May 22, 2005

 

“The means of justification on our part is faith. That we are justified by faith, is so frequently and so expressly affirmed in the Scripture, as that it cannot be denied.”          — John Owen

 

 

·         We are delighted to have Bro. Henry Mahan and his wife, Doris, with us today. Bro. Mahan will bring the messages this morning and tonight.

 

·         I am preaching today for the First Baptist Church in Jacumba, CA, where Bro. Bob Harman is pastor. I plan to preach to you Tuesday night from Jude 22-23 on “Pulling Them Out of The Fire.”

 

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Regina Henson (AM) Nancy Criss (PM)          Tuesday: Jenny Bartley

 

Mighty to Save — Don Fortner

(Tune: #183 — Faith of Our Fathers 88.88.88)

 

1.        Mighty to save is Christ the Lamb! Let us adore and praise His name.

With one accord proclaim abroad the wondrous works of Christ our God.

Oh, let us make His goodness known, Whose blood for all our sins atoned!

 

2.        Mighty to save! Oh, yes, He is! Nor can the ransomed soul resist,

Though by his sin and hell oppressed, the power of His sov’reign grace!

When the fixed time of love has come, He brings the chosen sinner home!

 

3.        Mighty to save! Oh, trust His name, for Jesus is today the same!

O sinner lost and wretched, too, He came to save such worms as you!

He, Who for sinners lived and died, to save the lost now reigns on high!

 

4.        Mighty to save! Let Zion sing, the praises of her God and King,

The King of Grace and Glory, too! His love no change can ever know!

Let sinners saved, with cheerful voice, in Christ our mighty God rejoice!

 

Louisville Conference

 

Redeemer Baptist Church in Louisville, KY will host a Bible Conference next weekend (Friday Night, Saturday Morning, and Sunday Morning). Scheduled Speakers: Donnie Bell, Don Fortner, Paul Mahan, Todd Nibert, Clay Curtis, and Tom Harding. Bro. Daniel Parks is the host pastor.

 

10

“The Servant of Jesus Christ”

 

“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.”                                                       (Jude 1:1)

 

“What do you think I am? Your slave?” How often have you said that to someone? None of us likes to be treated as the slave of another. Do we? We consider it a great dishonor to be a mere servant. But there are circumstances in which we ought to consider it our highest honor to be the servant of another.

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that he came into this world, not to be served but to serve, and counted it his soul’s great joy to do so. He said, “I am among you as he that serveth” (Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27). The gospel of the grace of God teaches us by love to serve one another (Gal. 5:13). Paul considered it his high honor to write to the Corinthians and minister to them as their servant. Are you willing to be a servant? Am I?

 

Jude’s Great Honor

 

The Apostle Jude, the brother of James and half-brother to Christ himself, wrote his Epistle to us and used this high, honorable title both to identify himself and to encourage us to heed his message. — “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ.” He begins his epistle by describing himself as “the servant of Christ, and brother of James.” It is obvious from the fact that he mentions this first, that Jude considered it a higher honor to be “the servant of Jesus Christ” than the brother of James. He was honored to be James’ brother; but he was infinitely more highly honored to be, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ.”

 

Now, let me show you something that is not quite so obvious, but very important. Remember, Jude was also the half-brother of our Savior himself (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3). But he does not even mention this fact. Why? The reason is just this: — Jude understood that no earthly or family connection with any man or any family, not even an earthly or family connection with the Lord Jesus Christ himself, has any bearing upon our salvation by the grace of God (John 1:11-12).

 

        Jude counted it an infinitely, indescribably higher honor to be “the servant of Jesus Christ” than to be the physical brother of Jesus Christ! Being the half-brother of Christ meant nothing spiritually. We are told plainly that some of our Lord’s own brethren did not believe him (John 7:5). But to be the servant of Christ was to be a child of God, one distinguished from others by God’s distinguishing grace, conquered by his love, and subdued in his heart by the knowledge of the only Lord God, our Savior.

 

Jude’s Confession

 

When  Jude  said  he  was “the servant of Jesus Christ,” he confessed, like Peter, that  he  believed  that his  half-brother is “the Christ, the Son of the living God!  The

 

11

“Christ” of the New Testament is the “Messiah” promised in the Old Testament, the “Anointed One” of God (Dan. 9:24-26). Jude was saying, “My half-brother is God my Savior!” He believed that his half-brother is God the Son who came into the world to save his people from their sins, — that his half-brother had saved him from sin, death, and judgment, — that his half-brother, the Lord Jesus, had given him acceptance with the Father, — that his half-brother was his Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption! He believed that his half-brother is the King of Glory and the King of Grace, and gladly bowed his heart and life to his half-brother!

 

Christ’s Servants

 

Without question, when Jude uses these words, “the servant of Jesus Christ,” he uses a phrase that sets forth the high honor and distinction of grace given to those men who are gifted and called of God to preach the gospel of Christ in any age (1 Cor. 4:1-2; Eph. 3:8; Col. 1:25-27). No calling of greater honor can ever be bestowed upon a man in this world. Every gospel preacher ought to count it his honor, his highest honor, to be God’s servant among his people (1 Cor. 1:26-31). And God’s people ought to treat his servants honorably as his servants (1 Thess. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:7, 17).

 

        Still, these words describe an honor even higher than that of being a gospel preacher. When Jude speaks of himself as “the servant of Jesus Christ,” he is telling us that he is one of those sinners chosen of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and conquered by his grace, one who has been made willing in the day of the King’s manifest power to bow before his throne (Ps. 110:3). You see, to be a believer, to be a sinner saved by grace, to have faith in Christ is to be the willing, voluntary servant of Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:25; Mark 8:34-35; Luke 14:26-33).

 

Exodus 21

 

If you will read Exodus 21:1-6, you will see what this word “servant” means. There were different classes of slaves in Biblical times. Jude referred to himself as a slave of the lowest class, the class described in Exodus 21. In the Old Testament law God made provision for debtors to pay off their debts by offering themselves as slaves. (That beats the daylights out of bankruptcy laws!)

 

Such slaves were to serve their masters for a period of six years. They would be released in the seventh year. However, the freed slave had the option of remaining a slave for life, if he so desired, as an expressed declaration of gratitude and love to his good master. The word “servant,” as Jude uses it to describe himself is taken from this law given in Exodus 21. It means “a voluntary, life-long bond-slave.”

 

        The servant described here is a voluntary slave. He is a life-long slave. He is a love slave. That is what Christ became to God for us, that he might save us (Isa. 50:5-7). And that is what Christ makes his people when he saves them by his grace. That’s what I want to be. — The bond-slave of Jesus Christ! — The willing, voluntary, lifelong bond-slave of my Savior!

 

12

 

Grace Bulletin

 

May 22, 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.

 

Web Pages

http://www.donfortner.com

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

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