Sisters and brothers,
Happy Monday to all! I want to thank all who helped while I was gone, especially David Juhlin and Hans Stennes-Spidahl for preaching for me. It is good to know there are those who can step up to proclaim God’s truth if I have to be away. I listened to both of their messages and both were faithful to deliver clear, Biblical messages from God’s Word.
It was good to be back with God’s family at East Madison yesterday. Thank you, worship team, for helping us to praise our great God. We sang one of my favorite hymns yesterday, “Before The Throne of God Above,” by Charitie Bancroft. The second verse is my favorite.
“When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God the just was satisfied,
To look on Him and Pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.
The subject we considered from Matthew 12 yesterday “The Point of No Return” was a difficult subject. It reminded us of the dangers of persistent and stubborn unbelief. If you continually resist the wooing of God’s Holy Spirit and deliberately refuse to receive and follow Jesus, you are in great, great eternal danger. Today, if you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, you need to respond and believe in Jesus. Do not ignore that wooing. Do not resist that wooing. Do not think that you can respond in your timetable. You need to respond while God is speaking and believe in Jesus, because “today is the day of salvation.” Please, if God is calling you to salvation today, don’t ignore His Holy Spirit. Today, all who come to Jesus will receive forgiveness and life. If we will respond, “God the just is satisfied, to look on Jesus and pardon us.” I am so grateful for this great salvation!
Love being your pastor!
Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church