August 21, 2005

 

The whole creation, from the seraph down to the indivisible atom, ministers to the Supreme Will, and is under the special observation, government, and direction of the Omnipotent Mind who sees all, himself unseen; who upholds all, himself unsustained; who guides all, himself guided by none; and who changes all, himself unchanged.”

Augustus Toplady

 

Daily Readings for the Week of August 21-28

        Sunday            Ezekiel 9-12                                    Thursday                Ezekiel 20-21

        Monday          Ezekiel 13-15                                  Friday             Ezekiel 22-23

        Tuesday          Ezekiel 16                                       Saturday          Ezekiel 24-26

        Wednesday     Ezekiel 17-19                                  Sunday            Ezekiel 27-29

 

·         I am preaching today for Mid-south Baptist Church in Merigold, MS, where Bro. Bruce Gresham is pastor. Bro. Larry Criss will preach the gospel of our all-glorious Redeemer and Savior to you today.

·         Missionary Offering Today

 

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Debbie Bartley (AM) Pam Wood (PM)          Tuesday: Jenny Bartley

 

Though Sins and Fears Relentless RiseDon Fortner

(Tune: #273 — The Solid Rock LM)

 

  1. Though sins and fears relentless rise, and earthly joys all seem to die,

Savior, to You I lift my eyes, and to the throne of grace I fly.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand! All other ground is sinking sand.

 

  1. If You are mine, my blessed Lord, my truest joys shall never die!

My hope is built upon Your Word, the Word that built both earth and sky.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand! All other ground is sinking sand.

 

  1. If my eternal Savior lives, then my eternal life is sure!

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand! All other ground is sinking sand.

His grace omnipotent He gives; and in His grace I am secure.

 

  1. Though earth and hell my soul oppose, if I am His and He is mine,

Not death itself, the last of foes, shall break that union so divine!

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand! All other ground is sinking sand.

 

“To say that Christ was not actually made sin for me would be to say that I am not actually a sinner.  To say that He was not really made sin for me would be to say that God unjustly killed Him for it is the ‘soul that sinneth’ that ‘shall surely die.’  To say that He was not truly made sin would be to deny what is represented in the Old Testament sacrifice when the priest actually laid his hands on the head of the sacrifice and confessed the sins of the people.  To say that Christ’s identifying with me the sinner was only legal and not actual would leave me only legally righteous and therefore not righteous so as to be able to enter God’s heaven personally.”                                                 Gary Shepard

 

22

God Our Keeper

 

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

 

Let us join God’s servant Jude in extolling our great God and Savior who is able both to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory.

 

Remember the circumstances influencing Jude’s mind when he wrote these words. In writing his short, but very full and instructive Epistle, Jude was led by God the Holy Spirit to discuss the very grievous falls and faults of many. While contemplating the failures of others and the judgments of God upon them, Jude writes to encourage God’s elect, saying, our great and gracious God and Savior is “able to keep you from falling.”

 

                Israel was destroyed in the wilderness (v. 5). The angels who followed Satan’s revolt are forever fallen and condemned (v. 6). Those who follow the way of Cain, Balaam, and Core (v. 11), the self-righteous, self-serving, proud religious rebels who will not bow to the truth of God, surrender to the rule of Christ, or yield themselves to the will of God, stand as glaring beacons to warn us.

 

It is against this gloomy, dismal background of apostasy and rebellion that Jude writes out this instructive doxology, both to encourage true believers and to extol, magnify, and praise the Lord our God, the God of all grace, by whom we are saved and kept safe unto eternity! In the midst of great adversity, opposition, and danger, all who trust Christ are completely safe and secure in grace, because God our Savior is “able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.”

 

He will make you persevere to the end, because he has loved you with an everlasting love. He chose you in Christ unto eternal salvation before the world was made. He made a covenant with you in him in his Son, a covenant of grace, peace, salvation and life, ordered in all things and sure. He put you into the Surety’s hands, making you his care and responsibility. Christ has redeemed you by his blood. He intercedes for you, and is making preparations for you in heaven. You are united to him and built on him, the Rock, the sure Foundation Stone. And the Spirit of God has begun that good work in you, which shall be performed until the day of Christ.

 

God your Savior, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will make stand in the day of judgment with intrepidity and without shame, being clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Yes, my brother, yes, my sister, Christ shall have you as diadems and jewels in his crown. He shall give you the crown of righteousness in that day and take you with himself into his kingdom and glory. I don’t know about you, but that’s what I call grace!

 

23

For Working People Only

 

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” (Ephesians 4:28)

 

Several years ago, a friend who lives in an area where there is no gospel church and no gospel preacher, wrote to me. He had planned to hire a replacement worker for a few days so that he could bring his family across the state to hear me preach in a meeting. He wrote to apologize for the fact that he could not attend the meetings as planned because of his work. He wrote, “I am chained to this job”.

 

I very much appreciated my friend’s thoughtfulness in writing to me to let me know that he could not be with us in the meeting; but there was no need for him to apologize. I have never been one to upbraid people for missing a worship service because they have to work. I know what that is like. You who feel guilty about sometimes having to miss services because of your work should be aware of these two facts:

 

1.       Faithfulness in work is every bit as important as faithfulness in public worship.

 

That man who will not hold down a job and work to support his family, even if he pretends that his reasons are noble and spiritual, is an infidel at heart (1 Tim. 5:8). Believers, true believers, are the best employees any employer has. They recognize that their service is to God, not to their employer. Consequently, they serve with their hearts fixed upon God, as doing his will, and thus worship as they work. Public worship must not be neglected. Any believer who is able to arrange his schedule at work, should arrange it around the services of public worship. However, for some that is not practical, and sometimes not possible, but if a person does not worship God in the factory and in the field, he does not worship God in the church house.

 

2.        Were it not for laboring people who give of their means to support the gospel, God’s servants would not be able to give themselves to the work of the ministry.

 

Someone has to pay the bills! One reason why believers ought to work and work with an eye toward success in their field, is that they may have the means with which to meet the needs of others, especially their spiritual needs (Eph. 4:28; 1 Thess. 4:11). I am able to travel around the world preaching the gospel of Christ freely, and am allowed to give myself entirely to the work of the ministry, because of God’s people who work and give. I thank you, and thank God for you!

 

24

Grace Bulletin

 

August 21, 2005

 

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

 

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