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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

July 14, 2019

All Services Live Streamed At

www.youtube.com/c/gracebaptistchurchofdanvilleky

 

Nothing in GodÕs universe is excessive, unneeded, redundant, insignificant, or superfluous.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of July 14-21, 2019

Sunday                Isaiah 2-5                                          Thursday       Isaiah 19-23

      Monday                Isaiah 6-9                                          Friday             Isaiah 24-27

      Tuesday              Isaiah 10-13                                     Saturday                    Isaiah 28-30

      Wednesday        Isaiah 14-18                                     Sunday                      Isaiah 31-34

 

á      I am scheduled to preach Friday-Sunday in the Bible Conference at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Ewing, New Jersey, where Bro. Clay Curtis is pastor.

á      Conference Offering – July 28th.

 

Happy Birthday!  Cliff Hellar-21st   Betty Burge-19th

Happy Anniversary: Doug & Faith Hacker-15th    Roger & Bettina Criss-21st

Nursery Duty Today (AM) ShanteÕ Birchum

 

The Sun of Time is Sinking Fast — Don Fortner

(Tune: #87 — Joy to the World! — CM)

1.    The sun of time is sinking fast;

My race is almost run.

All earthly woe will soon be past,

And triumph soon begun!

2.    The God of Peace beneath my feet

Shall crush the serpentÕs head,

When I with Christ, in victÕry sweet,

This robe of flesh have shed.

3.    I must be near the blessed ranks

Of those to God so dear. —

I feel the mists of JordanÕs banks, —

My crossing must be near!

4.    Yes, soon I must be going home,

Where Christ, the Lamb, appears.

HeÕll send His angels; and theyÕll come

To fetch His ransomed there!

5.    TheyÕll bear my longing soul to Him

Who lived and died for me,

Whose blood has put away my sin,

And Heaven won for me!

 

Commenting on Leviticus 22:31-33 Robert Hawker wrote, ÒHere is GodÕs authority as God. Here is added to this his gracious character as our covenant God. And as if these were not enough, here is added that striking instance of his covenant-mercy in IsraelÕs redemption from Egypt.Ó It is by his authority as God that our God and Savior demands and deserves our reverence, faith, obedience, and utter consecration to himself.

 

Why are we still here?

Mark 5:18-20

 

Why has our Savior left us here? He has already made us completely worthy of heavenly glory. Has he not? Colossians 1:12-14 tells us that he has.

      So why has he left us here? I have been pondering that question a good bit lately. I cannot answer it fully. But I have found an answer that satisfies me in Mark 5:18-20. There we read about the Lord Jesus healing the maniac of Gadara. When the poor man was made to know the Lord Jesus and his grace, he desired to be with him. But the Master denied him that great joy for some time for a very noble and good reason.

 

ÒAnd when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.Ó

 

      What a wonderful change grace had wrought in this man. He who, but a short time before, was a terror to everyone, was now so heavenly composed that he desired never to leave his blessed Savior. Is that not the case with you, who have been called out of darkness into light, and from the power of sin and Satan to the living God? Surely, having once tasted that the Lord is gracious, we cannot but long to be Òabsent from the body, and present with the Lord.Ó Yet our Savior says, ÒNo, not yet.Ó Rather, he tells us to go home to our lost friends and speak forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

      Our Lord Jesus has left us here until GodÕs appointed time shall come to take us home to glory. Our God and Savior must have his witnesses upon earth, as long as the earth remains. None of us shall live upon this crumbling ball of clay too long. ButÉ

 

ÒMortals are immortal here, until their work is none.Ó

 

      What mercy! What grace! What condescending goodness! Our God has put the treasure of his gospel in us earthen vessels, choosing to employ you and me to tell other eternity bound sinners what great things the Lord has done for us and how he has had compassion on us. Let us wait in contentment, happiness, and overflowing gratitude, telling out the good news of redeeming love and saving mercy all the days of our appointed time, until our change come. Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, for now, to abide in the flesh is more needful. When we are no longer needed here, we will be with him there, in that Òhouse not made with hands, eternal in the heavens!Ó

      Oh, eternity bound sinner, make certain that you are in Christ! Let every child of God take comfort with regard to those who have gone to heaven. — ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord!Ó And be assured, weary pilgrim, that your weary, troublesome life will end soon and that it will end well (2 Corinthians 4:17-5:2).

 

Constrained or Consumed

Pastor Greg Elmquist

 

At his first appearing our Lord rode into Jerusalem Òlowly and upon an assÓ (Zechariah 9:9). His posture was that of a humble servant seeking to save that which were lost. ÒFor God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be savedÓ (John 3:17). This is still his posture today for anyone in need of a compassionate Savior. He draws his children to himself with cords of kindness. He constrains them with lovingkindness.

Oh, what a stark contrast to his next appearing. With an army of angels, eyes like fire, and a sword for a tongue, the Lord Jesus is pictured as a reigning monarch riding not Òa colt the foal of an ass,Ó but a great white stallion (Revelation 19:11-21). Justice for his elect was accomplished by the sacrifice of himself in his first coming. Justice for the reprobate will be accomplished by their eternal judgment in his second coming. All men will be constrained by his love or consumed by his wrath. The Spirit and the bride say, Òcome

 

œ—————————————

 

ÒBaptized for the DeadÓ

1 Corinthians 15:29

 

Recently a pastor friend asked me about PaulÕs questions in 1st Corinthians 15:29. — ÒWhat shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?Ó I hope my response was, by the blessing of God, helpful to him and that it will be to you.

Perhaps, most likely in my opinion, Paul was referring to some idolatrous practice common among the Gentiles in that age. Perhaps he referred to some religious invention like infant baptism practiced in the early Corinthian church. In either case, Paul was inspired to argue for the resurrection using the unbiblical religious practice of heretics who denied the resurrection.

Obviously, he was not referring to something that should be done by believers. Were that the case, we would have to conclude that the damned might be saved if someone living were baptized for them, as Mormons teach. We would also have to embrace the Campbellite heresy of baptismal regeneration. And we would be compelled to embrace the Papist/Protestant heresy of sacramentalism, attributing at least some merit and efficacy to baptism.

I am learning in my old age, something I wish I had learned in my youth. — What God has not revealed we are wise not to pry into and be silent upon. At best, all we can do is offer baseless, presumptuous conjectures, trying to show ourselves wise above that which is written in the Book of God.

The Book of God is full of gins and snares by which reprobate rebels, who will not bow to our Lord, will be tripped up, entrapped, and made to stumble over Christ crucified (made a stumbling stone to them) by which they stumble into hell.

 

 

 

 

The Grace Bulletin

 

July 14, 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

7:30 P.M. Mid-Week Worship Service

 

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http://www.DonFortner.com

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http://www.Grace-eBooks.com

 

 

 

 

 

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