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First Thessalonians chapter 5 and this verse as an introduction.
For yet a little while.
That shall come, will come, and will not tarry.
Hebrews, 1037.
And in chapter 5, beginning just where?
Verse 5.
Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day.
We are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.
And lay the sleep sleep in the night.
And they that be drunken, or drunken in the night, But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an element the hope of salvation.
Well, God has not appointed us to rise, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us.
That whether we wake or sleep, we should live together within. Wherefore come from yourselves together and edify one another even as also you do.
And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake, and be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, Comfort the people minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men, See that none render evil for evil unto any man.
Whatever fall of that which is good both among yourselves.
And to all men.
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.
And everything gives thanks for this. Is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
French do not restore.
Despise, not prophesying.
Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.
Abstained from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.
And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless under the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Brethren, pray for us.
Agreed, all the brethren, with an holy Kish.
I charge you by the Lord, that this official be read unto all the holy brethren.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to be with you. Amen.
On the 1St that bring before us.
Darkness and light and night and day.
Those that are connected with either one.
And that sixth verse or fifth verse says you're all the children of light.
Fossil was addressing the Saints in court, leavers and the Lord Jesus Christ. My faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Christ coming into their hearts. They had become children of light. Actually the word should read Sons of light. That's what's in the margin because.
It's true that as children.
We're light in the Lord.
But the thought I believe here is a manifested character, and Son brings before us that.
The manifested character of the one who's a child of God.
And so it's important that we be exercised about this, that we manifest that we are children of light, sons of light.
And so it goes on then in verse six, to give an exhortation. Therefore let us not sleep.
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Sleep. It's interesting to see that sleep is brought before us.
And they in the portion of scripture we've had before us these three days three different ways sleep is brought before us first as we.
Had back in the 4th chapter.
Those that sleep in Jesus.
And in verse 15 them which are asleep.
Well, that's referring to death. That is the sleep of the body, not the sleep of the soul, because there's no such thing as soul sleep, but it's the body that's asleep. And so some of these Saints and corns have died, and the rest were worried about them. Now what's happened? Now? What's their portion? What's going to happen to them?
Well, they were asleep, the body was asleep in the grave and that's how it's referred to even as the Lord said about Lazarus, Lazarus sleeping. Well, we know he was dead and the Lord talked about raising him out of sleep. Well, it meant raising him from the dead. So that's one way sleep is used in scripture referring to death. But for the Saint of God asleep because.
It's just like when we sleep at night, we expect to wake up again.
And when we go to sleep, what the are put to sleep by Jesus? We expect to wake up again. The Lord is going to awaken us.
And that's of course what we have brought before us in that course of scripture. The dead are raised, living, are changed, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Well, now we have sleep rock before us in a different way. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.
Well, that's referring to a moral condition. That is the spiritual condition of us as children of God.
And so this could be spoken of as moral sleep, referring to our state of soul, our spiritual condition. What condition are we in? Are we sleepy Saints?
Well, we shouldn't be sleepy Saints, because we're children of the day. We're sons of light.
And people don't usually sleep in the daytime, they sleep at night. Sleep is connected with night.
But being awake, spiritually awake, is connected with being in the light in the daytime.
Well, it's it must have been a striking thing for these Thessalonians to hear something like that. Have it read to them.
But then there's another.
The way sleep is spoken out here in verse seven, for they that sleep sleep in the night, well that's ordinary sleep is spoken of. The apostle Paul uses ordinary sleep as a figure of of moral sleep, a low spiritual state.
And they that are drunken are drunken in the night, Well my wife should he connect that with with the sleeping.
Well, sometimes when Christians get sleepy, they fall into bad ways, and that's something to be exercised about.
Chapter 5 and verse 14. In that connection, there's an admonition and exhortation there while writing to the Ephesians in chapter 5 and verse 14. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleep us, and arise from the dead.
And Christ shall give thee light. Walk circumspectly, and not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. And so here's an exhortation, and may we press it on our hearts here this afternoon. Have we fallen into a low spiritual state? Has lethargy come in into our own souls? All dear ones, In view then of the fact of what we've had before us, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Coming at any moment.
Oh wait, thou that sleepers arise, as it were, from among the dead. It's well enough that the people around us, those are dead in trespasses and sins, but it's not a time for us to fall in amongst them, as it were. So it's time to awake out of sleep. It's time to read the word of God.
And read these things and meditate upon them, and just fill our souls with the Word of God.
There's precious ministry, remember in the book of Ruth where it says that there's food and despair. Naomi heard the word, the back boom. There was plenty of food in abundance. And one brother says there never has been such an abundance of food on the shelf for the people of God. Good sound ministry as there is in this day since, you know, 1800, we have an abundance of good sound.
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Ministry that are build our souls up. So awake, let's read the word of God. Let's read good solid ministry and be edified and built up. Let's arise and pray all. There's so much need about us. The servants of the Lord need to be sustained. There's the unsaved that we need to arise in the night and cry out for the loved ones. And so arise awake and let's be diligent in our prayer life.
And then how about the visitation? Aren't there some old folks homes to be visited or aren't there some dear Saints of God that are shut in? Oh, there's so much yet that we can do each one. Let's not all, let's not leave it all to the front line. While we say that belongs to brother so and so. He's a laborer. He's a semi laborer. Now there's something for all of us as believers. And so awake, awake and read.
Awakened, pray awake and visit. Well, you say maybe I can't do that. Well, can you write a letter? Can you get somebody'd address and you know they're going through a trial and a nice comforting word some that you're interested in them all. There's so much if we look to the Lord that he can guide and direct us to do for his glory.
And not to go beyond all we've had in the chapter, but just noticing that I was noticing as it was read.
Verse 24.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also live, who also will do it well. Here we find.
The standing that we're in, don't we? God is going to bring us into that place of blessing and glory. But what we referred to back there as let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. That's a state, isn't it?
Our state and standing are quite different. Our standing is absolutely perfect in Christ. Every child of God has been cleansed by the precious blood of Christ. He's a child of God by birth into the family of God. And that standing is absolutely perfect.
But the state ebbs and flows, doesn't it? So we need to be exhorted there. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. This brings before us that state of soul is necessary to enjoy the fact that we are children of God. And so I just thought of the just referred to that verse as.
Connected with the fact that this had what would have to do with our absolute standing faithful is either calleth you and he's going to do it.
He's going to bring every child of God safely home. God is going to do that and but he wants us now to be in the enjoyment of it, doesn't he as someone has said that the mistake and standing is like a like a thermometer, which is very we all are familiar with thermometers. Of course, now it's Fahrenheit and a different change in this but however.
Those numbers on there are like our like our standing.
They never, never change. There they are. But that our state is like that little red mercury that flows up and down. Sometimes it's down very low and sometimes it's up very high. Well, there's that's the difference, isn't it? But God always puts us, shows us where he puts us as to our standing before him.
And then he says, now act upon that.
As to your state.
What is it that brings the liquor up in the thermometer?
Its warmth and heat, isn't it?
We need to keep ourselves in the love of God, keep ourselves in the sunshine of his love. That Mercury might be up there where it ought to be all the time. So if there's failure, it's our, it's our fault, isn't it?
The what our brother Anderson is referred to sleep brought before us in these three different ways. How faithful God is to to bring these things before us and to expose it to show us what he has for us. God is faithful, I think.
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Paul delights to use that expression, doesn't he? God is faithful and he's going to do it as we find here. Sleep brought before us in three different ways. That there be no mistake about it.
Faithful to us, one who is asleep is unconscious.
It is possible for us to sit here this morning.
We're not sleepy, but we might be here unconscious. What has been said? And so it says, let us not sleep.
But let us watch. The word watch would suggest to be on our guard, to be alert, be on our guard.
A watchman that has a habit of sleeping with when he should be making his rounds is not fulfilling his responsibilities.
So you and I are left here to be a testimony to our Lord Jesus and we need to be awake. You need to be conscious of His love and of His claims upon us and our responsibility towards Him. He has given us His word to instruct us and how important that we take heed to it. We've had the Lords coming brought before us during these past three days.
And what a wonderful comfort it is. But there's so many things around us in the world today.
That can have effect upon our lives that we might be unconscious as aware of the fact that the coming of the Lord is drawn up. So James would remind us of the coming of the Lord is draw not so how important that we be awake ever consulate is love be on our guard.
You know a thief comes.
At the time when he expects others to be asleep, he doesn't come to rob when he knows that, knows he wants to rob are alert and awake.
He choose the time when people are unconscious, and he does his work well. The enemy of our souls is looked at as a thief and a robber, and how he'd like to rob the sinks of their joy. The Lord.
The robbers of our testimony, and so unequal to be awake.
To be on our guard.
I watched, talked to a brother who was a watchman and he took me around.
And he said, Brother, I get sleepy and he pointed out a little spot where he goes.
And has his sleep well in that particular case is rounds roadside.
So you had a table.
He said, Brother I, I sleep on that table. But he says before I lay down, I put all these chairs around so that the thief has to move those tears to get at me.
Well, the next time I visit that area I found out he was no longer what?
Oh, we need to be on our guard. Why was on his guard? Why?
He's open to the attacks of the enemy.
He brings before the same thought.
No doubt in his first letter, First Peter chapter one.
And.
Verse 13.
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober.
And hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation or the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Well, this is really what?
We're talking about here in our portion of Scripture, First Thessalonians. It's about that time when there will be the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ appearing of the Lord.
It's the thought of the day of the Lord has been brought before us in the first verses of chapter 5.
And.
This time is connected with rewards.
And the apostles who wrote they were concerned for the Saints of God, Well it was the Lord Himself expressing concern for the Saints through these men. And just to think of the Lords concern for us, He wants us to be ready. He wants us to be watching. He wants us to be sober. He wants us to gird up the loins of our mind.
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And hope to the end for the grace that's to be brought unto us.
After revelation, after his appearance.
But what grace are we going to see there? We're going to see how his gracious rock, no doubt, in many ways.
On our behalf.
Grace that saved us. Grace that kept us.
Grace that enabled us to do some little thing for Him, to please Him, because without Him we can do nothing. The Lord already has told us that He told that to His disciples, and we can't do anything on the Lord unless the Lord ministers grace and mercy to us to help us in every time of need.
So there's going to be grace brought to us at the appeared. Well, I believe we'll see the grace that's been ministered to us all along the way. And at that time our hearts and our mouths will be open to praise Him as we have never praised Him before. And it's put before us as an incentive. It seems that we're going to see all the grace the Lord has ministered to us all along the way.
When we get to the end of the road, when we stand before him and rewards are meted out.
Well, it stirs us up to think about that. And so we have an incentive before us because we really want to hear His well done, our good and faithful servant, don't we? We want to hear that well done. Now, the reward may not be anything especially tangible.
Or material or anything like that. But just to hear is well done is not going to be enough. Well done thou good and faithful servant, but we'll just have to turn around and give Him all the praise and glory for all that's been done, because we have to acknowledge that He was. By his grace, it was done.
We couldn't do anything by ourselves, but we are given points of responsibility to watch and to be sober and so on, and the Lord brings that before us just to stir us up, to remind us things that we can do for the Lord.
There's a brother that prays daily.
Lord, to keep me out of the way, so thou canst work.
As a state of soul, that's necessary in connection with what is suitable in the way of serving the Lord.
Years ago.
A brother.
Was attending the general meeting in Smith's Falls.
During that great heat wave that invaded Canada.
And he called my attention to a Psalm. It might be 105. He had an exercise about serving the Lord.
And he didn't feel free about it.
There was a lack of release.
And.
A word to go.
This is in some 105 verse 17. He sent a man before them.
Even Joseph.
Who is sold for a servant?
Whose feet they hurt with feathers.
He was laid in iron.
And the margin reads, his soul came.
Into iron.
Until the time that his word came.
The word of the Lord tried him.
So in the exercise.
In my own personal history.
There was a time when it was not suitable.
And it was necessary to be home.
My soul was laid in iron. The brother that referred me to this verse is our late brother Kohler.
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I believe that.
Probably the saddest thing that we can witness in Christendom today.
Is the latitude and Aryan spirit that pervades everything.
Laodicea, the days of indifferent ISM. And that, I believe, is what this moral sleep is, is being indifferent to the things of God. Beloved, if there is one thing that is worth our everything, it's this precious book. It's the Lord Jesus.
The diligent soul shall be made fat.
Are we diligent in the things of God? I remember a young brother speaking to an older once and he said I give the world to have the peace you have. And the older brother said that's what it cost me.
Buy the truth and sell it not.
Paul had to lament in his day and he spoke of Timothy. He said I have no man like minded who will care with genuine feeling how you get on, for all seek their own things, not the things of Jesus Christ.
And I think of the address of the Lord to Laodicea, and let's turn to it in Revelation 3.
I think it's good to have it before us.
Revelation 3.
Verse 14 Unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, right?
These things say at the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
He was the Amen. He was the confirmation of all the promises of God, of all the word of God. The way he presents himself to this assembly is what the assembly ought to be for him in this scene. The assembly ought to be a little echo of what he was the Amen. The assembly ought to be a faithful and true witness of what has been committed to our trust.
The assembly ought to be a true expression of the new creation, as the Lord Jesus was the beginning of the creation of God. It doesn't refer to the first creation, it refers to Him as the head of a new creation. All of these traits that the Lord Jesus presents Himself as to this assembly is what the assembly ought to be for Him.
The assembly should be the confirmation of all God's Word.
A faithful and true witness, and a true expression of that new creation into which we've been brought in Christ, risen and glorified. But what was there?
He says, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.
I would thou word called or hot.
So then, because thou art lukewarm, I will spew the.
And so then, because thou art Luke warm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. The Luke warm condition that pervades Christendom today is the final state of the assembly, and I think of Pauls word to the Romans in the 12Th chapter.
As to diligent zealousness, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
All what is so sad is to see young brothers listless.
Unconcerned anyone? Any of the Saints, unconcerned about the things of God just going on in this moral sleep?
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from among the dead, and let Christ shine upon thee. It is high time that we awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe.
All how we need to be stirred up to be in the word, to seize every opportunity to be in the in the meetings of the Saints or the Lord is in the midst where we can gather fresh precious truth for our souls and meditation so lost today. Meditate upon these things Paul said to Timothy.
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That thy profiting may appear to all.
How we need to ponder, to consider as we go through the day our lives. And I know what it's like and and every one of us knows what it's like. We're so weighted down with things down here. I remember an old brother said to me some years back, He said it takes me an hour or two when I get home from work just to be able to rest in the Lord's presence.
You know this is a day of so much activity. You walk into the home, a hymn is being played. Cassettes are on.
A message is being listened to all things which have their place.
But what do we know about just being alone with the Lord quietly, just sitting quietly in his presence, taking a walk at night, just you and the Lord and talking with him, taking him by their hand and saying, Lord Jesus, let's have a talk together. I want to commune with you. We don't know what that is. I'm talking to my own soul. The sweetest moments I had in my life is when I've done that.
Try it.
Get equated with that Blessed One. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace thereby good shall come unto thee. Oh, we've lost something. We're so busy doing things. We need to sit in His presence, to be with him, to walk with him, to talk with him, to enjoy him. The Lord himself shall come.
To know the way.
Jehovah said there's a place by me.
Stand here upon the rock.
There's a place by me. I've enjoyed that little expression there in in Exodus. I believe it's the 33rd chapter. Well, that's that's knowing him, that's being near the Lord Jesus, isn't it? In that sense, He said there's a place by me, let's walk together and it's solid ground, something that can't be moved.
Charles Kohler a little bit ago and he was sitting in a chair one time back with a look of heaven upon his face and a sister wondered he till 5-10 minutes went by and she says I wonder if something wrong with him. So she went over and she says Brother Kohler, are you all right?
He looked up. Oh yes, he says. I'm just sitting here letting the Lord love me.
In contrast with enjoying the Lord, His communion with Him and His thing is that which is found in the other word, the lack of sobriety.
When we are not sober, we are intoxicated, and this is what we find to be true. On the other hand, that the things that really should fill our hearts are not there, and we are turning to things that bring on a superficial excitement.
Thinks that are not really a happiness in the things of the Lord. Would you agree with that better? That's right.
About that over in Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 18.
And be not drunk with wine.
We're in a success, but be filled with the Spirit.
Well, the expression that be filled with the spirit is somewhat similar to the other expression drunk with wine. When a person is full of wine is under the power of that the alcohol spirit. There he acts in a certain way and can go to excess.
But to be filled with the Spirit is to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. That's an entirely different thing.
I think it's ironical that the alcohol and liquor is called spirits.
Spirits. Well, it's a spirit that brings on a condition that's all together contrary and different to and opposite to the result of being under the control of the Spirit of God.
When we are yielded to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And submissive to His word, were under the control of the Spirit of God.
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And even in that.
We go on in a sober way, a serious way.
And we won't go to excesses there either because we can go to extremes and become unbalanced because one part of the fruit of the spirit is temperance or self-control or balance.
And we need that very much.
And I know young people can be very enthusiastic and we like that. They can be very jealous too, and that's commendable, but all has to be under control.
And we can go to one extreme or the other to the other. We can become sleepy and having no care attitude, be Luke warm, cold and indifferent to Christ and to His word. Well, that's the other extreme. But I think there's a balance that we can have and the Spirit of God, God by his Spirit will help us to be balanced.
To keep under control and be on an even keel all the time.
Were on the ocean several times and one time we got into the Bay of Biscay on our way back from the Congo.
And it was an awful storm.
And my wife thought that surely every time the ship knows down, it was going down. Well, that ship was not on an even keel. It was very unbalanced one way or the other. One time we could look up and we could see the bow, the boat way up here. The next time we look down, it was way down there. We don't want to be like that. We want to stay balanced, going on with the Lord if we go on hand in hand with the Lord.
And seek grace to be under the power of the Spirit of God. He'll help us.
And we look to the Lord for grace and mercy to help us in our time of need. He will help us in these things so we don't go through extremes. We're glad to see younger brothers exercise about really taking hold of things and and doing the Lords work. But I would counsel them to just look to the Lord what hand in hand with the Lord and seek to be under the power of the Spirit of God and His word and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Time that that fruit of the Spirit might be manifested. Temperance, Balance.
He perhaps?
Find 3 attitudes toward the Lords coming.
If we notice in Matthew 24.
Verse 48.
But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart.
My Lord delays his coming.
And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken.
The Lord of that servant shall come in the day when he looketh not for him.
And in an hour that he's not to wear off.
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Now here's the attitude of saying my Lord delayeth his coming.
And he begins to make use.
Of present.
And opportunities for the indulgence of what is referred to in the way of being drunken with wine.
My Lord delays his coming. That's what he says in his heart.
He knows about it in his head.
This is a man of profession.
And there are evil servants.
And this shows us the end.
Of the man of profession, because he'll get his rightful appointment when the Lord returns.
He's a loser.
Now we have another attitude in Second Peter chapter 3.
And there we read of those.
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Through question.
The reality of the promise of the Lord's return.
The second Epistle of Peter.
And chapter 3.
Verse 4.
Where is the promise of his coming?
We don't believe that.
This is the man of reason.
His reasoning is to put ahead of.
God's revelation to man about His Son.
About his having come into this world, and that he will come again the second time, without sin unto salvation.
This is the reasoner.
And we have.
Quite a rank of those that reason about these things and they declare that everything is just as it was in the days of our fathers and this is to be expected and we've got to work ahead and all things will continue.
And that's the normal state of Christendom. There's reason mixed up with these things.
With the precious truth, they say we've got to win the battle.
Somewhere down the line we'll come out all right. There'll be enough of the.
Word and the preaching and the Church will become enlarged, and through that the Kingdom will eventually be brought into existence. And so the Church goes through the tribulation.
But that's not within the range of the revelation that God has given to us in His precious Word. He's coming again.
A little while we read.
So does the attitude of the man of reason toward the Lord's coming. Is it so? Nor we can't pay any attention to that. We've got to move ahead and do the work that's necessary for us to do here in this world, wherever we are. And we need the gospel, a gospel that will help us.
In our purposes and plans. But now let's notice the.
Refreshing.
Prospects of our Lords coming in the 22nd chapter of Revelation. Here it's different.
And the apostle John.
Who was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day?
After going through all the series of those solemn judgments which will bring the earth into line.
For the reign of Christ.
He closes up in verse 16 with this very personal name.
As he's under the spirit of revelation.
I, Jesus have sent mine Angel, to testify unto you these things in the churches.
I am the roots on the offspring of David.
And the bright and morning star.
And dropping down a little farther.
In verse 20.
He which testifies these things sayeth.
Surely I come quickly.
The last message.
To the church.
To the Lord's people.
And here's the man of communion.
The man of God.
One was who was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day?
And he's ready with the right response.
With two amens.
Amen.
Even so as the second one.
Come, Lord Jesus. So we invite the Lord to come. We do not pray for him to come.
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But we shall be glad.
When he comes and glad to in the prospect of watching and waiting for him, you know there was a brother who had a wife that wanted to drive the car.
All right, take a drive.
She left.
Wheel of the vehicle.
He waited.
She's gone a while.
She hadn't come back.
Then he was watching.
Waiting and watching for a return.
And so we need to be waiting and watching.
For the blessed Lord in his return and be able to say readily, and John was old, maybe 96, Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
We have something else putting on the breastplate of faith and love and foreign helpment, the hope of salvation.
Now we know in Ephesians chapter 6.
Faith is connected with the shield. Shield of Faith. Why is it connected with the breastplate here?
You got to start on that, Brother John.
Seemed that it might be.
Two aspects of the same battle.
In Ephesians chapter 6 is the shield of faith. We know what a shield is is worn on the arm.
And it speaks of it. There's warding off the fire darts of the enemy.
And it can be moved around.
Protect various parts of the person himself.
But here it seems to be the vital part that's before us, the heart.
And when it's the coming of the Lord and the appearing of the Lord that's before us, the heart is surely touched by that.
And that's the only concern we have. What is the concern of the heart?
But it's the breastplate of faith as far as the heart is concerned. In our hearts, we trust the Lord to take care of us until we're taken home to glory.
And we don't get careless then when we're in that attitude of dependence on the Lord, we don't feel independent on Him. We feel very much dependent upon Him, and we're looking to Him right in our hearts.
We want to be preserved in our hearts until the Lord come.
Linked together here with.
Love, faith and love.
It's interesting to see that the three things that are brought together many times in Scripture, faith, hope, and love, are brought together here again.
So there's love, too.
In that breastplate.
Well, our hearts need to be kept in the love of God too.
We need the breastplate on to protect us, keep us, keep us going on in faith, dependence on the Lord, and in love toward the Lord.
Thinking about His faithfulness wants us to be faithful to Him and go on in faith. Thinking about His love makes us love Him more. We want to go on in His love.
Precious to see that reminds me of.
Incident and I was told of a ship coming in the harbor.
There are two sailors on that boat.
And with all the rest, they were appearing over the railing.
And one said to his friend.
My wife is going to be. I think I see her right out there in the frontline.
On the K, waiting for me, watching for me.
The others, with a sad smile, said.
My wife isn't out there in the front.
He's not waiting for me there.
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This happened before, he says.
I come home.
And went to the door.
And knocked on the door to open. There comes my wife.
She is. I'm waiting for you.
Yeah, but Jim's wife was watching for him.
As the heart engaged.
And I believe this is true. The best place.
Of faith.
The Lord Jesus expects you and I to watch.
If we're just waiting.
Oh, you come. Anytime is all right. I'm ready.
But to be out watching, it's a different stories than engages our affections.
That are coming on us quickly here. The Lord is going to have us out of this seat to Himself before this world runs into that terrible fullness of its wickedness and evil. That's how much His love is toward us when we're talking now about our love toward Him.
And the thing that really keeps us, I was thinking to follow Solomon as we see that same event, but it isn't in any way an expression of violence or a quick matching outdoor.
Catching up, it says here in the second chapter.
1St, 3:00 and 1:00.
The bride is occupied with the love of the bridegroom and in verse four it says it's bad and over me what's love. So as she thinks of that blessed event, we do not have any big violent action. There are things that's the way what she says. Verse 8, the voice of my beloved.
The holy cometh and she has that thought. And so in verse 10 she says, my beloved faith is set up to be rise up my love, my fair one.
Come away well, She's watching, she's anxious, she's doing whatever is necessary. Completed when he calls. But how? How wonderful it is for us. We're waiting. We have every assurance in our heart that he himself is coming.
And so the plot is a very impression thought of waiting and knowing that when he comes, it'll be that gracious word toward us right up my love is fair one and come away within the chapter of of Thessalonians, the 4th chapter that we're thinking of the day of the Lord coming after and the terrible conditions that we're going through now.
It says we're caught up, we're snatched out of this scene. That's the Lord's thought toward us.
Is going to happen himself before it gets so terribly bad. And we're not occupied, of course, with escaping this world. That is why we're looking for it coming just because of his love for us as we've asked the son of Solomon. So it's a completely different attitude incident, a completely different way of we hear of hearing his voice when we think of it as Father Solomon.
That's what we were speaking. Our hearts are warm towards him.
We have that wonderful expectancy as the bride and we are not only waiting, but we're watching for that event now with a, with a very preciousness in our heart is that anticipation.
Connection with the faith, hope and love. Let's go back to the first chapter and verse three First Thessalonians.
For all speaking to them says, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. And oftentimes the the end of the chapter has been seen in connection with those three things, the work of faith.
The labor of love and the patience of hope. Notice in verse 9.
How you turn to God from idols. There's the work of faith. They turn to God from idols, the labor of love to serve the living and true God, and the patience of hope to wait for his Son from heaven. And also in another passage in First Corinthians 13, we don't have to turn to it. Familiar to us, it says, and now abideth faith.
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Hope, love these things.
But the greatest of these is love. Why? Well, one day faith shall give place to sight.
Hope shall be fully realized. It's deferred now, a deferred certainty.
Hope will be realized, but love is the very nature of God and it will go on, on and on into eternity. One other thing or brother.
Brought before us Revelation chapter 22.
And the end of it.
And not to be clever, but can we give you just a three piece in which the way the Bible ends?
The last Promise.
Surely I come quickly.
The last prayer Amen. So come Lord Jesus and.
Last provision while we're waiting, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The last prayer.
The last promise, first the last prayer, and the last provision for its grace that has sought and found us. Grace that we need every step of the way.
This faith, hope and love.
I believe it's at least 10 times brought before us together in the New Testament.
Very precious thought, isn't it? Faith, hope, and love. And as our brother is saying, I was thinking of that in First Corinthians 13.
Now I just going over to that First Corinthians 1313 I believe it is yes, First Corinthians 1313 now abideth faith, hope and charity or love these three, but the greatest of these is love because it goes on.
And on and on. And so here in our chapter.
Again, we're we are reminded of responsibility as it says in our verse, but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on putting on well, God has placed us in a marvelous position and there is faith that pleases him, love that goes out to him and to others.
And the hope of salvation, which, again, as our brother has said, is only deferred certainty.
We're just as sure of being there as if we were there already. Hope of salvation. This is the completed man here isn't the complete thing. We have the salvation of our souls now, and so we have that faith and love. But it says the helmet for a helmet, the hope of salvation because we're not home yet.
We're still here in the body, but how lovely to see that those three things, faith, hope and love.
Are at least now you can check it at least 10 times given together in this area in the New Testament.
It's interesting, I think that the helmet should be the hope of salvation.
The helmet is put on the head, isn't it?
That's where the brain is. That's where the reasoning comes from.
And our brother pointed out that scripture in Peter where they say where is the promise of his coming? They were reasoning about it. They weren't believing it. They weren't finding joy in in it, reveling in it. No, they were reasoning about, well, we need to have our heads kept to our brains, our thoughts. We need to have our thoughts subject.
To God and we need to have our thoughts formed by the word of God.
And in connection with with the mind, we might look at Colossians chapter 3.
Colossians chapter 3 and verse one. If he then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ should us on the right hand of God. Set your affections and I believe the better rendering is let your mind be on things above.
Not on things on the earth. Well, if our hope is the Lord Jesus Christ and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, if we're just occupied altogether with the hope of our salvation, well, there won't be any room for anything else but to have our minds on things above, if that's what we're waiting for, the Lord from heaven, we're waiting to be with Him.
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That's really our hope, and that's.
Filling our hearts, it will be controlling us. It will be controlling our minds too.
And our minds will really be set on things above, not on things of the earth. The positive side of it is put before us, isn't it? And that's what we need. We might say, well, I know I'm not going on very well. I, I, I should give up this. I should give up that and all the other things.
What's going to happen after you've given up everything if you don't have something positive to be occupied with, but you're occupied with a positive, the Lord Jesus Christ and glory in his coming. Setting your minds on things above it takes your mind off things here on the earth and the things of earth grow strangely, Jim, in the light of his glory and his grace.
We have something very precious brought before us in the next verse, verse 9, For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And also verse 10, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
All those two verses together really are wonderful. Not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
And he died first wife.
That we should live together with Him, and that's a strong word there. Live together with Him, Co partnership with Him, being associated with Him in His glory. This is what he's looking forward to, to having us with Himself, to be associated with Him when He gets His rightful place. That he was denied when He first came into this world and we're sharing that rejection now. We've gone forth unto Him without the camp seeking to bear His reproach.
Well, the reproach is still on the Lord Jesus Christ. He's still the rejected 1.
And we are associated with him in that. And Paul says to Timothy, if we suffer, we shall reign with him. If we suffer, we shall reign with him. And it's put before us as an incentive, something to spurs on and to keep us, even though it costs something to be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ in this world, the Lord has a reward.
Coming up for the one that's faithful in this.
And we need grace to be faithful, but we're going to be associated with the Lord Jesus Christ in a special way, and he's looking forward to that.
Make one more remark about the sleeping we talked about first and get back to.
Something that would lead to perhaps what you were mentioning at last there. We should live together with him.
Your sleep is a progressive thing, and it is preceded by tiredness.
And while we're talking about sleepiness, that question came to my mind and heart. Are we by any chance becoming tired of the precious Word of God, of the ministry of Christ? We've had it before us now, for this is the 4th day, and what wonderful ministry. But I'd like to turn just.
For.
Word there in numbers in Chapter 11 just trusting that it might be an incentive again to our hearts. Israel got tired of the manna which God provided and in Chapter 11 of numbers in verse six it says or perhaps I should read read verse 5.
We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely.
The cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.
And now this verse. But now our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manner before our eyes.
Beloved.
You know when we get tired, when we let that tiredness, that spiritual tiredness, get the best of us, our language would be that, would it not?
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Our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manner. Oh.
It is dreadful if the soul gets into that condition.
Tired, sleepy and then goes to sleep over it all.
But when we think of these words.
Nothing beside this manner.
I believe we would claim this morning we've had manna.
And more manner, and still more manner before us. And brethren, I like more of it.
25.
In connection with the similitude of the 10 virgins.
It says.
And verse one, then shall the Kingdom of heaven be lightened under 10 virgins?
Which took their lamp when forced to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were wise and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their laps and took no oil with them.
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps, While the bridegroom carried. They all slumbered and slept.
Not just the foolish ones, but the wise ones too, all slumbered and slept.
By the bridegroom, Terry. They got tired as you were speaking up, and then they got sleepy, and then they went to sleep.
Well, something is brought before them to wake them up, and at midnight there was a cry made. Behold the blind crew.
Not even cometh. Behold the bridegroom. He's right here, right the door.
And maybe that's why we've had this portion of Scripture before us all four days. We need to be wakened up. We're sleeping all sleepy. We know that those aren't who aren't saved are sleeping. They they're really asleep in their sins and they're dead in trespasses and sins.
About how sad when the rest of us get sleepy and go to sleep.
And we have to wait for some special awakening, something special to wake us up.
But this is the faithfulness of God. That's why we have His Word. And by His Spirit He seems to direct us to something like this, to wake us up.
All how he'd love to have his awake going on with him.
That verse 10 with him and the fact of the Lord's coming in different ways in which it's presented in the word of God and I'm sure the Lord would have us to enjoy each of these in June, 20 in June, I'm sure which verse now it says looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh what a blessedness that'll be, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. You and I have a nature that suited the glory.
We are redeemed, but we're down here in a scene in which there's violence and corruption. We hear the blasphemy of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what a what a joy. The Lord is going to take us out of it all when he comes looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 14 says in my Father's house. Oh, can we describe the joy and the blessedness of the Father's house?
Where all is light and love and joy.
Where there's no sorrow, not a discordant note. It's indescribable. Oh, that should fill our hearts. Is it not true that as long as we're here, we have a sinful nature?
And we're in a body that is subject to disease and decay and sickness.
Well, when he comes, what does it tell us in Philippians is going to change this vile body, this body of humiliation and fashion it like in those body of glory? Oh, that'll be blessing. Then we shall be where we would be. Then we shall be what we should be. So we're going to be like Him physically and morally. So all of these are ways in which the Lord's coming is presented.
The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ being brought out of the scene, the glorious scene of the Father's house on high. This body of humiliation fashion like under his body of glory.
We're going to be like him physically and morally, and we're going to see loved ones. They're there, we'll know them. And as I say, all of this is blessing in the form, shall we say, a perimeter. But the center, center of it all, his himself, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the man of Calvary, the man that, as Paul can say, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
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He'll be the object, bright and fair before our souls.
In First Corinthians.
13 We've been talking about this.
Faith, hope and love.
Very first clause of the next verse of the 1St to the 14th chapter. Follow after love. That's the one to follow, not man. We're an active preacher in verse 11.
It says wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another even as also you do.
Now this is not just each one of us individually, but it seems to be a collective phase.
Comfort yourselves together.
And the word comfort there, I believe means also encouragement. Encourage yourselves together. And what an encouragement this is to us. I have visited in homes, especially where they're aged ones, perhaps they can't get out to meeting, they're shut in. And whenever I have read some scripture concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, it has.
Up more than once I have seen this, how their eyes light up and they find joy in in hearing that word about the coming of the Lord. It's a real comfort and encouragement to them. And so surely this is a very practical thing here. Comfort yourselves together and then edify one another even as all you do. Well, they were already doing that.
Yes, they had been saved and then they were waiting for the Lord to come.
So it was an encouragement to them, it was a comfort to them, and now they had to have the added light that the apostle gives to them in connection with being caught up to meet the Lord in the air now that they would have something more in and in addition to comfort and and encourage them.
And we're to enter into this too, to comfort and encourage one another together. Together. That's that's the ground of the one body there is. It's a collective seed for all the Saints of God. And we can speak to any child of God anywhere about these things and we can encourage one another.