YP Address—C.D. Andersen
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Number 56.
Oh Lord, how blessed our journey, though here on earth we roll.
Who find an obvious favor are Spirit's present full for where thou now art city by faith we found repose free to look up to heaven.
Since our Blessed Head arose #56.
Oh Lord, how blessed our journey.
Oh.
Man.
Cradle.
No way crying fall away.
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Praise God.
Where God.
Is I will be happy?
Shall we ask God's blessing?
We were singing about a blessed journey.
And where is that blessed journey?
It's down here in this world, in this wilderness, in this dry, barren place. But how can a journey be blessed down here?
Because we're free to look up to heaven since our blessed Head arose. We're free to look at the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. We're free to be occupied with him. We're free to look right into heaven by faith.
And see the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what makes the journey blessed.
It's when we're not seeing him. It's when our vision is dim, it's when there's something that hinders, when there's a cloud between and we don't see the Lord Jesus, then our journey is not blessed. We're not happy, we're not rejoicing. And it's so important to have our eye fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us read a verse in Second Corinthians chapter 3.
Two Corinthians, the third chapter.
On verse 18, but we all.
With open or unveiled face beholding leave out as in a glass the glory of the Lord.
Are changed or transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
It's God's desire that we should gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ.
With an unveiled face without any hindrance.
And God has made it so that now we can look right into heaven and see the Lord Jesus Christ without any veil upon us, without any hindrance. What a privilege. But as we're beholding the glory of the Lord, what happens?
Were changed, were transformed, and you know the word translated. Changed here is the same word that's translated transfigured.
In Matthew 17.
Where we read of the Lord Jesus Christ being.
Transfigured before his disciples.
Ah, they saw him there.
As he really is in his heavenly character.
And it's the same word used here. Change, transformed, changed into the same image from glory to glory.
But it's speaking about us. We. We're the ones who are changed, transfigured, transformed into the same image. How? By looking at the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm sure that there is in the heart of many here this afternoon.
A desire to be more like the Lord Jesus. Perhaps you've been trying in your own strength to become more like the Lord Jesus. Perhaps you've set up for yourself a set of rules and regulations. You made yourself a little law all of your own. You're trying to shape yourself into the image of Christ.
According to your own ideas and notions.
You failed.
You've been occupied with the law. You've been occupied with trying, in your own strength to be a better Christian, to be more like Christ. And you failed.
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How are we going to become more like the Lord Jesus Christ?
By looking at him, gazing upon him, being occupied with him, there's only one way of transformation, and that's through gazing at the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we have an example of it in Stephen, going back to Acts Chapter 7.
In that 7th chapter of Acts, we have Stevens discourse.
And Stephen gave this when he was under pressure.
We find that he's been summoned before the Jewish Council.
I suppose the Sanhedrin.
These were the leaders in Israel.
And it wasn't an easy thing for Stephen.
To stand there before that council, to be questioned by them, be examined of his faith, his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Steven comes before us when he's chosen to be one of the deacons in the church at Jerusalem. That is, Stephen has chosen to serve, to serve his brethren, to help wait on tables, take care of the widows. He was one that was chosen to help take care of the material side of things.
The needs of the Saints of God there in the Church.
But it says in the fifth verse of the 6th chapter.
They chose Stephen, a mindful of faith and of the Holy Ghost. That's what characterized Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.
I'm sure you and I would like to be.
Characterized by that full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.
That's what we need more harm. Men full of faith and the Holy Ghost.
That doesn't mean that there's any true child of God, any real Christian, without the Holy Ghost. Because having believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, and a moment of soul believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and he knows his sins forgiven, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in his heart.
But this is Speaking of being full of the Holy Ghost in the end of Chapter 7.
Verse 55 we read of Stephen he being full of the Holy Ghost.
Full of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost not only dwelt in his heart, but he was full of the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost had taken over.
In his life, what's controlling him and?
Being under the control of the Spirit of God, what was he doing?
Ah, he was speaking well.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ, we read.
Of that as we go through this chapter, and he was occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
As I said before, I'm sure that there are many here this afternoon who would like to be more like Christ. You would like to be a better Christian.
The Apostle Paul sits before us in the Epistle to the Philippians.
The normal Christian experience. There is a Christian experience that is normal.
There is normal Christianity, and there are such things as normal Christians.
But I wonder how many of us here this afternoon could claim to be normal Christians. I'm sure that we would admit that we fall far short of being a normal Christian.
That gives us the opposite, or it makes us think of the opposite. That is an abnormal Christian. Do we really want to be abnormal Christians?
As far as the world is concerned, we look abnormal. We look narrow. They can't understand us. But are we trying to please the world? Are we worried about what the world says about us or thinks of us? If they call us narrow, straight lace to religious we're getting too serious about spiritual things. Are we concerned about those charges that the world makes?
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We should be concerned.
About being normal Christians, not being abnormal, not falling short in some way. May God give us grace to be what we ought to be as Christians. Oh, I'm not talking about being saved.
I'm sure most of you hear this afternoon are saved and this is supposed to be an address to young people and I take it that most of our young people here this afternoon are the Lords.
I believe you've taken the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and.
In that way, you're a Christian. But let me ask you the question.
Are you a normal Christian?
Or are you an abnormal Christian? A normal Christian is occupied with Christ.
He is one that is full of the Holy Ghost.
And.
We can tell who is full of the Holy Ghost.
By the way, he speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ if he speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ at all.
Does the Spirit of God lead us to speak about earthly things, to be occupied with material things, things of this life, things of the flesh?
Things of nature.
No, I believe the Spirit of God occupies us with the Lord Jesus Christ. He occupies us with heavenly things. And here we see Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, and we see him looking up. He's not looking down, He's looking up.
Well, if we have a tendency to be looking down, we should be exercised about it.
And pray God that we might be characterized by being full of the Holy Ghost.
We might be under the control of the Spirit of God.
Because the Spirit of God who's come into this world has come to convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, and he and he's still here to occupy the Saint of God with the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what he's here for.
And when we come together in our meetings.
What is the thing that is uppermost in the mind of the Holy Ghost?
Isn't it that we might be occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ? And if you think back, the happiest meetings are the meetings where we've been much occupied with the Lord. That's what has made it a happy meeting. A blessed meeting to be occupied with Christ is what makes a happy journey through life.
We were talking about being in the wilderness.
Our journey is through the wilderness.
Makes me think.
Of a man when he was a young man.
Was very much occupied with material things and.
He was able to buy a new car. Oh, this was quite a number of years ago.
And after he bought that new car.
He went to prayer meeting. Well, as he went to prayer meeting, he was thinking about his new car. It seemed to be absorbing his thoughts, and that's about all he could think about.
For that new car.
The first hymn that was given out that night in prayer meeting.
Was 139. This world is a wilderness wide.
And all he thought. It doesn't look like a wilderness to me. It looks bright to me. But why did it look bright to him? He had gotten something new that belonged to this world, some new material thing, and he prized it. He valued it. It was it was practically everything to him to have this new car.
And it didn't look like a wilderness to him.
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Does this world look like a wilderness to you?
I'm sure it did to Stephen as he got his eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
He saw this place only as a wilderness, and you know the story how it ends. He was stoned and he left this world. He left it.
Are you anxious to leave this world, or would you like to stay here a little longer?
I was visiting a lady in the hospital some years ago.
And this lady professed to be a Christian. She'd been in the hospital for several weeks.
She had gone through a lot of suffering and trial and she was improving.
But you were still in the hospital. I talked to her about the Lord. She seemed to appreciate it in a measure. Then we talked about the Lord's coming. How wonderful it would be when the Lord would come and take us all home to glory.
Spoke about waiting for the Lord to come.
And he might come any moment to take us home.
And she made a statement that really shocked me, she says. Well, I'd like to stay here a little longer.
Could it be that such an one was gazing off into the glory that she was seeing Jesus? Oh, I'm afraid not.
Or she could profess that she was a Christian, that she was a child of God, but she wasn't occupied with the Lord Jesus.
She wasn't waiting for his coming. She'd rather stay a little longer in this wilderness.
Is that your desire? Would you like to stay a little longer in this wilderness? Perhaps you have some project before you? Some plan, something that you'd like to do in the next few days, or perhaps in the next few weeks? Or perhaps you have things outlined for maybe a year or so in advance?
And you'd like to stay here to see all of those plans executed. Is that true?
Or would you like to have the Lord Jesus Christ come now?
What is coming upset things for you? Would it disturb you? And does it disturb you to think about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ?
And a brother who was speaking this morning, and our brother who spoke last night.
Was speaking especially to the unsaved.
That they ought to be ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you notice there in that 25th chapter of Matthew it calls the Lord Jesus the bridegroom.
That means he has a bride. He has a bride.
And you young people who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are part of that bride. Are you ready for him to come?
Are you waiting for him to come?
Sometimes, perhaps, we forget.
And talk only to the unsaved to warn them, but we who are saved.
Need to be worn too. Our conscience needs to be stirred up. Our heart needs to be exercised.
Because the Lord Jesus is coming and are we ready to meet him? Would we like to have him come right now? Is there any plan, anything in our lives that is greater than that, that would take the place of the coming of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ?
I don't know of anything that can test our hearts, the state of our soul, like the thought of his near coming that he may come any moment.
Oh, it has spoken to me many times and I'm sure it has spoken to many of you. And we need to let the coming of the Lord Jesus the coming of himself.
We need to let that stir our hearts exercise us.
Now we notice in this 7th chapter of Acts. I haven't read any portion of it and I'm just going to refer to a few verses as we go along.
But I want to call attention to what's said about Joseph in verse nine. And the patriarchs moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom.
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In the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Now remember, Steven is standing before this council, every member of which is eyeing him, scrutinizing him and examining him, accusing him, charging him.
And I'm sure dear Stephen feels it.
And you would feel it too.
If you were in a similar circumstance.
But I believe Stephen finds great comfort in thinking about Joseph. What happened to Joseph?
Well, he was sold by his brethren into Egypt, it says. Here they were moved with envy, envy, and they sold Joseph into Egypt.
Or think of the hatred that his brothers had taught him, how they envied him.
When he told his dreams and then he was sold into Egypt.
They got rid of him. First they put him in the pit and then the merchant then came along. He was sold to them. He was taken down to Egypt.
Oh, what a miserable way for Joseph's brethren to treat him. And I believe Stephen felt some of this.
Right now, here were Stevens, Brethren, Brethren in the flesh, yes.
His brethren, the Jews, and look how they were treating him. And finally they stoned him.
Well, Stevens finds great comfort in thinking about Joseph.
And he says God was with him. Do you have trials, difficulties? I know many of you young people are going to school.
Some of you are in grade school, some of you are in high school, some in college.
Some are out of school and you have a job where you have to work together with ungodly people, unbelievers.
And it's not easy.
Perhaps you are all alone where you are. There is not another Christian there.
And you feel the reproach.
Especially if you're seeking to take a stand for the Lord and be faithful, maybe you're not saying much.
Maybe you have just let it be known that you are a Christian. You belong to Christ.
Well, perhaps that's enough. Then live Christ before them.
Just take the name of Jesus on your lips and own that you're identified with him.
You know what's going to happen when you do that.
They'll cast strange looks at you when your own that you belong to Jesus.
And you will certainly be made to feel that you're outside.
The circle of the office, or the circle at school, wherever it might be.
And perhaps you don't like that, or The Flesh doesn't like it. Of course, I'm sure the Flesh and Stephen didn't like this either, to be cast out by his brother.
But he found comfort in thinking about Joseph, who was cast out by his brethren.
God was with him, and Stephen has the sense that God is with him.
And I'm sure you're faithful to the Lord. You will get the sense in your soul too, that the Lord is with you.
Ah, that's a blessed experience that Joseph had. A blessed experience that Stephen had.
God was with him, and oh, it's much better to be on God's side than to be on the world's side. The world's side is the losing side. God's side is the victory side.
Take your stand on God's side and you'll find that God will be with you.
Finally, he speaks of Joseph being made governor over Egypt and all his house.
First Joseph suffered and then he was put in the place of power.
Steven is Safari and what's opened up before him? The glory.
And before he knows it, being stoned to death, he's gone to glory. He's in the place of power. He's with his blessed savior who's standing at the right hand of God.
Oh, look what's before.
Look at the hope before look at the glory before us as we're looking off into Jesus.
Beholding the glory and we are conscious of the.
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Portion that's going to be ours there or it's going to enable us to suffer with Christ here.
Another example is brought before us here in this chapter, and it's Moses.
We read about Moses.
In verse 22 Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was might in words and in deeds, and when he was full 40 years old, it came into his heart.
To visit his brother and the children of Israel, and seeing one of them suffer wrong. He defended him and avenged him, that was oppressed.
And smote the Egyptian, for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand, would deliver them.
But they understood not.
And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sir, is your brethren, why do you wrong one to another?
But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying who may be a ruler and a judge over us. Well, that indicates that Moses was rejected.
Moses was the rejected one, just like Joseph was the rejected 1.
Now Moses was the rejected 1.
And.
Stephen remembers that the Lord Jesus was rejected and now he himself.
As being rejected. Ah, here we find a whole company together rejected ones. But look at the portion that they get turning over in the chapter ways.
Verse 35.
This Moses whom they refused, saying, who made the ruler and a judge. The same did God send to be a ruler and to deliver.
Isn't that amazing? The very one who was rejected. God sends him back to be a ruler and deliverer.
Now, they said, who made the ruler and a judge?
But it tells us God made him a ruler and a deliverer.
It is not gracious of God not to send him back to his people.
As a judge, but as a deliverer.
He is the ruler, but he is their deliverer, and he brings them out of Egypt.
And the Lord Jesus Christ was sent here into this world to be a deliverer, to be the Savior. God sent the Father, sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Aren't you thankful this afternoon that the Father sent the Lord Jesus his Son to be our Savior, not to be our judge?
That's the thing that ought to speak to our hearts, that ought to win our hearts, to think that God sent him to be our Savior.
Oh, we had him before us this morning in the breaking of bread. As the one who came into this world, stricken, smitten, and afflicted, died on Calvary's crop, he was sent to be a savior, to save you, to save me and all what he suffered.
I saw quite a group sitting back this morning.
And I know there were some of them that are the Lords. Oh, we're thankful. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, we're glad that you have taken your place as a Christian. I know there were many back there who have been baptized.
The name of Christian has been put upon them.
But.
Have you entered into all of your Christian privileges? Nice to be known as a Christian.
Nice to know you're on your way to heaven. You're going to glory.
But what about identifying yourself with the Lord Jesus down here?
How about taking her place at his table?
Let me ask you this question.
Was the Lord happy?
To see you sitting back this morning.
I know there were some sitting with their parents, but you didn't partake.
You haven't taken your place at the Lord's table. This. Is the Lord really happy about that?
Is he satisfied just to have you saved?
Is he satisfied with your merely being a child of God?
Well, he's happy about that, but he's longing for you to have you at his table. He wants you in fellowship with himself and with others who are in fellowship with him at his table. That's what he wants. Or if you only knew the heart of the Lord Jesus, how he yearns over you, how he longs to have you around himself, remembering him.
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It was his dying request just before he went to the cross to die.
He said this too, in remembrance of Maine.
And if you're rejoicing in your sins, forgiven believing that Christ died for your sins, don't let it stop there. Go on and give expression to it in the in partaking at His table in remembrance of Him.
Your place is there.
The scripture does not contemplate.
When we're thinking of a normal Christian.
Does not contemplate a Christian.
That's not breaking bread.
The scripture just takes for granted that everyone who is saved is at the Lord's table, and if anyone is not at the Lord's table, there's an abnormal condition there.
It's part of that which we might call abnormal Christianity.
And the Lord doesn't want us to be abnormal.
And May God give us grace to be in every way possible norm normal Christians.
Well, I said. Stephen found great comfort in referring to Joseph and Moses, because Stephen finds himself in that same company. A Rejected 1.
But he is reminded of the glory that's to follow. Peter speaks of the sufferings of Christ.
And the glory that is to follow. Oh, don't forget it if you suffer.
With Christ, you're going to reign with him.
And I believe every true child of God.
And everyone that wants to be faithful as a child of God is going to suffer with Christ.
And one way or another, in little things, or perhaps big things, in a small way, or perhaps a big way. But I believe every true child of God suffers.
Because if you want to be faithful to the Lord in any measure, you're going to feel it. You're going to feel some amount of reproach or persecution.
Or may the Lord help us to be faithful?
Remembering that the glory is to follow, there's a reward. Or wouldn't you like to hear the Lord say well done.
Thou good and faithful servant, Thou has been faithful over a few things.
I'll make thee ruler over many things. And he also says, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Wouldn't you like to have an abundant entrance, An entrance into the Lord's presence with joy?
The Lord would love to have it that way.
And secretly, we would love to have it that way too. But it's going to cost something. Yes, it's going to cost something. Salvation doesn't cost a penny.
But Christian living, living faithfully pleasing to the Lord, is going to cost something.
Well, I'm so thankful that salvation is free, because I could never pay for that.
But the Lord can give me grace to live for him, even though it does cost something. And the Lord will give grace. Yes, he will. My grace is sufficient for thee, the Lord told the apostle Paul. And the Lord's grace is sufficient for you too.
Now we might consider what's in the end of the chapter.
Verse 55.
They're gnashing on Stephen with their teeth now. They're cut to the heart. Their anger is coming out. It's being manifested. But it says about Stephen. Verse 55, he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus.
Standing on the right hand of God.
Beloved, there's more in this portion of scripture than we realize. There's more here than I can bring out.
This is a new thing that we see opened up before us.
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Is Christ in glory standing at the right hand of God?
Now if you'll notice in verse 44.
Stephen says Our fathers had the Tabernacle of witness in the in the wilderness.
And then we read in verse 47 Solomon built him in house. Both the Tabernacle and the temple are mentioned here. The Tabernacle that Moses built in the wilderness, the temple that Solomon built in the land of Canaan at Jerusalem, both are mentioned. We know that the Tabernacle was the center of gathering in Israel.
The whole camp of Israel was built.
Around the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was in the center. That was the center at that time.
We read in verse 45 that that Tabernacle was brought into the land of Canaan, Says our fathers that came after brought it in with Jesus or Joshua. I wonder why Joshua is brought in here.
Well, we know that Moses was much occupied with the Tabernacle. God sent her. But there came a time when Israel sinned. They broke the law.
And right when the law was being given and Moses came down from the mount and found that the children of Israel had made an idol.
So he brought the tables of the law at the foot of the mount before he went into the camp, and it was such a grievous sin that Moses took the Tabernacle and pitched it outside of the camp, far off from the camp.
And if you look in that portion of Scripture where it speaks of it and we might turn to it.
Over in Exodus.
Exodus 33.
In verse seven it tells us what Moses did with the Tabernacle.
But in verse 11 it says, And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face.
As a man speaketh unto his friend, and he turned again into the camp. But his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle.
The one that speaks of that over there in the 7th chapter of Acts.
That the Tabernacle was brought in with him, He is the one.
That it tells about here that he departed not out of the Tabernacle.
He chose to remain there. He chose to be occupied with the Tabernacle God Center, which was at this time moved outside of the camp. A far off from the camp. Moses went back into the camp. He must necessarily do that because as a leader of God's people, he must go back there and he must take care of his office. But Joshua remains out there and he's occupied with the Tabernacle God Center. Isn't that lovely?
Occupied with God's center.
But we read about Solomon too. When he built the temple, he was very much occupied with the temple. Well, the Temple replaced the Tabernacle, and it was acknowledged by God as his center, his center here on the earth. And Solomon was much occupied with it. We find many others that were occupied with that temple, God's earthly center at that time.
There were a few in Malachi's day that were occupied with it.
And after the Lord came, when He was born into this scene, we find that there were some that were occupied with it. You read about it in Luke's Gospel.
There were such as Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph.
And Simeon and Anna, they were all occupied with the temple. They loved to be there. That was their delight. God sent her.
Ah, they knew everything was in ruin.
They knew that everything was falling to pieces, but they still were occupied with God's center.
You know, last summer.
At this time, we were over across the ocean.
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And although I knew something of the circumstances of our dear beloved brethren in England and Europe, it didn't come home to my soul.
Until I got over there.
And I saw how few are left.
Gathered to the names of the Lord Jesus Christ, how few are still?
Around the center, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are 14 places where there is breaking of bread in England.
And there are about 115 or 120 altogether in fellowship there, spread around amongst those 14 places.
Well, those dear Saints over there cannot be occupied with numbers, and I don't believe they are.
Our trust. We're not occupied with numbers here. I wonder why you young people have come to the conference, to these general meetings.
Is it because there's going to be a big crowd here?
Or have you come because the Lord Jesus is in our midst?
You want to see him. You want to get a better glimpse of him. You want to come to know him better.
Let me throw out a warning here.
And I'm going to put it in the form of a question. I wonder why?
Why Satan has succeeded in scattering our dear brethren over across the water like he has.
There's been scattering here too. I wonder how the enemy succeeded in scattering us, dividing us up.
Is it because we got our eyes off the Lord Jesus? We were occupied with something else?
Perhaps with numbers, perhaps with gift.
And I'm sure we can't boast about gift.
Perhaps with the nice brethren perhaps to say, well, I'm in a nice meeting, we have some nice brethren where we are. We have a nice company. Is it that you're occupied with?
Well, there might be other things we could name.
Perhaps there are many reasons why you are where you are.
One might have one reason, another might have another reason, something uppermost in your mind.
As the reason why you are at the Lord's table.
But let me tell you this, if you're not at the Lord's table, because the Lord is there.
You're in a dangerous state of soul.
And I do trust that everyone will be exercised about why He is at the Lord's table.
And if you're not at the Lord's table, that you might be exercised about being there, but be sure.
That when you take your place at the Lord's table, you take your place because you believe the Lord is there.
Because if you have not seen the Lord in the midst, and taken your place at the Lord's table, because he is there.
Sooner or later, when the time of testing comes, you may find yourself.
Divided from your brethren, you may find yourself LED away.
And it is only as we are in constant dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
And seeing the Lord, Jesus Christ the Lord and glory the one who is the center down here.
It's only as we go on in that way that we're safe, he that is born of God.
Keepeth himself, and that wicked one touches him not well. It's born of God. We have a nature, new nature.
That's dependent upon God that trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as long as we go on in dependence upon the Lord, Satan can't touch us all. Let us be much occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ. It's that, I believe, that Stephen brings before us here, occupied with that one in glory. It's the new center. It's not the Tabernacle anymore. It's not the temple anymore. It's not anything else anymore.
No. What is it, Jesus?
The glory of God was connected with a temple.
You read of that in the end of Exodus, the glory of God was connected with the.
Temple as well as the Tabernacle.
We read that when the Tabernacle was built, the glory of God came down. We read that when the temple was built, the glory of God came down and filled the Tabernacle or the temple. But now we see the glory of God connected with Jesus.
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The glory of God is connected with Jesus.
He's the new center. Jesus displaces the Tabernacle. Jesus displaces the temple. Jesus displaces everything. There's only one center, one object as far as God is concerned, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And his glory is connected with him.
I wonder, have you seen that the Lord Jesus Christ is the center of gathering? Have you seen?
That he is the object of God's heart. He is everything to God. He is standing here at God's right hand.
We know now that it's seated on the right hand of the majesty on high. God is setting at his right hand on the throne. God has given him the 1St place. He deserves the 1St place. Here May God give us grace to give the Lord Jesus Christ the first place in our hearts, in our midst, in our gatherings.
This needs to be a constant exercise of our soul.
To give the Lord Jesus Christ the place that belongs to him.
I'd cost Stephen something to see Christ in glory and see him as the center and be occupied with him as the center. The object of the glory cost him something. It cost his life. It'll cost us something too. But may the Lord give us grace no matter what it costs to be true to the Lord Jesus Christ. Or you may know a lot of truth.
You may have sat in the meetings year after year, and you can recite scripture from memory, and you can give out doctrine too. You can give out truth, perhaps. I'm sure there are many young people here who know the truth well, but do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of gathering?
The supreme object of your heart and life. That's the important thing. That's the only thing that will keep us.
To make the Lord Jesus Christ the object of our hearts.
Let us keep gauging into the glory. We are free to do so. There need be no hindrance all. Don't allow hindrances to come in. Don't let that cloud come in.
That you might continue to be free to look up to heaven to see the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep him before you honor him. May God give us grace to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and give him the place that belongs to him.
In this passage of Scripture.
Charges made against Israel.
1St in verse 50.
One, they're charged with resisting the Holy Ghost.
Next.
Verse They're charged with betraying and murdering the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 53 They're charged with having the law but not keeping it. What an awful thing. What an awful charge against God's earthly people. But because it failed.
God said you can't be my people anymore, and I'm going to disregard the center.
The temple was not the center anymore.
And from that moment on, a new center was seen, the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
I trust that we're not going to resist the Holy Ghost in connection with a new center.
They're resisting the Holy Ghost in connection with the old center.
Let us not resist the Holy Ghost in connection with a new center. May we allow the Spirit of God to freely lead out our hearts to Christ.
And to be occupied with him all that we might walk in the power of an ungrieved spirit.
Grieve not the Spirit of God, for by your sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ah, you grieve the spirit of God. You go on carelessly. Your vision will be dim.
And you'll not be occupied with a new center, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'll remember that he was betrayed and murdered. Let's keep that before. Is in connection with a new center, the one who is now the center. He was betrayed and murdered. He died for our sins according to the Scripture. Oh how he suffered for our sake. And let us remember we have the word of God too. Let us not go contrary to the word of God. Let us be submissive to His word.
00:55:06
In connection with the new center, May God help us in these days.
To go on with God and fellowship, communion with the Lord Jesus Christ and May God give us grace.
To give the Lord Jesus Christ a place that belongs to him. Paul says to the Colossians that in all things he might have the preeminence that means the 1St place. Is that the exercise of your heart? Is that the exercise of my heart that he might have the first place?
Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ is our center of gathering today. He's the sanctuary for today.
Tells us in Isaiah he shall be for a sanctuary. Oh, what a sanctuary we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just to be in his presence there in your room by yourself, to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer, talking to him. Is there anything better than that? I don't believe so. Oh, how precious it is. And then to be in his presence, in the assembly, in the character of the sanctuary for his people. There is no other sanctuary today.
But he is our sanctuary. Shall we sing about it in him 309.
309 Jesus, before thy face we fall.
Our Lord, our life, our hope, our all.
For we have nowhere else to flee, no sanctuary.
Lord but the 309.
Jesus.
Before.
Thy face.