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Grace Baptist Church of Danville February 5, 2017
EnochÕs testimony, Òthat he pleased God,Ó was not the testimony of a good reputation received from men, but the testimony of perfect righteousness in, with, and by Christ Jesus, that he received from God by faith in Christ.
Daily Readings for the Week of February 5-12, 2017 Sunday Leviticus 14-15 Thursday Leviticus 24-25 Monday Leviticus 16-18 Friday Leviticus 26-27 Tuesday Leviticus 19-21 Saturday Numbers 1-2 Wednesday Leviticus 22-23 Sunday Numbers 3-4
Happy Birthday! Faith Hacker-7th Raelyn Abell-7th Rachel Coleman-9th
Nursery Duty This Week Nicole Abell (AM) — Diane Campbell (PM) Tuesday: Shelby Fortner
Alpha and Omega — Don Fortner (Tune: The Doxology — LM)
1. As through this world of time I move, In hope of heavÕn and life above, Thinking of GodÕs creation vast, My Savior is the First and Last.
2. His name with sweet delight I view, HeÕs Alpha and Omega, too! He drew creationÕs wondrous plan, And finished what He first began.
3. When on His Word my eye is cast, Christ Jesus is the First and Last; And all the mercies there made known, Their Alpha and Omega crown.
4. His work of grace within reveals HeÕs Alpha and Omega, still; From first to last His glories show, And lay this wretched sinner low.
5. O Holy Ghost, make Christ to be, Alpha and Omega to me! Oh, consecrate my life to Him, Who died for me, GodÕs Son, the Lamb!
6. Then, when the toils of life are past, Jesus shall be the First and Last; And when I bow before my King, IÕll Alpha and Omega sing!
ÒOur Hope is LostÓ Ezekiel 37: 11 Pastor Darvin Pruitt God will bring all his sheep into the wilderness to discover what lies within. He will make them to see and to know the rebellion of their hearts. He will cause their own mouths to confess it and their own love of darkness to manifest itself before all. Then shall they hear his voice condemning old natural Israel, that they cannot enter into his rest, but their carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. Only that which is born in the wilderness shall be led by Joshua (Jesus) and his faithful servant Caleb into the promised rest of Christ. There is a golden rope of grace tied about the neck of all God's sheep. In his purpose of grace, they are permitted to run their own way till they reach the end of their rope. The end of that rope is where they discover their sin. They discover the evil of this world and recognize it as their own. This is what it means to be lost.
Five Gracious Exhortations Ephesians 4:32-5:2
Do you want to be a blessing to other people? Do you want to help others? Do you want to minister to others? Do you want to build up others? Rather than hurting, hindering, offending, and tearing down, rather than driving people away from Christ, the Gospel, and the worship of God, would you like to be a magnet to draw them in? Are you interested in the glory of God, the church of Christ, and the souls of men? If you are, heed these five gracious exhortations and pray that God the Holy Spirit will graciously enable us to obey them.
ÒBe Ye Kind One to Another.Ó How I love that word Òkind.Ó I love to be around kind people. I want to be kind. The word ÒkindÓ means Ògood, thoughtful, courteous, amiable.Ó To be kind toward one another is to entertain gracious thoughts toward each other, look pleasantly upon each other, speak favorably to and about one another, and mutually serve one another for good. Kindness is exactly the opposite of everything mentioned in verse 31. — ÒLet all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.Ó Those vile works of the flesh are natural to us all. We are all basically petty and vindictive by nature. But these wicked, abominable things ought never to be characteristics of saved sinners. They are what our fallen nature is; but we must never indulge them. We ought to be kind to one another. If we would be both peaceful and useful, let us Òbe kind one to another.Ó
ÒBe Ye Tenderhearted.Ó The word means Òsympathetic, compassionate, full of pity.Ó The only other time this word is used in the Bible is in 2 Chronicles 13:7. There we read that Rehoboam, the son of Solomon was Òyoung and tenderhearted.Ó Therefore, he could not fight against his enemies. I know that we must fight the good fight of faith, contend for the truth, and defend the honor of God. But we must never become contentious, hard, and unmerciful (2 Timothy 2:1-3). God, give me a tender heart, a heart sensitive to the direction of your Spirit, sensitive and obedient to your will, sensitive to the glory of Christ, and sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ.
ÒForgiving One AnotherÓ ÒBe ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for ChristÕs sake hath forgiven you.Ó — The secret to peace and happiness in any association with other human beings is forgiveness. You cannot live long with anyone in peace and harmony until you learn to forgive. And we, of all people in the world, ought to be a kind, tenderhearted, forgiving people. Saved sinners, forgiven transgressors, pardoned offenders have great reason to be gracious and forgiving. By the grace of God, through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the free grace and abundant mercy of God, IÕve been forgiven of all my sins. I ought to quickly forgive any evil done to me. IÕve been pardoned of all my transgressions. I should pardon any transgression another man may commit against me. IÕve been cleansed of all my iniquities. I dare not refuse to forgive the indescribably lesser iniquities committed by others. Grace bestowed makes people gracious. Mercy tasted makes people merciful. Love felt makes people loving. And forgiveness experienced makes people forgiving (Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-4).
ÒBe Ye Therefore Followers of God as Dear Children.Ó The word ÒfollowersÓ here is Òimitators.Ó Paul is urging us to follow the example of God himself in all things by imitating him. We are to follow his will, follow his Spirit, follow his Word, and follow his example. Particularly, we are to follow God in acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. We are to be followers of God Òas,Ó or because we are his Òdear children.Ó As a son who has a wise, loving father honors his father by seeking to follow his example and be like him, we honor God when we seek to follow him and be like him.
ÒAnd Walk in Love.Ó We are to love God. That is the first great commandment; but love for God does not exist except in the hearts of heaven-born spirits who love one another (1 John 4:19-5:1). Love is more than sentiment. It is service. Love is more than passion. It is commitment. To love someone is to live for them. Love is the constant, self-abasing, self-sacrificing commitment of myself to the welfare of the people I love. Love is the law of ChristÕs kingdom. — ÒThe love of Christ constraineth us!Ó Love is the fruit of saving faith. — ÒThe fruit of the Spirit is love.Ó Love is easily defined and quickly perceived (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Love is giving, not taking. Love is serving, not being served. Love is forgiving, not retaliating. Love is overlooking faults, not exposing them. Love is covering sin, not digging it up. Love is forbearing, not getting even. Love is helping, not hurting. ÒHe that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.Ó — These are all attitudes and acts of grace I am responsible to show to you and perform for you, no matter what you may do to me. When I am offended, nature says, ÒStrike back!Ó But grace says, ÒBe kind, tenderhearted, forgiving, and loving.Ó
The Grace Bulletin
February 5, 2017
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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Pastor FortnerÕs
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