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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

December 17, 2017

Every sermon ought to be prepared and preached as if the preacher knew that all who hear him are on the brink of eternity.

Daily Readings for the Week of December 17-24, 2017

Sunday Hebrews 9-10 Thursday 1 Peter 2-5

Monday Hebrews 11-12 Friday 2 Peter 1-3

Tuesday Hebrews 13-James 2 Saturday 1 John 1-5

Wednesday James 3-1 Peter 1 Sunday 2 John-Jude

· We extend our deepest sympathy to Mitch Wilkerson and his family in the death of Mitch’s father last week.

· We will have no Sunday evening service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Happy Birthday! Celeste Peterson-19^th Evelyn Wang-21^st

Nursery Duty This Week

Jayalita McCormack (AM) — Stephanie Wilkerson (PM) Tuesday: Diane Campbell

Come, Let Us Go to Bethlehem – Don Fortner

(Tune: #414 Am I A Soldier of the Cross — CM)

1. Come, let us go to Bethlehem;

Let Wise men come, and see,

Our God incarnate, great I AM, —

O wondrous mystery!

2. Like sinners’ hearts, the crowded inn

Provided Him no place,

A stable’s manger – bed for Him,

Who comes to bring us grace!

3. Come, now, redeemed ones of the Lord,

Your songs and praises bring;

Let’s celebrate, with one accord,

The birth of Christ our King!

4. If angels, innocent, here sang

His praise with all their powers,

Much more, let ransomed sinners sing, —

Redemption full is ours!

Merry Christmas!

Shelby and I are thankful to our God for making you so much a part of our lives. We are truly thankful and honored that it is our privilege to serve the cause of Christ with you. Thank you for you relentless love and generosity to us. As you gather with your families to celebrate our Savior’s incarnation and redemptive accomplishments as our Substitute, we wish you a very merry Christmas.

“Every Eye Shall See Him”

Revelation 1:7

While all the world remembers the incarnation of our Savior during the holiday season, let us particularly remember why the Lord Jesus came in his first advent. The Son of God came into the world to save sinners by the sacrifice of himself as our Substitute at Calvary. He came to give his life a ransom for his elect. Christ was born at Bethlehem to die on the cursed tree. Having accomplished his work, he was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and took his seat upon the throne of God in our flesh. — “With his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12). And, blessed be his name, our Savior, King Jesus, who rules all things for us, shall soon appear again, in his second advent, in power and great glory.

Grace and Praise

John began his letter to the seven churches of Asia with a benediction of grace. — “Grace be unto you.” Then his loving heart arose to grateful adoration. He adored Christ because of who he is and what he has done. Our blessed Savior is “the faithful witness, and the first-begotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.” And he has done marvelous things for us. He loved us. He redeemed us. And he has made us kings and priests to God.

Our Lord’s royalty is diffused among the redeemed. Praise belongs to Christ because he is King, and then because he has made us kings. The Son of God takes such stuff as he finds in the dunghill of fallen humanity and makes for himself kings and priests unto God.

Hope and Expectation

Here John’s adoration arises to hope and expectation. — “Behold, he cometh!” Like John, our reverence should be deepened and our adoration increased by the conviction of the speediness of Christ’s glorious advent. — The Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Heaven, is coming in all the glory and majesty of his eternal Godhead, to the delight of his people and the dismay of his enemies.

Our Lord Jesus is coming. His second coming is an absolute certainty. It is not a matter of speculation or debate. As surely as he came to die, he will come to reign. That very One who died at Calvary shall come again to reign upon the earth. Who shall prevent him? His heart is with his bride; and he will surely come to her. Notice, John puts it in the present tense. “He is coming.” Every event of providence is a footstep of the King in his descent. He is coming; and soon he shall appear!

Once he came in humiliation. In humiliation he died. But he shall never be humbled again. When Christ comes the second time, he will ride upon the clouds of glory; and it is no secret matter. “Every eye shall see him.” All the redeemed shall see him. All his enemies shall see him.

At that glorious day, the Son of God will gather all his redeemed unto himself. He will ease himself of all his adversaries. And he shall reign forever. — Hallelujah! “Even so. Amen.”

“Behold, He Cometh!”

Revelation 1:7

When I have stated all that I know about the second coming of Christ and prophetic events, I will not have said much. The glory that awaits God’s elect when time shall be no more is indescribably greater than any mortal mind can comprehend. But some things are clearly revealed about our Lord’s second coming. Let me remind you of a few of those things which are most obvious in Holy Scripture.

1^st — We must recognize the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ may come at any moment (Revelation 1:7). There is nothing necessary to prepare for the coming of Christ. The time is at hand. — “Lift up your heads, your redemption draweth nigh.” Indeed, the sense of Scripture is that our glorious Redeemer is presently coming; he is on his way now. We should live, moment by moment, upon the tiptoe of faith in anticipation of his glorious appearance. Everything he has done since his ascension and exaltation has been and is just the movement of his feet in his return. Every work of providence is another step toward his bride, whom he is preparing for himself.

2^nd — Our Lord is coming in power and great glory (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). The Bible nowhere speaks of our Lord coming in secret to rapture the church, and then coming again (a third time) in judgment seven years later. The second advent of Christ will be a climatic thing. Suddenly, he shall appear in power and in great glory.

3^rd — Our Lord will come in a real body (Revelation 1:7). I will not attempt to say what the glory of his body will be; or how every eye shall see him at once, but two things are sure: (1) Christ will come in a physical body, the same body in which he hung upon the cross; and (2) His body will be so glorious, so bright, so dazzling, that every living creature shall see him, and the earth shall melt before him.

4^th — When Christ comes a mighty resurrection shall take place (John 5:28-29). There will be a resurrection of the just. - The people of God shall be raised to immortality, life, and eternal glory. The body of flesh shall be gathered from the dust and united to our souls in the perfection of righteousness, blamelessness, and glory; and in those bodies we shall see the Lord, our Redeemer (Job 19:25-27). Eternal life, in all its fulness and bliss, shall be our portion! There will also be a resurrection of the wicked. - The ungodly, the unbelieving, shall also be raised; their bodies shall become immortal and united to their souls, so that they may endure everlasting damnation in hell. This is the second death. Eternal death, in all its horror, shall be their portion forever!

5^th — At the second coming of Christ, this world shall be destroyed and our God and Savior will create new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:10-14; Rom. 8:18-23). The people of God will not spend eternity floating around like ghosts in the air. In these very bodies, we shall live for ever upon the new earth. Heaven shall be brought to the earth. Righteousness shall reign here. The Paradise of God, the Heavenly City, shall be with men.

The Grace Bulletin

December 17, 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