If Lee gets on the internet,
would you let me know? You tell Shirley about the card?
Is that what she's doing right now? Did you see that also, Roger?
Yeah. think about it for a few minutes.
Yeah, no, we're not going to mail it out till tomorrow. We might be here tomorrow. Yeah,
we can mail it from wherever we're at. Okay, we can do that. Or Sue can mail it out. She's
going to check the mailbox anyways. We can drop it in that one out
here in the front. Yep, one or three. Good morning. I'm going to open
this morning's service with page 345 for our Bible study song,
Blessing Assurance. 345, and then we'll have prayer. Bless his spirit, Jesus is mine. All of the poor taste the glory
divine. His salvation purges the world. Pour out His Spirit, wash in
His love. This is my story, this is my
song, Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story,
this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, perfect delight. Visions of rapture now burst
on my sight. Angels descending right from
above. Echoes of mercy, whispers of
love. This is my story, this is my
song. Praising my Savior all the day
long. This is my story, this is my
song, Praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission,
all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching
and waiting, looking above, Filled with divineness, lost in His
love. This is my story, this is my
song, Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story,
this is my song, Lord, that's our greatest desire,
is to praise your name in all that comes our way. Everything
that you have purposed for us, Lord, our desire is to praise your
name. to give all the glory to you
for the goodness and the mercy and the grace that you shed upon
our lives. Special prayer this morning,
Lord, for Brother Lee and his son, Chris. Thank you, Father. Thank you that our sister Shirley
now stands in your presence with the throng, the millions, the great host of people Yet Father, she leaves behind
two on this earth at this time who have great, great sorrow
in their hearts. Yet they do not sorrow as the
world. They do not sorrow without the
hope, the hope of Your Word, the promises of Your Word. We
know, Lord, by Your mercy and grace, we know that Your Word
is true. Your promises are true, yay and
amen. So we thank you, Lord. We thank
you for that peace that you give us in this world. Bless us this
morning, Lord, as we begin this new book, as we go back to the
basics, as we like to so often say, back to the basics of scripture. This book, we thank you for men
like Robert Hawker, who's quoted often. John Gill, J.C. Ryle, and others, and Don
Fortner. Lord, we thank you for these
men who have written, written so well that we can expound on
the scriptures, the beauty of your word and the basics of your
gospel. Bless us, Lord, as we use this
word for guidance, as an outline, and may The references that we
look at in your word, Father, cause us to grow in knowledge,
grow in knowledge and in the grace of our Savior, the Lord
Jesus. In his name we ask. Amen. All right. If you'd like to turn in your
Bibles, you can turn to Psalm number 11. Psalm number 11. And there's one verse, we'll
look at this in Psalm number 11 in just a moment. But I want
to begin, I was considering how to open this study. It's a pretty big book, by the
way. There's a lot. 709 pages, and
I only expect to get through maybe three each Sunday, so we'll
be here for a little while it looks like. But before we do
that, I want to open with the foreword that was written by
Pastor Todd Neigert, because it really lays the foundation
for what we're looking at through this book, through what Don has
attempted to do in taking us into the Scriptures, And that's
the main thing, by the way. Don makes that very clear. The
main thing is going into the scriptures. It's not his commentary,
but it's where it takes us into the scriptures, and we consider
the depth of the basics of scriptures, basic teachings. So here, let
me read the foreword for you from Pastor Todd Niver. He says,
we are living in a day when many truths Now this is kind of a
word play here. When many truths are preached,
but little truth is actually spoken. And he gives us an example
of that. There was a woman who was possessed
with a spirit of divination. And that's recorded for us in
the book of Acts chapter 16 and 17. You recall that she was a
woman who could declare certain things. It serves us an illustration
to this when she said, these be the servants of the Most High.
She was speaking about the disciples as they were approaching. These
be the disciples of the Most High, the servants of the Most
High, which show unto us the way of salvation. She was absolutely
correct. But that wasn't the truths of
God's Word. She was speaking a truth, but
she wasn't speaking the truth. That's what Todd's bringing out
here. She spoke truths, but that they were the servants of the
Most High who did show that the way to salvation, and there is
no error in that statement, he says, but she never spoke the
truth. There is an infinite difference
between speaking truths and the truth. Basic Bible doctrine stays
true to its title. The Bible has only one doctrine,
the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ consists
of many teachings, many doctrines, which stand together as the doctrine
of Christ. All these doctrines are essential,
and if any of these doctrines are omitted, or distorted, or
separated, it is no longer the doctrine of Christ. Breaking
one link of the chain, and the whole chain is broken. In this
book, Pastor Don clearly presents the doctrine of Christ as it
is unified, whole, in a warm and readable style. In these
passages, Pastor Todd said, I was both instructed and encouraged
by seeing the completeness of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. What Pastor Fortner said regarding
the redemptive work of Christ and the regenerating work of
the Holy Spirit is particularly needed in our day. He closes
with this, I believe those who read these pages will profit
greatly if God is pleased to bless it. We will not merely
learn truths, but the truth. And I thought that was important.
It kind of leads us to a foundation to start with. And
if you're in with Psalms 11, look at verse 3 with me, and
this is what Don starts with in this book. The title of chapter
1 is, Why Study Doctrine? And then he refers to this verse
here, If the foundations, and that's
what we're talking about, basic Bible doctrines, that's the teachings,
the basic foundations for all the different teachings. If the
foundations be destroyed, what can be righteous? Don begins
with this, he says, People often object to any talk about doctrine. Isn't that true? Haven't you
found that true as well? They just want to talk about
God's love. We spoke a little bit about this in our Friday
night Bible study this last Friday night. The Lord showed us in
Matthew chapter 20, I think it is, or 21, one of those two chapters,
He showed us how not only is He the God of love, but he's
also the God of judgment. He walked into the temple in
Jerusalem and threw the money changers' tables upside down,
kicked the money changers out, and then later on the next day
when he got up and he hungered as a man, he cursed a fig tree
that was not producing fruit where it should be, which is
a picture of the church. He was committing judgment against
the church. Well, they don't want to talk
about those kinds of things. They don't want to talk about
a God of judgment. And that's what Don is referring here to.
People often object to talking about doctrine and the study
of doctrine because they wrongly imagine that it is an unnecessary
cause of strife. Oh, we don't want to talk about
those things because they cause, we don't want to talk about God
hating Esau. That's not a good thing to talk
about. People don't like to hear that. The fact is, writes Don,
we cannot have any unity at all if we do not have doctrinal unity. Doctrine is not everything in
Christianity, but nothing is more important than doctrine,
than teachings. Gospel doctrine is the foundation
of all true faith, the basis of all real comfort, and the
inspiration for all worship, obedience, and devotion. I often
hear people say, writes Don, let us not discuss doctrine.
Let us just get on with evangelism. Let's just get on with making
the church grow. We don't need to talk about those
minor things. Sorry. Let's just worship the Lord.
Let's not talk about doctrine. Don't preach doctrine, just preach
Christ. That makes about as much sense, says Don, as a basketball
coach saying to his team, boys, don't worry about the baskets,
or the ball, or the lines out there on the thing. Don't worry
about those things. Let's just play basketball. That's
a pretty good scenario there as well, isn't it? And you cannot
have evangelism, worship, and Christianity without doctrinal
truths. The study of doctrine is important
because it's foundational. In Psalm 11, verse 3, David asks
that question. He says, if the foundation be
destroyed, what can the righteous do? Obviously, says God, we recognize
that the foundation of God stand as sure, as it says in 2 Timothy
2, verse 19. Yet we also know that in this
dark and apostate age in which Wicked religious men and women
walk in darkness without knowledge and without understanding as
we read in Psalm 82 verse 5, all the foundations of the earth
are out of course. Isn't that what we read? That's
what it was talking about Friday night in the Bible study about
the Babylon had fallen. That's what a picture of that
fig tree with leaves and no fruit was all about. It's about the
churches who have no fruit. Their foundations, they have
no foundation. Their foundations are based on
what men do instead of what God has done. The religion of the world constantly
attacks assaults and seeks to destroy the foundation of doctrinal
truths. When men seek to destroy the
very foundations of our faith, what can the righteous do is
what that's saying in Psalm 11 verse 3. And here are three things that
we can and must do. First, we must recognize and
assert the importance of doctrine in the Word of God. Doctrine
is not a dirty word. When we talk about doctrine of
the Bible, we are simply talking about the teaching of the Bible. That's what the word doctrine
means, teaching. To say doctrine is insignificant is to say that
the teachings of the Bible are insignificant. Doctrine is not
insignificant, it is vital, writes Don. Gospel doctrine is absolutely
necessary for saving faith. Faith in Christ is not a leap
in the dark, it is a walk in the light. That person who has
not taught the doctrine of Christ or believes that which is contrary
to the doctrine of Christ does not know Christ. This is not
a matter of speculation, but a matter of revelation. And I've
got three verses I want to refer to you here. Turn over to Romans
chapter 16 first, if you would. Romans chapter 16. Look at two verses with me there,
if you would. Verses 17 and 18. In Romans 16, verse 17, Paul
writes, now I beseech you, brethren, mark them. This is why it's important
for us to stand on the truths, on the teachings of the Bible.
Mark them which cause division and offenses contrary to the
doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them. Now look at verse
18. For they that are such serve
not our Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly,
and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Here's another one for you. Turn
to the right a little further over to 1 Timothy chapter 4.
1 Timothy chapter 4. This medication I'm on has got
my throat all dried out. Seems like I get started talking
and it's all right, and then it gets a little worse as it
goes along. 1 Timothy chapter 4. Look at verse 16. 1 Timothy chapter 4. We're talking about those who
come with a different doctrine, those who we are to beware of. This is not a matter
of speculation, but of revelation. 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 16,
take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine, the teaching. Continue in them for in doing
this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. Now
remember, we're talking, Don's first part of this whole introduction
to this book is why study doctrine? What purpose is there? This is
our refute to Why bother with that? Why bother
with God hates Jacob or loves Esau? What difference does that
make? God loves the people. Let's talk about that. You gotta
talk about why God hates Esau. That's just part of the teaching.
So here, one more if you would. Turn over to John, 2 John. Go to the right again, just the
other side of Hebrews and Peter. Go to 2 John. The second epistle of John, it's
just one page there. Verse nine. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not. Again, this is the third time
we've seen here in this part of the word of God. The Lord's
instructing us, warning us. Whosoever transgresseth, abideth
not in doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the
doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. So we see that, and that sound
doctrine is necessary for godly behavior. How are you going to
act? How are you going to act right?
Unless you, if you don't know the teachings of Scripture, how
are you going to act right? I do not doubt, writes Don, that
people may live in an outwardly moral, religious manner, without
doctrine, but you cannot live for Christ, to the glory of Christ,
and after the example of Christ, without the doctrine of Christ. Paul tells us that the doctrine
of Christ is that doctrine which is according to godliness. Turn back to 1 Timothy, if you
will. 1 Timothy chapter 6, this time verse 3. Go back to 1 Timothy. Chapter 6, verse 3. If any man teach otherwise,
and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to
godliness. Our comfort as believers Living
in this world of woe greatly depends upon our grasp, our understanding
of the doctrine of Holy Scriptures. In Romans 15, 4, I'll read it
for you, for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for what? For our learning, it says. That
we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have
hope. Were it not for the teaching
of scriptures regarding God's sovereignty, writes Don, and
for the grace in predestination and providence, Christ's substitutionary
atonement, and the Spirit's efficacious grace, where would we find the
strength to comfort and the comfort that we need to face and deal
with the life in this world? Where would you find it? If you
didn't understand it, I think about this as I just read that. If I didn't have the doctrine
of all things, the teaching of all things are for our good,
then how would I deal, what comfort would I have in the fact that
I just got in an accident? Where would I put any comfort
in the fact that a deer jumped out in front of me? Where would
we put any comfort in when a family member is taken from us abruptly? We must recognize the importance
of doctrine. And when men would destroy the
foundations upon which our souls are built, we must cling to The
Word of God, writes Don. I agree with that. Amen. That's
where we cling to, isn't it? We cling to Him. We don't cling
to John. We don't cling to Don Fortner.
We don't cling to some other man. We cling to Christ and His
Word. We look at the scripture just
like the Bereans, the Bereans who were considered noble for
what reason? Because they looked into the
Scriptures daily to make sure the man who was speaking spoke
the Word of God. That's what we're doing with
Don today. This is what we're doing in looking into the references
of what the word doctrine means and what it is, how it is used
in Scriptures. We recognize the importance of
doctrine when men would understand the foundations of our of which
our souls are built, we must cling to the Word of God. In
this world of chaos, the one thing that stands unchanged,
unchanging, and unchangeable is the Word of God. Here's a
foundation that cannot be destroyed. And we know that. Let me quote
for you from Psalms 119 verse 89. The foundation of God standeth
sure. It sure does, doesn't it? We
believe that. Here's another one, Isaiah 40,
verse 8. Forever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven. That's the same thing, it stands
sure. It's settled. One more, if you don't mind.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God
shall stand forever. Our house of faith of human philosophy, but upon
the solid rock of God's own word. When the foundations are being
assaulted, from every quarter we must earnestly contend for
the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Turn over to Jude.
We read this in Friday night's Bible study as well. Turn over
to Jude and look with me at verses 3 and 4. When somebody comes into our
congregation, and this happened, didn't it? Some of you will remember.
Remember the folks, the two men that came in from the church
down the road up here? One, he showed up one time, he
left, he saw what he wanted to see and left, and another one
stuck around for a while, and he wanted to teach progressive
sanctification. He actually took me out to lunch
and wanted to offer to teach it for me, and when I disputed
him for it and told him we wouldn't be teaching those things in the
Scriptures, he finally left. But this is how I disputed him
with it. I said, that's not what it teaches
in Scripture. In Scripture it tells us that we are sanctified
in Christ Jesus. We don't get better in this flesh.
There's no way in Scripture it tells us that we get better because
we act a certain way. In fact, just the opposite. Paul
says, O wretched man that I am. I use the doctrines of Christ. to dispute this man, and that's
exactly what we're seeing here in the book of Jude, chapter
1, verse 3. Verse 4, For there are certain
men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this
condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness
and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. We're
to watch out for men like that. Don't think that the Lord's not
going to send men to this church to do that. We've seen it. Soon as Gene moved on his way,
that's what happened. If in these dark days, writes
Don, we would contend for the integrity of the Scriptures and
the faith of the saints, we must prayfully study and seek, by
the grace of God, to comprehend the teaching the doctrine of
the Word of God. Amen. Amen and amen. The study of the doctrine is
important because it is foundational, and because the doctrine we are
studying is of God. The doctrines we believe, those
doctrines taught in Holy Scripture and believed by all true Christians
are not of men, but of God. These are not mere denominational
dogmas, church confessions, doctrinal debates, theological theses,
but teachings of God Himself. Those things which are vital
to our souls, vital to the knowledge of God, vital to the salvation,
are things which could not be known except by divine revelation. Isn't that what we read in 1
Peter 1, verse 21? Who by Him do believe in God. How do we believe in God? By
Him that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory that
your faith and hope might be in God. That's a good teaching
right there, isn't it? Our faith. That's a good doctrine
to be teaching right there, that our faith, the gift of God, is
taught to us by God Himself. They can be understood only by
divine illumination. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 2. We'll finish up here. 1 Corinthians
2. Look at verses 13 and 14. Which
things, this is speaking of of doctrinal truths, teachings,
which things also we speak not in words which man's wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual, but the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned. Both the man who attempts
to teach And those who seek to learn the doctrine of Holy Scriptures
are totally dependent upon the grace, the wisdom, and the power
of God the Holy Spirit. If He is our teacher, we shall
be taught well, for we are taught of God. Amen with that? That's
chapter 1, part A. Chapter 1, part A. Next week
we'll look at the second part of chapter one. Brother Mike,
would you mind leading us in closing prayers? Thank you, brother.