May 27, 2007

“Whenever the Scriptures speak of the sufficiency of redemption, they always place it in the certain efficacy of redemption. The atonement of Christ is sufficient, not because it affords men the possibility of salvation, but because, with invincible power, it accomplishes their salvation.”        William Ruston

·      Congratulations To Our Graduating Seniors! — We will have lunch together after our service this morning in honor of our graduating seniors: Rachel Coleman, Laura Peterson, and Jesse Rice. There will be no service here tonight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Audrey Grace Hacker-2^nd

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:

Rex & Debbie Bartley-1^st Don & Shelby Fortner-1^st Bill & Vicci Rolley-21^st

David & Celeste Peterson-16^th Bob & Carole Pruitt-16^th Oscar & Nancy Bailey-18^th

Alvin & Gina Blackburn-20^th Ron & Pam Wood-22^nd Larry & Nancy Criss-26^th

Within these Walls, Dear Savior, Show – Don Fortner

(Tune: # 414 Am I A Soldier? -- CM )

1.    Within these walls, dear Savior, show

            The wonders of Your grace,

            Enable us to worship You;

            Come, show Your smiling face.

2.    Pour out Your Spirit, grace, and pow’r,

            Make bare Your mighty arm.

            Come, set poor captive sinners free,

            And bring Your lost ones home.

3.    Oh, may the watchman, taught of God,

            Jehovah’s love proclaim,

            Declare Christ’s sin-atoning blood,

            And magnify His name!

4.    Make known to Your bless’d family

            The wonders of Your love,

            And fix Your children’s hearts, dear Lord,

            Upon those things above.

Divine sovereignty is not a concept to be debated, but the revelation of God that must be experienced. Election, redemption, justification, sanctification, regeneration, and faith in Christ are not theological issues to be bantered about, like political opinions, but blessed gifts and operations of grace to be experienced, enjoyed, and proclaimed.

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“Deceitful Workers”

2 Corinthians 11:13

In his “History of Middle Tennessee Baptists” J. H. Grime writes about a faithful pastor, (W.H. Haile). Near the end of Haile’s life and ministry, after laboring faithfully as pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church, near Hartsville, TN for 30 years (1851-1881), one of those “deceitful workers”, we are warned of so often in Scripture (J. H. Jackson), wormed his way into the church and into the pulpit. Grimes wrote, “He was a very bewitching speaker and had all the brass, deception, and treachery, which usually belong to false teachers. He soon succeeded in deceiving the majority of the congregation. “Wounded and forsaken by his brethren, to him dearer than life itself, for the sake of a glaring fraud, broken hearted, this father in Israel,” the faithful Pastor Haile, was compelled to leave his “unfaithful brethren and children in the Lord, and the scenes of his life’s work.” A short while later, at age 78, “he died in the blissful hope of immortal glory; but with a heart saddened by having been wounded in the house of his friends.” — Let every local church and every child of God be warned.

            Beware of any man who seeks to worm his way into any pulpit. Any man who is anxious to be made your pastor has not been sent of God to be your pastor and should never be put in the office, no matter how attractive his gifts or his personality may appear to be. The man who is called and sent of God will not seek to make a way for himself. He will wait for God to put him where he would have him serve.

            Beware of any man who seeks to turn you against the man by whom God was pleased to teach you the gospel. Rarely, will a man openly oppose the pastor he seeks to supplant. False prophets usually exercise great subtlety and “cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” They are skilled in the art, being directed by the Deceiver. If God has used a man to reveal Christ to you, to teach you, your children, and your children’s children the gospel, you would be wise to hold any man and any doctrine in suspicion by which you are inclined to disavow your allegiance, devotion, and gratitude to one who has spent his life faithfully serving your soul.

            Beware of any man who seeks to enrich himself by the gospel. Faithful men do not seek their own things; and they certainly do not seek the things of others. Those who follow Christ serve. Those who follow Satan seek to be served. Faithful men spend themselves and gladly have their lives spent in the cause of Christ. False prophets manipulate others into lavishing riches upon them. Faithful men are men who are used. False prophets are men who use others to their own advantage.

            As you care for your soul, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves!”

If God loves all men…

“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Romans 9:13).

The Lord God declares, in language that cannot be misunderstood, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Yet, men everywhere tell us, “God loves all men alike.” Some, seeking to avoid such a plain contradiction of Divine Revelation, say,

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“God loves his elect with a special love, though he loves the whole human race with a general love of benevolence.” But that attempt to compromise the truth of God is just as absurd. God did not say, “Jacob have I loved with a special love, but Esau have a loved a little less.” He said, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

            I have a question for all who vainly imagine that God loves all men. If you dare, I ask you to honestly consider this question. — If God loves all men without exception, and some go to hell in spite of the fact that God loves them, what does the love of God have to do with anyone’s salvation? Have you ever thought about that? The obvious and only answer to that question is — Nothing, absolutely nothing! If God loves all men alike, and some people still go to hell, then, when you tell me that God loves me, you’ve told me nothing.

            If God loves all, the love of God is totally insignificant and absolutely meaningless. If that is the case, there is no distinction between God’s love for the saved and his love for the lost. He loves people who are suffering his wrath in hell just as fully as he does those who are glorified in heaven! Either that, or God is mutable, changeable, and fickle, like man’s love.

            If God loves the whole human race, there is no power in the love of God to save and keep his own. His love really doesn’t matter. It is nothing but a helpless, frustrated, defeated passion in the heart of poor God!

            If God loves the damned as well as the saved, there is no comfort in the love of God. How can anyone derive even the slightest comfort from a love that is helpless and useless?

            If God loves all alike, there is no motivation in the love of God. If God’s love for me is the same as his love for Judas, Pharaoh, and Cain, why should I love, serve, and seek to honor him? Indeed, if the difference between me and those who are damned is me, God ought to serve me! He ought to praise me!

      But the love of God is not a helpless, frustrated, meaningless passion. Read the Word of God for yourself, and learn what the Scriptures teach. It is the love of God for his elect that is the effectual source and cause of our salvation. The love of God has everything to do with our salvation. God’s love for his elect is a love that results in the salvation of all who are loved by him (Jeremiah 31:3; 1 John 3:1; 4:7-10, 19). His love is everlasting, immutable, indestructible, saving love (Ephesians 2:4-5). God’s love is not helpless, but almighty! God’s love is never frustrated, but always effectual! God’s love is not weak, but strong! It does not change! Those who are loved of God are loved of God forever!

            And, like every other blessing of God upon men, the love of God is in Christ. God loves sinners in Christ and for Christ’s sake (John 3:36; Romans 8:38-39). God’s love is a holy love. It can only be fixed upon holy objects. It is true (Thank God it is true!); God loves sinners. But God loves sinners in Christ and for Christ’s sake. No one has any reason to think he is the object of God’s love until he trusts his Son. Apart from faith in Christ, the love of God is not and cannot be known.

      If you still imagine that God loves every person without exception, how can you explain the flood, the destruction of Sodom, and the fires of hell? If God loves the multitudes of the damned, he has a very strange way of showing it! Don’t you think? Such love is not worthy of him who is the eternal God. God almighty saves those he has loved from everlasting.

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Grace Bulletin

May 27, 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