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I love you, God and our gracious Father. We thank you for the enormous privilege that is before us now to open Thy Word together, consider its contents, and trust to be built up on our most holy faith. Encourage help.
And we just look to the and pray for help for those who speak and minister the word, that they might have thy mind and what is brought forward. And we would just pray that the Spirit of God might have liberty in each of our hearts to make Thy word good to us. We feel that we are completely dependent upon Thee if there's to be any benefit from this time. And we thank the count upon me that Thou just looked down with the light.
On those who would speak to one another of things concerning our beloved Son.
And so with confidence and joy, we ask these things in Jesus worthy name.
Bless the Godfather, we thank you for singing. I don't need begotten Son into this world to go to Calvary's cross to back for a sentence.
Thank you through thy son's blood that's been made. Much blessing through this and we thank you for this time we should draw aside from the business of life.
You know the sound as I word, but you take advantage of this. You have open ears to hear what others say to us. Pray for that. We would be speak by the leading.
Listen to.
Thank you for the kindness Steven and others that are taking part in this to host this camp. Pray for each one that's working to during the camp less than thank you that was provided this time. Pray to you that each one of us would take that time and quiet with me each morning, evening and during the day most necessary.
Now we ask for help.
That we would during the day, seek each other out, take your time, ask, tell each other's doing, share something of the.
That would be an encouragement.
Now we pray for those that might still be coming for safe journey mercies.
Pray for those that couldn't come that does give an abortion.
Think of those that.
Let me sorry because lost of a loved one or sickness, pray for them. Let us know. Pray for the young people here that ought to encourage them.
You know there's many attacks of the enemy these days.
Thinking of going to college? Pray that they would have thy will first and foremost. First and foremost before there are.
And thank you that doubt they are in their hands and.
Allow them to go ahead or close the door and let us know.
Now we ask for safety during the Buddy Day today and this time of encouragement too. Like that we do it again to the privilege to pray and thank you for all this, my precious name, Lord Jesus name, Amen.
We're reading in Second Corinthians in the 4th chapter.
We'll read a few verses into chapter 5 also, but we'll start at chapter 4 and verse eight. Second Corinthians 4, verse eight. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you, we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written. I believed, and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus.
And shall present us with you.
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might do the Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God, For which 'cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day For our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
00:05:27
For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Chapter 5. For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, if so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this Tabernacle do groan, being burdened.
Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath brought us for the self, same thing as God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we're at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, For we walk by faith, not by sight.
So many new people that are here, I thought it might be nice if somebody could give us a brief outline of what we've covered.
Well, for those who aren't here, we've made some comments on this chapter at length about how the chapter in its context really brings before us the outflow of Christ in the life of us as Christians. And various comments have been made regarding how that is done and how that is not done, what might hinder that outflow. And we noticed a few things in.
The earlier part of this chapter, which I won't backtrack and and summarize necessarily, I'll leave it for your personal study, but the Apostle Paul touches on various things that that could hinder that, that outflow and, and quench it, you might say. And so, you know, as we move about in this life as servants of Christ, it is our responsibility to be a living epistle before this world. They read Christ in you and me, or at least they should.
And if we allow things into our life that.
Will, you know, hinder that? Then the world is not going to see a manifestation of Christ. And it's quite solemn as I consider this, because the only Bible that this world reads, brethren, is in you and me as believers, we pick up this book, we hear the Word of God, we read the Word of God, we enjoy it, we take it in, we have the capacity to understand it.
And assimilated to our own good by the power of the Spirit of God indwelling us. But this world doesn't have that. But you can't expect a dead man to pick up the word of God and read it. They have no interest in it. So how, how else are they going to see Christ? Well, it's through you and me. And this chapter again brings that out and, and hopefully that's a good enough summary.
If I can read it, it's kind of applicable to what we're reading right now. I came across this old poem I remember from my youth. I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell. The way the eye is a better pupil and more willing than the ear. Fine counsel is confusing, but example always clear. And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds. For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done. I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run in a lecture you deliver may be very wise and true, but I'd rather get my lessons observing what you do for my I might misunderstand you and I advice you give, but there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. Be thou an example of believers in Word and conversation and charity and spirit and faith and purity. First Timothy.
00:10:30
12:00 So we can see that what we say is good, but what we do, that's what people are watching.
It was pointed out, I believe by our brother Mark in verses 8:00 and 9:00 that these two verses touch on various things that God may bring into our life or allow us to experience or subject us to so that the light of Christ would shine brighter in in US and through us.
And so sometimes we are subjected to some pretty trying circumstances and we can take comfort in the fact that we know that God.
Doesn't make any mistakes and what he's doing is that he is seeking to form more of Christ in our life and at times.
Pardon me, but at times, brethren.
These things are pretty tough.
You know, each one of us come from various circumstances and walks of life and there are people here right now that are experiencing some very, very tough trials.
But you know.
God is seeking to form more of Christ in us.
So that we become less and he becomes more, as John the Baptist could say.
I must decrease, but he must increase.
And what a testimony it is to the glory of God when you see, as a brother, Tim had brought before us an example of a man the other day who totally subjected himself.
In obedience and.
And acceptance of the trial that God had brought through his life, and it has affected the lives of all those around him for the good and Christ has not only been manifested, but glorified.
And exalted in the hearts and souls of not only that man, but also in those who are witnessing what he is going through.
I think in this tenth verse.
I think it's very instructive where it says we are to always bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. And this is what we're talking about. I noticed in the new translation that.
It's it's, it's the dying of Jesus. And this is very instructive. Doesn't Mr. Darby took out the Lord Jesus?
And that is is, as I say, very instructive, because when you have just Jesus presented to you, it brings before us his manhood.
What do you experience down here as a man?
And this is not his atoning sufferings. You and I could not participate in that one bit, not one bit. So here is not his atoning sufferings that is being spoken of, but his martyrdom sufferings. And that's what Mark brought before us the other night in his address, the sufferings of our Lord Jesus at the hands of men. It was his martyrdom suffering. And the point behind this here is that his, it is his obedience, his submission to the trials and circumstances that God.
And sought to put him through and he totally gave himself over it, over to it.
And that's something that you and I can participate in.
That we can submit to those things as verses 8:00 and 9:00 bring before us. We can submit to the circumstances of life that God brings us through for our good and our blessing, but also for the blessings of a blessing of others. Because it says that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body, not to exalt or glorify us, but to glorify Him and His life becomes manifested.
00:15:11
For the good of others.
This is very practical what you're saying.
And in verse 7, where we end it yesterday we talked about the treasure, which is the knowledge.
Of God and the earth and vessel, which is our body and that's what we all receive when we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. But once we are in that condition, you might say in a very practical way, God goes to work right away and what does he do? He allows things in our life. I guess Joss was telling us that break start to break down that earthen vessel. And so, you know, for a lot of young people here.
God wants on a daily basis to work with you.
And he has the plan in your life that you might become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul writes this here after he had been in the surface for quite a number of years and he had experienced those things, the Lord. And maybe with him it wasn't a special case because he was a special vessel, but the Lord had allowed all these things, outward things, the inward things that he dealt with too, to come in his life to break down the earth and vessel.
And you might say the more he went on in his life, the less you saw Paul and the more you saw of Christ. And that's that earthen vessel being broken down. But it's interesting. And the whole time here, he always speaks about we. This was not specific to Paul, or it wasn't even specific to Paul and the ones that traveled with him. It's normal Christianity, you might say, the Lord is not going in his goodness. He's not going to leave us alone.
And allow us to have this quiet life without trouble because if we did, none of Christ would shine out. And so that's what these verses speak about. It's God at work in our lives to break down the earth and vessel so that the treasure would be able to shine out more. So when the Lord allows things in your life, just realize that God is allowing these things because He wants me to be more like His Son. He never does it because He wants to bring trouble in our lives, if you want to call it that.
But he wants us to be broken down when it comes to ourselves. So there might be more of Christ and more of Christ to shine out. And maybe I'm going a little bit further now, but in verse 12 it says death work within us. And that's just a breaking down. But life in you there was a blessing to others because of what Paul submitted to in the circumstances that the Lord allowed in his life.
I was thinking on.
The bears on Hebrews Chapter 11 and verse 24 were says by faith most Moses.
When he was come to years refuses to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Chosen rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. Chosen to suffer affliction, nobody here chosen to be afflicted.
Not me.
That he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God. The Lord says just like the people hate me, they will hate you.
In this life, if you want to live righteously, you will suffer persecution, you will suffer persecution, but it's better to suffer persecution and to shine that light. The brothers yesterday was talking about shine the light.
No.
Of yourself, but the light of the Lord Jesus Christ through you. And to do that he needs to broken you. He needs to broken us.
Brother was talking about brother Mike and being in his wheelchair and not even able to imagine this. Sometimes you have a itching in your nose. You just do this, you scratch your nose. He cannot even do that. He cannot even move. But he says I don't change my place when anybody because the blessing and the the joy to the Lord is being communion with him.
Now let me ask you something. Do you chase? Do you change places with him? Do you want to be in his shoes?
00:20:01
I can probably save myself, no?
But we need to be able to say Lord.
Break this bustle so you can shine the light.
Through me of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yesterday we talked about.
The New Translations rendering of this verse and it talks about God shining into our hearts for the purpose that we would then shine forth the glory of God. And there is very few things in this world that shine forth the glory of God.
As powerful as child when someone is going to trial. We talked about Michael Bryant. He is a powerful testimony. And we have a brother, Alejandra, stand up here.
With difficulty with his eyes, and he says, blessed be the name of the Lord. It's.
Hour enough and I would just like to read a couple of verses that have to do with what we're talking about. First one is in first Peter chapter one.
First Peter chapter one and verse seven that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth they'll be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, and you know.
If we go back to John Chapter 11, there's an example there of a couple of ladies that we know well, Mary and Martha, and.
They had a brother that they loved very much named Lazarus, and Lazarus died. And we can see as we read through John Chapter 11 That that was purpose of God. But that wasn't an accident. He didn't just arbitrarily die, but God allowed Lazarus to go into death and He tells us why.
You turn to John Chapter 11 and it says in verse 4.
Well, so this is.
I'm going to start with verse 3.
Umm.
I'll just start with verse one. Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Merrier, sister Martha. And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. His brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sister said unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. And Jesus heard that he said, the sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and none of this happened because the Lord had forsaken them. He purposed this for the glory of God and.
He stays they they said Lazarus is sick and purposely waits until Lazarus passes into death and then he goes because he was fulfilling what we're talking about right now. He was working in Mary and Martha.
That they would be an outflow of the glory of God through them in this trial. And so the Lord Jesus comes in first. Martha meets him and says, Lord of thou has been here. My brother had not died.
And the Lord, the Lord says to her.
And Mary says the same thing by the way, and the Lord goes through the process of raising Lazarus from the dead. But the verse that I was thinking of, especially in verse 40 of John Chapter 11. And Jesus said unto her, said I not unto thee, that if thou was believed, thou should see the glory of God.
What happens? John chapter 12 follows. And if we turn there, it says then Jesus six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. And there they made him a supper, and Martha served that Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the odor appointment.
A little difference there was between the Martha that we see from the past that complained about the fact that it says that she was covered with much service and now it doesn't. We don't see any complaint though we see the glory of God manifested through her now.
00:25:08
Well, why was that? It was because of what she had passed through and John Chapter 11, what the Lord had allowed to happen in her life for the purpose of her being able to bear forth the glory of God in her body while she was here.
So, you know, there's a there's a gospel that's preached in this world today called the prosperity gospel and it speaks of the Christian as having a, a blessed place and material wealth and things on this in this world.
Humans, that robs us of the eternal weight of fluid. And I'll be completely honest and completely frank with you that the path of faith of real Christianity is not easy. As Josh was just mentioning, it is hard. The Lord passes us through deep trials, but it's for the purpose of bearing forth the glory of Christ in our life.
And we wouldn't have it any other way. Go talk to Michael Bryan and he would say like we've been talking. He wouldn't trade it for anything. You think that he would rather have a mansion on a hilltop and be involved in these things that the prosperity gospel would bring before us, that we would have wealth in this world that robs us of the real blessing that Christ would have in US. And that's what we have at the end of this chapter. I don't mean to to jump ahead, but it has to do with it. It says in verse.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. But the things which are seen are temporal. But the things which are not seen are eternal. But then that's what God vows is this eternal way to flow. And it's at the cost of Him breaking down our earthen vessels for the purpose of His glory shining forth from us in this, in this scene. We only have the opportunity to do that while we're here.
Christ is glorified in a future day by us and what we have done and what we have passed through in this in this life, but the only opportunity to provide for that is here in the same.
Go down a little further and.
Or where it says, John 1224. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.
Michael Bryant.
It's pretty far down that path.
What about us?
How much are we willing to give up for the board?
So that his life can shine forth through us.
We have some conjunctions in verse 8:00 and 9:00 that I think it'd be good for us to spend a little time on this.
Those conjunctions are yet not and but not.
And but not happens three times.
And I don't want to take in any way away from what we've just been talking about.
But I would like to focus on these conjunctions. The first one is we are troubled on every side.
Yet not.
Yet not distressed, or, as in the new translation, it could be rendered. We are afflicted in every way. Afflicted, yet not straightened or limited.
These conjunctions are really, really important for us to get a hold of.
If we're going to walk as we have just been discussing or describing in this path of faith and we're going to have trouble, there is a resource for us in that trouble.
Why? Why is it that we read here? The apostle said he's not distressed.
Or not straightened.
What is the message there for us?
The message is there's a resource in the trouble, in the trial, in the affliction.
So we've just been talking about Michael, Bryan and.
We don't want to make too much of our brother, but we know for a fact that the Lord, and if you sit down and talk to him, he will tell you very plainly that the Lord has been with him. And I can tell you, young people and children in my life, in the times that we have gone through trial and trouble, that's when we experience the presence of the Lord in the most dear and real way.
00:30:34
There was a time that our Lord speaks of His being straightened.
Here to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul he in another part of this.
Of his epistles to the Corinthians, he tells them not to be straightened, because he and those with him were not straightened toward them, limited in their affections toward them. The Corinthians were under influences that would cause them in their affections toward the apostle and laborers, to be limited to be straightened. I was thinking about verse.
The Lord saying I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straightened till it be accomplished?
And that word limited that you bring up brothers is is a real help there.
His heart was to flow out freely in blessing to His people.
But he had to lay the groundwork first, and that was the cross, the baptism that he had to be baptized with.
You know, there were times even in his earthly ministry.
When he came into his own hometown and the people there who were familiar with him.
They said it's not this the carpenter's son, and it says he could there do no miracle.
He was straightened not by not by any lack of course of power on his part, but by moral considerations on their part.
And So what does he do? He's not straightened in the sense that.
Service still goes forth. He sends out his disciples that they might minister, and he still receives those that would come to him and heals them, and so on. He is not straightened. His affections towards his people are unchanged.
And his care for souls is unchanged. His love will not be deterred by either moral considerations on the sides of others or the work that lie before him. The apostle here is Speaking of.
The sufferings that I believe primarily that he went through in his in his laborers to bring the word of God to the people of God and bring the gospel to the lost. And all he got in return was persecution and hatred and suffering. He was stoned to death.
And the Lord raised him up.
But he was not going to be deterred. None of these things he could say later on on his way to Jerusalem. None of these things moved me.
Believe perhaps that helps us understand here it is not straightened, Persecuted, but not straightened.
I was reading those very verses in John 15 that I believe you're somewhat referring to there, Steve.
John chapter 15, remembering that the example in all of this to us is the Lord Jesus.
Verse 17 These things I command you, that you love one another. If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you're of the world, the world would love his own. But because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hated you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake.
Because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sinned. But now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sinned. But now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause.
00:35:02
But when the comforter has come.
For you and I, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me, and He also shall bear witness. That's referring again to the verses that we read in John 17 yesterday, because you have been with me from the beginning.
There's four sentences that we have in these two verses, Theta 9, and you might say the second part of each sentence is kind of surprising. It's not what you expect. If maybe somebody else would have written that that doesn't belong to the Lord. He said we've troubled in every sight and very distressed, but what is it every time? The first part of that sentence, that's the earthen vessel being broken down. What's the second part? Why was he not straight? Why was he not in despair? Well, that's the second-half of verse 7.
Is the Excellency of the power maybe of God?
And so we go through these things and we feel our.
Or other lack of strength. We can do it when these trials come upon us, and yet we can be overcomers. But we know it's not ourselves. It's not the strength of the earthen vessel because there's no strength in it. But what is it? It's the Excellency of the power of God. And I, you know, in chapter one of this epistle.
Verse nine of chapter one, Paul says this. We had the sentence of death in ourselves.
That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God. That raises the debt. Hold it alive that every day pretty much He didn't know if he was going to make it till the end. And he had learned and had to learn that he learned that he could not trust in himself. The earthen vessel was very fragile. There was no strength in there, but there was that Excellency of the power of God that made it so. He went through everything and there was more and more of Christ shining out. And so if you look at these two verses and we read it like that every time, the first part.
That's the earth and vessel being broken down, persecution, distress, trouble being cast down. But then the second part, that's the power of God coming in and you know when.
Some of us are much further along, but as we go through life and these things come up, be it in our family lives, being at work, whatever it is that troubles arise in the assembly.
God makes us feel the weakness of the earthen vessel.
But at the same time, if we take these things from him.
He will reveal to us more and more the Excellency of the power that there isn't that resource that Steve was talking about. And so when again, when trials come, we don't like him. And Alejandra mentioned that. But take him from the Lord and there's going to be nothing but blessing there, even though it will be hard when you go through it. But keep in mind the second part of all these sentences. Not distressed or or straight, not in despair, not forsaken, not destroyed.
And that's something that this world doesn't have. Trials come upon them, and they only have the earth investment because the earth investment is not just a Christian. Everybody has an earthen vessel.
And you can just see the breakdown, the distress of the sprayer. There's no hope. But we don't have that. If we take our trials, the things that are allowed of God, from him, we have that surpassing power, the Excellency of the power of God.
So a young person, or even those of us who are older might ask ourselves, well, why would we want to do this? Why would we be willing to do this? Verse 13, it says we have the same spirit of faith. Verse 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you, and that's glorification. In Matthew 16, verse 24, Jesus said unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.
And follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his.
Will lose his life for my sake. Shall find it. The the path of discipleship is costly. It will cost us everything to follow Christ.
And why would we be willing to do that? There's no mistake that the portions of Scripture in the order that they are the next chapter in Matthew 17, it says in six days after Jesus taketh Peter and James and John his brother and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart and was transfigured before them. They got to see the glory of God. They got to see the Lord Jesus Christ glorified glowing.
00:40:25
Dear brethren, the path of faith is worth it. As our brother Alejandro said earlier, Moses looked at these things and he said, you know, this looks nice.
Whatever he had in Egypt, but it's not going to last.
What we have is going to last forever. We have the best portion because we have him in the world. You can have all these things, you can have money, you can have houses, you can have all this stuff and there's nothing wrong with any of that.
But if people, if that's all they have, when they lose it, they have nothing left. If we have Christ and we have those things, that's wonderful. If we lose them, we still have Christ.
And he's everything to us. He can be everything to us. And as our brother shared last night, that we would be willing to trust the Lord. And at the end of the portion, he talks about the things that we we're going to do if we're going to be kept.
And we'll get to those.
Let me finish to to read to you or read a little bit again. Hebrews 201124.
Finished the the verses by faith Moses when he was come to years refuses to be called the son of Perus daughter chosen rather to suffer a fiction with the people of God that to enjoy the pleasure of sins for a season.
Steaming the reproach of Christ.
Greater riches than the treasures on Egypt, for he has respect unto the recompense of the reward. In this world everything is passed, everything will be destroyed.
But we have a reward in heaven. It's not compared the little sufferings we pass in right now that the glory is coming with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, just seeing his face and telling him.
Lord, it was worth it. It was worth it because now I'm here seeing you face to face, my Savior, my Lord, the one who walked with me every single day, even through bad circumstances in this world.
You was with me every single day, Lord.
And now I'm here seeing you and forever be with him. Never, ever to have this world again. It's worth the brothers and sisters. It's worth the young people.
In this world, maybe you never want to be popular, but it's better. Put your eyes on Christ. Put your eyes on heaven.
Like a brother, Guillermo Guerra.
Used to say stick your head in heaven and look of the glories and all in this world we don't have any value.
Yes, put your eyes in heaven, in Him who is worth it.
So you might say in verse 13.
And I say this primarily to myself, but it's as though the apostle is saying I'm all in, I'm all in.
It's a question that I think I know I have to ask myself. I know the hesitancy at times of my own heart.
And failure in these things. But when it comes to our Christianity, brethren, are we all in?
Or are we holding back a little?
Or holding back a lot.
And to your point, brother, it's all worth it, isn't it?
And.
He in verse 14, he says, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus or with Jesus could be translated and shall present us with you. He was looking on to that day when God would reward the believer and raise him up with Christ and that is the day that we ought to be living for that eternal day.
00:45:01
Not now. Not trying to get established necessarily down here.
And making this world our primary focus. But it's living not for self, but for Him and for that eternal day.
Matthew, I think in the back over there.
Giving up all things and we see that with the Apostle Paul in Philippians, don't we? Where? He said.
Chapter 3.
For me to live as Christ and to die as gain. And in chap sorry, that was chapter one and chapter 3 again he says, yeah, doubtless I count all things but loss.
Or seven, what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ? I think it's important and it bears reminding in this chapter that we're speaking that he suffered these things so that he might preach the gospel. Not just our daily lives, not everything that we encompass in our life. He suffered these persecutions particularly.
For Christ, namesake for the gospel.
A little bit more.
You bring that up there in Philippians chapter 3 for the young people, particularly for the young men. I don't know where you are, but I can tell you that we may come from one end of the spectrum. And how did Paul get from one end of the spectrum all the way to the other end of the spectrum? You see this in here in Philippians chapter 3 where it says in verse, as we see here in verse four. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh.
I more circumcise the 8th day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin and Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law a Pharisee. You know today we may not necessarily we shouldn't be into the law, but we can be into the fact that perhaps we come from a family that is that has been in the assembly. If you could say, but on the sound of the word and there is some merit of or some.
Thought of of laying so-called, riding your dad's coattails. I can say that for myself because I was raised in such a manner and I know many others were here as well. And Paul is saying that he had all this concerning zeal. Verse 6 persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is the law, blameless. He was at the top of his game in Judaism. No one else could surpass him. He could say verse 7 but what things were gained to me, those I counted for loss.
And that's one end of the spectrum. And then the other end of the spectrum that he ends up going to is in the end of our book, Second Corinthians here. If we turn over to here, this is where he finds himself. I think this is interesting to see his travels here because in 2nd Corinthians 11 it says.
Verse.
16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool, if otherwise yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly the confidence of boasting, Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also if you suffer fools gladly, seeing you yourselves are wise. If you suffer a man bringing the ******* of a man devour you. If a man take you, if a man exalt you, if a man smite you on the face, I speak as concern reproach.
As though we had been weak, albeit I work whatsoever and miss bold I speak foolishly, I'm bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I are they the seed of Abraham? So am I are they ministers of Christ? They speak as a fool. I am more now this is where he gets into into what he's been through. And labor's more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in deaths off of the Jews five times received I-40 strikes.
Say 1. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stone, thrice I suffered shipwreck a night in a day. I have been in the deep, in journeys often in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness.
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And watching often in hunger and thirst, In what? In fastings, often in cold.
And nakedness besides, those things are without all they which cometh among me daily the care of all the churches. So he's come from one end of the spectrum of being the most beautiful Jew that a Jew could produce, touching the law, blameless, zealous, all the way down to the other side of the spectrum here where he had a resume here of persecutions. And it's tremendous to see this and is, and I was just mentioned, it was all for the purpose.
Of preaching Christ and look at the very last phrase of this long list. I just read into verse 28, the care of all the churches.
And you can see their false brethren is up there. It's one thing to receive stripes to be bent over a Roman barrel and and receive 39 stripes across the back. And it's another thing here to have up above here false brethren. But he did it all verse 28 into verse 28, the care of the churches.
That connects.
Somewhat to the verses that we read the yesterday in First Corinthians Chapter 9.
Speaking of the gospel in verse 17, he goes on to say in verse 18, What is my reward then? Verily, that when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge. That I abuse not my power in the gospel.
I was thinking from these verses on For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all.
That I might gain the more. And under the Jews I became as a Jew, and I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law, as under the law. That I might gain them that are under the law, to them that are without law, as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. That I might gain them that are without law to the weak became I as weak That I might gain the weak. I made all things to all men, that I might buy all means save some.
And this I do for the gospel sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
This I do for the gospel sake.
We've got a lot of this.
Hour about tribulations and sufferings and rightly so. That's what it's occupied with and we've talked extensively about what God's purposes in that.
But it's so nice to see these last verses of the chapter that God gives us these encouragements, these things that will sustain us in this inner path of service. So God doesn't set before us just a bunch of trials and tribulations, and now you go along with it and he gives us encouragements along the path. When I think there's four main ones and maybe just mention them and we can expand on them a little bit. And the first one was already mentioned.
Verse 12/13/14 We have a God of resurrection, we have a God of resurrection, we have that resurrection life that we can look forward to. What a wonderful thing that is. But then he goes on and in verse 16, he speaks of the inward man being renewed day by day. It's through the outward man. Our bodies are broken down, but the inward man is renewed day by day. That's our soul and spirit. And that can be refreshed and strengthened day by day by communion with the Lord and so.
You might say the proper pathway for a Christian is that the outward man, the body.
Is on a downward course, but the inward man is on an upward course and gets stronger and stronger. And then the third thing is, and it's amazing that Paul was the one that rode this verse in verse 17, he speaks of light affliction. But for a moment, and I think that pulse path of surface was a little over 30 years and you just read the list that fits in very perfectly. We wouldn't call that light affliction, but Paul seeing things in their proper perspective and what was about to come.
He calls that light affliction, but for a moment that should be a help as we go through tribulation and we know people have gone through tribulations for many years and yet in the light of eternity it's but for a moment. And then the last thing is that he had his eyes fixed on unseen things. If we have our eyes fixed on things around us. Last night Jonathan spoke about Law looking down and seeing the well watered plains and where that led him. If we have our eyes fixed on unseen things.
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That will sustain us too in the pathway down here. And so yes, we've been talking about tribulations and they're very real and God has a purpose with it. But here's 4 huge encouragements, things that will sustain us in the path of service.
If I may, I would like to add one more thing to that that I believe I see in this this.
Chapter as a motivation that the apostle Paul had in addition to those four that you mentioned in verse 15. He is motivated because he knows that what he's doing and what he's suffering is for the benefit of the elect. It is love to the people of God that also motivated that drove him he and when he suffered that persecution when when he was hindered.
His heart was on.
What the what the Lord's heart is on his people, his suffering people in this world who needed help?
One of the biggest keys as we face trials and challenges are in this list that you mentioned. Mark and I have down verse 16's daily communion. Verse 17 is a shield of faith and verse 18's the vision of glory. As we go through these trials that one of the most important things for us to remember is that God is for us and in Ephesians 6 he mentions our weapons.
Our armor. Pardon me.
And in verse 16, it says, above all, taking the shield of faith. Well, I had an older sister in my assembly and she said the shield of faith is the confidence that God is for me. And it says with that you're going to be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked because there's a battle that goes on in our mind when we have trials.
In our mind, our flesh is questioning what's going on, and the enemy of our souls is shooting darts at us.
Saying God's forgotten you, God doesn't love you.
You're worthless. All these things come at us and we can hold that shield up and say no, I know that God is for me. This challenge is not wasted.
In verse 15, it says all things are for your sakes. When Mary and Martha had their brother died, if he would have come and healed him, they would have known the Lord Jesus as a healer because the Lord Jesus didn't come. They came to know Him as the resurrection and the life. And he'll pass us through things our brother mentioned earlier. It's so painful, so painful. Hold up that shield. The Lord is for you. He loves you.
He gave everything for you. He's not going to go back.
The second thing our brother Matt mentioned earlier, and that is thankfulness and in chapter.
Ephesians 5.
Verse 20 it says giving thanks for all things.
Unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And some people say that's crazy. How can you give thanks? We can give thanks because we know that God knows what he's doing.
And we can say, Lord, I thank you for this trial. I don't understand, it doesn't make any sense to me, but I trust you and I thank you for it and let the Lord work in our lives and quit trying to get out of the trial and just let yourself relax and try and learn the lesson. So often I've seen people and then it is horrendous trial and then it's over. Just like that. As soon as they learn their lesson, whatever the Lord had in it for them, the trial is over.
That's what he's trying to teach us, and he does it with love and with patience and with compassion. Because he loves us. We're his children.
I remember an old saying that joy or happiness is not a state, a set of circumstances, or is not dependent on our circumstances, but it is a state of soul. And I would like to read a verse in first John really quick first John chapter one.
And verse three, that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that He also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. How can He have joy in all the things that he went through? And in the verses that we are reading, we are troubled on every side, yet not stressed, and so on.
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How is he sustained in that? But he knew.
Go out his Father and Christ, he had a daily fellowship with him. He was walking and communion with God and so whatever we face in our lives doesn't matter what God brings us through. We can have joy in that path. I also would like to point out I don't know if it's been pointed out yet, but in verse seven it speaks of.
Earthen vessels and, and we have been commenting a bit on vessels and, and maybe it's been pointed out, but I'll briefly just point these out. There's a number of different types of vessels in this chapter.
First one we have a willing vessel and in verse two we have a clean vessel.
And that's having renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. And in verse five, we have an empty vessel or selfless vessel we preach, not ourselves. And in verse 8A, broken vessel.
And.
In verse 13, there may be more to verse 13. We have an open vessel. He's he's received it and there he's speaking it. It's open.
It's taking those things in and putting them out. In verse 16 we have a renewed vessel and in.
Verse 18, we have a devoted or a focused vessel. So a lot of things that we can get in this chapter, it's been just a joy to meditate on it.
That's nice, Luke.
I was thinking of that joy that you spoke of and Brother Tim started to read these verses in first Peter chapter one earlier.
And in connection with the end of the chapter here, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And those verses in first Peter chapter one go on to say in verse 8, Whom having not seen ye love, and whom, though now you see him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
And so.
Joy and full of glory and says that we faint not in verse 16 and we're renewed day by day.
Our light affliction.
Worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
And I know we read it yesterday, but it bears repeating in Romans chapter 8.
The end of verse 17. If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in US.
And we see over in verse 24 of Romans 8 we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why does he yet hope for?
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we, with patience, wait for it?
And I thought of that verse in Isaiah 40 that we all know well, and he speaks of renewing our strength, and Isaiah 40 and verse 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
So we're just about out of time, but I just wanted to these last couple verses in the chapter here give us a a different perspective. And young people and children, I want to encourage you.
To have a different perspective, the apostle here in the new translation, it says for our momentary light affliction.
And then he goes on to speak about things that.
Are looking on things that are not seen and sometimes we have a difficulty understanding that. So when I ask the kids here, is there anything that you know of that is occurring in this room right now that you cannot see?
So I saw a couple heads shaking. Yes. What?
So there's, there's something holding this down in our chairs, Michael said. Gravity, We've never seen gravity. I don't know that I've ever seen gravity in in force. And I'm speaking right now and, and there's something something happening that we cannot see. There's sound waves that are going through the air that are taking what I'm saying and, and conveying it to you and we can't see it. I've never seen a sound wave. I've seen the effects of it.
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There's electricity flowing through these cables here that help us out as well, and I've never seen electricity as well. I've seen the effects of it.
So sometimes there are things that that we cannot see, but we know that they're there.
The apostle was talking about things that are not seen are things that are seen are temporary or for a time, but the things that are not seen are eternal, and that's another.
That's another word that is very difficult for us to understand.
Because everything that we feel and see and experience in this world is associated with time. We all have watches on our wrists and we look up on the clock on the wall.
And we are bound by time, but God is not bound by time.
And so the perspective that we're talking about here is one that is not bound by time, that's eternal.
How can we?
Do the things that we just read about.
The only way that we can really effectively do that.
Is having an eternal perspective.
And I'm not sure how I can help you guys understand that.
But it's really, really practical.
The day-to-day choices that we make, are we making them in light of eternity? The apostle was saying. It's worth it.
Because of what is coming ahead and we cannot see it. Just like the electricity, the sound, other things of gravity, we cannot see it with our eyes, but we can apprehend it by faith and say that it's true and that it's real.
And in fact, it's more real than the things that we see. Science would actually tell us that this these chairs that were sitting on are primarily made-up of empty space.
And there's coming a day when these chairs will have no effect on us. We will walk right through them.
Because we will not be hindered by the things that we see right now.
The things that are eternal, dear ones, are more real than the things that we see right now. And that's the perspective that the apostle wanted to help us understand in this chapter. And it provides the motivation and it provides the strength and the attitude that is necessary for us to be the beneficiaries of what we've been reading about and talking about.
We need to have an eternal perspective. If we have a perspective that is just based on time, we're going to go back and we're going to say it's not worth it.
And the apostle even said that if there's no such thing as the resurrection, then we're above, we're counted as as the most miserable of all men. But then he went on to say it's it's not even worth comparing. You can't even begin to compare what is coming, what is eternal.
What we can't see is so far better than what we can see. And that's what motivates our brother Mike, as we were talking about. And that's what should be motivating us in our lives. And it should be really, really practical. It should change our very lives and the decisions that we make. And if not, then we have the wrong perspective.
If I could just add Brother Steve, I know we're done.
But what you say is so good that the eternal things that we've had before us is there. They are more real than what we are looking at. Look around you.
This is all going to burnout one day.
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It's all going to burn.
That which is eternal is going to last.
And brethren, what are we living for?
May it be that we're living for that eternal day, for the glory of Christ. That is what's going to last.
Father, we're so thankful for practical ministry.
We just pray that.
My tunor hearts and.
What the Lord would be?
Made manifest.
Might be much glorified and what's been spoken. We just pray this in Jesus worthy and precious name, Amen.