Grace Baptist Church of Danville

May 25, 2008

 

Nothing is more painful to a devoted father than the sense that he is not held in honor and esteem by his family. — Let us ever ascribe greatness of our God and hold our Father in the highest honor and esteem as our God.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of May 25-June 1

            Sunday                      Ezra 7-9                                             Thursday                   Nehemiah 8-10

            Monday                     Ezra 10-Nehemiah 2          Friday             Nehemiah 11-12

            Tuesday                    Nehemiah 3-5                                  Saturday                    Nehemiah 13-Esther 1

            Wednesday  Nehemiah 6-7                                  Sunday                      Esther 2-4

 

ANNIVERSARIES IN JUNE:

Rex & Debbie Bartley-1st Don & Shelby Fortner-1st Bill & Vicci Rolley-13th

David & Celeste Peterson-16th Oscar & Nancy Bailey-18th Alvin & Gina Blackburn-20th Cecil & June Roundtree-21st Ron & Pam Wood-22nd Larry & Nancy Criss-26th

CHURCH CLEANING IN JUNE: Larry and Carol Brown

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Vicci Rolley (AM) Cindy Schwartz (PM) Tuesday: Ruth Wall

 

Extol the Triune God of Grace – Don Fortner

(Tune: #66 — Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts —- LM)

1.    To Him that chose us long ago,

To Him that bore our sin and woe,

To Him that called and made us new,

To God alone our praise is due.

2.    Our Father’s love inspires our song;

Hosannas to the Son belong;

And God the Holy Spirit praise;

Extol the triune God of grace!

3.    All saints below, all saints above,

Forever bless, forever love

The Mighty God, the Three-in-One,

For all He is and all He’s done!

4.    Let us now lift His honors high,

And with the holy angels vie,

Until with that great blood-washed throng

We cast our crowns before His throne.

 

“The Power of God unto Salvation” — Romans 1:16

 

There is no power in man to save, because salvation comes to those who are “without strength” (Romans 5:6) by virtue of being in their native condition “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Neither is there power in the law to save, because it is “weak through the flesh” (Romans 8:3), through man’s inability to keep it. Neither is there power in baptism (or any other ordinance or sacrament), being evidenced in that Paul declared, “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17). Rather, this power of God to salvation is found in the gospel, which is the word of God, a revelation of the divine will which “is quick and powerful.”

— Pastor Daniel Parks

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“They Shall Never Perish!”

(John 10:28)

 

            Our Lord Jesus Christ says, concerning his sheep, those who were chosen and redeemed by him, “I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). This sentence has in it three clauses. Each clause provides us with a gracious assurance of the believer’s eternal security and preservation in Christ.

 

A Divine Gift

 

Here is a divine gift: — “I give unto them eternal life.” Eternal life comes to sinners as a matter of grace. It is the gift of God. There was nothing in our hearts or in our conduct which caused God to bestow eternal life upon us. He loved us with an everlasting love. Therefore, in lovingkindness he bestowed upon us the gift of life. And there is nothing in the believer’s heart or conduct which can cause God to take away his gift of life. — “The gifts and callings of God are without repentance.”

 

When our Lord says, “I give unto them eternal life,” he uses the present tense. His meaning is, “I give and continue to give unto them eternal life.” We know that this gift of eternal life is entirely the work of God, in no way earned by or dependent upon the goodness of man; and, therefore, those to whom eternal life is given are eternally secure in Christ. The work of God cannot be destroyed (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Eternal life must be eternal.

 

A Divine Promise

 

Here is a divine promise: — “And they shall never perish!” Our Lord here makes a blanket promise. It takes into consideration all times, all circumstances, all events, all contingencies and all possibilities. He says concerning all of his sheep, “I give unto them eternal life, and,” because they are my sheep and because I give them eternal life, “they shall never perish!”

 

What if they are babes in Christ and their faith is weak? — “They shall never perish!” What if they are young men and their passions are strong? — “They shall never perish!” What if they are old men and their vision grows dim? — “They shall never perish!” What if they are tempted? — “They shall never perish!” What if all hell breaks loose upon them? — “They shall never perish!” What if they sin? — “They shall never perish!” What if they fall? — “They shall never perish!” What if they sin again? — “They shall never perish!”

 

This promise takes in all the flock, “They shall never perish!” Not one of Christ’s sheep shall ever perish, no not even one! This is not the distinctive privilege of a few. It is the common mercy of all God’s elect. If you are a believer, if you trust Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your Lord and Savior, if you have received eternal life from him, you shall never perish! It is not possible for the child of God to sin away the grace of God bestowed upon him in the gift of eternal life.

 

11

A Divine Security

 

Here is a divine security: — “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Child of God, we are preserved in the heart of his eternal love; and we are preserved in the hand of his omnipotent grace. — “All thy saints are in thy hands.” We are in the hands of Christ our God and Savior, always in his hands. What a blessed place to be! Because we are in his hand, we shall never perish!

 

            I know that this blessed doctrine of the believer’s security in Christ draws a strong response from men. The self-righteous religionist will say, “We cannot have such a doctrine. It will lead men into sin.” The presumptuous professor of religion will say, “Let us sin that grace may abound. Since we are saved by grace, it does not matter how we live.” But the true believer will say, “Such marvelous grace compels me to give myself wholeheartedly to Christ in love, praise and devotion.” You see, a true experience of saving grace produces gratitude in the heart, and gratitude produces dedication to Christ, who promises, — “THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH!”

 

 

 

 

 

“Turning the Grace of Our God into Lasciviousness”

Jude 1:4

 

            Against whom does Jude lay this charge? Who is it that turns the grace of God into lasciviousness? Read Jude’s short Epistle again, and you will see that he says nothing to imply that these were men of flagrant immorality, using the grace of God as an excuse and covering for acts of licentiousness. — Those who turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness are those work-mongers and religious legalists who assert that the preaching of absolute free grace, the believer’s absolute freedom from the law and freedom from all possible condemnation will open the flood gates to sin and lead people to live in decadence. The ungodliness by which Jude tells us they are condemned is their imaginary righteousness, their self-righteousness by which they deny “the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” — All who claim a righteousness of their own deny their need of Christ, who is “the Lord our Righteousness.”

 

            Beware of such men and such doctrine. It creeps into churches under the guise of godliness and true holiness; but the Spirit of God here asserts that it is ungodliness. That which turns us away from Christ and teaches us to look to (to trust in) ourselves is ungodliness. If God has, by his grace, put us into union with his dear Son, Jesus Christ is all our Wisdom, all our Righteousness, all our Sanctification, and all our Redemption; and we glory in him alone (1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Philippians 3:3).

 

 

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Grace Bulletin

 

May 25, 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