Grace Baptist Church of Danville

September 16, 2012

 

If the public worship of God in His house is not the most important thing in your life, any really big thing that comes up (a ballgame, visiting relatives, a special episode of Gunsmoke, etc.) will supplant the worship of God.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of September 16-23, 2012

            Sunday                      Obadiah 1-Jonah 4             Thursday       Zephaniah 1-Haggai 1

            Monday                      Micah 1-5                                          Friday             Haggai 2-Zechariah 4

            Tuesday                    Micah 6-Nahum 2                Saturday                    Zechariah 5-9

            Wednesday  Nahum 3-Habakkuk 3                    Sunday                      Zechariah 10-14

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Regina Henson-20th    Ron Wood-23rd

 

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Vicci Rolley (AM) Celeste Peterson (PM)          Tuesday: Ruth Wall

 

Christ Jesus is Our Counselor — Don Fortner

 

(Tune:  #77 - Sun of My Soul — LM)

 

1.    Christ Jesus is our Counselor -

Before all worlds, in covenant grace,

He spoke for all His chosen race,

And pledged in death to take our place.

 

 

2.    Christ Jesus is our Counselor -

He is the living Word of God,

Incarnate God, with flesh and blood,

In whom we see and know our God.

 

 

3.    Christ Jesus is our Counselor -

He sent His Holy Spirit down,

And through His Word the light is shown

To lead His ransomed people home.

 

 

4.    Christ Jesus is our Counselor -

We go to Him for help and grace

To guide our steps in all our ways,

And preserve us throughout our days.

 

 

5.    Christ Jesus is our Counselor -

Our Advocate before the throne;

He pleads for us what He has done

That we might have glory unknown!

 

7

 

Three Witnesses to the Accomplishment Of

Redemption by Christ

 

1 John 5:7

 

 

“There are three that bear record in heaven.” — Bear record of what? That Jesus is the Son of God? No. Heaven needs no evidence of that! These three bear record in heaven that God has given us eternal life, in strict accordance with his just and righteous law, by the merits of Christ’s obedience and death as our Substitute. The three Persons of the Holy Trinity bear record in heaven that Christ has accomplished redemption for God’s elect by his blood atonement. “There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one.”

 

 1. God the Father bears record that redemption is accomplished by his acceptance of Christ as our Representative and Surety (Hebrews 1:1-9; 6:19-20; 10:11-14).

 

 When the Father raised Christ from the dead and received him back into heaven as our Mediator, he accepted all his elect in Christ and bare record that redemption’s work was done (Ephesians 1:6; John 17:1-5).

 

2. God the Son, the living, eternal Word of God, the second Person of the blessed Trinity, bears record of his people’s right to eternal life by his perpetual advocacy and intercession at the Father’s right hand (Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 7:24-25; Hebrews 6:20).

 

 The record he bears, which secures the eternal salvation of God’s elect, by which we merit heaven and eternal life, is twofold: — His righteousness as our Representative, and his satisfaction as our Substitute.

 

3. God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, bears record of the accomplishment of redemption by effectually applying the blood of Christ to the hearts of God’s elect in effectual calling (John 16:14; Hebrews 9:13-14).

 

 The Spirit of God takes the merit of Christ’s blood and righteousness and reveals to God’s elect their acceptance with God by the gospel. In effectual calling, chosen, redeemed sinners hear the gospel. But they hear more than the bare word of the gospel. They hear the Spirit of God speak in their hearts! Each one hears God speak pardon to his own soul by the gospel of his salvation. — “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13).

 

 “And these three are one.” The three Divine Persons are one God. But more, the record of the Father, the record of the Son, and the record of the Spirit are one. What is that record? — Redemption is accomplished by Christ alone!  

 

8

Three Witnesses to the Believer’s

Saving Interest in Christ

 

1 John 5:8

 

 

“And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the Water (the Word), and the blood: and these three agree in one.” The witnesses to Christ’s deity are first, the Word, then the blood, and then the Spirit. The witnesses to redemption’s accomplishment are first, the Father, then the Son, and then the Spirit. The witnesses to our saving interest in Christ are first, the Spirit, then the Word, and then the blood.

 

1. A saving knowledge of Christ begins with the revelation of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

 

 No one on earth can know and be firmly persuaded that he is one of God’s elect, one of those for whom Christ died, but by the special revelation of God the Holy Spirit. No man can, or should convince another of his salvation in Christ. Only the Spirit of God can convince (John 16:8-14). And if he convinces, you are convinced. He is called the Comforter, because he conveys to our hearts the comfort of our election, redemption, salvation, and eternal acceptance with God. — “For as many as are led by the Sprit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17). At the time appointed, he manifests the glory of Christ’s Person and the merits of his work, creating faith in the hearts of elect sinners (2 Corinthians 4:6; Galatians 1:15; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Titus 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:18-20).

 

2. This saving knowledge of Christ is based upon the record of the written Word of God, symbolized by water (Titus 3:5).

 

 The Spirit never operates independently of his written Word. He reveals Christ supernaturally in the hearts of men. But he reveals Christ only through the instrumentality of gospel preaching. He takes the record of God in his Word and makes it the voice of God in a man’s heart! He declares in our hearts that our redemption is accomplished by Christ’s obedience and death as our Substitute (Hebrews 9:12-14).

 

3. This saving knowledge of Christ is neither more nor less than faith in his blood.

 

Faith is the echo of my heart to the voice of God’s Spirit speaking to me by the gospel. The warrant of my faith is the Word of God alone. And the warrant of my assurance is faith alone (1 John 5:9-13). Faith fetches full assurance to the believer’s heart, not from within, but from without, from the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the naked Word of God.

 

9

The Grace Bulletin

 

September 16, 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