Central Bulletin 11-1-2015

Central Grace Church

3596 Franklin Street . Rocky Mount, Virginia

November 1^st, 2015

Today’s Services:

9:30 am Bible Study--------------------------- A Description of God’s Sons (Jacob) – Genesis 49

10:00 am Worship -----------The Incurable Cured; The Captive Brought Back – Jeremiah 30

Nursery Today: Second Service: Irene D. , Alt. Kathryn P.

Cleaning Schedule: This Week: Ogles, Next Week: Cherrie & Aimee

Birthdays: November: 8^th – Dan Ogle & Kevin Berry, 9^th – Gabe Stalnaker, 13^th – Aimee Poff

If You Are At Home In The World -- "For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as were all our

fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding" -- 1 Chron. 29:15

If you possess the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob, you, like them, confess that you are a stranger; and your confession springs out of a believing heart and a sincere experience. You feel yourself a stranger in this ungodly world. It is not your element. It is not your home. You are in it during God's appointed time, but you wander up and down this world . . . a stranger to its company, a stranger to its maxims, a stranger to its fashions, a stranger to its principles, a stranger to its motives, a stranger to its lusts, a stranger to its inclinations, and all in which this world moves as in its native element. Grace has separated you by God's sovereign power, that though you are in the world, you are not of it. But I can tell you plainly if you are at home in the world; if the things of time and sense are your element; if you feel one with. . . . the company of the world, the maxims of the world, the fashions of the world, and the principles of the world . . . grace has not reached your heart, the faith of God's elect does not dwell in your bosom.

The first effect of grace is to separate. It was so in the case of Abraham. He was called by grace to leave the land of his fathers, and go out into a land that God would show him. And so God's own word to His people is now, "Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
Separation, separation, separation from the world is the grand distinguishing mark of vital godliness. There may be indeed separation of body where there is no separation of heart. But what I mean is separation of heart, separation of principle, separation of affection, separation of spirit.
And if grace has touched your heart, and you are a partaker of the faith of God's elect, you are a stranger in the world, and will make it manifest by your life and conduct that you are such. -- J. C. Philpot

“I Will Rejoice Over Them To Do Them Good.”– Jeremiah 32:.41

How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in His saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God’s people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delighteth in the cloud-capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that He delighteth in the habitable parts of the earth, and that His delights are with the sons of men. We do not find if written that even angels give His soul delight; nor doth He say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, “Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee;” but He does say all that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by His grace. In what strong language He expresses His delight in his people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, “He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” As He looked upon the world He had made, He said, “It is very good;” but when He beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus’ blood, His own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvelous declaration of His love, and sing, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation”? --C.H.S.