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2nd Corinthians chapter 3, verse 17.
Now the Lord is that spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And but we all with open faith, beholding as in a glance the glory of the Lord, are changed from into the same image, from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord.
Therefore, seeing we have this ministry as we receive mercy, and we thank God, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in crappiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully.
But by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves, they remain conscience in the sight of God.
But for gospel behead it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them, that which believe not bless the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who was the image of God should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants, for Jesus sake for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled in 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're 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 up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sake, that the abundant grace might do the Thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God, for which 'cause we faint, that.
But though our outward man perish, yes, 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 scenes which were seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporable, temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
It does seem, dear brethren, that in the days that we are living in is the time when there is a lot of breaking of the earthen vessel.
Look around. Trouble and trial and affliction all around and.
Sometimes we ask what is God's purpose in it all?
In this chapter we have perhaps one of the purposes in the breaking of the earth and vessel.
Is that the light of the glory of God, the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ might shine out?
He's put a treasure in these vessels of ours and that treasure is not to be hidden. That treasure he has put there to shine out.
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And I suggested we start reading the first two or the last two verses of chapter 3.
Because in that chapter you have the contrast between the Old covenant and under the law, which was the.
Administration of death in verse seven, chapter 3, and it's called the ministration of condemnation in verse 9.
And it's contrasted with the.
Administration of.
Of the Spirit in verse 8 and the ministration of righteousness in verse 9, which is what we have in Christianity.
And the old was so glorious that when Moses.
Got a glimpse of the glory of God, his faith?
Shown it was so real that when he came down from off the mountain.
People were afraid of him because his face shone. What had he been doing? He'd been seeing something of the glory of God. And yet in those Old Testament times, it was not a full revelation of the glory of God.
Moses was told you cannot see my face and live, but he said I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and put my hand over you and then I'll take it off as I go by and you'll see my back part.
But my face you cannot see.
And it was so glorious that it made his face shine.
But brethren, we have something that far out there exceeds what was under the law. The revelation of the that we have now, and the person of the Lord Jesus is a complete revelation. And so in the end of the chapter, that third chapter, he says. And this is Christianity, brethren, verse 18, we all.
Doesn't say some of you know we all.
In with open or unveiled face, beholding to the glass, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. It is the privilege of every true believer to look straight into the face of the Lord of glory and enjoy the full revelation of all that God is for us.
Person of the Lord Jesus, and that is what will transform your life and mine.
Looking at each other and we all have false brethren and criticizing each other for the faults we have will not change.
Like this will it's looking on the glory of the Lord with unveiled face. Moses, when he came out of the Tabernacle, had to put a veil on his face because the people were afraid of it. But when he went into the presence of the Lord, he took the veil off and talked to the Lord face to face. And that's our privilege now, rather than not as Moses with a partial revelation.
Of the glory of God, but with a full revelation that is given to us in the face of Jesus Christ. He is so blessed if we can get a hold of this is the ministration that he speaks of in the first verse of chapter 4. I just mentioned that it's kind of introductory.
There was a dear old Christian out in the Northwest years ago I.
Expect he's gone home to be with the Lord, but.
She's. I think she thinks she was blind, but anyhow.
If you roll the few lines of a little poem which Mr. Haley used to love, and he had a president leave the hand of her out, turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Many of you know it.
There were those in the days when the Lord Jesus walked here on earth, who saw the Lord Jesus here in this world walking as a man.
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And John could say we have seen and looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life.
And what a privilege it must have been to see the Lord Jesus and hear his words as he walked here amongst men.
Peter said to having been one of those who had the privilege of being on the mount of Transfiguration.
He said we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. But brethren, I believe we have a far greater privilege than seeing the Lord Jesus when He walked here upon earth. We have the privilege this afternoon of by faith, lifting up our eyes to the open heavens and being occupied not with Christ on earth, but with a glorified man at the right hand of God. And this verse tells us that in the measure in which we do that.
There will be a reflection of Christ in our lives, in the measure in which we are occupied with that blessed one. And he does fill our gaze and our hearts. Then, it says, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.
It's interesting with Moses there in the 34th of Exodus that it says that when he came out of the presence of Jehovah on the mount, it says his face shone. But there's an interesting comment made about it. It says he wished not that his face shone. He hadn't tried to make his face shine, but if I can put it this way, it was the unconscious reflection of being in the presence of the Lord.
And if you and I, and perhaps I can put it this way, in the measure in which you and I are, in the conscious sense of the Lords presence, looking full in his wonderful face, occupied with him in the glory, in that measure there will be an unconscious reflection of Christ in our lives. I say that because sometimes people talk about generating A testimony for Christ.
But I believe that it's not so much generating A testimony within ourselves, but it's being occupied with the man in the glory, so that we're like Moses. We wish not that our face shines. It's not that we've tried to generate a testimony, it's just there because of where we have been. And so it says of the early disciples in the Acts, when they came out from the presence of the Lord, they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.
And brethren, as these meetings begin to unfold and we take up a portion like this.
We have the ministry of the Word before us by the Spirit of God, if you and I get a fresh glimpse of Christ.
And as a result, our hearts go more out to him and we're more occupied with himself.
Then when we leave this place, there will be a reflection of Christ will be changed into the same image from glory to glory.
Years ago in the city of Hamilton, I remember when I was just a boy.
In the back seat.
There the Mr.
Captain Williams, his name was he's gone now and his dear wife, she was at the Lords table. But Captain Williams, he always sat in the back seat.
You never did break bread.
But he was a true he was a real soldier. He was straight as a ramrod. Unreal. The real army captain.
And I admire him. I have to look up item.
Well, years run by and he still came to the meetings. And then some years later though I was there and I agree that Captain Williams. I said good morning, Captain Williams all kinds of no, no, he says no more, no more.
No more that I'm through, he says. I'm all through.
He got a glimpse of the man and the glory and all that he might have, might have taken pleasure in, had all faded away. Christ has the planted all that in his soul, that he was just plain Mr. Williams.
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And that's what it is in this chapter. It's any major brethren that we are seen as men in the flesh. It hinders the shining forth of the glory of God, and that's why God has to break the vessel.
And it's not a pleasant thing. And we're in a world where that takes place all the time, I'm sure.
Everyone of us has experienced it in their lives, in some measure, another unpleasant circumstances, things that we did not plan on. Why is Why does God allow that?
The vessel has to be broken so the light will shine out. It's a ministry. It's called in verse one. And he says, seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy because it's not in natural strength that this can happen. Brethren, like Jim was saying, it's not something we can generate. It's in the measure that we are receiving mercy from God.
We faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness.
Nor handling the Word of God deceitfully. Those are things.
That hinder the shining forth of the gospel message, I must say, rather than that it has been impressive to me.
In living in Bolivia while I was, we were living resident in Bolivia. One of the greatest blows to the gospel in Bolivia was the fall, morally of a preacher of the gospel that was well known down there. I mean, he, the preacher of the gospel was here in the States, but his broadcast went down there.
And he did not renounce the hidden things of dishonesty. And when that came to be known, it was one of the hardest blows against the gospel rather than the Lord help us to use the sharp knife on ourselves to not allow place for the flesh. Flesh is always wanting to crop up and give it a little bit of room to operate in.
Lord, help us, brethren.
We need to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully. But, and this is the part that I think is so important.
By manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
It's manifesting the truth.
It's using the truth of God and applying it to the conscience of men.
Not their minds, but their consciences.
Find in my own experience that there always seems to be the tendency on my part.
To appeal to men's mind.
Because I suppose we live in a country where education is put up so high on a pedestal and we like to feel that we are doing what is reasonable.
Not that Christianity is not reasonable, but, brethren, it's appealing to the conscience. And it is interesting in the life of the Lord Jesus how often he did this.
I often used to wonder why many times he was asked questions. He did not answer their curious questions. He answered their conscience.
Remember when they put that woman that was taken in adultery in the midst and they said to the Lord Jesus, Moses said in the law that we should stone this woman.
And what do you say? And the Lord Jesus didn't answer immediately.
But after riding on the ground, he stood up and said, He that is without sin amongst you, let him cast the first stone at her.
And you look at that, that wasn't really an answer to their question.
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That was an answer to their conscience, and the light was so.
Brilliant to their conscience that they all beginning at the eldest.
Were convicted and went out one by one until there was #1 left but the Lord Jesus and the woman woman there.
That's commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And that's.
Way. The truth of God gets into a soul not merely through the mind. Yes, it does come in through the mind, but it has to get through the conscience to get to the soul. There's going to be any real work done.
How important, as you say, Bob?
But by a manifestation of the truth commanding ourselves to every man's conscience.
If we don't speak the truth, if we don't live the truth, we're not going to commend.
To anyone's conscience, I believe that's what we have in Ephesians 6.
The whole armor of God and that we need, of course, there in Ephesians 6. That's to grasp, hold and take.
Possession of our eternal position that we now hold in the heavens but.
If we don't walk according as the word of God directs us as a Christian, can we ever be?
Commended to anyone's conscience? No. As you were saying earlier about the gospel creature, how careful we have to be that we don't live a life.
We don't live alone. Speak the truth.
Yeah, indeed, says that he doesn't believe.
Any truth has ever received, but first through the conscience.
May be received into the mind, or maybe the intellect, but.
If he fails with it and he always remember that remark.
It remarks about the woman at the well.
All that the Lord told her was.
With no avail until he reached her conscience.
And he says go call my husband there, he got to the root of it.
And.
But all the truth that we ever received is first to the conscience.
Them through the heart, mind and the heart. There's no real growth in a soul unless the truth is received.
In that way, and I believe that's the thought in the parable of the sower that the Lord Jesus spoke of in his day. Because I used to ponder, when you read that parable, there was the seed that fell on the Stony ground. And you remember when the disciples came and asked the Lord Jesus concerning the meaning of the parable, he said that the seed that fell on the Stony ground was those that Anon received the word with joy.
And I used to ponder that because wasn't it good that they received the word with joy?
But I believe the thought brethren is that in receiving it in that way, there was number root.
There was no inward work. And so a soul may hear the gospel. We may even hear the truth of God ministered, We may read it ourselves. But unless it goes through the conscience, because that's the channel, then there's really not going to be any growth. And it's not going to have the practical purifying effect on our lives that the truth ought to have. It says in Isaiah's day. They said, prophecy unto us, smooth things. And you know it is.
Easy to hear, sometimes very good.
Maybe sound things, but that doesn't reach the conscience. They're just smooth things.
Some of us have been to funerals of taken by men who perhaps even aren't the Lords themselves. And sometimes the scripture is read John 14 or maybe even 1St Thessalonians 4 and it's just red and there's nothing for the conscience. You walk out and you say here we're souls who are on their way to eternity. They're in the presence of death, in the House of mourning. The scriptures that were read were very good. The things that were even said might have been good in themselves, but there was nothing to reach the conscience.
And so we always need to aim at the conscience when we present the truth. Yes, there needs to be ministry for the heart as well, as our brother dear has mentioned, but it must be aimed at the conscience. And, brethren, we never accomplish anything in dealing with souls or in the ministry of the word of God in the assembly. By glossing over things and not aiming at the conscience, never watered down the truth.
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Or gloss over things because you think, well, that's what people want to hear. Oh, you'll never, you'll never be sorry by presenting the word of God as it is, and it is written for the conscience. And I believe when we presented in that way, then God can work by His spirit and bring about blessings.
Conscience is that part that man got when he disobeyed in the garden of Eden and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And I think we can define conscience simply by that. It is the knowledge of good and evil, and every human being has that conscience within themselves, and it it is helpful.
To realize that even though a person may become an atheist, in their mind, their conscience never turns atheist. Their conscience within them always gives testimony to the truth of God and so present the word, even though they may say I don't believe that, present it because their conscience will give testimony to the truth of God.
So the conscience is the knowledge of good and evil, and every person has that, and we are to appeal to that. Somebody has said the like was mentioned earlier, The proper home of the truth of God is the heart, the soul, but the avenue is the mind and the conscience. And I just want to say this for all of us, believers as well.
If there is something of the truth of God that touches your conscience.
Don't harden your conscience against it. God has put that conscience there for a purpose. Somebody has said it's a good policeman, it's not a good guy. God has given us the word of God to guide us. But it is a good policeman. And as soon as you do something wrong, something inside you says you did wrong.
Don't ignore the voice of conscience. Keep a tender conscience at all times. Cultivate a tender conscience. Listen to the voice of conscience and God has put it there. But here we're dealing with the manifestation of the gospel to the lost, and we deal with the lost in that same way, seek to reach their conscience like has been mentioned, so important.
Years ago, you were at a constant in Chicago.
In the days of Brother Potter.
Someone asked Mr. Potter, what is conscience?
And you told what Mr. Potter's answer was. Would you, would you tell us now who told these hours naked?
Was the answer.
Say it again, will you, who told thee thou was naked?
Thank you.
I think what Brother Bob has said is very helpful to dwell on just for a moment, because God has given us two things for our journey here. He's given us a conscience, or I should say I'm sorry. Man received a conscience when he sinned in the garden. But God has given us something else now because as Bob said, conscience is never to be our guide. It is the check, but it's not the guide. I enjoyed a little story that was helpful to me when I was younger in connection with conscience.
About a young boy who went upstairs to change, to go out for the evening and he called down to his mother and he said, mother, I've got a shirt here, I want you to come and see if the collar is clean enough to wear tonight. And she called up the stairs and she said no, the shirt's not clean enough to wear and her son said, mother, you didn't even come and look, she said I knew if you questioned it, it wasn't clean enough to wear. And so the conscience is a check. It's that yellow light.
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And never if you if we go beyond against that, our conscience, too often we're going to get a seared conscience. It's like a blacksmith years ago who handled hot things. After a while, his hands became so seared that he didn't feel those hot pieces of metal as he took them out of the fire from day-to-day because his hand had become calloused and seared. And it warns us in Ephesians about a seared conscience.
We have a good conscience, a bad conscience and a seared conscience in Scripture. I'd rather see somebody with a bad conscience than a seared conscience. Because a seared conscience you don't even realize. Like a brother was telling me about a man who he worked with, who professed to be a Christian. And one day in the office this brother heard this man take the name of the Lord in vain. And he spoke to him about it. And he said, you know, it used to bother me.
But I don't even know I'm doing it anymore. That's a seared conscience. He had a bad conscience about it at one time.
And instead of listening to that and being checked by it, he his conscience became seared. But let's go to First Timothy for a moment to see a verse that bears out or two that bears out what our brother Bob was saying. Because God has given us now the word of God as our guide. That's our guide and our direction, not our conscience. Let let's read in First Timothy chapter one.
And verse 19, holding faith and a good conscience, which some, having put away concerning faith, have made shipwrecks, of whom are Hymenaeus, and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blasphemy. Well, here in this 19th verse we have two things, faith and a good conscience. Now I suggest that in Timothy's epistles these two epistles to Timothy.
Often faith is looked at in a little different way than it just simply being the confidence that we have in God.
Its true faith is often looked at in that way in Scripture, but in Timothy's epistles, I believe it's more particularly in connection with the with the faith, the truth of God that has been given to us, we're told in Jud's epistle to earnestly contend for the faith.
Once delivered to the Saints. And here Timothy is exhorted as to these two things.
Not just to hold a good conscience, but how was he going to do it? There had to be faith that he had to hold the faith. And so, brethren, we need the word of God. Young people, are you going to have direction for your pathway? Are you going to know the mind of the Lord? You've got to open this book and read it, and that is the the guide. But then, as we've been saying, we have the conscience and keep a good conscience before God.
Judge those little things that come up when sin comes in and it does come in, then confess it. Get before him, and if he if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So if I could liken it to this, it's like the Mariner at sea. He doesn't just need a compass that maybe is like the conscience, but he needs the map. He needs the chart. Because a compass is no good if you don't know which way you want to go. And I keep two things in my vehicle when I travel. I keep a compass on the dashboard, but that compass is not my guide. It tells me if I'm going the right or wrong direction, and I check it regularly to make sure.
That I'm going in the direction I want. But I have beside me a map. I have a chart, and that chart tells me. That map tells me which direction I want to go. So I say, again, the word of God is our guide. It's like the chart. It tells us which direction we need to go. And then we have the conscience. I say maintain a good conscience. There's nothing like it.
Adam and Eve had no conscience.
In the garden before they sinned had no consent when God saw to it that when they when He doed them from the garden, that they took that conscience with them. And every child of Adams has has that conscience, Every child of Adam has that conscience.
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I like what the Apostle Paul says in Acts 24.
Verse 16 I think it is so good, he says while standing before Felix.
Herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. He doesn't say. I always have a good conscience. Sometimes I see people. I hear people say that I have a good conscience.
But he says, I exercise myself, and I think that is important. Brethren, you may have a good conscience right now, but we need to constantly exercise ourselves to have a good conscience.
So in the book of the Acts here too, when Paul was.
Standing before the council.
And he said, I have lived in all good conscience before.
God until this day. And somebody close to told somebody the high priest or someone told someone close to him to hit him on the mouth.
And Paul says, God shall smite thee. Thou whited wall a little bit, maybe hasty.
And somebody called attention to the fact that the one he was speaking about was.
The High Priest evidently wasn't dressed in his high priestly robes, and Paul didn't recognize him.
But immediately Paul judges himself. He says. I wish not.
It was the God's high priest. For it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people immediately judged himself. That's the conscience and exercise, and I think that's so important, brethren, when something is drawn to your attention that is not right, don't defend yourself, judge yourself. That's why God has put that conscience there. And it's very helpful if we exercise ourselves to have.
That conscience void of offense toward God and toward men in the end of.
The book of Hebrews, Paul says, pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience. It was still an exercise of his to maintain a good conscience.
That was really what caused God to call David a man after his own heart, wasn't it? When David realized he had sinned, there was no hesitation. I have sinned. And I was just going to ask you, Bob, to elucidate a little bit on how you get a good conscience, but I guess that's it. If acknowledge your what you are, who you are, and go to the Lord of Honor, I have sinned.
How wonderful it will be.
When we're in a scene where there's no flesh.
Whichever seeks to go out to the things of the world, there'd be no enemy, no wicked enemy.
To to cause us to fail. Sometimes we won't be in a scene of anything which will be contrary to the nature.
And the holiness of that place to be up there and and all. We won't have any. We won't need any conscience up there. How wonderful it will be.
To be with the Lord Jesus.
Another illustration that I have found helpful for conscience is somebody is used illustration of our eyes. You may have good eyesight, but unless you have light, what is your eyesight? And you can have good eyes and wide open in a completely darkened room and you can stumble over things. Why? Because you don't lack in having good eyesight that you lack in light.
And so it's like Jim says, we not only need the compass, you need the road map. We not only need good eyes, but we need light.
And light manifests what there is there. And so conscience needs the light of the word of God. Sometimes people say, oh, I don't have any conscience about doing that.
Are you reading the scriptures? Are you letting the light of God's word shine?
00:40:04
On your conscience. Conscience is something that needs to be educated.
By the light of the word of God, it's important.
It's interesting in the incident that you mentioned in connection with the Apostle Paul where he smoked the high priest. What was it that exercised his conscience? That was the word of God, and he immediately quotes that scripture in connection with not smiting.
The Yes, thank you. And if so, it was the Word of God that was brought to bear on his conscience. It was the IT was the light.
And I believe that's one way we can exercise our consciences. I've heard people say, well, it doesn't bother me. I've even heard people say, well, it doesn't bother me, so it shouldn't bother you, but maybe it should bother you. Maybe it should bother me, whatever it is. And so we need to open this book and we need to come into the light. It's like the story told. Many have heard it before of a young boy many, many years ago, in the days of seagoing.
Ocean vessels are sailing ships and this cabin boy was.
Very unruly, and the captain had a great deal of difficulty with this boy to the extent that finally he shut him down in the dark hold of the ship, and from time to time the trap door would be opened and the boy asked if he was ready to come out, but in his darkened state and his rebellion.
He always said he was content to stay there, and they wondered what to do with this boy. They knew he could. They couldn't leave him there indefinitely.
And finally they came up with a solution and they took a Lantern and tied it on the end of a rope.
And they let the Lantern the light down into that dark hold, and that light revealed the true condition of the hold around. The boy showed the rats and the vermin and the dirt and the filth of that whole and immediately in the light. Now he wanted to get out of that place. He was ready to straighten up and to take orders from the captain and serve on the ship. But as long as he sat in the dark, he was content to be there.
And there's many people, they sit in the dark and they're content to be there, but when we bring the light to them.
Then the conscience is exercised in the light of God's word. But, brethren, I believe that's the way it is for you and me.
Why is it I'm so content sometimes to just go on with things in my life to become complacent?
Perhaps I'm not in the light like I ought to be. Positionally, I'm there. We're in the light. We get that in First John. But are we opening the Word? Are we letting its light exercise our conscience? That's how the conscience is going to be exercised. And if the conscience isn't exercised in the light of God's Word, then we're just going to become complacent Christians.
I believe Ephesians 429 through 32 is reputational. Life was the other Section 2 but no corrupt communication. Proceed out of your mouth that which is good for the use of edifying, and may miniature grace into the here grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed into the day of redemption, that all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. Be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you.
We have the power, do we not now, to not only refrain from evil, but the power to do good?
We've been Speaking of how Adam and Eve in the garden. When they sinned, they received a conscience because of sin, but they found out that they had neither the power to do good or the power to refrain from evil. And what an awful position it was. And if God had left man to that, what an awful condition of things that would be. And we see what it very quickly developed into there in the early chapters of Genesis. But now isn't it wonderful, brethren, that he's given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness?
And in these verses that we've read, he speaks a number of times of the Spirit of the Lord. So we're brought into a position now where we're given the divine life, the very life of Christ. And not only so, but we now have the power for that life. You and I can walk in the in a good conscience, in the light of God's word. We can walk for His glory here in this world, because the Spirit of God has been given as the power for our lives.
00:45:14
And I was thinking recently, when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ and our lives are brought into review, brethren, what excuse are we going to give the Lord Jesus in that day for some failure in our lives, for some discouragement, for some? Turning aside from the path of faith, what excuse am I going to give him? Am I going to be able to say I didn't have the power for that? Am I going to be able to say that I wasn't able for that? No.
He'll say, as it were. I've given you everything you need, all things that pertain unto life and godliness. So I think it's helpful to see as you we take up this portion, that the things that we have been Speaking of maintaining a good conscience, walking in the conscious sense of the Lord's presence, looking at the Lord with unveiled face, being occupied with the man in the glory, and so on, These things are brought before us as very practical of the next.
2-3 and maybe 4 verses or.
Predicated on the last part of the second verse.
By manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. Lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ it should read, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them. If our walk is such that we commend ourselves to the conscience of all, then the gospel of Christ is presented.
And if it's rejected, then verse three and four come into play, don't they? It's those that are lost. If our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost. And why is it the God of this world blinded their minds?
And the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ, if that ever shines into their heart, they're going to be saved. But.
The God of this world blinded their minds so that they never see that glory. And as we go through this world, I believe we're responsible to present to the man around us, to the world around us.
The truth Commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. I believe that our responsibility and how can we preach the gospel to anyone if we're living a life that's just like theirs? We can't do it.
I met a man years and years ago who.
Preach the gospel. He was a very fine gospel preacher. And one day he was writing in a Street car and he was giving the gospel to the man sitting next to him and he was smoking a great big cigar. And the man said to him, you get rid of that cigar and I'll listen to you.
Now that was the that's what we have in that, the end of that second verse, commending ourselves to every man's conscience. I believe it's important and we're responsible to do that. I suppose there's a good example of what you're saying, Brother Dave, in the Old Testament in connection with law, because there was a time when Lot gave a message in Sodom that judgment was coming on Sodom and Gomorrah.
But his life and what he said did not commend themselves in any way.
In other words, those that he spoke to, they said, as it were how can this man speak of judgment coming on these cities when he's built everything for time? Here was a man who sat in the gate, no doubt as the judge involved in the politics of the day. He had built everything for his present advantage, was living right in Sodom amongst those people. And so he couldn't. His words were were he. It says he seemed as one that mocked.
And, brethren, if our lives don't commend the gospel, we're going to seem as one that mocks as well, and the enemy can use it as an occasion of stumbling. And our words and our deeds need to correspond. If there's a nice comment the Apostle Paul makes in a Second Timothy, I think it is, he says thou has fully known. Notice these two things in the order, my doctrine and manner of life.
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His manner of life commended his doctrine. What he said was commended by his manner of life. Now we sometimes can put the manner of life 1St, and then the doctrine second, but that's not the way it is, and that's the other side of it. But it says of the Lord Jesus too, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach. He was that fine flower When they came at the end to accuse him, they couldn't find anything to accuse him of without bringing false witnesses against him.
Let's just take a minute and go to Daniel. I know I've mentioned this before, but I think it's along this line. A nice commendation concerning Daniel in the 6th chapter.
Daniel, Chapter 6. I'll just give the context here so I won't read very much, but we find here with Daniel. He had under the new king in this chapter we would say been promoted in his business. He'd done very well. He was serving under the new king, had an administrative part in the Kingdom and it invoked jealousy with his coworkers and they met together to see if they could find some occasion against Daniel.
And I think what it says in verse five is something for us to really consider. Notice what it says. Daniel 6, verse five. Then said, these men, these are Daniel's coworkers. We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him. Now notice this concerning the law of his God. Now this is about the equivalent of you going off to school or work next week. If the Lord leaves us here and somebody tries to find something against you at school or work, and they finally conclude that the only thing they're going to find against you is that you're a Christian.
Wouldn't that be a wonderful commendation if your coworkers or your classmates discuss things and said well?
The only thing we find against the only fault we have with this person, this boy, this girl, this man, this lady, is the fact that they're a Christian. They couldn't find anything against Daniel except concerning the law of his God. And so it tells us in Philippians chapter two. I think it's the 15th verse. It says that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom you shine as lights in this world. That's the life we live.
And the 16th verse immediately says holding forth the word of life. Why is it in that order?
Because the life we live needs to be harmless and blameless and harmless and without rebuke. If we are going to then have the privilege and take the responsibility of holding forth the word of life to others.
Like someone has said, preach Christ always.
If necessary, use words.
But isn't that something that verse three brethren to really let fall on our conscience? If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. How tragic to think that we have the answer to this world's woes, to this world's problems in the Lord Jesus, and to hide that answer amongst those that are going directly.
Toward the lake of fire, Isn't there some responsibility on our part?
Those lepers outside the city of some area that found.
The Syrian camp, completely abandoned, said this is a day of good tidings. We hold our peace until the morning light. Some mischief will be taken. So we need to be exercised, brethren, in view of the tremendous need this country, this favored country that has been favored, perhaps materially, over most of the world.
Of all times.
And yet we are not letting the light shine. We should be doing all possible, brethren, because this world is getting right down to the line. We're getting down to the most awful judgment that this world will ever see.
Or ever has seen. And we have the answer. Are we going to hide it? This is something that applies not to just some gospel preachers here, brethren, This applies to us all. We've got the answer. Somehow, some way, we need to be exercised, occupied within letting the gospel be known. How tragic to have the answer and not give it to a perishing neighbor.
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Right next door to us, Lord, exercise our hearts, verse four says. In whom the God. Notice that it's the small G It's Satan. The God of this world has blinded the minds of them, which believe not a person says I don't believe.
Why don't they believe? Because Satan has blinded them and somebody that's blind you can shine.
Full light on them and they won't see. It's not so much that they can't see, it's more that they won't see. It's a matter of the will set against God. It speaks of that in those verses in Ephesians 4 that were mentioned a little earlier. It says the blindness of their heart.
I better quote. I better read that, but it's it's the willing.
Blindness.
It says having the understanding darkened.
Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. It's a willing blindness. They turn from the light. They are blinded. They cannot see. I marvel.
Remember a young brother who was in medical school in Chicago telling me that in the University of Chicago, the School of Medicine had the most atheists in it, and I marvel when they study the tremendous complexity of the human body. How can you deny the existence of a maker? And yet that was where the most atheist were in that school.
Why? Because Satan blinds the mind and it would seem hopeless. How are we going to deal with somebody that is so blinded if we go on here? I think this is so beautiful in these verses that follow lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Notice verse 5.
We preach, not ourselves.
The Lord help us, brethren, to keep ourselves out of the picture but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves.
Your servants for Jesus sakes, that's all we are. Just some servants for Jesus sake. Then verse 6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It's a reference to Genesis chapter one when this whole world was enveloped in darkness.
And God gave the command, Let there be light. And the light penetrated the darkness.
Now you and I are living in the midst of a world that is enveloped in darkness. What hope is there? I can't convince anybody to believe the gospel.
But what we can do is let the light shine and God can command.
That that light penetrates the darkness, and that's what's happening. The light penetrates the darkness of souls, and they see the light and they get saved. Oh, how wonderful it is. It's God's operation through the vessel that lets the light shine. That's why it's so important, brethren, to let the light shine. I believe that these three verses 5-6 and seven are extremely important.
We've preached not ourselves in the seventh verse, an earthen vessel. I believe it refers back to Gideon, who had 300 men who had earthen vessels and had lights in the vessel. But the the vessel, the light did not shine until that vessel was broken. And I believe that's true of each and every one of us too, that I don't believe the light of God's grace will shine out as long as we carry that earth and vessel in its whole state.
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The vessel's got to be broken and so, as you say, Bob, we preach Christ and not ourselves.
It's a sad thing to hear people stand up and talk about themselves. I believe it's a disgrace to God and to his glory.
But we've preached not ourselves, and the vessel is to be broken before the light shines out. I believe that's important to every, each and every Christian that we keep self in the background and let the word of God shine out.
You keep broken vessels around your house, Brother Dave. Beg your pardon? Do you keep broken vessels around your house? I throw them up. Why? Because they're no good.
That's what God uses. Isn't that amazing?
And that's what we are.
It's amazing that God picks up that which is of no value in this world and.
I believe what's been said of Mr. Darby that he was of no value to this world.
Well, when it comes to politics and the great things that this world has to offer.
Words Christians place in that.
Well, we should be of no value to this world. Our only value should be that we present Christ to those that are around us.
The little poem ought to be nothing, nothing, only to lie at his feet.
A broken and empty vessel from the master's youth made me.
Maybe just a little illustration for those who are younger. I've thought of it sometimes because as it's been brought out, we are simply channeled vessels used to bring Christ to to those who are lost. And I sometimes thought it of it when I take my children, perhaps to McDonald's or Burger King or whatever place it might be, and they order perhaps a milkshake, and that milkshake is in the in the cup.
But that milkshake does no good as long as it stays in the cup. And so they take a straw, a vessel, a channel, and then you stick that straw in the milkshake, and then you put it to your lips. And that straw is only a vessel, a channel that conveys something sweet and good from the cup to your lips. Now, brethren, if we could just learn to be like that, what blessing would flow out? We're just channels, bringing the sweetness and the glory of the gospel.
Of Christ. And are we occupied with those glories the glory of the gospel of Christ?
Do those glories fill our own soul? Are we tasting deep of the sweetness of Christ ourselves?
In the measure that we do that then as we've been heard, the vessels broken were put in the background and we're just like that straw, just the channel and the sweetness flows through and it is brought to someone else and they benefit because of it.
In Peter two first Peter chapter 2 and toward the end of the chapter the last few verses it says leaving us an example. And I believe the next verse is 8/9, 10:11 and 12:00.
Give us a little bit of that. The 11Th verse. It says that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh and so.
All these trials and sorrows I believe Bob mentioned at the beginning of the meeting.
All the trials and sorrows are a purpose in God's mind for you and me.
And the broken vessel is the one that he can use, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Well, we go back. I believe we ought to spend more time in the Gospels individually, that is, looking at the pathway that the Lord walked and how he walked, because He's the one that we have as the example, leaving us an example that we should follow.
In his steps.
In verse 6, just to go back there, in verse seven, it mentions this treasure. What is this treasure that we have in these earthen vessels? When it speaks of these earthen vessels, it means our bodies, our human bodies, they're made of earth, made of the dust of the earth. But the treasure, what is the treasure in it? It is what we have in verse 6.
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The light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
In the face of Jesus Christ.
Oh brother, I tell you to stop and think of that like you said, Brother Dave, to go back into the Gospels, to look as we read through those chapters at the glory of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ, his glory.
In a large part was veiled by that human form.
They said this is the Carpenter. That's all they saw there. But there was the moral glory that could not be hid. And there were times when his God had glory shone right through the human vessel when they came to take him. And he said, I am, they fell backward to the ground. They could not stand.
In the presence of the glory of Jehovah God.
In the person of the Lord Jesus, as he stood there, they fell backward to the ground. It was his glory, shining through his official glory, Shone out in the mount of Transfiguration. His faith shone as the sun. His garments were white as the light, but ought to pass through the life of the Lord Jesus and see the complete perfection. I marvel at it, brethren.
There been brethren that the Lord has used in my life, and I admire them. But the more you are with human vessels, the more as time goes on. You're aware of failure and inconsistency in different areas, but here's one that's completely consistent.
Always perfect, they came around him to try to find a fault, to lay hold of his words they sent out.
Lawyers to trap him. They always went away completely baffled.
Why? Because he was completely perfect. The glory of God shone in the face of Jesus Christ. And then I like to think brethren, connect that expression at the end of verse six with what we have in Isaiah 52 just to read it.
Verse 14.
As many as were astonished at the his visage or his face.
Was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of him.
Think of it as he hung on that cry.
In that face so marked.
All the glory of God shines earth.
Have we tried to get a glimpse?
Have we turned and looked in that direction? Breathing. Why is it that we so easily tend to look to human vessels?
Why is it that it is so hard for us to look straight into his face?
No wonder there's not more transforming power, brethren. But this is Christianity. It's the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is the treasure that God has put into these poor hearts of ours.
Are we letting it shine out? Are we enjoying it? Brethren, What a treasure. Nothing can compare with this treasure. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
And that's what's going to attract souls, isn't it?
It's Christ. It's not religion. It's it's not what we say, what we do, but it's the reflection of Christ in us that is going to attract souls to Christ. I remember a brother was telling me, an older brother was telling me one time about some souls that they had visited from time to time had a regular contact with. And when they visited, they and others visited them. They just sought to minister Christ to them. They never talked about coming to a certain place.
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They never talked about a certain group of brethren, so to speak. They just sought to minister Christ to them in a simple way from the word of God. And finally, after a number of visits after they had left one day they told them. Later the husband said to the wife. He said, we need to go and see what these people have. Why? Because they had presented some set of doctrines. Don't misunderstand me. Doctrine is good and there are times when those.
The doctrines need to be laid out. But what was it that attracted those souls? What was it that brought them to the assembly? It was Christ. It was a ministry of Christ. It was presenting to these souls from the Scripture the glories of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and brethren. This is true whether it's a testimony to the lost or whether it's seeking to minister to our brethren what's going to affect souls.
It's Christ. And we sometimes sing a little prayer. And I'm afraid, and I only speak for myself, but I'm afraid sometimes I sing these precious Christ exalting hymns so often that I'll think little about them. And many of the hymns we sing are in the form of a prayer, and we often sing this prayer.
All fix our earnest gaze so holy Lord on thee that with thy beauty occupied.
We elsewhere none may see How often have you sung that perhaps you can even remember the last time that hymn was given out in meeting, or you sang it at the dinner table in your family reading. But think about that prayer that we so often sing. Is it really the genuine and sincere desire of your heart and mind to have our gaze fixed on Christ so that we elsewhere none may see? Brethren, It's a good prayer for us to sing, but it's a good prayer for us to sing.
With real exercise.
Then when we come to verse 7.
It speaks of the earthen vessels. There we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
That the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. And I think this is such a lesson for us to learn, brethren.
That it's not a matter of what power we may have, it's the power of God that is manifested in human weakness and OFT times abject failure.
Think of what Brother Dave was mentioning in the book of Judges of Gideon. And the Lord appeared to him in the Midianites were impoverishing the land and they were weak. They could not resist the enemy.
And God called Gideon to.
Defeat the Midianites and Gideon called the Israelites together.
There were 32,000. God says that's too many.
Because if I give the victory to 32,000, then God could have given the victory to that many.
They would have gloated and said by my hand, have I gained this victory?
And so God says to Gideon, tell all those that are afraid to go home.
22,000 went home. That's reducing your army quite largely. 10,000 remain. God says too many still.
Lest Israel boast. And he brought them down to the waters to give them the test. And when the test is over, only 300 remained. It seemed foolish. It seemed ridiculous. 300 Now who are you going out to war with?
The Midianites that were extended in the valley as multitudes of them.
But this is the lesson we all must learn. The Excellency of the power is of God and not of us.
Why is it that we always focus on us?
I think it's because, brethren, we live in a humanistic culture. the United States, you, Canada, and we're always focusing how many are we?
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That's not the point, brethren.
Point is our God.
And so Gideon and his 300 men went. And what kind of weapons are they taking out there? In one hand they have this vessel with a lighted torch inside, and the other hand a trumpet figurative of the two forms of testimony. Brethren, the light is our lives. The light doesn't make any noise.
But the presence of the light manifests what is?
And we are light in the Lord. And the trumpet is that form of testimony that is audible that we can hear. Those are the two forms testimony. And so Gideon in this 300 men stood around the camp of the Midianites, and it has a set moment. Gideon and his 300 men broke that earthen vessel. Like you said, if that earthen vessel wasn't broken.
No light would shine out, but when the vessel was broken, the light shined out, and all these lights around the camp of the Midianites all of a sudden appeared and the Lord gave the victory. The Midianites rose up and killed themselves until there were hardly any left. What a tremendous victory. But what was God showing in this? The Excellency of the power?
Is of God and not of us, brethren. It's not us. It's what our God is. God is manifesting through broken vessels, and how sad it is that oftentimes, because we don't let the light of the gospel shine, God has to come into our lives and break the vessel.
And so he allows circumstances that are extremely disagreeable. But why? Because he's put that treasure inside of you, brother and sister, to shine out to the loss that are on every side. He's put that there not to hide, but to shine out. And in our weakness and in our failure off times, if we'll only own it, God can come in and show.
The Excellency of his power. Oh to God, we have what a tremendous God we have. Why has God preserved these wonderful Old Testament stories and examples for us? Why this is not to show us that what he wants to his people of old, he will be with, He will be to you and me right now, now, now. I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee.
One verse.
Product 2131. One verse 30 I say the forest is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.
#61
one Christmas.
Glory of me.
Every day.
All the time.