Address—P. Geveden
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Shall we open our meeting with?
Number 16 eight 168.
The night is far spent and the day is at hand. No sign to be looked for the stars in the sky.
Rejoice then, you Saints Tis your Lords own command.
Rejoice, for the coming of Jesus draws nigh.
168.
The.
Shall we pray?
Our blessed God, our Father.
Shall we turn to Peters first epistle?
First chapter verse 23.
Being born again.
Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
For all flesh is as grass and.
All the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.
But the word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Each of you have had a beginning. You're here present this afternoon.
You were given a name so many years ago when you first came into this world.
A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. So and So or a daughter.
And the people read the announcement in the paper, perhaps with gladness.
That you would come into this world.
It's nice to have a beginning.
But you know the most important beginning necessary.
Is a beginning with the Lord.
There was a young man named Saul.
He had begun. Already he had lived a number of years.
He was a very.
Educated person. Individual.
He had been taught.
And he was very wise.
He had a great amount of knowledge.
And he is also a religious man.
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And he sought to do God's service.
But he was against God's son.
So he couldn't really do God in his service, could he? As long as he was against God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That man was on the road to Damascus one day. He was busy, and perhaps you're very busy too, doing things.
But his business at that time was to persecute Christians.
He would go to foreign cities, even to distant places.
And arrest those that believed in Jesus.
And to bring them back to Jerusalem so that they could be condemned and be put to death.
Now, mind you, he was doing this in the name of religion. He thought he was doing God's service.
But that really couldn't be any service to God because he was against his son.
Men in general throughout the world believe in God.
There are people that believe in God, and yet they chop off the entire New Testament.
They stay by the old. They believe in God.
Well, that doesn't take them very far, does it?
There's no way to the Father except through the Son.
For the Lord Jesus said in John 14, verse six, No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
That young man, named Saul, was on the road to Damascus.
When a great change was introduced into his life.
He had a new beginning.
He began with Jesus.
The Lord.
And my dear young people, you haven't really begun properly as you ought unless you have the gun.
With the Lord Jesus.
Being born again.
That's the all important beginning for each one present here this afternoon.
It's important, it's necessary, it's vital. Or if we would escape the judgment, to come.
If we would really enter into life that which is truly in really life, we must have this beginning by a new birth.
By being born again.
Not of corruptible seed. That's what we have naturally.
And only Wednesday we were looking into a casket.
And there was the form.
Of one who had gone away.
That form.
Was placed in the cemetery to undergo, if the Lord cometh not.
Soon the processes of decomposition.
And we read here that all flesh is as grass.
Not just.
Some but all flesh, even yours.
Is as grass.
Grass is a very common thing, isn't it? Flesh is a very common thing too.
You find it everywhere.
You find grass all over the world, but it's a very fragile thing, isn't it? It's not very sturdy vegetation, grass on the ground, in the yard, across the fields, in this land and other lands.
It grows. It comes with a warmth and moisture of spring.
And for a certain season flourishes. Then it fades away.
All flesh is as grass.
We're told if this planet were 20 million miles further away from the sun, there would be no grass.
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We haven't. We would have ice all over everything.
And we are also told, and likely it's quite right, that if we were twenty 20 million miles closer to the sun would be burned up with heat.
Doesn't that simply indicate that God has a design in his universe?
That everything was made properly and set in perfect order.
And has been functioning according to his purposes.
So that in His grace we've come along to be here at this time, under the sound of his precious word that he's been, that he's been pleased to place in our hands and though he'd like for this word to reach right into your heart.
At this time if it's never gone in before.
If this word is never penetrated, the recesses of your soul.
If it has never gone down deep, as you know, there's nothing like the word.
It can touch the most vital spots within us.
It can come right inside and give us a new life and that we need.
Though this young man named Saul had a new beginning on the road to Damascus when he heard a voice from heaven.
And he responded to that voice.
We're not on the road to Damascus in the sense that he was on the road to Damascus here this afternoon, but still we're on a journey.
And we're hearing a voice from heaven.
What could be said?
Apart from this precious book, that's really worthwhile, you know, this is the only book in the world that tells us of the unseen things.
The same things are temporal.
The things that we see will not abide, they are perishable.
They're to pass away, but the word of God brings to our attention.
Those things that are eternal, those precious things that abide.
And this one thing that we refer to already being born again.
Is a transaction or an act or communication of life that will continue forever.
For the child of God being born again.
Belongs to the family of God. He knows the Father through the Son. The only way to know the Father is by his side.
And he shall abide forever.
And we see here in this verse 23 that the word of God is the instrument used in bringing about that new birth that's needed.
And we also see if we turn to the next chapter, if we look a little farther down on the page.
Then it's by that same word that we are enabled to grow in our souls.
Verse two of chapter 2.
But we want to keep it for you.
And impress upon you the fact.
That all flesh is as grass.
Grass is a very fragile.
It doesn't have much substance to it. It's not sturdy.
It can't stand a great deal and we just like it.
All flesh is as grass.
And not only so we read that all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
Now the bloom may be beautiful.
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The colors might be lovely.
The fragrance might be intense.
And it can be naturally attractive.
But still all flesh is as grass.
And all the glory of man.
And that strikes a chord within us, doesn't it?
Because pride, you know.
Is right inside us.
And a man likes to have his glory here in this world.
Even if all flesh is as grass.
Still, man goes on and occupies himself with those things that come to naughty.
And often.
A sudden reverse brings this delight.
And there's disappointment.
There is shedding of tears.
There is lamentation, There is grief and sadness.
But it's just the truth of the Word that all flesh is as grass.
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass.
And the flower thereof falleth away.
But aren't we glad to have that conjunction come in at this point? But?
The word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Oh, there are precious things in the gospel. The gospel message brings to us those things that abide.
The gospel message brings those unseen things to our attention.
The eternal things. But now, if you've been born again, if you've begun to write, really begun with the Lord Jesus. You see, Paul had religion. Still he hadn't begun with the Lord Jesus.
Well, it's possible for you to have religion and miss heaven.
But if you have Christ, you won't miss heaven.
Oh, no, he's the door for, he said. I am the door.
By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved.
And Ohio, There's liberty connected with it too, shall go in and out and find pasture.
But now being born again, if we've made that beginning, and oh should there be one that has not begun in this way?
Why not let the words speak to you at this moment? It's time to begin. It's time that you were saved.
Door of Grace is about to be closed. We are reaching the very end of this age.
We're coming to the climax, the finish. And how is it with you?
Will you run the risk of being left outside?
Will you be among those that come after the door is shut? And Knox saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us.
Oh, that will be a sad and bitter way.
You are having opportunity now.
And how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
Now the word is the instrument used in being born again.
And it's the word that enables us to grow, as we see in the second chapter. Verse two is newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. If you are the Lord, you should be growing.
And in this book, the precious word of God, we have that.
Food.
That is divinely fitted for our souls.
And you don't have to add any elements to it. All the vitamins necessary are within.
It's the perfect, precious word of God.
That will give you that growth of soul that you need as a believer in Christ.
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The sincere milk of the word Desire. The sincere milk of the word.
And desire it as newborn babes.
The babe must have its meal.
That's a must. And if you were to grow in your soul, you must have the word.
There's no other way around.
Is the Word the sincere milk of the word?
The teaching that we gain there, as you know, if we have the Word before us, if we acquaint ourselves with it, we'll be drawn into communion with the Lord.
And we'll be happy in our souls.
We can grow and develop and be happy in the enjoyment of the Lord.
Let us remember.
That all flesh is as grass.
And my young friend, if you're building your hopes upon.
These temporal things that you see about you in this world, you will come to disappointment.
Perhaps it would be suitable to refer to some verses in First John chapter 2 just at this point.
Verse 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him, that is, from the beginning.
It's nice to see those who've advanced in age and who've gone on with the Lord through the trials and difficulties of the way.
Knowing him from the beginning.
I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong.
Strength, you know, is characteristic of youth.
And the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
Love not the world, and that must be the danger of young people.
So we have this instruction here. Love, not the world.
Neither the things that are in the world.
You see, it won't abide.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
If you are engaged with the things of time and sense, of course you can't have the enjoyment of the Father.
In your soul.
Now notice verse 16 for all that is in the world.
All flesh is as grass. And now we read that all that is in the world.
The lust of the flesh.
That's one listing.
We see that on the news stands.
The lust of the flesh.
There's never a time like this, perhaps, in the history of the world, unless it might have been right before the Flood.
When there was so much corruption.
And there's so much of violence filling the earth, all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and that can have its better side too.
And the lust of the eyes.
Perhaps that's a little better thing according to our estimation.
But still.
Not according to the Word. It's of the world and all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.
Man seeks to penetrate into the things of life as never before.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Is not of the Father, but of the world.
And will this last? Can it abide those things that are not of the Father?
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Those things that are of the world.
Verse 17 says and the world passeth away.
Passeth away.
And the lust thereof.
But.
And once you come in on this word, once you come in just here at this point, how will it be with you?
But he that doeth the will of God abineth forever. Where do you find the will of God? In his word, don't you?
By it we are born again.
By it we can grow.
The sincere milk of the word, of course. It's rendered otherwise in another translation which you can read for yourself.
Well, as we're thinking of the word as a means of growth, let's notice a warning about it in the end of the book, Revelation Chapter 22.
Verse 18I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. Now this refers primarily to the Book of Revelation, but in principle it's true of the entire book of God.
For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add under these things.
We don't need to add to the word, do we?
Oh, that would be a solemn, serious thing.
To attach something to the word of God.
It hath been done.
There are those that do it.
There are those that tell us that.
The Bible alone is not a sufficient guide.
We know what it is.
They tell us, and it's a large segment of Christendom.
That you must listen to the church too. Let the voice of the church is equal to the Bible.
That's wrong.
Because the Church and the Scriptures.
Is never given.
The responsibility of teaching.
Neither has the Church been given the responsibility of evangelization.
The Church neither preaches nor teaches.
The church is taught, and it's a favor, my dear young people, for you to be in a place where you get.
The sincere milk of the word.
Through the ministry that is divinely appointed.
Given of God.
Evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and that which every joint supplier in the Body of Christ.
Well, there's another warning here. So much for adding.
Certainly you wouldn't want to add anything to the word, would you?
Verse 19 If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy.
God shall take away his part.
Now if there are those that are bold enough to add something to the word, and if there are those that are bold enough to take away.
Then they'll have no part in the things of God.
They'll lose.
But are you gay? Through the simple precious word of the gospel, through the precious word whereby you can grow up unto salvation?
Take away.
Well, there are many efforts at new translations.
And generally it seems to be an effort to take away.
To remove from the precious pages of inspiration.
The truth of the divinity of Christ his deity.
Taking away.
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And it usually amounts to confusion of the people. What about this translation? What about this other translation? And then after they've seen so many, they say, well, maybe it doesn't amount to much after all.
Or you can be sure you can stay by the Book, the precious Word of God, the instrument of new birth, and that which will enable you to grow in grace and in the Knowledge.
Of the Lord and Savior. Now we've turned a little farther over here in.
First Peter.
Chapter 3.
Verse 10.
For he that will love life and see good days.
Let him refrain his tongue remember, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open under their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them of due evil.
Now you would like to enjoy life, wouldn't you?
You love life.
Neither will love life and see good days.
Now here's the recipe to a happy life.
If you would really love life.
And see good or happy days.
Then let's act upon the instruction that's given here, it says. Refrain his tongue from evil.
And you know, you can't very well control your tongue unless you've been born again.
Or it's the index to the old man. The tongue is.
Refrain this tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. That's what the men enjoy naturally in the world, in the indulgence of the flesh.
Guile.
And all the and miserableness of the natural man as ruined with sin.
Let him eschew evil. You can't really turn away from evil if you haven't been born again, can you? You can't really resist evil if you don't know the word Oh. You need to grow to become strong so that you can stand having on the whole armor of God. Let him escue evil.
Why? The natural man can't very well do that. He might be able to choose the better side of the broader Rd. but actually to eschew evil you need to be born again and have this new life and be in the power and good of it.
Let him eschew evil and do good.
The only possible way for you to do good is to come to the Lord Jesus and live for him.
That's the only way, because we have a proverb that runs like this. The plowing of the wicked is sin. Isn't that strange a man clawing in this field?
Oh, it's important for him to turn the soil over, to put the seed in because his boys and girls.
Are hungry. Oh, it's necessary for him to make a good crop.
But if he's doing that independently of God, if he's doing that without any acknowledgment of the Lord.
Then that very effort is referred to as sin because he's doing it according to his own will and not independence upon God.
So if we are to really please the Lord, we must know him.
And do his will according to his word.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous.
And his ears are open under their prayers.
But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
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Now Peter writes about God's government, and we are all subjects of these governments, you know.
If we do wrong things, why we suffer for those wrong things that we do?
If we do right things, of course right things will have the proper reward.
But remember this. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous He's looking down.
He's looking into your life. He's occupied with you.
The eyes of the Lord.
And they are all See, he doesn't miss anything.
Everything is naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
And aren't we glad it's that way? We should be? We can't hide anything from him.
The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous.
It doesn't say the eyes of Jesus, they're over the righteous. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous.
And his ears.
Are open under their prayer.
Isn't that nice? His eyes are over us, his eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.
And you can go to the Lord anytime.
Why? You can go to the Lord right now.
At bedtime, we're left here early in the morning. Or if you wake in the night, you can still go to the Lord. His ears are open.
We have a wonderful friend, precious savior. There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Brothers are very faithful. Sometimes they go to the limit as far as they can.
But the Lord Jesus, you know, has gone all the way. You see us through.
He'll never leave us nor forsake us. There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Who could it be?
Accept him.
The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.
But now it must necessarily be so. According to the rest of the verse, the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Those that.
Regard the Lord.
They seek to please him.
Have the better part now and forever.
Oh, it's just that way.
And dear young friends.
If you will love life.
And see good days. Remember that the eyes of the Lord are looking.
Upon you.
And that his ears are open under your prayers.
So we have been born again by the word, growth by the word, and now we have prayer.
Turning to the Lord, expressing our need and dependence upon him.
That we need.
Now if you go on to the Lord, if you grow in your soul.
You won't be like the other people.
No, the men in this world are governed by what goes on outside in the world.
But in the meeting.
If you remember that the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and that His ears are open to your prayers, and if you.
Desire, the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby you will develop differently from the others.
Or there will be a difference in your life, and people will note that difference. They'll come to realize that there's something different about you, and they should be.
And they'll think it's strange, as we read here in verse four of chapter 4, wherein they think it's strange that you run not with them to the same excessive riot speaking evil of you.
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Oh, they began to talk about you.
Because you're so different.
They think it's strange they can't understand such conduct, such a manner of life as yours, and that's your own, not with them to the same.
Sink Pool of Corruption. That's what they're engaged with. They read about it above and the other verses, and they speak injuriously of you.
They don't have a very good word to say about you.
Because you're trying to please the Lord.
But oh, it's better to have the Lord's approval.
Than to have.
The acclaim of man.
Because that which is according to the word, as we've seen already, will abide.
That which is according to man in the flesh.
Will come to naughty.
Oh, let's be sure.
That we are occupied with those things that abide.
Those things at last. The verse 14 of the same chapter, if you be reproached for the name of Christ.
Happy.
High for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. Now isn't that wonderful?
There are many you know that like for the spirit of this world to be resting upon them.
We were talking about the spirit of Saint Louis as we came along on the journey. There is the spirit of this world.
And that power that is exercised in this world so that the children of disobedience are walking according to the Prince. And power of the air, there's that kind of spirit.
But oh, here we have that which pleases God.
Makes heaven glad and brings happiness to us too. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you.
For the Spirit of glory.
And of God resteth upon you.
You can be a sunbeam, or sometimes sing something like that. You can be a light for the Lord here in this Dark World.
The night is far spent. You may not have.
Much more opportunity.
But oh, wouldn't you like to be a light for the Lord first of all, for him as we sing it, and mixed with those about us that we might be shining.
No. Let's be careful that the light grow, not dim.
That we might just spend the little time that's left.
In his interest, according to his word, enjoying himself.
Going on prayerfully.
Gaining those happy days that will come to you.
Through the knowledge of himself as we learn about him in his precious word and what lies at the end of the journey.
Chapter 5.
But the God of all grace.
Who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus? After that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish strength, and settle you.
Eternal glory. Now that spells out something, doesn't it? Or could you spell out anything that's bigger than that, better than that? Eternal glory with Christ?
Eternal glory in those regions beyond.
There's the glory of this world. It feeds away.
Is soon gone.
But oh, this is the glory that is eternal. It's with Christ.
And will you believe in no war to be conformed to his image?
Where to be like him? Isn't that an amazing fact? Just to think that unlike as we were in nature and in darkness and by sin, yet through God's matchless grace we've been born again?
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And we received the life of Christ.
And one day, and that very soon when he comes, we will be fully conformed to his image, to be with him forever. Now we read about a man in the 20th of Acts, another young man.
You know, he was in the meeting at Troas. There's no synagogue mentioned in that place.
The disciples had come together to break bread.
And it was Paul's last trip along, and he was taking the opportunity to speak to them, and that young man fell asleep.
And he fell down from the third loft.
Oh, I hope you won't fall asleep as to your privileges and your responsibilities as young believers in Christ.
All let's be sure that we give attention to the entire word of God, to what Paul has to say.
You know, we're on a journey. Paul was on a journey too. He was going to roll.
Yes, and he won the Master.
Of the ship that they would suffer hurt and much damage.
But.
The.
Master of the ship didn't listen to Paul. You know it's easy to take the wrong advice.
To listen to some other voice than what we hear through the word.
And Paul had warned them.
And they really got into trouble. The storm came, you know, they thought it was all right.
They thought that they must get on. They didn't want to stay in a certain place because.
The accommodations were quite suitable.
And you know, sometimes we might get a little bit fretted about the little meetings that we're in.
The accommodations there are not exactly pleasing, but let us remember, young people, that the Lord Jesus is in the midst.
That His Word is there, that the Holy Spirit is there, that the deposit of the truth of God is there.
Oh, let's be careful, lest we fall, lest we take the advice that's wrong.
Because we will be tested. And they thought, you know, because the South wind blew softly, that everything would be all right.
And is that what you think when things look pleasant? Do you think it's all right? May not be.
Nor the wind can change right away. And this came to attention, you know, this morning when we sang that first hymn, What happened?
It wasn't long until the mighty Tempest arose.
Oh, that you rockled and wind came along from the northeast. It was chilling.
And biting with cold and the sea became rough.
And they suffered shipwreck. But oh, if you would chart a course, that is correct.
Take the word. Heed its message.
Listen to the Savior's voice. He wants you to have those good happy days and that eternal glory with himself where He is.
Shall We Sing 256?
Praise the Savior.