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Oh, teachers.
Pray.
That there's more in that passage in Thessalonians that we didn't cover yesterday.
That's easy to agree to.
Verse 5.
First Thessalonians chapter one, verse 5.
For our gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
You became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction.
With joy in the Holy Ghost, so that ye were in samples to all that believe in Macedonia and IKEA, or from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and IKEA, but also in every place your faith to God. Word is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything, for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
00:05:02
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you that it was not in vain. But even after that we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God, in much contention.
For our exhortation was not of DC, nor of uncleanness, nor of guile. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, Even so we speak not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts.
For neither at anytime usually flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness God is witness, nor of men sought, We glory neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you, even as a nourished nurse cherishes her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you.
Not the gospel of God only, but also our souls, because you are dear unto us.
Mentioned yesterday, brethren, but I'd like to go back for just a few minutes to touch a little more on it. It's such a precious subject, this question of election. Knowing brethren beloved, your election of God, I think it's so important for us to understand our election. You, if you do not understand it, how can you expect to walk properly as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?
Supposing that you, young person, were chosen to be President of the United States. The day of taking office is still in January. There's some time to go before that time, but you are what they call the president-elect. Is that fact going to affect your way You walk down here? The way you act, where you go definitely will affect it, and I think it's so important.
We're not talking here this morning about being elected to the Oval offices in Washington, DC We're talking about being elected by the God of the universe.
Before the foundations of this world, we were chosen in Him to be holy and without blame before him in love.
In First Peter chapter one it says elect according to the foreknowledge of God. How could God?
Choose us before there was any world in existence.
It's because of what is called foreknowledge. God, knowing everything beforehand, looked forward into the channels of time and said there's going to be such and such a personal life. I'm choosing him to occupy this place, and we need to understand it. We need to revel in the richness of the fact that we have been called Brethren unto his eternal glory.
In First Corinthians chapter one, it says we are called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tremendous place that belongs to us as a believer in the Lord Jesus. A place completely distinct.
To that of a person here in this world merely. And if we understand it, if we enjoy it, we revel in it. It's bound to have its effect in our lives. Why don't we get involved in politics? There's great movement today, even in Christian circles, that says that we should become involved in politics.
Oh, brethren, isn't it a fact that shows that we have not been enjoying?
And reveling in the fact that we are called to eternal glory, what is political influence in this world in relation to that eternal glory to which we've been called? We are ambassadors for Christ Here in this world were representatives of his. Does an ambassador in any country have any right to involve himself in the political structure of that country?
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He would be removed very quickly if he did. That's not his place to get involved into the politics of this world. It's his place to represent Christ. We are ambassadors of another country.
I think rather than many of the true believers in other circles of Christendom get involved because of a lack of proper teaching.
And I think we have to recognize that many of them are very sincerely in that position, and they are acting according to the teaching that they have. But if we understand our position, we are called not for straightening out this world. We are called to eternal glory. This world is under the judgment of God. We preach the gospel so that souls can be saved out of this world system for eternal glory. And it's.
Important, brethren, that we understand our election of God.
That's why it's important to rightly divide the word of truth and to hold to dispensational teaching. And I would just say, as a warning to us, there's a great movement today and Christendom to set aside dispensational teaching and substitute it with other things. But I don't believe we can rightly divide the word of truth if we wipe away those Dispensational guidelines. And I believe it's important to realize that in this dispensation, those who are being called out as the Church of God and being brought into blessing.
We're chosen as Brother Bob quoted that verse in Christ before the foundation of the world.
And I think that's significant because the spirit of God is very careful in the New Testament to guard, lest we ever think that our blessings are in any way connected with this world. I believe there's a contrast between that scripture and what we have in Matthew 25, where he speaks of the blessing for Israel. It says that their blessing was from the foundation of the world, and they will be blessed in that way in a coming day on the grounds of sovereign grace. Their blessings are earthly and they will come into the good of that. But.
We were chosen and for blessing before the foundation of the world.
And I would like to, without belaboring the point, just echo what brother Bob has said, because I believe that the environmental movement is satans attempt to do 2 Things. Now I want to be careful brethren, because I do believe man has abused what God has given him to enjoy in creation and he has not been a faithful steward of those temporal mercies. But by the same token I believe that Satan is busy today to do 2 Things. One to keep men insensitive to his ruin, the natural man, because if he can keep him believing that this world is getting better and that he can do something for the betterment of this world.
He's not thinking about eternity, but I believe also it's Satan's attempt to keep the Christian earthly minded.
And, as has already been said, there are many zealous Christians who are putting their energy into cleaning up this world.
But Brethren were not a moral force to change the world. There was a system at home. And they had a billboard that years ago that said building better citizens to build a better world. That's not the part of the Christian We're here to represent Christ. We're here to present Christ to the lost, just like an ambassador. When we send a Canadian ambassador to another country there, he's in that country. And what is he doing? Well, he's taking up the interests of those who are, who want to come to this country if someone's interested in coming to Canada.
They go to see the Canadian ambassador and he tells them the requirements of coming to that nation, to this country, and what needs to be done in preparation to come to Canada. And so that's what we're here for, brethren. We're to point others to Christ and to bring before them God's requirements and God's provision so that they too can be fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God. But I just say, again, let's keep in view that our goals and our aspirations are not connected with this world.
We are a left for heavenly blessing. In fact, I believe so careful is the Spirit of God to guard this truth.
That when he speaks in Revelation 5 of that time when we will share in the reign of Christ, it should read We reign over this world, He.
Attaches us in every way from this Earth and shows that we have something far better beyond this world over. Means above, doesn't it? Yes.
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From that I did choose thee, oh Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse thee. But thou hast chosen me, and that's the way it is. It's.
Man has no free will, but a sovereign God has. We deal with a sovereign God who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Perhaps you'll just bear with me, because Mother Henry made a comment at the end of the meeting last yesterday that I appreciated. He said something to the effect that God doesn't have any children that he doesn't want. And I think it's good to see that because not only so, but God is never, just will never be disappointed with anyone of us. He's often grieved with us. Sometimes we grieve him.
But as many of you know, I was adopted by my parents when I was a very young child. But when they adopted me, when they chose me and gave me the family name of Highland, they didn't know what I was going to be like. They didn't know how I was going to turn out. Brother Bob used the illustration of the president. Sometimes men are elected to office by the people and they're a disappointment to the people. They don't really know how that elected person is going to turn out. But it thrills my soul to think that when God chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world.
He knew all about me. He, in his infinite foreknowledge, knew my weaknesses. He knew my failures.
He knew what I was going to be like, and yet he loved me enough to send his son to pay the price.
So that I could be blessed for all eternity and brought into the family of God. And so we often make choices and we're disappointed. But what about in a coming day when we're finally gathered around himself in the Father's house? It says he'll see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied sometimes. Use the illustration. I never was very good with my hands, but when I was younger I used to do a little woodworking project, perhaps in my parents basement or put together a model of some sort. And after I was done I would view the finished product.
And my parents always had a large wood stove in our basement. And sometimes, before anyone else could see the finished product, I would open the wood stove and it would be gone, because I was disappointed with the end result. But the one who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, the one who provided salvation through the Lord Jesus, the one who picked me up, the one who's going to carry me safely home to glory when I'm put, sat down in the Father's house, as it were, And he views his family and the Lord Jesus views his bride, is he going to be disappointed that he chose any one of us? No.
He's going to rejoice and joy over us with singing and he his heart will be forever satisfied.
In Colossians, it tells us too that we are called in one body, and I think that's another part of Our Calling brethren that is important for us to understand. Not only as you're bringing out Jim, as far as the Lord's looking down at us, but in our relationships, one with another too. I remember two brothers that were having a difficulty together, and one brother said, well, brother, the fact that you're a member of the body of Christ wasn't my choice, and the fact that I am wasn't your choice.
That it was somebody else that chose us both. Then we better learn to get to go on together. And that's the truth of the matter, brethren. We meet our brethren in the Lord Jesus many times. They don't meet with us, but they're called in one body, just as we are, and we need to view them and seek to be a help and blessing to them in the same measure.
Phrase says, says, called in one body and be thankful.
It's nice to notice, too, that when the Spirit of God in Scripture brings before us election, predestination, God's choosing of us in a past eternity, almost always, perhaps always. I haven't done any extended research on it, but almost always you find man's responsibility brought in side by side, and that brings before us that which the human mind cannot understand.
We can't bring together the sovereignty of God in choosing us and yet the responsibility of man. And so here the apostle, immediately on reminding us of God's election, talks about the way that the gospel was brought to them, not merely in Word. It wasn't merely a matter of saying words and saying, well, let God do the work, and if someone has been chosen in Christ, then they'll be saved. That's true, but it's a half truth here. It was in.
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Power.
And of the in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. And there was, I believe, every fiber, if we could use that expression of Paul's being put into the earnestness of bringing that gospel before them. And then in the next verse, in the sixth verse, there's the response of their hearts having received the word. Well, those two things, I say, can only be lived out properly by walking with the Lord on the one hand, to recognize the wonderful privilege we have of being chosen in Christ.
But on the other hand, when we go out with the gospel to do so with all the earnestness and love, and in the power of the Holy Ghost as it says here, realizing that ultimately, of course, it is only by the power of God that a soul will be saved.
For our gospel, it is a word that we can learn, but you know, for the Sinner.
We're pointing to the Savior now we look. It's our Savior, isn't it? We know the Lord Jesus is our Savior, but the scripture says who's sitting at the right hand of God, waiting till his enemies be made his footstool?
So he's coming back in power and his enemies will be made his footstool. But we don't have any part in that today. So how could we usher in the Kingdom? How could we help with regard to the Kingdom except a man be born again. He cannot see the Kingdom of God and the majority of the men around us, they have to be born again to see the Kingdom of God. And yet the scripture also tells us we don't know all of those that belong to the Lord. So who would be the enemy? Who wouldn't? You can't determine those things so.
There's so many things that would be impossible to work as you're entering in the Kingdom.
But what is it that that puts people in the Kingdom of God as we get in John's gospel, but it's being born again That's part of our gospel. And we realized that this is God's work. The person has to be born again as part of the gospel, where they have to be changed.
And Corinthians, it says the gospel is good.
Again, well, accept drivers, open their eyes. And so we see.
That the gospel is a man in the glory, the Lord Jesus, who is in rejection. And we're His ambassadors to tell the good news. That He's saving souls into his new creation, to be members of the Church, which is a heavenly body on earth as we can see what part of it is on earth. Because we don't speak of those that are passed to be with the Lord who are absent from the body, the present Lord.
We think of it as earthly, but yet it's a heavenly body associated with that man and the glory waiting to be taught out to be with him because it's not part of the earth.
We're not Israelites, and once we were saved, we were not made Jews. But both the Jews and the Gentiles have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus attitude to this one body, which the Lord Jesus tells us is His church, and so this church.
You look at it on earth, we don't see the unity, we don't see the oneness, but it is united in Christ as the head.
And because it's in ruin, the only way it can be straightened out.
For him to take it out of this scene, united with himself and glory, where it can be seen the way he wants it to be seen, when it will be revealed in its time a glorious body without spot or wrinkle, because it is his work.
So.
To realize.
This body is is for that head to have its proper place. That head is a man in the glory for us, separated from the earth, so it calls us into separation too.
No, they said the we know that.
Only the elect will be saved. But our responsibility is to preach the gospel to every creature, isn't it? Every person is responsible whether he accepts the gospel or not. And so we need to remember that for as much as a person may never accept the gospel, our responsibilities.
Still stands to preach the gospel to every creature, and that's something everyone of us can have a part in.
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Maybe we don't have particularly the gift of an evangelist, but still we can do the work of an evangelist. You can give a tract. Sometimes it's the most insignificant.
Testimony that God uses to bring a soul to the Lord Jesus. And so may we all be encouraged to do the work of an evangelist. I was really encouraged this last trip down in Bolivia. Way up on the high altiplano it was going across and leaving off some gospel calendars at each place where the brethren used them for their gospel work and.
Stopped at this place called Rio Mulatto. It's really it's at the 12,000 foot level and it's so barren there that they can't grow any crops. It's too cold and even in the summertime it's too cold to grow any weed or barley at that area. But stop there. Just a few minutes to leave off the calendar and this little girl, 10 years old with her must have been her little sister. I don't know who it was. I don't even know their names. They ran up and came to the place where I stopped there in the pickup and.
She gave me this table cloth that her mother had painted for me, She says. Since you're doing the Lord's work, my mother said this is for you. And then she said, and Brother Robert, do you have some gospel tracks? I'd like to give them out in my class at school. Isn't that nice? Don't think you have to be grown up to give out the gospel. Some of the most effective gospel ministry is by children.
And I tell you, it really touched me. Think of that little girl. She didn't want anything for that tablecloth. She wanted some gospel tracks to give out to her friends at school.
Their children here.
Young people, have you given gospel tracts to your friends? Have you?
Sometimes particular gospel tract doesn't fit for a certain person. But look over the gospel tracts, read them through, and give them to your friends at school. Some of those friends are really hurting in their hearts. They're empty. They need the Lord Jesus. They really do. And your testimony will come across far stronger than maybe those of us who are older. The Lord encourage us each to do the work of an evangelist.
There's encouragement for the sisters when he wrote to the Saints at Philippi because he said and help those women which labored with me in the gospel. There were evidently women that had been a real help to the apostle Paul in the furthering furthering of the gospel. And he says don't forget those women and you help them. When we have summer meetings, children's meetings and gospel meetings in Maine and New Brunswick, some of our most valuable help are the sisters that come to help in a quiet way. They prepare the meals, they help the children in various ways.
They help with the hobby class, they're really doing the work of an evangelist, and they're helping the furtherance of the gospel. And if we value it, how much more does the Lord value it as he jots it down in his book of remembrance to receive a reward in eternity?
The light doesn't make any noise. It doesn't say anything. It just makes everything visible. And sisters are alight just as much as the brothers. It's not what we say so much, brethren, it's what we are as well that has a real testimony to those around us.
We have here the Saints. Such was the life of the apostle as they went about with the gospel. Such was the life of it.
It was. It was that light in the darkness. I don't suppose we realize. I don't think we do it all. I'm sure we don't.
The darkness of hedonism. We have been brought up in the sphere of Christianity. Perhaps we were brought up in homes and with godly parents. We don't realize what it wants for these Saints to come out of the the awful darkness, the the corruptions, the wickedness of paganism, of idolatry.
And yet the light of the blessed light of the gospel was shining there. And these Saints they became a replica or a blueprint of the life of the apostle. In that way the the life of the apostle as they went about these and these helpers and the preaching, the gospel. There it was so it was reflected in these dear Thessalonians Saints, she said, And she could say, you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
And he became followers of us and of the Lord. And so powerful was the testimony that even the world, the world was talking about it. And look at those Saints, Look at those people over there in Thessalonica. They've turned to, they've turned to worship a God, and they've given up their idols and all that and all that, and they turn to worship the God, another God, perhaps the unseen God.
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But it was the life of the apostle told along with the words, that he spoke but gave such power. And God blesses faithfulness. Remember our dear brother, age, brother, Mr. Erismann? Years ago, Arizona senior he was.
In the over there in the East. This is a long time ago, years and years ago, and he was at a meeting in.
I think it was in over there in.
I don't know, or New New Jersey somewhere and there was a lot of young people there in the meeting.
And he said to an older brother, he said, You, I said, you have some godly, you have some godly brethren here.
And well, there were.
God bless his face from us. God bless his faithfulness.
And when there's a faithful going on, there will, there will be blessing. Well, these Saints at Thessalonica, they were like a like a a blueprint of the life of the apostles in their measure.
The order is verse four elected before the foundation of the world. Verse 5, the preaching of the gospel. This is the message that must reach those.
Lost souls.
To give them the good news of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus, and then become followers of God and followers of us, as it were, as Paul says here, you became followers of us and of the Lord.
Having received the Word with much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, and then it's turning to God, turning to Him.
Who has elected us and sent forth messengers with the good news of salvation? And we we follow those who preach the gospel, and we who who are following God himself. So we leave our idols behind. Our idols now no more entices, nor do they attract us, because we have a we have an attraction far above and far better.
Than what we had as natural men.
When the meeting opened, our brother Jennings prayed that there might be that which would be for the benefit of the young people.
And I was touched by, as I'm sure we all were, by the example our brother Bob gave of this little girl.
Who wanted to give out gospel tracts? And I think it would be well, brethren, before we leave verse 5 to notice there are 4 distinct things that.
Characterize the preaching of the gospel, and it's wonderful if in any measure we can do the work of an evangelist, and the youngest of the oldest can be occupied with that. But we just might notice those. I'm going to refer to them from the from Mr. Darbys translation for our glad tidings. We're not with you in Word only. That's the first thing the preaching of the gospel is in Word, whether it's spoken or given out in a paper or whatever It's going to be given in Word.
But it's not in Word only. There are other things connected with the preaching of the gospel, and our brother dear brought that out about the life of the apostle Paul, adding power to what that Word was that was being preached. And that's the next thing. But also in power, that's a separate thing.
So that it's important and I say this, I trust with some amount of.
Of shame for myself. But you know, brethren, it's wonderful. And beloved young people, it's wonderful if we can share the gospel with someone. But I want to just say in a little practical way, there ought to be something that corresponds in our life to give power to our words. There ought to be something that can be seen in the way we're acting. We've often remarked. And it's lovely, isn't it? In the in the book of Acts it says of all that Jesus began both to do.
And to teach. And I think the order is so lovely and it's a wonderful order for us if we're going to preach the gospel in some way and God help us that we all would be very, very exercised about preaching the gospel somehow, whether that's to give a tract or whatever it is. But and in power relates to the living out of what we're talking about, you know. And it's very good to remember we ought to be doing, we ought to be living at and enjoying it and then preaching it. Well, that's the second thing. The third thing is.
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And in the Holy Spirit, you know, it doesn't matter what we do. It doesn't matter what our efforts are. We all know that, don't we? It's got to be a work of the Spirit of God bringing His blessing to whatever is being preached and however it's being presented. Because if the Spirit of God is in, it is not in it. It doesn't matter the intelligence or the amount of money or the effort spent, There's not going to be real fruit for God in the thing. And then finally, and I've enjoyed this and in much assurance, well.
I would just share this as my as just a personal thought but you know in in this place and a brother claim or brother Jennings asked that that be read the other day yesterday in acts about when Paul went there. You know he was only there three weeks and there were there was a lot of blessing but there was a tremendous storm of persecution that was raised.
A tremendous storm of persecution. And I believe that it was within that persecution in some sense. There was an assurance given. You know, sometimes we get our assurance, don't we, When things are not going easily, That's when we have that assurance more deeply given to us in our soul of the truth of God, of the value of the things that we walk in. Well, I just point them out before we go on, Brethren. I think it's very important to see those four characters of this gospel that we're talking about.
That are presented here in this verse, and it's important, isn't it, that wherever we are?
And whatever level we are, that those things somehow, in some way characterize our effort to be an evangelist.
To Acts chapter 15.
They know they went up to Jerusalem to determine.
What should be done about?
Circumcision.
I was just thinking the.
Foundations of the Message to the Thessalonians.
We can find here after this is determined in verse.
25.
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that ye abstained from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from which if you keep yourselves, ye shall do well for ye well. So there we get a letter sent with testimony, and then men who would tell the same thing by mouth. But we have Silas.
That's a contraction of the name Sylvanus.
So in our chapter we have Paul and Sylvanus and Timotheus under the Church of the Thessalonians. Now if we look in Acts chapter 16.
Or first, in chapter 15, the end of the chapter, we know that Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus, but in First Forty it says Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the Brethren under the grace of God.
Then it comes to Derby in the next chapter.
And there is Timothy.
And verse three says him. Would Paul have go forth with him?
And took and circumcised them because of the Jews which were in those quarters.
Now there you can see that Paul is at perfect liberty. He's not.
Bound in his soul by the by the letter of this gracious letter from Jerusalem. But there's respect for the conscience of the Jews in that place. He has liberty for that. But here we get the bringing together of Paul, Sylvanus and Timotheus. And in Chapter 16 we get.
The.
Umm Philippian Jail.
And in verse 25, well, first in chapter 16, verse nine, a vision appeared to Paul in the night.
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There stood a man of Macedonia prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us.
After we'd seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us.
Or to preach the gospel unto them.
Now the Lord says in the Gospels.
Where I am, there also shall my servant be. I think the sense of that is where I am working. There also shall my servant be that he has his work going on, and if there's prayerful dependence will be led to that exactly where he's working, and Paul goes there, and Sylvanus and Timotheus, Timothy hasn't mentioned as being in jail with them.
But Paul and Silas sang praises unto God at midnight, verse 25.
And we know about this wonderful story.
How they're the earthquake.
They're taking out of prison the washing of their wounds.
And then in chapter 17 which was read, so we get the setting.
Of how the gospel came to Thessalonica and we have in chapter 2 of what we've read verse 2. Even after that we had suffered before and were shamefully untreated, as you know, at Philippi.
We were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God, with much contention. In the face of much contention, I was thinking the foundation.
Of the message that came is based on very obvious leading of the Lord. You know in Romans. Look at chapter 10, we're quite familiar with it, but.
In Romans chapter 10.
Verse 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
How shall they believe in him, and whom they have not heard?
How shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent?
As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things? You know these three men?
That came to Thessalonica.
Imagine coming really from a Philippian jail. The stripes were probably still rather fresh.
Though washed crafts and bandaged, but the sense of the Lord's presence with them and his having sent them. No wonder this gospel came.
In power in the Holy Ghost and in much Assurance. And then if we look at first John Chapter 2.
We had reference to it yesterday.
Verse 12.
I write unto you, little children.
Because your sins are forgiven you.
For his name's sake.
In verse 13 I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
But then in verse 20 I was thinking of particularly.
But ye have an unction from the Holy One.
And you know all things. How wonderful at the moment the Thessalonians believed they had that ocean.
But the very foundation of the message, the messengers knew they were sent.
And the assurance in their own souls. You know how deep, how wonderful that is. The Lord is working today.
And he's doing things in this world. Who's he going to send?
Is he going to send you?
Is the ear open?
Can we say here I am?
Is there pride of heart that says send me?
Or is there such knowledge of the very rottenness of our own nature?
00:45:02
That we put the emphasis on send me.
Because we have to learn what selfie is, don't we? But how much better when we're acquainted with his heart that wants to sin and he is doing things and dear young people.
Will he use you?
Maybe you're quite intelligent.
God is the one that.
Gives that.
How many of us have learned a foreign language?
Greek or Hebrew, There's areas of the world that have no Bible, nothing in their own language.
But how much preparation of heart is there in you and I?
Where Paul went.
There was a different language than his homeland.
And I'm sure that there were great cultural differences. They're not easy to adjust to.
But where the love of God fills the heart.
You can come out of a jail with stripes on your back and the joy is even greater, isn't it?
We could look at the 17th of acts as I have a concern as to some of the things that have been said.
I see Brother Kenneman touched on as so important to all of these things. In the 17th of acts we have these circumstances, these events that took place and what we've been reading about.
That I.
Beginning from about the middle of.
Verse six these that have turned the world upside down are come hit her also, whom Jason hath received. And these do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king.
One Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. You know, I I believe that all of the opposition that we have suffered by these dear Saints was because of the fact that they set up the rightful king. They gave him the place that he was due in their lives. Personally, some of the things we've been talking about and I and I get a little afraid when we start to encourage.
One's.
Young people and children to enter into something when they possibly haven't done this, to set the Lord Jesus as the rightful king of their lives, to set him in our households as such. It frightens me a little. I think of Gideon, who told his son rise and Slay, but his son couldn't do it, could he?
And that we might be careful that we go through these exercises and that we see fruit. Apostle saw fruit.
In these Saints, and he commended them for it. But look at the opposition that they faced. Look at the exercises that they went through.
Look at the 20th chapter, Acts 20 and Justice to read the scriptures without comment.
It shows how the Gospel came to these Saints. Acts 20.
18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia.
After what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord, with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews, And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed 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 towards our Lord.
Jesus Christ.
Well, this gives it just a little insight into.
Into the life of the apostle.
As he as he served the Lord in the gospel.
I'd like to comment a little bit further on that verse five of our chapter and it speaks of Word.
Not only, not in Word only, but also in power and the Holy Ghost just to encourage the importance of the use of the scriptures in speaking to souls. It's.
00:50:07
The living Mr. Darby's translation in I think it's First Peter, One says.
The living and abiding word of God. Oh how important it is to use Scripture. Not our wisdom, rather not our reasoning, although there is such a thing as reasoning out of the scriptures, but it is the Scripture itself that God uses.
To create new life and souls and it's so important that we.
Use that. Even though souls might say I don't believe that, it doesn't matter if they don't believe it. Use it because it's the living and abiding word of God. This book is different from any other book. It's living, it's operative, it's powerful. And some of you may have heard how Brother Grenade over in Italy was saved. He was playing billiards at a place where.
The young men used to congregate to smoke cigarettes, and he was in there, and Mr. Pirapata was over there at that time, and he stepped into that building, and he said only one verse. He quoted it twice. He said, Whosoever believeth on me shall have everlasting life, said John 647. If I remember right, he only quoted it twice.
And Mr. Grenadi said, I just stopped and listened to that man, and then he stepped right out and went right on his way.
But it stuck in his mind. He couldn't get it out of his soul, and that's what God used to bring him to the Lord Jesus.
It's the word. It's the living word. It's the word that the Spirit of God uses.
And I think it's so important when we preach the gospel, is to give the word, not to give our reasonings our thoughts.
Are maybe helpful. Maybe they're not helpful. But what is the thing that God uses? The thing that the spirit of God will use is the word of God. It's the sword of the spirit. And if we are in the spirit, If we're walking in the spirit.
God may use this as an instrument, but it's not really our sword, brethren. It's the sword of the Spirit, and it is He that drives it home. And it's in power, brethren. There's power when the Spirit of God uses the word of God. Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. How important that is when there's so many techniques used to getting people to listen to the gospel and to accept.
Brethren, we need to stick close to Scripture. That's what God will bless, we'll use.
And I think it's so important too that other point that Doug was bringing out here in verse five in much assurance. There needs to be a conviction on our part as to the truth of it for as much as it is a child of 10 years old. But in any measure that there's been conviction formed there that has a testimony too, assurance, Do you know it for yourself or you just parroting what somebody else has said?
People can tell when it's you that have that conviction. I think it's so important to have that clear in our souls, Paul told Timothy in Second Timothy chapter one. It is God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, wise discretion. And so there should be a conviction on our part. It's been interesting to me to see some of those Bolivian brethren. They're not.
Real well educated, a lot of them. Some of them have never been to school.
Any formal education. And sometimes I've seen him give the gospel to somebody, maybe an educated person of this world, and that education person will turn and just wipe, just make shreds of that brother.
But what comes across so powerfully, even when they get shredded up, when they get attacked by an intelligent person, it doesn't change their conviction and they can see it on their countenance and there still know that this is true. The gospel is true.
And it comes across as a powerful testimony. Is it you? Are you convinced of this? Or is it just somebody else that your parents maybe that told you about it and you're just parenting what your parents have told you about dear young people, Let's speak from our own convictions. If you don't have your convictions well formed, I encourage you to go to scripture and set your own feet down on the rock bottom bases of Holy Scripture. That will never change, even though heaven and earth pass away. This book will stand forever.
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And it's and it holds true. Remember, as a young person getting attacked for some of my beliefs and I found that I was shaken because it was something and I'd heard in the meetings, but I'd really never laid hold of in my own soul.
And when I got shaken, it was kind of.
A horrifying experience, but when I went back to scripture I found it holds. It does hold. It's true. Set your feet down, Prove it for yourself. Then you'll have the means to go out and speak with much assurance. It's important they so state that many believe, and I've appreciated too. When Philip spoke to the Ethiopian eunuch, it says there that he was reading in the 53rd of Isaiah.
And beginning at the same Scripture, he preached unto him Jesus. In other words, he took the word of God that the man was reading.
I've often said it wouldn't have mattered where that man was reading. He could have begun at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus.
Because all those Old Testament scriptures spoke of the Lord Himself. Because on the way to Emmaus, he took up the Old Testament Scriptures with those that he was walking with who were going in that direction.
But if you'll bear with me, I'd like to just go back to the comment our brother made a few moments ago, because I think he gave a very necessary warning. And I think there are systems today that hold classes and seminars for what they call child evangelism and seeking to train children to go out and, as they say, wind souls and so on. And I think the warning is very good for us, brethren, because it's not that we try to generate a testimony in others or try to generate a testimony within ourselves. I believe in the measure in which we are in the enjoyment of the person and work of Christ.
And walking in communion with the Lord, there will be, shall I say, an unconscious reflection of Christ in our lives.
When Moses was in the presence of Jehovah on the mount, he came down and his face shone, but he whisked not that his face shone. He hadn't tried to make his face shine. It was the unconscious reflection of being in the presence of Jehovah on the mount. And just in connection with several comments that have been made, let's look at a couple of verses in Philippians chapter 2 before I read these verses, just to notice the context he has given in the earlier part of the chapter. Here the perfect example of the Lord Jesus and brought before us this example as he says let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus.
But then in the 15th and 16th verse, I think there's two things that go very necessarily together. Verse 15, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. Brother Bob made mention of the light earlier on in the reading, and I believe the thrust of this word here is illuminators. And what is an illuminator, brethren? It's one that has no light of itself. It reflects the light of another.
We understand this when we look up at a big harvest moon in the night sky. That moon is shining bright. But the moon doesn't have any light of itself. Men have landed on the moon. There's no light in itself. It's reflecting the light of another. And I've sometimes used an illustration for those of us who are younger that help me to understand this. I guess in the days of digital watches and clocks, we don't have this so much anymore. But when I was growing up, I had a watch that had luminous paint on the numerals and hands of that watch, and I used to wear it to bed because I like to know what time it was when the light was turned out at night.
And so the light would be turned out, and I'd look at the watch and I couldn't see what time it was, even though it had luminous paint and luminous paint glows in the dark. Well, what was the answer? Well, you switched the light on for a moment, and you hold the watch up to the light. And when you turn the light out, you haven't changed the condition of the room. It's still just as dark. You haven't changed the condition of the watch. But now there's a glowing. There's a light. Why? Because it was drawing. It's drawn from the source. And the longer you hold that watch up to the light, the longer it's going to glow in the dark Room, Brethren, that's what we are here in this Dark World.
We're here to be a testimony for Christ to shine as illuminators. I think the hymn writer put it very nicely, he said. Not I may live while here below, but Christ my life may be.
And as we have Christ before us as the perfect example, as we're drawing from the source, from being in His presence, then I say there will be that light shining forth. And the verse 15 is the life we live, and verse 16 is the words we holding forth, the word of life. And so the two is brother Doug brought before us earlier, must correspond first of all the life we live. Are we in the presence of the Lord? Are we enjoying the person and work of Christ? Then what we say will have a weight and an effect.
01:00:22
When Lot spoke of judgment coming on Sodom and Gomorrah, he seemed as one that mocked. He hadn't been in the sanctuary. His whole hopes and aspirations were centered in Sodom, and when he spoke of judgment coming, they said, how can he speak in that way? There was no moral force to what he said because his life didn't correspond with his words. Well, again I quote that verse of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, And the apostle Paul said to Timothy as well, Thou hast fully known my doctrine and manner of life. The two things in the apostle corresponded.
And few practical things with regard to giving out the gospel that they might pass on to younger ones that they might feel this desire would be.
The word of God that you know.
And the dependence upon God in the giving of the gospel. And it's the Holy Spirit of Word.
Then the Holy Spirit would bring forth and their believer that his word that you know and you don't have to including the word of God. I find it for my own soul just to quote the word. And you don't necessarily have to give the reference. I'm not going to be looking it up anyway most often. But if you just spoke the word of God and let God use it and then a few words a word for the garbage has using the word of God, he says reach the conscience. We want to reach the conscience of the persons that we're talking to.
And another thing he says is use a sharp knife with yourself. We use a sharp knife with ourselves because we want, as another brother to say we want to exalt Christ in the gospel. He's the savior of sin, evening and helping brethren. We want Christ to be exalted before our brethren. So we use a sharp knife with ourselves and as to being led by the Spirit of God.
One of the ways it seems that God works with us is exercise. He lays someone on our soul. We have a burden for maybe a schoolmate.
Friends at work, neighbor somebody we know we have a little burden on our heartburn. Well that's the way the gut it seems that the Lord works. So we turn to the Lord about that little burden and ask for his help to get to, to maybe speak to that person before we find ourselves in the situation that God might use us and return to God. That moment, all that I might have a word for thee and independence on him would have a little word come forth. Not much necessarily come forth. It's dependence upon him.
And to look to him for help in the presentation and to exalt him. And as I'd rather said, the importance, the great importance of using the word of God. It's his word, the word of life.
I want to encourage young people to be sensitive to the Lord's leading. As to speaking to souls, I think it's so important I say that. I'm not much of an example at that. Remember in high school and I was there.
A young fellow who is my lab partner in chemistry.
It was the son of a university professor and fairly good friend of mine.
But one day, we were.
Bending glass in the lab and I touched his arm with a piece of glass and.
And burned it a little bit, and he comes back a few days later and shows me the burn, he says. There's kind of chuckling, kind of jokingly. There's a scarring, and they carry with me to my grave. And it was just as if the Lord said, you'd better speak to him. Do you know how you put it off and put it off? And there was a while later that we graduated. It was a few months later that we graduated, and that next summer he was skydiving, and his chute didn't open in time.
Hit the ground and killed instantly. Never did tell them about the Lord. I feel guilty before the Lord. The Lord lays somebody on your heart. I encourage you to do what ASA says. Ask the Lord for an opportunity. Sometimes the Lord will open up an opportunity, and sometimes we're not ready when the opportunity opens up. But ask the Lord for an opportunity and then seek to be ready to give a word at the right time. The Lord can do that for you, and I really believe you can be effective to your friends at school if you'll just do that.
01:05:15
Ask the Lord to open up the opportunities he will. LMA Middlesex told me a story this week about her daughter, Son Wanda Son, who was eight years old and he was cycling with his neighbor boy, a friend. And he he was. He just quoted a verse of scripture and spoke to him about his soul, his eternal welfare.
The little boy stopped his bicycle.
And got down on his knees and said, I want the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior right there in public. Didn't care who he who saw him. He he wanted to be saved. He wanted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Well, if you're 8 years old, this is a word for you also 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or 13 or 14 or seven or six. You can tell them that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And it might just turn out that there is rich blessing for eternity to the one whom you speak.
We're exhorted in Ephesians 5 to redeem the time where I believe the thought is buying up every opportunity and I appreciate it. An older brother at home, I was standing in line at the bank one time and there was quite a long line up and this brother who never misses an opportunity to speak for the Lord was standing some persons ahead of me. I had seen him, but he hadn't seen me and someone turned to him and recognizing him.
Said, called him by name and said, how are you today? And he said to them, well, by the Lorde, goodness, I'm fine and so on. And he used that as an opportunity to speak some little word for the Lord. And it was really a rebuke to me because I wondered if, standing in line at the bank and somebody asked me how I was, what I would have said, I probably would have said, well, I'm all right, but it's an awful rainy day and so on and so forth, and I don't like what they're doing down at town council. But here was a man who bought up every opportunity, and Brother Bob mentioned about asking the Lord for opportunities.
I've sometimes wondered if it isn't so much asking the Lord for opportunities. There's plenty of opportunities on every hand, but what we need to do is ask the Lord that we would be in a state of soul and in the enjoyment of himself, so that when the opportunities come, we avail ourselves of them. How many opportunities I miss from day-to-day. Often used to think when I was in business, people would come in the office and we would talk business and they would go on their way. Maybe I never saw them again and I never spoke a word for the Lord.
Opportunities missed, they may never be regained. It's true. There's no one going to be in hell because of our unfaithfulness.
Because the Lord Jesus said, all that the Father hath given me shall come to me. But we miss the joy and the blessing of speaking a word for the Lord and being an instrument used in that way. Mr. Brown Ch Brown, whom we remember with much affection, was one time on a train, I think, and and a oh, I think I was probably a college friend of his, hadn't seen for some time. He he called out down the down the aisle.
Well, hello, Clifford Brown.
How's the world treating you? He says. Better than it treated the Son of God.
And that that closed the I closed the conversation.
We did have a responsibility though, don't we? And I I was thinking of a brother I met down in Bolivia one time, and he had a real burden to go back to his home area in the mountains to preach the gospel. And what he said to us when he came and asked us to go with him, he says on that Judgment day, I don't want them to say, oh, there's that man I knew and he never told me.
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. But beloved Saints this is.
Preeminent in our hearts and minds, nearly all of us are thinking on these things now. The darker the world becomes, Can it get much darker than it is now? Well, it can, and it will after we're gone.
It's going to be total darkness, virtually.
Almost total darkness. There will be a flicker of light from that little Jewish remnant. But while we're waiting, the darkness is increasing and the the hope of his coming is getting brighter. And that's what we're waiting for now, perhaps before we even eat lunch today.
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We will be in heaven. What a blessed thing it would be to leave all that food here.
And be with Christ instead.
We wait for the sun.
Whom God raised from the dead and he delivered us from the wrath to come. What a marvel, what a marvel. The wrath of God is going to fall.
But not on those who are sheltered by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a simple message, very simple message. There are two destinies, heaven and hell. The purpose of hell is to punish sinners for their sins. But the purpose of the death of Christ was for him to stand in our place in death and judgment. So now.
Heaven is our home. Hell has no claims on me since my Savior has borne the wrath of God already.
Beloved Brethren would allow one other thought from this end of this fifth verse. This phrase has been really coming home to my soul as I've been sitting here listening to the ministry on the gospel and in encouraging all of our hearts and the helps to presenting it. But it says this. Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sakes, and then out of the J&D, it says. And he became imitators of us.
Well, brethren, do we want to see our beloved young people taken up with preaching the gospel? Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sakes, and you became imitators. What are the beloved young people seeing in US? And that's a real word to our hearts, isn't it? The apostle Paul presents this, and he says, you've watched me. You've seen what I acted like. You watched how I presented the gospel, how I lived it, how I suffered it, and you became imitators. And so, brethren, we earnestly would pray.
For our dear young people, they might be kept and might have a heart to present the gospel, but let's not forget they're going to become imitators of us.
Turn to God. You turn to God from idols. Well, what are what are what a God. And think of think. Think of the what the heathen is it do for him. Man must have an object. A man is a moral being. Must have an object.
And if it's on an object that is below himself.
He has an object which is really below it, and then he descends. And what dreadful corruption was hedonism?
The the oftenness of it, Did it make them glad? Did it make them happy? No, indeed it didn't. How how miserable and wretched souls are out there in the world. And any of those poor people.
But to turn from it all to to such a God, what a God we have.
A God. And when you think of God of love, who in his mercy loves poor sinners?
And sent his Son into this world to die for our sins, to put our sins away. A God who has made himself a friend and a friend that sticks closer than a brother. A God who has come down to us and the person of his own dear Son.
And loves us and and a God who is, who is wants to bless us. This is the God that they that they found. Oh, you think of the emptiness of the world and the the wretchedness and the misery of poor souls who are in the all the paganism gave to gave to those poor people. And oh are they they found such a God.
As the apostle has the joy of telling them what a God they have, a God of love, a God of mercy, a holy God. And we think of those poor women that were there at Philippi down there having a little prayer meeting on the Riverside. They become so weary and so from the the excesses of the wickedness of idolatry that they thought something better. They found something, they thought something better.
And they were down there in prayer. Well, God sent the Apostle Paul there.
01:15:03
And he told them and.
The Apostle Paul gave them has he loved to tell them, but that blessed God. And we read about Lydia, the first convert of of these of the of the Brethren, the Apostle in Europe, Lydia, I remember Mr. Chapter Brown saying she got a blessing that day that she's enjoying tonight.
Well, what a God we have. It reminds us the story about the little Arab street boy, his friend. He never knew anything about a family, a home or anything or pleasures of of a home life. But a friend got him into a boy's home, and there he had a he had a nice he had three meals a day, he had nice clothes, and he had a he had a nice he slept between white sheets.
Never had anything like that before. This is what a friend got for him and so one day the teacher said to him Joe, what is the stand up and.
Spell friend Joe got up putting me spelled friend, he said FRIEND.
That's that's right, Joe. Now tell us, what is a friend? Well, Joe thought for a bit and then he says, well, he says a friend is a is a fellow that knows all about you and loves you just the same.
Well, when we take that up to heaven, there's a friend up there that knew all about us and he knows all about us down here.
And he loves us just the same, and he loves us through and through. So what a God they had found. It says they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.
46 in the back of the book.
Have I an obviously?
My heart let him live by her in line flow.