Central Grace Church

3596 Franklin Street . Rocky Mount, Virginia

March 26^th, 2017

9:30 am -----------------------------------The Truth Shall Make You Free – John 8:26-36

10:00 am ----------------------------To The Praise of The Glory of His Grace – Ephesians 1:6

Our sincere sympathy and prayers are for those who have lost a dear loved one recently. Again, we sympathize with Red Huff, whose mother Mary Elizabeth Huff passed away recently. She was 96 years old. And last Wednesday morning, brother Dale Simpson, beloved husband of Jackie Simpson, passed away. He was 71 years old.

Brethren, the time is short. Let us be wise and consider our latter end, and the end of others . . . is at hand.

Birthdays: April 3^rd – Steven Parks, 14^th – Wesley Hudson, 17^th – Betty Groover & Emma Holland

“Judge yourselves, and you shall not be judged of the Lord’ (1 Cor. 2:31). Ah! Were Christians’ hearts more taken up in judging themselves and condemning themselves, they would not be so apt to judge and censure others, and to carry it sourly and bitterly towards others that differ from them. There are no souls in the world that are so fearful to judge others as those that do most judge themselves; there are none so careful to make a righteous judgment of men or things as those that are most careful to judge themselves. There are none in the world that tremble to think evil of others, to speak evil of others, or to do evil to others, as those that make it their business to judge themselves. There are none that make such sweet constructions and charitable interpretations of men and things, as those that are best and most in judging themselves. One request I have to you that are much in judging others and little in judging yourselves, to you that are so apt and prone to judge harshly, falsely, and unrighteously, and that is, that you will every morning dwell a little upon these scriptures:

‘Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again’ (Matt. 7. 1,2). ‘Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment’ (John7. 24). ‘Let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth, for God hath received him. Why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?’ (Rom. 14. 3. 10, 13). ‘We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, Let us not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.’ ‘Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will manifest the counsels of the heart, and then shall every man have praise of God’ (I Cor. 4. 5). ‘Speak not evil one of another, brethren: he that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law; but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy’ (James 4. 11, 12). ‘Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth; yea, he shall be holden up, for God is able to make him stand’(Rom. 14. 4).

I have really forgiven someone when I feel no need for an apology; when I feel no need for any kind of restitution; when there is no longer the desire to make the one who sinned against me to feel there are consequences for their actions; then I have forgiven. When I forgive them for the same reason that God forgave me… “Be ye kind tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” When we forgive for that reason we will no longer harbor bitterness and resentment. We will enjoy the liberty of the Gospel. - Todd Nibert