Grace Baptist Church of Danville

January 9, 2011

 

ÒPeace rules the day when Christ rules the soul.Ó

                                                                                                                  — William Romaine

 

Daily Readings for the Week of January 9-16

Sunday                Genesis 28-30                                                         Thursday                   Genesis 38-40

            Monday                     Genesis 31-32                                                         Friday             Genesis 41-42

            Tuesday                    Genesis 33-35                                                         Saturday                    Genesis 43-44

            Wednesday  Genesis 36-37                                                         Sunday                      Genesis 45-47

 

á      We are honored to have Pastor Mike Walker and his wife, Sandy with us. Bro. Walker is pastor of Covenant of Grace Baptist Church in N. Wilkesboro, NC. He will bring the messages here today. Our pastor is preaching for Fairmont Grace Church in Sylacauga, AL, where Bro. Tommy Robbins is pastor.

á      Bro. Larry Criss is preaching today for Bible Baptist Church in Madisonville, KY.

á      Our quarterly fellowship dinner is scheduled for January 23rd.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Allen Kibby-13th

 

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Vicci Rolley (AM) Debbie Bartley (PM) Tuesday: Ruth Wall

 

Come, O Holy Spirit, ComeDon Fortner

(Tune: #393 — Take My Life and Let It Be — 77.77)

 

1.    Come, O Holy Spirit, come,

And conduct Your people home;

Teacher, Comforter, and Guide,

Evermore with us abide.

 

2.    We are in a desert land,

Foes appear on every hand;

For Your promised aid we pray, —

Grace sufficient to our day.

 

3.    Lead us through this vale of tears;

Save us from the tempterÕs snares;

Make our precious Savior known,

And conduct us to His throne.

 

4.    Conquer every inbred sin;

Strengthen us with grace within;

Every thought, and step direct.—

Prove that we are GodÕs elect.

 

5.    Carry on Your work of grace,

Till we see our FatherÕs face;

Sprinkle us with JesusÕ blood,

And weÕll praise You as our God.

 

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Distinguishing Grace

Genesis 6:8

 

What sad consequences there are to sin! That horrible, heart-hatred of God, which resides in the hearts of AdamÕs sons and daughters, works havoc in the earth and will bring us all down to hell in the end, unless God steps in and to save. The only hope there is for fallen, depraved, helpless sinners is the omnipotent intervention of GodÕs irresistible grace.

            Blessed be his name, God does intervene to save! He does not have to save. No mortal will ever seek salvation from him until first he is sought of him. But God has, in indescribable, infinite mercy, chosen to save a people for his own nameÕs sake. And save them, he will.

 

Cain and Abel

 

Beginning with its opening chapters and throughout the pages of Inspiration, the Book of God is filled with pictures of our heavenly FatherÕs free, sovereign, saving grace. Adam had two sons: Cain and Abel. God passed by Cain and chose Abel. Abel is the one to whom God revealed himself in Christ, evident by the fact that Abel brought God a blood sacrifice, which God provided, and thereby found acceptance with the holy Lord God. The only way sinful man can approach the holy Lord God is through the merits of Christ, the sin-atoning Substitute, who is both God and the substitutionary Sacrifice God has provided.

The only difference there is between the fallen sons of Adam is the difference God makes (1 Corinthians 4:7). The only thing that made Abel to differ from Cain was the fact that God chose Abel. God revealed himself to Abel. God called Abel.

 

Enoch

 

We see the distinction of grace in Enoch, too. ÒEnoch walked with God,Ó when few men did. He pleased God. And he escaped death because God took him. How did he walk with God? He walked with God the only way any sinner can walk with God — by faith in Christ. How did he please God? He pleased God the only way any sinner can please God — by faith in Christ. Walk with God by faith in Christ, and you, too, shall escape death (John 11:26; Revelation 20:6).

 

Noah

 

ÒNoah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.Ó The whole world was lost. The whole world was corrupt. The whole of AdamÕs race was degenerate and walked in wickedness, provoking the wrath of God. But God, in great pity, mercy, and compassion, showed Himself gracious to one man. ÒNoah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.Ó God spared Noah. God saved Noah. Through him, God preserved his family, preserved our race, and thus preserved His elect for all generations to come!

ÒGrace! Tis a charming sound! Harmonious to the ear.

Heaven with the echo shall resound And all the earth shall hear!Ó

 

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ÒI Will Remember My Covenant.Ó

Genesis 9:15

 

How wondrously our God displays Himself in grace. From among a race of rebels who deserve His wrath, He has chosen to save a people for the praise of the glory of His grace! He chose to save His own, loved by Him with an everlasting love in Christ. And from the very beginning, He has shown us the blessed good news of the gospel (grace to sinners through a Substitute) in type, picture, and prophecy.

 

The Ark

 

When God was about to destroy the whole human race (except for eight chosen souls), He provided an ark for the saving of His chosen. What a blessed picture of Christ our Savior and of our salvation in Him! It was an ark of GodÕs providing. God called Noah and his family into the ark, an ark built specifically for him. God shut them in! Then God poured out the fury of His wrath upon all the earth. All the wrath of the Almighty fell upon the ark. Yet, not one drop of the water of GodÕs terror fell upon Noah, his wife, his sons, or their wives. The ark absorbed it all.

            That is what Christ, the Ark of our salvation, did for us. The holy Lord God prepared Him and sent Him specifically for the saving of His people (Matthew 1:21, Hebrews 10:10-14). He put us in Christ in electing grace before the world began (Ephesians 1:3-6). At Calvary the holy Lord God poured out all the fury of His wrath and justice upon all His chosen, to the full satisfaction of his justice, when he sacrificed his darling Son for us. But Christ bore all the hell of GodÕs wrath alone. Not so much as an angry look falls upon us, His redeemed.

 

The Rainbow

 

When Noah came out of the ark, God put a rainbow in the clouds of the sky and promised never to destroy the earth by water again. God told Noah the bow would be a token of His covenant, and promised to remember His Òeverlasting covenant.Ó As it was GodÕs covenant with Noah that preserved the world from another flood, so it is GodÕs everlasting covenant (the bow encircling his throne — Revelation 4) that preserves the world for the salvation of his elect, because He is not willing that any chosen sinner for whom Christ died perish (2 Peter 3:9).

 

GodÕs Promise

 

How we ought to rejoice in covenant love! Let us ever give thanks to our great God for His purpose of grace, His performance of grace, and His perseverance in grace toward His covenant people! Here is our comfort, encouragement, joy, and confidence in this world. God says, ÒI will remember my covenant.Ó NoahÕs drunkenness would not make him forget his covenant. HamÕs exposure of his fatherÕs sin would not alter GodÕs purpose of grace toward that man who Òfound grace in the eyes of the Lord.Ó NimrodÕs mighty rebellion and manÕs proud attempt to build a fortress to protect himself from GodÕs wrath at Babel changed nothing. So it is to this day, God remembers His covenant and saves His own for the glory of His own great name.

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The Grace Bulletin

 

January 9, 2011

 

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.

 

Television Broadcasts in Harrodsburg

Channel 6 - Sunday Afternoon 3:00 P.M.

Channel 6 - Friday Evening 6:00 P.M.

 

Web Pages

http://www.DonFortner.com

http://www.FreegraceRadio.com

http://www.Grace-eBooks.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com