Grace Baptist Church of Danville
June 13, 2010

“Beware of those who want to exalt man in any manner. Listen to no man who wants to mix free will and free grace, the law and the gospel; for free will is a very stronghold of Satan’s. Listen to no one who talks about universal redemption.” — William Tiptaft


· Bro. Eric Herfindahl will confess the Lord Jesus in believer’s baptism today. If the Lord has given you faith in Christ and you wish to publicly identify yourself with him, his gospel and his people, please speak to me. We will be happy to arrange for your baptism as soon as possible.
· The Lord willing, Missionary Daniel Parks from St Croix will be here on June 29th and Missionary Lance Hellar from New Guinea will be here on July 20th.

O Solemn Day when, Christ shall Come! — Don Fortner
(Tune: #497 — When I can Read My Title Clear — CM)

1. O solemn day when, Christ shall come,
To judge our fallen race,
And fetch His ransomed people home,
As trophies of his grace.

2. His saints shall meet Him in the air,
In His own righteousness;
His endless glory we shall share, —
Made meet for heav’nly bliss!

3. By God’s free grace we have obtained
Salvation full and free;
In Christ we live, with Him we’ll reign,
When heav’n and earth shall flee!

4. Then we shall gaze upon the face
Of Him we trust and love;
Enwrapped in His Divine embrace,
And glorified above!

Congregational Singing
Colossians 3:16

One of the most important aspects of public worship is the singing of hymns to the praise of our great God. Both congregational hymns and special music, provided by those who are gifted of the Lord with musical talents, inspire our hearts to worship, instruct and comfort us, and prepare the way for the preaching of the gospel.

The selection of our hymns must never be taken lightly. The singing itself must never be performed mechanically. And those who are called upon to lead the congregation in worship by special music must never do so without prayerful, thoughtful preparation. Every song is to be sung unto the Lord! And every song is to be an instrument of edification, instruction and admonition to one another!

It is therefore imperative that our songs be both doctrinally accurate and devotional. There is no place for sentimentality, emotionalism, or show in the worship of God. Our songs must not be songs of flattery to the flesh, but songs of praise to the triune God.

Certainly, it is proper to sing the Psalms; but they greatly err who would prohibit songs and hymns written since the completion of Holy Scripture (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). The Word of God plainly tells us what the proper subjects of our songs are:

1. The Name of the Lord (Psalm 7:17).
2. The Power of the Lord (Psalm 21:13).
3. The Righteousness of God (Psalm 51:14).
4. The Mercy of the Lord (Psalm 59:16).
5. The Honor of Our God (Psalm 66:2).
6. The Salvation of the Lord (Exodus 15:1-19).
7. The Glories of Redemption (Revelation 5:9-14).

The list could be greatly lengthened; but you get the idea. Our songs should always be filled with the glorious attributes of our God and the wondrous works of his free grace in Christ. No song should ever be sung that is not a song of heartfelt prayer, praise and thanksgiving to the Lord our God, for the glory of his great name. The standard for our music is the Word of God, the theme is the work of God and the object is the glory of God.

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:22

I know that many interpret this as suggesting that we avoid any conduct, behavior, and actions that, while they may not be wrong for us, yet they give the appearance of wrongdoing. This is good advice, but not what the apostle is talking about. He is speaking, as in the preceding verse, of doctrinal evil! For example, when there is preaching, teaching and interpretation of scripture which, when tried by the word, does not appear to be false or wrong, but here is an unhappy suspicion in the mind, a doubt or fear entertained, a concern that there is poison somewhere, then avoid it! The truth of God is clear and gives glory to His name! — Pastor Henry Mahan

“All Israel shall be saved.”
Romans 11:26

The physical nation of Israel in the Old Testament was, like all other things under the law (the tabernacle, the paschal lamb, the mercy-seat, etc.), was typical. It was chosen of God to be typical of his Church, “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:14). The natural nation was typical of God’s “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). The physical seed of Abraham was typical of his spiritual seed, God’s elect scattered among all nations, who are the true “children of Abraham” (Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:29).

All the covenant promises God made to Abraham’s physical seed, the nation of Israel, were conditional promises. The promises were all conditioned upon obedience. The nation failed miserably. Yet, they inherited the land of Canaan and God fulfilled every covenant promise to that typical nation. Not one thing was lacking (Joshua 23:14). Why? Because one faithful man (Joshua, who typified our Lord Jesus) obeyed God. For Joshua’s sake, God brought Israel into the possession of all the good things God promised to their fathers. Even so, all the promises of God to the Israel of God are yea and amen in our great Joshua, the Lord Jesus, for whose sake we shall possess all things eternally with him!

“The Israel of God” is the whole body of God’s elect, Jew and Gentile, who must be saved. When Paul says, “All Israel shall be saved,” he is simply declaring that the whole purpose of God regarding the salvation of his elect must be fulfilled. Not one of the chosen can ever be lost. Certainly, he is not talking about the salvation of all national Israel, or of all Abraham’s physical seed. Many of them have already perished! He is not asserting that all the physical descendants of Abraham living at the time of Christ’s second coming will be saved when they see his appearing. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise salvation to people who physically see Christ! Salvation is promised only to those who look to Christ in faith (Isaiah 45:22).

The Israel of God is the church of God, the kingdom of God. It is a holy, spiritual nation, not an earthly, political nation. The Israel of God is the household of faith. If you are born of God, if you trust the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a child of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-9). “He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly...But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly” (Romans 4:28-29). The promises of God are not made to Abraham’s physical seed, or to any upon the basis of earthly distinctions (John 1:13), but to Christ, his spiritual seed, and to all who are in him. The adoption, the covenant, the glory, and the promises of God pertain not to the physical seed, but to the spiritual, to the Israel of God (Romans 9:4-6).

The Israel of God is the true circumcision (Philippians 3:3). They have three things in common, three identifying characteristics by which they are known— (1) They worship God in the Spirit. They worship him in a spiritual manner, in their hearts, without the use of carnal objects (icons and idols), by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. — (2) They rejoice in Christ Jesus. They trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone as their Savior in whom they have complete acceptance with God (1 Corinthians 1:30). — And (3) They have no confidence in the flesh. They do not trust their pedigree, performances, or piety, but Christ alone! The Israel of God is that body of elect, redeemed, regenerate people who live before God by the power of the cross, Christ crucified, and by the rule of the cross.