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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

November 1, 2015

 

Faith in Christ is not a leap in the dark, but walking in the light.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of November 1-8, 2015

Sunday                John 7-8                                                        Thursday       John 15-17

      Monday                John 9-10                                          Friday             John 18-19

      Tuesday              John 11-12                                       Saturday                    John 20-Acts 1

      Wednesday        John 13-14                                       Sunday                      Acts 2-3

 

Holiday Schedule

November 29th — Church Family Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner

December 13th — Open House at the Parsonage

 

Happy Birthday!  Sandy Gladfelter-3rd

Happy Anniversary:

Bob & Mary Lou Duff-19th  Don & Denise Raneri-23rd

Nursery Duty: Today: Jayalita McCormack (AM) — Elizabeth Peterson (PM)

Tuesday: Diane Campbell

 

It Shall Be Well with the Righteous Don Fortner

(Tune: #33 — Stand Up and Bless the Lord —SM)

 

1.    What happy words are those;

Who can their sweetness tell? —

“It shall be well with the righteous.”

God says, “It shall be well.”

 

2.    Through flood and flame they pass,

But God is with them still.

“Fear not,” the Lord their Savior says,

“`Tis with the righteous well.”

 

3.    Kept by God’s arm secure,

Beneath His watchful eye,

It shall be well while life endures,

And when the righteous die.

 

4.    Oh yes, when Jesus calls

The righteous home to dwell,

In heav’n we’ll sing with virgin souls,

“`Tis with the righteous well!”

 

A Joyful Prospect

I do not know that it is so, but I think that in heaven’s glory, we will spend eternity looking back over the Alps of time beholding God’s wondrous grace and his good providence, beholding his wonders performed on our behalf with ever-increasing clarity, ever-increasing joy, and ever-increasing praise “to him who alone doeth great wonders; for his mercy endureth forever.” Won’t that be something?

 

It shall be Well with the Righteous

 

“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” (Isaiah 3:10)

 

What would it mean to you to know that every trial and every failure, every joy and every sorrow, every good day and every difficult day is ordained, designed, purposed, and ordered by your heavenly Father for your eternal good and his glory? — That all things that come to pass in your life and in the life of your family are for your good? That is the experience and heritage of every believer (Romans 8:28-39; Isaiah 3:10).

 

The Righteous

Who are the righteous to whom God makes this great promise? They are all who have been made righteous in Christ by the grace of God. Every sinner who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ has been made the righteousness of God in him. We are made righteous in free justification by Christ’s righteousness imputed to us. And we are made righteous in sanctification in the new birth, by Christ’s righteousness imparted to us. This is what Peter calls being made “partakers of the divine nature.” We are made righteous in the experience of grace by faith, by faith receiving the righteousness of Christ.

 

God’s Promise

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him!” — You may read the statement as broadly as your heart’s imagination will allow. There are no limitations to the promise. There are no conditions to the promise. There are no qualifications in the promise. To the righteous God simply says, “It shall be well with him.” Our God, who cannot lie, made the promise. Our hearts ought to respond, “If God has said it shall be well with me, then it is, has been, and shall be well with me!” It shall be well with the righteous. — It shall be well with the righteous always, at all times, and in all circumstances.

It is well with the righteous now (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is well with the righteous when all seems to be ill. It is well with the righteous when it is ill to everyone else. When temptations come, it shall be well with the righteous (1 Corinthians 10:13). When trials come, it shall be well with the righteous (Hebrews 12:5-11; James 1:12). When Satan buffets, it shall be well with the righteous. When we are weak, it shall be well with the righteous (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Even when we sin, it shall be well with the righteous (1 John 2:1-2). Yes, even when we fall, it shall be well with the righteous. — “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand” (Psalm 37:24). — “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness” (Micah 7:8-9).

So long as we live on this earth, it shall be well with the righteous. In the hour of death, it shall be well with the righteous. In the judgment, it shall be well with the righteous. And for all eternity, it shall be well with the righteous (Revelation 21:4; 22:4).

 

“It shall be Well with Him”

 

“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” (Isaiah 3:10)

 

This is the promise of the Lord our God, the Triune Jehovah, to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. — “It shall be well with him.

      Perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “Pastor, I know that this promise is written in the Bible, but how can I be sure that it shall be well with me?” If you are righteous, if you are a believer, if you are washed in the blood, born of God, and robed in the righteousness of Christ, it shall be well with you.

 

Seven Pillars

 

Here are seven solid pillars to support this promise which ought to greatly encourage our faith. It shall be well with the righteous, because… ——

 

1.    Your greatest trouble is past. — Your sin and guilt has been removed (Isaiah 44:22-23; Romans 8:1).

2.    Your greatest enemy has been defeated. Satan, the fiend of hell, is a conquered foe. He is a roaring lion; but all he can do is roar. Our Lord Jesus has removed his teeth and his claws, and has bound him with a chain he can never break.

3.    Your indwelling sin, that old man of the flesh, is doomed (Romans7:24-25).

4.    Your God, who made this promise, rules all things.

5.    You live upon a bank that will never be broken — The Bank of Grace (Hebrews 4:16).

6.    You are not alone (Hebrews 13:5). — There is a Divine Comforter within you. There is an almighty omnipotent arm embracing you, upon which you may lean with confidence. There is a gracious God walking with you.

7.    And the very justice of God demands that it shall be well with the righteous. — “For they shall eat of the fruit of their doings.”

 

Divine Justice

 

That which you have done in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, your perfect, righteous obedience in him, demands that it shall be well with you. He merits all that is good; and by his merits you shall have all that is good.

            The God-man our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, lived the full age of manhood upon this earth. While here, he loved God perfectly, with all his heart. He loved his neighbor as himself. He was perfectly obedient to all the will of God. And he believed God perfectly. Thus, he brought in everlasting righteousness.

When he died, he made complete atonement for sin. When he was made sin, he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

            And all of this, my brother, my sister, we did in him, in union with him! Therefore, the Lord God declares that it shall be well with us forever, because justice demands that we eat the fruit of our doings!

 

 

The Grace Bulletin

 

November 1, 2015

 

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Telephone (859) 576-3400 — 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

 

Web Pages

http://www.DonFortner.com

http://www.FreegraceRadio.com

http://www.Grace-eBooks.com

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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