Lessons Learned Too Late!

Luke 16:19-31. Here is the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

Lazarus died and was carried up to Heaven. Chosen, redeemed and born of God--he entered into glory. "The rich man also died." What became of him? "In Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment!" 

 Our Lord here allows us to look beyond the grave. He allows us to look into Hell itself. He shows us the pains, feelings and desires of a damned man one who is forever shut up in Hell. Here are seven things that the rich man learned, but he learned them too late! He learned them in Hell! I pray that you will not learn them too late. 

1. Death does not end all. "If a man dies, shall he live again?" Indeed, we shall. We all have an immortal soul that will live on forever after our bodies are in the grave. Will you spend eternity in the bliss and glory of Heaven--or in the torments of the damned in Hell? 

2. There is a real place called "Hell." Hell is as real as the town in which you live. The same Inspired Book that tells us about Heaven and the eternal bliss of the redeemed, also tells us about Hell and the eternal misery of the damned. I do not know where it is, and I cannot imagine what it is, but Hell is a real place. The rich man found out too late, that Hell is not a myth. 

3. A holy God must and will punish sin. God is so inflexibly just and holy, that when the sin of His people was imputed to His own dear Son He poured out His infinite wrath upon Him! In the same way He who punished His Son for sin He will certainly punish you for your sin, if it is not removed by His Son. 

4. Hell is a place of endless torment. The rich man cried, "I am tormented in this flame!" Hell is a place of unfulfilled lust and desire a place of eternal mental, moral and physical agony. 

5. Christ is the only way of salvation. The rich man's riches, religion, and works, were of no value to him in Hell. Missing Christ, he lost all! 

6. Unless a man repents, he will surely perish. In Hell this man realized that without repentance, there is no salvation. (verse 30) 

7. No one can ever be saved without hearing and believing the gospel. (verses 28-31) Be wise now and believe the gospel. Trust Christ, lest you also perish forever under the wrath of God!

[Don Fortner]

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Seven Lessons Learned Too Late!

Here is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus died and was carried up to heaven.  Chosen, redeemed and born of God, he entered into glory. But "the rich man also died!" What became of him? "In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment!" 

Our Lord allows us to look beyond the grave. He allows us to look into hell itself. He shows us the pains, feelings and desires of a damned sinner, one who is forever shut up in hell. 

Here are seven things that old Dives learned. But he learned them too late. He learned them in hell! I pray that you will not learn them too late. 

 1. DEATH DOES NOT END ALL. "If a man die, shall he live again?" Indeed, we shall. We all have an immortal soul that will live on forever, after our bodies are in the grave. Will you spend eternity in the bliss and glory of heaven or in the torments of the damned in hell? 

 2. THERE IS A REAL PLACE CALLED "HELL". Hell is real. The same Inspired Book that tells us about heaven and the eternal bliss of the redeemed tells us about hell and the eternal misery of the damned. I do not know where it is, and I cannot imagine what it is, but hell is a real place. The rich man found out too late that hell is not a myth. 

 3. A HOLY GOD MUST AND WILL PUNISH SIN. God is so inflexibly just and holy that when he found sin upon his own dear Son he poured out his infinite wrath upon him. And he who punished his son for sin will certainly punish you for sin, if your sin is not removed by his son. 

 4. HELL IS A PLACE OF ENDLESS TORMENT. Dives cried, "I am tormented in this flame!" Hell is a place of lust and desire unfulfilled, a place of mental, moral and physical agony. 

 5. CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION. The rich man's riches, religion and works were of no value to him in hell. Missing Christ, he lost all! 

 6. EXCEPT A MAN REPENT HE WILL SURELY PERISH. In hell this man realized that without repentance there is no salvation (v. 30). 

 7. NO ONE CAN EVER BE SAVED WITHOUT HEARING AND BELIEVING THE GOSPEL (vv. 28-31). Be wise now and believe the gospel. Trust Christ, lest you also perish forever under the wrath of God. 

 [Don Fortner]

Luke 16:19-31 ... There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

All of Grace

The glory, bliss, and perfection of heaven, whatever it is and all that it includes, is but the consummation of salvation; and it is, in its totality, the gift and work of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. In heaven's glory we shall forever adore and praise our great God for the wondrous mystery of his grace, by which we are saved. Everything in the great work of salvation sets forth the splendor of the grace of the Highest God. 

What do we see in election, predestination, redemption, regeneration, and preservation, but his grace? The whole work of salvation displays God’s rich, free, almighty, irresistible, sovereign, saving grace in Christ! In, salvation as well as in creation, all things are of God, all things are by God, and all things are for God. Unto him alone all praise must be forever! 

[Don Fortner]

Ephesians 2:8-9 ... For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Four Facts of Scripture

Here are the four facts revealed in Holy Scripture which I most cherish. Those four, blessed, gospel truths are the pillars of our faith, the joy of our hearts, the comfort of our souls, and the constant themes of our songs in worship and of the message we preach. 

1. The God we worship and serve, our Heavenly Father is absolutely sovereign in all things.  (Daniel. 4:34-37) 

2. The Lord Jesus Christ, God's dear Son, our Savior has effectually redeemed his people from all sin. (Galatians 3:13)

3. Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

4. And the Lord our God sovereignly rules, controls, and disposes of all things in providence according to His own wise and holy will. (Isaiah 46:9-10)

[Don Fortner] 

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Christ in the Old Testament

The Holy Spirit here reminds us that the message of the Old Testament is the same as that of the New: Christ crucified! The Bible, the Word of God, is one; and its message is one the gospel of Christ! Christ is the sum and substance of the Old Testament! To Him, the earliest promises pointed in the days of Adam, Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

To Him, every sacrifice pointed in the ceremonial worship appointed at Mount Sinai. Of Him every high priest was a type, every part of the tabernacle was a shadow, and every judge and deliverer of Israel was a picture! If we read only that which was written by Moses in the books of the law, we would see Christ everywhere! Jesus is the Seed of the woman, who would break the serpent's head. He is the Seed of Abraham, in whom all nations would be blessed. He is the great Prophet like Moses, who would teach His redeemed people. Not only is Christ crucified the message of Moses, but He is also the message of all the prophets. 

When Philip described Christ to Nathanael, he said, "We have found the One who Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph!" (John 1:45) All the law and all the prophets spoke of Him! They wrote of his birth through a virgin's womb, and the place of his birth, Bethlehem. The prophets spoke of the Savior's sufferings and the glory that would follow. And they wrote about many things relating to His person, offices, and work, as Jehovah's righteous servant. They described Him plainly as the King of the house of David, who came to be David's Lord, as well as David's son. 

Jesus is the Lamb foretold by Isaiah, the righteous Branch mentioned by Jeremiah, the true Shepherd described by Ezekiel, the Messenger of the Covenant promised by Malachi, and the Messiah who, according to Daniel, was to be cut off, not for Himself, but for His people! Do we find it difficult to see Christ in the Old Testament? It is our spiritual blindness and ignorance that is to blame. The eyes of our understanding need to be enlightened. The veil needs to be taken away. 

Let us pray, as we open the Scriptures: "O Spirit of God, open this Book to my heart and open my heart to this Book. Take the things of Christ written upon these pages and show them to me!" The whole book of God is about our Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious accomplishments as our God-man Mediator!

[Don Fortner]

✞ ✞ ✞ 

Luke 24:27 ...  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Luke 24:44 ... And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

1 Peter 1:10-11 ... Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. ❤

Universal is Meaningless

The angel's message to Joseph was a message of grace, redemption and salvation to sinners. By God's command, He was named, "JESUS," Savior, because He was sent by God to save His people from their sins. What He is called, that He is Jesus, our Savior. The Lord Jesus came into the world to save "His people" from their sins. Those He came to save were His people before He came to save them, His by eternal election. 

There are some people in this world, an elect multitude, chosen in Him before the world began, who are peculiarly and distinctively His people, the objects of His everlasting love, chosen in Him unto salvation (Ephesians 1:2-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). 

The Lord Jesus Christ is an almighty, effectual Savior! He saves His people from the penalty of their sin by His blood atonement, the dominion of their sins by His regenerating Spirit, the being of their sins when He takes them out of this world, all the evil consequences of their sins in resurrection glory! 

Universal love, universal grace, and universal redemption is meaningless love, meaningless grace, and meaningless redemption. To preach such, is to preach a meaningless gospel, a meaningless god, and a meaningless savior! 

[Don Fortner] 

Matthew 1:21 ... And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

A Bag, a Book, and a Bottle!

God takes great care to comfort His people in their many trials and sorrows in this world. One of the goals which He commands His preachers to have, is the comfort of His people. He says, "Comfort, comfort My people." (Isaiah 40:1) Here are three things described in the Word of God that should be of great comfort to every believer: 

1. God has made A BAG FOR OUR SINS. Job said, "My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and you sew up my iniquity." (Job 14:17) In ancient times when men died at sea, their bodies were placed in a weighted bag which was sewn together and sealed. Then they were cast into the depths of the sea. That is what God has done with our sins. They are cast "into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19) When Christ died for our sins which were imputed to Him, He put them all away. They were buried in the sea of God's infinite forgiveness, put away never to be brought up again. God almighty will never charge us with sin, impute sin to us, remember our sins against us, or treat us any less graciously because of our sin. That is the forgiveness of God! "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Romans 4:8) 

 2. The Lord has written A BOOK FOR OUR NAMES. Take heart child of God. Your name is written in the book of God! Before the worlds were made, the Lord God inscribed the names of His elect in the Lamb's book of life. In that book God has recorded, not only the names of the chosen heirs of Heaven, but also all things pertaining to them. The Lamb's book of life is the book of God's eternal purpose of grace, predestination, and election. The fact that our names are written in that book means that our salvation is a matter of absolute certainty; and that all things work together for our good by God's arrangement to secure our predestined end, which is perfect conformity to Christ. When our Lord says, "Rejoice because your names are written in Heaven," (Luke 10:20) He is telling us that we have nothing to fear. All is well with those whose names are written in Heaven! 

 3. Moreover, the Lord God keeps A BOTTLE FOR OUR TEARS. "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book." (Psalm 56:8) It was customary at ancient Egyptian funerals for mourners to have a small cloth or sponge to wipe away their tears. Then they were squeezed into a small vial, a tear bottle, and placed in the tomb with the dead, symbolizing the care the mourners had for the one who had died. Even so, the Lord our God, our heavenly Father, our almighty Savior, and our holy Comforter, tenderly cares for us. We are the very apple of His eye. The Lord our God has put our sins in a bag and buried them, written our names in a book to remember them, and placed our tears in a bottle to show His tender care for us. 

Could anything be more comforting in this world of sin, sorrow, and death?

[Don Fortner]

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Eight Stubborn Statements

Here are eight, stubborn, irrefutable statements. They go right to the heart of true Christianity. You will either accept or reject these eight statements. There is no middle ground; and you will find it impossible to be indifferent regarding them. There is no room for compromise on any of these eight points.

1. Either the Bible is in its entirety the holy, inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God or it is in its entirety a lie, by which the souls of men are eternally deceived and damned. If the Bible is not the Word of God, throw it away. But if it is, as it claims to be, God's Holy Word, we will be wise to pay attention to it. It claims, as such, a total sway over our lives. It must be our only rule of faith and practice. 

2. Either God almighty is absolutely sovereign, in total control of all things, at all times or there is no God. Again, there is no middle ground between these two poles, between God's absolute, total sovereignty and absolute, total atheism. To speak of a God who is not totally sovereign is utter nonsense. Atheism is far more sensible than Arminianism. If God is, he is sovereign!

3. Either man is totally depraved, utterly dead in trespasses and in sins or there is nothing wrong with him, and he needs no Savior. There is no such thing as partial depravity or partial goodness before God. Either we are totally sinful and depraved, or we are totally righteous and good. There is no middle ground.

4. Either God chose to save some of Adam's fallen race to salvation and eternal life in Christ before the world began, as the Bible says he did, or no salvation is possible for any man. Salvation is God's prerogative, not man's. Grace is God's gift, not man's choice. If God does not choose to save and choose whom he will save, no sinner can ever be saved.

5. Either the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is altogether and alone the effectual Redeemer and Savior of his people or he is a fraud and a failure. Again, there is no middle ground, no room for compromise. Either Christ did what he came to do, or he is a failure. If he is a failure, he is not God, and we have no Savior.

6. Either we are regenerated and called to life and faith in Christ by the irresistible power and omnipotent grace of God the Holy Spirit or there is no such thing as salvation. The only hope for a dead sinner is free and sovereign grace grace that asks for nothing and gives everything, grace that waits for nothing and does everything.

7. Either God's people are entirely free from the law, as the Scriptures declare us to be, or we are yet under the bondage of the law and entirely obligated to keep it perfectly. There is no such thing as being partially under the law and partially free from it, not in biblical terms. The only way sinners can satisfy, fulfill, and establish the law is by faith in Christ (Romans 3:31).

8. Either every saved sinner shall persevere to the end, being preserved and kept by God's infallible, immutable grace or none shall. The perseverance of the saints is demanded by the purpose of God, the purchase of Christ, and the power of the Spirit.

[Don Fortner]

✫ƸӜƷ•°*”˜˜”*°•.ƸӜƷ✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.ƸӜƷ✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.ƸӜƷ✫ 

Repentance!!

Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ always go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. This is the only way that sinners obtain eternal salvation. Both are necessary. Both are vital. Both are gifts of God's grace.

[Don Fortner]

 ✞  ✞  ✞ 

Acts 20:20-21 ... And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 2:4 ... Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

1 John 1:9 ... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jeremiah 31:18 ... I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.

Lamentations 5:21 ... Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. ❤

Characteristics of Humility

Without humility there is no salvation. No man can serve or glorify God in this world without this God-given "humbleness of mind."  Anything done for Christ must be done with humility.

Humility is not an act, but an attitude of the heart. Humility is brokenness of heart before God by reason of sin and in gratitude for His love, mercy, and grace to sinners in Christ.

Here are five things revealed in the Word of God as characteristics of humility:

1. Humility is a realization of personal unworthiness before God, by reason of one's own depravity and sin. (Job 42:5-6; Psalm 51:4-5) It is not a show of words which sound humble, but which are designed to gain praise. Rather, it is a heartfelt unworthiness before the holy Lord God. (Luke 18:13; Isaiah 6:5)

2. Humility is a renunciation of all merit and personal righteousness in the sight of God. (Philippians 3:9) No man's heart is humbled before God so long as he imagines that he has anything by which he may merit God's favor, or that his righteousness's are more than filthy rags in God's sight. (Isaiah 64:6)

3. Humility is an inexpressible gratitude of heart to God for His abundant, amazing grace to sinners in Christ. (Psalm 116:12, 16) It causes a person to live with a sense of delightful obligation and indebtedness to the Lord God.

4. Humility is a willing submission and devotion of one's heart to the Lord Jesus Christ that cries, "Lord, what will you have me to do?" (Acts 9:6) Humility is devotion to Christ as Lord, submission to His providential rule of all things, and a determination of heart to obey and honor Him regardless of cost.

5. Humility gladly ascribes the whole work of salvation to God's free and sovereign grace through Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

[Don Fortner]
 

Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, (Acts 20:19)

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Purposed.

God does not permit things to happen. He purposed all that comes to pass in time, before time began. And all that He ordained from eternity and performs in time, is good.  

 Romans 11:36 ...  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

 Isaiah 45:7 ...  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.❤

Apart From The Gospel

No one is saved apart from the hearing of the gospel.  Let no one deceive you in this matter. The issue is not whether or not God can save His people without the use of means. The issue is whether or not He will. We know that He will not, because He has revealed it plainly in His Word. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." It pleased God to save His elect by the foolishness of gospel preaching. All who are begotten of God, are begotten of Him by the gospel. All who are born again, are born again by the incorruptible seed of God's Word, which is preached to them in the gospel.

These things are so plainly revealed in holy Scripture that there is no excuse for error regarding them (1 Corinthians 1:21; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Those who teach that God saves sinners apart from the preaching of the gospel, fly in the face of holy Scripture. It is therefore no surprise to see them favor emotionalism, experiences, dreams, custom, and religious tradition above the Word of God.

The preaching of the gospel is God's chosen, ordained means of grace, by which He calls chosen, redeemed sinners to salvation in Christ by the irresistible power and grace of His Holy Spirit. The New Testament universally declares that the preaching of the gospel is vital to the salvation of God's elect.

Our message is always the same.  We do not have one message for children, and another for adults.  We do not have one message for one group, and another for another group.

The preaching of the gospel is a proclamation of the unsearchable riches of Christ, of salvation by His grace, of peace with God, of pardon of sin, of righteousness, and life and salvation by Him.

The Scriptures plainly declare that no one will ever be saved who does not:

  hear the gospel (Romans 10:17),

  believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15-16),

  acknowledge and confess his sin (1 John 1:9),

  repent of his sins (Luke 13:5), and

  persevere in the faith (Matthew 10:22).

[Don Fortner]

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Broken Heart

A broken heart, a contrite spirit, and a subdued will are rare things, especially in this age in which men everywhere are taught to demand their rights; and the church has become a place where man is exalted and enshrined as though he were God. Self-esteem, self-worth, and self-promotion are the cry of the day. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes. All men by nature are exceedingly proud, selfish people.

Preachers today, knowing man's natural pride, have capitalized upon it. They have developed a flesh-pleasing theology of pride. Our forefathers exalted the dignity, the majesty, and the supremacy of the eternal God. But the smooth-tongued preachers of deceit in our day have set themselves to exalt the dignity, majesty, and supremacy of puny man! It seems that religion today is dedicated not to the honor of God, but to the honor of man. Its purpose is to make man feel good about himself. Therefore we hear little about brokenness of heart,  contrition of the soul, and the subduing of man's will.

No man has ever experienced the grace of God in salvation, until his heart is thoroughly broken before the holy Lord God, revealed in the crucified Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. If ever a man finds out:  who he is,  who God is,  who the Lord Jesus Christ is,  and what He has done for sinners, he will be a broken man!

When Job saw himself in the presence of his three miserable friends, he vindicated himself. But when he stood in the presence of God, he was a broken man; and he spoke as a broken man. He saw himself in all the hideousness of his sin; and he saw God in all the holiness of His glorious majesty. Then he said, "Behold I am vile! I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes!" There is no pride and egotism here, no haughtiness, no self-vindication. Once Job had seen the Lord he was broken, he loathed himself and blamed himself. Once Job saw the Lord he honored God and vindicated Him. The truly broken heart will always vindicate God, no matter the cost.

This brokenness can be produced in proud, stubborn, sinful men and women only by the saving revelation of Christ in our hearts. Brokenness is found at the cross only at the cross. Have you been to the cross? Have you had the crucified Christ revealed in your heart? Has your heart been broken by the knowledge of the Lord? O Lord, evermore break our hearts before You!

[Don Fortner]

Psalm 34:18 ... The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 

Psalm 51:17 ... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

Psalm 147:3 ... He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. ❤

Love Covers!!

Love is the fruit of the Spirit. It covers a multitude of evils. Let us study 1 Corinthians 13 in all its detail, and make it the pattern for our lives. Let this be the mirror of our hearts and the standard of our profession. Love covers, overlooks, speedily forgives and forgets. Love invents reasons to avoid strife. Love puts the best possible construction on doubtful matters. Love seeks unity and agreement. Love does not rigidly examine a brother's failures. It will not deliberately expose a brother's faults. It refuses to uncover the sins of another.

To refrain from gross slander, while leaving room for needless and unkind doubt, is not covering sin. Nor is the 'seven-times forgiveness' the true standard of love. Love, like its divine Author, covers ALL sins. 

Who among us does not need the full extent of this covering? What is our brother's evil against us, compared with our sin against God? Can we hesitate to blot out our brother's few dollars, who look for a covering for our debt of ten million dollars to God? Let us imitate Christ's spirit of forbearing, forgiving, self-sacrificing love! 

[Don Fortner]

Ephesians 4:32 … And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

1 Peter 4:8 … And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.❤

God's Purpose and Counsel

We believe, according to the scriptures, that the Lord our God is a God of purpose, absolute and unalterable purpose. Before the world began, Almighty God sovereignly purposed all that ever comes to pass in time. Nothing in this world is left to chance. Everything is moving toward the predetermined end of God's eternal purpose with absolute, precise accuracy.

Even a casual reader of Holy Scripture has to face this fact: The God of the Bible is a God of purpose. The above passages plainly state that the Triune Jehovah is a God of purpose, and clearly teach several things about the purpose of God:

1. The purpose of God is eternal.

2. The purpose of God includes all things.

3. The purpose of God has for its peculiar design the everlasting benefit of God's elect. Everything that God has purposed is for the ultimate, spiritual, and eternal benefit of his covenant people.

4. The purpose of God is immutable and sure.

[Don Fortner]

✞ ✞ ✞

Isaiah 46:10 … Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Psalm 33:11 … The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Proverbs 19:21 … There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

Isaiah 14:24 … The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

Romans 8:28 … And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Acts 4:28 … For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Ephesians 3:11 … According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

2 Timothy 1:9 … Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,❤

Faith Comes by Hearing ...

No one is saved apart from the hearing of the gospel.

Let no one deceive you in this matter. The issue is not whether or not God can save His people without the use of means. The issue is whether or not He will. We know that He will not, because He has revealed it plainly in His Word. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." It pleased God to save His elect by the foolishness of gospel preaching. All who are begotten of God, are begotten of Him by the gospel. All who are born again, are born again by the incorruptible seed of God's Word, which is preached to them in the gospel.

These things are so plainly revealed in holy Scripture that there is no excuse for error regarding them (1 Corinthians 1:21; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Those who teach that God saves sinners apart from the preaching of the gospel, fly in the face of holy Scripture. It is therefore no surprise to see them favor emotionalism, experiences, dreams, custom, and religious tradition above the Word of God.

The preaching of the gospel is God's chosen, ordained means of grace, by which He calls chosen, redeemed sinners to salvation in Christ by the irresistible power and grace of His Holy Spirit. The New Testament universally declares that the preaching of the gospel is vital to the salvation of God's elect.

[Don Fortner]

Romans 10:17 … So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.❤

Five Stubborn Statements

Here are five, stubborn, irrefutable statements. They go right to the heart of true Christianity. You will either accept or reject these eight statements. There is no middle ground; and you will find it impossible to be indifferent regarding them. There is no room for compromise on any of these eight points.

1. Either the Bible is in its entirety the holy, inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God or it is in its entirety a lie, by which the souls of men are eternally deceived and damned. If the Bible is not the Word of God, throw it away. But if it is, as it claims to be, God's Holy Word, we will be wise to pay attention to it. It claims, as such, a total sway over our lives. It must be our only rule of faith and practice.

2. Either God almighty is absolutely sovereign, in total control of all things, at all times or there is no God. Again, there is no middle ground between these two poles, between God's absolute, total sovereignty and absolute, total atheism. To speak of a God who is not totally sovereign is utter nonsense. Atheism is far more sensible than Arminianism. If God is, he is sovereign!

3. Either man is totally depraved, utterly dead in trespasses and in sins or there is nothing wrong with him, and he needs no Savior. There is no such thing as partial depravity or partial goodness before God. Either we are totally sinful and depraved, or we are totally righteous and good. There is no middle ground.

4. Either God chose to save some of Adam's fallen race to salvation and eternal life in Christ before the world began, as the Bible says he did or no salvation is possible for any man. Salvation is God's prerogative, not man's. Grace is God's gift, not man's choice. If God does not choose to save and choose whom he will save, no sinner can ever be saved.

5. Either the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is altogether and alone the effectual Redeemer and Savior of his people or he is a fraud and a failure. Again, there is no middle ground, no room for compromise. Either Christ did what he came to do, or he is a failure.

[Don Fortner]

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

We Dwell in The Palm Of God's Hand

"My times". They change and vary from day to day, but they change only in accordance with His unchanging love. They vary, but only according to the purpose of Him in whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning.

"My times". That is to say my ups and my downs, my health and my sickness, my prosperity and my adversity, my wealth and my poverty, my happiness and my sorrow, all of these are in the hands of my Lord and Redeemer, who arranges and appoints the length of my days and the darkness of my nights according to His wise and holy will.

"My times". All of them, in the beginning of life, in the course of life and in the end of life, "are in Your hand" and I am glad that it is so.

The close of my life is no more at the disposal of fate, or chance, or Satan than the beginning of my life. My life will not close until the hand of my Father's love closes it. I shall not die before my time, and I shall not be forgotten and left on the stage of time too long.

Not only are we in the hand of the Lord, but everything that surrounds us is in His hand. All the people, things and events which make up the environment of our existence are in the hand of our God.

Child of God, this should bring comfort and joy to your heart.  We dwell in the palm of God's hand!  We are absolutely at His disposal.  Everything that concerns us is arranged by His hand.  May the Lord graciously enable us to enter into the peaceful realization of His good providence!

[Don Fortner]

✞ ✞ ✞ 

Psalm 31:15 … My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

1 Peter 5:7 … Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

John 10:29 … My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.❤

The Preaching of The Gospel

No one is saved apart from the hearing of the gospel.  Let no one deceive you in this matter. The issue is not whether or not God can save His people without the use of means. The issue is whether or not He will. We know that He will not, because He has revealed it plainly in His Word. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." It pleased God to save His elect by the foolishness of gospel preaching. All who are begotten of God, are begotten of Him by the gospel. All who are born again, are born again by the incorruptible seed of God's Word, which is preached to them in the gospel.

These things are so plainly revealed in holy Scripture that there is no excuse for error regarding them (1 Corinthians 1:21; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Those who teach that God saves sinners apart from the preaching of the gospel, fly in the face of holy Scripture. It is therefore no surprise to see them favor emotionalism, experiences, dreams, custom, and religious tradition above the Word of God.

The preaching of the gospel is God's chosen, ordained means of grace, by which He calls chosen, redeemed sinners to salvation in Christ by the irresistible power and grace of His Holy Spirit. The New Testament universally declares that the preaching of the gospel is vital to the salvation of God's elect.

Our message is always the same.  We do not have one message for children, and another for adults.  We do not have one message for one group, and another for another group.

The preaching of the gospel is a proclamation of the unsearchable riches of Christ,  of salvation by His grace,  of peace with God,  of pardon of sin, of righteousness, and life and salvation by Him.

[Don Fortner]

Romans 10:17 … So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

God's Providence

Providence is God's government of the universe. If we have a proper view of God's providence, we will see the hand of God and the heart of God in everything, in all the experiences of our lives.  God almighty, our God and heavenly Father, is always at work, governing His world.  We recognize that God's providence is mysterious (Romans 11:33-36). His judgments are a great deep. His ways are past finding out.

God's providence is as minute as it is mysterious. Our God has ordained the number of hairs on the heads of all. Not even a worthless sparrow falls to the ground without His decree.  God's providence is all-inclusive. God rules everything, great and small, everywhere, and at all times. He who created all things, rules all things.

Our God and heavenly Father controls, absolutely and totally, all rational creatures. He controls all men and women everywhere, good and bad, in the good they do and in the evil they perform. All angels, all demons, and Satan himself are under the total control of our God (Psalm 76:10; Isaiah 14:24-27). Nothing in God's universe breathes or wiggles contrary to His decree (Isaiah 46:9-13). Satan is not a rival to our God, but His vassal!

As a wise, skilled pharmacist mixes medicine, so our heavenly Father wisely mixes exactly the right measure of bitter things and sweet things to do us good.

Too much joy would intoxicate us.  Too much misery would drive us to despair.  Too much sorrow would crush us.  Too much suffering would break our spirits. Too much pleasure would ruin us. Too much defeat would discourage us.  Too much success would puff us up.  Too much failure would keep us from doing anything.  Too much criticism would harden us.  Too much praise would make us prideful.  Our great God knows exactly what we need.   His providence is wisely designed and sovereignly sent for our good!   Let Him therefore send and do whatever He will.  By His grace, if we are His, we will bow to it, accept it, and give thanks for it.

God's providence is always executed in the wisest manner possible. We are often unable to see and understand the reasons and causes for specific events in our lives, in the lives of others, or in the history of the world. We bow to His will, which is evident in His works of providence, and say, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Romans 11:33) 

All God's works of providence are executed in perfect holiness and righteousness. Even the way He uses the evil works of men and devils, is totally free of sin on His part. Though He has predestined and permits deeds of wickedness, sin cannot be imputed to the Almighty. "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works." (Psalm 145:17)

God's providence demands and deserves our unceasing praise.

He who is God indeed, is the God of providence, the God who rules all things, and rules all things well. How we ought to trust Him! Ever remember, our heavenly Father is God all-wise, good, and omnipotent. He is too wise to err,  too good to do wrong, and too strong to fail!

[Don Fortner]

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫