Grace Baptist Church of Danville

February 3, 2008

 

“What is a preacher? — A preacher is a nobody who tells everybody about somebody who can save anybody.”  Pastor Scott Richardson

 

Daily Readings for the Week of February 3-10

            Sunday                      Exodus 28-29                                                           Thursday                   Exodus 38-40

            Monday                     Exodus 30-32                                                           Friday             Leviticus 1-4

            Tuesday                    Exodus 33-34                                                           Saturday                    Leviticus 5-7

            Wednesday  Exodus 35-37                                                           Sunday                      Leviticus 8-11

 

·      Kingsport Sovereign Grace Ministry, Kingsport, TN will host a Bible Conference March 7-9. Scheduled preachers: Todd Nibert, Don Fortner, Paul Mahan, Rupert Rivenbark and Henry Mahan. For more information contact Pastor Tom Harding at 606-631-9053 taharding@bellsouth.net, or Anthony Moody at 423-288-6045 moody2006@charter.net.

·      I am scheduled to preach Wednesday night for Todds Road Grace Church in Lexington, where Bro Todd Nibert is pastor.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Faith Hacker-7th Rachel Coleman-9th

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Sam & Ruth Wall-3rd

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Shante’ Birchum (AM) Emily Rice (PM) Tuesday: Shelby Fortner

 

In this Blessed New CreationDon Fortner

(Tune: # 17 — Come, Thou Fount — 87.87.87)

 

1.    O what happiness arises, when Christ Jesus lives within,

And the sinner realizes he’s forgiven of all sin.

In this blessed new creation, Heavenly joys on earth begin.

 

2.    On the Savior’s mercy living, those who mourned obtain delight;

Grace for grace from Jesus drawing, robed in garments always white.

In this blessed new creation, grace has put our fears to flight.

 

3.    Ever to my Savior clinging, let my helpless soul be found;

All my sorrows to Him bringing, may His grace in me abound.

In this blessed new creation, we’re with covenant blessings crowned!

 

 

Where can I go this Lord’s Day and hear the mercy of God, not the mechanics of grace? Where can I go and hear the love of Christ and not the law of God for saints? Where can I go and hear of the righteousness of God fulfilled by Christ and not the righteousness of the creature to be rewarded by God? Let us say, by God’s grace, this will be the place and I will be the preacher. The message will not be flowery but full of grace; it will not be with enticing words of man’s wisdom but the sovereign mercy of God to helpless sinners in a language all men understand. Let the scholars, theologians and authors go elsewhere to have their intellects “challenged.” Lord make me Thy voice to thy people!                                                             Pastor Henry Mahan

 

 

13

A Lamb for An Ass

 

“And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem” (Exodus 13:13).

 

      Throughout the Mosaic dispensation, every day in the Jewish nation opened and closed with the sacrifice of a lamb. A lamb was offered upon God’s altar, at the door of the tabernacle every morning to begin the day; and another lamb was sacrificed every evening to conclude it. The Lord God said, “I will meet you to speak there unto thee” (Exodus 29:42). The lamb sacrificed was the place of meeting. God came to his people and his people came to him by a sacrificed lamb. There was no other way for the two to come together. If God came to man, it was by a lamb sacrificed. If man came to God, it was by a lamb sacrificed. That lamb sacrificed was given to the children of Israel for a token, a sign, upon the hand that made the sacrifice and in the eyes that beheld it. And this is what the token promised, this is what the Lord God said by the sign, — This is how I will dwell among you and be your God, this is how you “shall be sanctified by my glory” (Exodus 29:38-46).

 

The Lamb God’s Glory

 

According to the typical revelation of the law given in Exodus 29, sanctification was by the sacrifice of a lamb; and in verse 43 we are told that it is by God’s glory. Does the Lord God mean for us to understand that all our salvation and all his glory is in that Lamb, to whom these typical lambs pointed, the Lamb of God, Christ our Passover, the Lamb of God sacrificed for us? Indeed, he does! Both our salvation and God’s glory are in the Lamb of God slain for sinners.

 

Unclean Made Clean

 

In the 2nd verse of Exodus 13 the Lord God commands, “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.” What about the unclean animals? The Lord God gave a very specific command, forbidding that any unclean beast be offered to him (Leviticus 27:11). He makes two commandments that seem to contradict one another. If one is fulfilled, it would appear that the other cannot be. He demands that all the firstborn of man and beast be sanctified unto him. Yet, he also forbids offering anything that is unclean to him. How can such a law (the law is one) be fulfilled? How can all the firstborn be sanctified to the Lord, and no unclean thing be offered to him? The Lord God himself answers that question in verse 13. — The ass was redeemed, made clean and accepted by God by the sacrifice of a lamb.

 

The Wonder of Grace

 

The Lord God met the difficulty by providing a substitute for the unclean ass. Though the ass must be God’s, it could not be, except by substitution. The Lord

 

14

God says, concerning the unclean ass, “Every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb.

 

      What a sweet, beautiful picture this is of the glorious gospel of Christ! The Lord God often compares man to an ass. It is written, vain man is born “like a wild ass’s colt” (Job 11:12). You and I are all born by nature “like a wild ass’s colt,” foolish, senseless and stubborn, given to lust and debauchery, and wild. As the wild ass will not bear the yoke, so none will ever bow to the yoke of Christ, except the Son of God break him. Man by nature is like “a wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up wind at her pleasure” (Jeremiah 2:24; Job 39:5).

 

      Yet, the holy Lord God said, I will take the wild ass, the unclean thing, make it clean, use it for my service and show my glory in redeeming it by a Substitute, by the blood of the Lamb. He said, they “shall be sanctified by my glory!” He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to die in our stead, as the Lamb of God, our Substitute; and that is his glory, the glory that sanctifies us (Romans 5:6-8; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6; 5:17-21).

 

      This is the great wonder of grace. — Being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, we are the sheep of God, the lambs of Christ’s flock, made fit to sit far above principalities and powers in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus! Lost by sin through the fall, and utterly unclean, God’s super-abounding grace has made us utterly clean, without spot and without blame, through the sin-atoning blood of his dear Son!

 

 

Vital Christianity

 

There is much more to genuine Christianity than an emotional experience, a change of habits, or being raised in church. Vital Christianity, that is real Christianity, is more than a name, a code of conduct, or a denominational association.

 

            Without question, no one can be considered a Christian, in the biblical sense of the word, who does not believe the doctrine of Christ. But vital Christianity is more than correct doctrine.

 

            Vital Christianity is “Christ in you!” Do you know anything about that? Is Jesus Christ in you? If he is not, you have no hope of eternal salvation. “Christ in you (is) the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). “Christ in you” is Christ born in you by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ received by faith, trusted as Lord and Savior, Christ reigning in you as King, Christ transforming you into his likeness by the power of his grace, and Christ radiating from you as you bear the fruit of his Spirit.

 

            You cannot live for Christ, no matter how resolute your will, no matter how hard you try, unless Christ lives in you. But if Christ lives in you, you will live for him. May God almighty be pleased now, by the power of his grace, to put Christ in you and give you life and faith in him.

 

 

15

 

Grace Bulletin

 

February 3, 2008

 

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