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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

July 28, 2013

God’s elect are by God the Holy Ghost declared to have been justified, sanctified, accepted, and saved in Christ before the world began. That means that our works have absolutely nothing to do with our justification, sanctification, acceptance, and salvation. — “Salvation is of the Lord!”

·      Conference Offering Today — Our 34th Annual Bible Conference is scheduled for August 30 – September 1. Scheduled speakers are Don Fortner, Darvin Pruitt, Lance Hellar, Eric Richards, Gene Harmon, Donnie Bell, Rupert Rivenbark, and Larry Criss.

·      Following our worship service today, we will have a special fellowship dinner in honor of Jerry and Marilyn Sadler’s 50th wedding anniversary.

·      I am scheduled to preach Monday – Wednesday for East Hendersonville Baptist Church in Hendersonville, NC, where Bro. Carroll Poole is pastor. — Bro. Mark Warta will preach the gospel to you Tuesday night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Carol Brown-4th

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

 Lindsay & Diane Campbell-8th   Mark & Sherri Warta-9th    Jerry & Marilyn Sadler-10th

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK:  Today: Alexis Mason      Tuesday: Ruth Wall

Almighty God, for Grace We Pray — Don Fortner

(Tune: The Doxology  LM)

1.    Almighty God, for grace we pray,

Attend our gath’ring here today;

We’ve come to worship at Your throne

Through Christ, Your well beloved Son.

2.    Your Holy Spirit send this hour

And fill Your servant with His pow’r:

Leave not Your messenger alone,

But give him grace to preach Your Son.

3.    Our hearts remove from earthly care,

And fill with grace, and praise, and prayer;

Reveal Your  Son, expose our sin,

And turn our hearts in faith to Him.

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The Lord Our Righteousness

“In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this [is the name] wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.” (Jeremiah 33:16)

This is a fact so indescribably glorious that it could not be believed by anyone were it not written upon the pages of Holy Scripture: — The Son of God is “the Lord our Righteousness,” and we who are God’s are “the righteousness of God in him!” We know, by constant, bitter experience, that all our righteousnesses are dross, and dung, and filthy rags. Our most righteous deeds are no more acceptable to the holy Lord God than utter blasphemy. Nothing can be found more precious to sinners who know themselves sinners than the fact that Christ is made of God unto us righteousness. He is so thoroughly made the righteousness of God unto us that we are “the righteousness of God in him.”

No Excess

How far can that thought be carried biblically? Is there danger of excess here? Must we be careful, lest someone carry this too far? Oh, no! That is impossible! Believing sinners are so thoroughly made the righteousness of God in Christ that God himself declares of his Church, “This is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.” Roll that over in your heart until it overwhelms you.

His Name Our Name

If Christ is “The Lord our Righteousness,” as the Word of God declares he is, it is only reasonable and right that his Bride be called by his name. A loving, faithful wife always takes her husband’s name. She is not fit to be called a wife who refuses to do so. So, too, a good husband delights to give his wife his name, and he is honored for her to wear it and use it, because all that he is and has is hers. Yet, no earthly marriage comes close to fully portraying the union between Christ and his Church. Married to Christ, we have all that he has as our Mediator. Indeed, as his body and bride, we are “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:23). It is written in the Book of God, “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17). Ours is a marriage union that transcends all marriage unions. Others shall be dissolved at death. Ours is forever (Hosea 2:19).

Blessed Union

“Christ loved the church and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). The Son of God came into this world in human flesh for us, lived in obedience to God for us, was made sin for us, died for us, arose for us, was exalted for us, intercedes for us, and reigns upon his throne for us. Everything he is as the God-man Mediator, he is for us. Everything he does, he does for us. Everything he possesses, he possesses for us and gives to us (John 17:22; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 1:3). Among all the things our all glorious Christ has wrought for us and given to us, none is more  glorious,  delightful,  and  satisfying  than  this: —

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“He is made of God unto us Righteousness,” and we are made “the righteousness of God in him.” His righteousness is our righteousness, presently and permanently. Therefore, we are, as the Word of God declares, “meet (worthy) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12). As in a true marriage, a husband is everything to his wife and a wife everything to her husband, so in this — Christ is everything to his Bride and she is everything to him; and the name of this holy couple is “The Lord our Righteousness!”

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“Made of God unto You Righteousness”

1Corinthians 1:30

Both in redemption and in regeneration Christ is made of God, unto every believing sinner, righteousness. He is the believer’s only righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16).

Christ’s obedience unto death is the righteousness of God imputed to God’s elect in free justification (Romans 3:24; 5:19).

Christ, who is our Righteousness, is formed in (imparted to) redeemed sinners in the new birth. He could not be formed in us except he be imparted to us. Thus, in the new birth, God the Holy Spirit makes regenerate sinners new creatures, partakers of the divine nature and possessors of that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 1:4).

Christ is that new man created in (imparted to) every saved sinner. He could not be created in us except he be imparted to us. He is that new man created in us in righteousness and true holiness, that new man that is born of God and cannot sin, making every heaven born soul in this world one who possesses two distinct, warring natures: the one flesh the other spirit (Romans 7:14-23; Galatians 5:17-23; Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 3:5).

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Thank God for His Grace

Pastor Larry Criss

May we never get over the wonder of his grace. That God would save this sinner is indeed a miracle of his matchless mercy. There is no other explanation. Making a decision or walking down a church aisle requires no miracle, and is why such a so called salvation is not viewed with any wonder or awe. It doesn’t deserve to be. But when the God of all grace calls a helpless sinner out of darkness and reveals his Son in him, that’s a marvel, and that deserves my falling before him in adoring wonder and praise and joyfully confessing: “Hallelujah, what a Savior!” — “To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

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The Grace Bulletin

July 28, 2013

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

Pastor Fortner’s

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