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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, 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,
Charles Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. &
Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler, Kathy Rosinbaum,
Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna
Johnson, Fay Johnson, 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 and Kelley Lee,
Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout and her Niece, Pastor
G. L. Burr, Alicia Lightsey, Melody Carr, Betty, Janie
Capps, Scott and Gina Syllivan and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia. |
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A Thought From Pastor Johnson: The Love Of God; How wonderful It Is! Beloved have you ever set down and pondered in your heart how much God
loves you? Well if you are saved you have always been loved of God. I find so
many people who confess “I have loved God all my life” well an in-depth study
of God’s word will prove you absolutely wrong, how could you love God if you
are (in a lost state) at enmity with God which all mankind is before they are
saved. Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God...”
therefore anyone who says they have loved God all of their life is simply wrong.
Now as we look on the other side of this subject those that have been saved,
are saved, or are going to be saved, are loved of God and has been loved of
God for all eternity; that’s right all eternity. This must be understood
first and foremost, God is eternal and He never changes, He never adds any
thought, or changes any thought, He knew all things before the world was
created. God’s love for us is eternal and He loved us before He created the
world. Some will deny this but they are wrong. Notice what Paul says in our
text scripture “…for his great love wherewith he loved us…” He loved us
putting that love in a past tense form making us ask when did this love
start, it started before the world was created; please remember God cannot
change “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews
13:8. So just how great is the love of God? God’s love is so great that it
cannot be matched. Since God loved us before the world was created then it
must be a great love indeed. Before we were born God loved us, and after we
were born and living a life of enmity against God, and while we were dead in
sin God still loved us, (Even when we were dead in sins…” verse 5. How great
is the love of God, He loved us while we were sinners and He carried His plan
through and saved some of us regardless of our sinful actions and enmity
against Him. However this is not the end of God’s love because this love
never ends no matter what we do even after salvation. That’s right even if we
turn against God He will still love us, even if we fail to attend church God
will still love us, no matter what we do after salvation we cannot be
separated from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus Romans 8:35 – 39.
Please remember God cannot change Hebrews 6:17 “Wherein God, willing more
abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:” God showed us, that is those
who are saved (…the heirs of promise…) that His will is immutable or
unchangeable in any way so that we can trust and depend on Him that His love
will never change no matter what we do in this life. Therefore we as
Christians can have total confidence that God has an eternal love that cannot
end, ever. Please also understand the love of God and the pleasing of God are
two different things. God’s love is eternal but God being pleased with us is
another matter. While God will love us no matter what we do in this life He
will not always be pleased with us, we can only please God by doing His
blessed will like attending church or living a life consistent with His
biblical will. Beloved God’s love is so great He sent His own beloved Son in
the form of a man to die for our sins so His love could be complete. Beloved
next time you want to think about God think about the love He had on us not
because we were good people but that He elected to love many of this world’s
sinners and bless them with salvation from eternal damnation. God’s love is
indeed great and we can count on the very fact that no matter what it will
never end. Our love for one another may end but the love of God is too
great and wonderful to ever end. |
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A Thought For The Week: 288
opinions about the way to happiness. But alas! The tree of happiness does not grow in an earthly paradise.
Has not God 'cursed the ground' because of sin? Yet many are digging for
happiness here—as if they would fetch a blessing out of a curse! A man may as
well think to extract oil out of a stone, or fire out of water—as happiness
out of earthly things! King Solomon had more worldly things than any man. His crown was hung
full of jewels. He had treasuries of gold. He had the flower and quintessence
of all delights—sumptuous fare, stately edifices, vineyards, lands, all sorts
of music to enchant and ravish the senses with joy. If there were any
rarity—it was present in king Solomon's court. Thus did he bathe in the
perfumed waters of pleasure. Never did the world cast a more smiling aspect upon any man! Yet when
he comes to give his impartial verdict, he tells us that the world has 'vanity'
written upon its frontispiece; and all those golden delights he enjoyed, were
but a painted felicity—a glorious misery! "Behold! All was vanity!"
Happiness is too noble and delicate a plant, to grow in this world's soil.
Worldly joys are but sugared lies—pleasant deceits—which have not one grain
of true happiness! Nothing on earth can satisfy the soul's desires! "The world passes away!" (1 John 2:17). Worldly delights are
winged. They may be compared to a flock of birds in the garden—which stay a
little while—but when you come near to them—they take their flight and are
gone! Just so, "riches make themselves wings; they fly away like an
eagle toward heaven!" They are like a meteor which blazes—but soon burns
out. They are like a castle made of snow—lying under the fiery beams of the
sun. Worldly comforts are like tennis balls—which are bandied up and down
from one to another. They are like a bouquet of flowers—which withers while
you are smelling it. They are like ice—which melts
away while it is in your hand. Those things which do more vex than comfort—cannot make a man truly
happy. As riches are compared to wind—to show their vanity; so they are
compared to thorns—to show their vexation. Thorns are not more apt to tear
our garments—than riches to tear our hearts! They are thorns in the
gathering—and they prick with anxious care. They pierce the head with care of
getting, so they wound the heart with fear of losing. Happiness is not to be
fetched out of the earth! Worldly comforts cannot make you happy. You might
live rich—and die cursed! You might treasure up an estate—and God might
treasure up wrath! of neighbors, and in our own personal character. A just
God cannot bless unjust transactions. By: Thomas
Watson, from his writings "The
Beatitudes" 1660 |