Living in Liberty

A Ministry of Bryce Lowance

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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The Blessing of Belief

9 February 2014

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:45

One of the definitions of blessed is happiness or joy. But what is true joy? Is it laughing at a funny movie or cheering at baseball game? Is it being the richest person on earth or being famous? While these things are enjoyable, I believe they fall short of the true meaning of joy found in Scripture.

Mary and Elisabeth are alone in a small house on the north side of Judah. Mary is the daughter of a farmer from a poor town in Galilee. Elisabeth is the wife of a priest, but neither woman has any standing in the community. They are just two poor, pregnant cousins sitting in a room together, and yet they are the happiest people on earth!

Why?

It’s simple. They believed.

They believed the gospel message that Gabriel spoke and it caused them to have great joy. Neither one of them doubted or questioned the message like Zacharias did. They may not have even understood everything that was said, but they believed, they trusted God, AND they were happy!

There is a key point in the close of Elisabeth’s statement to Mary that cannot be overlooked. She says that there shall be a performance of the things the angel proclaimed. Regardless of Mary’s belief, the Holy Ghost had visited Mary, and the Messiah was now on His way. God was working these things in His sovereign will and power. Mary embraced the message of the gospel as a FACT and it gave her great comfort and joy.

We too should look at the gospel of the sovereign grace of God like Mary and Elisabeth. The Bible clearly states that

God chose His elect before the world began.
He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for His people.
The Holy Ghost comes in power to regenerate every one of the elect. (This makes it possible for us to believe because Jesus is the author of our faith.)
Jesus will return at the end of time to take them all home.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30

Jesus did not come to make salvation possible. He came to save! God will gather His children, some of whom do not fully embrace the doctrines I mentioned above. However, God’s sovereignty is not limited by man’s unbelief.

If we truly want the joy of living a life of liberty in the finished work of Christ, we should embrace the gospel of grace. We should believe it, seek to know more of it, and live in its liberty.

That is blessed.

« Mother of Whom? | Magnificent Rejoicing »

Tags: belief, elisabeth, fatih, gabriel, gospel_of_luke, harmony_of_the_gospels, mary, sovereignty, zacharias

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.