Address—E. Ensign
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First of all, just for a verse just to.
Kind of encourage us and to set the set the tone perhaps.
My genuine desire is that whatever we have this afternoon might be something that would be an encouragement to us each in Romans, the 15th chapter.
And the fourth verse.
And we'll read probably verse 4-5 and six.
Romans 15 Four for whatsoever things were written aforetime.
Were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures.
Might have hope.
And we could translate the comfort encouragement.
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In heaven we had a nice time this weekend and haven't we experienced the encouragement of the scriptures as we've as we've been together? And certainly it's been a real encouragement to us all.
In these in these perilous, perilous days.
Now I'd like to turn over to 1St Corinthians, the 16th chapter.
I want to read 2 verses and sort of let this be the springboard for what I have in my heart this afternoon.
First Corinthians, the 16th chapter.
And verse 13.
Watch he stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men. Be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.
One translation puts it to be on your guard, stand firm in the face, be men of courage, or be people of courage. Be strong, do everything in love, and with a few variations, most every other translation you'd look at would have words to that effect.
Beyond your guard, watch ye stand fast in the faith.
Put you like men or be people of courage.
Be strong, Let all your things be done with charity, and charity is divine love.
And isn't an interesting.
That when we think of who this verse was written to, it was written to those Corinthian Saints. And if we think for a moment as to the various things that Paul had to write.
To those dear folks, when you think that there was, there was immorality and there was.
There was carelessness in their conduct and their practices and a lot of other things that Paul had to write to those Saints.
Yes, there was failure and there was failure here with us.
But they were still an assembly gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. And as he finishes this communication to them, and we know from reading the farther on into the in the second epistle, we know that that Paul really was on his face in prayer as to how his dear brethren would accept the letter that he wrote.
And we know, we know the end of the story. Of course we know that the Saints accepted what he said, and it was such a relief. And to him. But when you think that here, now, this, this verse is written to these, these dear Saints, watch ye stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with divine love.
I'd like to turn to just a few verses. We may be turning to quite a few places.
Let's look at a few verses and then I want to consider a place from the Old Testament which would really bring out what we read in Romans 15. Because when the Romans 15 was written, probably the only scripture or the Old Testament scriptures turn to Acts, the 20th chapter, when we think of the first thing in our verse. Watchy or beyond your guard?
X20.
Now I'll read verse 31 and then we'll see what it is he's talking about.
Acts 20 verse 31. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone, night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. We had the matter of grace before us, and I'm so glad, and isn't it nice, that he commends them to God and the Word?
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Of His Grace. But what were they to watch out for? Well, verse 29 and 30, I believe, tell us.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. This was written almost 2000 years ago. There were going to be dangers from without, and there were going to be dangers from within. And so Paul tells the Saints in Ephesus here to watch.
And the warning is good for us today, isn't it?
Now Paul, he could say be followers of me as I am of Christ, and I don't suppose there's any other person outside of the Lord Jesus that could write something like that.
We've had the the exhortation before us in our meetings. We had it this morning, didn't we, that we have to have our eyes on the Lord Jesus and not on any on any man or men. So here's something to to watch out for. Our verse said watch beyond your guard. So may the Lord help us that our eyes might be on him.
Now turn over to Colossians. We'll read just a few of these Colossians, the 4th chapter.
And the second verse continuing prayer and watching the same.
With Thanksgiving.
And then turn over to 1St Thessalonians, the 5th chapter.
1St Thessalonians 5.
And verse 6.
Paul writes to these Saints, Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. Sober, I suspect, would be the willingness to take that inward, inward look, perhaps in self judgment, let us watch and be sober.
I'd like to consider for a few moments now in connection with this part of our little verse that we're considering.
I'd like to have you think with me about part of the life of Nehemiah the.
And I'm not going to read. I'm not going to read it, but let's just think about it for a moment, Nehemiah opens. You know, with Nehemiah hearing news of the fact that the walls in Jerusalem were broken down and things were in pretty bad shape.
The Nehemiah's reaction is he starts to pray. He is very concerned.
And he starts to pray about the fact that Jerusalem is in such a state.
You know the thing that's so nice about Nehemiah? You know, under?
The first wave of people that came back his name slips me but he was a descendant of the kings and there were several thousand that came back after the captivity and they came back to rebuild the rebuild the temple and then under under Ezra several thousand more I think about 1800 maybe came back under Ezra and Ezra was a priest and their mission was to re establish the worship.
But in Nehemiah's case, here was one man, just one man. And Nehemiah was, can we say he was an ordinary working man, just like most of us here? And in the midst of his duties and his ordinary work, he found time to be concerned and found time to pray about the Lord's things and the Lord's interests. And when Nehemiah came back, there was just Nehemiah. There was a guard that was given to him, but it was Nehemiah's exercise. And so we find when we when we think about.
That little account, that one man when he's before the Lord in prayer, what wonderful things that can be wrought when there's one person exercised. So Nehemiah begins to pray.
And he confesses. He confesses the sins of his people, and he takes his part with them. And I think that's so important. Sometimes we call that eating the sin offering, don't we? But there isn't any of us that can stand apart and point the finger. In one sense, we're part of the part of the collective testimony, and we all bear our part in whatever failure there is. And So what a nice lesson this is. We see the same thing in Ezra's life and the same thing in Daniels life.
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To take their place before the Lord, and to confess the sins of their people, taking their part in it.
And when we read in that first chapter, then go on into the second chapter, those two, two months that are mentioned would indicate that that Nehemiah was praying for at least four months about this whole matter that so was on his heart. And then in the second chapter, Nehemiah is before the king and you know he's sad, and the king notices that he's he's sad. And this was quite a quite a thing. I understand that in the case of those Oriental kings that people were supposed to always be very happy and smiling.
And they could be perhaps put out of their job if they weren't, if they didn't conduct themselves in their proper way before the king. So the king notices that Nehemiah is sad, and the king asks him why. What an opening, what an opportunity for Nehemiah as he explains to the king the his concern why it is he said. And he tells the king about what's going on in Jerusalem, and then the king asks him of what he wanted.
And so there was another wonderful opening. And Nehemiah evidently had been thinking about this. And he requests letters so that he can go over to Israel and so that he can get all the supplies that he needs in order to rebuild, rebuild the wall. And so the king grants his request and gives him a, gives him a leave of absence so he can go over and to take care of the business. Well then as the chapter proceeds, you remember.
Nehemiah didn't just write into Jerusalem and call the elders together and tell him what he was going to do, but it was at night time and he took a trip around that wall by himself so he could see first hand what the condition of that wall was. And so in the second chapter, toward the end, it tells us about that. And then after he finishes that and then he calls his brethren together and explains to them.
What's been on his heart and his exercises?
And I think it's so nice that Nehemiah doesn't play his exercise on his brethren.
But before the conversation is done, if you read in the end of the second chapter, they say his brethren say let us rise up and build. I think that's nice. So that there was that, that oneness of purpose and oneness of heart and what was to be done.
Well, then there's a lot of pages devoted to the rebuilding of the wall, and we might ask ourselves.
What is the Lord's purpose in telling us about the rebuilding of a wall in an ancient city of over 1000 years ago? Well, you know, a wall was to was to keep out the enemy.
And so there's a lot of detail and description given to us about how the people, different ones with their families. There was some more energetic than others, but they proceed with the work of rebuilding the wall. You know, I understand that that one of the things that that characterized the Saints when they were first gathered to the Lord's name back in the 1800s was the matter of of the the separation, separation of life and separation and heart.
That those looking on saw that there was a real difference. And you know, I don't have to look any farther than here to realize that that there's been, there's been failure in that in my life. And perhaps you might feel that in your own life that maybe we're too much like those round about us that we haven't maintained that now this is not isolation, but it's a separation, separation of heart to the Lord that we might go on in a way that's pleasing to him.
The interesting thing about the rebuilding of that wall?
Is the fact that there was opposition.
There was there were several distinct waves and several distinct types of opposition that took place to the rebuilding of that wall. There was there was ridicule, there were threats of violence, there was deception, and you can read them in those in those chapters. But the Lord gave Nehemiah the the discernment in order to see through these things and the work. The work continued until finally the wall, the wall was built.
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I'd like to have you turn with me now, just for a moment, to Nehemiah, the 4th chapter as we think about this matter of of watching. Because you know the devil is going to try to work in my life, and yours too. He's going to try to get us to be careless.
And so in Nehemiah, the 4th chapter, let's read a few verses.
Let's read starting at verse 7.
But it came to pass that when San Violet and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Astrodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made-up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to hinder it.
Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto God and sent a watch against them.
Day and night because of them. So isn't that isn't that interesting that here they detected the problem and?
Their answer was to pray to God with this threat. And Judah said, the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said they shall not know neither see that we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, came, they said unto us 10 times.
From all places. When she shall return unto us, they will be upon you. I wonder if this isn't the the enemy's persistence to wear us down. 10 times they were they were besieged by these these threats, and these this opposition to the building of the wall.
And maybe you can feel it in your life. Maybe I can feel it in my life that there is this, this attempt on the part of the devil to wear down, wear down the Saints.
Therefore said I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places I sent even the people after their families with their swords, their Spears, and their bows. And I looked and rose up and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people. Be not afraid of them, remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, and your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses. Anna came to pass when our enemies heard that it was known unto us.
And God had brought their counsel to none, that we returned, all of us to the wall and everyone to his work.
And it came to pass from that time forth that the half of my servants wrought in the work.
And the other half of them held both the Spears, the Shields and the bows, and the virgins and the rulers were behind all the House of Judah.
They which build it on the wall, and they which bear the burdens with those that laid it, or those that loaded, I suppose, or carried the burdens. Everyone with his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon for the builders. Everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so builded.
And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. So here is the here is the result of their being on guard, and they're being on watch against the enemies of this effort to rebuild the wall. And so the devil is going to try to wear us down. He's going to try to get us to let down the bars, as it were. But all that the Lord might help us, that we too might set that watch and be careful. Look to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to guide our guide our feet.
In the right way as we think of this first little admonition in our verse. Watchy or beyond your guard. Be vigilant. Be alert. The devil is going to try to If you can't get us in one place, he's going to try to get us in another place.
The second part of our verse tells us to stand fast or stand firm in the faith.
Turn with me, if you will, to Ephesians, the 6th chapter. Now some of these were going to sort of skim over read the verses and you might want to just to think about them a little more at your leisure.
Ephesians, the 6th chapter.
And verse 10.
We're thinking now of standing firm in the faith.
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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
I understand that power here is, like our word, dynamite, and that interesting the power of his might put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
Those Wilds, you know, those are the those are the deceptions. Those are the lies that Satan whispers in our ears.
Those things that you know, it's I've often thought this you know the devil. The devil knows my weaknesses, and he knows yours, and he's going to try to exploit them. But the Lord knows my weaknesses too, and he's going to strengthen me in them, and he's going to strengthen you too, in your weaknesses. And so even though there's the deceptions, why we can look to the Lord that we can stand against these Wiles or these deceptions, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
But against principalities, Against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places?
And I've heard, I've heard some put it this way and read things that go something like this, that we're we're arrayed, the Christian down here is arrayed before these terrible powers of wickedness, the very headquarters of of Wickedness 11 writer puts it. And these these powers, they're they're sharp, they're intelligent. They know exactly what they're doing. They know exactly what it is that the Lord stands for, and they know what what we stand for.
If we're really standing for the Lord, and so the battle and the.
And the conflict is against this this type of thing it was mentioned.
During the meeting sometime about what took place in Russia in the last the last two weeks.
When it looked like there was going to be an overthrow of of the present government, and perhaps the doors that were recently opened, that the scriptures going in might have been closed, but we saw what happened that that it only lasted for a couple of days and evidently that door is still open.
You know, we can't help but think that the powers of darkness have been foiled. You know, they've come up against the God of this universe.
God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord is going, is decreeing that that door stays open. Those people are going to hear His word and there's nothing going to prevail against that. Now, the door may close and we don't know. A couple of months down the road, we don't know. But isn't it wonderful to see that, that God really can move those scenes? We've heard that expression, that God's behind the scenes and he's moving them.
But boy, when he moves, when he when he moves, He moves quickly sometimes, too, doesn't he? It's amazing that some of the things that have taken place, and they've taken place so fast. But I think of the verse two greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. Yes, there's all these, all these terrible powers of wickedness, but the Lord has given us the equipment, can I say, in order to stand. And so in verse 13.
He says, Take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand an evil day. And having done all to stand, I've understood that it's something like two nations are at war.
And there's not battles every day, but war has been declared and we never know when there's going to be an attack or a conflict break out. And so we have to be ready. And so there is the evil day in which the war has been declared and we have to be ready.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith he shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.
And supplication for All Saints. And for me, says Paul. Paul says, pray for me. Isn't that wonderful that the great apostle? We see that he felt his need and he asked the Saints to pray for him. So here are these parts of the armor, and as I say, we're not going to spend a lot of time. But here's the in the verse 14 the loins girt about with truth, and I wonder if the Lord isn't telling us there that he'd have. He'd have our our lives and our affections governed by His word. Hold the place.
And turn over to 1St Thessalonians 2 just for a verse.
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In I Thessalonians 2, Paul describes his concerns and exercises as he went into the Thessalonian folks.
And he says there in chapter 2.
Verse 13.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing.
Because when you receive the word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men.
But as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually.
Works also in you that believe. So he saw how they received it, but they saw that that word worked in them. And so the Lord wants that word to work in me, and He wants it to work to work in you in order to have our our lives control by what we read in the word of God. Not just to read it with the idea of getting so many interesting religious facts, but that it might make a change in my life and a change in your life.
And so there's then the breastplate to guard those affections, and the feet shod so that.
Our the way we walk through might be commendable to the to the gospel. Then there's this shield of faith to ward off these fiery darts of the devil. Because the devil is going to try his best to discourage us and to make us doubt. And so we need that, that shield, his faith. And then there's the helmet of salvation. My head needs to be guarded because of the the thoughts. And Satan's going to try to work in my mind, and we'll speak a little more about that. He's going to try to work through my mind. My thoughts need to be guarded. Then there's the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
And prayer. And I've heard it suggested that perhaps one of the times that we need this armor the most is when we kneel down to pray.
Has anyone here like me that that when you kneel down?
Or you try to gather your thoughts to prayer. Many times you find all kinds of distractions.
Your mind wanders and you just can't focus in many times.
Does it ever happen? Yes. I'm sure you know you. It has to be the same with you. We're all made of the same stuff, aren't we? And so one of the times that we need this armor the most is when we pray, when we want to pray to the Lord, so that all these things that we've talked about can be in right relationship to the Lord as we pray.
The first verse that we read in chapter 6 here was be strong in the Lord. We have no strength in ourselves. None of us be strong in the Lord.
When we think of standing in the faith, you remember how it was with Daniel. And in that first chapter of Daniel, you remember how he and his friends.
Of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were their captivity and they've been taken captive. And there they were, these youngsters in a strange land, strange customs, strange language, and the whole. The whole effort was to get these men to conform, to conform to the customs of Babylon.
And I suspect that the Babylon was probably a lot worse maybe than some of the situations that we faced. Maybe not. But it's a pretty good, pretty good comparison. And so the time came when they were put to the test.
And so it speaks later on in the chapter one about the food they were required to eat, a certain kind of food that was set before them. And I wonder if this isn't the the pressure sometimes when we think of food, let's think of it in a spiritual sense about the the things that we take in, the things we read, the things we hear, whatever it might be, they were pressured to take in a certain kind of food. And those men, Daniel and his friends, had the sense.
Because of their training and their beliefs that this was really something that they should stand against. And so they did. They did stand against it. Daniel, he used a very reasonable approach with his captor. He he requested that they might not defile themselves. And the Lord honored that request. And I tell you, dear friends, dear Saints, that that if that's read to your desire, I've seen it work. That if your desire is if you get into a certain situation and your desire is that you might not defile yourself.
Stand back and watch the Lord work. If you tell him that, Lord, I don't want to defile myself in a particular situation and he'll work, I really believe in all my soul, he'll answer that prayer. And so Daniel and his friends were allowed to be tested for a 10 day period with the food that they wanted. Very simple fare and they were found fatter, you know, and they look better than the others. And so how to eat their simple fare and they came out at the head of the class.
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At the head of the class, they passed the exams with flying colors because they had it on their heart to please the Lord. They stood against the pressure to put them into the mold. You know, It says over in Romans 12 be not conformed.
To this world, and you know, the interesting thing is the word for conform there.
Is a word that indicates a confirmation to something that is fleeting and doesn't last at all. When it tells us in the previous chapter in chapter 8 in Romans that we might be conformed to the image of his son, that's a confirmation that's being conformed to something that's lasting and eternal. Isn't that interesting?
So the Lord would have us to stand against these things. Well, there's other examples we could turn to, but I want to move on here.
The next thing in our little verse says it says quick, You like men, or be men, or be people of courage? I like to think for a moment turn over to First Samuel, the story of David and Goliath.
You know, we've all read this story, and the children have heard it in the Sunday School, and mothers and dads have have read the story to the children.
But you know, I wonder if we if we realize.
What tremendous confidence in the Lord.
That David had in order to go against.
This giant, And maybe it seems sometimes we're going against the giants.
And you know the story how it is that David was just a young man and and of normal height. And here was the giant who was at least nine feet tall, armed to the teeth.
But David David volunteered to go against the giant.
Now we do see in David a picture of the Lord Jesus, but I'd like to think of this story now as.
David and one who had confidence in the Lord.
And so David and the Giant come face to face. Let's read now on First Samuel 17.
And verse 41.
And the Philistine came on, and drew near unto David.
The man that bare the shield went before him.
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, and Ruddy, and of affair, countenance. And the Philistines said unto David, Am IA dog, that thou comest to me with staves. And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistines said to David.
Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, who now has defied.
This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee.
And I will give the carcasses of the host, the Philistines this day under the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord says not with sword and spear, For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. Isn't that wonderful? David had confidence in the Lord. We know the end of the story how that it took only the one stone.
And the aim was true, and the one stone dispatched the giant. But all with confidence that David could say all the earth is going to know that there's a God in Israel today.
I think two of the third chapter of Daniel, we won't turn to it, but that's the the account of how Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to that image that the king set up.
It was a very simple thing, you know, The music sounded, and everybody in the Kingdom just bow down. That's all there was to it. But here were three men standing upright in the midst of everybody else that was following the knee to this, this heathen, heathen image. And you remember the story. The decree was that anyone that wouldn't bow down to the King's image supposed to be cast into the burning, fiery furnace.
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And so the king questioned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And they were very firm but respectful.
They said words to the effect that, O king, our God is able to deliver us, but even if he doesn't choose.