Buena Park Conference: 1966

Table of Contents

1. Mark 5
2. I Have Kept the Faith
3. Building the Wall - Part 2
4. Building the Wall - Part 1

Mark 5

Address—G.H. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We sing #4.
Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me #4.
Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me.
I was changing since darkness.
Now by his grace I am free.
Savior sinners.
Like me?
Standing his blood for my ransom.
This is the savior for me.
Mark chapter 5 verse one.
And they came over onto the other side of the sea into the country of the Gadarenes, And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no man could bind him, no, not with chains, because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains.
And the chains have been plucked asunder by him, and the feathers broken in pieces.
Neither could any man tame him when all was night and day he was in the mountains.
And in the tombs crying and cutting themselves with stones.
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion.
For we are many, and he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
Neither was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd, A swine feeding.
And all the devils beside him sane, send us into the swine.
We may enter into them, and forthwith Jesus gave them leave, and the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. There are about 2000 and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled and told it in the city and in the country, and they went out to see what it was. It was done and they came to Jesus.
And see him that was possessed with the deep Devil, and had the legion sitting and clothed.
In his right mind, and they were afraid, and they that saw it told them how it befell to him.
Is possess what the devil? And also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. When he was coming to the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but said unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and.
Had compassion.
On the He departed and began to publish into capitalists. How great things Jesus.
Had done for him, and all men did marvel.
Our beloved friends, in the 4th chapter we find there was a great can when Jesus said peace be still there was a great Cam. But tonight we have in this 5th chapter a great savior. All my friends, I ask you at the start of this gospel meeting, what about your soul? Every one of us in this room tonight is on the way to eternity. Every one of us in this room tonight is in the on the way to heaven or hell right now.
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At 7:14 PM on December the 25th, 1966, you, my friend, and I are on the way to eternity, either to be in hell with the devil and the damned or in the glory with Christ and all the redeemed. And there's no middle ground, my friends. There's no neutral stand either. You're saved or lost right now, right in this room. Tonight. You're either saved or lost, either. You're in your sins. You're in Christ.
I never write with God or wrong with God. And so in this chapter we have before us, and this portion we have before us, we find a great savior. If you were to read the whole chapter, you'd see where the Lord Jesus had power over the demons, He had power over disease, and he had power over death. He was an all sufficient savior, a savior of sinners. His name is Jesus. Now we know tonight in this world.
They're celebrating the birth of Christ.
But all my friends, how few there are who know anything about the death of Christ and what that death means for the glory of God and for the blessing of man. And so I believe in this picture we have of this man. We have a man who represents you, my friends, represents me before I knew the Lord Jesus as my Savior. He represents this man. I believe mankind, and he's in complete ruin.
We would notice, first of all, that Jesus came to this place.
All my friends, the Lord Jesus had an appointment with this man, Legion. This didn't happen by chance. Nothing happens by chance with God. Jesus came to where the Legion was. Isn't it wonderful? Jesus came there because he wanted to meet this man just as he came to Psycho as well. So Jesus came here to this very place because he had an appointment with this man. Or the man didn't know it, but Jesus knew it. And my friends, you come here tonight, maybe some boy or girl.
Some young man, some young lady with Christian father and a Christian mother. And Jesus is here tonight to meet you. Jesus is here tonight to stand and meet you. You don't know it. Maybe you just come to another gospel meeting. It's your accustom on the Lords day and night to go to the gospel. And so you'll come. You'll come according to your custom to be religious. This is the sort of be religious on the Lord's day and night. But Jesus, my friends, is here tonight to meet you.
And you're a great need. Now, I believe in this little incident here. We have at least seven things said about this man. I'd like to refer them to you tonight. First of all, it tells us this man.
Had an unclean spirit at the end of verse two, an unclean spirit and verse three he had his dwelling among the tombs, and on the same verse no man could bind him.
No, not with chains. A man in verse four at the end of the verse.
Neither could any man tame him. And verse five. At the end of the verse he was cutting himself with stones, and verse six he ran and worshipped him. And in verse seven he spoke to the Lord Jesus and said, what have I to do with thee? I believe if you count them up, you'll find 7 things said about this man, at least seven. I mean all in scripture. That seven is perfection. And I believe in this case it shows a perfect rule in my friends, the absolute ruin. And tonight I would like to stay at the start of this gospel meeting.
That we believe, according to the word of God, that man is ruined from head to foot.
Man is a ruined Sinner, absolutely lost in his sins.
Absolutely hopelessly lost and God says he's dead in trespasses and sins.
You know, somebody once said at the end of a gospel meeting that if you say a man is dead, he'll say, well, I have nothing more to say, I'm dead.
But, my friends, you may be dead spiritually. Dead, but you're alive physically, and you're on your way to meet God. And tonight we like to bring you into the presence of Almighty God. You must stand there in the presence of God. Don't you fear God? My friends? Aren't you afraid that tonight your heart may stop beating and you'll stand in the presence of God? And if you stand there in your sins, you'll perish for the Lord Jesus said, if you believe not that I am he.
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Ye shall die in your sins, and where I am there you cannot come.
All friends, how solemn this is. I want to ask you a question that I ask every time we have the blessed privilege of preaching the gospel. I want to ask you this question in the fear of God, in the presence of God and the view of the fact that you have never dying soul. If you were dead tonight. If you were dead tonight, my friend, if you were lying now in your casket and then they're taking parlor, I ask you, where would you be?
Can you say immediately I'd be with Christ? Can you say I'm saved for glory?
Or must you say? I do not know, Sir. I only hope that I'd be in heaven somehow. I'd get there by the mercy of God, my friends, tonight. If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior, if you've never been born again, if you've never been to Christ about your sins, you're lost. Tonight. You may be religious, but you're lost. Lost. I was speaking to a man a while ago, and I found out after what he told me was the truth.
He said, Sir, He said, I've lived a good life, upright, moral and clean living. I've done the very best I can. What more can God expect from me? And we said to him, Sir, did you ever tell a lie in your life? And he said, well, I suppose that I'd have to confess that I told a few lies. And I said, Mr. If you tore one lie, you're going to hell.
You're going to hell if you're going to have one lie in your life where the Bible says that even a lie which is 1 lie, will never enter into the presence of God. And so he said to this man, you're lost, my man. Have you only told one lie in your life? That you confessed to me that you told more than one? You're lost. This is what he said. And his answer, my friends, as the answer of 10s of thousands of people in the United States and Canada throughout the world tonight, he said, what about my good works?
What about my good life? Doesn't that count? And we said, Sir, God says that all your righteousness are as filthy rags. And I understand. I said to this man, I understand that the filthy rags and that verse are the rags that were taken off the lepers sores. What were they fit for? Would you give those lepers sores to God, those filthy rags that had on them the awful filth of the leper sores? God says that all your good works.
All your righteous deeds are just like those filthy rags that come off the leper's sores.
Lepers, rags to God, and this poor man had never heard this in his life, he said. I'm a member of a certain church.
And I said I was in the same business. Exactly the same, but priceless. On the way to hell. On the way to hell, my friends. Or tonight are you on the way to hell? What a solemn thing. I know that the modernist preacher. I know the modernist preachers taking hell out of the Bible. I know the modernist preacher scoffs and mocks at hell. But I tell you solemnly that God has not changed His precious word.
To meet the silly ideas of the 20th century, God has not changed his truth.
To fit in the program of this ungodly age in which we live tonight, God's words stand supreme. God says what he means and God means what he says or how. So, my friends, this man was totally lost. Complete wreck. He was lost and Jesus crossed his pathway. How wonderful Jesus came across the pathway of this man. All my friends, how often is Jesus come across Europe pathway. How often is Jesus stood?
With those blessed hands that bear the nail Prince, he received on the cross and stood waiting to give you salvation. And you've rejected the truth. You rejected the Christ. You rejected God's grace and God's love and God's mercy tonight on the last large day of 1966.
The same God of all, grace, stands ready with a pardon in his hand to give that to you. If you'll only acknowledge you're a Sinner. And all, my friends, I believe the first step to heaven is to find out your lost. The first step to fly to the heaven is to find out you're a rule. Hell deserve a wretched Sinner. That's the first step I believe into the presence of God for blessing. Oh, my friends, have you found yourself yet in the presence of God?
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Did you ever get down your knees, and all them before God? You were lost, You were guilty. You were a Sinner, A Sinner in the presence of a holy God. Oh, my friend, have you ever done that yet? Did you ever find out you were lost or a member? When I was first a young Christian, and often with my Bible on my knee, I looked back over the past days, a servant of the devil on the way to hell, and I thought of God, of taking away my life.
A year ago, that was in 1930. I'd be in hell right now.
In hell.
All beloved friends, I crumbled as I thought of my poor lost soul in the in the in the regions of eternal doom, under the judgment of God for eternity. Young man, are you here tonight outside of Christ? Young lady, are you here tonight in your sins on the way to hell and judgment? Oh, I have good news for you. We have Jesus. Let us say, if you're here, Jesus passed this man came into this man's pathway.
Jesus met him. You notice what it says now it says.
What this man was doing, he dwelt among the tombs. Isn't that what you were doing tonight? Isn't that what every unsaved man is doing? He's dwelling among the tombs, among the dead. There he dwells among the dead. All his friends, his neighbors are dead. And there he is entertaining the dead. Living among the dead. Dead in trespasses. Dead in sins. Dead before God. No life towards God. No desire for God. Dwelling among the tombs. I want you to notice.
Also, in the end of verse three, no man could bind him, though not with chains all people have tried to reform.
They've tried to turn over a new leaf. They've tried to chain down men, but oh, they break the chains. They can't be tied. There. They are, my friends, determined to go on their course to damnation and judgment. They cannot be tamed. And it tells us in this next verse, neither verse four or the end of the verse, neither could any man tame him. There wasn't a man there in that country to tame this man. And I tell you tonight, my friends, is not a man in this world can tame you.
There's not a man in this world can save you. Not a preacher, not a minister, not a clergyman. There's nobody in this world can save your soul but one. And that's the man at God's right hand and the glory, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, it tells us in the fifth verse.
At the end of the fifth verse, he was cutting himself with stones. What was he doing? He was harming himself. Oh dear Senator, you're harming yourself. You're harming yourself. God loves you. God wants to bless you. God wants to make your life happy. God wants to bring sunshine and joy into your soul. And here you are, rejecting the gospel and you're hurting yourself. He was cutting himself with stones. Aren't you doing the same thing? You're harming yourself, my dear friend.
God loves you always. Isn't it wonderful, I think of the Lord Jesus saying to Nicodemus, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. This man was completely wrecked and ruined.
But when he saw Jesus, he ran to worship him. Well, we know that men try to be religious. We know the woman in the 4th that John pleaded the same thing.
But all this man has many, many followers tonight in this great country, men who profess to worship Christ when in their very hearts they reject them. Well, every time we preach on this fifth chapter, the Gospel by Mark, our minds go down to the province of New Brunswick, to a little town, a railway town called McAdam. And there we think of a man named David McKay, who is known to some of us in this audience. Tonight we've had the pleasure of meeting this man. We knew him when he was a drunkard.
We knew him when his face was marked with liquor, when his eyes were blurry and bloodshot, when his whole life was spent in the service of the devil. With all beloved friends. Dave McKay met Jesus. Jesus met Dave McKay and all the sunshine and the joy in that man's face, the joy and the happiness that only Christ could give this poor man. Now I rejoice in Christian on the way to glory.
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Oh, I sat talking to that man. I've said to him, Dave, for just like me, not one bit worse and not one bit better. That's a poor old Sinner, say, by the grace of God and all. I think of him. I think of him known in macadam by his different friends and business acquaintances.
Dave the Drunkard, And now Dave the hymn singer. Dave the Psalm singer, and on his very windows of his home, redeemed by the blood of Christ.
On the front door, a little text was hanging. Jesus, they all together. Lovely one. All I say to you, my friends, a great savior met Dave McKay and saved his precious soul. And now that man's testimony and macadam, his precious and the very man that would tame him, the very man that would say, let's get this man McCabe.
Who lived a life of sin and shame. Let's get this man in reform and let's get him into a A and turn over a new leaf. Now, my friends, under the power of the gospel of Christ. Dave McKay, a man of God is despised by the man who would try to tame. I tell you, my friends, this world, the United States of America included, does not want Jesus Christ and any turn whatsoever. The world does not want Christ.
Not the Christ of the Bible. The world has never said we're sorry that we elected Barabbas.
The world has never said we made a mistake. When we asked for Barabbas release we made a mistake. It still stands in the annals of God himself that this world said away with Jesus and crucify him and release unto us Barabbas and God says now Barabbas was a robber. Is it any wonder we can't get rid of War Horse? Is it any wonder that men are killing each other? Because if any wonder that crime is increasing in this country by leaps and bounds.
When this world shows a robber and nailed the Christ of God to the cross of Calvary.
Well, this man met Jesus. Isn't it lovely? Notice what it says, the precious Savior said in the eighth verse. Come out of the man. Thou unclean spirit. Why, even the demons were subject to this blessed man. He was God and flesh. Just imagine God has come down out of heaven. God, the God of eternity, the maker of heaven and earth, has come down to this world as a man and walk this world as a man. Blessed Savior.
Christ of God, he's been in this world. Come out of him, thou unclean spirit. Then in the ninth verse, what is thy name? Here we find the Sinner and the Savior are together and the blessed Lord Jesus isn't. What is thy name? Didn't he know his name? All my friends, He would have this man confess it all. His name was legion. He was completely under the power of the devil the other day.
A brother and I.
Visited a home and we saw a broken hearted mother and a broken hearted father, they said This mother told us, weeping my daughter just the other day because of some dispute with her boyfriend.
She took thirty of my sleeping pills and her brain is completely wrecked and she's in the asylum and all. She wept. She said, Man, I have a Bible, I've read the Bible.
And I read about Jesus.
Calling out of men and women, unclean spirits. Is there any hope for my daughter?
And the father said, I have to go to the barn. I'll be back shortly. And after speaking to this lady about the precious Savior, we knelt down to pray. And when we finished praying, the father had come into the room and he was on his knees, all beloved. Their daughter was taken captive by the devil. Her brain was gone and wrecked. And the doctor said there's no hope she'll be like that way for the rest of her life, no doubt. Oh how sad and how solemn this is.
And this story I just told you is a story of multitudes, of homes tonight in the United States and Canada. Broken hearted mothers and fathers as their children come under the very spell of the devil. And, sad to say, my friends, men who claim to be the servants of God, stand up and tell us that there's no devil.
They tell us that we don't need a savior. They tell us the blood is not, is of no avail at all, of the death of Christ is of no avail. These modernists, my friends, these modernists, these servants of the devil, I had the I I spoke to one of them and said, do you believe in the virgin birth of Christ? He said I have to think it over, I have to think it over. And the next day I asked Roman Catholic.
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Very good friend of mine who I believe is trusting the Savior. I said, do you believe in the virgin birth of Christ? He said, With all my heart. With all my heart. I said mention in this man's name. I said he doesn't believe it. He said, I I can't believe that. He said he's one of the biggest preachers in Montreal. I said he's one of the biggest infidels in Montreal, one of the biggest infidels. That poor man's going into eternity now gone into eternity.
Think of it gone to eternity, I say, young man, young lady, our brother Smith this afternoon. Why? Amen what he said. Be not deceived by these professors or these preachers, these modernistic preachers who were on the way to hell themselves and who would drag you down. There's no salvation outside of the crossword of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's no salvation outside of the precious blood of Christ that was shed on the cross of Calvary.
There's absolutely no salvation if the Lord Jesus wasn't born of a virgin.
He was born of a virgin. Blessed be his precious, holy, adorable name. The Son of God was born of a version, or if he wasn't, and I say this reverently, he could not be my savior. Thank God he was born of a virgin. Thank God the Bible is the word of God from cover to cover all my friends and I Jesus is a savior. Jesus is the Savior. And praise God, Jesus is my savior. Is he your savior tonight?
Well, he died for you. He died for you. Isn't it wonderful? He gave his life.
Think of that. The Son of God gave his life on the cross of Calvary, as our dear brother said last night.
That question that comes down through the ages, that solemn question that Jesus asked on the cross in the hours of darkness when he bore my wretched sins. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? There's no answer. Heaven was still it was quiet. The heavens were clauses were against that blessed man.
But all beloved, how often as Christians, we've answered the question on our knees. Lord Jesus, Thou is forsaken for me. A hell deserving worm of the dust. A Wretch. A Wretch. A poor hell deserving Wretch. Thou was forsaken for me, Oh, what a savior Jesus is. Oh the love, what grace is is a savior A savior All my friends Christ is able to save tonight the Viola Sinner.
The most guilty Sinner. The most self-righteous Sinner. All are welcome to Jesus. He's ready to save you tonight. Well.
I want you to notice in the 12Th verse.
The demons besought the Lord Jesus saying, send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And the Lord answered their prayer. Just imagine the Lord said he gave them leave and you know the herd of swine ran into the lake. This is a solemn thing. 2000 pigs ran into the lake. Well notice the 15th verse.
And they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind. Isn't that wonderful? Can you imagine it? He was sitting. He was sitting down in the presence of Jesus. What does that suggest, suggests?
Rest. Rest. He was sitting down in the presence of Christ.
That speaks of rest all, my friends. Have you got rest? Is there some lady tonight in this hall?
It has no rest and no peace. When you get into your bed at night, you say, If my heart stops beating in the middle of the night, where will I spend eternity? I have no rest. I have no peace. Oh Jesus says, come unto me all you got labor under heavy laden. I will give you rest. I won't sell it. I will give you. He's a giving God. I will give you rest. The next thing it says He was clothed, oh, he was clothed, the snake of it. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this room the light is clothed.
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And the best robe of heaven fit for heaven right now, at this very moment, fit will never be more fit than we are.
Right now fit for heaven, clothed by the grace of God, clothed in heaven's best robe, the very blessed Lord Jesus himself clothed on 3rd in his right mind.
Are you in your right mind tonight? Now, I know that I'm not trying to insult you, dear friends, when it comes to history or arithmetic or geography or some other subject, you may be very, very clever. But when it comes to Jesus, when it comes to the truth of God.
Are you in your right mind? How many people say when you ask them what is John 316 mean? All they say it means to go to church and pay your bills and live a good life and do the best you can, be religious and get baptized and you'll get to heaven. Why, they're not in their right mind. John 316. I can ask some of their little children, Ask the little boy this afternoon, what do you think of Jesus? And he said, I think a lot of them. I think a lot of them. Wasn't that wonderful? A little boy. I think a lot of them, Well, he was in his right mind.
Are you in your right mind, my friends? Are you in your right mind that concerning the Son of God?
Is so important. You can be wrong on everything else in the world, but don't be wrong when it comes to the Son of God. Oh, he's the Christ. He's the Christ, the manner trying to take him away tonight. They're trying to steal away our blessed Lord. But how good to stand here and say he's the Christ, the Son of the living God, the risen, glorified Son of God?
Cast out of this world, received up into heaven.
Then it says in the end of the 15th verse, they were afraid. Now that's true about the world. They're afraid of Christians. They're afraid. Why, when a man gets saved and starts to speak about the Lord Jesus, they get afraid. They're afraid. Why? A man told me. He said, you know, the asylum is full of men and women who read the Bible. The asylum was just filled with men and women.
Who read the Bible and who believe what you believe. And so we challenge him to come with us down to the asylum and ask them, They asked the doctors down there, how many men and women are in this in this asylum? Because I read in the Bible and believing in Christ. And how many men are in this asylum because of liquor and drink and sin. And we'll add up the number and see how it comes. He wouldn't accept the challenge, my friends. The devil will not accept any challenge.
That stands for Christ and the truth of God. But if we reason with the devil, if we argue with the devil, you have a seat every time. But the word of God, the Lord Jesus, that it is written, it is written, it is written. The word of God stands as the sword of a spirit to defeat the attacks of the devil.
And so.
It says they were afraid. I want you to know this. What happens here in the 16th verse? And they that sought told them how it befell the hymn that was possessed with the devil and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coast. Or how the world never changes. This whole world never changes. Oh yes, the the close of change and the transportation change and the buildings of change and the different.
And conveniences have changed the Frigidaires and different improvements in cars and motorcycles and aeroplanes. For the heart of man has never changed. Give us the swine. Give us the swine. Give us this crazy man. Give us this man possessed with demons. Give us anything but Christ, they said. Get out of our coast. Just imagine. Get out of our coast. Why, I believe my friends and I speak reverently if the Lord Jesus Christ came tonight to the big prisons in this country.
And if the Lord Jesus saved every prisoner in that prison, some of the great criminals of this country were saved for glory. And they got up and spoke well of Christ. They said get out of the country. They wouldn't want them in the country. They'd say anything but Christ, The world has never changed. Or a young man, young lady, you're growing up in a world that's against God and against Christ. He's getting worse every day. Every day is getting worse. You know, God tells us it's going to get worse and worse and worse.
Until there won't be a Christian in this world, there won't be one left. Everyone of them will be gone to be with the Lord Jesus. And God is going to judge this world. You know, it's a big statement. Isn't God is going to judge this. Well, let us narrow it down. God is going to judge Los Angeles, God is going to judge United States of America. And God is going to judge Canada. And God is going to judge England and God is going to judge this world.
00:35:08
This world that dared to spit into the face of Christ, that dared to nail the hands of the Son of God to Calvary's cross.
That dare to crown that blessed head with a crown of thorns. God is going to judge this world. Judge it, my friends. All its education, all its famous progress is going to be dashed out of the ground under the judgment of God. Oh, how sound, how solemn this is. Notice now in this 17th verse, the 18th verse. And when he was coming to the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. All this is lovely.
He wanted to be with Jesus. Now I believe there are seven things said about this man we will mention later.
In connection with showing us what Jesus had done for him.
And I want to draw your attention that if the demons prayed, this man prayed. And if the Lord Jesus said yes to the demons, he said no to this man. He prayed, and he might be with them. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but said unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. I want you to notice now these seven things.
That happened to this man because he met Jesus first of all we said, before he was sitting and he had rest.
Second, he was clothed. Third, he was in his right mind.
4th In this verse 18 he prayed. Oh, isn't that a sign of the new life? Isn't that a sign my friends, of new birth? The apostle Paul, when he was saved for glory, Ananias was told behold, he prayeth. He prayeth. Ah my friends, have you ever pray? We live in an age where there's not much prayer. The devil has everybody so busy there's no time to pray. I believe, young Christian, that the devil has taken the straw away today from us.
The straw ways and produced the same number of bricks. We have no time for prayer, no time to read our Bibles. We're always rushing, rushing, rushing. In this mad age, this man prayed. The next thing we find that said he wanted to be with him or do you want to be with Jesus? What a wonderful thing it is to see a young man or a young woman and they confess the Lord Jesus and they want to be with them. How can you be with them? Well, we know this man was physically with Jesus. How can you be with him? Young Christian, you can be with him at the assembly meetings.
You can be with them at the prayer meeting. He's in the midst. You can be with them in the Bible reading.
You can be with them on the Lord's Day more than I've often thought of the Lord's Day Morning.
You know, if we were to walk in the room. And the Lord Jesus looked across the room and smiled.
And he was there physically, so we could actually see him. And he looked across the room and said, I'm so glad you came this morning, so glad you came to Remember Me in death, or how your heart would bubble up, how you'd praise God, how you'd rejoice like those disciples. And when they went home on the 20 of the John and they said to Thomas, we have seen the Lord, all my friends. The next week Thomas was there. Nothing. It's nothing to keep him away.
They had seen the Lord. The secret of blessing and joy was to see the Lord. Do you want to be with Jesus? Are you found at the prayer meeting?
Young man, young lady, young Christian sister and brother, are you found at the Bible reading. He wanted to be with them. It was one of the signs that he had met Jesus. He wanted to be with him, Somebody said yesterday. To know him is to love him. You can't know Jesus and not love him. To know Mr. Love him because he captures the heart. He captures the heart. He fills the heart with joy. He fills the heart with praise. Ought to know him is to love him.
Well, the next thing we see, the sixth thing, it tells us he obeyed in verse 19. Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and that had compassion on thee. He obeyed all obedience. He obeyed. He didn't argue with the Lord. I speak reverently. He didn't say, Well, I want to be with you. I found you know I want to be with you. When the Lord should go home. He went home. He obeyed.
All my friends, how wonderful this is. He obeyed the Blessed Lord's word.
And seven he confessed that Jesus was Lord. Notice that go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and verse. 20 He departed and began to publish into capitalists how great things Jesus had done for him, Why he owned that Jesus was the Lord.
00:40:15
Tell what great things the Lord hath done for thee, and when he went home to his friends, he said. This man, Jesus, this is the man who's called Jesus. He's done great things for me.
He had compassion on me. I was a poor man, a legion under the power of the devil. I was putting myself with stones. I was smashing the chains. But I met Jesus and all the joy in my heart as I met Jesus, as I sat at his feet, it is blessed feet. And heard his lovely words, looked up and it was lovely face. I was in the presence of Jesus. He's won my heart and he's the Lord. God said, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, Jesus is Lord.
Believe in my heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved on the authority of the living. God's Word and heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away, as our brother said this afternoon forever and all, Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. All men did marvel well, they might marvel, my friends, going back to New Brunswick just for a moment. I remember one day.
Going to one of the homes in New Brunswick in the little town of Macadam. And this man had a business, upholstering business and he brought us into his factory, so-called, and he had his chesterfields and chairs and things there. He was sort of a prosper looking man from McAdam, but he got talking about the gospel tent and he said, you know, there's a man here in McAdam, his name is David McKay, he said he used to work with me.
He worked for me, but he said I never could depend upon David McKay because he would disappear for 10 days. He would be drunk for 10 days, two weeks. I would never see my man coming to work. But he got religion and he said, my what a change has come over this man and our beloved brother, Pierre Patty was with me and his face lit up, is only his can light up. And he said, Mr. You're wrong.
You're wrong Mr. He didn't get religion, or the man said he did, Sir. He did. He's reading the Bible and he's singing and he's always talking about religion, Mr. Pirapada said again. And he said no Mr. He didn't get religion. He got Christ. He got Christ Mr. And you need him too. You need him too. All beloved brethren and dear friends tonight, how real this is to get Christ. The world is full of religion, fuller religion.
I often said as like the ANP store, you can go down with your wagon and get anything off the shelf. You want All kinds of religion. Anything you want. Christ. Rejecting religion, disobeying the word of God, denying the very truth of scripture. You can have any kind of religion you want. It will send you to hell, my friends. But God doesn't give us religion. He gives us a person. The person of Christ. The man who sat on the cross that is finished and he bowed his head. Oh, I love those words.
In John 19 he bowed his head.
All beloved, we should have bowed our heads for eternity in shame and disgrace. We should have bowed our heads for all eternal age. And we should have bowed our heads. But Jesus bowed his head. All blessed Savior, the only man I've ever lived with, had a reputation. The only good man, Whoever lived. God says there's none good. No, not one. Not even one good man in the world. There was one good man here.
And they crucified upon the cross of Calvary. They put them out of the world, but God received them in heaven. And all beloved is that blessed man ascended back into the glory. I believe that every Angel in heaven bowed before his blessed person is the man Christ Jesus, with the nail Prince in his hands and feet and the spear mark on his side, marched to the throne of God and sat down at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, the Christ.
The Christ, the Son of God. Jesus, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. He's coming back to judge this world. He offers you a pardon. Tonight he offers you salvation. Tonight he offers you blessing. Tonight, all my friends, is there any wonder the little hymn says Angel hosts their musing or the sights so strangely sad? God beseeching man refusing to be made forever glad.
All think of God, beseeching man. Come to me, he says. Come to me. I'll save you. I'll bless you. I'll give you heaven. If you'll only come to me, man, saying, no, I don't want you. I don't want you. I'd rather go to hell. I'd rather be damned in the pit. I'd rather be in darkness for eternity, weeping and wailing and gnashing my teeth and to come to Christ.
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Is beseeching God loves you. We sometimes said God has blocked the road to hell with the cross of Christ.
All my friend, are you going to pass the cross? This might be your last chance, your last opportunity.
For salvation. But all listen to this verse. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, claims of us from all sin. Just imagine all your sins washed away A free and a full pardon save for glory, save for glory. I stood outside the little hall and Thomas and New Brunswick and I was talking to a young lady who was a Roman Catholic. She had been attending the meetings and I believe that God was speaking to her and as we stood there talking to her.
We told her that we said these words all shall only receive Christ tonight. If only you'll receive Christ tonight, you'll be as ready for heaven as the apostle Paul, the apostle Peter, and all the other men of God in this world. And I saw the light breakthrough. Her face lit up. And that girl, I want to say this reverently, my friends, because there may be some young people in this room tonight who have got fathers and mothers who are Christians.
And who were not saved at home.
This Roman Catholic girl, I believe, received the Lord Jesus as her savior.
Her husband, her husband was brought up among the gathered Saints, and he's a Christ rejecter. He's a Christ rejector.
All my friends, I tell you, Solomon, the night that many of our young people are in the same boat as that man down in New Brunswick, Christ reject his religious Yes, they come to Sunday school, They come to the Gospel meet every Sunday night. But they're lost. They're lost. They've never, never, never.
Open their hearts to Christ. Never. Maybe there's somebody in this room just like that. You've never opened your heart to Christ. You're religious, but you're lost. You know the way to heaven, but you didn't take it. You've never, never, never, never had personal contact with the Lord Jesus Christ. And you're a dead corpse tonight. You're lost. Or won't you look to Jesus. He loves you. He died for you. He suffered the just for the unjust.
To bring us to God, not just to bring us into salvation, but to bring us to God. To bring us into the very presence of God, into the very family of God, as his children.
And to give us that joy and that peace and that happiness that only Christ can give.
All my friends, I pray before we sing our last hymn and pray together. I just ask you tonight, are you saved or lost?
Are you heaven bound or hell bound? If we were to read in the 8th chapter of Luke's Gospel, we'd find the climax of the story. For this man's testimony was so great that when Jesus came back, the people were all waiting for him. Isn't it wonderful? When he came back to this country, they were all waiting for him as a result of this man's testimony. What about our testimony? What about my testimony? What about your testimony? Are you speaking well of Jesus? Have you ever confessed a little boy? Maybe there's a boy here tonight.
Or a girl. And you say, well, I believe in Jesus. Did you ever speak well of them? Did you ever tell your mother?
By the Lord Jesus as my Savior, I know him. As my personal Savior, I've received him into my I've given him.
I have received God's salvation. I have received Christ.
I have received God's gift and I am saved for eternal ages. Praise God, Oh my friends, what a wonderful Savior. What a wonderful Savior we have brought before us in this 5th chapter of the gospel of Mark the risen, glorified, soon coming Son of God. I pray that all the glory and all the praise may be his, for he alone is worthy. Let us sing the last verse, the number 21.
Decide for Christ today. Confess Him as thy Lord. Proclaim to all the Saviors worth How faithful is His Word, the last verse only, and the chorus the number 21.
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I Have Kept the Faith

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I was thinking tonight of.
Of the last words we might say of the Apostle Paul.
Last words are quite interesting. I know the man that I work for had a book entitled The Last Word and it was a very interesting to read the last words of different men. Of course some of these men were unsaved, others were saved, some were going on with the Lord and some were but.
The Apostle Paul, the last known writing that we have from him is the 4th chapter of Second Timothy.
And we might just read part of that.
I charge thee, therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in Kingdom.
Preach the word the instant, in season out of season. Reprove your rebuke. Exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own loss shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fable.
But watch thou in all things endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist.
Make full proof of thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith henceforth as laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearance.
Perhaps that's far enough for now.
I suppose we can enter into the Apostle Paul's feelings here Little.
Because.
He'd had words, so to speak, that he was going to leave this world.
Said that only two men were told that they were going to die, and the Apostle Paul was one of them. Peter was the other. Peter was told that he would.
Die like his master.
But the Apostle Paul no doubt feels the condition of things.
And we might say how much like the very day in which we live.
There's no chapter, perhaps, that fits our day any better than this one.
And we might say that the apostle Paul wrote 100 chapters.
And this is number 100. I thought that was quite, quite a coincidence when I discovered that this chapter was number 100.
And we were talking to Naive at the supper table of the importance of love and how that love should bind us together. And so much the more as we see the day approaching. There's a day coming, a reckoning day. And I think the day spoken up in Scripture usually has reference to the reckoning day. I remember the statement of Brother Willis.
Some time ago when somebody came to.
A certain missionary years ago and.
Told this missionary that he had it on his heart to serve the Lord, but that he also was offered a very good position in which he would make enough money to promote the the cause of the gospel too.
But.
This was the statement that the missionary gave him. It was look at your life from behind her part.
Well, I thought that was quite, quite a, quite a way to put it. How good, if we would, so to speak, look at our life in view of the end of the journey. I mean, just for a moment be at the end of the journey, ready to be ushered into the presence of God and then look back over our life. Well, what kind of a life do we wish we might say at that time?
We have, well, he said. View the things that way just now.
Look back over your life and see what you'd like your life to be like just before you step into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
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Well, that's something to think about, isn't it?
We're so busy these days of preparing for things here and we forget the real things of value.
And they often have to take the back seat.
Well, here the apostle Paul doesn't exactly enjoin them on the basis of love. Here it seems to me, a man that is somewhat a little on the, should I say, on the desperate side. Maybe that isn't the right word, but it's as much as said, we'll put it this way anyway, if love doesn't move you.
Well, I'm going to bring before you something else. And so he brings before them the coming judgment.
He says the Lord Jesus here I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead and his appearing I think it should read and his appearing in Kingdom.
Now the Lord Jesus Christ is going to judge the quick and the dead. There's a judgment ahead for this world.
I was thinking of that when I was in Chicago a few weeks ago and you would do the, the expression on people's faces. There was a, there was a, a different expression than I've ever seen before or since then. But I have thought that this world is guilty of the death of Christ. And though it's nearly 2000 years ago.
This world is held guilty.
Of the blood of the Lord Jesus. And over a moment it will be when they will be called up, and to answer as to what they have done with our blessed Lord. So he brings before them the judgment of the living and the dead. Now we know those two judgments are not at the same time the judgment of the living.
Is in the 25th of Matthew and that follows the Great tribulation.
There we find the nations broth before the Lord Jesus, and they are judged, and then they are cast alive into the lake of fire, and those never appear before the great white throne. That's the judgment of the living, but the judgment of the dead are those that have died unsaved.
They will not be raised until after the great tribute, after the millennials, after 1000 years millennial, then the dead, the unsaved dead will come forth and stand before the great white throne and to be judged. Well, Apostle Paul much has said, if you're if love doesn't move your heart, give a little glimpse of the seriousness of the judgment to come.
Those that die out of Christ.
Our love forever and I was just thinking of a little incident that I read not long ago or I heard.
And I'll just tell it it's in connection with a, with a man that had.
Wandered around a place where they had a large ball. I don't know if they kept food in there or what, but he was around close to the door and he saw in the care people that they caretaker going to the door.
And he thought, well, I'll slip in there while the man is working in there and trying. I'll get off before he gets out. But it didn't turn out that way. He got into this wall and the caretaker left and closed the door. He didn't know he was in there. And here he was in what you might call outer darkness.
He couldn't see a thing.
And so he wandered around in there, and he wondered what would happen to him.
And finally he got kind of hungry and he had an apple or something in his pocket and he divided this up. He thought he did part of it now. He thought it was about dinnertime and he'd eat part of it and then save the rest because he he didn't know when he'd get out.
And so he continued walking around in there as might as well as he could, but finally he got kind of sleeping. He thought, well, it's about my time to go to bed. So he he sat down and he went to sleep.
And after while he woke up, I usually wake up about 7:00 in the morning. So we thought, well, it's about that.
And so it went on to till he thought the practically the next day was gone. Well, finally the door opened and.
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Via the they had they had missed the man and the door opened and they went in and there he was. So he brought him out into daylight and the man said, well how long was I in here?
And the caretaker looked at his wife, He said, Well, about 45 minutes.
Well, think of the.
Of the judgment of God, and to be consigned into the lake of fire, where the door will never open.
Where time, well, we can't fathom it, but I think that perhaps this might stir our hearts a little, not only for the world, the unsaved that we see, but the Saints children. We say, well, a parent ought to be concerned about his children. Well, that's true, but what a privilege it is for those of us that are grown to be concerned about the Saints children.
That they might be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and that they might be shepherded and cared for lest they would come into such a place. Well, in view of the judgment to come, how it ought to exercise our hearts to to be diligent here. And so he brings out the thought in verse 2.
Preach the Word. Preach the Word. My, how important it is. Preach the word. There's all kinds of preaching today, but it says preach the word. Well, there's power in the word, isn't there? My, what a difference.
There there are all kinds of gimmicks and so forth in connection with the gospel, and men are maybe persuaded to accept it in a in just a.
Literal way and there's never a work in the heart, but if we come with the word of God.
There's power in the word and.
A man isn't deceived, you know, so many times.
Men are deceived. Today we have a group in wall that is very busy with what they call a businessman's breakfast. And some of these men that I no doubt are saved, but they'll sit in with a business worldly businessman and they'll talk over temple things and finally they'll bring in some pointed things about the gospel and.
Kind of railroad the man in make him make some kind of a confession well.
It isn't real and it's actually worse than before. A man that has made a profession and turns aside, he's harder to reach than ever. So we have the privilege of preaching the word. The apostle Paul could say I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because I know what it'll do. But to use anything else well.
We find that he says here preach the word and then it says be instant in season and out of season.
Well.
Isn't that a real tool of the enemy? Again and again to say, well it just isn't the place. It just isn't in the season you may get an opportunity and really feel perhaps.
Convicted as to saying something but.
There's an enemy that whispers in our ears that says, well, it just isn't the time. This isn't the place, and but when it comes to divine things, let's be awfully careful. Maybe that's true, that there there is wisdom necessary, but still, how many times we would allow the enemy to say to us, well, this just isn't in seed?
But so the apostle Paul here says, in view of the judgment, to come preach the Word.
The instant in season and out of season and then he stands further here.
Reprove, rebuke, exhort. And I rather like the new translation there because it isn't altogether along this line. I think it says convict.
And perhaps reprove and encourage.
Well, that's a nice combination, isn't it? There is such a thing necessary as conviction, and the word does convict and the word does reprove and the word does encourage. And how we need to be on the line of those. Perhaps sometimes we're more on the line of reproving, reproving, reproving. But you know, you can't live on reproof. Reproof is a wonderful thing or where it's needed, but but it isn't the type of a thing.
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Live on and grow on. We need encouragement and we need to encourage one another. But he says here with all long-suffering and doctrine.
Well, these are just plain words to you and me. You know, we're living in a day where there's no manifest gift to speak of, and Timothy reminds me of that. Timothy. Paul could speak of Timothy as my own son in the faith.
What did he mean when he said my own son in the faith? Well, Timothy was that one that that person that carried on that which Paul taught.
Well, what kind of a man was Timothy? He wasn't a he wasn't an apostle Paul. He wasn't a Philippian jailer, but Timothy was rather, we might say, a timid, timid sort of a man and he wasn't altogether in good health according to the word that said, take a little wine for my stomach steak. Well, that's the kind of people you and I are. We're we're more or less those times that have been brought up in the truth and the Lord.
Pleased to to to build up a gathered Saints by Timothy in that way. So this is just a word to you and me and the day in which we live. We have no idea of the giving up in Christendom today. Well, the past 10 years have been tremendous for giving up.
There's some men, dear men too, and Walla Walla men you do business with and all, and you meet them on the street.
And I used to could meet them and have a word with them about divine things and about the coming of the Lord. But now you meet them and they've lost that. Well, in a circumstance they perhaps don't really know what's happened, but they've gotten out of communion with the Lord through things that they have allowed in their homes. Well, this type of thing is going on all around. And as we see that coming in, it seems to me like we as the Lord's people ought to.
Ought to be drawn together.
All that the Lord might have a testimony here and that we might not be swallowed up.
With a tendency all around us. Now this isn't finding fault with us around, but it's the truth and we too are falling into the spirit of it. But by the grace of God, if we could take Pauls last word serious, serious enough that they would grip our hearts and that you and I would say, let's go on afresh again to seek to save the day. If you allow me to use that expression.
So he says here for the time will come.
When they will not endure sound doctrine, and that's where we are. But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears?
And known as this solemn verse four. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Is there anything more solemn than the government of God?
If we were in that verse and.
And 2nd Thessalonians 2 That says God shall send them strong delusions as they believe a lie. What's a serious thing to turn our ears away from the truth?
Far more serious than we ever realized. How many have done it, turned their ears away from the truth, and they come, came under the government of God, who returned unto fables. All how this world is rushing madly now, The religious world rushing madly after fables. We know what's happening. One world, one church. Are we going to fall into the spirit of it, or are we going to draw nearer to the Lord than we ever were?
That when the Lord Jesus shouts from the glory will be there to open the door, as it says on the 12Th of Luke on the threshold, just the moment we hear his voice and the bridegroom returns from the wedding and be there to grab the doorknob.
Well, we get another verse here.
The We get the positive side here again, and the personal side.
And this is so important, it seems to me. But watch thou in all things again. The other translation would say there be sober, be sober.
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As we had on on Thanksgiving Day, the fifth of Second Thessalonians.
When you think of what's coming on this world and the darkness of the day, of darkness in which we live, it calls for soberness and soberness.
It's the.
It clears the way, so to speak, to get into the presence of God.
You know even the prayer that the Lord teaches when they ask teachers to pray and the Lord says he begins like this. Our Father, which is in heaven, hallowed be thy name, hallowed be thy name. Well in those five expressions in that prayer, which is called the Lord's Prayer. While we get a real formula for prayer, if we if you allow me to use that expression, but it begins anyway with.
Be thy name. Now remember our brother Dustin Gill once saying that?
How we should, and so to speak, rush into the presence of the Lord and just.
Well, he said you wouldn't think of doing it to a dignitary, you wouldn't think of doing it to the queen. It would approach her with, with reverence. Well, he mentioned how important that is to approach the Lord Jesus with, with, with reverence and with, with a sort of an introduction. I don't mean a lot of words, but just.
I think there's a word in Ecclesiastes that I'll read at this just to show the thought, but.
Well, be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before the God.
Utter anything before God.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. Well, I'd call for a certain amount of reverence as we approach the Lord. And so here he speaks of sobriety.
And then he also says endure affliction. Well, that's what's connected with it, and that's what we sidetrack so often. We're not willing to endure what goes along with the gospel, what goes along with the truth. It's affliction.
We say to ourselves, well, if I'm walking in the truth, well, I think everything would go smoothly. I think my brother would all throw their arms around me and appreciate me.
But this isn't the case. The Lord doesn't permit it to be the case. What would happen if we would be so?
Meet such approval as well. It reminds me of and Mark where you get the mothers bringing the their children to the to the Lord, and the Lord takes them up in his arms and blesses them.
And the disciples say, well, don't bother the Lord, take your children away. Well, the Lord, so to speak, he grew closer to the children and he loved them.
Well, sometimes they supposing he had taken Peter in his arms and loved them, while Peter would have looked around at the other level and said, well, I guess the Lord loves me just a little more than he does the rest of you. Well, this is the kind of a heart we have this we're playing to. And so we met well might remember that through disapproval. We might say not exactly that either, but.
Through reproach or affliction is the way we grow.
As this struck away a statement that her brother made over the weekend in San Diego. You know the Lord Jesus.
Speaks of him as a root out of dry ground. Well, he said, you know, young men grow up through their brothers, through their older brother, and there's a lot of truth to that. Sometimes it's pretty dry ground. But if you stand the test, you're going to have a good foundation. So the theory says endure all things.
Endure infliction during the work of an evangelist.
I've been, I've been struck by that expression and do the work of an evangelist.
You know.
We sometimes say, well, there's none of us really evangelists, there's none of us really gospel preachers, but we're supposed to do the work of an evangelist. Well, this is a good thought and it is true. We ought to all do the the work of an evangelist. I don't mean publicly, but day by day. I'm sure the Lord allows someone to cross our path where we might do the work of evangelists.
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But I thought something further on the work the the emphasis is on the work.
And I don't really think that Timothy needed to be exhorted to be an evangelist because.
I believe Timothy was one of those tender hearted brothers that perhaps loved to preach the gospel he may have.
Shield away a little bit from the ministry and from reproof and exhortation and so forth, but I believe that Timothy enjoyed giving the gospel.
But he speaks here of the work of an evangelist.
Now with that, let's turn to the 10th of Luke and see if we can maybe get a little glimpse of what's meant by the work of an evangelist.
It's a it's really a serious thing in a way.
To to give the gospel to souls and maybe a soul be saved, or maybe more than one will be saved. And then you pass on to the next one and to the next and you just think of these little babies that are born and there's no care given them. Isn't that a serious thing?
Well, think of the work of the Maritimes, for instance. There they give off the gospel and then they follow up those sheep, those little lambs, and seek to shepherd them. Well, that to me is the work of an evangelist. That is the work that's involved. We have a brother-in-law that loves to preach the gospel on the street, and he's a good gospel preacher. But if there's a soul that's exercised or or gets saved, why you'll find that brother out seeking him afterwards.
To seek to carry him along, to shepherd him and so forth. Well, here we get a picture of that.
Notice we have a lawyer in this picture.
In the.
In verse 25 of the 10th of Luke. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life, and so forth.
I often think you know that, that we maybe make better lawyers than neighbors. A lawyer can tell you just what's wrong. But how about the remedy? What's the good of telling a poor stumbling brother or sister what's wrong if you haven't got the remedy?
Well, this is often the case with us, and it's just a cold thing and we can be lawyers again and again. But Brother Penfield used to use a very awkward statement, but I'll just pass it on. He said it's no use raising the devil if he can't stay, and if no use diagnosing a brother or a sister's case if you can't help them, or diagnosing a case in the assembly if you can't help them. But here was a man. He was a neighbor.
Now this what? What does the neighbor do?
1St we find the condition of the poor one that had fallen here in.
Verse 30 and Jesus answering said a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him.
Departed, leaving him half dead.
Well, here's one that we can picture as a Saint of God. He's left the place of blessing. He's gone down. How many have gone down, down, down the Roman St. Who's to blame? Maybe, maybe, maybe where to blame? Maybe the assembly is to blame that a man has fallen. But here's one that's fallen. But it's serious to anyone that might be going that journey.
Be sure one thing is going to fall among seeds.
And these thieves are not going to do anything for him.
The Luke has a way of presenting to us the extreme case in connection with the prodigal son. He He presents the extreme case, a man that had gone as far as you could go.
Many of us haven't gone that far, but we're all more or less prodigal. The prodigal is one that does his own will more or less in our life, especially maybe at one time or another. We have done our own will here. He he supposes the extreme case here. Here's a man that's robbed of his possession. He's robbed of his coat. You know, we have the other day of what the coat speaks of. It's it's the conduct. It's.
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That which is on the outside, He took everything away from the man, but he's life, He couldn't take that. This is a wonderful truth and praise the Lord if we've got a hold of it, that if, if we have been born again, if we have been saved, that our life is still in us, as we could say of Eureka. His life is still in him and praise the Lord for that. But we don't want to think of that lightly in any way.
But here are the thieves that took all they could take and my what a condition the man was in.
Out on a farm, sometimes we find a calf or something that we would call half dead, whether life isn't worth very much.
And here was one that was half dead and there he lay health. Now he needed someone to come along and help him. And that's what a lot of these dear ones need that have fallen, that have drifted away. They need someone to come to help them. And so this neighbour, he comes. Now we were preaching the gospel. We could bring in the Lord Jesus there in a wonderful way, but.
A pictured a man that had life. His life was still in him. But here comes one.
Well, there we have the Levite and the priest. There you have those, that element of judgment that could tell him just while when you look at there what kind of condition you are in, why you're helpless and you can't, there's no hope for you. Well, that's what the priest and the Levite would say. But here comes along a neighbor doesn't say anything about him being hopeless or in in.
In bad shape, but he comes equipped with what the man needed.
He comes with the oil.
He comes with a wine. The oil is that which sustains. He comes with a wine. That's the return of joy, we might say. And then he doesn't stop there. He has the beast. He puts him on his own beast.
All the Robert Saints, you know, your Sunday school teacher often gets discouraged because she doesn't or he doesn't see any particular results and.
He he never gets a thank you.
It ought not be that way, but many times we have seen it where maybe our brother is teaching a group of boys and he's just putting himself into it and they don't seem to be getting anywhere. And even maybe the parents of the children are finding false saying, well, he just isn't doing it the way he ought to do it. Well, this shouldn't be. At least parents ought to sort of.
To help those teachers and be with them, be one with them, in them.
But here we're trying to what it takes. You've just got to be willing to do that.
Who was it that I could say being spent? Think of what the Apostle Paul said. I'll just read that verse in 2nd Corinthians 12.
He says, And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. Now this is hardly infallible, is it, that it should be sold? But this is what the apostle Paul had to say. And so this man, this neighbor, he not only toured in the oil and the wine, but he put him on his own beach.
Well.
There he walked, the neighbor walked, and the man rode. And I've often been struck by this, this very portion. We never hear the man say anything. We don't hear him say thank you for your kindness. Well, this is often the case. Parents maybe are seeking to bring up their children for the Lord.
And they don't seem to appreciate it at all. They're brought into a place of blessing.
Put themselves out that they might learn to know the Lord and go on with the Lord. And yes, they don't seem to ever get a thank you or appreciation, but it will come. It will come sometime. Maybe it'll come after the children are grown and have their own family. And if it doesn't come, then why? You'll meet it in the glory. There's a reckoning day coming.
All that says, do the work of evangelist.
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Was willing to walk and he put the other man on his own beast and where did he take him? He took him to the end. Now the end in Scripture is a picture of the assembly, all the Saints. It's really important if one is is saved to you that you get on your knees before the Lord. That man might be taken to the end.
And where he has cared for.
That's the only place really that he's cared for.
As it says here.
And when he brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Serve him on his own beef and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Well, what blessing there is connected with?
We're following up one that says.
What may I ask you how much better they would say to care for the little ones? The children that we have were more interested, so to speak, to care for those children that we have and that a whole lot of others be born. And so the world says, join the Church of your choice. But oh, what a terrible thing that is to say. How many dear believers?
Just are saved and then they follow this advice.
To join the Church of your choice and they don't get any care. They don't get any shepherding, they don't get any food. What kind of a baby is that? That doesn't get any care any, any law, any food.
Well, praise the Lord that there is an end in this city.
And it's been encouraging to be here and to see the interest, especially of the young men, the interest in divine things.
Oh how the Lord values it. And an interest in one another that we might go on.
So it says here.
Take care of him.
And whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will retain thee.
Well, I think we might learn from that. Whatsoever thou spend us more is that it may take more grace to do this than we had an kiss away anticipated. But there's more grace. Whatever thou spendest more, while it's there, it'll be taken care of.
So we are enjoined to do the work of an evangelist.
And this can be done, you know, like I say, by encouraging one another.
How easy, again, it is to be a lawyer, isn't it? Am I to take the word of God and just to read the right act to a man or to an assembly? Well, that isn't the answer. Is there anyone willing to get down with a man in and to pour in the oil and the wine? And you know you can't pour in anything you don't have yourself.
You can never bring anymore to the assembly than you have in your personal life. Never. You can never bring any more to the assembly than you have in your home. That's the beginning place really. In your home, you read the word of God. In your home you pray and pray at home, you pray together with your children when you can bring that to the assembly. But the other thing if we're neglecting.
Our our home life.
Election of divine thing. We can come to meeting, but we're not going to, we're not going to add anything.
On the other hand.
You know, if we are like the cells of Luke. Luke is called the beloved physician.
Now a man left a beloved physician surely is a beloved brother, isn't it? I'm sure that that Luke was a beloved brother, but the Spirit of God calls him the beloved physician.
That is, the Luke was exactly the same in his occupation as he was in the Assembly.
Oh, can can you be referred to as the beloved grocery man or the beloved farmer, or whatever it might be? Well, isn't it wonderful to be in our natural lives just what we should be in the assembly?
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Well, this man was brought to the inn and the neighbor was able to. The neighbor was the one that undertook for him. And again I say let's practice to be neighbors rather than lawyers.
Now it says here make full proof of thy ministry or as much as Sir Timothy, God has given you a ministry. Now carry it out. He had to say to Archie, puff in in the book of Philippians to take heed to the ministry archipelago. Take heed to the ministry which God have given you. Let you fulfill us. Well, I believe God has given every one of us a ministry. I don't that means service.
It doesn't mean public speaking or, or teaching, but God has given everyone of us something. It's sometimes said when we're born in this world, we were born with a certain color. If that talent were developed, that would characterize it well. When we're born again, God has given us a certain talent in divine things. Well, it's it's, it isn't exactly.
What we should say? I wonder what my talent is.
Point but like brother Armand said once whatsoever thy hand find us to do, do it with light light. It didn't matter so much of what what it is that I have, but I believe if whatsoever our hands find us to do, do it with our might, that's something close by. It isn't over across the water someplace or the neighbor's house, but right here and so.
It's like it says in Mark that he he gave to every man his work.
Now, this is really something to exercise each one of us because it brings harmony if I'm doing the work that God has given me, but how often maybe I'm getting into another person's field or a work that God has given me. So it's really wonderful and the grace of God for each of us to find our own level, so to speak, our own place, and that brings in harmony.
So he serves out to Timothy here, and then he asks, for I am now ready to be offered.
Well, the apostle Paul could speak of being ready to be offered. He was ready. It's a wonderful thing to be ready. If there's one here that's still unsaved, you're not ready.
Scripture says be ready also for on such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh. But this verse is Speaking of a believer being ready. I was visiting a lady in the hospital quite a long while ago and.
And we had a conversation and you could tell that she was the Lord.
But he said I'm not ready to die.
Well, I said, you appear to be saved. Yes, he said, I am saved, but I'm not ready to die. And I said, well, why aren't you ready to die? Well, she said, I've been going on in a in a path that isn't pleasing to the Lord.
Well, in that sense he wasn't ready, and in that sense you and I are not ready. No, we're not. How wonderful to meet the Lord, to be looking for Him here, to be seeking by His grace to walk with Him. And then when you meet Him, it's a meeting of joy rather than we might say, as this lady told me, that she was not ready.
When the Apostle Paul was ready.
You know, it was a great concern of Paul that he might finish his course with joy, and I believe that you.
Dear young brothers and young sisters, that's a good.
Expression to get ahold of and a good desire and a good end to work to, to finish your course with joy. And if you're going to live for yourself here, you're not going to finish it with joy. My wife works in a rest home a good deal. That is the work that brings the gospel to them. And she finds many there that are very, very unhappy.
Christians too, with a very unhappy.
But if you inquire into their lives a little, you find that they live for themselves while they were here, and now they're more or less dying by themselves.
But I believe that the expression has been said that we die a good deal the way we live.
And so I think this would really, it should exercise our hearts that we might finish our course with joy. And the apostle Paul did that, he could say.
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The time of my departures at hand, I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Now this is wonderful. What are what are recommendations? Both of Paul wasn't boasting when he said this. This was the truth. This characterized the Apostle Paul.
I remember a brother that took my father's funeral. Read those verses. There was never anything outstanding about my father, but this was true of him, that he had finished his course, but he had kept the faith and that he had, that he had fought a good fight. I never knew my father ever to step aside from the path of faith.
Well.
Will there even be anything outstanding about any of us?
But my husband to read this verse once in a while and say, well is this going to be true of me?
Do we seek grace from the Lord Jesus of this light between? Do we see grace from Him that our hearts might be knit together in love?
Are we going to allow everything to crumble and each one go his own way? What kind of a family is there? Well, we don't like it on our own families. Do they do it? Neither does the Lord want it in His family.
And so He speaks here of a crown. Henceforth there is made-up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge. I like that expression there. The Lord, the righteous God, He has the last word on everything. He is the one that puts the right value and the right slant on your pathway in mind. It's not going to be any mistake about it. I might be misjudging you. You might be misjudging me, but.
And when the righteous judge.
When he meets off the crown, the crown, you know, speaks of reward. It's going to be.
Just exactly the way it's supposed to be. You're going to have just what you have common.
The Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me in that day, and now that day. Spoken of here is the judgment seat of Christ.
One way in the glory is going to be the judgment seat of Christ, and our pathway here will be reviewed.
And the righteous judge will meet out to everyone just what is there. There'll be no mistake about it. But the apostle Paul makes another statement here that again should exercise our hearts, and that is, and not to me only, but unto all other believers.
The Lord doesn't say that, but unto all them that love his appearing.
At the coming of the Lord the rapture, 1 servant will not differ from another, will all be caught up be with the Lord, but at his appearing we will see the results of the judgment seat of Christ. And so when he appears, then there's going to be a difference. One servant will differ from another.
That we get it in Matthew 25. There's a difference of reward. So that too should exercise our hearts in view of that day. Now, do you and I love his appearing? Are we looking forward to the day of manifestation? Are we looking forward to the day when our life will be manifest? Well, if we're going on badly, we're not looking forward to that day. There's no joy connected with.
His appearing.
We have met Christians that have made that statement that there is no joy. They have no joy in connection with the resurrection.
Or they rather think of themselves as just a spirit, maybe in heaven. But I guess if you search out the reason, it's because they're not going on with the Lord. They're not happy. They've got something in their lives that they're not happy to meet the Lord. But here the expression is unto all them that love his appearance doesn't mean now that love the rapture.
But those that love His appearance love the day of manifestation, love the day when the Lord Jesus will have His rightful place. Well, how many of us perhaps are allowing things in our lives?
That are really hindering us from this joy. But now when we view again the judgment to come, if we want to view it from that way and think of the Apostle Paul's last words, last written words.
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Holly enjoys us to do the work of an evangelist. Or are we ready? Are we willing to stoop down and pick up our fallen brother to pour in oil and wine, not to push him down further? Pour in oil and wine.
And put him on our own beat and take him to the end and say take care of him.
Well, this is our privilege, and so again, let's remember what a joy it will be if we finish our course with joy. And then there's the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will give us in that day. And if possible, Paul could say, not to me only, but unto all those that love his appearing.
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Building the Wall - Part 2

Address—A.C. Hayhoe
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Return again tonight's plays to the Book of Nehemiah.
3rd chapter of the Book of Nehemiah.
I don't believe it to be necessary to recount what was covered the other evening.
Except, perhaps to mention this, that we do have in this chapter an account of a remnant of God's beloved people who by His wondrous grace have been restored from their captivity to the place of His appointment. They have in their midst the House of the Lord. They have their own.
Home to establish roundabout the House of the Lord. What a privilege that is.
And now they feel the need of a wall between themselves and the enemy that is on every hand. And we notice the other evening that this wall begins by the mention of the sheep gate, which we believe would suggest to us that in order that you and I may consider ourselves numbered among this happy company.
Gathered to his own most precious name, that first of all, it begins.
The day when you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Isn't that a happy thing to look back to? I was talking to someone today who told me of the day when he put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Much like myself, he had been brought up to hear the Gospel so often and believe it was true, but the day had never yet come when he had accepted the Lord Jesus as his own. I'm glad that day has come.
In my life, but I want to begin tonight by asking you once again up and down the road, a boy and a girl and the young people. Are you, each one of you sure that this very first verse is that which is your wonderful privilege that this sheep.
Gate is that which opens the door to that wonderful, wonderful privilege.
Of being able to look up and say the Lord is my.
Shepherd and he looks down and says, I know my feet. I like that. As he looks up and down the road tonight, he can say that which I cannot say. He looks up and down and he says I know my feet. All I can see is a number of people sitting here with Bible.
But I cannot see your heart.
But I remember on one occasion.
At a gospel meeting At the close of a three day general conference.
A young lady came to me in very great distress and she said I would like to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior tonight.
For I said I must be mistaken. I thought I saw you this morning remembering the Lord Jesus in his bed. He hung her head.
Since that I have been.
Taking the Lord's Supper for over years, but I have never yet accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior.
It's a very, very, very solemn thing to look into the faces of those who are gathered here and to realize that if the Lord came before, this meeting was over.
That only those in this company who can truthfully say the Lord is my shepherd, who would hear that voice and be called away to meet him.
Well, now I think we ought to start with verse 6.
I think the other evening we finished with verse five. We noticed there that among those who were building on that wall were those known as Picoites. And we noticed that there were those among them who were noble. They were leaders among these people known as Sequel Ice. But these nobles didn't do their work with all their heart. And the Lord observed it, and the Lord recorded it.
We are reading about it tonight. We mentioned that the other evening, didn't we?
I wonder if we have remembered it since then. It wasn't very long ago, just two nights ago. But I wonder if we have in any little measure try to bear this in mind, that that which the Lord gives to you or to me the privilege of doing for Him, ought to be done with our whole heart.
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Heart simply because we love him so much.
Or I just felt just a little bit distressed. I must admit, as I got to the close of the meeting here the other evening, I was very much afraid that I had presented this as a sort of negative picture, a picture where there was a wall saying thou shalt not, and that we were sort of hemmed in. And I didn't want to present that picture. The picture that I see here is this, as though God looked down and said, I love you. I love you with all my heart and.
Want you to have the very happiest days possible year, days of heaven upon the earth. And here are my instructions so that you may have just such a pathway. And when the Lord who loved us and who died for us, gives us in His word something that would please Him, could we dare for one moment to attach the word legal or restraint to any such request?
Should it not be immediately the eager desire of our heart to do that which He has made known to us?
The other day I got word from my wife that she had broken.
A piece of her chinaware known as Desert Rose Franciscan Ware.
And she said, I think you're in the area where they're made. Could you possibly go to the factory and see if you can find?
A duplicate of the piece that I have broken.
Now, what do you suppose I did? Do you suppose I said? Oh, I suppose I'll have to. She's told me to do it, so I suppose I'll have to. Do you think that thought entered my mind? I've gone there already, and I got two of the pieces she asked for, and tasty bites another one. It was just a real pleasure to me to go. She let me know something that would bring her pleasure, and I've already found the light.
Delight in fulfilling that request.
And let me tell you, this dear child of God, that as you and I open this book and find in it certain things that our nasty old nature may tell us, our restricting and difficult, just remember this, that they were put there for your happiness and blessings and for His glory.
I was asking a brother today if he could tell me.
The other part of a certain verse.
I'm going to ask you the same thing and I'll just leave it to you to be honest with yourself whether you know the answer. There is a scripture which says.
Be content with such things as he has.
What is the rest of that verse?
I'll let you think for just a moment and then I'll tell you.
Because I think it illustrates the principle that's on my heart tonight. We might look up and say, well, I guess I'll have to be, because God has the right to speak to me like that. God has the authority to tell me what to do because he is God. But he doesn't speak to us like that. Beloved, every such instruction in the word of God has with it a tender note of love that makes it a delight to obey.
If you thought of the rest of the verse yet.
Content with such things as He has or he has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Isn't there a delight to contentment when we have that as a basis of it? Isn't there an added thrill of joy to all our blessings when we realize our hearts behind those blessings?
I'm not getting around the wall, am I? But another thought has just come to my mind and I'd like to pass it on to you as just the beginning of a meditation that I would like you to take home and continue.
The meditation that has made my blessings from His hands more sweet to my heart.
We might think of a man of wealth reaching into his possessions and dispensing them to us. And perhaps it doesn't cost him very much to be so kind to us because he is so wealthy. But the word of God says, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that he through his poverty might be rich. And in meditating on that glorious first one day.
There came to my soul this wonderful spot. Could it be that every blessing that I possess?
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Cost him the opposite, in suffering and in pain. To bless me thus.
And this is the way it runs in scriptures. I'll start off and leave it to you to finish it at home.
Give you the depth of his poverty and the height of our riches as a result. My God, my God, for hast thou forsaken me? I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. I think in deep mire where there is no standing. I am coming to deep waters where the floods overflow me. When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee through the floods. They shall not overflow thee. In my first they gave me vinegar to drink.
To him that is a thirst will I give the fountain of the water of life. Really they parted my raiment among them, and upon my vester they did cast luck. Bring forth the best robe and put it on him. I looked. This undertake pity, and there were none. Like as a father pity as his children, so the Lord pity of them, and fear him and for comforters, and I found none. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come.
They had hated me with a without a father more than the hairs in my head. The Son of God who loves me and gave himself for me. Refuge failed me was fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that before before.
Away with Him, crucify Him. Let us draw near with a true heart.
In full assurance of faith, I assure you, beloved, that's only a beginning. If you'll take that thought home and meditate upon it, you'll never come to the end of it. All our riches were at such infinite cost.
And the wisdom of this pastor is intended that you and I should be.
Richly blessed Well in the sixth verse, the old gates.
Repaired Jehoiada son of affair.
And masculine, the son of death of the eye, they laid the beams there often set up. The doors are off, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
This is the next gate after the fish Gate, I believe The other evening we suggested that that should speak to our heart as to our privilege and responsibility in me being numbered among the fishers of men. And I hope that that is an earnest, prayerful desire in the heart of everyone. Or you say that I don't have any gift in the Gospel.
Below that, it doesn't take any gift to pray for the gospel, does it? And if you and I have a heart for the gospel, we will be found praying about it.
Shall I make a public confession?
First time I was asked to preach the gospel in a hall.
I won't tell you all I went through.
But I refused, and I paced up and down and up and down in my room.
The brother called me back and asked me would I try. I went to look at the calendar and the verse said.
Who made man both? Have not I the Lord?
When I went to the meeting room, I sat on the front row and I prayed and I prayed and I prayed as I had never prayed for the gospel before that night. You know why?
I think you do because I was the one that had to try to tell it out that night. Oh, how I pray.
Maybe I shouldn't tell you much of the rest of it, but I stood up there and I tried to give up to him and the sound just wouldn't come out.
I picked up a glass of water and I had to hold that glass of water with both hands while the water was splashing out both sides before I could give out the hip. And I know the Lord did that in order to make me feel my absolute helplessness. But I want to tell you the sequel. The next Lord's Day evening, I was sitting up there and I looked at my watch and it was within 5 minutes of the time the meeting would begin. And what do you suppose I was doing?
I was relaxing. I was perfectly comfortable because I didn't have to speak that night. And all of a sudden I said to myself, you hypocrite, this time last Lord day, you were praying so earnestly and you were just praying so earnestly because you were going to be up there and didn't want to make a failure of it.
And it has been a voice to my heart. I looked into the faces of the brothers and the sisters, and I speak with all my heart that every one of us may have a more earnest urban heart for the gospel, for the lost than we have now. The fish gate, but it's followed by the old gate. Why is that?
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I believe that's very, very, very needful for us.
I need it and I think we all do. Could we turn over to that well known passage in the 6th of Jeremiah passage which I know is often quoted Jeremiah 6?
And verse 16.
Thus saith the Lord, Stand thee in the ways, and see and ask for the old path, where is the good way, and walk therein, and he shall find rest for your soul.
May what I suggest that the old date is a caution and a warning to us.
It had its lock and it had its bar, For in the day in which we're living, there is on every hand a vigorous attempt to make us feel that the simple presenting of the dock full of the grace of God with the grand story of His matchless love and of man's guilt, and of the precious blood of Christ.
Is something that is old and out of date. Let it ought to be dressed in new language, and that new methods ought to be used in order to attract the people to be found under the sound of it. Oh, let us take a word of warning from this old gate, with this lock and with its barn, and let us be on guard, beloved, that though our hearts ought to be more earnestly.
The gospel than they are this night. Let us stand by the old gate, and not allow that which is, shall we say, of the space age, to try and introduce itself into the grand old message of the grace of God as told in the precious blood of Christ. I hope that the gospel will never be preached from this spot where I stand tonight.
Without mention of a crisis. Blood of Christ.
Well, let's go on to verse.
I think we promised to close on time. Let's go on to verse 9 next. Under them repaired rest the eye of the son of her, the ruler of half part of Jerusalem.
Think we made mention of something of this sort the other evening, but I love to notice as we go down the chapter that there were a positaries and there were Goldsmiths and there were rulers and whatnot standing shoulder to shoulder in this responsibility of building the wall. No one seemed to feel at this time that it was someone else's job.
There, they said, no matter what their status might be, no matter what their esteem might be in the eyes of others.
There they stood up on that wall, and with one accord, or so it seems in the story, they builded the wall.
And I believe there's a lesson for us in this. I believe that each and everyone of us, each brother and each sister, ought to feel in the presence of the Lord.
Your personal responsibility in this matter. I know we're very much inclined to look up to the older brethren, shall we say, in the Assembly, and feel it to be especially incumbent upon them that they see to these matters.
And I assure you, beloved, that God does hold a very solemn sense of responsibility before those who are in such a position. In fact, it's very striking to notice in the second epistle to the Ephesians.
Does that sound unusual?
The fattened vessels of the season, where do we find that?
Revelation chapter 2. Isn't that the 2nd epistle to the Ephesians? Sometimes I like to speak of it that way on purpose, just so that we might realize that that assembly, so signally blessed with that most marvelous epistle before the Word of God was completed, needed a second epistle. And how does it begin? Unto the Angel of the church, which is at Ephesus, right?
I have somewhat against the assembly.
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That's not the language that somewhat against being the responsibility was laid at the feet of him who was addressed as the Angel of the church, which is at Ephesus.
I just addressed this word to those who feel in some Manger a responsibility among the Lord's people. It is a responsibility that the Lord may have entrusted to you, and He's going to hold you accountable for it. May God find you accepting that responsibility in the sphere of the Lord. May you be as one who puts your neck to the work of building that wall.
Well, so we go down to the 10th verse next. Son of them repaired Betty. I had a son of a mask even over against his house. I like this. We saw the other side of the story the other evening and it was sad reading, wasn't it? We noticed the homes of two men, a lie shipped the high priest and Mashallah, whose name means friends, both of them.
Blessing the wall in front of their home and a sad result. The sad, sad dishonor that came into their families as a result of their failure to build a wall in front of their own home. But here we have the other side of the story. Nothing much is said about this man, but it is recorded that he built over against his house.
Now the 11Th verse now tied to the son of Heron, and half of the son of they had more repaired the other piece and the power.
Of the furniture.
Perhaps this may mean a little more to us as we continue with the.
Of the wall. But we have so far had these sheep gate, then the fish gate, then the old gate. We're leading up to that which is very, very important and very, very beautiful. But we find ourselves now at the power of the furnaces, the tower of the furnaces. Wouldn't you like to bypass that if you possibly could?
What did you like your life to be? One in which there was no furnace, no trial, no affliction.
And if you and I could flip through without any of these experiences that cause us such tears and groaning?
Again, I'm going to put part of a verse.
And ask you if you can recall the rest of it, What is it that Scripture says will be found under praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ?
That sounds like a pretty wonderful future, doesn't it? What is it that Scripture says will be found on the praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ?
That the trial of your faith being much more practicing, of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found of the praise and honor and glory. And yet we try to shun it, don't we? We would bypass every furnace in our life if we possibly could, but the Lord is leading us to that which is so worthwhile, and along the way we come to the power of the furnaces.
Perhaps, perhaps you've had a little taste of it already. There may be more yet ahead. But remember this when you come to the power of the furnaces, that there's a very precious lesson for your soul in it. If you remember, as I'm sure she'd rack me back in bed and go ever would, remember that the Lord will be with you in it.
I remember when I was a good deal younger. I was in school at the time.
And I was passing through that which caused me very, very great.
Sorrow, very great sorrow and distress.
Into me.
As I look back on it, it still seems to me to have been, in a useful way, quite a severe furnace through which I was passing.
And I was reading in the book of Genesis, and I came across the story of Dear Abraham.
The Lord had something very wonderful for Abraham. He had not yet given him that son either. But do you remember the night that the Lord spoke to Abraham, and gave him that most wonderful promise? That very night and horror of great thoughts came upon Abraham.
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And horror of great darkness and their past before him. A smoking furnace. And those. I read it. I thought, that's just about where I am.
There is an horrible, great doctrine for sure, and it looks like a furnace. What shall I do that I read on and that furnace was followed by a burning lamp. Oh, I thought, there's something coming. There's something to follow. And beloved, there was. Yes, indeed there was. There was something that followed that furnace of affliction. And I thank God for it. And let me tell you this, that if the Lord should bring you.
Me from time to time into a furnace of affliction. It may be bodily affliction, it may be otherwise, but I'll tell you this that it's a hand of love and wisdom that brought you there, and it will bring you into a place of richer blessing if you go through it with Him.
Don't we go on to the next verse? Next unto him repaired Shalom, the son of Aloha, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.
He and his daughter.
He and his daughter.
Isn't that beautiful when I first noticed this?
I read it through our two daughters.
And I got down on my knees and prayed that I might have the joy that this man had.
The ruler of half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughter.
Beloved things of God guided to the name of the Lord Jesus. As I go around from place to place, I see sometimes the sons and the daughters of the Lord's people pulling those stones out as fast as their fathers and mothers try to put them in. But from time to time and all high thank God for it. And I have seen it here in my vivid in California, and I thank God for it with all my heart.
The Suns and the daughters of those who value the truth.
Valuing its bill and valuing it with a whole heart here with a man who had the joy of building that wall and on this side and on that, where his daughter who with one heart helped their father build a wall. What a picture. This is the only place along the wall where women are mentioned as having anything to do with it. And I believe it's rather significant that it immediately.
The power of the furnaces. I believe that a sister's heart.
Especially stands out and shines in time of affliction and sorrow. I believe we see it in the New Testament. It wasn't brave Peter that stood there weeping at the sepulchre. It was Mary to whom the Lord revealed himself in resurrection.
And I look at the dear sisters who are here tonight, and I tell you before God that your heart is specially fitted to shine for Him in times of trial and affliction. May the Lord encourage you in this. May the Lord encourage the dear mothers who are here to take their part in this wonderful and necessary service.
Of helping to build a wall to the blessing of your own family.
And to the blessing of the assembly.
The 13th, 1St The Valley Gate repaired Hainan and inhabitants of Genoa. They built it and set up the boards there are the locks thereof, and the bars there are.
And 1000 cubits from the wall under the Dung Gate.
The Valley gate.
We're getting closer and closer to that which is the purpose of His wondrous love. I believe that this is a beautiful and unnecessary part of the journey. You notice in the second chapter, verse 13 and verse 15, that when Nehemiah first inspected the wall and saw its bad condition, he went out by way of the gate of the valley, and he returned by way of.
Valley, but I believe it would speak to us at that place.
With our faces down in the dust before Him to which He delights to bring us for His glory and for our blessing, we may not like or choose or prefer the validate. But if that which is so needful in our lives that we be brought beloved Saints of God down to that place where He can bless us as He delights to do.
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And you notice here that we recorded, we read the record of a measurement 1000 cubits.
It's the only measurement recorded in the entire wall. That's rather unusual. A brother and I were just speaking today about Solomon's Temple and the tremendous number of measurements and details that are given in the building of that temple.
I think many of us have been surprised at all those details, and here I'm surprised at the lack of details.
In the building of this wall with 10 gates, there's only one measurement given, and that one measurement is the distance that leads from the valley gate to the down gate.
Why would that be?
All I believe you again, it would speak to us of a perfect and wine and loving hand of God upon us in our lives, that would lead us through the power of the furnaces, the valley gate to the Dung Gate, and that distance, beloved, is measured 1000 cubits, if the hand of God has been on you or me.
If circumstances that have tried our spirits and oppressed our souls, have these fallen us, and we look up and say how long, and perhaps we feel the Lord has.
Almost forgotten all about our problem. He's taking care of this one and of that one, but he's forgotten about me.
He has laid his hand upon me and he's just left it there. No, he hasn't, beloved. He's got that measurement carefully recorded in his book up there. And that measurement is a specific measurement in the ways of God, His hand of wisdom, His purpose of love.
Is never, never too short or too long for your specific needs.
14 years ago, our dear little boy Danny, he was only four months old and we met with a nasty car accident.
The life of our dear boy was in the balance for about a month.
I can see the boxers yet come down the hall with his hands in the pockets of his white coat, shaking his head like this.
It was a hard experience to go through, but at that time I received a letter from our dear brothers. Chapter Brown.
And in the letter he said, Brother Albert, remember this.
That every trial in our life is carefully weighed out in the balances of the sanctuary before it's passed on to us.
I've never forgotten that remark.
Every circumstance in our pathway is carefully weighed out in the balances of the sanctuary before it is passed on to us. The hand of the Lord was upon us. That little boy was four months old and I knew that the Lord was not trying to speak through our four month old boy. I knew that he was trying to speak to that boy's daddy.
And it was a comfort to my heart to know that all was weighed out beforehand in the balances of the sanctuary.
And here beloved, this one measurement speaks to my soul of this fact that God has a purpose in your life and mine, and in every circumstance He brings into your life and mine and measured exact weight of circumstance in order that we may arrive at what we have here in verse 14.
But the Dungate repaired my car to front of Ricketts, the ruler of Heart of the Heckerman. He built it.
Set up. The doors around the locks are out. On the bars, they're out.
We build it all along.
I don't imagine there were too many that would be interested in sharing this with him. He build it all alone. I wonder if there has been this experience in your life and in mine. I hope so. It's a very.
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Handsome to the blessing that follows the dumb date. Let me try to tell you what I mean. I believe we see a young man named Saul of Tarsus.
Building a down gate and putting on it. Locks and bars too. When we read the 4th chapter of Philippians, there we read these words. What things were gained to me though I counted law for Christ.
That in the past tense, Paul was looking back to the time in his youth.
When he had found Christ, and when he had built a dung gate, and on the other side of that gate he had placed.
What had he played those things which men despise and loathe? No, beloved, he had placed on the other side of that dungace of very things that would have exalted him among his fellow men. He could have been head and shoulders above them all. He was a man of keen intellect and a wonderful possibility. But he took all that.
Which by nature would have made him a man of importance in this world.
And he put it on the under side of the dungate. Did he put locks and bars on it? The next first would give us the answer. I don't mean the next first year, the next verse in Philippians 4 we quoted the one. But things were gained, and evil thy counted. Lost for Christ. And what's the next person? Present tense now? Yeah, doubtless. And I count.
All things but lost for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them, but done that I may win Christ.
We look back at the Apostle Paul and we speak of him with such admiration.
But I wonder, I wonder, beloved, how would the Apostle Paul fit in among us today?
Would some of us point the finger at him and call him a fool for setting to one side those things which could have absolved him? In this world, our children and our young people have to face these matters.
I say these things with exercise of heart. I trust before the Lord.
Or if the Lord leaves us here.
Our children are going to have to face this matter. I trust they're facing it already in the fear of the Lord, but they're growing up. They have decisions ahead. They have, particularly with a young man. He has the responsibility of an occupation, an occupation in which he can either make a name for himself and build up prestige and all the rest that the world considers so necessary, or an occupation in which he can labor.
Blood of God.
And beloved, let us remember on our own behalf and on behalf of our dear growing children and young people.
That the hand of God delight to bring us to this point for our purpose of love and blessing in your life and in the life of your dear children.
The down date? Or may it be more true with each and everyone of us?
That there shall be locks and bars on that gate.
As we see Paul, an old man imprisoned and facing execution for the name of the Lord, and you go to visit him, and you say, but Paul, you could have been a man greatly esteemed. Now aren't you just a little sorry for that choice you made? What do you think his answer would be? He would say, yeah, Doklam. And I count all things but lost for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
My Lord beloved, may the Lord bring us to this point. No wonder there was a measure 1000 cubits to this gate. It's not a gate that we hasten to arrive at. It often takes the hand of the Lord in our lives to bring us there. Some of us look back and thank God with all our hearts, but in spite of our self will and stubbornness.
His hands kept driving us back from our mistakes and bringing us and bringing us and bringing us to the Dung Gate because he wanted to bless her.
And what follows?
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The 15 first, but the gate of the fountain. All this is what comes next, and it's worthwhile. It doesn't come suddenly. It doesn't come at the beginning. There's quite a bit that precedes it, but it's worthwhile. The gate of the fountain repaired shallow in the son of Carhosa, the ruler part of Mr. He built it and covered it and set up the doors around the locks. They're out of the bars. There are.
Covered it. This is the only gate that's spoken on in that way.
Some of these things I admit, I find just a little hard to explain, as it seems to me they appear as I read them. The gate of the fountain. Sure it would speak to us of that refreshment, that delight, that joyous soul, which can be, and ought to be, the portion of every one of us.
But I say there is that which leads up to it. We see another brother who's walking in the joy of the Lord, and we perhaps covered, and we wonder why has that brother, this joy in the Lord? And I seem to lack it. Why is it? Is it a matter of intelligence?
Is it a matter of the privileges of his upbringing? I believe perhaps, dear child of God, it's a matter of the fact that we have not yet come to the down gate, nor perhaps even the Valley gate. For if we do, we'll find ourselves here at this wondrous fountain. And there is no limit to the refreshment and joy. So it can be used from this day forward at the fountain gate.
But it was covered.
All I speak to the exercise of my own heart as I read this. You and I, dear Saints of God, know how much there is all around us.
That would.
Turn up the sides that would be filer as we look or listen on the right hand and on the left.
And in order that you and I may drink the pure stream of refreshment that flows from his loving heart through the pages of this word, it's going to require a gate that's covered. You remember the exhortation about a covered vessel that was spared from the farm?
And we need this, beloved.
Could it be that in your home or in my home there ever could creep in?
Those things which would be harmful to us and to our dear children if we had this covered gate.
What would be brought within the doors of our home if we really believe these things in truth, if we really believe that the joy of the Lord was that which He wished to pour forth upon us? Would there be found in any of our homes that which would rob us of the sweet and precious reality?
You know the children it is there were called upon to take the word of God and put it upon the very doors of their homes.
They would have teach at their children. They would have fastened upon the doorpost of their house and upon their gates.
But I believe that in the measure in which the Word of God has its place at the very doorpost of our home.
So our homes will be spared all, beloved. May each home be spared from anything that would rob you or rob me of a sweet, precious, undefiled reality of the Fountain Group.
And the wall of the pool of Siloam by the king garden and under the stairs that go down from the city of David, the pool of thy Lord, the king of gardens. And this wonderful language. It's been worth it. Has it not the past by those gates that perhaps both of tears and whatnot in order that we might come to a verse that dust overflow with a picture of that was you and I are entitled to.
The King's garden, we read of that in the Song of Solomon, the full style all we read of in John's Gospel. There the Lord himself.
Stood and brought blessings the stairs that go down from the city of David.
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I went down those stairs.
I went down the stairs in the City of David and stood.
And looked at these walls and looked at these gates or what remains of them.
And having meditated a little bit on this chapter, it stirred my heart deeply within me to think of the lessons that are here for each of our hearts. It brought to mind my home that was so far away as I stood there.
And the responsibility that I have before God as the head of that home, that there ought never, never, never to be brought within the door of that home, front door, back door, side door, or any other door, that which I would not be free to show to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Oh, may the Lord preserve us and keep us. We tried to stress the beginning, the fact that it was His loving, tender heart toward us.
That gave us this instruction, and I believe we've come to a verse that they've seen that shows us at last something of that which is loving heart has in store, as He led us by the power of the furnaces, the valley gates, the dung Gate, and now the rich and wondrous blessings of His heart.
The next verse after him repaired Nehemiah, the son of Asboth, the ruler of the half part of Bethesda, out of the place over against the sepulchre of David.
And at a pool that was made and under the House of the mighty. I would just suggest that the sepulchers of David.
Would quite possibly speak to us.
Of the Lord's death.
The Lord Beth.
And I believe that that ought to be a very, very wonderful and central point in that which you and I as believers.
And joy in our pathways here, the sepulchre of David.
I believe it ought to be more and more precious every first day of the week.
As we're privileged to come together and to be gathered in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To remember him in death. To remember the one who gained that mighty victory.
Who lay in death. Thank God he's written now. But to my own soul, this is just a little reminder that this also is part of our Pilgrim privilege.
And the House of the mighty.
You notice also in the latter part of verse 19 that we come to the Armory. I believe it would remind us, dear Saints of God, that even though we have reached this place of rich fountains of blessings, was that never cease flowing.
That we need not expect our pathway to be smooth and easy. We're going to have to be prepared for battle. I think we come to the horse gate a little further on, do we not?
The 28th verse.
The horse is prepared also for the day of battle, and I believe there's plenty of evidence in the latter verses of this chapter, although our time will not permit us to go into it in any further details. That you and I have every provision that God has given and every provision that we ever will need.
For any encounter along the way, the Armory or immediately we think of the sixth of the season, don't we?
With every provision there that we need, meditate on that 6th chapter of Ephesians. You need it. I need it. With everyone needed in this day more than ever, we needed it before to have on the whole armor of God.
The struggles may be difficult, but the resource is sure.
Well, I'm just going to mention another thought her to a 22nd verse.
Is a verse that has been a comfort.
After him repaired the Preak, a man of the flame.
I like to think that that's where I fit in.
The man of the plane.
They weren't rulers of this to rulers of that. They weren't Goldsmiths, they weren't apothecaries, they weren't high priests. They were just men of the plane.
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Just ordinary, everyday men of the plain. Nothing outstanding about them. Nothing more could be said about them. No gift whatever. They were men of the plain. But what do they do? Did they say let him do the building? No, they got in there and did their part through.
I think that's where we fit in, don't we? For just men of the plane, we don't.
Stand up as though we had anything different than anyone else. But all beloved, may we be found.
Sisters, fathers, mothers, and young people, with this earnest, prayerful desire on each of our hearts that there may be in front of my chamber, in front of my home, and wherever else the Lord may send me.
The privilege and the responsibility of seeing tombs, of building of the wall. May I just ask that there shall be the desire of your heart in front of your chamber, in front of your home.
The responsibility that is yours, perhaps not only for your own home, but maybe also from time to time.
You think there might be a little exercise needed in that direction in someone else's home?
Should you do about it?
Just whisper behind his or her back. Isn't it too bad the way his children are going on? Oh no, I don't think so. I think it would be a good idea to get down on our knees and pray lovingly and earnestly and fervently. And perhaps it might even be resented a little bit.
That's a little reminder to that father or that mother or those dear young people, perhaps alone.
As to the responsibility of this wall in their lives, the mingling with those who are enemies of the cross of Christ.
I agree. The Spirit.
May we be found beloved face of God, not only in place.
Gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but in heart and soul, enjoying Himself, and in glad and thankful separation from all that would be a hindrance. The last gate mentioned is in the 31St verse, the gate miscad.
The gate mishap, I believe from those who have studied it, it's the same gate as is recorded in the last of the 29th verse, the gate to space eastward. I remember talking to our brother Walter Gill of Oakland about this and he said, Oh yes, he said, I've always enjoyed that, the gates, Miss Cadbury. And he said, I love to think that my father sat at that gate for a long time before the Lord.
Home eastward, that's where the sun rises. That's where the sun rises, beloved, and that's where our gates should be. Entering in by the sheep gate, passing through all those circumstances which his wisdom and his love might choose for us, drinking deeply of the refreshment of the delights of pour into our thirsty souls.
Well prepared and equipped by him for every struggle along the way.
Our place be found at the gate, Miscad facing eastward, waiting for the glorious moment. And it might be tonight when we'll hear his voice and be found.
Suddenly, in a moment with himself. Wouldn't that be a grand thing that happened right now?
If we heard his voice, I remember visiting a dear brother in New Brunswick.
They're better Welcome. He was very, very, very deaf.
And I somehow had a feeling that I could make him hear if I tried hard enough.
And I got up quite close and I hollered a verse in his ears and took his head so I was around the other side and tried again till he couldn't get it. I tried once more. He shook his head. He said, never mind, I'll hear the shout when it comes. Oh, I thought that was lovely. That's what he was waiting for. All their Saints of God. May we be found by His matchless grace.
Fathers, mothers, young people and children too.
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Facing eastward, watching and waiting with glad heart inside the wall for the moment of his coming again. Shall we just look for the Lord in prayer?
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Building the Wall - Part 1

Address—A.C. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I would like to turn tonight to a portion of the Word of God that I'm sure is quite familiar to all of you, and I've no doubt that most of you have heard this scripture spoken on a number of times already.
But I would like to use as my apology for turning to it again.
A passage in Second Peter, chapter one.
Which passage was brought to our attention recently at the meeting? Second Peter, chapter one, verse 12.
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things.
Though he know them and be established in the present truth. Yeah, I think it means as long as I am in this Tabernacle.
To stir you up by putting you in remembrance.
It seems to me that these two verses.
Present an apology for turning again and again to those portions of the Word of God in which we may already be well established. So perhaps we could turn back to the prophet Nehemiah. The book of Nehemiah will begin with a few thoughts from the first chapter. I'm taking it for granted that most here are rather familiar already.
With the history of God's people, Israel, that precedes that which we have here in the book of Nehemiah.
Chapter one, verse one, the words of Nehemiah the son of Hakalai. And it came to pass in the month Chiselu in the 20th year, as I was in Shushan the palace.
Now I'd like to stop and speak about this a moment. This was written by Nehemiah and he mentions in the very opening verse.
That he was in Shushan, the palace. That sounds like a very pleasant place to be. In fact, we find as we read further in this book that Nehemiah was anything but a visitor in that palace. He was a very trusted officer there. The last words of this first chapter would tell us I was the king.
King's Cup bearer.
That might sound to us in this present day like rather a menial task, but I believe if we were to look back at the history of the days in which this was written, we would find that the King's cup bearer was definitely the right hand man to the King.
His most trusted Prime Minister. Now here we find Nehemiah in a position of dignity and honor and living in a palace. But news reaches the ear of this man Nehemiah that immediately stirs him to the depth of his heart.
Verse 2 Hannah and I, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah.
And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words.
But I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
I admire this, and I covet this. Here was a man, I say, who had a position of honor and dignity, the man who lived in a palace, a man who liked nothing but this world might afford.
And yet we find this man in fasting and weeping and prayer. What is the burden of his heart? Is it his job? Is it his home? Is it his health? No, beloved, it is the state of God's beloved people that is burdening the heart of Nehemiah and causing him to be found.
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In fasting and prayer before the Lord.
All beloved Saints of God, as I read this verse, I wonder if we know anything of the Spirit that moved the heart of his dear man Nehemiah, as you and I look around among those who belong to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there stirring within the heart of any of us this spirit that we see in Nehemiah?
Do you or I know anything about what it is to be found on our faces?
Fasting and weeping and praying. Not because of our own personal difficulties, because of a state.
Of those who know not Christ as their Savior. And because of the state of the Lord's beloved people, I can only speak it with a feeling in my own soul of how little I know of this spirit that is described in the 1St 3 verses of Nehemiah 1.
And I noticed too, as we go down the chapter, we won't take time to read it all, but as Nehemiah pours out his heart before the Lord, he doesn't point his finger. He doesn't accuse this one or that one of having been guilty of such gross carelessness, but he does say in the latter part of verse 6.
We have sinned against thee, both I and my Father's house.
Of sinned, he Nehemiah personally falls down upon his face in fasting and weeping and earnest, fervent prayer, and takes his place and owns before God that he, Nehemiah, is part of the fallen, indifferent state of God's beloved people.
Is there any one of us here that would like to stand up and say, but I am not part of that fallen condition?
I stand alone in faithfulness to the Lord.
There was one man who spoke thus in the Old Testament.
And it's a very striking thing that in all the verses of the New Testament, the failure of the Old Testament believers is completely hidden from view, with one exception. And that one exception is the failure of that dear servant, faithful and devoted though he was, who stood up and said, I am left alone.
And they seek my life.
He interceded to God against Israel. Romans 11 records it.
Dear Elijah.
Oh, what a lesson there is for us in this, I believe, dear fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You and I may well be found on our faces before the Lord, not excusing ourselves and accusing others, but on our face that by the wonderful grace of God, there might be found in these last moments while we wait for His return.
That fresh spirit that he longs to see that we pass through this world.
In separation from all that it has to offer, and in glad, joyful waiting for the moment when we're going to hear his voice.
And see his face Well, you notice in the last verse of his first chapter. Oh Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and the prayer of Thy servants, who desire to fear thy name.
Could there not be a searching of heart among us that this might be more truly known in our ways?
A desire to fear thy name.
It seems to me to be a warning that runs throughout the pages of the Word of God.
And in the very last book of the Old Testament, we find that God records with infinite delight in His book of remembrance the names of those who thought upon his name. A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon.
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His name, just to think that that is so precious to his heart.
That He delights to remind us that it is being recorded. And as you and I were busy about this and that through the day that is just passing from us, was there that which He could record with joy and with thankfulness? Was there that in your life and mine today that could be recorded by Him?
As a wholesome fear of the Lord, and a reverend and loving thought upon His name.
Well, it's really my intention to try to get over to the third chapter.
But a certain background is necessary. The children of Israel have been restored from the years of their captivity in the book of Ezra. The altar has been set upon his bases. Sacrifice has been offered to the Lord.
The foundations of the House of the Lord have been laid, and now we find.
That Nehemiah, receiving word of the plight of his brethren there in Jerusalem, finds his heart stirred within him, that he might be privileged to go and be of some help and of some encouragement to his dear brethren in their troubles.
And the one burden of his heart very specially seems to be that he would like to see the wall of Jerusalem and its gates reestablished to the shelter and protection and welfare of God's dear people.
Now I'm sure he knew before ever he started out that he wasn't going to find it too easy, but I sometimes wonder if he anticipated all the problems that he was going to meet with. And I want to tell you this right now, beloved brother or sister in the Lord.
That if you want to walk through this world to the glory of God and in separation from that which this world has to offer, you will find two things.
You will find a deep peace and joy in your soul that only the Lord can give, and you will also find unceasing opposition from this world with the arch enemy of your soul behind it in the second chapter of Nehemiah.
We're going to have to just skip verse by verse. In the 10th verse of the second chapter, you will find the names of certain ones who stood out as ringleaders in this.
Determined opposition.
Stand ballot the horror night and told by the servant the ammonite heard of it It grieved them exceedingly that there was common man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. Verse 19. I'd like you to try to remember these three names because they turn up from time to time in what we have yet to look at when sand ballot the horror night and Tobiah the servant the ammonite and Gichem the Arabian herd it.
Us to scorn and despise us, and said, What is this thing that he do? Will he rebel against the King? That answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us, therefore we his servants will arise and build. But he have no portion or right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.
What we find here the names of three ringleaders in mockery and in opposition to this project that Nehemiah had in mind.
And you would notice, too, if you traced them, that they were some of them blood relatives of those who had this desire to live for the glory of God where God had established His name, and to live with a wall that separated them from the enemies of the Lord. And I believe we have found that too, have we not?
We have found sometimes that in seeking to walk in obedience to the Word of God.
And in separation to the Lord Jesus Christ. But the opposition sometimes comes from the most unexpected directions. Those whom we perhaps had hoped might have been an encouragement to us sometimes display the attitude that is spoken of in verse 10 and in verse 19.
00:15:08
In verse 10, they were very grieved about it.
And in verse 19, they lacked the whole matter to scorn. But so far, Nehemiah is totally unmoved by this. And I would just love to encourage the dearly beloved young people here this evening.
That if you and I wish to walk for the glory of God, wish to walk with this blessed book as the DAILY GUIDE of our pathway.
That we needn't expect the acclaim and the approval of all those whom we meet with, even from all those who are fellow believers. That may sound like a rather harsh statement to make. Nevertheless, I believe many of us have found it to be true.
It's one thing to know that our sins are forgiven and to know that we are on our way homeward to the glory.
But it's another thing, beloved, to realize that we belong to the one who paid redemptions price for I feel that little word redeemed bears with a far more profound thought than simply the forgiveness of our sins. One who is redeemed belongs to him who paid.
Redemptions wondrous price.
May I give a little illustration? In the railway compartment of a train in England One day there were three young men sitting, and just before the train pulled out a fourth young man entered the compartment. And as soon as the train started, one of these young men put his hand in his pocket and produced a deck of cards and began to shuffle them.
And offered some to the first young man and to the second.
And to the newcomer. But the newcomer made no effort to accept them. He simply smiled and said sorry. Sorry gentleman, but I don't use those. You see, I don't have any hands.
Well, they looked at him in amazement, for he had a normal pair of hands. So he held up his hands and said, well maybe I should explain. He said, you see these hands don't belong to me. Well, I didn't seem to help the situation very much, so we explained further. He said these hands belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have been redeemed by His precious blood.
Did they coax him further? You know they didn't. Nor will they coax you or me if we take a stand as those who are redeemed, beloved with the precious blood of Christ. And all if that which we say this evening seems to touch upon the borders of legality, I trust dearly beloved brethren, in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let you bear with me in this thought.
The whole separation to the Lord Jesus Christ can never be called legality. We belong to Him. He paid redemptions price and were passing through a world that spit in His face and crucified Him. And never, never have they changed their minds as to what they have done. Some time ago I believe I mentioned this. It had long been.
A sort of vague dream of mine that Sunday I might stand in that land where my savior once trod. I never expected to realize that, but it.
Turned out to be my unexpected privilege to be there. I was going through the streets of Jerusalem.
And I came to Mount Zion and I climbed to the top of Mount Zion, and I stood there looking about.
At that city where my Lord Jesus Christ had been rejected and cast out and crucified. And I had expected that my heart would just be thrilled with the excitement of a long fulfilled ambition. But instead of that, I stood there with a strange feeling.
Of sadness in my soul, for I realized that I was looking upon the city that had rejected my Lord Jesus Christ.
And I realized, as I tried to speak to one another about that precious Savior, that they had never, never, never changed their minds as to what they had done. And I went back to my room that night with a very sad and heavy heart. And that feeling, beloved, is not limited to the land in which our Lord once lived.
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I think you realize as you and I go in and out among our workmates or our schoolmates, that we are living and studying and working among those whose hearts are determined in their opposition.
To the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, suppose we begin.
Chapter 3.
They are now about to build a wall.
A wall which will surround their dwellings and which will keep them in separation from the enemy on the other side of that wall. They have already been made to feel the opposition of that enemy. It's listed in subsequent chapters in more subtle ways and in more outspoken ways, but they're already well aware of the fact that there are enemies to contend with.
And aware of the need of this wall, now verse one of chapter 3.
Then Elijah shipped the high priest, rose up with his brethren, the priests, and they builded the sheep gate. They sanctified it and set up the doors of it even under the tower of Mia. They sanctified it under the tower of Hannah Neil.
Now, in meditating on this chapter a little bit, I hope you will bear in mind this comment that I am by no stretch of the imagination a scholar. I don't even know the Greek alphabet. But if I make from time to time a little reference to the original meaning of some of these names, you'll just remember that I took the trouble to look it up in reliable Hebrew lexicons and.
It's not the result of my own research or scholarship.
I say that because I believe that all these names listed have a profound and wonderful meaning.
Elijah the high priest rose up with his brethren, the priests, and they builded the sheep gate, the very first gate in this wall within which there was to dwell God's own beloved people, with the joy of having the name of Jehovah in their midst.
The joy of having the House of the Lord established there. The first gate of all, my dear friend, is the sheep gate.
Isn't that marvelous? I love the gospel of the grace of God.
I find it hard not to spend the rest of the evening talking about this sheep gate.
Because I believe it would remind us that the very first requisite for all the blessing that belongs inside that wall hinges upon this fact. Are you, by the wonderful grace of God, numbered among these redeemed sheep of His own purchase?
The Sheep Gate swung between two towers, the Tower of Mia and the Tower of Hannah Neil.
Mia is the simple Hebrew word meaning 100.
Hannah Neil is a compound Hebrew word meaning the Lord is gracious.
Now that seems rather strange, but to me it seems very marvelous.
That by the direction of the Spirit of God, this first gate, the sheep gate, should swing between these two glorious towers, the tower of Mia 100 and the tower of Hannah Neil. The Lord is gracious, doesn't it? Take our thoughts to the 15th chapter of Luke.
And there we see those sheep being numbered that evening 96.
979899 That's all.
There were only 99 sheep that night, so the shepherd closed the gate and said, well, there's only one missing. Is that the way the story ends? No, beloved, the Lord is gracious.
And that gate would not be closed until #100.
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Is safely within the fold. And here away back in the third chapter of Nehemiah, as the sheep gate is builded, it swings between two towers #100 And the Lord is gracious. And I stand here tonight and say with all my heart, thank God for the matchless grace that looked down upon me.
In all my guilt and distance and rebellion of heart against him.
And would not close that sheep gate until #100 was brought into. Have you been numbered among those redeemed sheep? Have you looked at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ? That of all that it cost him to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and turned away from it?
And you're not yet numbered among those who are his own.
I believe it well to mention also that this is the only gate recorded as being builded in this chapter that had no locks or bars upon it. There may be well more than one reason for that, but I have a feeling that the basic reason was perhaps to be found in Elisha the High Priest himself, for this is not the last time we read about.
Dear Elijah.
The high priest think of that.
What an honored, privileged, responsible position was his the first name mentioned and to him was granted the responsibility, the honor, the privilege of building the sheep gate. I hesitate to turn to the other references to this dear man because they're sad references. Will you turn over with me, please, to the 20th verse?
After him repaired Baruch the son of Zabi, I after him Barrack, the son of Zabi, I earnestly repaired the other piece.
From the turning of the wall unto the door of the House of Elisha, the high priest after him repaired Mary Moth, the son of Urijah, the son of Cause, another piece from the door of the House of Elijah.
Even to the end of the House of Eliaship. Why do I turn to these verses? Because they speak very loudly and with much searching to my own heart.
If you wish was Elijah with the solemn responsibility of building the sheep gate? If you wish, he was engaged in gospel activity. But dear Elisha was neglecting something. He was neglecting a responsibility that ought to have had.
First place in his life. And that was the responsibility, beloved, that you and I, each one ought to feel.
The responsibility Is there a wall in front of your own home? Is there a wall, I say, in front of your own home? Is there in your home life and mine? Is there in your family life and mine that which would bear witness to the fact that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ?
And that the prayer and desire of our hearts together before God is that.
Children shall not be brought up for the honor and friendship and esteem and prestige that this poor world offers to them. I'm a father and it searches my heart to say these things, but I sometimes feel that I'm somewhat in the position of Eli Ship. Eli Ship was away from home.
Building the sheep gate, the liar should neglected the responsibilities of his own home.
And there were two men who observed that lack one of them. His name was Barrack, And you notice that it says of him he earnestly repaired the other piece from the turning of the wall unto the door of the House of Elijah of the high priest. Elisha must have seen this. Each day as he came home from his laborers on the sheep gate, he would observe this man building a wall nearer and nearer and nearer, right to the very door of his own home.
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And when Baruch left off, Mary Moth, the son of your rides of the Son of Cause, took over, and what did he do?
He also built another piece from the door of the House of Elisha, even to the end of the House of Eliaship. You turn back to verse 4. Next unto them repaired Mary Ma, the son of your Raja, the son of Koz. You see, Mary Ma had already fulfilled his own particular responsibility.
He had already builded that piece which was entrusted to him.
And it seems to me that he notices a lack in the home of Eliaship the high priest. He notices that there is a carelessness there and Elijah has not seen to the responsibility of a wall in front of his own home.
Why should Mary Moth be concerned about this? Why not someone else? We've all wondered why the Word of God gives us these unusual names and their father and their grandfather and so on. And we sometimes just wade through these names and try to pronounce them and let it go with that. But I believe if we meditate in a little, we would find that there is a searching reason for these things. Mary Ma.
The son of Urijah, the son of 'cause you remember that in the days of Ezra there were certain priests who were polluted, put from the priesthood, because they had made an unholy alliance in marriage, and they were barred they and their families from the privileges of the priesthood. There are two names given there, and Cause Kos is one of them, the grandfather of Marymount.
The grandfather of Marymoth had been a privileged priest in Israel.
Cause had married an unholy alliance. He had lost the privileges of the priesthood for himself and for his descendants. And Mary Moss might have been very bitter about this.
But instead of that, he saw the same thing happening in the household of Elias Ship. And with God-given courage and faithfulness, he set about to build a wall right in front of the very home, and if you wish, under the very nose.
Of a lie should the high priest.
Beloved, that required courage.
I can well imagine the risk that he ran of having Elijah come home at night and saying if I want a wall in front of my home, I'll see to it myself.
But I believe Mary Moth was a man of God who saw the lack, that observed the danger and had the God-given courage to step in the breach.
I say this because if you turn over the last chapter of Nehemiah.
And read the 28th verse you will see I believe.
Why Marymount was so concerned that this gap in the wall ought to be built. One of the sons of joy to the son of Eli Shiba, High Priest, was son-in-law to send ballot the horror night. Therefore I chased him from me. His own son went through that opening in the wall.
He didn't want separation for his family. He wanted his son to be popular and to have friends, even though those friends were among the enemies of the Lord. When I first noticed this, and I read it, and my beloved wife and I meditated on it together, I brought it to the attention of our brethren back home in the assembly at Smith Falls, and I begged them.
To be a merry moth to our family during their father's absence. Beloved, don't be annoyed if someone lays a hand on your shoulder and speaks a faithful word of warning.
And urges upon you that path of separation which they perhaps see lacking in your home or in your family. Take it from the Lord.
We have seen, we have seen with tears of sorrow, the heartache that results from the failure that is described here in the pattern of Elijah, the high priest, a diligent man, a man who diligently build the sheep gate but neglected the wall in front of his own home.
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And I believe we all know why.
Our hearts are all the same. We want our families to be popular. We want them to have a wide circle of friends and those who know not. The Lord will recognize in your children and in mine those capabilities which can be turned to good advantage and which can elevate them in the eyes of this world.
And make them esteemed and popular. And we say to ourselves, But I won't let it go too far.
I'll just allow it to go so far and then we'll just have to somehow hope that it can be checked.
Oh, my beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, permit me to remind my own heart and yours also this night, that we have in the Word of God a pattern of holy, joyful separation to the Lord Jesus Christ. It may mean a wall between ourselves and the world which knows Him not.
A law which they may resent, our children may resent it, and the world may mark and laugh at it. But beloved, your children will grow up to thank you for it. I don't like to say some of these things that I remember when I was going to high school in Ottawa.
There were certain things during our years at high school that were very appealing to me, very attractive.
And I came home with the suggestion that might I please be allowed to participate in this, to attend that, to join the other. I think some of you here know my father pretty well. Can you guess what his answer was? His answer was no, my son. And he turned to the various scriptures that moved his heart in these decisions.
But that didn't satisfy me, I said. But Father.
So and so is in my room at school and his father and mother are in the meeting and he is allowed to go. He is allowed to join these things. He is allowed to participate. Why can't I?
Perhaps you can picture the answer. Do you suppose my father said? Well, all right, son, I guess it will be all right. I think you knew my father well enough to know the answer already.
With a restraint which I did not appreciate, his answer still was number.
And I didn't like it. I envied the other boy, and I wished my parents were as easy on me as his parents were on him. But I'll tell you the rest of the story.
That man now sits in meeting with a vacant chair beside him. He went out through the gap in the wall and his father and mother left for him. He married an unbeliever. He is now restored in his soul and attend the meeting but sits there with a vacant chair beside him.
And I sit there by the grace of God.
With one beside me who loves to walk to plead the Lord Jesus.
Thank God that I turned and again and again thank my father.
And my mother for building that wall between me and this world which seemed so attractive in the days when I didn't have the moral courage that they could stand on my own behalf. Are there children here and young people here who perhaps have a heart? The deceitful of mine was in my youth. And you want those things that father and mother are withholding from you?
Are there fathers and mothers here? They're finding it difficult to bring your children up in separation.
I'm going to repeat to you when I heard our beloved brother Al Larson say in Des Moines number of years ago, and I'll pause here to say that I heard just before meeting that our beloved brother Al Larson is in the hospital in Wortham, TX with pneumonia and needs our prayers. He mentioned in Des Moines the case of a lady riding on the train and behind her was.
Little daughter and a babysitter. That's the way Brother Lars mentioned it, so you'll have to excuse me if I imitate him. He seemed to have very little esteem for people that couldn't even be troubled to entertain their own children on a railway journey. But he said after the journey had gone on a little way, the babysitter said no, no, no, you mustn't have that.
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And presently again the babysitter said no, no, no, my dear, you mustn't have that.
And it was more than this mother, who was busy reading a novel, could stand. So she turned around and said, let her have it, whatever it is, let her have it. So presently the little child let out an awful howl. And the mother turned around and said, I told you to let her have it, whatever it is.
The babysitter said she has it, she's been trying to catch a bumblebee on the window pane. And then Brother Larson stood there and wept. Brother Larson stood there before us all and he wept. He said, Oh dear fathers and mothers, how awesome have I seen this?
That a father and a mother, in the fear of the Lord, will lay a godly hand of restraint upon their dear children.
And then relax it and see to their sorrow that which is the result of it. Well, it wasn't my intention to spend so long, and we're only at the first verse, but I believe there are very, very needful letters from the sad story of Eliaship. Next unto him billed as a man of jury code, next unto them billed as Baker, the son of Emory.
You'll find that very, very seldom do we read of anyone building.
All alone you notice a lion ship with his brethren the priests.
The man of Jericho, and next unto them builded the Zaker, the son of Emory, all alone, nobody with him. That's hard to do, isn't it? It's not too difficult to take a stand that we feel to be for the glory of God and in obedience to His Word, when there are others who stand shoulder to shoulder with us, and share with us the same exercises which we believe are found in the Word of God. But there are times.
When we meet with those who by the grace of God.
Stand alone.
And it is a test for them. I can recall some of them now in my travels, whom I have found standing alone for the glory of God. And are they unhappy? Indeed they're not.
For they are really not alone after all, are they? I can think of one dear sister right now, who was, as this world would say, alone for a long time in her faithful stand according to the truth of the Word of God.
And the joyful testimony of her heart and the neighborhood where she lived was that which was a blessing to my soul. And I'm sure she will receive a great reward in the day that's coming.
The third verse, the fish gate did the sons of Hassanaya Bill, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. You notice the distinction here, locks the bars.
Why did the fish gate come next? Well, to my own soul, the thought is this.
That once you and I, by the wonderful grace of God, find ourselves numbered among those who are His redeemed sheep, the very next desire of our heart ought to be that we should also be numbered among the fishers of men. Surely, if you and I are sheltered by His most precious blood and know that we are on our way home to glory, we cannot pass by the multitudes of those who are lost.
Indifferent to their need. The fish gate.
I believe it indicates the desire which I hope will be stirred much more earnestly within each of our hearts, that we might be numbered among those privileged to be fishers of men. And I just must pause here at this moment to appeal to you as from the heart of God who loves you.
Do you really personally know the Lord Jesus?
Christ as your Savior. I have asked that question at the close at the door of a gospel meeting and had some very surprising answers from those whom I hoped.
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To have been the Lord. Sometimes there is just the hanging of the head and no answer at all. It is with joy I stand here and tell you that as a poor lost Sinner on my way to hell, God loved me and sent the Lord Jesus to redeem me. He shed His precious blood that my sins might be blotted out.
And I rejoice in any little measure to be numbered among those who seek for souls as a Fisher of men.
And so I just paused to ask you tonight if that of which we have been speaking sounds strange to your ears. Perhaps it's because you have never yet taken your place as one who is outside of all this blessing, one who has not has yet received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and have the joy of knowing now, this very moment, that your sins are gone.
By the cleansing power of the precious blood of Christ.
The name Hassania actually means thorny.
The Hebrew word for thorny. And there again, I believe the suggestion would be that you and I need not expect it to be an easy, pleasant, popular path to go hit her and thither with the gospel of God's wondrous grace. Folks don't like to be interrupted rudely with the reminder that they're on their way to eternity. They like, rather, to look around and try to make the best of what they might possess here.
And give little or no thought to that which lies beyond. And if you and I wish to be faithful in the gospel, we needn't expect it to be a smooth and easy path. Verse 4. Next unto them repaired Mary Moth. We have read this already, a son of Urijah, the son of Cause. Next unto them repaired Mashalam, the son of Berakaya.
The son of Meshazabile. Could we just take a little time to think about this man Mushalam?
If any of you wish to confirm these things, it's easy to look at up in a in a lexicon. Mashallah is the Hebrew word for Fran, the Hebrew word for Fran. And I believe we find in a case of dear Mashallah much the same as we found in the case of Eliaship the high priest. Would you like to turn over to chapter?
Six verse 17.
I suggested that we try to remember the names of Sanballat and Tobias, and as being the ringleaders of opposition to the people of God. Verse 17. Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters under Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them, for there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law.
Of Shekinah, the son of Era, and his son Johannan had taken the daughter of Masholam.
The daughter of Michelin, the son of Berakaya.
In the case of Elisha, it was his son that went out through that park where there was no wall. In the case of Mushroom, it was his daughter who went out and mingled among the unbelievers. And we noticed in this same chapter of ours, the 30th chapter.
Pardon me the third chapter and the 30th verse. Nehemiah 3, verse 30.
After him repaired Hananiah, the son of Shalomiah, and Hanan, the sixth son of Zelath, another piece after him repaired Mushulam the son of Berakaya, over against his chamber again. It seems to have been with him an act that was too late. Too late he builded over.
Against his chamber.
There will thy believe after the damage had been done, after he had lost his daughter to this ungodly world, there was the final building of the wall over against his chamber. They love it, bread. And I know that we've been wandering from verse to verse and we've been going in and out among some strange names. But there's a lesson here that all high trust.
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It may be written upon our very hearts and souls, and that.
Is this that the Lord Jesus who loved us and who died to redeem us, wants us holy for himself? Is He not entitled to this and is it not true? You and I know it full well that those who are walking in the path of separation to the Person and the worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Are those who are?
Happy in their pathway, those who are radiant in their old age. I have watched some of the dear Saints of God come near the end of their journey, and what do I see? Oh, I see, it seems to me that in the measure in which Christ has been precious to their heart during their journey here, in that measure, the last days of such are filled with radiant expectations.
And what are they experiencing now that to which they looked forward all through their lives? I believe the pattern of this chapter, which we've just begun to look at, unfolds in such a way that it should apply individually and personally.
To my heart and to your heart as an individual. That is, that there ought to be with each and every one of us that loving, prayerful purpose of heart that there might be with us a wall of separation.
That would keep us in the joy of the Lord's own presence and keep us from that which is so contrary to His mind and will. Not only is it a personal matter, but I believe it also. As we see here and later on in the chapter, it is also a family matter and an assembly matter. Our time is gone and there is so much more to this chapter.
It seems to me that by far the best part lie yet ahead for us. I'm just going to make note of one more thing in the fifth verse. Perhaps it might end with a note of encouragement for us.
The fifth verse of the third chapter. Next unto them a Ticoites repaired, but their nobles put not their necks to the work of the Lord.
You know, I am very, very sure that as these nobles.
Did their share of work on the wall that they didn't for one moment entertain the thought that the very way in which they did it was going to be written down for you and I to read about it in Buena Park tonight? I'm sure it was the very last thought in their mind that the way in which they laid those stones in place was being observed.
And recorded.
And would remain recorded forever.
Do you think about that too?
Do I think about that too? Is there one who observes whether you and I are following these things in faithfulness to the Lord? Do you and I entertain perhaps the thought that we are going to try to slip through this world with just as little adversity and difficulty as we possibly can?
And hope that that will be the beginning and ending of our responsibility.
God records that these nobles put not their next to the work of the Lord. They did, I suppose, what was entrusted to them, but they didn't put their heart and soul into it. That must have been a little tendency toward discouragement to the others, don't you think?
There is, I have no doubt. They looked after these nobles and they thought, well, they're not putting their next to the work, so why should I? And after all, they're the nobles, so if they're not too much interested.
I don't see why I should be. And we're inclined to look around at others, are we not?
And see the measure of diligence, of devotedness, of separation, that we see in others, and to be so affected and sometimes so hindered by it. But if you turn again a little later on in this chapter, you will find in the 27th verse.
That by the wonderful grace of God, instead of being discouraged after them, the Ticoites repaired another piece. No, those are not mentioned here, But apparently the fact that the nobles put not there next to the work of the Lord, a load was observed and recorded, did not discourage.
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Others from doing even more than their share.
All dear Saints of God.
I feel that we have not really gotten into this subject yet. I feel the pattern that follows is that which is much, much, much sweeter to my own soul. Perhaps it's been more negative what we've had tonight. Perhaps it has sounded like restrictions and restraints and warnings that all. Beloved, will you pardon me for saying that as I go about?
And see the sorrows that have come into the hearts and homes and assemblies of God's people.
Through this very neglect, my heart is burdened. My heart is burdened with a sense of my own responsibility as I see our own dear teenage children growing up at home. And I know that there are parents here that share with me that burden. You're facing problems that only you know in your own soul before the Lord, but I assure you of.
That there is light and wisdom to be found for you in the pages of this book.
Seek that wisdom on your knees before the Lord, and it will not be denied. You Don't look around to see what others are doing in answer to those problems, but seek it on your knees and on your faces before the Lord. And I assure you that there will be the richest blessings of God in your own life, in the lives of your dear children.
And among you also has gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
For this matter of separation is, I beg of you to remember, no negative affairs. I've used this illustration, and I used it here, but I repeat it because it seems to me to illustrate separation in a way that perhaps might cause us to accept it in a spirit that is by no means legal.
The illustration that impresses itself upon my heart is that which occurred a year and a half ago.
When I walked up the aisle of this decorated hall, back in our own area with our daughter Gracie holding my arm, and when we got to the front of the aisle, he took her arm out of mine and slipped her arm through a young man named Donnie Rule.
Feel a kind of lump in your throat when that happens. But I sat down with what I thought was a smile. But the pictures after revealed that.
I guess I wasn't smiling as I thought I was. Well, the procedure went on and she was faced with a question. Something like this.
Do you promise that forsaking all other, you will cleave to him only so long as he both shall live? What would you expect her to say? Would you expect her to say, wait a moment, That sounds rather legal. That sounds rather restricting. That sounds like separation. What did you say?
Plea to him only so long as we both shall live.
There was none of that, I assure you, she said I do, in a voice that could be heard all over the hall. It's what I expected her to say, and there was a ring of joy in her voice when she said it. Brethren, I ask you, is that separation? Yes, it is.
Is it legal ******* of some kind? No, indeed it isn't. I have been in that kind of ******* for 23 years, and it's been the happiest 23 years of my life. And I just want to present to you tonight, my beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, that the one who inspired the writing of the third chapter of Nehemiah loves your soul and wants you to know the joy.
The joy of that kind of separation which draws the heart nearer and nearer. The one who loved us unto death, the one who sees the danger that you and I cannot see in this world with all its attraction.
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