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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

December 11, 2016

The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), not all people, but his people. They were his people before he came to save them; and they were all saved by his obedience unto death for them.

Daily Readings for the Week of December 11-18, 2016

Sunday 2 Thess. 1-1 Timothy 1 Thursday Hebrews 1-5

Monday 1 Timothy 2-6 Friday Hebrews 6-8

Tuesday 2 Timothy 1-4 Saturday Hebrews 9-10

Wednesday Titus 1-Philemon Sunday Hebrews 11-12

· We will have our Church Family Christmas Dinner following our morning worship service. There will be no service here tonight.

Happy Birthday! David Coleman-13^th James Jordan-16^th

Nursery Duty — Today: Stephanie Wilkerson — Tuesday: Celeste Peterson

The Word Assumed Our Flesh and Blood — Don Fortner

(Tune: #98 – I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day — LMD)

1. From everlasting was the Word,

The Son of God and God the Son.

The Word was with God, and was God,

The Father and the Son are One.

All things in heaven and on earth,

By Christ our God, the Word, were made.

From Him all creatures have their birth.

He is the whole creation’s Head.

2. Behold, with awe, this mystery,

The Word assumed our flesh and blood,

That He might put our sins away

And reconcile us to our God!

Yes, God the Son, who knew no sin,

Stooped to become a mortal man,

That He, for us, might be made sin,

And make atonement for our sins!

3. We now behold, with joy, His face.

The God-man, God the Father’s Son!

How full of truth! How full of grace!

In Him God makes His glory known!

Behold, my soul, the love of God!

Come, sing His praise! His goodness tell!

Let sinners ransomed by His blood

Give praise to Christ – Immanuel!

“Jesus is the Christ”

Psalm 40:6-8

It would be impossible to honestly apply the words of the psalmist in Psalm 40:6-8 to anyone but the Messiah. Indeed, the Jewish commentators from ancient times have said that this Psalm is a messianic prophecy. And, of course, God the Holy Ghost declares in the Book of Hebrews that this prophecy is fulfilled in the Person and work of Jesus of Nazareth (Hebrews 10:5-10).

In these three verses of Inspiration, the Prophet David tells us that there are specific things by which the Christ of God, the true Messiah of Israel, may be identified. And these things find their fulfilment only in Jesus of Nazareth, our Lord and Savior.

The types, promises, and prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures weave a garment that is tailor made to fit only one man. That man is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And that man is our Savior.

Sacrifices Ended

Here David told us that when the Christ, the Messiah comes all the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship must cease. — “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire.” The sacrifices, ceremonies, and laws of the Mosaic economy were never intended to be a means of salvation. God never had pleasure and satisfaction in them. They could not remove sin, satisfy justice, or make men righteous before God (Hebrews 10:1-4).

The sacrifices and ceremonies of the law were only useful as types and shadows of Christ, to show the nature and necessity of his redemptive work. Once they were fulfilled they must and did cease forever, because they have no other service.

Law’s End

The law given by Moses was designed by God to identify and expose sin, to deter men from deeds of iniquity, and to show the necessity of a substitute. Once the law had served its purpose and was fulfilled by Christ, it had no other use, and ceased to have power over men. — “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4).

The Old Testament Scriptures constantly reminded the Jews that God had no regard for their sacrifices and ceremonies, except as they typified Christ and were observed by faith in him (1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 50:7-13; 51:16-17; Isaiah 1:11-14; Daniel 9:27). Those five passages from the Old Testament, read without comment, demonstrate clearly that the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship were never intended to be perpetual. They were only temporary pictures of Christ.

Even the Mosaic covenant, as set forth in what we commonly call the Ten Commandments, was only designed to be a temporary covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; cf. Hebrews 8:7-13). The law of God, as a covenant, a rule of life, and the revelation of God’s righteous requirements from men, was designed only to lead us to Christ, by whom it is fulfilled (Galatians 3:24-25).

Rent Veil

When Christ came, the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament did cease to be observed. David, at least a thousand years before our Lord’s incarnation, intimated that when he came he would accomplish that which no sacrifice, ceremony, or law could accomplish (redemption, justification, righteousness, and forgiveness). The laws, sacrifices, and ceremonies of Israel were only scaffolding, temporarily necessary for the building of his kingdom. Christ Jesus tore down the scaffolding! All the Jewish sacrifices and ceremonies ceased to have virtue when Christ died. And all ceased to exist when God destroyed both Jerusalem and Judaism in 70 A.D. The priesthood ceased. The temple ceased. The sacrifices ceased. The nation of Israel ceased.

When Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, the Messiah, finished his work the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship ceased. To demonstrate that fact, the veil of the temple was ripped apart (Matthew 27:51). The centurion standing by, as he observed all that transpired at Calvary, rightly concluded, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).

Divine Election unto Salvation

Pastor Daniel Parks

The doctrine of divine election unto salvation is explained by Paul the apostle principally in two passages (Ephesians 1:3-6 and 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). This doctrine of divine election unto salvation teaches that:

• God the Father chose certain sinners to be saved from their sins and their sins’ consequences, and to ever be holy and righteous before him in love.

• God chose his people to salvation before he created the earth and world, by an eternal and unalterable decree.

• God’s election of his people unto salvation was one of the first of his spiritual blessings to them, and the spring from which every spiritual blessing from God would flow to them.

• God chose whom he would graciously, as an act of his love and grace to them, not because of any good or merit in the chosen – for there is none.

• God chose his people according to the good pleasure of his will and to the praise of the glory of his grace.

• God predestined his chosen people to be his adopted children, and to be highly favored and accepted in Christ from eternity.

• God also foreordained the means by which his elect would obtain the salvation to which they were chosen: by the Holy Spirit’s sanctification in their regeneration, and by their belief in Christ the Truth in their conversion, having been called to do so by the preaching of Christ’s gospel.

• Those whom God chose to salvation thank and bless him for doing so.

Who are these people thanking and blessing God for choosing them to salvation? They are “the saints ... and faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). “Saints” are literally holy ones, all who are cleansed of their spiritual defilement by Jesus Christ, and separated from the world and consecrated to God, and living holy lives. The “faithful in Christ Jesus” are literally all who are full of faith in Him, trusting in Him alone with all their hearts. If you are such a person, God has chosen you to salvation in Jesus Christ.

The Grace Bulletin

December 11, 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