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Christ Receives Sinners

“Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them” | Luke 15: 1-2

While the self-righteous Pharisees and Scribes withdrew from the Lord Jesus Christ and then harshly criticized Him, many publicans and sinners drew near to hear Him.

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6: 44)

What a blessing from the Lord to have a willingness to draw near to Him and then to have ears to actually hear a word from Him. “Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.” (Acts 10: 33)

His words are words of life. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5: 24)

His words are words of salvation. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1: 16)

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4: 12)

The worst thing the Pharisees and scribes said of the Lord, “This man recieveth sinners, and eateth with them;” is the best thing any sinner could hear.

It is not sin that keeps a man from hearing the good news of the gospel of Christ, it is his presumed righteousness he is going about to establish by his religious deeds. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10: 1-4)

No man will ever come to Christ while he is resting in the deeds of the law for salvation. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3: 19-20)

“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.” (John 5: 21)

It is only by the almighty power of His sovereign grace that will effectually quicken us and make us alive in Christ that will cause us to draw near to Him, to hear Him and to believe Him.

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” (1 John 5: 1)

This Man receives sinners!

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” (Ephesians 2: 1)

What a miracle of amazing grace.

~ Pastor Tom Harding

Click here to listen to the message “The Deadly Sin Of Self-rigtheousness” (32:27 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 26 January, 2020 | Previous post date: 31 December, 2022

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Go Forth Unto Him

”Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.” | Hebrews 13: 9-11

If you are will believe on Christ Jesus the Lord then you must leave behind all ceremony, legalistic, human works, worldliness, and every other falsehood, and identify ourselves as being one with Christ.

It will mean reproach from those who yet attempt to come to God some other way, but it is reproach worth bearing if we believe that Christ is all.

Atonement ‘at’ ‘tone’ ‘ment’ – God is holy.

God’s elect are sinners.

In order for God to accept a sinner, God must make that sinner holy.

Atonement makes a sinner, holy, so he can be at one with holy God.

God declared how atonement is made for a sinner.

A spotless, sinless, innocent sacrifice is made to be sin for that sinner.

Then the sacrifice dies in the place of that sinner.

Its blood — wherein is the life of the sacrifice – is offered to God upon the mercy seat in the holiest of holies.

Only the High Priest could enter the holiest of holies with the blood.

God prepared a body like ours for his Son.

He took upon him flesh and blood like those he came to save.

He was made under the law of God like those he came to save in order that he might show himself to be perfect in thought, word and deed.

He is the perfect, sinless, spotless, Lamb which God provided to take away the sin of his people.

He had to be perfect or he would not be fit to take our sin.

In order to pay the debt his people owed to the law’s justice, it was a must for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who had never done any sin, to be made sin for us, to made a curse for us.

And it was a must that he suffer all the consequences of our sins until God’s justice was fully satisfied.

It meant Jesus had to suffer the fire of God’s holy law and wrath.

It had to be because God can not show you or me mercy unless his law is first honored and his justice first satisfied toward his people.

Do you see how holy God is?

He will by no means clear the guilty.

God is so holy that he sent his only begotten Son to bear the guilt of his people.

God is so holy that when sin was found on the Lamb he provided, he would not hold back his holy fury.

God is so holy that he will not accept his people until there sin be completely put away and they be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

That is why Christ was made a curse for his people

But we see in this, not only the suffering our Lord endured under the fire of God’s holy, unbending justice, but we see also the shame and reproach he endured by being made sin for us.

If you confess to this world that all your hope is — not in yourself – but in Christ Jesus your Lord you will be an offense to this world.

Glorying in the cross of Christ means renouncing any sanctifying, justifying work that you or I or any other man can perform.

Glorying in the cross of Christ is to confess that Christ sanctified me, made me holy and without blame by his one offering without the camp.

If you leave behind this self-serving, self-righteous, will-worshipping generation and go forth unto Christ without the camp, you shall bear his reproach.

And you will bear it most of all from this religious world.

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate – in that shameful, reproachful place where the cursed leper was separated from the camp.

Remember: the reproach which Christ suffered was at the hands of religious men and women – religion excommunicated him, kicked him out of the camp, because they would not confess their sin and let go of their self-righteous deeds.

But if he makes you know that he was suffering for you then you will find that there is not anything which is too much to suffer for Christ!

~ Pastor Clay Curtis

Click here to listen to the message “Christ Teaches Lydia the Gospel” (42:14 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Bulletin Article date: 15 March, 2009 | Previous post date: n/a | Ewing, New Jersey

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His Glory

”Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” | Ephesians 1: 1-3

The Glory of the Triune God is paramount in all things.

”According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1: 4-6)

This Glory is magnified in the electing of a people by the Father in Christ.

”In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” (Ephesians 1: 7-9)

It is magnified in the saving of that people through the blood of Christ.

”That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” (Ephesians 1: 10-12)

And it is magnified in the revelation of our Savior, in our new hearts, through the Holy Spirit.

”In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1: 13-14)

When the child of God is finally brought home, we will forever sing praise to His Glory in perfection and for eternity.

~ Pastor Kevin Thacker

Click here to listen to the message “Beggars With Glorious News” (34:23 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 29 May, 2022 | Previous post date: n/a

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Grace Be With You. Amen

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” | Philippians 2: 12

I will not debate with the free-will works religionist who claims that this verse of scripture proves that salvation is accomplished by a “work of righteousness” that the sinner does.

Paul resolved that argument in the very next sentence of his letter to the church at Philippi.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2: 13)

No sinner can “work out,” what God has not “worked in.”

It is impossible for a dead man/woman to do anything without first being made alive, and only God can give a dead sinner life in Christ.

It is with fear and trembling that we beg God to make us alive, and if we do, then we can be assured that He already has.

~ Pastor David Eddmenson

Click here to listen to the message “Grace Be With You. Amen” (22:29 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 22 May, 2022 | Previous post date: n/a

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Thy People Shall Be Willing

”Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” | Psalm 110: 3

God’s elect worship and serve Him with willing hearts.

We willingly believe, willingly worship, willingly give, and willingly do what we can for the glory of God.

It is God Who, by effectual grace, makes us willing; but we are willing servants of the Most High God!

Any worship, service, or gifts offered to God that is not done with a willing heart is an abomination.

~ Pastor Scott Richardson

Click here to listen to the message “It Shall Be Well With The Righteous” (43:40 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Zebulon Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 17 April, 2022 | Previous post date: n/a | Pikeville, Kentucky

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Do What God Commands You To Do

”No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” | John 6: 44-45

Suppose a man should say to you, “I will not open my store today because I do not know if God has decreed that I should sell my goods, or do not know if God has ordained anyone to buy from me.”

Suppose that he added, “I shall neither eat nor drink this month, for God has fixed the length of my life and I shall die at the appointed time.”

Would you not conclude that the man was either mentally ill or a total fool?

EVEN SO, the man who declares, “There is no need to search the Scriptures, seek the Lord, nor strive to enter the kingdom of God; for if I am elected and ordained to life, I will be saved,” IS ALSO A FOOL!

It is true “the election of grace hath obtained,” and “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed;” but let me tell you, in the matter of seeking the Lord, repenting toward God, and believing on Christ, you have no more concern with the secret counsels and purposes of God than you have in the length or quality of your life on earth.

DO WHAT GOD COMMANDS YOU TO DO; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, reach out (like the weary woman) and touch the Lord, cry out for mercy like Bartimaeus of old, and THEN YOU SHALL KNOW YOUR ELECTION OF GOD.

“God maketh rich and God maketh poor;” but the man who draws the paycheck is the man who goes faithfully to work; the man who enjoys eternal glory is the man who goes, believing, to Jesus Christ.

~ Pastor Henry T. Mahan

Click here to listen to the message “No Man Can Come” (16:21 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Zebulon Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 17 April, 2022 | Previous post date: n/a | Pikeville, Kentucky

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When God Is Displeased With A People

”And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” | Luke 18: 7-8

When God is exceedingly displeased with a people, it is not necessary, in order to their punishment, that He should bury them alive by an earthquake, or destroy them by lightening.

If He only leaves them to themselves, withdraws His blessings from their counsels, and His restraint from their passions, their ruin follows of course, according to the necessary order and connection of causes and effects.

If God gives up a people to the way of their own hearts, they will, they must, perish!

When a general corruption of morals takes place, when private interest extinguishes all sense of public virtue, when a profligate and venal spirit has infected every rank and order of the state, when presumptuous security and dissipation increase as danger approaches, when, after repeated disappointments, contempt for God, and vain confidence in imagined resources of their own, grow bolder and stronger, then there is reason to fear that the sentence has already gone forth, and that the execution of it is at hand.

~ John Newton

Click here to listen to the message “God Shall Avenge His Elect” (34:08 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Central Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 1 June, 2021 | Previous post date: n/a | Rocky Mount, Virginia

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Partakers

”I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” | Psalm 145: 1-4

Being a “partaker” can be a wonderful thing depending on who you are taking part with.

To “partake” simply means to “take part.”

It means to “share” with, to “partner” with, and to be a “companion” with someone.

It means to “belong” to someone.

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;” (Hebrews 3: 14)

How glorious then is the thought of being a “partaker of Christ Jesus?”

In Jesus Christ, God’s elect people are:

Partakers of the Heavenly Calling. “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;” (Hebrews 3: 1)

Partakers of the Holy Ghost. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,” (Hebrews 6: 4)

Partakers of God’s Amazing Grace. “Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.” (Philippians 1: 7)

Partakers of spiritual things. “It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.” (Romans 15: 27)

Partakers of the benefit. “And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.” (1 Timothy 6: 2)

Partakers of Christ’s Divine Nature. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1: 4)

Partakers of Christ’s Holiness. “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” (Hebrews 12: 10)

Partakers of His Inheritance. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:” (Colossians 1: 12)

In Jesus Christ, God’s elect people are made partakers of Christ.

~ Pastor David Eddmenson

Click here to listen to the message “A Way That Seems Right But Not” (42:31 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 25 February, 2024 | Previous post date: n/a

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Why Did God Choose The Poor Of This World?

”And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.” | Exodus 14: 19-20

The Spirit of God moved James to write the word “hearken” meaning that the following statement is a matter of great importance, worthy of the attention of every believer.

”Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor.” (James 2: 5-6)

It pleased God that the majority of those he chose to save in Christ Jesus be poor in temporal possessions.

Why is that worthy of our attention?

One reason may be that a lack of temporal riches is an example of the natural spiritual condition of all those Christ redeemed.

By disobeying God, our earthly father Adam, wasted all his spiritual substance thus leaving the family of mankind in the poverty of sin and spiritual death.

Every elect child of God for whom Christ died is spiritually ungodly in the worst of all poverty outside of God’s grace.

Yet, our heavenly Father chose to bestow the riches of faith freely upon sinners who are temporaly poor in this world to further manifest the riches of his super-abounding grace toward those so destitute in spiritual poverty that they possess no ability to produce anything of spiritual worth by their own works.

The riches of God’s promise become truly unsearchable when revealed in the hearts of sinners bankrupt of any righteousness whatsoever.

Only a wretch living in the slums of sin truly understands that it was purely the choice of his sovereign King to reserve him a seat at his table in his kingdom for all eternity.

It is not that God did not choose to give some of his saints material wealth in this world.

Yet, like king David when giving of his treasure for the building of the temple, all those enriched by God’s grace are brought to confess that our every earthly possession is only that which God has lent us to be used for the further exaltation of his Son and the care of his poor saints in this world.

When we consider the love of Christ who for our sakes became poor that we might be made rich, his love constrains us, not to despise his poor saints, but to share God’s riches, both temporal and spiritual.

~ Pastor Clay Curtis

Click here to listen to the message “When God Isn’t There” (51:36 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Bulletin Article date: 26 February, 2008 | Previous post date: n/a | Ewing, New Jersey

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There Is No Rejection In Election

”But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:” | 2 Thessalonians 2: 13

All men and women are born into this world spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins”.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” (Ephesians 2: 1)

All are under the curse of the law, and all are deserving of eternal damnation.

“But God”!

God chose to show mercy to some sinners through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Had God not chosen to do that, not one soul would have been saved.

Contrary to what many may believe, there is no rejection in election.

God did not chose for some to be saved and some to be damned.

Mankind was already damned.

God elected to save His people from damnation, and He reveals who He chose to do this for through The Holy Spirit giving a sinner “belief of the truth”.

Therefore, all who have been given this faith to believe on the saving work and blood of Christ alone are bound to give thanks to God for choosing to save them before the foundation of the world.

~ Pastor Gabe Stalnaker

Click here to listen to the message “Every One Written In The Book” (29:00 minutes)

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 22 July, 2018 | Previous post date: n/a