Good Morning,

Yay! It’s Monday, right? But we are another week closer to Spring!

They couldn’t see God’s glory in Christ because they were blinded by the pursuit of their own glory. God offered salvation, but they just couldn’t get their mind around the amazing gift that comes by grace through faith.

They had it all and lost it all. Depending on their spiritual heritage instead of God, they found themselves in a spiritual wasteland.

Sometimes I hear on the radio: “Don’t be that guy!” Can’t remember who says it, probably more than one person.

My point here is: “Don’t be that guy. Don’t be that gal.”

Don’t be the one who thinks she has it all but actually has nothing because she pursued her idea of salvation rather than God’s.

Message Title: The Children of the Promise

Message Text: Romans 9:1-18

MP3: 23 The Children of the Promise : Romans 9:1-18 : FFC : Dave Scott 021515

Good Monday Morning to All,

Below you will find contact information for Bible Tracts, Inc. You will also find two MP3s from Mark Smith’s sharing time with us yesterday.

Must listen to Mark Smith’s Favorite Bible Tract Story.

MP3: FFC MW Mark Smith Favorite Gospel Tract Story 021515

MP3: FFC SS Mark Smith Bible Tracts Inc 021515

• Mailing Address:
  Bible Tracts, Inc.
  PO Box 188
  Bloomington, IL 61702-0188
•  Phone: (309) 828-6888
• Fax: (309) 828-0573
• E-mail: bibletractsinc@juno.com

Hello Everyone,

Still winter. Still cold. But Spring’s a coming! 🙂

The Jews had forgotten that the gospel of God is the Gospel of GOD!

They had it all but squandered the opportunity. God’s chosen people, richly blessed, but now as a whole spiritually bankrupt.

They were like lottery winners who four years later are broke and in debt. Or the former professional football player who made millions and rose to the top of his sport but now has to sell his Super Bowl ring so he can eat.

So how did they “lose it”? How could something like this happen?

They could not accept a salvation that came by grace through faith. Salvation apart from the works of the law was inconceivable to them.

Do you know what mercy and grace tell us? Mercy and grace tell us that we can’t do it. In fact, we can’t even think it. Mercy and grace mean that only God, and God alone, could come up with such an idea for our salvation and carry it out.

Mercy and grace should not be inconceivable in our minds.

Thinking that we could work for the spiritual riches of God in Christ Jesus. That is what is ludicrous. Believing that God would offer a salvation so low, so pitiful, that we, mere sinful humans could somehow do good enough, be good enough, run fast enough to earn his salvation.

That is what should be inconceivable to us. The Jews in Paul’s day did not realize this, and sometimes we don’t either.

Message Title: The Children of Promise!

Message Text: Romans 9:1-18

• PDF 23 The Children of the Promise II : Romans 9-1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 021515 STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF 23 The Children of the Promise II : Romans 9-1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 021515 : STUDY SHEET TWO

Hello All,

Bout forgot to do this. Here is this week’s bulletin.

• PDF Bulletin FFC February 15 2015

Hello All,

I don’t record all of the Psalms studies but did yesterday. So here it is.

dave

Probable (possible) historical setting: TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. David on the run; seeking refuge from Saul who is maddened by his jealousy and the prophesied demise of his kingdom.

INTRODUCTION: Why have such a downer of a psalm?

• How long will you forget me, O LORD? How long will you hide your face from me? Blah, blah, blah … I see no good reason to share this despair, this desolation of the heart …
• Unless … It is true to life. True to the walk of the pilgrim of God. 
• What does it feel like when God himself teaches us to walk in the joy of our salvation, the path of pure joy? And what do we do as we are on this path, when we encounter deep darkness and taunting enemies which we cannot overcome?

1) On the path of pure joy we must sometimes walk through desolate territory, 13:1-2.

▶︎ How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever [completely]?

• Sometimes on the path of pure joy it seems that God has stepped completely out of the picture. David’s question is—Had God forgotten him forever? Not, had God forgotten him, but is this it?

▶︎ How long will you hide your face from me?

• Sometimes on the path of pure joy God does not rush to our side. God was not giving David an audience. It was bad enough the turmoil in his life, and that God seemed so distant, but God would not even give David an audience.

▶︎ How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

• Often on the path of pure joy we must learn that we are neither big enough or smart enough for the battle. What runs through our minds at times like this? We try to find solutions. We try to work our way through the mess and fix the problem.

▶︎ How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

• Often on the path of pure joy our dark enemy will taunt us. Insult to injury. During this time of distress the enemy torments us. “I told you so.” “I won. You lost.” “This is what you get for trusting in God.”

*See Matthew 27:41-46.

2) On the path of pure joy we must pray to the only One who can give light, 13:3-4.

• David’s petition: He asks for light, cf. Ephesians 1:18.

3) On the path of pure joy trust in God’s steadfast love bring us to the joy of our salvation, 13:3-4.

• On the path of pure joy trusting in God’s steadfast love brings home the joy or our salvation to our hearts.
• On the path of pure joy trusting in God’s steadfast love brings praise and more praise.

CONCLUSION: No matter anything else we come back to the steadfast love of God!

MESSAGE MP3: Psalm 13 : How Long O LORD : FFC : dave scott : 020815 PM

Hello All,

*EDITOR’S NOTE: We had extra things going this past Sunday, so this message became the introduction to Romans 9-11.

The gospel of God …

The gospel of God begins all the way back in Genesis, when after the sin of Adam and Eve, God speaks to the serpent of the coming war between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the Son of God.

In this gospel story throughout the history of this world, the nation of Israel was given a very special place. God’s chosen people. Unique among the nations and tremendously blessed.

But somewhere along the way, they lost the truth of God’s message. The truth of God had escaped them. But how? Why? They quit listening to God.

They would vehemently protest, but this is exactly what they did. They listened to themselves so much that they thought it was God talking.

Paul states in Romans 9:1: “Truth I am speaking in Christ.”

How did he do that? How do we?

MP3: Truth I Speak in Christ : Romans 9:1 : FFC : dave scott 020815

BONUS STUDY SHEET (Gospel of God HISTORICAL OVERVIEW): PDF OVERVIEW gospel seed promise Israel 020815

Hello All,

What a blessing it was to have Phil Bell share in our SS time this past Sunday.

Here is the MP3: Phil Bell FFC Sunday School 020815

Hello to You,

“Truth I am speaking in Christ.”

That is how the Apostle Paul begins this section of Romans. Chapters nine through eleven speak to Israel’s current and past relationship with God. Paul anguishes as he describes their spiritual status. They had it all as God’s chosen people. Nine unique, God-given privileges which Israel squandered.

Things had gotten so bad that they did not even know when their Messiah came to Earth.

• “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11 ESV).

They did not receive him because they had a really bad habit of not listening to God.

So how do we do that? Speak the truth in Christ?

• How Do We Tell the Story of God?
  Not our story …
  And calling it God’s Story …
  But God’s Story …
  And sticking with it …

Message Title: Truth I Am Speaking in Christ

Message Text: Romans 9:1-5

• PDF 22A Truth I Am Speaking in Christ : Romans 9:1-5 : ffc : dave scott : 020815 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF 22A Truth I Am Speaking in Christ : Romans 9:1-5 : ffc : dave scott : 020815 : STUDY SHEET TWO

Hello All,

Brrrr……

Here is this week’s bulletin for Sunday February 8, 2015.

• PDF Bulletin FFC February 8 2015

Hello All,

Should have posted this sooner.

NO SERVICES TODAY–FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Heavy, heavy snow! Sit by the fire and enjoy a nice cup of tea. 🙂