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Grace Baptist Church of Danville

June 30, 2013

If you have to guess what a man preaches, if you have to guess what his doctrine is, the reason is unmistakable: his intent is to please men rather than God. Ambiguous preaching is not gospel preaching.

·      I am scheduled to preach Tuesday and Wednesday for the Sovereign Grace Church in San Diego, CA, where Bro. Eric Richards is pastor. Friday through Sunday I am scheduled to preach with Pastor Donnie Bell and Missionary Lance Hellar in the conference at Rescue Baptist Church in Rescue, CA, where Bro. Gene Harmon is pastor.

·      Pastor Matt Johnson will be here to preach the gospel to you Tuesday night. Bro. Johnson is pastor of Rocky Ford Baptist Church in Casey County.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Winna Groover-6th

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:  Bob & Sally Poncer-2nd    Jim & Susan Grant-4th

CHURCH CLEANING IN JULY: Mark & Regina Henson

NURSERY DUTY THIS WEEK

Today: Alexis Mason (AM) Sherri Warta (PM)     Tuesday: Stephanie Wall

Within These Walls, Dear Savior, Show – Don Fortner

(Tune: # 414 Am I A Soldier? -- CM)

1.     Within these walls, dear Savior, show

       The wonders of Your grace,

       Enable us to worship You,

       And show Your smiling face.

2.     Pour out Your Spirit, grace, and pow’r,

       Make bare Your mighty arm.

       Come, set poor captive sinners free,

       And bring Your lost ones home.

3.     Oh, may the watchman, taught of God,

       Jehovah’s love proclaim,

       Declare Christ’s sin-atoning blood,

       And magnify His name!

4.     Make known to Your bless’d family

       The wonders of Your love,

       And fix Your children’s hearts, dear Lord,

       Upon those things above.

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“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Psalm 139:14

The 139th Psalm clearly displays the omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence of our great God as our Creator, Ruler, and Judge. David speaks by divine inspiration, declaring his astonishment in the consideration of his own creation and sustenance as a man, God’s knowledge of him, and the Lord’s care in providing for and protecting him. But who can read this Psalm and not see clearly that David, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, spoke prophetically of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior? Behold a greater than David is here! This blessed psalm will be full of comfort to our souls, if we see our dear Savior in the things written here. This 139th Psalm was written by God the Holy Ghost that we might know him whom truly to know is life eternal (John 17:3).

Covered in the Womb

Our Savior declares that the Lord covered him in his mother’s womb. Then he says, “I am fearfully, and wonderfully made.” With those words, our God-man Mediator asserts that he was no ordinary man. The creation of his manhood was something more than an ordinary work of creation. Our Savior’s humanity, his body of flesh and bones, was “fearfully and wonderfully made!” The word “wonderfully” means “differently, distinctly, in a unique way.” So it was with our Savior’s incarnation. — “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Body Prepared

The apostle Paul, commenting upon the prophecy of David concerning Christ as set forth in the 40th Psalm, wrote, “Wherefore, when he cometh into the world he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me” (Hebrews 10:5). How was his body prepared? The angel who announced the miraculous conception to Mary declared, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35). Truly, his holy humanity was “fearfully and wonderfully made.” The Lord God created a new thing in the earth. — A woman compassed a man, just as the Prophet of God said (Jeremiah 31:22). Our Savior was conceived in Mary’s virgin womb, without the use of a man, by God the Holy Ghost. He had no earthly father. But this work is even more wonderful in our eyes when we remember that Mary had no part in the creation of our Savior’s body in her womb either. She was altogether passive in it. The Lord Jesus was not begotten of a woman, but was made of a woman. Being conceived in the virgin womb by the work of God alone, without the aid of a man or the aid of a woman, our dear Savior is the man from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:47). Because God the Holy Ghost formed Christ’s body in Mary’s womb, our Redeemer said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” He was indeed made secret, and curiously wrought in the dark place of the virgin’s womb, called the lowest parts of the earth. — “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Mystical Body

Then, the Savior says, “Thine eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written” (Psalm 139:16). The members of his mystical body, the church, were written in the Lamb’s book of life from eternity (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 21:27). When the Lord God said, “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26), he made Adam and all the human race in him. But we never read of a book in which all the members of the human race were written before their creation. Obviously, the psalmist’s words cannot refer to men in general. Rather, these words refer to our Lord Jesus Christ, our God-man Surety and Representative, and all his members, God’s elect, the members of his mystical body, the church (Ephesians 5:30).

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“Honor the Lord with thy Substance”

Proverbs 3:9

To honor the Lord with our substance is to use that which God has given us in his providence for his glory, the benefit of his people, and the cause of his kingdom in this world. Particularly, it is to give a portion of your substance to God again.

Not a Tithe

The Lord does not tell us how much to give. Under the law, a tithe of all was required; but we are not under the law. Therefore, legal precepts have no authority over us. And, certainly, those who know the grace of God in Christ Jesus are not so niggardly as to think they honor God by allotting only a tithe of their income for gifts! God’s people are not miserly tithers, but generous, cheerful givers. They give as much of their substance as prudence will allow, in proportion as the Lord has prospered them. And they give in faith, for they give of “the firstfruits of all (their) increase.” Week by week, they allot a portion of their income to be given for the honor of God first. Some can give much more than others, because their needs are less and their income more. But all who honor God in their hearts honor God in their substance.

No Loss

And though we never give for the purpose of gaining more (God’s saints are not mercenaries!), none who honor God with their substance will ever be impoverished by doing so. Solomon says, “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (v. 10). And he who is greater than Solomon said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal shall it be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). Because the Philippians, from their great poverty, gave so generously to one of God’s own, the Apostle Paul assured them that God would supply all their need “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:14-19). Because they had honored God with their substance, Paul assured them that God would honor them by supplying all that they needed, both to live in this world and to continue honoring God with their substance.

As Prospered

Let every believer give generously of his substance, “as God has prospered him,” for the honor of the Lord our God. As we do, every need will be supplied for every work and every ministry the Lord would have performed in every generation. Every pastor, every missionary, every laborer in God’s vineyard in every part of the world will have all that is needed to do the work trusted to his hands.

Faith

How can anyone be expected to obey this precept? How can anyone be expected to “honor the Lord” with their substance, using what God puts in their hands for God’s honor, instead of their own comfort? Such giving, such use of our time, talents, money, and property is inspired and motivated by faith in Christ. There is an obvious reference to Christ in Solomon’s wise admonition. He said, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” The “firstfruits” were offered in faith. — “Abel brought the firstlings of his flock” (Genesis 4:4). All the firstfruits had reference to Christ. — “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Blessed Spirit of God, give me grace and faith day by day, as only you can, to honor God my Savior with all my substance.

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The Grace Bulletin

June 30, 2013

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 7:45 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

Pastor Fortner’s

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