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GOSPEL PREACHING ONLINE
January 14, 2007
“It was the doing of his Father’s will that brought the Lord Jesus Christ joy, satisfaction, and delight. The child of God delights in the same.” Pastor Tommy Robbins
Daily Readings for the Week of January 14-21 Sunday Genesis 41-42 Thursday Exodus 1-3 Monday Genesis 43-44 Friday Exodus 4-6 Tuesday Genesis 45-47 Saturday Exodus 7-9 Wednesday Genesis 48-50 Sunday Exodus 10-12
· I am scheduled to preach Wednesday night for Todds Road Grace Church in Lexington, where Bro. Todd Nibert is pastor. · Missionary Offering Today
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Lance Hellar-17th Molly McCormack-17th
NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK Today: Shante’ Birchum (AM) Jenny Bartley (PM) Tuesday: Celeste Peterson
Christ is Our Souls’ Security—Don Fortner (Tune: #497—When I Can Read My Title Clear—CM)
1. Christ is our souls’ security, He holds us by His pow’r (Amidst our sins and frailties) Unfailing every hour!
2. Though oft, through weakness, we’re alarmed, Tempted, and tried, and tossed, Held by our Savior’s mighty arm, God’s saints cannot be lost!
3. He’ll bring us home, at last, to God, Though we are weak, we own! We’re in His grip (The grip of God!) God cannot lose His own!
4. Eternal life! How bright it shines! How vast the great reward! It shall, at last, by grace be mine— “Salvation’s of the Lord!”
Salvation is knowing Christ. Yet it is Christ’s knowledge of us not our knowledge of him that saves us. Faith is receiving Christ. But we are saved because he has received us. Perseverance is holding Christ. Yet, our security is not our holding him, but him holding us. We are the beneficiaries of his grace. We contribute nothing to his grace.
4 “This is the First Resurrection”
“This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:5-6).
The first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection. It is the resurrection of sinners from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ (John 5:25). This first resurrection begins in the new birth. It is completed in the translation of the soul from this body of sin and this sin cursed earth to God’s holy heaven. It will be followed by the resurrection of the body to immortal glory at Christ’s second coming. The Word of God teaches us three things about the resurrection of God’s elect: 1. We have been raised representatively in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). 2. We have been raised spiritually by the power of God the Holy Spirit (John 5:25; Ephesians 2:1-3). 3. We shall be raised bodily when our Lord comes again (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
The new birth is nothing less than a resurrection from the dead. It is a spiritual resurrection. This is the resurrection of which John speaks in Revelation 20:6. Like all other people, God’s elect are born in spiritual death and deserving of eternal death. In regeneration God the Holy Spirit, by invincible, irresistible grace, gives them life in Christ. He raises them from death to life. Never in the Scriptures is the new birth attributed to the freewill of man, or even to his faith. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit. Only the omnipotent God can give life to dead sinners (John 3:3-8). The new birth is always spoken of in the Scriptures as a resurrection (John 5:25; 11:25-26; Ephesians 2:1-4). It is not a decision, but a resurrection. It is not a reformation, but a regeneration. It is not a new start in life, but an entirely new life!
The Word of God gives numerous illustrations of the new birth, this spiritual resurrection, by the power of God. Ezekiel’s description of the deserted infant, cast off, polluted in its blood, naked in its loathsomeness, and dead, but raised to life by the word of God’s power in the time of love, is a vivid picture of the new birth (Ezekiel 16:1-8). The prophet’s vision of dry bones, caused to live by the preaching of God’s Word and the power of God’s Spirit (Ezekiel 37:1-14), is certainly intended by God to be an illustration of our regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. And a clearer, more instructive picture of the believer’s spiritual resurrection in Christ could not be given than the story of the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11.
Here in Revelation 20:6 John gives us a word of comfort and assurance regarding ourselves, even while we live in this world. If we are born of God, if we have part in the first resurrection: — We are blessed (Ephesians 1:3). — We are holy (saints), made holy by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us in justification and imparted to us in regeneration. — Over us the second death, the everlasting wrath of God, has no power (Romans 8:1; 33-34). — Even now, we have been made priests with God, serving him in the most holy place. — Even now, we have been made kings and shall reign with Christ throughout this gospel age (represented as “a thousand years” in John’s vision). — And, soon, we shall leave this world of woe and enter into heaven’s glory and bliss with our Savior. We shall be “forever with the Lord” What a blessed hope this is! (Read 2 Corinthians 4:17-5:9).
God is Able
“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform”(Romans 4:20-21).
All believers like Abraham have been fully persuaded and taught by the Holy Spirit that God is able to perform all his pleasure and purpose (Ephesians 1: 11). God-given faith is altogether persuaded and totally satisfied in the ability of the sovereign God to accomplish all our salvation. David prayed this way, “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me” (Psalm 57.2). Believers rest in the awesome ability of God, not in any mundane ability of the flesh. We say with the apostle Paul, “We rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). If we would take a close look at the Word of God we can see that God is able to perform all things for us in salvation.
1. He is able to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). — The disciples asked the Lord Jesus Christ, “Who then can be saved?” He replied, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). Because of our total ruin in Adam (Romans 5:12), because of our sinful condition by nature we are unable to improve our standing before God (Rom. 3:9-19). However, Jesus Christ became the Surety and Mediator of his people and fully effected salvation for them through his blood sacrifice and justifying righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:1-6).
2. He is able to keep you from falling (Jude1: 24). — There are some people who teach that a man can be saved one day and lost the next. But this sort of teaching is foreign to the Word of God. The believer is kept by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5). Jesus Christ gives his sheep eternal life and they shall never perish (John 10:27-30).
3. He is able to build you up (Acts 20.32). — When the apostle Paul was about to leave a group of believers at Ephesus, he strongly commended them to God, and the word of his grace, which is able to build them up. The Word of God is the children’s bread upon which we grow and are nourished with spiritual strength (1 Peter 2.2).
4. He is able to subdue all unto himself (Philippians 3:21) — The Lord Jesus Christ by his infinite sacrifice for his people subdued all their sins, effectually put them away (Hebrews 9:26). Therefore, one day soon, he will change our vile body and fashion it like unto his glorious body (1John 1-3). Pastor Tom Harding
“This Man receives sinners.” — Our English word “receives” fails to convey the full meaning of the Greek word in the original text (dechomai), which indicates “a welcoming or an appropriating reception”. It is the same Greek word used to describe the attitude with which ancient saints “looked for redemption” (Luke 2:38) and were “waiting for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:51), and the attitude with which present-day saints are “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) and “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude v.21). Pastor Daniel Parks
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Grace Bulletin
January 14, 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
Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com |
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