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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

October23, 2016

“Christ is the end (termination, finish, completion, fulfilment, accomplishment, period, full stop, stopping point, death) of the law (all the requirement of God, the ceremonial law, the moral law) for righteousness (justification, sanctification, holiness, godliness, obedience) to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4).

·      Grace Baptist Church in Lewisville, Arkansas will host a Sovereign Grace Bible Conference Friday through Sunday. Scheduled speakers are pastors: Gabe Stalnaker, Larry Criss, and Don Fortner. For more information, contact Pastor Darvin Pruitt. — Telephone: 870-626-0740 — Email: darvinpruitt@gmail.com

Happy Birthday!  Susan Grant-28^th    Rickey Dale Birchum-29^th

Nursery Duty this Week

Shante’ Birchum (AM) — Debbie Bartley (PM) — Tuesday: Stephanie Wilkerson

They Shall Return to God — Don Fortner

(Tune: #497 — When I Can Read My Title Clear —CMD)

1. Christ Jesus ransomed His elect, from everlasting woe;

And He will keep those ransomed souls, until His grace they know.

2. The ransom price He paid was blood — (His sin-atoning blood!),

And justice satisfied demands — they shall return to God!

3. Whatever may oppose, they shall, compelled by grace, come home,

Come home to God by faith in Christ, rejoicing, they shall come!

4. They shall obtain endless delight, and everlasting joy. —

They shall possess the realms of light, and blessed rest enjoy.

5. Sorrows, and pains, and sighs shall flee away from their abode;

And their transported souls shall see their Savior and their God.

Walking with God

Ephesians 4:1-2

In the first three chapters of Ephesians the Apostle Paul set before us the blessed doctrine of the Gospel, reminding us of all that the Lord our God, the Triune Jehovah (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), has done for us in Christ.

Our Responsibility

In chapter four, upon the basis of all the boundless, free grace of God heaped upon such sinners as we are in Christ Jesus, the Apostle calls upon us to walk with God, to live like sinners saved by grace, to live like believers.

      “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (v. 1). Understanding who we are, what we are by nature, what God has done for us by his grace, and what we are in Christ, saved sinners want to honor God in all things. John Trapp wrote…

“Every believer is God’s firstborn; and so higher than the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27). He must therefore carry himself accordingly, and not stain his high blood.”

      Children of God, walk with God. Live for Christ. Live for the glory of God in this world. That is our responsibility (Romans 12:1-2). Let me walk worthy of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! Spirit of God, give us grace to devote ourselves to our God, as our God is devoted to us! Give us grace to walk with God!

      But, how? How can a man walk with God? How can I honor God in my life? — Read verse 2, and learn…

The Character of the Walk

“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” We walk with God by faith in Christ. We please God by faith in Christ (Hebrews 11:1-6). We find acceptance with God only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Being saved by the grace of God, being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, let us ever walk with God, adorning the doctrine of God our Savior in all things (Titus 2:7-10). As we live by faith, we honor God, adorning the doctrine of God our Savior, by serving, ministering to, and helping his people. The Spirit of God tells us plainly the character of a walk that is worthy of our calling. Here it is — “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.”

      “With all Lowliness of Mind” — In the exercise of humility, having the best thoughts of others and the lowest thoughts of ourselves. — In not envying the gifts and graces of others, but rejoicing in them. — Always take the lowest place. — Never seek honor, but always turn honor away from yourself to another.

      “With Longsuffering” — Bearing patiently the faults and infirmities of others, not being easily provoked to anger, not being offended by slight or misunderstanding (Galatians 6:1-2).

      “Forbearing One Another in Love” — Making whatever allowances are necessary, because you love one another (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 1 Peter 4:8). — “Love is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:14).

Walking with God

Ephesians 4:1-7

The Spirit of God tells me to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1). How can anyone be expected to live like that? What can motivate such self-denying traits? The rest of the chapter tells us.

      Paul tells me, in verses 3-7, that there is something bigger and more important than me. This is a hard lesson to learn, but learn it we must, if we would live for Christ. There is something bigger and more important than me. — That something is the Church of God. As members of the body of Christ, it is my responsibility and yours to do everything we can “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

      “There is one body.” — The Church of God is one, undivided body. There are many congregations, many local churches, but the Church of God is one Church. Christ is the Head of the body; and we are members of that one body, the Church and Family of God. We are all brothers and sisters in him (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18).

      There is a wondrous, spiritual union between Christ and his people and between believers, a union produced by God the Holy Ghost. We are united in faith, love, and purpose as one body. My responsibility is to do all within my power to protect and preserve that unity, even to surrendering my rights and opinions (Psalm 133:1; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

      “There is one Spirit.” — God the Holy Spirit regenerates, converts, and incorporates chosen, redeemed sinners in the body of Christ. He reconciles saved sinners to God in Christ and to one another in him, making us members one of another.

      “There is one hope of your calling.” — That one hope is the glory for which we hope, the glory reserved for us in heaven. There are no degrees in this glory. It will be equally possessed by all. God’s saints are all loved with the same love, chosen in the same Head, redeemed by the same blood, born again by the same Spirit, saved by the same grace, and secured in the same covenant. And all shall be rewarded for the same obedience. — Christ’s obedience!

      “There is one Lord.” — Our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is Lord by right of creation (Colossians 1:16-17), Lord by the Father’s decree (Acts 2:36), and Lord by the merit of his obedience unto death as our God-man Mediator (Romans 14:9; Philippians 2:9-11).

      “There is one faith.” — There is but one true grace of faith. It may be little faith, much faith, or great faith; but it’s Author and Object is one — the Lord Jesus Christ, his person and his work (John 3:36). And there is but one doctrine of faith — The Gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ.

      “There is one baptism.” — There is one Gospel ordinance of baptism. It is administered in one way — by immersion. It is the immersion of believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:36-39).

      “There is one God.” — There is one eternal, infinite, omnipotent God of heaven and earth, who is the Father of all believers in Christ, and who is sovereign over all, taking care of us all, and dwelling in us all.

      As believers, we have all these things in common — one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, who is our Father. Therefore, we must and will be one family joined together in love stronger than anything this world can know. — Let us cherish this blessed union and do nothing to disturb it!

The Grace Bulletin

October 23, 2016

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

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