July 13^th, 2014

Today’s Services:

9:30 am ­................................................................................................. Exceeding Sorrow -- Matthew 17:22-23

10:00 am ............................................................................................... All Given To The Son -- Genesis 25:1-5

Wednesday: 7:30 pm .... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. Death Of An Old Believer -- Genesis 25:7-10

Birthdays: July: 14^th -- Daisy Hudson, 19^th -- Mary Parks, 22^nd -- Barbara Ross, 24^th -- Vikki Patton

Church Cleaning: 14^th - 19^th -- Wesley & Melanie Hudson, 21^st - 26^th -- Steven & Mary Parks

Nursery Today: 1^st Service - Cherrie Anderson (Jill Ogle, Alt.), 2^nd Service - Margaret Torrence

Wednesday: Mindy Mahan

Preaching And Hearing The Word

One of the old preachers is reported to have said, “I preach as one who may never preach again, as a dying man to dying men.” How solemn a thought that is to those of us charged with preaching. Let us not tickle the ears of dying men with the trifles of earthly issues and vain religion. But does this principle not apply in some way to the man who listens? Ought we not say every time we come to worship, “I listen as one who may never hear again, as a dying man among dying men”?

God grant us the same seriousness in hearing as we expect in preaching! -- Joseph Terrell

The World God Loved

Jesus Christ declares in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Let me show you from God’s Word some things about this world God loved.

I. The world God loved is comprised of people deserving His hatred. Everyone is a sinner.¹ God, being righteous, justly hates sinners.² But God, being gracious, before the foundation of the world chose certain sinners to be the objects of His love and salvation.³ These sinners chosen by God are loved by Him from eternity and with an eternal and saving love.⁴ This world of chosen sinners is therefore never the object of God’s hatred.

II. The world God loved was given by Him His only begotten Son. God’s only begotten Son is Jesus Christ, begotten by God from eternity and by an eternal generation.⁵ God did not merely offer His Son to the world in the hope that they might accept Him. Rather, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” God left nothing to chance regarding the world He loved.

III. The world God loved received His only begotten Son – for nothing is given unless and until it is received. Men naturally despise and reject God’s Son.⁶ But the world God loved received Him, for God gave Him to them. They receive Christ by faith, by believing in Him.⁷

IV. The world God loved will be saved through His Son: “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus Christ saves the world God loved! (Since Jesus saves the world God loved, this world is distinguished from the world for which Jesus refused to pray.⁸) The world God loved therefore knows Jesus Christ as “the Savior of the world”.⁹ He is the Savior of the world God loved because He saved this world,¹⁰ took away the sins of this world,¹¹ removed the guilt of this world,¹² reconciled this world to God,¹³ and gives everlasting life to this world.¹⁴ No one in the world God loved will perish with the world God condemns;¹⁵ every one in the world God loved will be saved.