Grace Baptist Church of Danville

October 7, 2012

“The time will come, when a faithful minister of the Gospel will be more scarce and precious than a bar of gold!” — John Owen

Daily Readings for the Week of October 7-14, 2012

Sunday Mark 2-3 Thursday Mark 9-10

Monday Mark 4-5 Friday Mark 11-12

Tuesday Mark 6 Saturday Mark 13-14

Wednesday Mark 7-8 Sunday Mark 15-16

· Bro. Frank Hall is preaching this morning for Bible Baptist Church in Madisonville, KY.

· Shelby and I will leave immediately after our worship service this morning for meetings in England and Ireland. Bro. Frank Hall will preach to you tonight. Bro. Todd Nibert will preach here Tuesday night.

· Our Quarterly Fellowship is scheduled for October 28. Plan to have lunch and spend a portion of the afternoon together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Don Raneri-10^th Doug Hacker-12^th Kairi Guest-12^th Mindy Peterson-13^th

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Jayalita McCormack (AM) Pam Wood (PM) Tuesday: Debbie Bartley

The Gospel — Don Fortner

(Tune: The Doxology — LM)

1. Our message to a ruined race,

Is sov’reign, free, eternal grace:

No other gospel can impart

God’s peace, and comfort to the heart.

2. But those are tidings good indeed,

Which tell me Jesus deigned to bleed,

To vanquish Satan, cancel sin,

And bring eternal glory in.

3. The only Gospel we can own,

Sets Jesus Christ upon His throne;

Proclaims salvation full and free,

Obtained on Calvary’s curs-ed tree.

4. The Gospel is the news from heaven,

Of grace bestowed and sins forgiven —

Redeeming blood — electing love —

Of quick’ning grace — and joys above!

5. Lord write this Gospel in my heart,

And in its blessings give me part;

Until I see my Savior’s face,

And sing, “I’m saved by Gospel grace!”

The Pastor’s UK Itinerary

October 9 Stanley Park Church — Liverpool, England

Eddie Roberts, Pastor

October 10 Bethesda Church — Bebington, Wirral CH63 7NY

(Liverpool Area)

October 12-14 Robert Street Baptist Church — Dudley, England

Norman Wheeler, Pastor

October 15-16 Sovereign Grace Fellowship — Orange Hall

Ballymoney, North Ireland

Preachers Scheduled for Danville

While I am in the United Kingdom, I have scheduled the following preachers to preach the Gospel of Christ to you. Pray for them and let each of them know your appreciation for them, their labors in the cause of Christ, and particularly for their ministries to you (Isaiah 52:7). — Thoughtful encouragement is never out of order.

October 7 (PM) Bro. Frank Hall

October 9 Pastor Todd Nibert

October 14 Pastor Linwood Campbell

October 16 Pastor Todd Nibert

——————————————————————

“The Ministers of Christ”

1 Corinthians 4:1

Faithful, gifted Gospel preachers are God’s servants, “the ministers of Christ,” and should always be heard and treated as such by his people. They are not to be lifted up on a pedestal and fawned over as though they were superior to others. Any man who craves such adulation is not God’s servant. Yet, those men who faithfully serve your soul by the faithful preaching of the Gospel are not to be lightly esteemed.

In the Corinthian church you could tell who was preaching by the people who came to the service. If Paul was preaching those who loved Paul were present, but not those who followed Apollos and Peter. Because of their childish, peevish carnality, the Corinthian saints were divided into groups according to the preachers they liked or did not like to hear. Perhaps some favored Paul’s precise logic, others Apollos’ oratory, and others Peter’s plainness. It may have been that some liked and/or disliked certain personality traits. The reason for the strife was not in the preachers. They were all faithful men. The reason for the strife was the carnality of the Corinthians. They behaved like pouting children.

If a man is thirsty, really thirsty, he will not be terribly fussy about what the cup looks like, or who made it, so long as it contains the water to quench his thirst. If he has no thirst for the water, he is far more likely to talk about the cup.

The Place and Importance of Gospel Preaching

1 Corinthians 1:21

Gospel preaching is so important that without it you simply cannot be saved.

We rejoice in the blessed Gospel doctrine of God’s electing love. But election alone never saved anyone. Election is not salvation. Election is unto salvation. It is not enough that we should be chosen to salvation. Before God almighty, in his holiness, justice and truth, could save chosen sinners, those who were chosen by him must also be redeemed. Election is the work of God the Father. Redemption is the work of God the Son.

How we rejoice in and give thanks to God for our redemption by Christ! Precious blood indeed is that blood which put away our sins! Every God taught sinner has learned to give thanks to God for that glorious Gospel doctrine of limited atonement, particular, effectual redemption by Christ. Yet, even our redemption by Christ, though it guaranteed and infallibly secured the salvation of God’s elect, is not salvation. Salvation involves the work of the Father and the Son; but it also involves the work of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration and effectual calling. The effectual call of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit’s work of almighty, irresistible grace, by which he draws all chosen, redeemed sinners to Christ, creating faith in them, granting them repentance, and converting them by omnipotent grace.

The work of the Holy Spirit in effectual calling must be understood in two aspects: (1.) The outward, external call of grace, which comes to sinners by the preaching of the Gospel; and (2.) The internal call, which is the effectual operation of the Holy Spirit, by which sinners are effectually converted. It is the external call which comes to sinners by the preaching of the Gospel of which our Savior speaks when he says, “Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, declares that many, (not all but many), are called to repentance and faith in him by the preaching of the Gospel, and that few of the many who are called are numbered among the chosen. This is the doctrine of Holy Scripture.

1. God calls sinners to life and faith in Christ by the preaching of the Gospel.

2. The Gospel call is universal in its scope. That is to say, we preach the Gospel to all without exception as the Lord enables us. Many are providentially excluded by God from the external call of the Gospel; but none are excluded by his servants.

3. This call of sinners to repentance and faith in Christ is an unconditional, unqualified call.

4. This call of the Gospel is given by Divine authority.

5. The call issued to sinners in the preaching of the Gospel is a sincere call.

6. This Gospel call is a most gracious call.

7. Though it is, in itself, ineffectual for the saving of any, when accompanied by the power of God’s Spirit, the preaching of the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

This is the importance of Gospel preaching. It is by this means that God calls sinners to salvation and eternal life in Christ. If I were you, I would find me a Gospel preaching, sit down, and listen to the preaching of the Gospel, earnestly praying that God might be pleased in his sovereign mercy to call me by his grace. I would hear the Gospel every time I could. I’d go to the house of God, praying like Fanny Crosby…

“Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry.

While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by!”

The Grace Bulletin

October 7, 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 7:45 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