Song of Assurance

We were talking about assurance in our C-Group last week, from Romans 8, when I remembered an old Welsh hymn I once heard Martyn Lloyd-Jones quote. I couldn't recall the words exactly, so i looked them up. It can be sung to the tune of "Come Thou Fount". There are other verses, also, but I can't seem to find them right now. I hope this is a blessing to someone.

Sung to the tune of Come Thou Fount

Speak I Pray

Speak, I pray, Thou gentle Jesus.

O, how passing sweet Thy Word.

Breathing o’er my troubled spirit

Peace that never earth affords

Tell me Thou art mine,O Savior

Grant me an assurance clear.

Banish all my dark misgivings

Still my doubtings, calm my fears.

O my soul within me yearneth

Now to hear Thy voice Divine

So shall grief be gone forever

And Despair no more be mine.

Tell me Thou art mine, O Savior

Grant me an assurance clear.

Banish all my dark misgivings

Still my doubtings, calm my fears

Happy Reformation Day!

So many, today, are unaware of the great significance of October 31st. Greater than Halloween (or Pumpkin Day), for it was on October 31st, 1517 that God used a timid young monk to begin one of the greatest revivals in history: The Reformation. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Apostle Paul wrote, in Romans 1:16-17,

16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written:
"The righteous will live by faith."

When he read these words, nearly 500 years ago, they stunned the young monk who's name happened to be Martin. Up to that point, he’d been taught by his Church that salvation came as a result of his own efforts to be righteous by doing good and trying his hardest to keep the commands of the Law laid down by the priests and bishops. And try, he did – as hard as any man could. He fasted. He prayed. He wept. He confessed his sins. Yet still he was plagued by doubts and tormented by the guilt of his sins. It nearly drove him mad!

How could he, sinner that he knew he was, ever hope to be righteous in the eyes of God! That was his problem. He knew his sin. He knew God was holy. He understood that even if he did manage to purge the sin from his life (as impossible as that was!) and even if he did come to the place where he could believe he was righteous 98% of the time, with only 2% sin remaining, still he knew he would fall short of God’s perfect standards. What could he do? When told by his superiors that he must simply “Love God”, in the agony of his soul he cried out,”Love God? Sometimes I think I hate Him!”

But God had mercy upon young Martin. He was assigned the task, by one of his superiors, of teaching the New Testament. And there, in the book of Romans, God opened his eyes and let him see the simple, life-giving truth of the Gospel – that God gives the righteousness He requires freely, as a gift, to all who put their faith in Christ alone to save them. Not by works! Not by religion! Not by morality! Not by ritual! But by grace alone through faith in Christ, sinners may be saved!

That realization changed everything for Martin, who’s last name was Luther. He began to share the good news with others, thinking it would find as welcome a home in their hearts as it did in his. It was that drive to let others know what he had found that drove Luther, on that cool October day, to post his 95 Theses (95 points of debate he wished to raise about the religious system of his day). He thought his publication would lead to a lively debate among scholars and perhaps even a return to the truths of Scripture for some. Instead, it touched off a firestorm that would erupt into the Protestant Reformation. Europe would never be the same. Millions who came to faith through his preaching and the preaching of those who followed him would never be the same. And now 500 years later I, as an heir of the Reformation, can never be the same.

The message that God used to open the eyes of a terrified monk, has come home to me as well. By faith in Christ I know that my sins are forgiven, and I have been accepted by God as righteous, not because of any good thing I have done, but because of the finished work of Christ received by faith! It is my hope that this same message will come home to you as well. There is hope for every sinner, who by faith will repent of his sin and trust in Jesus, God's Son, by Grace, through faith alone.

Oh! What a rich mercy!

Pastor Scott Lee

Private Prayer

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

In all the ages of the world, the saints have kept up secret prayer. In spite of all opposers and persecutors, in prisons, in dungeons, in caves, in chains, on racks, in banishments, and in the very flames--the saints have still kept up secret, private prayer.

A Christian can as well hear without ears, live without food, fight without hands, and walk without feet as he is able to live without private prayer! Private prayer is the life of our lives--the soul, the sweet, the heaven of all our earthly enjoyments. Of all the duties of piety, prayer alone is the most soul-sweetening, strengthening, enriching, spiritually fattening, refreshing, satisfying, and encouraging duty.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace--that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

- Thomas Brooks

Rivers and Oceans

From my daughter, Kim . . .

Rivers and Oceans

To drown in the deepest ocean of grace, springing from rivers of love and mercy would be the greatest way to die. When you die, you find that all that is dead is the sin in your life and the power death had over you. Through the love of God, the new heart that reflects Christ is living in you and will never die. You find yourself no longer drowning but swimming in this ocean of grace and drinking from the rivers of love and mercy.

Christ gives you new robes that He wove with His righteousness. When these new robes you have soiled, you can plunge head first into the river of love, where Love Himself washes you clean. The river of love flows red with blood, blood that man alone could not claim. Only the blood of the one who is both God and man could clean my soiled robes. The river of mercy washes away my shame and guilt, it purifies me within. The deepest part of my heart is by mercy made clean and my sin can no longer reclaim it.

The ocean of grace my sins forgot, my slate is clean and fresh. I have no righteousness of my own, but grace gives me His. Without these rivers and this ocean deep, my sin would beat me to the grave. My glorious Savior came and took it all, my guilt, my pride, my shame, from Him flows these rivers of love and mercy. The ocean fills from His veins. He took my sin and the wrath of God. If I do not my worship bring, what good is each breath I breathe. Glory goes to God alone, no earthly thing my glory should receive. As I drink from love and mercy, it propels me to give Christ my glory, and as in grace’s depths I swim, my love and glory goes only to Him.

Labor Day Dad

I've asked permission to re-post a tribute written by one of the young women in our church to her dad. I thought it was excellent and well worth passing along.

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September 6, 2010

Today is Labor Day - the holiday in honor of the hard-working American citizens who labor day after day throughout the year. It is a day when many choose to relax. If you google Labor Day, the fully reliable source known as Wikipedia (yes, that’s sarcasm) states it so profoundly as to say that, “the holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties.” Some go fishing, others go camping, and many do other types of leisure activities. Is there anything wrong with these? No. Our bodies are designed to work, but we are also dependent on rest. In fact, God commands us to rest (Ex 31:15). Resting reminds us (as I learned from my new friend C.J. Mahaney) that we dependent creatures and we are not self-sufficient.

God has used this Labor Day to remind me what an awesome earthly father He has given me. I have always looked up to my Dad. He never missed one of my basketball or volleyball games in school. He would practice with me and push me to be my best. More importantly, he constantly displays patience, humility, and wisdom. He leads and guides our family, as he is the head of our home. He works hard to provide for us. He would be the first to admit that he is not perfect, but he is the most selfless man I know.

Let me just give you a small glimpse into his Labor Day. He wakes up to a demanding list of tasks that are waiting to be completed. Between our house and 3 rental houses, there is always something to be done. Alright, let me just pause right here to say that is one example of his selflessness. He is always willing to give up his time to help others, even when there’s something better or more fun to do. That’s a Colossians 3 type of love right there! Okay, back to his day. The past couple days he has been working on fixing my sister’s ceiling fan (They live in the rental house next door to us). This normally wouldn’t have taken that long, but one thing went wrong and then another and he ended up having to buy a new ceiling fan for their rental house. During this time, one of the neighbors backed their car into my sister’s mailbox. So today, Dad is working on fixing that. Some men may look at these repairs as inconveniences in the road to what they want to do. Not my Dad. He uses these “fix-it” times as teachable moments. My oldest brother (almost 11 yrs) loves helping Dad with whatever task is at hand. The younger bro (9 yrs) loves to tag along too, but he does tend to be more easily distracted. Both of my brothers have learned so much just by being with my Dad and helping him out. They each have their own little tool set and love being able to use them. They probably have more tools than most guys my age!

Back to the mailbox dilemma- Dad and the boys worked on that most of the morning. During the process, Dad got sawdust in his eye, which is obviously not the most preferable circumstance. This can actually be quite painful and caused him problems the rest of the day. Despite this, they are all working hard to get this thing fixed when who decides to grace our streets with their presence? The Jehovah Witness clan. Does Dad complain about this? No. Does he shrug them off or ignore him? No. He uses this as an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel truth to these men who are wrapped up in their false religion. I’m afraid my natural tendency would be to say, “No thanks. I already have the real Christ!” and walk away or simple try to ignore them. He talked to them for around half an hour sharing the true Gospel. I think he ended up doing more witnessing than they did! During the course of that half an hour, we discovered that our basement had flooded. So Dad comes inside after talking to the Jehovah Witnesses’ and being out in the sun working on that mailbox with sawdust in his eye to hear all of us exclaim that our basement flooded and we couldn’t use the water. He has a servant-like attitude and doesn’t complain (ahem, Phil 2 yes, I was feeling convicted). Why doesn’t he complain? He knows that this is what God has called him to be – a man! It sounds so simple, but this is exactly what is lacking in our culture. Men who are bold enough to stand up and lead their wives (Eph 5:23). Men who work hard to provide for their families (Gen 3:17-19). Men who train their children up in godliness (Proverbs 22:6, 23:13-14 and yes, this includes DISCIPLINING them). Men who deny themselves and live according to God’s standard (Luke 9:23). It is not easy to give up pleasures, material things, or conveniences, but that is the cost of following Christ.

So my Dad will probably go into work tonight feeling exhausted, somewhat irritated (that sawdust is still really bothering his eye), and like he has accomplished little. He’ll sleep when he gets home in the morning. He’ll wake up with a new day full of new challenges. Despite this, he won’t forget to wrestle with his children (that’s his favorite way of expressing his fatherly love) and make them laugh/scream and then shout, “Dad’s the Champion!!!” He’ll lead his children in studying the Word of God and prayer. He’ll try to get what needs to be done accomplished, but if not, that’s okay. He’ll go into work that night and repeat it the next day all while echoing the words, “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I apologize now for the A.D.D format of this note and for any grammatical errors (writing was never my thang!).This isn’t in anyway meant to come across as depressing or anti-fun. My family and I have lots and lots of fun memories together especially if it involves the word, “free.” If you know us, then you know we’re goofy and even kinda weird. =) But as one of my favorite quotes by JohnnyMac goes, "Following Christ isn't rooted in spectacular events, juiced-up conferences, or continual mountaintop experiences. It's found in loving Him, obeying Him, thanking Him, and glorifying Him in the most mundane daily details of life."

So Dad, thank you for your example of humility and self-sacrifice, which is a portrait of Christ. Thank you for showing me the qualities of a Godly husband through your daily living. I LOVE YOU!

Good Health

Here is an insightful journal post from Bro Bob Jennings, a dear friend of mine who has pancreatic cancer. Please keep him in your prayers, but also, gain the value of the things the Lord is teaching Him during his fleeting days here "under the sun" as Ecclesiastes tells us.

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Good Health

Posted on August 30, 2010 by jjennings

Acts 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

Good health, apart from the welfare of the soul, is a supreme blessing. If you are in bad health, you can scarcely enjoy any material blessings – a fine house means so little. If you are in bad health, service for God can be hindered – Trophimus was left at Miletus sick, 2 Tim. 4.20. Peter’s mother-in-law was healed and was able to serve again, Mat. 8.15. It is astonishing that so much attention is given to car maintenance and house maintenance, but often the body is neglected and abused.

Our bodies are very important, very close to home. The devil knows that and told God that Job would compromise if his health were stripped, Job 2.5. Demons, even religious demons, want to destroy the body, Col. 2.23. The medical industry is enormous. In about any society it is big. The medicine man or witch doctor is the big man in primitive tribes. God speaks loudly to the non-Christian through his body, Rom. 1.24. That applies for the Christians too, 1 Cor. 11.30. The fact that all are returned to dust is a powerful sermon as to the awfulness of sin. For the non-Christian, God will put body and soul in hell, Mat. 10.28.

For the Christian, though our body is dust, yet, what a mercy, what a full salvation it is that the Lord has redeemed our body too, Rom. 8.23. Our bodies are even now called members of Christ, 1 Cor. 6.15. They are the temple of Christ, 6.19. The body is for the Lord and the Lord is for the body, 6.13. We are called to continually present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, Rom 12.1.

It is a blessing to die in a ripe old age, Gen. 25.8. But our times are in God’s hand, Psa. 31.15. So we press on and work with what we have and seek to glorify God in our body, whether by life or by death, 1 Cor. 6.20, Php. 1.20.

Preaching at Countryside and Jefferson Heights

This Tuesday, August 24th, I'll be speaking at Countryside Family Church's, Family Conference. Each evening, there is a meal at 6:00. Family activities at 6:30. Worship at 6:45. Message at 7:00. As I say, I'll be speaking on Tuesday night, but the conference goes Monday through Friday with a different speaker each evening. (Contact Terry @ tdelaney017@yahoo.com for more information)
Countryside is less that 30 minutes from Rockport, in Millstadt, IL (310 Veterans Dr). Click here for directions.

Also, several of us from Rockport Baptist Church will be taking part in another conference this weekend at Jefferson Heights Baptist in Jefferson County MO. The conference will focus on "Lessons from the New Testament Church". Speakers include John Greever, Charles Lawson, Brian Butler and myself. It begins at 9:00 AM Saturday morning and will continue until about 2:30. Please call Jefferson Heights for more information (636) 942-3080. Or click here for directions.

I couldn't agree more!

“What the church needs today is not more machinery . . . , new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.”

- E M Bounds

So Here's to Mother's Day . . .

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels. (Prov 31:10)

It’s easy, sometimes, to overreact. In my zeal not to repeat the mistakes of others, I can end up making new ones of my own. I wonder at times if I’m ever in danger of doing that where Mother’s Day / Father’s Day are concerned.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love my mom– far more than I could ever say! And I think its good to set aside a day once a year to honor our moms and let them know that we think there really is no one like them in the whole world.

My problem comes in the tendency I see in churches to take a day like Mother’s Day and make it the focus of worship. It just seems to be a misappropriation of God’s honor to shift the focus of any worship service off of Him and put in onto anyone or anything else at all. Am I right?

And then there’s a practical concern, as well. When it gets down to it, I’m convinced that what you and I need is not another warm and fuzzy, feel-good experience, or another ‘sentimental journey’ sponsored by Hallmark. What we need is for the life-strengthening, soul-anchoring power of God’s Word to be opened up and applied to our lives.

So let’s take a moment this morning to say ‘Thank you’ to our Moms for what they mean to us. Let’s acknowledge that we can’t think of any job that could be more important than that of a godly parent. Let’s shout from the rooftops, “We love you, Mom! We’re grateful to God for you. We know our lives would be infinitely poorer without you and your Christ-like example of love.” But then for Mom’s sake, let’s shift our focus off of her and on to Him who created motherhood in the first place. And let’s offer our prayers to our Father in Heaven Who alone can give Mom the help she needs!

Grace Camp Meeting

What a wonderful time of mercy was experienced this past week at Rockport Baptist Church. We call it our Grace Camp Meeting. It's a time of coming together for an extended time of preaching, praying, fellowshipping and enjoying God's presence with the saints.

This year's Camp Meeting featured the following messages

• Brother Bob Jennings from Highway M Chapel spoke on the Nature of God (God is Light); Parenting; Seeking Wise Counsel; Prayer; and the Grace of God.
• Brother Rob Pelkey gave several messages on the Worship (or Worth-ship) of God, and then ended with a stirring testimony of how the Lord saved him from religion.
• Brother Jon Sims from Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church spoke of God's Everlasting Love and our being Slaves of Christ.
• In addition there were sermons by Dr John Greever from First Baptist Fenton on "Christ in a Truthless World," by Pete Ruble from Lighthouse Baptist on "Being at the Feet of Jesus," and by Scott Lee from Rockport Baptist on "Longing for the Glory"

All sermons are available on Rockport's Website, or on our Sermon Audio Site.