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March 4, 2018

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Divine sovereignty, unconditional election, eternal predestination, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the certain preservation of God’s elect are gospel doctrine. Like salt and pepper, they are always on the banqueting table in the house of God. These things are the good news of the gospel that meet the needs of poor, desperately needy sinners and are the revelation of the grace and glory of the triune God.

Daily Readings for the Week of March 4-11, 2018

Sunday Deuteronomy 28-29 Thursday Joshua 6-8

Monday Deuteronomy 30-32 Friday Joshua 9-10

Tuesday Deuteronomy 33-Joshua 1 Saturday Joshua 11-14

Wednesday Joshua 2-5 Sunday Joshua 15-17

· Set your clocks forward one-hour next Saturday night for Day Light Savings Time.

· I am scheduled to preach for Todds Road Grace Church in Lexington, KY, Wednesday night.

Happy Birthday! Charlotte Hart-7^th

Nursery Duty This Week

Stephanie Wilkerson (AM) — Elizabeth Peterson (PM) Tuesday: Shelby Fortner

God’s Faithfulness — Don Fortner

(Tune: — Sweet Hour of Prayer — #361 LMD)

1 Throughout my days my path’s been marked by God, my Father’s, loving heart.

He’s ordered every step with care. I’ve met His goodness everywhere!

When I was lost and knew Him not, prevenient grace marked every spot;

And angels came for God’s elect, though in rebellion, to protect.

2. Then in the time and at the place which God had purposed by His grace,

The Spirit came and made me live. God caused His chosen to believe.

Through all my days, since first I saw that Jesus Christ is all in all,

My Savior has in faithfulness sustained and kept me by His grace.

3. When fallen, He restores my soul, forgives my sin, and still upholds

His erring child with love and grace, and proves His cov’nant faithfulness.

When sick, my Savior makes my bed, and soothes my aching, fainting head.

And when I leave this world of woe, to God, my faithful God, I’ll go!

4. No more to sin, no more to sigh. The tears you see will soon be dry.

When I have dropped this robe of flesh, I’ll leave behind all signs of death!

Immortal life awaits my soul! When I’m with Christ, I shall be whole!

Conformed to Him who died for me, with Him at last, I shall be free!

The God of all grace has had thoughts of mercy, love, and grace toward his elect from everlasting. Through all the ages of time, in all the events of providence, he has worked, is working, and shall work all things together for the accomplishment of their salvation precisely at the appointed “time of love” he has ordained for them.

“Preserved in Jesus Christ”

Jude 1

Here God the Holy Ghost tells us that all who are God’s, because we are from eternity “sanctified by God the Father,” are “preserved in Jesus Christ.”

Kept

The word “preserved” means “watched over,” “guarded,” “kept from loss or injury.” It is a passive verb. So the sweet message of God to our hearts in these words is this. — Because God has set us apart unto himself in Christ in eternal election, we are absolutely kept from any harm coming to us, because we are in Christ made the objects of His unceasing care.

The words here might be translated, “kept for Jesus Christ.” The Lord our God keeps his eye upon us all the time. He watches over, guards, and protects his elect continually. And this preservation is altogether His work.

Rejoice

Let all who trust Christ understand and ever rejoice in this blessed fact. — In eternal sanctification, we were set apart by God the Father in election in Christ, chosen in him. We have a place in his heart, who declares, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” We are from everlasting in his heart, in his hands, and in him. We are one with Christ! We are one with him as members of the body are one with the head. We are one with him as our covenant Surety and Representative before God. Being in him and one with him, we are preserved in him and by him, — preserved by him before we were called and preserved by him after we have been called. It is written, “They are preserved forever!”

Unto Calling

All God’s elect are secretly preserved in Christ from eternity, preserved before their calling, and preserved unto their calling. We were preserved from condemnation and the second death. We were not preserved from falling with the rest of mankind in the sin and fall of our father Adam. We were not preserved from the depravity and corruption of human nature which all men have by birth from Adam. And we are not preserved from iniquity, transgression, and sin. We are all, by nature, “children of wrath.”

Preserved Still

Yet, even in those days gone by, though fallen, depraved, hell-bent “children of wrath,” Jude tells us, and all of Scripture teaches us, that we who now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and all who shall yet believe on him were so completely and absolutely preserved, watched over, guarded, and protected by our God, by virtue of our union with Christ, that it was not possible for us to suffer any real loss or injury by all that we experience in time! We were, even in our wrathful state of unbelief, so preserved that the law could not execute the sentence of condemnation on us, sin could not damn us, and Satan could not destroy us.

Then, after being called to life and faith in Christ, we are preserved still in Christ. Our Savior said, “I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28).

Reprove Rather Than Fellowship

Ephesians 5:11-16

Pastor Clay Curtis

This word is to us whose salvation is of the Lord. We may think that by joining friends to hear their preacher preach lies or by joining them in some other work of darkness, we can show them what a good friend we are and eventually we will be able to bear witness to them of Christ. But if we join them in darkness, it says we approve of their darkness. Darkness does not reprove darkness. — “All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

Therefore, God says have no fellowship with them in darkness “but rather reprove them.” Instead of joining them, “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17). When we were lost the best thing believing friends could do for us was bring us to hear the gospel of Christ the Light. It is through the gospel that Christ said, “Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead” and gave us Light! By this means we ceased glorying in our flesh and we began glorying only in the Lord. By this means our faith stood by the power of God rather than the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1:17-2:5).

Brethren, God our Father chose us, Christ redeemed us, and the Spirit gave us life making us children of Light. Let us walk as children of Light, “not as fools, but wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Use the time we have with urgency, inviting friends and loved ones to come hear the gospel of Christ. This is the Light by which God begins and continues to reprove our darkness and give all his people Light.

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Sowing and Reaping

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

This is a universal law in Scripture. If you come to God pleading your works in any way, that is how he will deal with you. If you come pleading only his grace, that is how he will deal with you. If you come to hear with a critical ear, you will be critical and get nothing. If you come with a hungering heart God will speak to you. If you are unforgiving you will not be forgiven. If you are merciful you will be shown mercy. If you are judgmental toward others, you will be judged hastily by others. If you are generous, you will be shown generosity. If you sow kindness you will reap kindness. We are promised in the Scripture, “For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). Does someone object, “That sounds like works.” That is only because you really do not understand grace. — Pastor Todd Nibert

The Grace Bulletin

March 4, 2018

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Telephone (859) 576-3400 — 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