Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

What's Going on at SGBC?

2009-07-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Originally written to headquarter his missionary trip to Spain, Paul's letter to the church in Rome was intended to explain the gospel of God he was taking to the Gentiles to the ends of the earth.

Join us on Sunday mornings for our current preaching series on The Gospel of God: An Expositional Series Through the Book of Romans. Pastor Kurt Smith began preaching through this letter in November of 2006. The most recent manuscripts of these sermons are available on our website, with audio downloads coming soon.

Sunday Evenings @ 6:00 pm

Sixteen 30-minute DVD sessions with John Piper teaching the five points of Calvinism.

They are abbreviated as TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints.

John Piper walks study groups through each point in this DVD and its companion study guide, discussing the implications and the issues using the whole Bible. The lessons cover topics that include the meaning of “total” in total depravity, why do missions when God is sovereign, Romans 9 and the two wills of God, and ten effects of believing the five points of Calvinism.

This sixteen-session, guided group study equips facilitators, teachers, group leaders, and pastors to help their members understand the important differences between Calvinism and Arminianism. It also calls them to hold fast to biblical truth regarding God’s saving work in his people’s lives.

Wednesday Evenings @ 7:00 pm

Popular perception of Jesus Christ is that of a tempered, genteel man who walked the earth, offering nuggets of wisdom to His followers. But what we sometimes fail to recognize is that although Jesus Christ offered a message of forgiveness, He also spoke challenging, demanding words about what being a follower of Christ requires.

In contrast to the superficiality of much modern Christian teaching, Dr. John MacArthur serves up the unvarnished truth of what Christ taught and lived. In simple, compelling terms, he spells out what is required of those who would follow Him. Going beyond Jesus' life to include the crucifixion and resurrection, MacArthur shows readers that Jesus modeled the commitment and loving obedience He requires of us by making the ultimate sacrifice for humankind.

A Invitation From Our Pastor

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If you are searching for a local church where the Word of God is faithfully expounded and the worship of God is God-centered rather than man-centered - then Sovereign Grace Baptist Church will be a place where you will grow and be nurtured in your walk with Christ. If you are also looking for a church where the fellowship of other Christians is real, genuine, and the aim of that fellowship is to bring you closer to Christ - then once again, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church will be a much needed home for your soul. But most importantly, if you are desiring to be a part of a church where God's glory is central and the Word of God governs everything that is believed and practiced - then I strongly encourage you to come and visit us. We are certainly not a "perfect" church but I can honestly say that we are healthy and growing as the body of Jesus Christ. May God bless you for His glory in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Kurt M. Smith (Email Kurt)
Pastor

Thank You for Contacting Us!

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Contact Us

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Exposition of Romans

2009-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sermon 69: Salvation is Forever! (8:1-4)
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Sermon 70: Life in the Flesh (8:5-8)
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Sermon 71: Life in the Spirit, Part One (8:5-8)
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Sermon 72: Life in the Spirit, Part Two (8:9-11)
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Sermon 73: Life in the Spirit, Part Three (8:12-13)
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Sermon 74: Life in the Spirit, Part Four (8:12-13)
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Our History

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In the spring of 2006 in Lenox, Georgia, there came together a band of believers in Christ, who were brought by the suprising providence of God, to begin a new church. The forming of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church was not made in haste or as an emotional reaction; but rather after much prayer, careful thought, vigorous discussion, and intense Bible study - there was a clear unified conviction that God was calling us out to plant a fresh work for His glory in South Georgia.

On May 18, 2007 we constituted and covenanted together as a confessing Evangelical, Reformed, Baptist church. Twenty-one people, on this day, signed their names in affirmation to the official organization of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. And after being together for one whole year, our mission statement was unmistakable and clear: our greatest aim is to glorify God in all things as we are continually being conformed to the pattern of His Word for a healthy church. Existing for God's glory alone and driven by God's Word alone, our prayer has been from the beginning and remains to this day, that we will grow as a church marked by biblical healthiness. We trust in God that this will be the enduring history of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church.

Our Meeting Times & Location

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Our Meeting Times

Sunday Morning.........10:30am
Sunday Evening...........6:00pm
Wednesday Evening....7:00pm

Our Location & Contact Info

We are located in Lenox, Georgia on Highway 41 directly across from the Dollar General Store. To contact us, you can call at 229-896-6281; or you can email at sgbclenoxga@gmail.com.

Our Church Affiliations

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We are a member-church of The Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA) & The Southern Baptist Convention, holding to its historic principles and doctrinal heritage.

Our Ministry Philosophy for Children and Youth

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At Sovereign Grace Baptist Church it is our conviction that the parents of our children and youth are the primary means of instructing them in the Word of God (see Deut.6:4-9; Eph.6:4). We do not believe nor encourage our families to look at the church to be the "baby sitter" or the sole source of biblical teaching for their children. However, we do provide a means of instructing both our children and youth in the Word of God to help the parents fulfill their responsibility more sufficiently. Our ministries to the children and youth are systematic studies through God's Word to develop in them a biblical worldview and a better understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our Ministries

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We have a literature ministry which provides the most excellent resources of Christian books, pamphlets, articles, and tracts for the edification of saints and the evangelism of sinners.

We also have a bi-weekly Men's & Ladies' Bible Study.

There is also a weekly ministry to our youth & children by the means of Bible Study and the Baptist Catechism.

And we also directly support missionaries to Mexico City, combined with annual giving to both foreign and home missions through the Southern Baptist Convention; and we are engaged in regular local evangelistic outreach.

How We Worship

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We firmly believe that God Himself regulates His worship through His Word.

We therefore make special effort to protect our worship of the Lord from elements and innovations for which there is no biblical authority.

We desire that our worship be God-centered rather than man-centered.

We desire that it be reverent and joyful.

In our worship services we meet with God in prayer; we read, sing, hear, and teach God's Word; we give unto the Lord our tithes and offerings; and we seek to fellowship with one another before and after the services as a means of edification in our walk with Christ and with each other.

Our Core Convictions

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Scripture Alone
The Scriptures alone are our final authority in every area of life, because every word and every part of them are the Word of God.

Christ Alone
Christ alone, in His perfect life and atoning death in the sinner's place, is the basis of our acceptance by God.

Grace Alone
The grace of God alone in Christ, not works of human merit or effort, is how God saves sinners.

Faith Alone
Faith alone is the means by which sinners receive or appropriate this grace of God.

To God Alone Be the Glory
To God alone be the glory for saving sinners and for everything else in this life and the life to come, eternal.

Our Confession of Faith

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Sovereign Grace Baptist Church makes a full subscription to the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689).

Of the Holy Scriptures
Of God and the Holy Trinity
Of God's Decree
Of Creation
Of Divine Providence
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the punishment thereof
Of God's Covenant
Of Christ the Mediator
Of Free Will
Of Effectual Calling
Of Justification
Of Adoption
Of Sanctification
Of Saving Faith
Of Repentance unto Life and Salvation
Of Good Works
Of the Perseveraance of the Saints
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
Of the Law of God
Of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace thereof
Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day
Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
Of the Civil Magistrate
Of Marriage
Of the Church
Of the Communion of Saints
Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Of Baptism
Of the Lord's Supper
Of the State of Man after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
Of the Last Judgement
Ending statement and Signatories

Our Confessional Identity

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We are Evangelical

"Evangelical" refers to the heritage of the core message of the New Testament revelation, which is about Jesus Christ and His saving life and work. The very term, "evangelical", is derived from the New Testament word which means "gospel" or "the good news." As an evangelical church we therefore believe and teach the life-saving and life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is revealed in the infallible and inerrant Word of God. Hence, one of our greatest concerns and deepest passions is to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ always with clarity, wisdom, power, and integrity for the salvation of sinners to the glory of God (Rom.1:1-17; I Cor.1:18-2:5).

We are Reformed

"Reformed" refers to the heritage of the teachings of our Lord and His Apostles which were recaptured at the time of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century by such men as Martin Luther (1483-1546), John Calvin (1509-1564), and John Knox (1514-1572), among many others. These "reformers" were given the grace to see that the Word of God had been encrusted with centuries of human traditions and the gospel obscured. The saving message of the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ in the gospel had been lost. But these men, who had their own souls reborn by the power of the gospel of sovereign free grace, preached from the pulpits of Europe with tremendous power and blessing by the Holy Spirit and whole nations were changed.

We are Baptist

"Baptist" is an historical term expressing our self-conscious conviction that baptism is for believers alone; and as a consequence of "believers' baptism, the membership of the church must then consist only of those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit with credible proof of God's saving work in the manner of their lives (e.g., faith in Christ alone for salvation and on-going repentance of sin).

Our Church Mission

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Our Mission is to be in all things...

God-centered

Our first priority, our first goal, our first aim must always be without exception: "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (I Cor.10:31). God's glory, God's praise, God's fame must be the driving motive in everything we do as a church. There must not be any part of the church which is not first claimed for the glory of God alone!

Christ-exalting

We must be a church that is very clear and unashamed to teach and preach Jesus Christ as the only way to God (Jn.14:6). In a culture that wants many ways to God, we cannot back down nor bend on the gospel-truth that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. In everything we believe and proclaim we must bring all people to see and savor the glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to His likeness that the church is being conformed (Rom.8:29; II Cor.3:18), and therefore when the world sees us we should want them to behold Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col.1:29).

Spirit-empowered

Our worship, witness, and service as the church of Jesus Christ can only be effective and fruitful through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Gal.5:16; Eph.5:18). Apart from the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit we can do nothing that will make a lasting difference for the glory of God in Christ. It is by the Holy Spirit that we will conquer sin, understand the Scriptures, preach the gospel, and see saints edified and sinners saved. Without the Holy Spirit we are simply powerless and fruitless to do what God has called us to do.

Bible-saturated

Glorifying God, exalting Christ, and being filled with the Spirit's power cannot be carried out in the right direction with the right understanding apart from the Word of God. God's holy Word must be the final authority for everything we believe, teach, and practice as the church. If we are to be truly healthy then we must conform every aspect of the church to the Word of God. Indeed, it is only by God's Word that we can "be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (see II Tim.3:16-4:2).

Missions-minded

The ultimate fruit and outgrowth of the first four attributes will be the fulfillment of "the Great Commission" (see Matt.28:18-20). We are a church that is praying, giving, sending, and going on mission! Our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, family members, and whoever else is in our pathway will hear a clear presentation of the gospel for God's glory in Jesus Christ by the Spirit's power according to the Word of God.

Disciple-making

Our evangelism and missions will not be complete without active and faithful discipleship. This means that (according to Ephesians 4:12-13), believers are to be equipped "for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." To sum it up in short, we must be a church that is helping one another grow up in Jesus Christ.

Our Church Covenant

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Having, as we trust, been brought by Sovereign Divine Grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to Him, and having been transformed by the Spirit into a new creation with a new nature, and thus being baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious power, solemnly and joyfully affirm our covenant with each other (Eph.2:1-10; Rom.14:7-8; II Cor.5:17; Matt.28:19; I Thess.5:12-22).

We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph.4:3).

We will walk together in brotherly love, as becomes the members of a Christian Church; exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require (Jn.13:34,35; Rom.12:10; Heb.3:12-14; 10:24,25).

We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others (Heb.10:24,25; Eph.6:18).

We will endeavor to bring up such as may at any time be under our care, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and by a pure and loving example to seek the salvation of our family and friends (Eph.4:12-16; Tit.2:1-3:8).

We will rejoice at each other's happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other's burdens and sorrows (Rom.12:10,13,15; Gal.6:1-2).

We will seek, by Divine strength, to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that, as our old life has been crucified and buried with Christ, and we have now been raised up into spiritual union with Christ; so there is on us a special responsibility and expectation to lead a new & holy life (Rom.6:1-8:13; Gal.5:16-23; Eph.4:17-6:9).

We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, doctrine, and governance as it is based on God's Word and affirmed in the Church Constitution; we will further contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations (Phil.1:3-7; Col.3:12-17; Matt.28:19; I Cor.11:23-26; Matt.18:15-17; I Tim.3:15; II Tim.1:13; I Cor.8-9; I Cor.9:8-12,13,14).

We will, when we move from this place, as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word (Heb.10:24,25).
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all (II Cor.13:14).

Amen.

About Our Church Name

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We chose the name, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, to succinctly express our identity as a local church:

"Sovereign" is a biblical term expressing the supreme rule and reign of God over all things. We affirm God's sovereign control and the outworking of His eternal purpose which cannot be thwarted by man nor devil. Moreover, because God is sovereign, there is nothing that can happen outside of His will. All things, great and small, come to pass only because God has ordained them for His glory and the good of His people (Psa.139; Isa.46:10; Dan.4:34,35; Rom.8:28-31; Eph.1:11; Rev.4:11).

"Grace" is a biblical term expressing God's unearned, unmerited, and uninfluenced favor which He chooses to bestow upon sinners. We particularly affirm the doctrine of God's grace in salvation. This means that we cannot take any credit for being accepted by God and brought into the joy of His salvation. As sinners by nature, we are only deserving of God's just condemnation due to our sin and rebellion against Him. Moreover, left to our sinful nature, we would only be inclined to break God's law and reject the only hope we have of salvation, which is through our Lord Jesus Christ. However, in spite of our sin and what we deserved, God granted us salvation in the work of Christ and by the Spirit which is based purely and only on His "sovereign grace" (Jn.3:3-8; 6:44; Rom.8:28-30; 9:6-24; I Cor.1:26-31; Eph.1:3-14; 2:1-10; II Thess.2:13-14).

"Baptist" is an historical term expressing our conviction that baptism and church membership should only be bestowed upon those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and have thus given proof of this by a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ (Matt.28:19; Acts 2:37-41; Tit.3:4-7).

"Church" is a biblical term expressing that we are a family of Christian believers who have been called out of the world by God's sovereign grace in Jesus Christ, and baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ who is our Ruling & Living Head. Formally and publicly as a local church of Jesus Christ we have covenanted together to love and serve the Lord our God and to love and serve one another whereby Christ will be most exalted and glorified (I Cor.1:9; 10:31; 12:12-27; Eph.1:3-23; 2:11-22; I Pet.2:9-10).

SGBC Church Calendar

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