May 14, 2006
“He that doeth truth cometh to the Light.” — How else can we do truth, but by coming to Christ the Light, who is the Truth?
Daily Readings for the Week of May 14-21
Sunday 2 Chronicles 12-15 Thursday 2 Chronicles 25-27
Monday 2 Chronicles 16-19 Friday 2 Chronicles 28-29
Tuesday 2 Chronicles 20-22 Saturday 2 Chronicles 30-32
Wednesday 2 Chronicles 23-24 Sunday 2 Chronicles 33-34
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Taylor Hellar-21st
NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK
Today: Shelby Fortner (AM) Pam Wood (PM) Tuesday: Jayalita McCormack
Surely Christ Thy Griefs Hath Borne — Augustus Toplady
(Tune: #126 — Rock of Ages — 77.77.77)
View Him bleeding on the tree, pouring out His life for thee:
There thy every sin He bore, weeping soul, lament no more.
At His feet thy burdens lay; look thy doubts and cares away;
Now by faith the Son embrace; plead His promise, trust His grace.
Since I scarce can look on Thee, cast a gracious eye on me!
At Thy feet myself I lay; shine, oh shine my fears away!
Made Sin for Us — Pastor Gary Shepard
To say that Christ was not actually made sin for me would be to say that I am not actually a sinner. To say that He was not really made sin for me would be to say that God unjustly killed Him for it is the "soul that sinneth" that "shall surely die." To say that He was not truly made sin would be to deny what is represented in the Old Testament sacrifice when the priest actually laid his hands on the head of the sacrifice and confessed the sins of the people.
To say that Christ's identifying with me the sinner was only legal, and not actual, would leave me only legally righteous and therefore not righteous so as to be able to enter God's heaven personally. Death was as foreign to the Son of God as sin was, yet, He died. Why? Because "the wages of sin is death."
What He suffered in His humanity did not alter His deity. Rather, He sacrificed His humanity on the altar of His deity. When He died, that death was the clearest evidence that He had been made sin for us. The death that He died was the death that I deserved to die, not only as one who has sinned, but as one who is sin.
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“Made”
Throughout the New Testament the word “made” is used to describe that which our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ became as our Mediator. “The Word was made flesh” (John 1:14). God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, “was made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3). Just as “the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13). “God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law” (Gal. 4:4-5). And the Lord Jesus was “made a surety of a better testament” (Heb. 7:22).
In all those places, the word translated “made” means “caused to be,” or “caused to become.” In 2nd Corinthians 5:21 we read, “He hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Here, the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle to use a different, even stronger word for “made.” Here, the word translated “made” means, “produced, created, or caused to become.”
When the Lord of Glory died in our room and stead upon the cursed tree, he was caused to be, caused to become sin for us! He was not made to be something that looked like sin, or made to be treated as though he were sin. No. He was made sin for us. He who knew no sin was made sin in all its hideous ugliness. Had he not been made sin for us, he could never have been punished for our sins by the justice of God (Pro. 17:15).
Because our blessed Savior was made sin for us, and punished for our sins to the full satisfaction of justice, he has completely and forever put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself; and we have been made the righteousness of God in him. By virtue of our union with Christ, God’s elect are righteous, perfectly righteous before God, because Christ is made of God unto us righteousness and we are the righteousness of God in him.
These things are too profound, too great, too mysterious for me to comprehend; but they are not too great for me to believe. — Just as Christ was made sin for me, in the same way and to the same extent, I am made the righteousness of God in him. — Just as Christ was punished (justly rewarded) for my sin that was made his as my Substitute, I shall be justly rewarded with everlasting life and glory for his righteousness that has been made mine by his grace.
I am astonished and sickened by the fact that some find these things “alarming,” “dangerous,” even “heretical.” They are not even debatable. I cannot imagine why anyone would even think about debating them. Can that be dangerous or heretical, which God has stated? Is it possible to state the doctrine of the cross in the very Holy Scripture and yet misstate it? Of course not! It must be concluded that anyone who objects to these sweet revelations of our God, so plainly given in his Word, has no regard for the Word of God, has for his object something other than the glory of God, and desires to corrupt the people of God “from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
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The Word was made Flesh — John 1:14
Robert Hawker
If there be a single verse in the Bible marked with the special emphasis of God the Holy Ghost, surely this is one. Every word tells. Here is the glorious person so much and so highly spoken of before under the name of the Word, declared to be made flesh. And this distinct from the person of either the Father or the Holy Ghost. It is the Son of God only. He is made flesh.
The original word translated flesh is very strong. The same word as is used in Romans 3:20, where no flesh is said to be justified. And elsewhere Christ is said to be made in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8:3). And it is a word of the same significance with one in the Hebrew, used in Genesis 6:12, corrupt flesh. So that no word of stronger import can be found to denote the vast humiliation of the Son of God in the assuming of our nature. Had the verse expressed that the Word was made Man, though the same nature would have been implied, yet it would not have been so strong, as to the point of degradation.
The word means our full nature, both of soul and body, complete man. And it is so very fully expressed by the word flesh, that the assumption implies the most perfect union of the both natures, divine and human. Not by any change or alteration of the one by the taking of the other; but by the junction forming and constituting one whole person, God and Man Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Augustine, when speaking of the Word being made flesh said, "Not by changing what he was, but by taking what he was not." And what endears the whole, and renders it truly blessed to all his people who are “members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones,” is, that this union of God and Man in one person, is indissoluble and forever. Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8).
Turn aside, my soul, this day, from every vain and worldly thought, as Moses did at the bush, and behold by faith the accomplishment of what he then saw in type and figure, of this great sight which the Lord hath made known unto thee. The Word, the uncreated Word, even the eternal Son of God, taking upon him the nature of man, and uniting both in one Person, that by the union he might be a suitable Saviour for his people. As God, he was mighty to save, and fully competent to the wonderful act. As man; he was a suitable Saviour, for the right of redemption belonged to him. And as both, he, and he alone could become a proper Mediator, to reconcile and bring together God and man, which by sin were at variance. This was the glorious news angels posted down from heaven to proclaim. This was the song of heaven, for which they sung "glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." My soul, canst thou join in the song? Yes, if so be thou hast received Christ in those glorious characters; if, as for this divine purpose he was born in our streets, he is born in thy heart also, and formed there the hope of glory. Oh it is a blessed thing to have true scriptural views of the Lord Jesus, and so to receive him, as Jehovah hath sent him forth, the Christ of God.
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Grace Bulletin
May 14, 2006
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