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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

November 23, 2014

 

Either the Lord Jesus was made sin for us and our sins were transferred to him, or his sufferings were not penal sufferings and the justice of God was not satisfied by them. An innocent person may suffer, but an innocent person cannot be punished, upon any just ground. And justice will not, indeed cannot, allow an innocent person, considered as innocent, to suffer punishment in the room of the guilty, anymore that it can reward a guilty, sinful, corrupt one with life eternal.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of November 23-30, 2014

Sunday                Romans 9-11                                   Thursday       1 Corinthians 8-10

            Monday                      Romans 12-15                    Friday             1 Corinthians 11-13

            Tuesday                    Romans 16-1 Cor. 3            Saturday                    1 Corinthians 14-15

            Wednesday  1 Corinthians 4-7                Sunday                      1 Corinthians 16-2 Cor. 3

 

·      The Lord willing, we will have a Thanksgiving/Christmas Church Family Dinner next Sunday, November 30th. There will be no evening service next week.

·      Todds Road Grace Church in Lexington, KY will host a Bible Conference December 5-7. Bro. Todd Nibert is the host pastor.

·      Shelby and I would like for you to join us for our annual Open House at the Parsonage — Sunday, December 14th, following the morning worship service.

 

Happy Birthday! Cody Henson-25th

 

Nursery Duty this Week

Today: Jenny Bartley (AM) — Mindy Peterson (PM) — Tuesday: Celeste Peterson

 

When Satan Roars and Lays His Snares Don Fortner

(Tune: #414 — Am I a Soldier of the Cross? — CM)

 

1.    While Satan roars and lays his snares,

Before Your throne I fall.

On You I cast my woes and cares;

And for Your grace I call.

 

2.     I seek Your grace and trust Your power,

While flesh is my abode;

Uphold me in each trying hour,

In Zion’s narrow road.

 

3.    Others who seemed so well to run,

Have fallen in their race:

The work, O Lord, which You’ve begun,

Complete by Your free grace.

 

4.    Though bitter sorrows fill my cup,

And loads of guilt oppress,

I’m safe if You will hold me up,

And joyful if You bless.

 

5.    Your all-sufficient grace supply,

While I have life and breath;

And come, my faithful Savior, nigh,

To hold me up in death!

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“The Manifold Wisdom of God”

The Wisdom of God in Using Evil

Isaiah 45:5-7

 

In discussions of religious philosophy the problem of evil is probably debated more than any other. — “If God is so good, why is his world so bad? If a good, all-wise, just, loving, and all-powerful God is running the show, why does he seem to be doing such a miserable job of it? Why do bad things happen to good people?” That is the problem, as men see it.

While I have absolutely no interest in indulging the vain curiosities of depraved hearts about sacred things, I do realize that this is a matter of confusion to many of God’s saints. This is a subject about which clear instruction is given from the Word of God. And the instruction given in Holy Scripture is both clear and full of comfort for believing hearts. Our great and gracious, all-wise and ever-good God, with great wisdom and prudence, uses evil to accomplish his eternal purpose of grace in the redemption of our souls by Christ Jesus (Isaiah 45:5-7; Proverbs 16:4; Psalm 76:10).

 

A Question

The question is often raised, “How did sin and evil arise in God’s creation?” If God is absolutely sovereign, absolutely holy, and absolutely good, if he created all things good, how is it that pride was found in Lucifer’s heart? How were the fallen angels led to rebel against his throne? How was Adam seduced to sin? Augustus Toplady wrote…

 

“The origin of evil is the most difficult question, perhaps, and the most mysterious part of the divine conduct that ever presented itself to human investigation. Clouds and darkness are the seat of its residence; though wisdom, goodness, and justice, were certainly (in a manner unknown to us) the motives.”

 

      Yet, the existence of evil is a problem which vexes our minds continually. We must, whenever considering such a subject, at once, as Toplady put it, “clip the wings of curiosity.” — Knowing that God is not the author of sin, and that he never tempts any to evil (James 1:13-17), knowing that nothing comes to pass without his all-wise decree, the matter cannot be resolved in a more God honoring way than to use the words of our Lord as the expression of submissive faith, — “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.”

      We bow before God in reverent submission, and confess, “Lord, we are darkness. You are light. We are ignorance. You are Wisdom. We are but creatures. You are our Creator. We see nothing, know nothing, and understand nothing clearly. You see all things, know all things, and understand all things perfectly.” Before him of whom are all things, we acknowledge our utter ignorance. We are, ought to be, and must be content to wait until our souls are freed from the influence of evil in the world above to know the mind and purpose of God concerning the evil which here perplexes our minds.

 

Two Things

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Still, two things we know by divine revelation. First, we know that “all things are of God!” That is Bible language (2 Corinthians 5:18). Everything that is, has been, and shall hereafter be was ordained and is brought to pass by our God to show forth the greatness of his glory (Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 1:11-12; Revelation 5:13).

      It appears, then, that the perfections of God could not have been so gloriously revealed, as they are now revealed in Christ, had evil never entered the universe. God all-wise overrules and uses evil to his own praise (Psalm 76:10). Had sin never been, how could the justice of God be known in punishing it? Had evil never existed, how could the wisdom of God be seen overruling it? Had sin never entered the world, how could the goodness of God be made manifest in pardoning and forgiving it? Had there never been any wickedness in God’s creation, how could the power of God be revealed in subduing it?

      Second, the Word of God tells us that “all things work together for” the spiritual and eternal good of God’s elect. Without question, all evil in the world is included in the “all things” which work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28-30).

 

 

The Full and Hungry Soul

Proverbs 27:7 — Pastor Darvin Pruitt

The full soul is a soul full of lies, deceit, and false hope. It lacks nothing, wants nothing, and needs nothing. Put a full gospel meal before such souls and they will sit motionless while others fill up their plates. “But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” Speak of sin, betrayal, and rebellion and even though it is bitter yet the hungry soul will eat it. He knows these things are what brought him to Christ and that makes them sweet to him.

Sinners full of self, full of religion, and full of hypocrisy have no appetite for Christ. There must be an emptying and then the hungry soul will sit and eat. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5: 6).

May God be pleased today to make every soul here a hungry soul.

 

 

Sin and Death — Righteousness and Life

Romans 5:21 — Pastor Clay Curtis

When vainly religious sinners attempt to make light of the total corruption and death of all sinners by our disobedience and first birth in Adam, unknowingly they make light of the complete righteousness and eternal life of all God’s elect by the obedience and new birth of Christ. Adam did not make death possible for those he represented; by Adam’s disobedience sin reigned unto death upon and in his people. Nor did Christ make righteousness and eternal life possible for those he represented; by Christ’s obedience grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life upon and in his people. Let us praise God that we became sinners by another because the only way we are made righteous is by another—by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

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The Grace Bulletin

 

November 23, 2014

 

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

 

 

 

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