May 13, 2007

Does it appear that the “old man” of flesh in you is stronger than the “new man” of spirit created in you by grace? There is a reason for that. The “old man” is full grown. The “new man” is a newborn babe.

Upcoming Bible Conferences

·      May 18-20 — Grace Baptist Church, Jacumba, CA. Speakers: Gene Harmon, Todd Nibert, and Don Fortner. Contact: Pastor Bob Harman 858-487-1061 — bobharman@sbcglobal.net .

·      May 25-27 — Redeemer Baptist Church, Louisville, KY. Speakers: Maurice Montgomery, Todd Nibert, Wayne Adams, and Don Fortner. Contact: Pastor Daniel Parks 812-280-9574 RedeemerBC@aol.com .

·      June 15-17 — Lantana Grace Church, Crossville, TN. Speakers: Paul Mahan, Bruce Crabtree, Tom Harding and Joe Terrell. Contact: Pastor Donnie Bell 931-788-6195 dlb50@frontiernet.net .

·      July 4-8 — Rescue Baptist Church, Rescue, CA. Speakers: Milton Howard, David Pledger and Don Fortner. Contact: Pastor Gene Harmon 530-677-1710 rescubap@foothill.net .

I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow — John Newton

(Tune: #118 —When I Survey — 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 thine all in Me.”

4

Making the Blood of Christ an Unholy Thing

“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29)

That man who treads under his feet the Son of God, counts the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and despises the Spirit of grace commits the greatest evil in the world and deserves the terrible vengeance of God’s unmitigated wrath. Does he not? Yet, in this day of relentless compromise, preachers, theologians and religious leaders are making a mad rush to trample the precious blood of Christ under their feet, making the blood of the covenant “an unholy thing.”

A Common Thing

The word translated “an unholy thing” in Hebrews 10:29 means “something common, shared by all.” As everyone knows, that which is common is worthless. To declare that there is some sense in which our all-glorious Christ died in common for all, for those who are saved and for those who perish under the wrath of God, is to declare that he died in vain, that his precious blood is not precious at all, but worthless! It is to trample his blood under foot, make it “an unholy thing,” and do “despite unto the Spirit of grace” by denying the gospel He has revealed, asserting that it takes something more than the redemption accomplished at Calvary to put away sin, asserting that man’s faith must supplement Christ’s atonement for the atonement to be effectual.

            That is precisely what is now being preached by many who once professed to believe the teaching of Holy Scripture, that the Son of God died for and redeemed his elect, whom he redeemed, not along with all men, but “ from among men” (Revelation 14:4). Regarding the wholesale rush to revive Amyraldianism (Fullerism — the teaching that Christ died for goats as well as sheep, the reprobate as well as the elect) by men who wish to be adored as “reformed” in doctrine, I have moved beyond mere concern to anger. I hope the anger is not a mere carnal passion. I find it impossible to treat that which I am convinced is a deliberate compromise of the gospel with anything less than anger.

The Motive

I am convinced that this rush of “reformed” men to deny the effectual, accomplished redemption of God’s elect by the sin-atoning sacrifice of His dear Son is not the result of “clearer light,” but of a desire to take away the offense of the cross and make the gospel of God palatable to men who hate God.

5

            It appears obvious to me that desiring acceptability and success, but unwilling to openly deny the gospel, men who once professed to believe and openly avowed the gospel of Christ are now trying to find a way to deny it, while appearing to defend it. Either that, or they are scared to death that their peers might begin to be suspicious of them, suspicious that they are more concerned for the glory of Christ, the truth of God and the souls of men than they are for the recognition and approval of their peers. In either case, they have “trodden under foot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant…an unholy thing, and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace!”

            Though we are constantly accused of being antinomians and hyper-calvinists, no one (to my knowledge) preaches the gospel more freely to sinners than we do, ever urging sinners who cannot do so to trust Christ, knowing that if they do God the Holy Spirit has given them life and faith in Christ. As I see it, all the arguments and debates, warnings and admonitions in defense of what men call “common grace,” the “free offer,” “bona-fide offer,” and “sincere offer of Christ to sinners” are nothing but disguises for telling sinners that salvation is really up to them, that God’s purpose is really nothing but a helpless desire, that Christ’s death really accomplished nothing, and that the Holy Spirit’s operations of grace are really nothing but a gentle tug upon the hearts of men.

Compromise Never Works

He who vainly imagines that by compromising the gospel he will make it more appealing to men, is ignorant of both man and the gospel. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Yet, men tell us that by compromising it, by denying the power of godliness, it will be made more powerful, more effectual, and more successful in getting sinners saved. Nonsense! The compromise of the gospel may attract men to the religion and the preacher making the compromise. It certainly deludes eternity bound sinners with the vain comfort of religion without the knowledge of Christ; but it does nothing for the salvation of any.

            Resist, as you would the plague, any doctrine that teaches, suggests, or implies that Christ died in vain, that He desired to accomplish something He failed to accomplish in His death, or that man must do something to make Christ’s sacrifice personally effectual for the salvation of his soul. And resist every preacher and religion that promotes such blasphemy. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage! — “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied!”

“Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

Shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransomed church of God

Be saved to sin no more!”

6

Grace Bulletin

May 13, 2007

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 in 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

Don Fortner

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com