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August 19, 2007
I never cease to be amazed that those who talk most about the need for brotherly love and unity are the very people who, by gossip and slander, most seek to divide God’s people. Those who love the brethren do not need to advertise their love. The deed advertises itself.
Daily Readings for the Week of August 19-26 Sunday Ezekiel 1-4 Thursday Ezekiel 16 Monday Ezekiel 5-8 Friday Ezekiel 17-19 Tuesday Ezekiel 9-12 Saturday Ezekiel 20-21 Wednesday Ezekiel 13-15 Sunday Ezekiel 22-23
· Grace Bible Church in San Leandro, CA will host a Sovereign Grace Bible Conference next weekend (Friday, August 24 – Sunday, August 26). Scheduled speakers are Lance Hellar and Don Fortner. Bro. Jesse Gistand is the host pastor. Telephone: 510-886-9782 — Email: gbc@flash.net
NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK Today: Celeste Peterson (AM) Laura Peterson (PM) Tuesday: Ruth Wall
Eternal Union with Christ — Don Fortner (Tune: Love Divine #2 — 87.87D)
I can never be divided from my cov’nant Surety. God’s free love, from everlasting, made me one with His dear Son. Blessed union, strong, unchanging, I am with my Savior one!
Life and death and hell together cannot tear me from His hands! Oft I fall, but God unchanging, faithful to His cov’nant stands. He will never charge with sinning those for whom His Son was slain.
One with Jesus, one with Jesus, O what wonders grace has done! One with Christ from everlasting! One with Him upon the tree! One with Him on high ascending! One with Him eternally!
The Believer's Conflict
The believer is a mystery to others and to himself, also. He is perfectly sanctified, yet feels himself to be the chief of sinners. He loves God's law, yet wrestles with inward lusts continually. He has great sorrow and heaviness of heart over others, yet rejoices in the Lord always. His spirit longs to be with Christ, yet his flesh clings to the earth. He knows that he is secure in Christ, yet he examines his faith continually.
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“He that believeth and is immersed, shall be saved” (Mark 16:16) C. H. Spurgeon
If thou wouldst be obedient to Christ’s word, Christ’s word says, “He that believeth, and is immersed, shall be saved.” Mark, I have translated the word (baptized). King James would not have it translated. I dare not be unfaithful to my knowledge of God’s Word. If it means sprinkle, let our brethren translate it “sprinkle.” But they dare not do that. They know they have nothing in all classical language that would ever justify them in doing that, and they have not the impudence to attempt it. But I dare translate it — “He that believeth, and is immersed, shall be saved.” And though immersion is nothing, yet God requires of men who believe that they should be immersed, in order to make a profession of their belief. Immersion is nothing, I repeat, in salvation, it is the profession of salvation; but God requires that every man that puts his trust in the Savior should be immersed, as the Savior was, in order to the fulfillment of righteousness.
The Preeminence of Christ in Preaching
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)
The Lord Jesus Christ is and must be preeminent in all true preaching. That man must not be considered a faithful gospel preacher who does not preach Christ. Preachers are like the pole to which Moses fastened the brazen serpent. Our only function is to hold up Christ crucified before sinners. The gospel we preach is Jesus Christ. We do not merely preach a Christ centered gospel. Christ is the gospel we preach. There is a huge difference. When our Lord himself began his public ministry in the synagogue at Nazareth, his sermon was all about himself. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). As we read the writings of the Apostle Paul, we cannot help observing that to him the preaching of Christ, the preaching of the gospel, and the preaching of the Scriptures were all the same thing (Acts 20:27; 1 Corinthians 1:17, 23-24; 2:2; 4:5).
His Saving Fulness
We preach Christ when we preach him in the fullness of his redemptive grace and glory as God our Savior. Let me be explicit and clear. I want no one to misunderstand what I am saying. The preaching of the gospel, the preaching of all the counsel of God, the preaching of Christ of necessity involves the preaching of his...
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Divine Dynamite
The preaching of “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” when attended with the power of God the Holy Spirit, is the effectual power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:15-17; 10:13-17). The gospel we preach is the dynamite, the explosive power of God unto salvation. How I wish preachers would use the gospel exactly like men use dynamite. Dynamite needs neither adornment nor defense. You just light it, throw it, and get out of the way. This same message, “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” is God’s message of grace for the reproof, correction, comfort, inspiration, and instruction of his saints in righteousness. Nothing so inspires devotion as the gospel of Christ. Nothing more severely reproves our sin and unbelief. Nothing ministers comfort to our souls like the doctrine of Christ crucified. Nothing promotes holiness like the message of God’s rich, abundant, free grace flowing to us through the blood of our crucified Savior! Christ is our only hope of salvation. Christ is our only rule of life. Christ is our only motive to godliness. Christ is our only inspiration to devotion and consecration Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 19-20).
In Judgment
Our Lord Jesus Christ shall be preeminent in the Day of Judgment, too. In that great and terrible day, when the great white throne is set and the books are opened, Christ will be the Judge. He will be the standard of judgment. And he will be the executioner of justice (John 5:22-23; Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11). In that great and glorious day Christ shall be something more. He will be our Advocate, our Righteousness, our Plea, and our Salvation (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16; 50:20).
In Glory
And our Lord Jesus Christ shall be preeminent in the glory of the eternal world to which we are going. The preeminence of Christ shall be our happiness and bliss in the glory world. Search the Scriptures. You will see in those places where the veil is lifted and we are allowed to peek into eternity that Christ has been given the highest place that heaven affords. In the world to come Christ shall be the Object of endless, universal adoration and praise. In him we will see the fullness of the triune God perpetually revealed to our everlasting astonishment. In Christ we will see the purpose of God, in all its wisdom and goodness, fully accomplished. In Christ we will see all the mysteries and wonders of redemption and grace made manifest. In that world to come our Savior’s great prayer of intercession shall be answered perpetually, throughout the endless ages of eternity, to the inexpressible gladness and joy of our souls (John 17:24). Then, oh, then, we shall praise, honor, extol, and worship him who loved us and gave himself for us. What an everlasting song of praise we shall sing to him who is the preeminent One of the triune God — Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:9-10; 15:3-4; 19:1-6). This is the purpose that is purposed of God in all things: — “That in all things he (the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior) might have the preeminence.” And have it he will! He shall have it! He must have it! And all who love his name love for it to be so. 24 Grace Bulletin
August 19, 2007
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
Tuesday 7:30 P.M. Mid-Week Worship Service
Television Broadcasts in Danville
Channel 6 - Sunday Morning 8:00 A.M. Channel 6 - Wednesday Evening 6:00 P.M. Channel 6 - Friday Evening 7:00 P.M.
Web Pages http://www.donfortner.com http://www.sovereign-grace/gracechurch.htm http://www.freegrace.net/danville/default.asp
Don Fortner
Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com |
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