A Man Without Grace

9 November 2015

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chained hands
"And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." (Mark 5:1-5)

This remarkable account of Jesus healing a man possessed is a factual account of Jesus' power over evil spirits. This man was truly possessed with devils, and Jesus drove those devils from the man.

This account gives us assurance of Jesus' power over all things but also shows us how Jesus works in our salvation of regeneration. As we look at this account, we will see the helplessness of the man and the omnipotent power of Jesus.

This man was full of unclean spirits. His home was in a graveyard. He ran around naked. His behavior could not be stopped or altered by any human means. He wandered around all the time with no focus and his behavior was only hurtful to himself and those around him.

Man's condition without the grace of God in his life is much like that of the Wild Gadarene.

Without grace all men are:

  • Totally depraved and full of sin (Romans 3:9-18)
  • Man is in bondage to sin (Romans 6:18a)
  • Alienated from God (Colossians 1:21)
  • No one can change natural man by natural means (1st Corinthians 1:18; 2:14)
  • The mind of natural man is the enemy of God (Romans 8:7)
  • He has no righteousness he can claim for covering his sin (Isaiah 64:6)

There was nothing short of the almighty power of God that could help the wild Gadarene, and it takes nothing less than the sovereignty of God to change the nature of a man dead in sin.

Tags: 1st_corinthians, harmony_of_the_gospels, isaiah, mark, regeneration, romans, salvation

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.

Living in Liberty

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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