Saving faith

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Needful Exhortations and Warnings

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By Don Fortner  (Selected Commentary on selected books, Chapter 16) 

Needful Exhortations and Warnings

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

           (Mat_7:1-29)

In this chapter, our Lord Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount. Throughout this sermon (Matthew 5-7), our Savior draws a clear, unmistakable distinction between true and false religion, between outward ceremonialism and inward godliness, between religious hypocrisy and true spirituality. In chapter 5 he showed us the character of his people and the necessity of holiness. In chapter 6 he showed us the character of true worship and the necessity of faith. Here in chapter 7 he brings his sermon home to all who heard him (and to all who read his words today) by making general, but pointed, exhortations and warnings, that we all need to be reminded of continually. May God the Holy Spirit, who has preserved these exhortations and warnings for us upon the pages of Holy Scripture, graciously apply them to our hearts.

Kindness

This chapter opens with a gracious exhortation to kindness (Mat_7:1-5).

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

I do not know of any text in all the Bible that has been more twisted, abused, and misapplied by men than Mat_7:1. Those who despise absolute values, absolute standards of right and wrong, absolute doctrinal truths and dogmatism, even if they cannot quote any other text in the Bible, recite these words to condemn as divisive bigots all who press upon them the doctrinal and spiritual demands of Holy Scripture. With sweet sounding piety and complete seriousness they will look you right in the eye and say, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Continue reading →

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The Holy Spirit and the Hearing of Faith

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Don Fortner 

“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”                                                                                                                   (Galatians 3:2)

“This only would I learn of you.” ― Here Paul strikes at the heart of the Galatians’ great error, and demonstrates that the gift of the Holy Spirit, that is to say grace, salvation, eternal life, and all the blessings of the covenant of grace of which the gift of the Spirit is the seal and assurance (Gal. 3:13-14; Eph. 1:13-14), come to chosen, redeemed sinners only by the hearing of faith, not by the works of the law.

“Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” ― John Gill asserts, “This question supposes they had received the Spirit; that is, the Spirit of God, as a spirit of wisdom and knowledge in the revelation of Christ; as a spirit of regeneration and sanctification; as a spirit of faith and adoption; and as the earnest, seal, and pledge of their future glory.”

True Believers Continue reading →

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The Treachery of False Religious Leaders

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Don Fortner 

Listen here (click on player) :

Treachery

Text:          Mal_2:1-17

      Subject:     The Treachery of False Prophets

      Date:         Sunday Evening — August 23, 2009

Introduction:

My subject is TREACHERY. The 2nd chapter of Malachi’s prophecy is a scathing denunciation of treachery. Here the Lord God denounces the treacherous deeds of men and emphatically declares that he will turn their treachery upon their own heads. The treachery spoken of in these 17 verses, that are boiling with the anger of God, is far worse than…

  • The civil treachery of a traitor,
  • The political treachery of self-serving politicians,
  • Or the domestic treachery of a husband or wife who destroys the lives of their family to gratify their own lusts.

The treachery here denounced by our God is treachery in the pulpit, the treachery of religious leaders, the treachery of that man who is supposed to be “the messenger of the Lord of hosts,” but is instead the minister of Satan.

(Zep_3:4) “Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.”

(Hos_5:7) “They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.”

(Hos_6:7) “But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.”

The Lord God has promised that he will give his church pastors after his own heart, pastors who will feed his people with knowledge and understanding (Jer_3:15). But Satan constantly seeks to fill the pulpits of churches with treacherous men.

TREACHEROUS PREACHERS Continue reading →

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What about Praying For the Dead? What does the Bible say

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For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
(Ecclesiastes 9:4-5 KJV)

by Tony Warren 

What about Praying For the Dead? 

There are few doctrines so couched in man made tradition and superstition, as the Roman catholic belief that by praying for the dead, it will benefit these souls, or that they can also intercede for us is some way. Should Christians pray for the dead? Absolutely not! This is not only a totally unchristian idea, but it is in some ways downright Pagan. Is God’s loving kindness declared after men are in the grave that the dead receive blessings, and our prayers for them are answered? Man says yes, but God says no!

Psalms 88:10-12

  • “Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
  • Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
  • Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? ” Continue reading →
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False faith

Sea of Fog

By Don Fortner 

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Read Mat_7:13-27

A false faith can do many things and produce many things, which make it hard to detect. A false faith can experience deep conviction for sin like Judas. It can tremble at the Word of God like Felix. It can repent like Esau. It can obtain high office in the church like Judas, Diotrephes and Demas. A false faith can speak well of Christ: ‘Never a man spake like this man.’ It can experience deep religious emotions like the stony-ground hearers. It can diligently perform religious works like the Pharisees. A false faith can even preach the gospel, perform miracles, cast out demons and persevere to the end (Mat_7:22-23). But, as I read the Word of God, I see that there are three things that a false faith can never do.

1. A false faith can never produce a heart broken over sin (Psalms 51). It can offer sacrifices to try to appease God for sin. It can do good works to try to make up for sin. It can even confess sin. But, ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ Such brokenness and humility, because of inbred sin, a false faith cannot produce. Continue reading →

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The Great Commission

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Don Fortner 

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
(Mar_16:15-18)
These words are given to us by Inspiration as our Lord’s final words to his church, his final words to you and me, as he was leaving this world. Here he tells us what our privileges and responsibilities are as his servants in this world. These are not the privileges and responsibilities of the apostles alone, or of gospel preachers alone. These are the privileges and responsibilities of all God’s people, his servants, in this world.

It is the great privilege and responsibility of every child of God to do what he can for the furtherance of the gospel in his generation, to preach the gospel (and see to it that the gospel is preached) to all the world in the generation in which we live for the glory of Christ and the salvation of God’s elect.

The Great Commission
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mar_16:15). — It is utterly impossible for me to state emphatically enough the importance, the comprehensiveness, and the depth of meaning there is in these words. Our Lord’s charge to us in this one sentence is generally called “The Great Commission.” This is our commission from our God as long as we live in this world; and it is great!

It is called “the great commission,” because there is a great need. Our Lord commands us to go into all the world preaching the gospel, because all are lost without the gospel. In every corner of the earth the sons and daughters of Adam are the same. All are fallen, lost, without Christ, without God, without hope, and utterly ignorant of God, his grace, his Son and his salvation. Civilized or uncivilized, in Africa, China, or Great Britain, Mexico, California, or Kentucky, all who are ignorant of the gospel are in a state of wrath and condemnation. Continue reading →

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Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD

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“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. “
(Jeremiah 23:1-5 KJV)

Jeremiah 23:1-32Jer_23:1. Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.What a dreadful woe this is upon all false shepherds, — those who profess to be sent of God to instruct the people, but who are not sent of God at all, Continue reading →

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A PERSON IS SAVED WHEN IT PLEASES GOD TO SAVE HIM

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By Don Fortner 

When is a person saved?

The Apostle Paul tells us that A PERSON IS SAVED WHEN IT PLEASES GOD TO SAVE HIM. “When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his graces to reveal his Son in me.” “When the fulness of time was come … God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba Father”. My friends, “Salvation is of the Lord”, Salvation comes to men according to God’s sovereign pleasure. He says, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy”. God saves whoever he is pleased to save; and he saves them whenever it pleases him to do so. When is a person saved? Mark it down.

A PERSON IS SAVED WHEN IT PLEASES GOD TO SAVE HIM.

When is a person saved? I can tell you this – Salvation is something more than walking down an aisle at the end of a church service and saying “the sinner’s prayer”. Salvation is an operation of the grace of God upon a man’s heart. Salvation is a living union with the living Lord. The Word of God makes it very clear that salvation is not something you do for God, it is something God does for you. Salvation is not accomplished by man, not by the works of man, not by the decision of man, and not by the free-will of man. Salvation is not a co-operative program in which God does his part and you do your part. “SALVATION IS OF THE LORD”. It is God who quickens, regencrates and gives life to dead sinners. It is God who redeemed, justified, and pardoned his people. it is God who chose his own elect, determined to save them, and predestinated them unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ. Salvation is not by man’s decision, but by God’s decision. Salvation is not by man’s power, but by God’s power. Salvation is not by man’s work, but by God’s work. Salvation is not by man’s will, but by God’s will. Continue reading →

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“To Him Give All the Prophets Witness” Acts 10:43

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“To Him Give All the Prophets Witness” Acts 10:43

Peter in Acts 2, Stephen in Acts 7, and Paul in Acts 13 delivered sermons that summarized the entire history of the Old Testament. And the subject of each of their sermons was the Lord Jesus Christ. How I wish that all men and women could see this blessed fact: — Jesus Christ and him crucified is the theme of Holy Scripture! — “To him give all the prophets witness!” And to him give all the apostles witness. Every book of the Bible speaks of Christ. Let me show you just one thing revealed about Christ in each of the 66 books of Holy Scripture. Christ is the theme of every text, the subject of every page, and the message of every subject set forth in Holy Scripture. But space will permit me to show you just one thing revealing Christ in every book of the Bible.
Continue reading →

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God Rules!

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Our God is in control of this world- absolutely in control of it (Ps. 76:10). God, and God alone, is in absolute, total control of the entire universe. We can and should trust Him with implicit confidence in all things, and with all things. The Word of God, the promises of God, the prophecies of Holy Scripture are all utterly meaningless unless our God is the God who rules everything, whose will is always performed, whose purpose stands fast, whose thoughts are irresistible!

Here is the basis of our faith and the foundation of our comfort- Our God is in control- as fully in control of Satan, the demons of hell, and the thoughts and deeds of wicked men as he is of the angels about his throne. We live in a world of woe. We are often tossed to and fro in this world, confused and perplexed by many things. Let us ever rest ourselves in our God. Continue reading →

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The Message of Holy Scripture

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

A sermon by Don Fortner 

Exerts posted from the sermon. Please listen to this edifying sermon.

Martin Luther, wrote, —
“There is not a word in the Bible which can be understood without reference to the cross…As we go to the cradle only in order to find the baby, so we go to the Scriptures only to find Christ.”

Go to the Scriptures only to see Christ, not to prove a doctrine , not to defend a doctrine, not to prove some theological point but, just to see Christ. Go to the book of God, only to see the Son of God. That should be our purpose every time we read the Scriptures. Continue reading →

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IS YOUR PASTOR LYING TO YOU?

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2 John 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

By Don Fortner 

Is your pastor lying to you? Most preachers are liars. They are making merchandise of the souls of men. They have no regard for you, no regard for the honor of God, the glory of Christ, the Word of God, or for the souls of men. They preach for gain, to gain money, to gain power, or to gain prestige. They are in the best business in the world, big-business religion. They know what people like to hear, and they give it to them. Whatever it takes to keep the people coming and the money rolling in, they do. Most preachers are liars. Is your pastor lying to you?

It has come to pass in our day, as the apostle Paul predicted, the time has come when men “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they turn away their ears from the truth, and are turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Here are five fables which are commonly proclaimed in pulpits all over America today. They are lies and perversions; but these are smooth things such as people like to hear. They keep the money coming in; so preachers keep on repeating these fables.

1. We are told that “God loves everyone”. Continue reading →

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The privilege and responsibility of a Christian wife

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Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Today there is great emphasis upon what is called freedom and liberation. Everyone wants to have his rights. Another way of phrasing it would be, everyone wants to have his way. Perhaps a word in season is needed. The spirit of this generation is contrary to the spirit of Christ. The worldling asserts his rights. The believer submits to the rights of others. The one place where the truthfulness; or hypocrisy of our faith will be known is in the home.

It is the privilege and responsibility of a Christian wife to submit to her own husband. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” My sisters, Continue reading →

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Of Dogs and Swine

John MacArthur

_Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces._ – Matthew 7:6

It is clear from this verse that Jesus doesn’t exclude every kind of judgment—here He commands a specific type. But to obey His command, you need to know who the dogs and swine represent.

In biblical times dogs were largely half-wild mongrels that acted as scavengers. They were dirty, greedy, snarling, and often vicious and diseased. No responsible Jew would ever throw to a dog a piece of holy meat that had been consecrated as a sacrifice in the temple. Since no man was allowed to eat this meat, how much less should it have been thrown to wild, filthy dogs.

Swine were considered by the Jews to be the epitome of uncleanness. Like the scavenging dogs, those swine were greedy, vicious, and filthy. Continue reading →

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HOW THE APOSTLES DIED?

DO YOU KNOW HOW THE APOSTLES DIED?

WOW~~NO ONE EVER Said it would be easy!

Matthew

Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound

Mark

Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.

Continue reading →