Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com

 

 

 

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

December 6, 2015

 

God’s love for his elect is an eternal, immutable, indestructible love of complacency and delight.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of December 6-13, 2015

Sunday                Ephesians 3-5                           Thursday 1 Thess. 1-5

      Monday                Ephesians 6-Phil. 2                  Friday                   2 Thess. 1-1 Tim. 1

      Tuesday              Philippians 3-Col. 1                  Saturday              1 Timothy 2-6

      Wednesday        Colossians 2-4                          Sunday                2 Timothy 1-4

 

·      Hearing Assistance Devices — We have several hearing assistance devices for anyone who wishes to use them. The devices are located in the boxes beside the front and rear doors of the auditorium. Please turn the devices off and replace them in the box after each use.

·      I am scheduled to visit our missionaries, Walter and Cody Groover and their families, in Merida, Mexico this week. Pastors Frank Hall and Eric Richards will be accompanying me. The Lord willing, we will visit several pastors and churches in Yucatan and spend one day in the Preachers’ School in Merida.

·      Pastor Todd Nibert (Todds Road Grace Church – Lexington, KY) will be here to preach the Gospel to you on Tuesday.

·      Shelby and I invite you to join us for our annual Open House at the Parsonage next Sunday afternoon, following our morning worship service.

 

Jehovah’s LoveDon Fortner

(Tune: #477— When I Can Read My Title Clear —CM)

1.    What sacred theme inspires the hearts

Of God’s elect with songs?

What is the song of saints above,

The ransomed, blood-bought throng ?

2.    Jehovah’s love swells every note,

And sounds from every chord.

Throughout the nations of the earth, —

And echoes back to God!

3.    He loved His saints ere time began,

And gave them to His Son;

Yea, love contrived His cov’nant and —

The cov’nant work was done!

4.    He loved His chosen when they lay

Beneath sin’s cruel yoke;

‘Twas love that stooped our debt to pay,

And love our fetters broke.

5.    Unchanging love, alone, could bear

With sinners vile and base.

It gives us heav’n, it takes us there,

And tunes our harps for praise!

Happy Birthday! Jesse Rice-9th   Alexis Mason-10th  David Coleman-13th

 

Nursery Duty: Today: Jenny Bartley (AM) — Mindy Peterson (PM)

Tuesday: Shelby Fortner

 

 “I in Them, and Thou in Me”

John 17:23

The Lord Jesus Christ is in us in a distinctive, unique, saving way. Obviously, as the omnipresent God, Christ is in all the world. As the Creator of all men, He is in all men, giving all the light of conscience, by which all are found guilty and condemned from within themselves. As the incarnate God, as a man, our Lord Jesus was once here, dwelling among men. — “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us!” These things John tells us in chapter one (John 1:1-5, 9-11, 14). But when our Lord says, “I in them,” he is telling us that he is in every believing sinner in a special, gracious manner.

 

Christ in Us

I in them” — In regeneration, the new birth, he is revealed in us and to us. Christ is formed in us when we are born of God. He enters into the chosen, redeemed soul, taking possession of his ransomed one by almighty grace, establishes his throne in the heart, communicates his grace, and grants fellowship with himself, and dwells in the heart. He is to every heaven born soul, “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” He is in us by his Spirit, yes; but this text says more.

      He is personally in us! We are, in the new birth, “made partakers of the divine nature.” The Lord Jesus Christ himself is formed in us and dwells in us. He is in us as the King in his kingdom, as the Master in his house, and he is in us as the Head in his body.

      What wondrous, condescending grace! Christ is in us! Therefore, because he who is Holiness dwells in us, we have holiness within, that Holy Thing which is born of God and cannot sin. Because he who is Light dwells within, we have light and shall never walk in darkness. Because he who is Life dwells within, we have life, eternal life, within and shall never perish. Because Christ dwells within us now in grace, he shall dwell in us forever in glory!

 

God in Christ

I in them, and thou in me” — God the Father is in Christ, not only as one with him in the Holy Trinity, but also as our God-man Mediator. The Father is in the Son, communicating all grace to us through him. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are in Christ the Mediator in all the fulness of the eternal Godhead. — “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily!” The Father is in the Son graciously now, and will show himself in and through him and by him alone forever. The Father will show himself glorious in the Son throughout the endless ages of eternity!

 

Our Perfection

Now, hear the reason for this and rejoice. — “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” God is in Christ and Christ is in us that we might be made perfect in him by God’s saving mercy, love, and grace!

 

“Made Perfect in One”

John 17:23

 

I in them, and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me.” — All the fulness of God dwelling in Christ and heaped upon chosen, redeemed sinners in Christ is designed for three great purposes which he shall accomplish as our God-man Mediator.

 

Our Perfection

Jehovah’s object is our perfection, our completion, our wholeness, our total salvation in Christ. Because God was in Christ, all his people were made perfect in justification when that man who is God died as our Substitute at Calvary. Because this Christ, in whom all the fulness of God dwells, dwells in us, we are made perfect in sanctification. He has made us holy and righteous, “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”

      Because Christ is both in the Father and in us, because he is in glory, because he is within the veil, because his blood speaks there for us, we shall soon drop this robe of flesh and be made perfect in glory! Then we shall be perfect in knowledge, in holiness, in peace, joy, and love.

      Because this great, glorious, gracious, omnipotent Christ is in us, and all God’s elect are in him, the number of the saved in glory shall be perfect, complete. Not one shall be missing. And we shall be perfectly one. Still, there is more. — We are one as the Church of God, one Body, one Bride, one Family. Yet our perfection in one is much greater than any of those metaphors can represent. — We who are God’s are one with Christ himself. That is our perfection! That is our salvation!

 

That the World May Know

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me.” — Our Savior here asks a second thing as our great High Priest. He asks not only that all his elect be made perfect in him, but also that the entire world may know, by our salvation, our perfect salvation in union with him, that he is the Sent One of God.

      We sometimes sing…

“Everybody ought to know,

Everybody ought to know,

Everybody ought to know, who Jesus is!”

When our God has finished all that he has purposed to do, everybody will know who the Lord Jesus Christ is!

 

“Hast Loved Them”

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me.” And here is the third thing our Savior asks of God in John 17:23 — “And hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” — Imagine that! What an astounding word this is from God and Savior! — “Thou hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” And when God gets done, every creature in heaven, earth, and hell shall know that God loves us, even as he loves his darling Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

 

 

The Grace Bulletin

 

December 6, 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor Fortner’s

 

Audio Sermons

Video Sermons

Books

Itinerary