Grace Baptist Church of Danville January 23, 2011 ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ___
The believer's union with Christ is as real, as old, as complete, and as everlasting as the union of Christ our Mediator and Surety with His Father and our Father. ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ___
And I shall Glory See -- Don Fortner (Tune: #497 -- When I Can Read my Title Clear -- CM)
1. Christ Jesus gave Himself for me, To bear my load of guilt; All I can want in Him I see, Who says, " Ask what thou wilt."
2. He gave Himself, then I may take His Person as my own; His cov'nant He will never break, But take me to His throne.
3. He gave Himself, and took my sins, O! blest exchange for me! My heav'n in this blest truth begins; And I shall glory see. ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ___
"Abstain from all Appearance of Evil." 1Thessalonians 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 wrong doing. 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 there 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 ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ __
"I will be Surety for Him." Genesis 43:8-9
We read in chapter 42 that Ruben volunteered to be surety for Benjamin; but Jacob did not trust his Benjamin to Ruben's hands. There is good reason for that. Our great Surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Lion of Judah's tribe. Therefore, in God's providence, as a type of our covenant Surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom God the Father trusted His elect (Ephesians 1:12), Jacob trusted Benjamin to Judah's hand, when he said, "I will be surety for him."
The Spirit's Work
God the Holy Spirit is anxious for every believer to enjoy the comforting assurance of salvation in Christ. He is our Comforter. That is the work He was sent to perform. His method of comfort is to take the things of Christ and show them to us (John 16:7-14). He knows that the more fully we know Christ, and the more clearly we see Him, the more we shall enjoy the comfort and assurance of our salvation in Him.
Therefore, the Spirit of God always points us to Christ, especially in the inspired volume of Holy Scripture. He not only tells us who Christ is, what He has done, and what He is doing for us, He also uses metaphor after metaphor to show us pictures of our great Savior, pictures designed to assure God's believing people that all is well between us and our God.
Types in Genesis
We see this repeatedly throughout the Book of Genesis. When Adam and Eve were naked, God provided them with the skins of an innocent victim and clothed them (3:21), portraying Christ as our Righteousness, Redemption, and Salvation. When the flood came, God saved Noah by an ark (7:15-16), portraying Christ as our Ark of refuge from the wrath of God, and our salvation by His Substitutionary sacrifice. As the ark bore all the wrath of God so that Noah and his family bore none, so Christ bore all the wrath of God for His people and we bear none (Romans 8:1). As Noah and his family suffered all the wrath of God in the ark, so God's elect have suffered all the wrath of God in Christ (Galatians 3:13). When Isaac was bound to the altar on Mt. Moriah, God provided Himself a lamb for a burnt offering (Genesis 22:8, 13), typifying Christ as our Substitute (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21). When Jacob was alone, helpless, and afraid, God showed him a ladder, by which he could ascend to God (28:12-13), picturing the Lord Jesus Christ as our Mediator.
Christ Our Surety
Here (Genesis 43:8-9), the Spirit of God gives us another beautiful and instructive picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the grace of God in him. As Judah became surety for Benjamin, assuming all responsibility for him, so the Lord Jesus Christ, who sprang from the tribe of Judah, became Surety for God's elect before the worlds were made in the covenant of grace, assuming total, absolute responsibility for the salvation of His people (Hebrews 7:22). In His hands, all is well. What a thought for meditation this is for the day before us! ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ___
"Fear Not" -- Genesis 46:3
The Lord appeared to Jacob "in the visions of the night" to say to him "fear not." Jacob's fear had to be removed. It is both displeasing and dishonoring to God for us ("the sons of Jacob") to walk in carnal fear (Matthew 6:19-33).
Afraid to Obey
Fear is an indication of a quarrel with God's will. Jacob must go down to Egypt by God's command; but he was afraid. He was afraid to obey God's command. We must not judge him too harshly. Who has not been guilty of the same offense? God will never send us where He will not go with us. God will not require us to do anything He will not enable us to do. No believer will ever meet a trial or temptation in the path of obedience through which God will not sustain him (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:24). His word to his servant is, "Fear not."
Peaceful Assurance
The Lord removed Jacob's fear in the most tender and gracious manner imaginable. Our God always deals with His children in grace. What a picture we have here of God's grace dealing with poor, fearful Jacob, and with us. He removed Jacob's fear by letting him know that He knew him. "God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob." In essence, He said, "I know you, I know what you are going through, and I know what lies before you."
Then He caused Jacob to know by experience that he was in communion with God. When the Lord spoke to Jacob, Jacob spoke to God and said, "Here am I." That is the language of a submissive heart in communion with God (Genesis 22:1; 1 Samuel 3:10; Isaiah 6:8). Next, the Lord assured Jacob of His covenant faithfulness. He said, "I am God, the God of thy father." That means, "I am the God of the covenant. The blessing I have promised I will perform. I am the God who is for you" (Romans 8:28-32). Then the Lord promised Jacob that He would bless him in Egypt. "I will there make of thee a great nation."
These things should ease us of fear, as we face the trials through which our heavenly Father is pleased to send us. Where God brings us, God will bless us. Peter, James, and John "feared as they entered into the cloud" (Luke 9:34). But they were blessed of God in that place. And we shall be blessed of God in whatever place or circumstance we find ourselves by following His direction.
Divine Promises
The Lord also assured Jacob of his presence, saying, "I will go down with thee." He further promised his servant that, no matter what happened in Egypt, his inheritance in Canaan was sure. He said, "I will also surely bring thee up again." This is precisely what He says to us to assure, comfort, and strengthen our hearts in the face of trial. Our inheritance in Christ is sure (Romans 8:33-39). The Lord gave Jacob one more word of promise, by which he removed his fear. God told Jacob that he would die in peace with Joseph by his side. "Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes." He has done the same for every believer. For the child of God, death is a covenant blessing. "So he giveth his beloved sleep!" At God's appointed time, the Lord Jesus shall put his hand upon your eyes. It is written, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord!" Therefore, the sons of Jacob are told to cease from fear (Isaiah 43:1-5). For the believer, there is no cause for fear. ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ___
THE GRACE BULLETIN
January 23, 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
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