Grace Baptist Church of Danville
January 30, 2011
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It is written, "with the heart man believeth," but that heart that
trusts Christ is not the heart of the old man that is enmity
against God. It is the new man "created in righteousness and true
holiness," the new creature who believes God.
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My Beloved -- Don Fortner
(Tune: #90 -- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear -- CM)
1. Savior, the glories of Your grace
My songs of praise record;
Giver of life, blest Prince of Peace,
And my Beloved Lord!
2. Blest Son, the Father's chief delight,
Whose beauty angels view,
You are all fair in Zion's sight,
And my Beloved too.
3. Of You, the ancient prophets wrote,
Of You let Israel sing,
And heav'n's vast choir, in ev'ry note,
Praise my Beloved King!
4. Your precious name great joy imparts
To all who are Your own.
In life and death, O may my heart
Be my Beloved's throne.
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A Tribute to a Faithful Pastor
Tommy Robbins
1948 -- 2011
Bro. Tommy Robbins and I have been friends for more than thirty
years. In all those years, we have never had a cross word between
us or a disagreement of any kind. The Lord graciously delivered my
friend from all the evil consequences of sin and the Fall Sunday
morning, January 9, 2011, just before eleven o'clock. The previous
day I had the privilege of being at his side. We had several good
visits.
When Shelby and I arrived at his home, Bro. Tommy assured us of his
complete peace and his great desire to depart soon to be with
Christ and His family in "the heavenly Jerusalem." The last time he
called me to his bed was about eleven o'clock Saturday night.
He requested that I read and have prayer with him, his family, and
his visitors. We read Isaiah 35, sang Amazing Grace, and prayed
together. Shortly thereafter he went to sleep, awaking
periodically, but no longer cognizant.
Seventeen years ago Fairmont Grace Church in Sylacauga, Alabama
called him to be their pastor. He served them and served the Lord
Jesus with them with great faithfulness. Bro. Robbins was a soft
spoken man of tremendous character and strength. Firmly convinced
of the Gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, he
preached it faithfully and had no tolerance for those who
compromise the Gospel.
He sought no advantage or gain of any kind for himself. He
pastored a small congregation, and considered it his honor to do
so. He was loved by them; and he loved them. I had the privilege of
preaching for him three days every year for seventeen years. For
the past ten year Shelby and I have spent our annual visits to
Sylacauga with Bro. Tommy and his wife, Robin, in their home. Never
once did I hear Bro. Tommy speak ill of any of the Lord's sheep who
had been trusted to his care.
The last few years of his earthly pilgrimage were years of
deteriorating health, constant sickness, and much physical pain.
Yet, Bro. Tommy never complained in my presence. Many others who
attended to his needs and were in his presence almost constantly
during his last days have said the same. The last time I asked him
about his pain, Saturday afternoon, he said, "O we don't want to
get into that," and smiled. He died as graciously as he lived.
Tommy Robbins was greatly respected and greatly loved. He will be
greatly missed. He showed me by example how to live in this world
for the glory of God, trusting Christ and serving the interests of
His kingdom. I pray that God the Holy Spirit give me grace to
follow my friend's example to the end of my appointed days.
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"Behold, the man is become as one of us!"
Genesis 3:22
What an astounding statement that is! What can it mean? When Moses
wrote, "The Lord God said," who did he have in mind? It is
Jehovah-Elohim speaking; but he says, "The man has become as one of
us." One Person is speaking, but more than one person is
represented. The Person speaking is Christ, the second Person of
the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, Jehovah-Elohim. He is speaking
for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In that one sentence
we have set before us the plurality of persons in the eternal
Godhead, the eternal Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the
preexistence of our Savior before His incarnation. But what do
these words mean? -- "The man is become as one of us."
Adam a Type
First, this is a declaration of the fact that Adam was a type and
picture of Christ our Substitute, as the Holy Spirit tells us in
Romans 5:14, "the figure of him that was to come." Nowhere do we
see the love of Christ for his Church set forth so fully as in the
case of Adam's love for Eve. The popular notion is that Eve
beguiled Adam. Eve did nothing of the kind. Satan beguiled her,
allured her by deception into sin and rebellion against God; but
the Holy Spirit tells us plainly that "Adam was not deceived, but
the woman being deceived was in the transgression" (1 Timothy
2:14).
Adam was not deceived to any degree, neither by the devil nor by
his wife. He knew exactly what he was doing and sinned with his
eyes wide open. He saw his cherished wife, Eve, in the depths of
her guilt and shame; and out of nothing but love for her, before he
would be parted from her, he would be damned with her. He cleaved
to his wife, for they were one flesh. And into ruin he plunged
himself for her sake. In all this he was the figure of Him that was
to come, for so it was with our dear Savior. Moved by nothing but
His love for us, before He would be parted from us, He plunged
Himself into our sin, our guilt, and our death, that He might save
us from everlasting ruin (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Made Like Christ
This is also a declaration of Adam's present state and condition,
and of ours in Christ. Though fallen by nature, we are now, as Adam
was, restored by grace. What God here says of Adam is true of every
believer. Though in Adam we fell, in Christ we are restored, just
like Adam was by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God and call of
omnipotent grace.
Like Adam, we have been clothed with Christ's righteousness and we
are "righteous, even as he is righteous" (1 John 3:7; Jeremiah
23:6; 33:16). Like Adam, being renewed by grace, we are now created
in the image of Christ, conformed to him, created new by the grace
of God "in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). Like
Adam, having been called from darkness to light in Christ, we now
know both good and evil. We know both the goodness of God and the
evil of our own hearts. Like Adam we have become as one of the Holy
Trinity, we have become like Christ our Mediator. --"And as He is
so are we in this world!"
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THE GRACE BULLETIN
January 30, 2011
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Telephone (859) 236-8235 - E-Mail don@donfortner.com
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor
Schedule of Regular Services
Sunday
10:00 A.M. Bible Classes
10:30 A.M. Morning Worship Service
6:30 P.M. Evening Worship Service
Tuesday
7:30 P.M. Mid-Week Worship Service
Television Broadcasts in Danville
Channel 6 - Sunday Morning 8:00 A.M.
Channel 6 - Wednesday Evening 6:00 P.M.
Channel 6 - Friday Evening 7:00 P.M.
Television Broadcasts in Harrodsburg
Channel 6 - Sunday Afternoon 3:00 P.M.
Channel 6 - Friday Evening 6:00 P.M.
Web Pages
http://www.DonFortner.com
http://www.FreegraceRadio.com
http://www.Grace-eBooks.com |
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