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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

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The more vile we are in our own eyes, the more precious the Lord Jesus is to us. If I am, at times, favored with some liberty in prayer, some strength in believing, and some sense of love for God, sadly it leaves me with a higher opinion of myself!

Daily Readings for the Week of February 17-24, 2019

Sunday Numbers 17-19 Thursday Numbers 30-32

Monday Numbers 20-22 Friday Numbers 33-35

Tuesday Numbers 23-26 Saturday Numbers 36-Deut. 1

Wednesday Numbers 27-29 Sunday Deuteronomy 2-4

· I am scheduled to preach for Fairmont Grace Church in Sylacauga, AL, where Bro. Larry Criss is pastor, Friday night through Sunday morning.

Happy Birthday! Jerry Sadler-20^th Charlie Meadows-22^nd

Nursery Duty Today: Nicole Abell (AM) — Ruth Wall (PM)

Oh, Matchless, Boundless Love — Don Fortner

(Tune: #33 — Stand Up and Bless the Lord —SM)

1. Oh, matchless, boundless love,

That makes us sons of God,

Let saints on earth and saints above

Adore and praise the Lord!

2. Oh, matchless, sov’reign grace,

That sanctifies us here,

And seals to us in heaven a place,

When Jesus shall appear!

3. Oh, soul-transporting thought,

To see Him as He is,

And, with the sons of God, be brought

Into eternal bliss!

4. Oh, happy, joyful state,

(With Jesus face to face!)

Casting our crowns down at His feet,

We’ll give Him endless praise!

A Faithful Pastor

Colossians 1:7

The apostle Paul seized every opportunity to remind God’s people of the great blessing of God in giving his churches faithful pastors, men who labor in the Word, devoting themselves to the service of the immortal souls trusted to their care. Let every local church and every individual believer who has a faithful pastor cherish him and esteem him highly as an ascension gift of Christ.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Psalm 23:1

One of the most delightful words in this majestic psalm is that little personal, possessive pronoun “my.” I rejoice in knowing that Christ is the good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, that he is the great Shepherd who arose and reigns in heaven for his sheep, and that he is the chief Shepherd who is coming again for his sheep; but, frankly, that would all be meaningless to me, if I could not lift my heart to heaven and say, “The Lord is my Shepherd. He is my Shepherd personally, distinctively, and perpetually.

Present Possession

The text is in the present tense. Whatever your position or condition is, sheep of Christ, you are under the watchful care of Christ your Shepherd. Everywhere and always, he watches over us, cares for us, protects us, provides for us, and preserves us. The Lord is my Shepherd; and I am his sheep. — My name is engraved upon the palms of his hands!

Do you see the meaning of those words? “The Lord is my Shepherd!” — That is our great possession! Meditate upon this blessed fact. What may faith deduce from it? David tells us. He describes our great privileges as Christ’s sheep in the next lines.

Reasonable Conclusion

Because the Lord is my Shepherd, “I shall not want.” Faith must draw this conclusion. If the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want anything, for having him, I have everything (1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Romans 8:32).

I shall not want any temporal good thing. None of Christ’s sheep lack anything in this world that is good, needful, and useful for them (Psalm 37:25; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 22:35). Sheep do not feed, clothe, and protect themselves. They are fed, clothed, and protected by their Shepherd (Psalm 37:25; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 22:35).

More importantly, I shall not want any spiritual good thing (Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 2:9-10). Christ is the One in whom all fulness dwells. And we have all our needs supplied in him, by him, from him, and with him. Our souls shall never want for spiritual food, for by him we go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9). We go in to him and out of ourselves. We go in to him and out into the world. He is the Bread of Life. In him we have bread enough and to spare. He is the Fountain of Living Water. Those who drink at this Fountain never thirst for another. We shall never want for clothing, for he is “The Lord our Righteousness” and we are clothed with the robe of his righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). He clothes us with “the garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10). Our hearts shall never want rest, for he is our Resting Place, our Sabbath, in whom we find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28-30).

These words could be translated, “I shall not fail,” or “I shall not come short.” Then the meaning would be, “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not fail to attain eternal glory and happiness” (John 10:27-30). — “They shall never perish!”

Green Pastures, Still Waters, and Gracious Restoration

Psalm 23:2-3

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” (v. 2). — These green pastures are all found in the Word of God. Christ graciously, tenderly makes his sheep lie down in the green pastures of his Word, where we find rest, safety, satisfaction, and peace. There the grass is always tall, lush, and green, and never bare (Song of Solomon 1:7).

Sheep Food

What are these green pastures of Holy Scripture? What is this sheep food with which the good Shepherd feeds his sheep? The psalmist was not inspired to tell us; but the Book of God does specifically mention some of those green pastures in which David found food for his soul. And God’s elect in every age feed upon those same green pastures.

· The Covenant of Grace (2 Samuel 23:5)

· The Person and Work of Christ (Psalm 22)

· The Blessed Doctrine of the Gospel (Psalm 130)

· The Sweet Promises of God (Psalm 103)

· The Ordinances of the Gospel (Psalm 119)

· Public Worship (Psalm 120-134)

Waters of Quietness

“He leadeth me beside the still waters” (v. 2) — What a gentle word, “leadeth!” Gently, thoughtfully, tenderly, Christ leads his sheep, like Jacob of old, to the soft, deep, quiet waters, as they are able to bear (Genesis 33:14). The Lord Jesus does not drive us with the whip of the law. He leads us by his Word, by his example, and by his Spirit beside the waters of quietness. To these waters of quietness, we would never come if our good Shepherd did not lead us, graciously, gently, but always effectually. The everlasting love of God is like a river, the streams whereof make glad the hearts of his people (Psalm 46:4). Christ himself is the pure river of the Water of Life from which all his sheep drink freely and constantly. Our Shepherd leads his sheep into the pleasant waters of spiritual communion with the eternal God. The Lord who is our Shepherd, leads all his sheep into the deep, still waters of Holy Scripture and causes them to wade through, drink from, and swim in the refreshing truths of the gospel. All who thirst are invited to come to these waters (Isaiah 55:1). And in heaven’s eternal glory, Christ will still lead his sheep by the fountains of living water for their everlasting consolation and joy (Revelation 7:15-17).

Gracious Restoration

“He restoreth my soul” (v. 3). — How often he has come to me, when I could not go to him, when my soul was downcast, fainting, and disconsolate! Day by day, Jehovah, my Shepherd, restoreth my soul. When I stray, he fetches me back to himself. When I seem to be dying within, he relieves me, refreshes me, comforts me, and revives me with fresh discoveries of his love, the blessed promises of the gospel, the sweet memory of his sacrifice, and the bolstering remembrance of his dominion.

The Grace Bulletin

February , 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