“If I am in Christ Jesus, I am a partaker of a new nature—a partaker of the Divine nature, a partaker of His resurrection life, and all this according to the Father’s promise before all worlds.” Thomas Bradbury
When the dust of division settles, those who are true followers of Christ will be made manifest. They may waver in the confusion; but God's saints will not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel. When the sowers of discord have had their last fling, the cause of Christ will not be hindered, and believers will still cling to Christ with stronger faith than ever before.
God’s Faithfulness — Don Fortner (Tune: #43 — All Hail the Power — CM)
1. Our God, how faithful are His ways To all His chosen race! Let ransomed sinners shout His praise, And triumph in his grace.
2. Faithful to His decrees of love, His cov’nant and his Son, Faithful to finish that above, Which grace has here begun!
3. Faithful to ev’ry promise giv’n, Though we unfaithful prove; We’ll sing, when we arrive in heav’n, His faithfulness and love!
4. Faithful, His mercy ever flows, To comfort and defend; Faithful to vanquish all our foes, And faithful to the end!
“‘A new creation’ is alone to be found in union with Him who was made sin for His people, that they ‘might be made the righteousness of God in Him.’ A new, Divine nature, (2 Peter 1:4) not a mere influence, but a real existence in living union with a risen, exalted, and glorified Jesus. This is always attended by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, but it is not the Holy Ghost any more than He, in the formation of the sacred humanity of Jesus in the womb of Mary, was to be confounded with the body of Christ.” — Thomas Bardbury
“This is The Name whereby he shall be Called — THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!” Jeremiah 23:6
Here is one glorious, distinct character by which our all glorious Christ is revealed in the Gospel. His gospel name is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” May God the Holy Spirit give us wisdom and grace always to call our most glorious Savior by this name and find constant, unceasing satisfaction in the fact that He, who alone is righteousness, is made of God unto us righteousness. This One, who is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” is himself the Lord Jehovah and the Lord our Mediator. Yet, His righteousness could never be ours were He not the infinite God. It is as our God-man Mediator that he is called, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
The righteousness we possess in Him, have a right and title to in Him is called “the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21), because it is a righteousness required by God, wrought by God, accepted by God, given by God and rewarded by God. Therefore, it is a righteousness that can never be lost or taken away.
The prophet says, “This is the name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Who calls Him by this name? He shall be, and is, called, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” by every sinner who is made to know by Holy Spirit conviction that he is a sinner, without one shred of righteousness of his on, a wretch who is nothing but sin and can do nothing but sin.
We rejoice to call our Lord Jesus Christ “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” when we speak to God. God is holy, righteous, perfect and pure. It would be impossible for us ever to approach Him, except through the infinite merits of Christ’s blood and righteousness. However, as we enter into the holy place, waving this censer, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” we “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22).
We delight to call the Son of God “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” when we speak to our own hearts. When Satan assails us and harasses us with our many sins, our lack of faith, our lack of love to Christ and unfaithfulness, (Which is easy enough for him to observe!), we speak peace to our souls with these sweet words, “In the LORD have I righteousness and strength” (Isaiah 45:24). Only a hypocrite finds peace in his own righteousness, for his righteousness is only the imaginary righteousness of a deluded Pharisee. Believers speak peace to their souls by calling Christ “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Saved sinners love to call the Son of God by this name when they speak to one another as well. In baptism we confess Him to be “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” At the Lord’s Table, we remember Him as “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” In all our songs of praise, in all our public prayers, in all our preaching all who truly know and worship God call His Son, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” We call our blessed Savior by this name with confidence, because God the Father himself calls His Son “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Is the Lord Jesus Christ THE LORD YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS? May God enable you now to call Him such from a heart of true repentance and faith.
“Christ hath Redeemed Us”
Galatians 3:13
Here is a word from God that should brighten your day — "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree." When the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, hung upon the cross, He was made to be a curse, an object of Divine wrath and judgment, so that we who believe might never endure the curse of God's wrath. Being made a curse for us, "Christ hath redeemed us!" He did not simply make it possible for us to be redeemed, or make us redeemable. The text says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law!" This redemptive work of the Lord Jesus is the central theme of Holy Scripture, the foundation of our faith and the only hope of eternal salvation. This is the good news we proclaim in the Gospel. We say to every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, "Christ hath redeemed us!" The work is accomplished! Redemption is finished. Here are four words that set forth and define the redemptive work of our Lord. These four words should both instruct and comfort your heart, and inspire our hearts with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ for His great work of redemption.
SOVEREIGNTY — Our Lord's work of redemption was an act of Divine sovereignty. "He laid down His life for us." There was nothing in us that compelled Him, or moved Him to redeem us. He voluntarily laid down His life for us, because it was the free and sovereign pleasure of His love to do so. The Lord Jesus Christ was in absolute, sovereign control over all things, even in His death. He displayed His sovereignty as God in the garden, before Pilate and upon the cross. Yes, Christ, the sovereign God, determined everything about His death. He determined that He would die, who His murderers would be, when He would die, where He would die, how He would die, for whom He would die and what the results of His death would be.
SUCCESS — Because our Redeemer is the eternal, sovereign God we are assured that His death and His redemptive work is a success, and not a failure. The prophecy has been fulfilled — "He shall not fail." In stating that the Lord Jesus Christ is a successful Savior I am simply proclaiming the self-evident truth that whatever the Lord Jesus Christ intended to accomplish at Calvary, He has accomplished. He is God! His purpose and will in redemption must and shall be fulfilled (Isaiah 46:9-10). When Paul describes that which Christ has done in redemption, he describes our Lord as One who has successfully completed His mission (Hebrews 10:11-14). He has successfully put away sin, brought in an everlasting righteousness and redeemed unto himself a people.
SUBSTITUTION — The Lord Jesus Christ died as a Substitute for a particular people. And those people for whom Christ stood as a substitute at Calvary, bearing their sins and enduring the wrath of God in their place, shall never perish. They are redeemed! Their sins have been put away! He who was made sin for us has made us the righteousness of God in him (Daniel 9:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:12, 26).
SATISFACTION — Our blessed Savior's one, substitutionary sacrifice for our sins has completely and perfectly satisfied the wrath and justice of God against us. His sacrifice was infinitely meritorious, so that every sinner who believes on Christ is freely justified and fully pardoned. God, looking on the merits of his Son, pardons every sinner who looks on his Son in faith. Through the propitiatory sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, by which the law and justice of God are satisfied, God is both just and the Justifier of all who believe (Romans 3:2426). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."
GRACE BULLETIN
August 23, 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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