but without God’s grace they will never change their
ways, and they will be evil until the day of judgment and they are cast into
the lake of fire. God has no pity on them and never will, they reject God
here today and will always reject God until the day in which they all bow before
Him and give Him the credit due His name.
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“They are helpers to the cause of the
devil” "Don't even take along a walking stick, nor a
traveler's bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra coat."
Luke 9:3:3 Jesus charges His apostles, when He sends them forth, to study
simplicity of habits, and contentment with such things as they have. These instructions contain a lesson for all time. The spirit of these
verses is meant to be remembered by all ministers of the Gospel.The
leading idea which the words convey is, a warning against worldliness and
luxurious habits. Well would it be for the world and the Church if the warning had been
more carefully heeded! From no quarter has Christianity received such damage
as it has from the hands of its own teachers! On no point have its teachers
erred so much, and so often, as in the matter of worldliness and luxury of
life. They have often destroyed, by their daily lives, the whole work of
their lips. They have given occasion to the enemies of religion to say, that
they love ease, and money, and worldly things, far more than souls. From such ministers may we pray daily that the Church may be delivered!
They are a living stumbling block in the way to heaven. They are helpers to
the cause of the devil, and not of God. The preacher whose affections are set on . . . By J. C.
Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858 |
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1 John 4:4 - 7: "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome
them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
(5.) They are of the world: therefore speak they of
the world, and the world heareth them. (6.) We are
of God: he that knoweth God heareth
us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby
know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of
error. (7.) Beloved, let us love one another: for
love is of God; and every one that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God.” |