Grace Baptist Church of Danville

February 12, 2012

If God the Holy Spirit ever puts you into the hand of your soul’s enemies, from their hands he will redeem you (Micah 4:1).

·      I am preaching today for Bible Baptist Church in Madisonville, KY, where Bro. Maurice Montgomery is pastor. You are privileged to have Bro. Ron Wood preaching the gospel to you today.

·      Next Sunday we will have our Quarterly Fellowship and a wedding shower for Anne Peterson and Colin Kendziora following our morning worship service.

·      I am scheduled to preach next Sunday night at Rocky Ford Baptist Church in Liberty, KY, where Bro. Matt Johnson is pastor. The service will begin at 6:00 PM.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Nancy Bailey-13^th

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Shante’ Birchum (AM)  Dee Dee Raneri (PM)     Tuesday: Mindy Peterson

Rejoice, My Soul, in Every State — Don Fortner

(Tune: #87 — Joy to the World — CM)

1.    Rejoice, my soul, and know it’s right,

My Father is the King;

And I am precious in His sight,

Of Him and to Him sing!

2.    Rejoice, my soul, for I am blest,

In Jesus’ cov’nant love 

And in Him, with Him, I shall rest,

In endless bliss above!

3.    Rejoice, my soul, in every state,

Defying earth and hell;

Oh, trust His cov’nant love and wait, —

With Jesus I shall dwell!

4.    Rejoice, my soul, and prize your lot,

Though trials must abound;

You Father’s purpose changes not,

And He will have you crowned!

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Why did Christ have to die?

Romans 3:24-26

Without question, the most wondrous of all God’s works is the work of redemption. When we think about what that great work involved, we are lost in astonishment. When we think of the unutterable depths of shame and sorrow into which the Lord of glory entered to save us, we are awed and staggered.

      As we trace the path of our Savior from the throne of life to the tomb of death and behold him who was rich, for our sakes, becoming poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich, we cannot fathom the depths of the wonders before us. We know that every step in the path of our Redeemer’s humiliation was ordained in the eternal purpose of God. Yet, it was a path of immeasurable sorrow, unutterable anguish, ceaseless ignominy, bitter hatred, and relentless persecution; a path that brought the Beloved Son of God, the Darling of heaven, to suffer the painful, shameful death of the cross!

      Standing at the foot of the cross, as I behold the Holy One nailed to the cursed tree, covered with his own blood and the spit of an enraged mob, made to be sin, forsaken and cursed of God his Father, yet, realizing that this is the work of God’s own hand, I am lost in astonishment! I am filled with reverence and awe (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13).

      Awed as I am with reverence for my crucified Lord, still there is a question that I cannot suppress, a question that reason and sound judgment cannot fail to ask. The question is, Why? Why did the Son of God suffer such a death? Why did God so torment his beloved Son and kill him in such a horribly ignominious way? Surely, there must have been some great necessity for such a sacrifice. What was that necessity? What made the death of Christ necessary? Why did Christ have to die?

      Was it to save my soul? I know that he died that I might live. He suffered, the Just for the unjust, that he might bring me to God. But was there no other way for the omnipotent God to save me? Was all this done to demonstrate the greatness of God’s love to me? I know it was (Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; 4:9-10). But God could have revealed his love to me in some other way. Why did he slay his Son? What necessity was there for the Son of God to suffer and die upon the cursed tree as the object of God’s holy wrath and justice?

      Only one answer can be found to that question: — The justice of God had to be satisfied. There was no necessity for God to save anyone. Salvation is altogether the free gift of his grace. But, having determined to save his elect from the ruins of fallen humanity, the only way God could save his people and forgive their sins was by the death of Christ. — “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). The justice of God had to be satisfied in order for God to save his people; and the only thing that could ever satisfy the justice of God is the blood of Christ. That was the necessity of Christ’s death as the sinners’ Substitute. Justice had to be satisfied. And now, because God’s justice has been satisfied by the death of his own dear Son, God is both just and the Justifier of all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:34-26).

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The Blessed Comfort of Christ’s Satisfaction

Hebrews 2:9-10

I want you to understand from the Word of God both the necessity and the blessedness of Christ’s satisfaction of Divine justice by his death on the cross. This is a matter of utmost importance. It is the glory of the gospel and the glory of the Christian religion. It is the satisfaction of Divine justice by the death of Christ that distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. Take the cross out of Christianity, take away the satisfaction of Christ by his death upon the cross, and Christianity is of no more value and benefit to the souls of men than Judaism, Islam, or Hinduism. It is of paramount importance, because without satisfaction for sin, there could be no salvation from it.

      It was necessary for Christ to suffer and die on the cross under the wrath of God to save his people. He did not have to save us. But if he would save us, he could not save in any other way. Justice demanded it (Proverbs 16:6; 17:15; Romans 4:5; 1 Peter 3:18). This is what the Spirit of God teaches us in Hebrews 2:9-10.

      Since it was the design, purpose, and pleasure of the Almighty to bring some of the sons of men into eternal glory and happiness as the sons of God by Christ, it was necessary for Christ, the Son of God, to suffer all that the law and justice of God required for the punishment of sin, dying under the wrath of God as our Substitute.

      I am not suggesting that the satisfaction of Christ procured the love of God for us. It does not. The death of Christ is the fruit of God’s love, not the cause of it. But I am saying that it is the death of Christ and the satisfaction of justice by his death that opens the way for sinners to enjoy the glorious, saving embraces of God’s almighty, gracious arms. We could never have been reconciled to God without the shedding of Christ’s blood.

      Every sinner who is reconciled to God by faith in Christ is included in the number of those for whom satisfaction was made at Calvary. John Gill wrote, “Have you any reason to believe that you have, at any time, had communion with God, in private or in public, in your closet, or in the family, or in the house of God, under any ordinance, either the ministry of the Word, or prayer, or the Supper of the Lord? Then you may be assured Christ has made satisfaction for you; or you would never have enjoyed such communion.”

      What a horrible evil sin is! Nothing but the blood of Christ could make satisfaction for it. God almighty will punish sin. The death of Christ as the sinner’s Substitute demonstrates the strictness of God’s holy law. Yet, there is a way open for sinners to come to God. Christ is the Way. He has made satisfaction for sin. If you trust him, if you come to God by faith in him, he made satisfaction for your sin!

      Let us ever and increasingly admire and adore the perfections of our God revealed in the gospel (Psalm 85:10-11). Admire his love! Adore his mercy! Rejoice in his grace! Stand in awe of his wisdom, holiness, justice, and truth! All shine forth gloriously in the satisfaction of Christ. — “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Wisdom found a ransom. Holiness approved of it. Justice is satisfied with it. The gospel proclaims it!

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The Grace Bulletin

February 12, 2012

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.

Television Broadcasts in Harrodsburg

Channel 6 - Sunday Afternoon 3:00 P.M.

Channel 6 - Friday Evening 6:00 P.M.

Web Pages

http://www.DonFortner.com

http://www.FreegraceRadio.com

http://www.Grace-eBooks.com

Don Fortner

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com