“Dearest Jesus! to
whom shall I go but to thee, thou art both the bread of life, and thou only
hast the words of eternal life; thou art the very
Daily
Sunday 2 Samuel
22-23 Thursday 1 Kings 7-8
Monday 2 Samuel
24-1 Kings 1 Friday 1 Kings 9-10
Tuesday 1 Kings
2-3 Saturday 1 Kings 11-12
Wednesday 1 Kings 4-6 Sunday 1 Kings 13-14
·
I am
scheduled to preach Wednesday night for Todds
Road Grace Church in
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Jayalita McCormack-14th Betty Groover-17th
I Asked the Lord that I
Might Grow — John Newton
(Tune: #355 — From Every Stormy Wind that Blows —LM)
1.
I asked the Lord that I might grow in
faith, and love, and every grace;
Might
more of His salvation know, and seek more earnestly His face.
2.
[‘Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
and He, I trust, has answered prayer;
But
it has been in such a way as almost drove me to despair.]
3
I hoped that in some favored hour, at
once He’d answer my request;
And,
by His love’s constraining power, subdue my sins, and give me rest.
4
Instead of this, He made me feel the
hidden evils of my heart,
And
let the angry powers of hell assault my soul in every part.
5
Yea, more, with His own hand He seemed
intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed
all the fair designs I schemed, blasted my gourds, and laid me low.
6
“Lord, why is this?” I
trembling cried, “Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
“‘Tis
in this way,” the Lord replied, “I answer prayer for grace and faith.”
7
“These inward trials I employ, from
self and pride to set thee free;
And
break thy schemes of earthly joy, that thou mayst
seek thy all in Me.”
16
“That We Might
be Made
The
Righteousness of God in Him”
The first word translated “made” in 2
Corinthians 5:21, as it relates to Christ being made sin, is not a legal term, but a
word that carries the idea of “create.” It is in the past tense and implies
that he who was made sin for us was personally involved in the work. 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.
But when he tells us that we are “made
the righteousness of God in him” another word is used for “made.”
When he speaks of us being “made the righteousness of God in him,” the
word Paul uses for “made” is another word altogether. It is a present
tense, passive verb, implying total passiveness on our part and means
“continually cause to become.” Paul is telling us that those for whom Christ
was made sin God continually causes to become the righteousness of God in him
without doing a thing.
Be sure you understand what
the Holy Spirit here teaches us. Christ, being made sin for us, was made
exactly what we are – Sin! He was made sin for us that we might be made exactly
what he is — Righteousness, the very righteousness of God. He was not made less
than we are; and we are not made less than he is. The very sinfulness that we
were, Christ was made before God; and the very righteousness that he is we are
made before God. This is absolute substitution. The Lord Jesus Christ took our
persons and condition, and stood in our stead before God. We take his person
and condition, and stand in his stead before God. What the Lord God beholds Christ
to be, that he beholds his members to be. — The very righteousness of God!
Proper Esteem
If we could really learn
this in a practical way, it would forever put an end to all bickering, strife,
and division among God’s saints. Read Philippians 2:1-3.
“If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the
same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be
done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves.”
If we
look upon one another as
believers, as sinners
saved by grace, in union
17
with Christ, as one with
him, we must never look upon our brothers and sisters in Christ, judging them
in the light of what we see manifest by their actions, but in light of what
they are in Christ, the righteousness of God. That will make us kind and
gracious to one another, each esteeming the other better than himself.
I know something of what I
am by nature — sin, nothing but sin. I know a little bit about the evil of my
own heart, the vileness of my thoughts, the corruption of my motives! Bro. Tim
James, who pastors our friends in Cherokee, NC, and I grew up on the same
streets. I know him, too, but not like I did when we were both boys on the
Southside streets of Winston-Salem. Now I know him in Christ; and I am not to
know him any other way. Since Christ died for him and rose again, I know him “no
more after the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:14-16). Every time I look at him, think
about him, pray for him, or do anything regarding him, I ought to see and think
of nothing but Christ. That dear friend is Christ, the very righteousness of
God! If God the Holy Spirit will teach me, give me grace, and sweetly force me
so to esteem him, I’m going to have a real tough time fighting with him, no
matter what he says or does. Christ himself is not more righteous than that man
is in Christ.
Right Reckoning
But
that is not the end of the story. God the Holy Spirit tells me that I am to
think of myself that way, too. In spite of all that I know myself to be by
nature, even when the corruptions of my heart are most vilely manifest, I am to
look upon myself as one with Christ, completely righteous before God. Yes…
“With His spotless garments on
I’m holy as the Holy One!”
Do you trust Christ? Do you believe on the Son of God? Is his blood your only atonement for sin? Is his righteousness your only righteousness before God? Is your only hope of life eternal the Son of God and God’s boundless grace flowing freely to your soul through him? If so, God reckons you to be the righteousness of God in him, and tells you that you are to reckon yourself the righteousness of God in him, really, truly, and absolutely. — “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” That is what we have confessed in our baptism, and that is how we are to live by faith before him (Rom. 6:1-11).
The Lord God would have all who are his always to reckon themselves in Christ, one with Christ, and the righteousness of God in Christ. I cannot tell you how much I want you who trust the Son of God to see and live in the sweet experience of this blessed gospel revelation. — Until the Lord God Almighty finds a sin in his darling Son, a sin for which to crucify him again, he will not find one in you (Rom. 8:33-34, 38-39).
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Grace Bulletin
April 10, 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
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
Channel 6 - Sunday Morning 8:00 A.M.
Channel 6 - Wednesday Evening 6:00 P.M.
Channel 6 - Friday Evening 7:00 P.M.
http://www.donfortner.com
http://www.sovereign-grace/gracechurch.htm
http://www.freegrace.net/danville/default.asp