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BAPTIST ASSOCIATION OF GREATER
BATON ROUGE
& Adoniram Judson, Jr. Mission and Ministries Center
10560 Airline Highway ~ Baton
Rouge, LA 70816
Phone: (225) 296-3943
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Dear BAGBR Church,
Isaiah 28: 16, 18 "Behold,
I am laying in Zion a
stone...Your covenant with
death will be cancelled, and
your pact with Sheol will
not stand..."
There are many Messianic
passages in the book of
Isaiah, and in the midst of
the prophecy of Ephraim's
captivity another one is
revealed. The judgment on
the nation of Israel was
coming. Their lack of hope,
due to unbelief and
rejection, is revealed.
Ephraim is described as
having made a covenant with
death and a pact with Sheol
(v. 15). The nation had
ignored the warnings of God,
and its demise was
inevitable. And yet, even
in the depth of loss and
despair regarding her soon
coming demise, a promise is
given. A costly cornerstone
will be laid in Zion. God
is going to do something
new, something eternal,
something costly (v. 16).
So profound will it be that
death and Sheol are
defeated. Death is a
reality for every generation
from the beginning of time,
but God will do something
that will take the sting out
of death, that will remove
the sense of hopelessness
and loss.
Without a doubt, this is
pointing to the Gospel--in
that, Jesus died for our
sins, was buried but raised
to life on the third day. His
resurrection cancelled the
covenant of death! Death no
longer wins, no longer ends
"life." The power of the
Gospel changes not only how
we live our daily life but
how we see eternity and face
death. This message was
delivered in a time of
sorrows over the ultimate
captivity of Ephraim. The
existence of the nation and
its longevity was an
indication of God's favor
and covenant relationship
with Israel. Even if the
nation no longer existed,
God's plan was not
defeated. God's plan does
not stop at the grave and is
not ended with death. In
reality for the believer,
death is not the worst thing
that can happen to someone,
because for the believer,
"to be absent from the body
is to be present with the
Lord" (2 Corinthians 5: 8).
When we believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, we are NOT
disturbed by the prospect of
death, but instead we face
death with assurance, hope,
and peace (v. 16). The worst
thing that can happen is to
die having NEVER believed in
Christ!
In
Christ,
Tommy Middleton
< Read
more about Dr. Middleton >
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* Baptist
Association of Greater Baton Rouge
*Disaster Relief
*Seafarer Ministry
If you would like to give to one of
the other ministries, select
Baptist Association of Greater Baton
Rouge in the notes section include
the title of the ministry. If you
have a question call 225 296-3943.
GIVE HERE
Thank you for your generosity!
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The Baptist
Association's Mission |
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MISSION |
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The
Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge has as
its present mission (A) to establish new
relationships between both the churches and pastors;
(B) to strengthen existing relationships of the
churches and members through a commitment to a
vision for kingdom growth that is larger than the
local church. This commitment can be evaluated by
the degree to which the local church members will
penetrate their community with the Gospel of Jesus
Christ through family and community orientation and
social involvement that exemplifies the caring and
sharing nature of Jesus Christ.
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Quick Links |
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Director Tommy
Middleton
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Sermons
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