Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church

1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
June 06, 2010

Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director
Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

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, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson 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, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr., Vickie Sims, Debbie and Morgan Farmer, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric 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, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout and her Niece, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Betty, Janie Capps, Scott and Gina Sillivan, Katie Norton, An unnamed child, Imajo Tracy, Mike Hux, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Pastor Johnson:

Our God Is Sovereign!
His Sovereignty
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Romans 9:15

I believe in order to understand “The Sovereignty of God” we absolutely must understand what the word Sovereignty means. Paul said in Romans 9:21 “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” Romans chapter 9 cannot be ignored in the study of the bible, and what Paul describes here in verse 21 is very profound because it defines the Sovereignty of God. God is the creator of all things that has, does, or will ever exist. This makes God the “potter” and His creation the clay, and since He is the potter then He can mold and make of His clay as He chooses, and yes one to honor and the other to dishonor. He can elect one to salvation and allow the other to fall into eternal damnation without Him being unrighteous. Man has belittled God into one who is controlled by His creation or the clay making the potter mold them as the clay wishes, however this is impossible. People seem to believe that our Sovereign God can do anything except to save as He chooses and to change mans will, but I must ask where are the scriptures for this. All this says is that the potter cannot mold the clay as He chooses. Some have gotten so bad in their thinking that to hear them speak God can do nothing without man, but this is ignorance in the least. Does the potter need the clay to mold itself? The Sovereignty of God means that the potter is in complete control which means He can take one piece of clay, make two vases, one very wonderful and the other very ugly and neither vase has the right to complain about what the potter has made them because both started as a lump of clay, nothing more than wet ugly clay.

Lets look at a couple of examples; did Israel choose God or did God choose Israel, God chose Israel, but why, did Israel do something special for God, no, not at all, God chose Israel because He wanted them to be His elect nation. Now let’s look at Pharaoh; God made him a king that He could show his power over him, was Pharaoh any worse than the Israelites, no, but God killed Pharaohs son that He (God) could show His power over him. So why should God be evil to elect one sinner to be saved and another one be condemned to eternal hell. We as Gods creation can no more mold ourselves to be Christians no more than Israel molded themselves to be Gods chosen nation. I did not choose to be a Christian no more than I chose to be a minister or a Pastor, God chose my life for me just as He chooses one vessel over another. Is this unjustness with God, absolutely not because God owes no person anything, no more than the potter owes the clay anything. Some preachers make God sound weak by saying “Jesus is pleading with you to choose Him” I never heard Jesus plead with anyone, just as He has never pleaded with anyone to choose Him. I believe the scriptures say; Jesus called and they dropped their nets and followed Him. Jesus does not plead He calls and we react as He pleases. Paul also said in Romans 9:13 “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Why did God hate Esau? Was Jacob any better than Esau? God chose to love Jacob because it was His sovereign will to do so. In God’s eyes we are all the same sinners, it doesn’t matter how bad we are as sinners because Paul also said if we break one law we are guilty of all the law, therefore we all deserve hell fire as our punishment. But God loved Israel as His chosen nation because it was His sovereign will to do so, and Jacob for the very same reason, as it was with you if you are saved. The potter can make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor if He chooses because it is all just worthless clay without the potter molding it.

The Decrees Of God, By A. W. Pink:

The decree of God is His purpose or determination with respect to future things. We have used the singular number as Scripture does (Rom 8:28, Eph 3:11), because there was only one act of His infinite mind about future things. But we speak as if there had been many, because our minds are only capable of thinking of successive revolutions, as thoughts and occasions arise, or in reference to the various objects of His decree, which being many seem to us to require a distinct purpose for each one. But an infinite understanding does not proceed by steps, from one stage to another: "Known unto God are all His works, from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18).
The Scriptures make mention of the decrees of God in many passages, and under a variety of terms. The word "decree" is found in Psalm 2:7, etc. In Ephesians 3:11 we read of His "eternal purpose." In Acts 2:23 of His "determinate counsel and foreknowledge." In Ephesians 1:9 of the mystery of His "will." In Romans 8:29 that He also did predestinate. In Ephesians 1:9 of His "good pleasure." God’s decrees are called His "counsel" to signify they are consummately wise. They are called God’s "will" to show He was under no control, but acted according to His own pleasure. When a man’s will is the rule of his conduct, it is usually capricious and unreasonable; but wisdom is always associated with "will" in the Divine proceedings, and accordingly, God’s decrees are said to be "the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
The decrees of God relate to all future things without exception: whatever is done in time, was foreordained before time began. God’s purpose was concerned with everything, whether great or small, whether good or evil, although with reference to the latter we must be careful to state that while God is the Orderer and Controller of sin, He is not the Author of it in the same way that He is the Author of good. Sin could not proceed from a holy God by positive and direct creation, but only by decretive permission and negative action. God’s decree is as comprehensive as His government, extending to all creatures and all events. It was concerned about our life and death; about our state in time, and our state in eternity. As God works all things after the counsel of His own will, we learn from His works what His counsel is (was), as we judge of an architect’s plan by inspecting the building which was erected under his direction.

Bible Conference News:

We are happy to announce we have received three more commitments to speak at our bible conference in September; they are Pastor Larry Wilson from the Northside Baptist Church Oakdale, La. - Pastor Jose Serrano from the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Silsbee, Texas. –and- Pastor Harace Hammond from the Country Baptist Church Sulphur Springs, Texas – Brother Curtis Pugh Missionary to Romania is a possibility if he is back in the states by then. Please pray about Brother Pugh!