So You May Know
What a difference a week makes. It was a beautiful warm winter Sunday morning as we gathered to worship at Mill Creek Baptist Church.
Janet Chaney and Jeanette Easter were celebrating birthdays, and we greeted visitors Tosha and Keegan. Special prayers were requested for the Jeanie Stout Woods family, the Keith Testerman family, Nancy Grigsby and Vince Lett.
Linda Abercrombie gave the devotional, “How to Love It as a New Day,” and read Lamentations 3:22-24. Some days just don’t go well for us and we long for tomorrow’s fresh start by God’s grace. Look to God and His mercies as we begin anew each day.
We joined voices in singing hymns of praise led by Karen Gardner and Becky Johnson and were blessed with special music from Jerry Abercrombie as he sang “Thanks to Calvary.” Rick Lett and Tyrel Lett served as ushers and collected the offering.
“So You May Know” was the title of God’s message brought to us by our pastor, Brother Mark Hall, who began by reading 1 John 5:13: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Brother Mark told us that you never want to cause someone who is not saved to believe that they are and you never want to cause someone who is saved to believe they are not. “We need to stay as close as we can to the word of God. Almost every Christian at one time or another may doubt his or her own salvation because we may not always feel saved. I am glad that feeling we are saved isn’t the barometer we go by for being saved. God wants us to know when we are saved. What do we have to do in order to know that we are saved? First, we have to know what God said we have to do to be saved. Second, we have to do what God says to do in order to be saved.
“What is salvation? What is being saved? Salvation is a personal relationship with God.”
Brother Mark told us there are five things that come with that relationship with God when we are saved. First, we are pardoned of our sin. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Second, Brother Mark told us we have peace with God. “Peace comes from God. We supply the faith, He gives us the grace. Sometimes it is hard to describe to others that peace we have with God.” Micah 7:18 tells us, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?” Third, we have power through Jesus Christ. Brother Mark told us, “God gives you the power to believe from the word of God. It is a heart thing.” Romans 1:16 says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
Brother Mark said the fourth thing that comes with the relationship with God when we are saved is that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit. “He gives us peace and presence that passes all understanding. Sometimes we get too comfortable and we turn loose and then when things get a little rough, we grab a hold again. We need God’s comfort and closeness. That security comes from God’s grace. Brother Mark read John 14:16-17 that talks about God’s presence.
Fifth, we have the perfection of the Holy Spirit. “We are perfect in God’s sight because of the redemption of His Son. God sees Jesus in us. When we doubt our salvation, it is because we don’t feel worthy of it because of our actions sometimes. We will never be good enough for God to see just us. He sees Jesus in us. Believe God, not yourself. If you have the Son, you have it all.”
In closing, Brother Mark read John 5:1-13. Verses 11-13 say “And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Our hymn of invitation was “Amazing Grace,” and Doug Cory gave the benediction. Brother Mark announced that Feb. 11 will be the widows’ lunch after church.
We invite you to worship with us at Mill Creek Baptist Church on Sunday mornings at 11. Sunday school begins at 10. Everyone is welcome. Mill Creek is located 3½ miles east of Noel just off Highway 90.