“It is hard to say which is worse – the atheist who says there is no God or the religionist who maintains that God cannot do as he pleases.” - Scott Richardson
• Bro. Darvin Pruitt is preaching today for FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH in Almont, MI where Bro. Jim Byrd is pastor. • COLLEGE GROVE GRACE CHURCH in College Grove, TN will host its annual Bible conference next weekend — OCTOBER 24-26. Scheduled Speakers: Don Fortner, Todd Nibert, Chris Cunningham and Maurice Montgomery. Bro. Chris Cunningham is the host pastor. Telephone: 615-368-7853 — E-mail: gracetn@united.net
Holy and Reverend is His Name! — Don Fortner (Tune: # 190 — We Bless the Name of Christ the Lord — LM)
1. Justice and mercy, truth and love, Shine from God’s glorious throne above, As our eternal, cov’nant God; — His name forever be adored!
2. In persons three — In essence one — He is the sov’reign Lord alone! His Being no beginning knows; And from Him all creation flows!
3. Our God (First cause of all events!), From His decree never repents! Unchangeably, He is the same.— Holy and Rev’rend is His name!
Paid Loafers and Parasites
It is easy for preachers to become paid loafers and social parasites, wasting their days in pleasure, recreation, and bumming around with open palms and an expectant look. Sadly, the religious hucksters and hirelings of the world have earned their reputation. Let no gospel preacher do so! The pastor has no boss within sight. He is not required to keep regular office hours. And no one checks up on him, to be sure he is working. That is as it should be. Yet, the very fact that a church treats her pastor as she should makes it possible for the pastor to abuse his office, neglect his work, give himself to idleness, or to providing luxuries for himself and his family, when he should give himself relentlessly to study, and prayer, and preaching. If we devote ourselves to this labor, there will be little time or energy for other things.
“He hath Made”
We know by the word of God that the heavens and earth were made by him (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 10:12). He hath made all principalities and powers (Colossians 1:16-17). He hath made every believer (Psalm 100:3). A believer is a divine work of the trinity (Genesis 1:26). A believer is the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He hath made every believer free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). He hath made his salvation known to his people (Luke 2:15; Ephesians 3:3-6). He hath made us able ministers of the gospel (2 Corinthians 3: 6).
Now, of all the great things that God has made there is yet one that stands above them all yea, on which all hinge. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5: 21). Without this great transaction sinners would not be made the righteousness of God in him. Therefore I say with the Psalmist, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1).
Pastor John Chapman — Hurricane Road Grace Church — Ashland, KY
The Atonement of the Lord Jesus
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation (atonement) for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17).
Those who are blessed to hear and believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ do not embrace or prescribe to a theory of atonement. In the Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified we have a glorious atonement for all our sins by his precious blood (1 John 4:10). We don’t have an “attemptment” we have an effectual and full atonement. Here are four things we know about his redeeming sacrifice and high priestly work.
1. It is particular. The Lord Jesus laid down his life for his covenant people, all those chosen and given to him in eternity (Matt. 1:21; John 6:37; 10:17; Eph. 1:3-6).
2. It is powerful. His blood sacrifice puts away all sins of his elect to the complete satisfaction of the holy law and infinite justice of God. The Lord says of our sins that they are remembered no more (Psalm 103: 10-12; Hebrews 10:17).
3. It is perpetual. His blood cleanses from all sin continuously (1John 1:7). Sins past, sins present and sins future through his constant intercession (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25), powerful advocacy (1 John 2:1) and prevailing meditation for his people (1 Tim. 2:5).
4. It is permanent. His blood atonement is not a temporary solution and stop-gap measure. The Lord Jesus obtained for his people eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). He purchased for his people eternal salvation and eternal life (Isa. 45:17; John 10:27-30). Listen to the words of this sweet promise, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
Thanks be unto our great and glorious Lord for His particular, powerful, perpetual and permanent atonement (1 Corinthians 15:57)!
Pastor Tom Harding — Zebulon Baptist Church — Pikeville, KY
"If Thou Knewest the Gift of God"
“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” (John 4:10)
Here are two sweet, precious, instructive views of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he held before the Samaritan woman, by which he graciously and effectually endeared himself to her. Let us ever behold our Savior in these two aspects of his character as our God-man Mediator: (1.) All that he is in himself, and (2.) the fact that he is the gift of God. These two things give poor, needy sinners both a reason to trust our Lord Jesus Christ and a divine warrant for faith in him. Ignorance of these two great things is the cause of much misery in those poor souls tortured with the guilt of sin, and the cause of much discomfort in believing sinners. Ignorance of these two, sweet revelations of grace greatly hinders our enjoyment of our interest in and union with the Lord Jesus Christ. “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” — May God the Holy Spirit give us grace to prove these words of our Savior to ourselves.
Christ’s Person and Work
First, consider who and what the Lord Jesus is in himself. Consider his magnificent Person and his mediatorial work as the God-man, our Savior. In all that he is, in all that he performed, in all that he accomplished, and in all that he obtained as the God-man, he acted as the Surety of his elect. And in all the fulness which is treasured up in him, by virtue of it, we have all things. None of the virtue, merit, and power of his work or being as the God-man is for himself, but for us. He does not and cannot need it. We do! “So that,” as Robert Hawker wrote, “a poor sinner is as much suited to Jesus for him to give out of his fulness, as Jesus is suited for a poor sinner to supply his emptiness.” If we thus know him and come to him, we find that he is as eager and anxious to receive every poor, needy sinner and to give out of his fulness, as that poor, needy sinner is to come and take!
The Gift of God
Second, our Lord Jesus declares that he is, in all his mediatorial work and being, “the gift of God.” Here we are given a warrant from God to come to Christ. God himself gives sinners command to believe on his Son (1 John 3:23). That is the warrant of faith. That is the sinner’s right and authority to trust Christ!
If you know who Christ is and what he has done for sinners, if you know that Jesus Christ the Savior is the gift of God, make use of him as such. Use him for every need of your poor soul. Christ is the only Sacrament there is. We receive grace only in and by him. He is he only Way sinners can come to God and find acceptance with him.
May God the Holy Spirit enable us ever to keep in view that Christ is the gift of God and that God is honored by us when we honor his dear Son, by believing “the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
The thirst of our souls cannot be quenched from any pool that depends upon dry or wet seasons; but only from the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who gives living water, and is himself that everlasting living spring of water in our souls, springing up into everlasting life.
GRACE BULLETIN
October 19, 2008
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
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