Grace Baptist Church of Danville

April 29, 2012

 

As “antinomian” is hurled against the gospel by those who attempt to turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness (Jude 4), the slander of “schizophrenic” is hurled against the teaching of Scripture with regard to the “new man created in righteousness and true holiness” in the new birth (Ephesians 4:24). When our foes cannot gainsay our doctrine, they stoop to railing accusations and slanderous reports, hoping to make that which is truly pure and beautiful appear evil and ugly.

 

Daily Readings for the Week of April 29-May 6, 2012

    Sunday                  2 Kings 20-22                                  Thursday       1 Chronicles 6-7

    Monday                  2 Kings 23-24                                  Friday             1 Chronicles 8-10

    Tuesday                2 Kings 25-1 Chron. 2        Saturday                    1 Chronicles 11-13

    Wednesday          1 Chronicles 3-5                              Sunday                      1 Chronicles 14-17

 

·      We will have our Quarterly Fellowship today. I hope you can all stay for lunch and enjoy the fellowship of your church family this afternoon. There will be no service here tonight.

·      Shelby and I will leave Thursday for Australia. Saturday and Sunday I am scheduled to preach for Rescue Baptist Church in Rescue, CA, where Bro. Gene Harmon is pastor. Bro. John Chapman, pastor of Hurricane Road Grace Church will be here to preach to you next Sunday. The following week (May 11-13) I am scheduled to preach for Shoalhaven Gospel Church in Nowra (NSW) Australia, where Bro. Angus Fisher is pastor.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:

    Klaus & Ruth Peterson-4th    Billy & Jayalita McCormack-14th     Cody & Winna Groover-27th

 

Hail! Blessed Morn When Christ Arose! Don Fortner

 

(Tune: #8 — All People that on Earth Do Dwell — LM)

 

1.    Hail! blessed morn when Christ arose,

And triumph’d o’er our mighty foes!

Hail! sacred day, when He appears

In Zion’s courts and Zion cheers!

 

2.    Entomb’d in doubts and fears we lie,

Till Christ, descending from on high,

Rolls unbelief (that stone) away,

And bids us rise to Gospel day.

 

3.    Come, blessed Holy Spirit, come,

Roll back the stone; our souls untomb!

Arise, O Sun of Righteousness,

Oh, shine upon our souls in grace!

 

4.    The beams of Your bright glory shed,

Revive the drooping, raise the dead!

On wings of faith, oh, make us rise,

To taste the joys of Paradise!

25

Doctrinal Error and Damning Heresy

 

A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject.”                                                                                                                                     (Titus 3:10)

 

A friend once asked me, “Do you make a distinction between doctrinal error and damning heresy, and if you do, what is it?” That is a good question and deserves a public answer. While I do not find such a distinction made in the Scriptures between the use of the words “error” and “heresy,” the word “error” as we commonly use it is a much milder word than the word “heresy.” But in the New Testament distinctions were made. For example, Peter was in grave error in the dissimulation he made at Antioch. By his actions he gave the appearance that believers should still be held under the yoke of the law, and for this error, Paul publicly rebuked him (Galatians 2:11-21). However, his error was not damning heresy. Had he taught that men gain salvation or improve their relationship with God by obedience to the law, that would have been damning heresy (Galatians 5:2, 4).

 

This is where we must draw the line of distinction. — Doctrinal error is the misinterpretation or application of any biblical teaching. — Damning heresy is any doctrine or practice that is contrary to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Obviously, any teaching that allows the worship of false gods, denies the deity of Christ, his virgin birth, or vicarious atonement is damning heresy. But there are other forms of heresy far more subtle and dangerous.

 

To teach sprinkling for baptism is grave error, but not necessarily damning. However, to make baptism a condition of grace to any degree is damning heresy. To substitute grape juice for wine in the Lord’s Supper is serious error, though not damning to the soul. But to make the Lord’s Supper a sacrament by which grace is conferred upon a sinner is damning heresy.

 

The list could be greatly enlarged. But there is one test by which damning heresy can always be identified. — Any doctrine that teaches, or practice that leads people to believe that salvation is in anyway conditioned upon, dependent upon, or determined by the worth, work, or will of the sinner is damning heresy and always deadly to those who embrace it. Arminian, free-will, works religion is as damning to the souls of men as Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, or Satan worship. It is our responsibility to expose heresy by instructing men in the truth and to reject those who will not obey the truth as self-condemned heretics (Titus3:9-11).

 

            God’s people and God’s servants, faithful, believing sinners, saved by the grace of God, washed in the blood of Christ, can and often do embrace doctrinal error, though they truly trust and love the Lord Jesus Christ; but that does not make them heretics who are to be rejected by us.

 

26

Four Obvious Facts

 

Here are four facts that are so obviously revealed in Holy Scripture that they cannot be missed, except by deliberate effort. Yet, obvious as they are, they cannot be known, except by divine revelation in the blessed experience of God’s saving grace in Christ.

1.    Christ is the believer’s only righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16).

2.    Christ’s obedience unto death is the righteousness of God imputed to God’s elect in free justification (Romans 3:24; 5:19).

3.    Christ who is our Righteousness is formed in (Imparted to — He could not be formed in us except he be imparted to us.) redeemed sinners in the new birth, making the regenerate new creatures, partakers of the divine nature, and possessors of that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 1:4).

4.    Christ is that new man created in (Imparted to — He could not be created in us except he be imparted to us.) every saved sinner in righteousness and true holiness, that is born of God and cannot sin, making every heaven born soul in this world one who possesses two distinct, warring natures: the one flesh, the other spirit (Romans 7:14-23; Galatians 5:17-23; Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 3:5-10).

 

 

“The old man is never made better. The new man cannot sin. ‘He cannot sin, because he is born of God.’ The old man cannot not sin. The old man is not born of God. When you are brought to see the two distinct natures it will afford you a clearer view of spiritual life.”                                                                                          — William Tiptaft

 

 

“Doth not Commit Sin”

 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9).

 

What is here said of the seed of Christ, and their inability to commit sin, is wholly in reference to their spiritual nature. For thus the words express it.  Whosever is born of God, doth not commit sin. The new-birth, or being born of God, which is the same thing, is wholly spiritual. For the body of flesh remains the same in the Adam-nature of a fallen state. And as it is corrupt and sinful, so its daily tendencies are to corruption.  At the last day it will arise a glorified body; and though sown in dishonor at death, it will be raised in glory at the resurrection. Whereas the spiritual part of every child of God, when born in God from the Adam-nature, induced by the fall, being dead in trespasses and sins, is quickened to a new and spiritual life. And, as this scripture blessedly saith, it cannot sin, because it is born of God, and His seed remaineth in him.  It is born not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, which liveth and abideth for ever (1Peter. 1:23). And it is made a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lusts (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Robert Hawker

 

27

The Grace Bulletin

 

April 29, 2012

 

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