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00:05:16
Blessed God, our loving Father, what a hope we have and how it animates us as we go through this wilderness. So Jared, knowing that our Lord will fulfill his promise, if I go away, I'll come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there He may be also. We know that this blessed hope is quickly being given up.
Christened them. We thank thee that thou has preserved it.
As an encouragement to thy people in these last days, we think of these Western worlds where they're settling down to lukewarmness, Laodiceanism, indifference. But we're in the hearts of many of the poor that has maintained this prospect. Lord of Thy soon returned.
We asked that this morning. That was direct by Thy spirit as to the passage that should be taken up.
So it's a blessed and lead by Thy Spirit we pray to for those yet traveling that's bring them into safety. We thank You for answering prayer behalf of so many who are here, are coming over perilous highways, and for the liberty we have of being able to sit together adjointly under the sound of Thy precious Word. We also remember our dear friend and Saint Louis a meeting in a similar manner.
Our blessed God and Father, we wait upon Thee now, asking as ours a lead for Thy glory and the honor and for the good and blessing of Thy dear people, who we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
Feel to consider the 1St chapter of Second Peter and not to lock the readings into that, but at least to have one reading.
Light of Peter's last words.
At the close of our Pilgrim journey to see the value of last words from God's dear servants. Would that be all right?
I think that would be very nice, brother Ron.
Second Peter, chapter one.
Second Peter, chapter one.
Simon Peter.
A servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us.
To glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lusts.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.
If these things be in you and abound, they may make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and have forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these things, you shall never fall.
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
Yeah, I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor that ye may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance.
00:10:23
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we were made, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but where eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard.
When we were with him in the holy mountain, we have also a more sure word of prophecy. Where unto ye do well, that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy which came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God speak.
As they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
I'd like to just draw on the on David as an old man, what he said in the 17th or the 71St chapter of the Psalms.
There's a little key here. Psalm 71.
And verse 17 and 18.
Oh God, thou hast taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and Gray headed, Oh God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength under this generation, and Thy power to everyone that is to come.
My wife and I had a very touchy experience in Vestal ON.
Was Wednesday we went to visit our brother Charles Little at the age of 97.
And Justice enjoyed the musings of an old brother that's been on the road for many years.
It'll be a memorable experience in our hearts.
And we told him goodbye, figuring that we probably wouldn't see him down here again.
It was a special meeting announced that night, and lo and behold, that dear brother came in, sat down and played and paid close attention to what was said. And to me it was an exhibition of him showing to us the strength and power of God when the physical is broken down.
And so here's Peter as an old man and expecting to put off his Tabernacle that he had been tabernacling here in this world and gives us those things that are going to preserve us.
In spirit, soul and body, and we're very interested in that because we just have a few more steps before us.
And we're in the day of our espousals to Christ.
And we want to be prepared for that glorious moment for which every other moment has been made.
It seems like there's some beautiful touches here in this first chapter that may help serve in that way.
Why does he start out Simon Peter and in the first epistle he starts out Peter?
00:15:07
He never forgot what he was by nature in John 21. Three times the Lord addresses him. Simon, son of Jonas.
Peter failed, didn't he? That's what he was originally signed in. The Lord changed his name to Peter, and he puts here Simon 1St and then a servant before his apostleship, as if he valued being a servant of the Lord more than his apostleship. You know, brethren, these were men who were like, had like passions this week.
Peter was restored there in John 21, but.
It doesn't mean he did not subsequently fail. He did. You see that from Galatians chapter two. He was a failing vessel, but he never forgot what he was. And we have to be reminded too, don't we brethren, that we're failing creatures at best, even though we know the Lord is our Savior.
Someone is well said that we have two natures.
Have a nature that is lower than a beast, and we have a nature that is higher than angels, and we cannot improve either nature.
But when the Lord comes, there's one nature that's going to not vex us anymore. And when we got saved, He could have taken that nature away from us immediately, but He left it to remind us of the power that we were once under.
That old nature is governed by the power of Satan, whether we want to admit it or not. And to think of an old man saying, you know that old nature hasn't improved in me one iota.
And so we carry it until the day of departure out of this world.
Do you speak of what we were born with naturally? That it is higher than angels?
Did I understand you right?
That we have a nature that is above angels? Yes, when we got saved. I don't think that's true because the Lord said he was made a little lower than the angels. As to the Lord, a human being.
As a human being is below an Angel, I'm quoting the scriptures. As to our blessed Lord, he was made a little lower than the angels, but as believers now we are in an elevated position. You know, we know God is Father. We and the family of God, you know no Angel is in the position that we as believers are in. But naturally speaking, our blessed Lord, when he became a man, he was made Lord.
Than the angels I'm quoting the scriptures.
I believe that's what he meant when he said we have two natures, one that is lower than the beasts. Of course the Lord didn't have a nature like that but and a nature is when we're saved that is higher than the angels. Now I think it's lovely here in the verse that Peter was characterized by self-confidence and putting himself higher than his brethren and he says to them that have obtained like precious faith with us.
Is that he associated himself with his brethren before He said, the others will fail, but I won't fail. And he now sees him as having obtained his precious faith with us, and then not through his own faithfulness, but through the faithfulness of God.
Same thought in the 5th chapter of the first epistle when he speaks to the elders.
In the first verse, if I'm just quoting from the French, he says I am an elder with them. So it's not they that are an elder with me, I am an elder with them. So certainly grace and humility there.
00:20:09
Well, it's beautiful to see at the end of this verse that the Spirit of God through Peter shows the basis of all of this.
Through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Not to be technical about it, but I suppose we could say, and we all understand this, that the righteousness of God brings before us the fact that God could save lost, guilty sinners and yet maintain His holy character by acting in righteousness.
How did He do that? Because his beloved Son, who was sinless, bore our sins on Calvary's cross, and because our substitute in the Lord Jesus Christ bore our sins, God can come out in righteousness.
And yet in grace to a lost world, and save them in Christ. But then it says the righteousness of our Savior Jesus Christ.
I suppose that would refer to the fact that you and I are brought into that position of nearness to God in the same blessed relationship that the Lord Jesus has to him. We're made the righteousness of God.
In Him, and in that sense, every believer is in Christ.
I can still remember, if I may be permitted to say this, that when we first went to Romania we encountered, sad to say, quite a number of dear believers there who were very confused as to the eternal security of the believer.
I did my best to try and explain it but working through a translator it was difficult work and we would over vary your scriptures. Finally brother Cornell V Sean from Gresham.
Said to me, Brother Bill let me have a go at it. And I said, by all means brother. And of course he being.
Familiar with the language, didn't have to.
Talk in jerky sentences the way I did. I didn't understand all that he said, but I caught that wonderful phrase over and over and over again in Christophe, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. And he was bringing before those dear believers that they were in Christ before God. And if they were in that position of nearness, then how could there possibly be any doubt?
As to whether they could be lost again, he got through to them. He got the point across. And I believe in simplicity. That's the wonderful truth here, isn't it? The righteousness of God in acting toward us in grace, and yet in perfect righteousness. But then you and I brought before God in all the perfection of Christ Himself, and occupying that place of nearness. Well, dear Peter realizes that, and this has been brought before us.
He knew and he remembered what he had been and what he still was, even as a believer. As our brother Ron has mentioned, the old sinful self is still there to remind us of that awful pit from whence we were digged. But it's wonderful that we are in Christ.
Question. Follow up on that if God is.
Showing us His righteousness in a way like this, through His grace has given us righteousness. How do we show out righteousness?
Do you mean Bruce in a practical way in our lives? Maybe you could elaborate a little on that.
Well, we've been the recipients of God's righteousness, and it puts a smile on our face.
I wonder when people or recipients of our righteousness and put the smile on their face.
00:25:03
We're really not the recipients of God's righteousness. We're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I have no more righteousness of my own now than before I got saved. And that's what our brother Bill was bringing before us. If any man is in Christ, there is a new creation. And so.
The righteousness, I mean, we don't need to complicate it. Righteousness is simply doing what is right and people know when they've been done right by. And it's the fruit of the work of grace in our souls. And so in the second verse, he goes on to speak about.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God. And so the fruit of righteousness is going to be the working of grace in my soul, but it's knowledge for living in days when men despise knowledge, I said, well, don't let doctrine separate us, but it's really doctrine or teaching our knowledge that really sets us to understand where God has placed us. And so he goes on in the in the third verse, he also brings this through the knowledge of him.
We have these things by knowing Christ, and so whether it's eternal security or whether it's resurrection or whether it's our brother Reuben referred to in his prayer, the truth of the Lord's coming being given up, men are ignorant of the facts of the gospel and where Christ is put, where God has placed us in Christ.
And it will show out in a practical way, in the way that we behave towards one another and towards men in the world. And that's what this chapter really brings out.
The righteousness of God is that he acts righteous.
That's the side of the righteousness of God that we often do not think of. God cannot fought, actually, when the Sinner comes by faith.
Of course, even that faith is a gift according to Ephesians. You know, God is just and the justifier of him for God is righteous. Those words are interchangeable and declares righteous the one who by faith comes to Christ, you know. So the righteousness of God is that he acts consistent with his character.
I wonder if.
Captures the thought of the righteousness of God and I'll share it with you. The perfect righteousness of the God witness and the Savior blood which is in the cross of Christ retrace in righteousness. Yet Congress race told to say God could not pass the Sinner bond. His sin demands that he must die. But in the cross of Christ we stayed how God can save your righteous name.
Then a light from Jesus head is in his blood. Since that space burned, justice can be man.
No more righteousness can discount her store. I love that last on the Sinner who believes is free and say the saviors died for me can point to the atoning blood and say this made my peace to God. You don't have to go to theological work to study what the righteousness of God is captured in that beautiful head and not be more more beautifully expressed.
But Jesus, of course, I've taken of that verse in First Corinthians 1:30 For he is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Christ is what is, is everything to us. It should be everything to us. That should be our main goal in this life is to let the Lord Jesus Christ live his life through us.
I wonder, Bruce, if the answer to your question may be in the verses that follow, not to go ahead of where we are, but in connection with the question it speaks of from verse five down to about verse 10 or 11 There.
Verse five Beside this giving all diligence, add to your fate virtue, and to virtue knowledge and knowledge temperance, and so on. And then it goes on to speak in verse 10, where for the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling election sure. For if you do these things, you shall never fail. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
00:30:04
The righteousness of God was established at the cross, wasn't it We know that and and Peter rests in that as we have in the first verse the result of of the of knowing this and walking with the Lord. Why God has given away that we can show it out to others in our in a practical way in our lives. And I wonder if that's what we have brought before us in these other verses adding I've enjoyed in connection with this.
That you know, in the second verse it says.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you. That's what God has done to us. Now what does He tell us to do?
In verse in verse five. Beside this giving all diligence add.
God has multiplied it to us and then he says, I want you to just add to this in your life. Multiply is in a much greater dimension than it is to just add. And God has given the largeness of His heart to us in multiplying it to us. And He wants us to just display, can I say a little bit in our lives as we go through the work?
What were you going to say, Michelle? Well, just one thought in connection with showing forth that righteousness of God, the brother was asking about it. I just had a picture in my mind, a simple picture. If somebody gave you a brand new car, it was yours, was given to you. You might put it in your garage and never show it to anybody, but it's still yours. You got it as a gift, you know. And then again, you could call your friends over and you could say you come and you, I have something to show you open your garage and have to look at the car.
And that would.
Bring to be the picture of telling others about the Lord Jesus. You're just presenting him to others, a wonderful thing to do. But you know the car was given to you so you could drive around in it. So you can get in that car and drive around it and show it to people as you were using it. And I believe this is what God would have us do is receiving the Lord. Tell others about the Lord, but show the Lord to others by our lives. So when it comes to the question of knowledge, in the second verse, the brother was speaking before of knowledge when it says the knowledge of God.
It's not the knowledge that God has, because God has all knowledge. Our knowledge is partial, and we know that that kind of knowledge puffs up.
It puffs up the old man, but it's the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It's the knowledge of a person and the knowledge of that person does the very opposite of pop us up. It makes us humble. So he could call himself Simon Peter because he knew the Lord Jesus and he had grown in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's what's going to make us humble, realizing the greatness of the Lord, what we were, what we still are by nature, but he's made us in crisis, all of him. And if we enjoy the Lord Jesus as our Savior, gaze on him and he says Second Corinthians 318, then he's going to be reflected in our life. We're going to manifest.
What we're reading about in this second epistle, those virtues that are found in Christ, they're going to be, we're going to be driving around in those and people are going to see that in our lives.
Would you agree, Brother Bruce, that?
While we should be righteous in our dealings with others, and that should characterize the believer, is it not true to say that grace in that sense goes even beyond righteousness? A brother made a remark in our written ministry that I've often enjoyed. He said God is holy.
And we made him a judge by our sins.
But God is also loved, and none have made him so. And at the end of Romans 5 it tells us that grace reigns through righteousness, so that my dealings with others should always be in righteousness. But.
God has gone, if we could say, beyond righteousness in His dealings with us, because righteousness would have placed everyone of us in hell, wouldn't it? But His grace went beyond that in providing a way that His righteousness could be maintained, but His grace and love shown out too. And if my dealings with my fellow man are only in righteousness, I show out the character of God. But it's one sided, isn't it?
And God wants his full character to be displayed in US, and that is he wants us to display righteousness, but also He wants us to display His grace and love. Would you agree with that, Bruce?
00:35:04
It seems like.
That righteousness shown out properly is actually a combination. It kind of all comes together. Rather than saying, well, today I'm going to act righteously, tomorrow I'm going to act graciously, He really has as believers.
And having received from from from God spend his blessings both the greatest righteousness that should be how we express our daily lives is that both of those characters at the same time and it'd be more reflection of of Christ ensure in our lives.
If we were to consider that that righteousness, that grace is righteous righteousness, is shown to us by God in His grace.
And they brought the woman to the Lord taking in adultery. She said that they caught her in the very act and by our law she ought to die. It was a perfectly righteous thing that she should die. But grace met her in that situation, not sitting in any aside the righteousness of God of meeting that. And that's really what I believe our brother was saying, is that it it's not enough to be righteous. And perhaps very often you've found yourself in a situation where you've done the right thing, but you've really lost your Christian testimony in a way in some business dealing or something.
And somebody's treated you wrongly. And we find that in the Lord constantly is that the Lord knew how to meet. And that's why it's through the knowledge of him through God that God knew how to meet the Sinner without in any way sacrificing his righteousness and yet to meet him in a way that was according to his gracious heart of love. And that is what, as our brother David said, as this chapter is really instructing us in is that how in learning of the Lord as we sing that hymn opatience spotless 1.
Our hearts and meekness train to bear thy yoke and learn of thee is that we learn grace and peace. Very often we act simply to do the right thing and afterwards we say, well, I didn't really manifest Christ in that or we act in agitation and we don't really have the peace of God in this situation. We act because we think brethren think we ought to do this or because of under pressure or something else like this. But as we consider the Lord and we say, how would the Lord act in this situation?
How did the Lord act in this? Not speculate, but how did the Lord act in this situation then? It's by becoming acquainted with the Lord through the knowledge of Him. And so we don't have to imagine how the Lord would act. As her brother Gordon often reminded us, we'll never find a situation in life to which we will not find a story in the Word of God that does not correspond to the situation that we meet. And so we even see Christ in those Old Testament Saints, as Peter said, the Spirit of Christ which was in them to testify.
And that the Spirit of Christ was in those ones. And so we read the Old Testament and we see.
The manifestation of Christ and we learn what God is like and how God meets the wicked world in which we live.
I think we might be able to ask ourselves to question how much grace and how much peace do we have?
That's really the I believe the grace and peace. It multiplies. Actually multiplication is the form of addition. Only two things you can do.
So actually there's it's not the point that you want to multiply something and reach a particular end, but it's it's the fact that it's to be added. Grace and peace be multiplied or added unto you. Otherwise, if grace and peace parish life made to what degree?
Characterizes me is going to tell tell out and my treatment and my attitude towards others but it says here through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. That's the only way of coming and the and where do we get the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord we get it in the word of God we I've listened to many Christians who say what they think the Lord would do or what the what the Lord wants and so forth and.
Point is that God will do exactly what he said. There's only one book that contains the revelation of God's mind to us. And when we study that book, when we when we through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, He should have a sanctifying effect upon us. I quoted that verse from present Corinthians 1:30. He is made unto us wisdom.
00:40:01
Of righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
We have it all in the Lord Jesus for all comes, I believe through the word of God. The word of God alone gives us the mind of God without things with so many Christians who say what they think God will do or what he should do or this or that. And you probably have run into the same thing people say, well, God wouldn't do that. I said, well, how do you know he wouldn't do that? Have you have you heard from him? Did he tell you that? We learned the mind of God from the word of God. That's why it's important to read and meditate and work. That's what Psalm one tells us doesn't bless. It is a man.
Not on accountable Daniel's their way of sinners or citizens the seat of this corner, but his delight is in the Lord and his Lord as he meditate. That's our great goal in life, to walk with Christ here on earth and to let the Word of God dwell in US. This might sound a little arrogant, but because I am righteous, I will act righteously naturally. And by naturally I mean.
Knew naturally, and I have a lot of experience with acting unrighteously.
But the answer to that, the solution to that is to deal with what causes me to act unrighteously before the Lord, so that what He has made me and who I am in Christ will be manifest. If I try to act righteously, it usually ends up being rather self-righteous.
But the righteousness of Christ is produced naturally by the new life which we have as believers, and it's just to recognize that fact and to deal with the obstacles that prevent it from manifesting itself in the way that He would have it manifest itself in my life.
The knowledge of God.
We know God different and in a fuller way.
Than people in the Old Testament knew him and even in the Old Testament they didn't all know him in the same way.
In Exodus we find when God revealed himself to Moses, he said he was known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name, Jehovah.
Was I not known? He revealed himself in a fuller way to know more to Moses than he was known to the fathers in the Old Testament. But we in the New Testament have the full knowledge of God. Colossians one speaks of growing by the knowledge of God, and in Mr. Darby's rending it says the full knowledge is fully added, full knowledge of God.
And so it's wonderful to know God the way he has made himself known in Christ Jesus. Nobody ever knew him as Father. In the Old Testament. We know him as Father. The Lord Jesus has revealed the Father. So the knowledge of God that Peter speaks of is that we as Christians should enjoy. And it's wonderful to know him in a more intimate way.
And even Old Testament Saints knew him, and to know him as Father, to be in the family of God, and by the Spirit to cry ABBA Father, it's wonderful to be a Christian and to know God as he has revealed himself in Christ.
And actually with the thought of justification, I thought of a judge to which I owed money and he said I have your debt here.
And I started paying him back and paying him back until I had it paid in full. And every time I came back he said up you still owe some more. You know, this was our condition before God, a righteous judge because of His Holiness, He would have to cast us away forever and ever and ever and never be satisfied. He wouldn't say after a million years you've suffered enough, I'm satisfied. He never would have been satisfied. When that woman was brought to the Lord, the adulterous woman, she was not judged, but neither were the others that were there because if the Lord applied righteous judgment to all of them.
They all deserve death and punishment. So do you and I. So it's everyone forever, everyone lost forever before a holy God, unless he comes in and he comes in for everyone, forever by one person, the Lord Jesus on the cross for three hours, the Excellency of that person before the heart of God, He could be satisfied forever for everyone, for you and me. So when I think of the justification of God that I have, I don't think of what I have.
00:45:23
I think of who paid for me, who deserved this for me, who satisfied the heart of such a holy God that could let me suffer for.
Ever because of my sins and to save me by that sacrifice and that holy God says to you and me, you just look at the Lord Jesus, how he satisfied me and he's going to satisfy you for sure.
In fact, you know the Darby suggests in the synopsis that this word, righteousness in verse one could be the faithfulness of God, God's faithfulness to his promises made to their fathers. And if you have a margin in your Bible, notice that a new translation prefers that.
Of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. It's very much the same language as we have in Titus chapter 2, isn't it? I'll just read that. I just chapter 2 and verse 13.
Our great God.
First epistle. Get that from the third chapter, verse one. The second epistle, beloved, I am now right unto you. And so on but.
Is another contrast to through the knowledge of God and.
And of Jesus our Lord, grace and peace would be multiplied. This is entirely different from what you have in the Old Testament and Ecclesiastes chapter one. It says that he that increases knowledge increases sorrow. Well, not here, brethren. And this is not head knowledgeable of our God, is it? It's real heart knowledge. We as our brother Clyde was just dating occupy with the knowledge of God. It will bring grace and peace to our souls.
That's helpful, Reuben, and I believe because here Peter, the man of action says it's really through the power of God. And you get that at the end of the epistle too. It came not by the will of man, and it was through the faithfulness of God. And that's really what he's bringing out here. It's not through man's energy, man's righteousness, what man has done, but it really is through the activity and power of God. We have the the word of God-given to us by the inspiration of God.
Man who doesn't believe the Bible doesn't believe that there's a God because they say God has a message, but he's not capable of finding instruments that are able to communicate it. I say like a man who owned the telephone company and he phoned me and he said, well, my phone doesn't work. I can't hire a proper technician.
Well, God can find individuals to communicate at the word of God. So we have that by divine power. I was dead in my trespasses and sins. So his, his divine power, he communicated life to me so that I could even hear the message. It was all God's activity. And but now he wants us to know what we have because many Saints of God don't know where God has placed them. And there are hindrances to us knowing those things. And so Peter wants those hindrances to be removed.
Greater knowledge we have of God with greater gratitude and appreciation it produces in our hearts now the knowledge of God. Of course we know where to find you brought that before we find it in the revelation of God. But it's amazing to see the apostle Paul as he was exposed to all of the Old Testament so, so very nicely and when he brought out the truth of the church and the future of Israel.
He cried out in that great doxology and Romans. I believe it's 1100. The depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his joints and his ways past finding out for who had known the mind of the Lord, for who had been his counselor, for who had first given to him. It is to be rectified under him again.
Of him and through him.
And two hands are all things to whom be glory forever. There's what the knowledge of God produced in the apostle Paul and and this wonderful doxology, all the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
00:50:06
The more we read the word, the more we study how God did things in the Old Testament and forth in the New Testament there what we get, the revelation of God, we get what God has done. That's the important thing to look back and see and we and we grow in grace and knowledge as we as we do that.
We're introduced now to the third person of the Godhead, are we not in verse 3?
According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
Think of the Lord Jesus telling his disciples that when he went back he would send the comforter.
And that comforter, His purpose is to lead us into all truth.
And.
In the Garden of Eden we see that terrible situation, the suggestion that God had held something back from Eve and she fell for it and plunged the whole human race into.
Ruin. Total ruin. But now to think that in Christ we have all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and we don't have to accuse God of holding something back from us.
That would do us good. That would be foolish, wouldn't it?
So is it true, brother Ron, that in Christ there's an answer to every question, every problem, every difficulty that may present itself in the Christian pathway? Is that what it's really saying here? Yes.
And not just in the Christian pathway, if I may put it that way, but in the pathway of life, yes, I know that you meant that. But in the pathway of life, all things that pertain to life and godliness, it'll affect the way we go to school, how we dress, how we drive our car. You know, as you speak of, we sometimes segregate those things. Absolutely. And I think it's significant here and we don't want to be misunderstood, but.
The emphasis here is on the knowledge of Him. It does not for the moment bring in the Word of God. Although as our brother has brought before us, the knowledge of Christ is through the Word. The knowledge of God is through His inspired Word, and in that sense we can't separate them. But there is a sense in which Brother Ruben has said there can be head knowledge, there can be knowledge that puffeth up, as it says in another place.
But if I have really learned Christ as.
Says to the Ephesians, but ye have not so learned Christ. If there is head knowledge, it isn't enough, but the knowledge of Christ himself and walking with him will solve every difficulty. And I appreciate Neil's correction because it's not only in things that I might view in my narrow mind as being well, these are Christian things, but these are secular things, and.
They don't come into the same category.
Know every single question.
That has to do with life and godliness is answered in the knowledge of Christ in the Old Testament. They had the written law, and many times they had to follow that law without understanding why they did certain things. It was simply this is what God said and I do it. But the dispensation in which you and I now live is different. It is characterized as we have seen here.
By the abiding presence of the Spirit of God on earth.
To bring Christ before us, to make the word good to our souls, to lead and guide in every situation, well, that's that's something the magnitude of which I suggest scarcely takes hold of our souls. And yet it's eminently true as is brought before us here, isn't it?
Brother, I remember I was going through a terrible time of suffering for a number of years.
Frustrated to the point of despair. In which end corner? But the salutation that is similar to this is most all of the epistles.
With grace and peace be unto you, through God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now if there's any time that I need your grace and peace, let me tell you, it was there because I could have acted in a very ungracious way. In fact, I was tempted to.
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And instead of peace, I could have really easily made war with trouble.
And all the problems have absorbed, but how wonderful to know that that little phrase that occurs. And I think maybe most all of the apostles, epistles and salutation, grace and peace. And I well remember laying my head down on the pillow at 11:30 at 12:00, and thank God that I had.
Relief for at least five hours, but during the day hours. I needed that grace.
I needed to act in Greece. It's not what we know, it's what we do. You know, the little verse says, you know, you're writing a gospel, the chapter each day by the deeds that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you write where the faces are true. Say what does the gospel according to you? People don't look at what we say. They look at what we do. That's what gives validity to to our our Christian faith and actions speak louder than words.
And I, I think the phrase has been bandied around quite a bit. Or we while you hear it from time to time, they say, well, he talks to talk.
But he doesn't walk the walk. And so that's what we need to do. We need to have the knowledge that we know of God to come right down into our heart and down into our feet. And we live it out day by day. Mr. Lundin used to remind us that glorious excellence in display. And so we've been called to glory and virtue. That's moral excellence. So, you know, you go into a Hamburg joint and you sit down, you look across the room and you say you poke your wife and you say they're going to bow their heads and give thanks for their food. And you say, well, how did you know that there was a little glimmer of Christ in the way those people behaved themselves? It's caused you to see Christ in them. Or you meet somebody on the highway.
And you say, I wonder if that person is a believer by the way they acted. And that's what he's called us to glory and virtue. Of course, it will only be fully displayed when Christ has us and we're changed. But that's really what Peter is bringing out to us here in this in this chapter.
Grace Unfortunately, sometimes, as the scripture says, they turn the grace of God into an excuse for sin that is unfortunately characteristic of our society. Christian so-called Christian society turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. But I like to read from Titus.
Chapter 2.
Verse 11.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation.
All men I give to correct rendering here. It hasn't appeared to all men, but it brings salvation for all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worthy lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for their blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
That is what the grace of God wants to accomplish in us to live godly and how important it is to lay hold of.
I'll be lacking in the grace of God. If we go on in a worldly way, we can well ask a person that dresses immodestly or carries on in their way of talking like the world would have you come into the good of the grace of God.
Then you would act and live godly according to Titus. So the grace of God is a wonderful thing and growing grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, Peter instead in the epistle, you know, grow in grace and in the knowledge. So grace is not just belittling evil.
Gives us strength to live godly and grace does this.
Like the newer translation, how's that in a having denied empire and worldly lost, you should have certainly righteous. It's not in it. And this present course of thing, I think the same thing as the world, but but having denied it, it it speaks of a state of mind, a state of soul that we have, that we have. We're on that right track having denied it.
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Unfortunately, we sometimes.
Label our brethren as legal who want to live godly. You know, there's the danger of legality, but I believe we are more affected by looseness and indifference that characteristic of our society in the world where we live here. But let's be exercised that what we do, we do out of love for the Lord Jesus.
Based on convictions that we have gathered from the word of God and ask Him then, Lord, help me to live from what I have learned from the Scriptures. Should we say, Brother Heinz, that the real problem is that we often try to, maybe not consciously, but to separate grace from the Lord himself.
And grace without God is what leads to turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. Grace with the Lord, which is what is brought in here, will never, never lead me to a loose walk. In fact, as we've sometimes said, grace understood with the knowledge of the Lord Himself is the strongest antidote to a careless life, far stronger than if someone lays down rules.
And tries to impose them on me.
And so that is the real essence of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. It is grace attempting to be understood without reference to the Lord. And that's what the natural man does. He takes the idea of grace apart from God and uses it and is as an excuse for sin. And that's why I suggest it's so strong here that the grace is connected with the knowledge of him. If that is the case, it will never, never lead to a loose walk or carelessness in my path.
Is it the same with legalism also, isn't it? It's a desire of the old man for holiness apart from Christ. It becomes legalism, but when it's walked with the Lord, then you'll have holiness in a path that's pleasing to the Lord.
If we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, I believe we should. We should showcase and embrace to our brother who perhaps are not on the same level that you are, perhaps instead of trying to fit them all into that.
Path that we're walking. There may be something in my brother that I'm very unhappy with, I said. I wish I could get rid of that. I wish he would get on a little higher plane if it's Christian life. But the problem is the moment that I take a higher position in a critical position.
That I've become more a Pharisee and I think that we should leave space for a person to grow. I see in the coming contact with Christians every day that they're they're involved in things that that that disheartening to me. But I'm very careful as to not to do something that would offend them. I pray for them. I try to lay them maybe a scripture before them to encourage them in that way. But they must grow. And all of us are at different levels in our Christian life.
You can't point to finger and say, well, brother, you're just not just walking away. I think you ought to walk and you're having this in your life. You shouldn't have in your life. We we have that liberty and the Lord Jesus Christ stand for therefore in the liberty of his Christ that's made us free. If you're not entangled again with the yoke of ******* flow that that that doesn't exactly fit what I'm trying to the point I'm trying to make, but I do believe that we should allow room for growth in our Christian brethren and young people.
We have been called not to glory, but by glory and virtue.
That's a marvelous calling, and in First Corinthians chapter one it helps.
Us to understand perhaps what that means First Corinthians chapter one and verses 7:00 and 8:00.
So that ye come behind.
In no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end, that he may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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That's a wonderful calling, isn't it? It's a calling to be preserved. And when I wake up in the morning.
To commune with the Lord because.
We anticipate going through a day with probably some pretty serious things confronting us.
And here is the promise of being kept blameless.
We like to say, well, that's for later. That's when I'm a little stronger Christian, as our brother mentioned, getting on a little higher plane, but no.
It's a.
Falling into each one of us now. And so we are sometimes overcome by our failures that we started out with good intent. And here comes the first rally with with the world, the spirit of the world. And we kind of cower down. But to realize that the Lord hasn't changed his mind and say, well, I guess they'll just have to walk on the lower plane. No, the Spirit of God is taking up residence.
In our very bodies that.
Divine guess dwells within, in our happiness, and our joy depends upon how we treat that divine guest that dwells within us. And if we grieve him, we're going to feel it, are we not? But in the straight positive, it's to go on looking for that blessed moment when He's going to come for us, and to be preserved for that meeting in the air.
Blameless.
If we have sinned and confessed it, he will never bring that up against us again, Willie.
He cast them into.
Removal from us as far as the East is in the West casted into the lake of forgetfulness. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, He will not bring that up again, you know, but.
There will be at the judgment seat of Christ. We will see our life, and that which was for the flesh is lost. That which was for Christ will be for his glory. And I think for the Potter related to story, I'm sure that was him, that he had a dream. He was before the judgment seat of Christ.
There was a big bonfire.
And much of what he had done, he thought for God was all caused, cast into the bonfire. And he said, Lord, is anything left? Yes, the Lord said something is left. Everyone will have praise of God. You know, there's the in the life of every believer that which is for the glory of God and will remain and will be recognized, but then crowns of gold will be given.
And what do the Saints do with the crowns of gold?
They cast them at His feet as much as to say, if there was anything in my life for your glory, Lord, it was only the grace that accomplished it in me. All glory and honor goes to you, Lord, casting it at His feet. But wouldn't it be nice to have crowns to cast at His feet? You know, not that we're laboring for reward, but labouring out of love for the Lord. And there will be rewards.
And then acknowledge all the grace that has accomplished that in us. Without that, there would have been nothing in our lives for the glory of God.
Your time has slipped by, but I'd just like to bring one touch before before we go. Is that in Ephesians just tells us that we should be holy and without blame beforehand. But the next word is very important in love because it's very possible to be holy and without blame.
And lack that spirit of law grace to our brother, but the thinking of being the blameless. I love that scripture Jude and that he's able to present us faultless before the presence of the glory with exceeding joy. We're going to be he's able to do that now to him that's able to keep him from falling and to protect you faultless before the presence of enduring with exceeding joy. That's the end of it all of course, but it's an Ephesians the 1St chapter.
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I like that word where it says holy, that you may be holy and without blame before him, but never forget that little word that follows in love.
M184.
What number?
184.
I.
No.
I said.
Cry for a smile.
For all the rest of your.
God and our Father, be at the close of this meeting, turn to thank Thee for the happy hour and a little that we have spent together over Thy precious Word. We thank Thee, our God, for the richness of it. We thank Thee for the revelation of Thy beloved Son, our God, and who Thou art. Through Him have we vealed to us in Thy Holy Word. We thank Thee for the divine death.
That indwells us, that is here collectively in our midst to lead us out to Him. We thank Thee, our God, that Thou has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness in this world. We bless Thee and we come to Thee in prayer, that we may use the resources that Thou hast given to us to help us walk more in a path that that was pleasing to Thee that Thou hast individually marked out for each of us.
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As we go through this world, we think of the young people among us, we think of the children, our God, we think of young parents, and we ask the our God, not just for them, but for those that are older too, that there may be the seeking of to be led by the Spirit of God according to the Word of God. As we go on through this life, so we command one another to thee, and ask thee that thou hast continued.
To take charge in these meetings and our fellowship in between the meetings, that they may be that which would savor of Christ, we look up and give thanks and ask all in His name, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.