October 28, 2007

 

“For my own part, since first my unbelief was felt, I have been praying for years for faith, and praying with some earnestness, and am not yet possessed of half a grain.”                                                                 — John Berridge

 

Daily Readings for the Week of October 28-November 4

                        Sunday                      Luke 24                                                         Thursday                   John 7-8

                        Monday                     John 1-2                                                        Friday             John 9-10

                        Tuesday                    John 3-4                                                        Saturday                    John 11-12

                        Wednesday  John 5-6                                                        Sunday                        John 13-14

 

·      Bro. Larry Criss is preaching today for Sovereign Grace Church in New Castle, IN, where Bro. Bruce Crabtree is pastor.

·      I am scheduled to preach Tuesday – Thursday for the Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Wasilla, Alaska. Bro. Todd Nibert, pastor of Todds RD Grace Church in Lexington, will be here to preach the gospel to you Tuesday evening.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Rickey Dale Birchum-29th Sandy Gladfelter-3rd

CHURCH CLEANING IN NOVEMBER: Jim and Susan Grant

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Celeste Peterson (AM) Emily Rice (PM) Tuesday: Laura Peterson

 

“At Evening Time It Shall be Light”Don Fortner

(Tune: #435 — Lord, Speak to Me — LM)

 

1.    Christ is my Refuge and my Stay,

My God in Whom my trust shall be.

His mercy and His tender care

Preserve me from the tempter’s snare.

 

2.    Sun of Righteousness, arise,

When darkness clouds your servant’s eyes!

Beneath Your wings my soul would hide,

And in Your faithfulness confide.

 

3.    Light in the evening it shall be,

If You, O Lord, abide with me!

Securely kept by You from harm,

Oh, let no darkness cause alarm.

 

Crucifixion, No Fiction — Pastor John Chapman

Much of today’s preaching is fiction; it is not real. An atonement that does not atone is no atonement at all. A righteousness that is not complete is no righteousness at all. However, the preaching of Christ Crucified is real; the blessings are real. We have a real atonement through His blood. We have a real righteousness through His obedience. We are real partakers of the divine nature by the operation of the Spirit. We have real forgiveness of sins through His blood. Every spiritual blessing that was given to us in Christ before the world was created is real. The Crucifixion of Christ and the blessing that flow from it are real, not fiction.

 

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Light in the Evening

 

“It shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.”

                                                                                                                                    (Zechariah 14:7)

 

Zechariah is describing this Day of Grace and Salvation, this day in which the Lord is gathering his elect out of the nations. When he pours out upon his chosen the Spirit of grace and supplications (12:10) Christ is opened to the believing sinner as a Cleansing Fountain (13:1). Because the Shepherd was smitten, the scattered sheep shall be gathered (13:7-9). And in that day “at evening time it shall be light.”

 

The Day of Conversion

 

First and foremost, this word of grace refers to that wondrous, miraculous, irresistible work of God the Holy Spirit performed in the hearts of poor sinners when he gives chosen, redeemed sinners faith in Christ. And when Christ is revealed in the heart of a sinner who has been engulfed in thick darkness, it is evening time in his soul; but it is a strange evening time, for it is an evening time of light.

 

      Sunrise at sunset is contrary to nature; and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness is the wondrous work of God’s free grace. Has such an event taken place in your soul? It is evening time in the soul, engulfed in midnight darkness, before first the Lord shines in the heart. Then, suddenly, when we have lost all hope and the darkness of guilt and sin and shame is so great that it is felt darkness in our hearts, the Lord surprises his chosen with the light of his mercy, love, and grace in Christ. When the darkness is so great that we cry, “My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God” (Isaiah 40:27), God commands the light to shine out of darkness, and shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

 

Neither Clear nor Dark

 

As it is in the beginning, so it is throughout this Day of Grace for God’s people. God’s prophet tells us that throughout our earthly pilgrimage the light shall be neither “clear, nor dark” (v. 6). We “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7), trusting God our Savior. Yet, we continually walk in darkness (Isaiah 50:10). Our souls’ experience in this Day of Grace verifies Zechariah’s prophecy. While we live in this world, it is neither “day, nor night.” Ours is a mingled state of grace and corruption. When things seem to be utter darkness, when distresses come from within and from without, the Lord graciously divides light from darkness, causes “the light to shine upon it,” and “discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death” (Job 3:4; 12:22). He graciously turns our darkness to light.

 

      Yet, as long as we live in this body of flesh we must be led by our God “with weeping and supplications” (Jeremiah 31:9). It is in our weakness that

 

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Christ’s strength is manifested and made perfect. We often cry with Jacob, “All these things are against me!” But in the evening we find that all have been for us. The Lord often brings darkness, that his light may be more strikingly brilliant in the evening. He hedges up our way with thorns, that the almighty hand that removes them may be more plainly seen. It is a blessed thing to be brought low, to be surrounded with difficulties, to see no way of escape, and have all human resources fail, that our extremity may be his opportunity, so that when we are most low, we may see Christ most high and exalted.

 

      Are you stripped, humbled, convinced of your nothingness? Look away to our all-precious, all-suitable, all-glorious, all-gracious, all-compassionate Lord Jesus, and hear his sweet promise. — “At evening time it shall be light.”

 

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water” (Isaiah 41:17-18).

 

The Evening of Life

 

Certainly, this is a promise to God’s saints in the evening time of life in this world. I have seen it verified on numerous occasions. Two in particular stand out in my memory. As a young pastor, back in 1976, I flew out to Washington, DC to visit a dying friend, Bro. Harold Martin. He was one of my deacons. I had the privilege of watching him die in Christ. These are the very last words my friend spoke before losing consciousness: “Preacher, it’s good to come to this point and know that everything’s under the blood.”

 

      In the spring of 1992 my wife, Shelby, and I drove up to Richwood, West Virginia to visit our dear, faithful friend, Bro. Darrell McClung. He was dying with cancer; but he was perfectly at ease. We had a blessed, blessed visit with Darrell and his wife, Betty. Darrell’s last words to me were, “Brother, my hope is in that Man in heaven whose blood has washed away all of my sins and given me perfect righteousness before God. Thank God for Christ. I thank God for the blood of Christ. I am thankful to know that there is a Man in glory who is my Substitute. My hope is in him!” Yes, for the dying believer, “at evening time it shall be light!

 

      Then, when this Day of the Lord’s Grace is finished and the Day of the Lord’s Glory is begun, in heaven’s wondrous blessedness, “at evening time it shall be light” forever (Revelation 21:1-5, 22-23, 25; 22:1-5).

 

“In heaven no drooping nor pining,

No wishing for elsewhere to be.

God’s light is forever there shining —

How beautiful heaven must be!

 

Pure waters of life there are flowing;

And all who will drink may be free.

Rare jewels of splendor are glowing —

How beautiful Heaven must be!”

 

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Grace Bulletin

 

October 28, 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.freegraceradio.com

http://www.sovereign-grace/gracechurch.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com