Grace Bulletin

 

February 27, 2005

 

GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH of DANVILLE

2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Telephone (859) 236-8235 - 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

 

 

Television Broadcasts

 

Danville                 Channel 6-Sunday Morning                                       8:00 A.M.

                                Channel 6 - Wednesday Evening               6:00 P.M.

                                Channel 6 - Friday Evening                                         7:00 P.M.

Harrodsburg         Channel 6 - Friday Evening                                         7:00 P.M.

 

Web Pages

http://www.donfortner.com

http://www.sovereign-grace/gracechurch.htm

http://www.freegrace.net/danville/default.asp

 

February 27, 2005

 

Ahithophel may slander my name, Shemei may curse me, many may lay snares before me and say, “There is no help for him in God,” and in my foolish weakness and unbelief I may even fear that all things are against me, but all are servants to my soul’s everlasting good. — “If God be fore us, who can be against us?

 

Daily Readings for the Week of February 27-March 6

                Sunday                    Deuteronomy 12-14                               Thursday                Deuteronomy 25-27

                Monday                  Deuteronomy 15-18                               Friday                     Deuteronomy 28-29

                Tuesday                  Deuteronomy 19-21                               Saturday                  Deuteronomy 30-32

                Wednesday             Deuteronomy 22-24                               Sunday                    Deut. 33-Joshua 1

 

·         I am preaching this morning for Shiloh Baptist Church in Huntersville, NC, where Bro. Ralph Dale is pastor. I am scheduled to preach tonight for El-shaddai Baptist Church in N. Wilkesboro, NC, where Bro. Mike Walker is pastor. Bros. Larry Criss and Ron Wood will preach the gospel to you today.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Amy Coleman-3rd   Stephanie Wall-4th

 

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Shante’ Birchum (AM) Pam Wood (PM)          Tuesday: Celeste Peterson

 

O The Wondrous Love of GodDon Fortner

(Tune: # 393 — Take My Life and Let It Be — 77.77)

 

1.        O the wondrous love of God!

Who its heights and depths can tell?

God the Son has shed His blood,

And redeemed my soul from hell!

 

2.        O my soul! Sweet myst’ry this —

All my sins on Christ were laid,

All my guilt He took as His,

By His death atonement made!

 

3.        I in Him am justified,

Freed from sin (and more than free),

Guiltless, holy, sanctified, —

Righteous, in the Crucified!

 

4.        Savior, Lord, to You I bow,

Conquered by Your love and grace.

Saved unto the utmost now,

By Your blood and by Your grace.

 

25

He Hath Made Him Sin for Us” — What is not said here?

2 Corinthians 5:21

 

If we are to understand 2 Corinthians 5:21 correctly, we must not read anything into the text. So let me state clearly what this text does not say.

 

Not a Sin-offering

 

It is not stated, as it is most commonly suggested, that God the Father made his Son “a sin-offering.” The Scriptures do declare, “thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.” Our all-glorious Christ is our sin-offering. We have no offering for sin but him. But that is not what this text says. Here the Holy Spirit declares, “He hath made him sin for us.”

 

Not a Sacrifice for Sin

 

The Apostle does here tell us that Christ was made “a sacrifice for sin.” He is that. We rejoice to declare that when our blessed Savior died as our Substitute, he offered himself “one sacrifice for sins” and “sat down on the right hand of God.” Because of his one sacrifice “there remaineth therefore no more sacrifice for sin!” But here the Spirit of God tells us, “He hath made him sin for us.”

 

Not Reckoned to be Sin

 

Again, the Holy Spirit does not tell us here that Christ was “reckoned to be sin” by his Father. That is the way we would read the text, if we followed the implications of our translators in adding those words “to be.” Yes, he was reckoned to be sin and punished as such for us. But here we read, “He hath made him sin for us.”

 

Nowhere Stated

 

In the same line of thought it must be pointed out that our Lord Jesus is not here said to have sin imputed to him. Sin was, indeed, imputed to our Substitute, it was laid to his charge, but that is because “He hath made him sin for us.” Yet, as far as the words of Holy Scripture are concerned, it is nowhere stated in the Book of God that sin was imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not a single passage in the Bible that speaks of our sins being imputed to our Savior.

 

        In Romans 4 the word “imputation” or its equivalent (accounting or reckoning) is used seven times. It is mentioned again in chapter 5 (v. 13). But in those places God the Holy Spirit speaks of sin not being imputed to us and of righteousness being imputed to us. Yes, our sins were imputed to Christ when he was made sin for us, and because “He hath made him sin for us.” But the Word of God never uses the word impute, or any word like it, to speak of sin being imputed to Christ.

 

26

Made Sin

2 Corinthians 5:21

 

God the Holy Spirit here tells us that our all-glorious Redeemer was “made sin for us.” — “He hath made him sin.” John Gill wrote, “He was made sin itself…The sins of all his people were transferred unto him, laid upon him…He sustained their persons and bore their sins. And having them upon him, and being chargeable with, and answerable for them, he was treated by the justice of God as if he had been not only a sinner, but a mass of sin.”

 

        I am fully aware that natural reason opposes it. And many have endeavored to make the Word of God say something else. We are told that Christ had sin imputed to him, that he bore the guilt of sin, that he was charged with the debt of our sins, that he became accountable for our sins, that he bore all the effects of our sins, and that he was treated as if he were sin. But this plain, straightforward, blessed statement of Holy Scripture is almost universally denied by men. — “He hath made him sin.” Yet, there it stands.“He hath made him sin.” How can this be? What can it mean?

 

This is the Lord’s doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Ps. 118:23). In human law and reason, among men, I fully acknowledge that guilt cannot be transferred, but only its effects. Among the sons of men, a third person may cancel my debts, but not my crimes. But the Spirit of God is not revealing things men can, or may do. He is telling us what our God has done. And in this great affair of salvation our great God stands infinitely alone. In this, his most glorious work, there is such a display of justice, mercy, wisdom, and power, as never entered into the heart of man to conceive. Consequently, it can have no parallel in the actions of mortals. — “Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me” (Isa. 45:21). — “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth (BEARETH) iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy” (Mic. 7:18)

 

Were our sins transferred to Christ and made to be his, or was our Savior only treated as if that were the case? What do the Scriptures say? I am not even slightly concerned about what men say concerning this matter. I only want to know this: — What does God say in his Word? This is what God says. “He hath made him sin.” The word “made” is very significant. It is not a legal term, but a word that carries the idea of “create.” It means, “by one act gather together and cause to be.” Paul is telling us that God the Father, by one great, mysterious act, gathered together all the sins of all his elect throughout all the ages of time, and caused his darling Son to be sin for us (Isa. 53:6, 12; 1 Pet. 2:24).

 

The Word of God plainly teaches that Christ our blessed Surety was made sin for us, that he bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that the Lord God laid upon him our iniquities, that “He hath made him sin.

 

27