Grace Baptist Church of Danville

December 14, 2008

 

ÒWhen thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words than thy words without heart.Ó                                                                                                    — John Bunyan

 

Daily Readings for the Week of December 14-21

            Sunday                      Titus 1-Philemon                             Thursday                   Hebrews 11-12

            Monday                     Hebrews 1-5                                     Friday             Hebrews 13-James 2

            Tuesday                    Hebrews 6-8                                     Saturday                    James 3-1 Peter 1

            Wednesday  Hebrews 9-10                                              Sunday                      1 Peter 2-5

 

á      Pastor Peter Meney (Egglesburn Baptist Church, Eggleston, England) will bring the first message this morning. Bro. Meney will preach the gospel to us again tonight at 5:30 P.M.

á      Shelby and I want all of you to join us for our annual Open House at the Parsonage after our worship service tonight. Remember, tonightÕs service will start at 5:30 P.M.

á      I am scheduled to preach Wednesday night for Todds Road Grace Church in Lexington, where Bro. Todd Nibert is pastor.

á      Missions Offering Next Week

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! James Jordan-16th Celeste Peterson-19th

 

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Vicci Rolley (AM) Shelby Fortner (PM) Tuesday: Anne Peterson

 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Christ was born at Bethlehem!

Don Fortner

(Tune: # 84 — Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus — 87.87D)

 

  1. See the Son of God assuming, human flesh once stooped to earth;

HeavÕnly hosts proclaimed His coming; and a virgin gave Him birth.

Angels sang it, angels sang it — Christ was born in Bethlehem!

Angels sang it, angels sang it — Christ was born in Bethlehem!

 

  1. Christ, the Lord, our SurÕty, willing to fulfil what He decreed,

Came, His promises fulfilling, God in flesh, the womanÕs Seed.

To redeem us, to redeem us, Christ was born in Bethlehem!

To redeem us, to redeem us, Christ was born in Bethlehem!

 

  1. All the prophets to Him pointed, all the types and pictures said,

That on Christ, the LordÕs Anointed, all our sins Jehovah laid!

To fulfil them, to fulfil them, Christ was born at Bethlehem!

To fulfil them, to fulfil them, Christ was born at Bethlehem!

 

  1. SatanÕs vanquished, though he rages, crushed by ZionÕs mighty King!

We shall, through eternal ages, this triumphant anthem sing. —

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Christ was born at Bethlehem!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Christ was born at Bethlehem!

 

ÒDoth God delight in Christ in his person, or considered mystically? I answer; both. God loves and delights in Christ mystical, that is, in Christ and his members, in (the) whole ChristÉWith the same love that God loves Christ, he loves all his. He delights in Christ and all his, with the same delight.Ó                                                                                             — Richard Sibbes

 

ÒIn the Beginning with GodÓ

 

ÒIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.Ó                          (John 1:1-5)

 

      John is describing our blessed SaviorÕs eternal relationship to the triune Godhead. He was from the beginning with God, because he is God, one with the Father and the Spirit. We rejoice to know that Christ our Savior is God. But, I want you to see the significance of the fact that John here declares that he is the Word, the eternal Logos of the Triune God.

 

God the Word

 

Christ Òwas in the beginning with GodÓ as the unuttered speech and thought of the triune God. It is only in Christ that God is fully told out. He so fully and so perfectly reveals God that he declares, ÒHe that hath seen me hath seen the FatherÓ (John 14:9). To know him is to know God (John 17:3). The Òlight of the knowledge of the glory of GodÓ is seen only Òin the face of Jesus ChristÓ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

 

It is Christ the Word, our crucified Substitute, the Lamb of God, who opens the sealed book of GodÕs eternal purpose, reveals it to us and fulfils it in the accomplishment of redemption (Revelation 5:1-10). It is Christ the Word, crucified as our Substitute and risen as our Savior, who interprets and fulfils all the types, all the prophecies and all the promises of the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:25-27, 45-47). And it is Christ, the Word, whom we preach to men, by whom the veil of spiritual darkness is taken away and the glory of God is revealed (2 Corinthians 3:14-18). In Christ mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace kiss each other, and justice and grace are revealed. In Christ we see the glorious Lord God as Òa just God and a Savior!Ó Only in Christ is it possible for iniquity to be purged by mercy and by truth.

 

God the Creator

 

John also shows us, with sublime simplicity, the relationship of our Lord Jesus Christ to creation. — ÒAll things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was madeÓ (v. 3). He who created all things is God our Redeemer; and in the Scriptures creation is almost always associated with redemption.

 

      Liberals, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, and countless other heretics tell us that Christ is but a creature of God. The Book of God declares that he is God our Creator! Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Word, by whom the worlds and all that they contain were made (Psalm 148:5; Ephesians 3:8-9; Colossians 1:15-19). — ÒBy the word of God the heavens were of oldÓ (2 Peter 3:5).

 

      ÒAll things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.Ó — He who is before all things is eternal. He who made all things is omnipotent. And he who is eternal and omnipotent is God. And this great God, our Creator, who made all things, is he who has made peace for us by the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20). In the new creation of grace, as in the creation of the world itself, Christ is the Creator. It is Christ who declares, ÒBehold, I make all things newÓ (Revelation 21:5). — ÒIf any man be in Christ, he is a new creature!Ó And of the new creation, the Book of God everywhere declares, — ÒWithout him was not anything made that was made!Ó Without him there can be no new covenant, no new name, no new and living way, no new heart, no new spirit, no new garment, new song, new heaven or new earth! — ÒThou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were createdÓ (Revelation 4:11).

 

      If all things were created for his pleasure, it cannot be doubted that Òhe shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied!Ó

 

Christ the Life

 

In verses 4 and 5 the Holy Spirit speaks of ChristÕs relationship to me. — ÒIn him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not

 

      Christ is Life. It is written, ÒIn him was life.Ó Natural life, spiritual life, resurrection life, eternal life, all life is in Christ. Apart from him there is no life. He who created all things must be the Fountain of life and Giver of life. The word ÒlifeÓ is used here in its widest sense. All creature life comes from him, for Òin him we live and move and have our being.Ó All spiritual life or eternal life comes from and is found in him. He has given us eternal life (1 John 5:11). Christ is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26).

 

And Christ who is Life is also Light. — ÒAnd the life was the light of men.Ó Christ is the only moral, spiritual Light there is. He is that Òtrue light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the worldÓ (v. 9). Every rational man is morally enlightened (Romans 2:15; Romans 1:18-21). That means all are responsible and accountable to Christ whose light they despise. Though all men are by nature dead in trespasses and sins, all responsible before God and shall give an account (Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:12) for the ÒLightÓ they have despised and refused.

 

      Look at verse 5 again. John tells us that Christ, the Light, blazes forth in the darkness of manÕs depraved heart and sin-darkened soul. That is clearly the meaning of the first part of verse 5. — ÒThe light shineth in darkness!Ó But the last clause of verse 5, Òthe darkness comprehended it not,Ó meaning the darkness perceived no light, though the Light shines ever so brightly. So dark is the heart of man that he cannot even perceive the fact that the Light is shining!

 

Irresistible Light

 

However, the word translated ÒcomprehendedÓ is sometimes translated ÒovertakeÓ (1 Thessalonians 5:4). Blessed be his name forever, when Christ comes to shine in the hearts of his own, he does not just give light, he causes his own to see the Light. He shines with such irresistible Light in the hearts of his redeemed that we simply cannot overtake the Light. Rather, the Light completely overtakes us! As it was in the old creation, so it is in the new. God says, ÒLet there be light,Ó and there is light (Genesis 1:1-3).

 

 

Grace Bulletin

 

December 14, 2008

 

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.freegraceradio.com

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

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com