Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

All Services Live Streamed At

www.youtube.com/c/gracebaptistchurchofdanvilleky

Confusion and darkness will not follow us into the eternal world of order and light.

Daily Readings for the Week of February 10-17, 2019

Sunday Leviticus 26-27 Thursday Numbers 8-10

Monday Numbers 1-2 Friday Numbers 11-14

Tuesday Numbers 3-4 Saturday Numbers 15-16

Wednesday Numbers 5-7 Sunday Numbers 17-19

· I am scheduled to preach for Fairmont Grace Church in Sylacauga, AL, where Bro. Larry Criss is pastor, February 22-24.

Happy Birthday! Nancy Bailey-13^th

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

Let Ransomed Sinners form a Choir — Don Fortner

(Tune: #293 — The Lord’s My Shepherd —CM)

1. Let ransomed sinners form a choir

And sing with one accord!

Our theme the highest note requires, —

Salvation’s of the Lord!

2. Once sunk in sin, in guilt and shame,

With Adam’s fallen race,

But pardoned in Immanuel’s name,

We’re saved by sov’reign grace.

3. Objects of God the Father’s love,

Redeemed by God the Son,

Taught by the Spirit from above,

Jehovah’s grace we’ll own.

4. When unbelief disputes our right,

Close to the cross we’ll cling,

There put our slavish fears to flight,

And God’s salvation sing!

Mocking Parents be Warned

2 Kings 2:23-24

When people who professed to be followers of God “mocked the messengers of God and despised his words” (2 Chronicles 36:16), their children followed their example, learning from their parents’ conversations at Sunday lunch to despise God’s Word and mock his messenger. In judgment upon their prophet mocking children, God sent two she bears to tear them.

“The Lord is My Shepherd”

Psalm 23:1

Throughout the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, is revealed to us as a Shepherd. Blessed is that man, blessed is that woman, blessed is that child who can, with a heart of faith, say, “The Lord is my Shepherd!”

In Genesis 49:24, it was promised that “the Shepherd, the stone of Israel,” would come from “the mighty God of Jacob.” Our Shepherd is the mighty God of Jacob. The prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:11) foretold what Christ would do for his sheep when he revealed himself as our Shepherd. — “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” In Ezekiel 34:23, God promised that in this Gospel Age he would gather his elect from the four corners of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, under one great Shepherd. In chapter 37, verse 24, the prophet tells us plainly that God’s elect “all shall have one Shepherd.” Then, in Zechariah 13:7, we have a plain prophecy of Christ’s death, a prophecy of the good Shepherd laying down his life for his sheep. God himself cries, “Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow!...Smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.” You are familiar with the passage in John 10 where our Lord Jesus Christ describes himself as our Shepherd. — “I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (v. 11). “I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (v. 14). The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ as “Our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” and calls his blood “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20). And the apostle Peter says, “Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25). And he assures us that “when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4).

Divinely Appointed

The Lord Jesus Christ was called and appointed by his Father and our Father to be our Shepherd in the covenant of grace before the world began. And by an act of great, condescending grace and infinite love, he freely, voluntarily agreed to be our Shepherd. Thus, from old eternity, Christ assumed all responsibility for the redemption, salvation, and eternal welfare of God’s elect, his sheep (John 10:14-18).

Qualified Shepherd

Our great and glorious Lord Jesus Christ is abundantly qualified to be our Shepherd. He is the omniscient God. He knows all his sheep, all our maladies and all our needs. He knows where his sheep are, what their case is, and what must be done for them.

Christ, our Shepherd, is also omnipotent. He is the almighty God. He has all power in heaven and earth. He can do all things for us. None of his sheep are or can be in danger. This Shepherd can and will provide for his sheep, protect his sheep, defend his sheep, and save his sheep. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He will guide and direct his sheep in the best path and bring them all at last into the heavenly fold. Oh, may God the Holy Spirit teach us to trust our Savior as the Lord our Shepherd!

“My Shepherd”

Psalm 23:1

I can think of no better, more instructive, God honoring, soul satisfying way to describe Christ as our Shepherd than by using the words of David’s sweetest psalm. In Psalm 23, David declares a blessed fact which he perceived and rejoiced in by faith. He says, “The Lord is my Shepherd!” As his heart meditated upon this blessed fact, he began to realize the blessings that would surely flow to him because the Lord, Jehovah, was and is his Shepherd.

My Possession

“The Lord is my Shepherd!” — What a word of faith this is! David does not say, “The Lord is our Shepherd.” He says, “The Lord is my Shepherd!” He does not say, “The Lord was,” or “The Lord shall be,” but “The Lord is my Shepherd.” He does not say, “I hope,” or “I think.” David speaks with confidence and assurance, saying, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” He knew that the Lord was his Shepherd for one reason. — He trusted the Lord as his Shepherd.

And I know the Lord is my Shepherd for one reason and one reason only. I trust him. He has, by his Spirit, by his grace, by his power, given me faith in himself as my Shepherd. I acknowledge to God and to you my entire dependence upon Christ as sheep upon their Shepherd. Trusting Christ as his Shepherd, David could not doubt his interest in his Shepherd.

It is one thing for the Shepherd to say, “This is my sheep.” But it is another thing for the sheep to say, “This is my shepherd.” When David says, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” he is expressing his faith in Christ, his love and affection for Christ, and his joy because of Christ.

If you trust Christ, he is your Shepherd, too. If the good Shepherd has called you and caused you to hear his voice, if you follow him, that is to say, if you trust him, you are one of his sheep, and he is your Shepherd (John 10:1-5, 26-28). Settle this one question, and it will settle all others. — Do you trust the Lord Jesus Christ? If you do, you are one of his saved sheep (Mark 16:16).

His Possession

We must not fail to observe the position of this 23^rd Psalm. It follows Psalm 22, the Psalm of the Cross. Spurgeon wrote, “We must by experience know the value of the blood-shedding and see the sword awakened against the Shepherd, before we shall be able truly to know the sweetness of the good Shepherd’s care.”

If the Lord is my Shepherd, and I cannot doubt that he is, I belong to him. I am his property. He owns me. The fact that I belong to the Son of God gives me utmost confidence and security and inspires my heart to daily consecrate myself to him. I was chosen of God and given to Christ as one of his elect sheep from the foundation of the world (John 6:37-40). The Shepherd is responsible for the sheep. Christ has redeemed me and purchased me with his own blood (John 10:11-14). Christ, my Shepherd, has sought me, found me, and saved me by his grace (Luke 15:3-5). Christ Jesus protects me, keeps me, preserves me, and promises that I shall never perish (John 10:27-30). The Lord, who is my Shepherd, will bring me safe to heaven at last (Luke 15:6-7).

The Grace Bulletin

February 10, 2019

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