September 18, 2005

 

“I wonder, many times, that ever a child of God should have a sad heart, considering what his Lord is preparing for him.”

Samuel Rutherford

 

Daily Readings for the Week of September 18-25

        Sunday            Micah 6-Nahum 2                           Thursday                Zechariah 5-9

        Monday          Nahum 3-Habakkuk 3                     Friday             Zechariah 10-14

        Tuesday          Zephaniah 1-Haggai 1                     Saturday          Malachi 1-4

        Wednesday     Haggai 2-Zechariah 4                      Sunday            Matthew 1-4

 

·         Bro. Todd Nibert, pastor of Todds Road Grace Church in Lexington, KY, is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. He will have to be out of his pulpit for at least six weeks, perhaps longer. During that time, Bro. Henry Mahan will preach for him each Sunday and I will take the mid-week services.

·         I am scheduled to preach Friday and Saturday for Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in New Castle, IN, where Bro. Bruce Crabtree is pastor.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Regina Henson-20th   Ron Wood-23rd  Larry Brown-24th

 

How Sweet to Wait upon the Lord Don Fortner

(Tune: #497 — When I Can Read My Title Clear — CM )

 

1.        How sweet to wait upon the Lord

His promise to fulfil.

Waiting in hope, we worship Him,

Trusting His gracious will.

 

2.        Bowing before the throne of grace,

Prostrate at Jesus’ feet,

We trust Him Who atonement made,

Upon the mercy-seat!

 

3.        “Father,” He cries, “I will that these,

For whom I lived and died,

Be with Me soon on this My throne,

And with Me glorified.”

 

4.        “Amen!” Our hearts, rejoicing, cry,

Bless’d Savior, fix our eyes,

Amidst our many earthly cares,

Upon the heav’nly prize!

 

Recently, the Lord gave me some liberty in preaching a message (Why was He Forsaken? – Psalm 22:1-3) that was a distinct blessing to many who heard it. If you would like to have this message on Audio Cassette, CD, or Video DVD, you can order it through the church office. The cassette is $2.00 each. The CD and DVD are $4.00 each.

 

7

This is the Record

 

This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

 

God, in his infinite wisdom, planned and permitted the fall of our race in the garden. Man was ruined by sin. Guilt filled the wretched pair with fear and cut them off from all hope before God. In sin, spiritual death, and despair, with the curse of God upon them, our first parents “fled from the presence of the Lord, and hid themselves.”

 

Then, sovereign mercy, love, and grace interposed. The poor, guilty, trembling partners in woe were called before the offended, justly provoked Lord God. How they must have trembled! Did the Lord God call them before him in fury, clothed with vengeance? Were they about to hear their sentence of eternal doom to destruction? Would hell be opened to swallow them up? No. Be astonished, O heavens! Rejoice, apostate sons and daughters of Adam! Adam and Eve were called of God to hear a record of that which was performed in the eternal council of heaven in covenant grace before the world was made. The light of eternal mercy shined forth in the earth darkened by their sin. Instead of anticipated gloom, they heard the good news of sovereign grace! Instead of wrath, mercy was declared to the fallen pair! Instead of woe, the boundless blessings of grace were bestowed upon them! Instead of eternal death, the God of all grace interposed to give them everlasting life! Instead of everlasting misery in hell, the everlasting bliss of heaven was bestowed upon their trembling souls!

 

Fallen man did not seek the Lord, beg for pardon, and sue for grace. No. Fallen man fled from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sought sinful man, with everlasting love in his heart, to proclaim the joyful news of eternal life as the free gift of unmerited grace and mercy in and by the Seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. Glorious record of love! Blessed testimony of life! Joyful tidings of grace!

 

Have you heard, known, and believed this record? “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities!” Behold and admire the wisdom as well as the love of God. In this rejoice always. Be humble continually. Life, eternal life, is given to us in and by Christ, the woman’s Seed. Our “life is hid with Christ in God.”

 

If Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, we have God's beloved Son; we have eternal life. The report of this is joyful to our ears. This is heaven on earth. It fills our souls with the joyful hope, confidence, and assurance of future glory. This life that is ours in Christ animates our souls. “Because I live,” he said, “ye  shall live also.” God has given us eternal life. And he is faithful. He will not revoke his own precious free gift. Our all-glorious Christ has conquered every enemy and defeated every foe that might prevent our enjoyment of eternal life. God the Holy Spirit has given us a vital-union with Christ that can never be broken. We are joined unto the Lord, and are one spirit with him (1 Cor. 6:17).

 

8

Kept

 

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”

(1 Peter 1:5)

 

Many of God’s saints, though we are kept by the power of God through faith, are often troubled and anxious, fearful and fearing whether this salvation will be theirs at last. That ought not be the case with any. Yet, it is the case with many. “Might I prove a castaway?” — “Is the work of grace truly wrought in my soul?” — “Is my faith genuine?”— “Am I truly taught of God?”

 

The Lord God declares that all who trust Christ have eternal life, and that they are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,” kept as a guarded city, until salvation comes in all its fulness, glory, sweetness, and bliss. He who preserved us in Christ unto the appointed time of love, when he called us by his grace, preserves us still. We are encompassed by all the promises and attributes of the triune God. He will not allow one sinner, trusting his Son, though our faith may be ever so weak, from making shipwreck of faith. Though we may be often cast down in our souls by reason of our own corruptions, our great God will, at last, cause us to “receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.”

 

Yes, poor, doubting, distressed, fearing, sinner, trusting Christ, this promise is to you. Your eternal salvation is bound up in the bundle of grace freely bestowed upon you from eternity in Christ. The Lord Jesus declares, concerning his poor sheep, “They shall never perish!” That is a promise suitable to you and to me. Yes, it is a promise suitable to every poor sinner who looks to Christ alone for redemption and righteousness. — Suitable to us in trial and temptation. — Suitable to us in days of darkness and nights of weeping. — Suitable to us in times of refreshing and revival. — This is a promise suitable to God’s saints at all times!

 

If you could find and point out a single moment when this promise is not suitable to you, that would be the very moment in which the promise would be needed by you most. Could you ever arrive at such a spot as to say, “Now I need the promise no more,” that very thought would indicate that you were on the brink of a great fall, and therefore never needed the promise more.

 

God’s salvation is a salvation that keeps all by grace who are in grace. Grace chose me. Grace found me. Grace put me in the way. Grace keeps me in the way. Grace keeps me through faith, yes; but it is grace that gives me the faith through which I am kept.

 

The work which God’s goodness began, the arm of His strength will complete;

His promise is yea and amen, and never was forfeited yet:

Things future, nor things that are now, not all things below nor above,

Can make Him His purpose forego, or sever my soul from His love.

 

My name from the palms of His hands, eternity will not erase:

Impressed on His heart it remains in marks of indelible grace:

Yes, I to the end shall endure, as sure as the Earnest is given,

More happy, but not more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven.”

 

9

Grace Bulletin

 

September 18, 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