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If the Lord God declares that the holy Christ was made a curse (Galatians 3:13), the Holy One was made a curse for us.

Daily Readings for the Week of March 22-29, 2020

Sunday Judges 21-Ruth 3 Thursday 1 Samuel 10-12

Monday Ruth 4-1 Samuel 2 Friday 1 Samuel 13-14

Tuesday 1 Samuel 3-6 Saturday 1 Samuel 15-17

Wednesday 1 Samuel 7-9 Sunday 1 Samuel 18-20

Happy Birthday! Jesse Shultz-28^th

Nursery Duty Today — Shante’ Birchum

Come, Sing of God’s Electing Love — Don Fortner

(Tune: The Doxology — LM)

1. Come, sing of God’s electing love

And His eternal purpose good.

Let sinners saved by sov’reign grace

Lift heart and voice in praise to God.

2. Before the angels sang His praise,

Before God made the earth or sun,

He chose the people He would save

And gave them to His darling Son.

3. Without condition we must meet,

God’s choice most sov’reign, wise, and good,

Was fixed by free, eternal love.

He loved us just because He would.

4. Nothing in heaven, earth, or hell

Can alter God’s most wise decree.

Each chosen sinner shall be saved,

And shall at last God’s glory see!

5. Immutable, His purpose stands,

Immortal as it is sublime!

God’s justice, mercy, truth, and grace

United make salvation mine!

Perfectly Holy, Yet Utterly Sinful

God’s saints in this world are perfectly righteous and perfectly holy. The Lord God himself declared that Job was a perfect man, and then showed us how utterly sinful Job was. How can this be? Christ has put way our sins. We fulfilled the law in him by his obedience unto death as our Substitute. And in the new birth that new man created in us is created in righteousness and true holiness. Death for us will only be God’s final separation of the precious from the vile. — Blessed, blessed, blessed hope!

Sovereignty Illustrated

Hebrews 2:16

Throughout the Old Testament we are given example after example of God’s sovereignty in the salvation of sinners. One glaring example of God’s sovereignty is Pharaoh. God raised him up for no other purpose but to harden his heart and dump him and the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea so that his sovereign power might be declared throughout the world (Romans 9:17).

Perhaps you think, “All that was in the Old Testament. God is different now.” Do not be so foolish. The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament, too. He never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). His glorious sovereignty is just as clearly exemplified, and even more fully revealed in the New Testament.

When our Lord passed by gathering his disciples, he called Simon and Andrew, but not their father. He chose James and John, but not Zebedee. He healed some, and left others to die. He called some, and passed others by. He saved some who sought him (The Woman with an Issue of Blood), and did not save others who sought him (The Rich Young Ruler). Christ died for some, but did not die for others (John 10:11, 26). He was gracious to some, but not to others. This is a fact that needs to be declared everywhere — God does not deal with all people alike.

The New Testament plainly and forcibly teaches the gospel doctrine of God’s absolute sovereignty in the exercise of his grace (Matthew 11:20-27; John 12:36-41; Romans 11:5-11, 32-36).

This is something we must see and acknowledge. — The God of glory is absolutely sovereign in salvation. He wounds; and he heals. He kills; and he makes alive. It is his sovereign right to either save me or damn me, to either be gracious to me, or to pass me by.

Rebels would be wise to fall down before his sovereign throne and beg for mercy. Like the Leper, fall down at his feet and say, Lord, “if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Mark 1:40). Will you perish in your proud rebellion; or will you take your place in the dust and beg for mercy?

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,

Hear my humble cry:

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not, do not pass me by!

I tell you without hesitation that this gospel doctrine of divine sovereignty is vital. You will either bow to God’s righteous sovereignty, or you will perish in your rebellion.

“He Took not on Him the Nature of Angels”

Hebrews 2:16

It was never the intention, desire, or purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ to save the angels who fell. — “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels.” The word “took” means “to lay hold of.” Paul’s language is very strong. Quite literally, he is saying, “Christ never took hold of angels to deliver and save them.” The Son of God did not come into this world as an angel. He came as a man. He did not come as a Surety for the angels who fell. He never took hold of them. He came as our Surety

Elect and Non-elect Angels

There are some elect angels who never fell. The vast majority of the angels are elect. Two-thirds of those mighty creatures were chosen by God. Only one third fell (Revelation 12:4). God would not allow those elect angels to fall. Their preservation was a great act of mercy. Their election by God preserved them. But for those angels that fell, God offered no mercy whatever. They are eternally reprobate, without hope (Jude 6).

This is a hard rock for the Arminian to grind his teeth on. It is sure to give goats sore gums. — If it is unfair for God to give mercy to some men, but not all men, would it not be equally unfair for God to give mercy to fallen men if he did not also give mercy to the fallen angels?

Just Suppose

Suppose for a moment that our Lord had taken upon him the nature of angels when he came into the world. Suppose that instead of coming into the world as a man, the Lord of glory had assumed the nature of angels. I think there is something here that will cause us to glorify God for his wisdom, love, and grace toward us in Christ. — “He took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.”

If Christ had taken on himself the nature of angels, He could not have obeyed the law of God for us. He could not have made atonement for our sin (Hebrews 2:9-10). He could not have left us an example to follow (1 Peter 2:21). He could not have been a sympathizing High Priest (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16). He could never have been one with his church (Hebrews 2:11-12). He could never have delivered us from the fear of death, and could not have given us the hope of the resurrection (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

How we ought to rejoice in this sovereign determination of our God to pass by the fallen angels and take hold on the seed of Abraham! Thank you, blessed Lord Jesus, almighty Redeemer, precious Savior!

The Grace Bulletin

March 22, 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

Tuesday

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