“What a congregation stands for is not what its forbearers believed a hundred years ago, but what is preached and taught in the pulpit now.” Pastor Peter Meney
With the New Year that is Dawning — Don Fortner (Tune: #294 — Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us — 87.87.87)
1. With the New Year that is dawning, Rise, my soul, to new delights: From the world (O heed the warning!) Flee away while Christ invites. Nothing earthly, nothing earthly, Can compare with heav’n’s delights!
2. Like the winter’s earth is frozen, So how often is my heart! But my Savior, to His chosen, Will celestial fire impart. Oh, to feel it! Oh, to feel it! Burning now to melt my heart!
3. Should the year that’s now commencing Bring me sorrow, pain and woe, Christ, my Savior, grace dispensing, Will His promised aid bestow! And His presence (Blessed presence!) Will protect from every foe!
4. Oh, for grace each day increasing Faith, and hope, and godly fear: — Grace to praise You without ceasing Through each swift revolving year, Till in glory, till in glory, With my Jesus I appear!
Made of God unto You Righteousness
Both in redemption and in regeneration Christ is made of God unto every believing sinner righteousness. He is the believer’s only righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16). Christ’s obedience unto death is the righteousness of God imputed to God’s elect in free justification (Romans 3:24; 5:19).
Christ, who is our Righteousness, is formed in (imparted to) redeemed sinners in the new birth. He could not be formed in us except he be imparted to us. Thus, in the new birth, God the Holy Spirit makes regenerate sinners new creatures, partakers of the divine nature and possessors of that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 1:4).
Christ is that new man created in (imparted to) every saved sinner. He could not be created in us except he be imparted to us. He is that new man created in us in righteousness and true holiness, that is born of God and cannot sin, making every heaven born soul in this world one who possesses two distinct, warring natures: the one flesh the other spirit (Romans 7:14-23; Galatians 5:17-23; Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 3:5).
“Remember the Name of the LORD Our God” — Psalm 20:7 Pastor Tom Harding
We are instructed in this Scripture to remember the name of our Lord. What a sweet delight and a pleasant task to meditate upon the one Who is “altogether lovely.” What better way could we use to ponder upon His character than to think upon the names given to our Lord throughout Scripture. These names describe who He is and what He did for His sheep. Let’s consider some of His glorious names: Emmanuel, The Foundation, Great Shepherd, High Priest.
Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23) — Someone has said, “By the light of nature we see God above us, by the light of the Law we see God against us, but in the light of the gospel we see God with us.” The one who saved us from our sin is both God and man: God who satisfied and man who suffered (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21).
The Foundation (Isa. 28:18) — God has provided for His people a sure, safe and everlasting refuge upon which we can rest our souls. Jesus Christ is that foundation, alone and always. The hymn writer wrote, “On Jesus Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand” (Matt. 7:24-27; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 3:11).
Great Shepherd of the Sheep (Heb. 13:20) — Our Lord is called the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:15). He is called the Chief Shepherd that will soon come again to receive and take His sheep to glory (1 Pet.5:4). And the Great Shepherd, who secured all spiritual blessings for the elect through His blood sacrifice offered unto God (Eph. 5:2; 1 Cor. 1:30).
High Priest (Heb. 4:14) — Believers are not searching for someone to be their High Priest; we have the designated and decreed Priest that God has appointed and exalted to His right hand (Heb. 1:3). Our Lord is the fulfillment of everything the Old Testament Priest only pictured. He represents and presents us to God holy, unblameable and unreproveable in His sight (Col. 1:22). He redeemed us from all our sin by His sacrifice (Heb. 9:12). He reconciled us to God by His atonement (Heb. 2:17). Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the appointed sacrifice (Gal. 4:4), who died the appointed death (Acts 2:23), to secure all appointed blessings (Rom. 8:32), for the appointed people (Acts 20:28).
“Christ is all.” Colossians 3:11
No one understands Holy Scripture who does not know the meaning of these three words — “Christ is all.” In all the eternal purposes of God, “Christ is all” (Romans 8:29-20; Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:9). In all the Volume of Inspiration, “Christ is all” (Luke 24:27, 44-47; John 1:45). In all the works of God, “Christ is all.” In creation (John 1:1-3), in providence (Romans 8:28), in redemption, grace and salvation (1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:3-14), even in judgment (Acts 17:31), “Christ is all.” In an absolute, unlimited, universal sense, “Christ is all!”
However, in the context in which this statement is found (Colossians 3) Paul is talking about the new creation, the church and kingdom of God. He is telling us that among God’s elect, in the hearts and lives of God’s saints, in the estimation of all true faith, “Christ is all.”
“Christ is all” in the salvation of God’s elect. Our election in eternity was in Christ. God chose us in him as our covenant Head. In the matter of our redemption, “Christ is all.” He alone is our Redeemer. He bore our sin. He paid our debt. He satisfied the justice of God for us. And he did it all by himself. “Christ is all” in our justification, too. We stand accepted and acquitted before God only by his righteousness and shed blood. His name is “the LORD our Righteousness”. The quarrel between God and our souls was taken up by Christ and settled by Christ. And “Christ is all” in sanctification. We are positionally sanctified in Christ. We are kept in sanctification by the power of Christ. We shall be perfectly sanctified by the glorification of our bodies and souls with Christ. Salvation, from start to finish, is the work of Christ.
“Christ is all” in what we call practical Christianity. Christ alone gives me comfort and hope before God. Christ alone gives me strength for every trial and grace to persevere in the faith. Christ is all to be known, all to be chosen, all to be loved, all to be desired, all to be delighted in, all to be thought upon, all to be followed and all to be obeyed. We need no law but Christ and the example he has left for us to follow. Does any believer need a higher, more compelling motive for anything than Christ himself?
“Christ is all” to be preached. The Bible in its entirety is a Book about Jesus Christ. No doctrine and no precept can be rightly understood apart from Christ. Christ is the key that unlocks the treasure chest of Holy Scripture. “He is the treasure in that field, the marrow in that bone, the manna in that dew, the diamond in that ring, the milk in that breast (John 5:39).” (Philip Henry)
“Christ is all” in heaven. The foundation of that city is Christ. The gate to that city is Christ. The light of that city is Christ. The joy, bliss and happiness of heaven is Christ. The praises of the redeemed in heaven, for all eternity, are the praises of Christ. The reward of God’s saints in heaven is Christ himself. Heaven is Christ and Christ is heaven to my soul. — “Christ is all!”
GRACE BULLETIN
January 4, 2009
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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