December 16, 2007

In the incarnate One the immortal God made himself a mortal man, that mortal men might be made immortal sons of God!

Daily Readings for the Week of December 16-23

·      Thank you for your generous gift to Shelby and me. We are thankful beyond expression to our God for you and for the privilege of serving our Savior with you.

·      I am preaching this morning Laird Street Baptist Church in New Caney, Texas. I am scheduled to preach tonight and tomorrow night for Lincoln Wood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, where Bro. David Pledger is pastor. Bros. Larry Criss and Ron Wood will preach the gospel to you today.

·      Missionary Offering Today

Behold the Wondrous Mystery — Don Fortner

(Tune: #92 — O Little Town of Bethlehem — 86.86.76.86)

1.    Behold the wondrous mystery

Of the incarnate God -

The Son of God a man became,

Assuming flesh and blood.

The angels watched with wonder,

And came to sing and tell

The love of our descending God,

The Christ, Immanuel.

2.    Mortals, by faith, behold Him now -

The Father’s only Son,

Became a man that He might die

And for our sins atone.

When He had fulfilled all things,

He went to Calvary,

Endured the wrath of God for us,

And put our sins away!

3.    The Son of God, the Son of Man,

Exalted, King of kings,

Now rules the world for those He bought,

Sovereign over all things.

When every ransomed sinner,

At last, is saved by grace,

Then Christ will come and take us home,

To reign with Him in peace.

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The Savior God Promised has Come!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

In these two verses the prophet of God describes the glorious Person and work of the Messiah, the Redeemer, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom God would fulfill all his promises of mercy and grace.

Our Savior’s Virgin Birth — Here is the incarnation and virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ - “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” Isaiah speaks first of the humanity of Christ. — “For unto us a child is born.” As the Son of man, Christ was born, the woman’s Seed. In his humiliation as a human baby our Savior was as helpless as any other baby! He required the sustenance of his mother’s breasts, the care of her hands, and the warmth of the blankets she wrapped around him. He was a real man.

But he is also the eternal God. Here is the deity of our Savior. — “Unto us a son is given.” The Son of God was not born of the virgin, but given through the virgin’s womb. Though he assumed our nature as the child born, he never ceased to be God, the Son given.

The prophet also proclaimed the exaltation of Christ as the incarnate God-man. — “The government shall be upon his shoulder.” As the reward of his obedience to God as our Representative, Christ has been given the government of creation, providence, and grace.

Our Savior’s Character — Here is the amazing character of our Savior. — “And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Yes, Jesus Christ is wonderful in all that he is and does. He is our Counselor to teach us wisdom. He is God, the mighty One, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Father of his spiritual seed, the church, forever. And he is the Prince of Peace. He promised peace, purchased peace, and bestows peace.

Our Savior’s Exaltation — Here is the glorious exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. — “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever!” His kingdom is an ever increasing, peaceful, prudent, just, and eternal, spiritual kingdom.

Our Savior’s Success — Here is the infallible security of God’s purpose. — “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” God’s zeal for his own name and his own people will accomplish his purpose of grace. He who is God our Savior is that one of whom it is written, “He shall not fail!” He who cried, “I come to do thy will, O God,” can never fail! This is the Savior we trust.

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The Virgin Birth — Isaiah 7:14

      The Lord God promised to send a Deliverer to his people, and said to Ahaz, “Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above” (v. 11). But Ahaz refused to ask the Lord for a sign, saying, with an air of self-righteous indignation, “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord” (v. 12). To that Isaiah replied, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”

      The Deliverer spoken of and promised in this chapter was no mere temporal deliverer from temporal bondage and trouble. The Deliverer spoken of here is the great God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that because God the Holy Spirit tells us plainly that Isaiah 7:14 is one of the many Old Testament promises of our Savior’s incarnation (Matthew 1:18-23).

      Isaiah 7:14 is a prophecy of the virgin birth of our Redeemer. None of us knows the date of our Savior’s birth. God has wisely hidden it from men. The one day of the year that it could not have been is December 25^th. Christmas day has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. But this text does describe a glorious birthday. It is true, Mary’s child was born in a manger, in humility and poverty; but none ever had a birthday like his. His birthday was anticipated by saints and prophets for four thousand years. All the Old Testament pointed to Immanuel’s advent. God hung a fresh lamp in the sky to announce his birth. The angelic hosts came down to sing at his birth. And shepherds and wise men came to bring presents to the Prince of the kings of the earth when he was born. Isaiah 7:14 announces a glorious birthday. It announces the birth of a man who is the eternal Son of God, the Savior of the world (Isaiah 9:6-7).

      The prophet’s language speaks of a miraculous conception. — “Behold, a virgin shall conceive.” Our Savior is born, the Seed of the woman, conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by the miraculous intervention of God the Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:4-6). His holy body was prepared in the womb of the virgin for the work he had come to do (Hebrews 10:4-5). Had he been born of the flesh, the Lord Jesus could have done nothing to save us.

      Isaiah’s prophecy also speaks of a humble parentage. Virginity was Mary’s highest honor. Though she was of the royal seed of David’s house, that was no great honor in her day. It gave her no special privilege, power, or position. Our Savior was born in poverty and lived in poverty all the days of his life, by his own choice. He taught us, by constant example, to despise the froth of worldly treasure and position. There is much encouragement here. He who was born in poverty will visit the poor in spirit. He who was laid in a rock manger will visit our hard, stony hearts. He who humbled himself will be the friend of humbled broken-hearted sinners.

      Isaiah’s words also imply something of God’s sovereign election. — “A virgin shall conceive.” There were, no doubt, many virgins in the world in those days, but God chose one, only one to be the agent through whom he would bring his Son into the world (Luke 1:26-33). — Mary was freely chosen of God. So are we. — Mary was highly favored by God. So we are “accepted in the Beloved.” — Mary was visited by God. So are we. — Mary had Christ formed in her. So do we. — Mary was blessed of God for Christ’s sake. So are we. — And, as Mary rejoiced in God her Savior, so do we (Luke 1:46-50).

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Grace Bulletin

December 16, 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.com/gracechurch.htm

Don Fortner

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com