April 3^rd - 2022

9:30 am ------------------------------------------ Hated For Christ’s Sake – 2 Samuel 6

10:00 am -------------------------------------------- Mercy For Christ’s Sake – 2 Samuel 9

Mr. Spurgeon once said, “In Christ alone true and eternal joys are to be found; and we only begin to live when we begin to live in Him, live on Him, live with Him, and live for Him.”

Sound Doctrine

There are but two schemes of religion in this world. One is true the other is false. One is saving the other is damning. The two schemes of religion are free grace and free will. Free grace declares that salvation is the work of God alone (Jonah 2:9). Free will declares that salvation is, at least in part, the work of man. Free grace declares that salvation is conditioned upon the obedience of Christ alone as the sinner's Substitute (2Cor.5:21). Free will declares that salvation is ultimately and finally conditioned upon the obedience of the sinner himself. Any doctrine that makes salvation, eternal life, acceptance with God, and the reward of the heavenly inheritance to be dependent upon, or determined by you, at any point or in any measure, is contrary to sound doctrine and must be rejected. To receive, believe, or embrace such doctrine will be damning to your soul (Gal. 1:6-9).

Here are five points of Divine truth revealed in Holy Scripture. Anything that is contrary to, or in any measure diminishes these five points of sound doctrine must be rejected as heresy.

1. TOTAL DEPRAVITY - All men by nature are both sinful and helpless, because all are spiritually dead in sin (Matt. 15:19; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-4).

2. UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION – God, from eternity, chose a people in Christ whom he determined to save, without consideration of anything in them or anything that might be done by them (2Thes.2:13; Eph.1:3-6).

3. LIMITED ATONEMENT – Christ died for and redeemed his elect only. The benefits of Christ's death are limited to the elect. His death effectually accomplished and secured their eternal salvation (Isa. 53:8-11; John 10:11, 15; Heb. 9:12).

4. IRRESISTIBLE GRACE – God the Holy Spirit calls sinners from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ by the power of his grace, which cannot be successfully resisted (Psa. 65:4; 110:3; John 6:63; Eph. 2:8-9).

5. PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS – Every sinner chosen by God in election, redeemed by Christ at Calvary, and called by the Spirit in grace shall persevere in grace unto eternal glory, because they are all preserved and kept by grace (John 10:27-30; Jer. 32:38-40; 1Peter 1:5).

Those who preach any doctrine contrary to God’s testimony, concerning Who Christ is and what He accomplished, we as believers should immediately identify it as false and reject it as heresy (1Tim.4: 6-7). Salvation is all of grace! We were chosen by his grace (Rom. 11:5). We are justified by his grace (Rom. 3:24). We are saved by his grace (Eph. 2:8-9). We are called by his grace (Gal. 1:15). We are glorified by hisgrace (Eph. 2:7). From election to glorification, salvation is all of GRACE (Rom. 8:28-39; Rom.9:12-16; 2Tim. 1:9). – Thomas Harding

Clean & Unclean Animals

When God told Noah to fill up the ark with animals, He distinguished between the “clean and unclean.” Clean animals were designated as those which “parteth the hoof. . . and cheweth the cud” (Leviticus 11:3). There were some animals which had cloven (parted) hooves but did not chew the cud, and there were some which chewed the cud but did not have the parted hooves. These were declared unclean. Why these distinctions and what are their significance?