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God First Loved Us

“We love Him, because He first loved us.” | 1 John 4: 19

Because He first loved us, there are some things that we, God’s people, love about Him:

We love His sovereignty. We love the fact that He has the power, ability, and right to do as He pleases. We especially love that truth because He said, in Christ, it pleased Him to make us His people. “For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” (1 Samuel 12: 22)

We love His election. We love who He elected to save. He said He chose to save sinners, and that is what we are. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1: 15)

We love His predestination. It is the means that He said He would use to conform us to the image of Christ, and that is our greatest desire and need. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8: 29)

We love His grace, because it is what gave Christ to us.

We love His mercy, because it is what gave Christ to the cross of our punishment. It is what shed His blood for the payment of our sin.

We love His redemption, because it is finished. We are washed clean, made pure, and accepted in Him.

We love His righteousness, because it has covered everything that we are in our flesh with His perfection.

We love His glory, because it magnifies Him.

We love His word, because it reveals Him.

We love His message, because it points us and calls us to Him.

We love His people, because there is no greater pleasure on earth than being with those who love Him and desire to worship and praise Him together.

The glorious gospel of Christ is in the fact that He loved us, even when there was nothing about us to love.

For that, we love Him.

~ Pastor Gabe Stalnaker

Click here to listen to the message “The Problem Is Within”

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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: 18 April, 2021 | Previous post date: 21 April, 2021

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Who Does Your Work?

”My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.” | Psalm 45: 1-4

Nothing more clearly reveals to us that salvation, sanctification, and redemption is the work of our God than to observe the efforts and failure of those who TRY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WORK FOR THEMSELVES!

The disciples asked, “Lord, who then can be saved?”

He said unto them, “WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE; but with God all things are possible.”

It is impossible in the flesh for a man to please God.

Yet millions, ignorant of the righteousness of Christ, still go about to establish their own righteousness and WILL NOT SUBMIT to the righteousness of God, which is Christ Jesus, our Lord.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7: 21-23)

Many keep up this masquerade to the judgment and then plead their works before God; but most finally lose interest, keep their names on church rolls, and play church on special days.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1: 3)

When they die, their preachers try to find some cause on which to give their families hope; but that, too, is impossible; for IF CHRIST IS NOT IN YOU, there is no hope of glory.

~ Pastor Henry Mahan

Click here to listen to the message “Religious Experience or Real Experience”

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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: 2 December, 2007 | Previous post date: n/a | Pikeville, Kentucky

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Effects Of Belief In Election

”For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” | 2 Corinthians 5: 21

When we truly realize that the Lord of heaven and earth CHOSE US in Christ to salvation, REDEEMED US by His blood, and CALLED US by His gospel, it will have a seven-fold effect on us.

  1. It will cause us to REJOICE! “O blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causeth to approach unto Thee.” Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.
  2. It will promote HUMILITY! “Who maketh thee to differ?” Grace and pride are incompatible, impossible to exist together. We rejoice in Christ and have no confidence in this flesh.
  3. It will COMFORT us in hard trials! “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” Even these work together for our good and His glory. When we trust Him, we don’t have to understand.
  4. It will SUPRESS self and sin! “We are not our own”; we are bought with so great a price. Therefore, we desire to glorify our Lord in our souls and in our bodies.
  5. It gives us ASSURANCE! If God foreknew us, predestinated us to be like Christ, justified us, called us by His Spirit, if Christ redeemed us, interceded for us and is for us, who can be against us?
  6. It makes DYING easier! The eternal covenant of grace in Christ was David’s pillow of rest and peace when he lay dying. (2 Samuel 23: 1-5) He sought no other source of comfort and hope than the sovereign love of God in Christ.
  7. It will assure us that our PREACHING IS NEVER IN VAIN! “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55: 11)

This cannot be applied to all preaching, ONLY TO THE PREACHING OF HIS WORD!

~ Pastor Henry Mahan

Click here to listen to the message “Working Out What God Worked Within”

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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: 23 February, 2020 | Previous post date: n/a