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.
General Meeting, Toledo, November 1976.
Address by Gordon Hay Hole.
Floor thou hast draw us after thee.
Now let us run, and never tire thy presence shall our comfort be thyself, our hope, our soul desires our present Savior, while nor fear nor sin can come it, Thou art near 166.
Oh God, praise God.
00:05:06
I'd like to look. First of all, the young people have two verses the one.
In Romans chapter 14.
Romans chapter 14 and verse 7.
For none of us live up to himself, and no man dies to himself.
And another one in the Psalms 119 Psalm.
And the 63rd verse.
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precept.
What I had on my heart this afternoon, dear young people, well, especially to consider two men that God has brought before us in His word, and that is Caleb and Osmil. And it was particularly with the thought of how these men through their lives had an effect upon others, how their lives became a blessing for God's glory and for the blessing of others. And as I look into the faces of so many young people.
Heart, rejoice, is to see you here under the sound of God's word, because they do come, and there does come times in our lives when we come in touch with certain things that affect our lives in a very special way. On such an occasion as this could be a turning point in your life, a turning point for blessing, so that you might find deeper joy in the Lord, and also that your life and mine too, I trust.
Would be in some way an encouragement and blessing to others. Of course, first of all, for the glory of God.
Because we can never be any blessing to others, ultimately, unless our life is for the glory of God.
But I do trust, as we look at these ones, that we will see how these lives became a blessing and some of the little things that led up to this in their lives, and how they can be in our lives too. But let us notice first of all these two verses. None of us limit to himself and no man dies to himself. Sometimes we're inclined to say, but what I do and the way I live is my business.
But you know, we must remember, dear young people, that while we do have to give an account of ourselves to God, we also are going to have an effect upon others, either to encourage or to discourage, either to be a blessing and a help, or to be a hindrance. And so I'm sure that none of us here would like to feel that our lives displayed at the judgment seat of Christ would not only be lost to ourselves.
Would not only not be for the glory of God, but would not have been for the good of anyone else.
But instead perhaps a hindrance to others, I'm sure this would be a thing that we would consider lost.
Because as our brother brought before us this morning, it is possible to have a saved soul but a lost life. Whenever we think of life, we think of someone like that He had a saved soul. There's absolutely no doubt we're going to meet Lot in the glory, but Lot had a lost life. His life was not an impact for good upon others, but rather a hindrance because of the decisions that he made in his life.
And then the other verse that we read in the 119th Psalm certainly gives us an indication of the kind of friends that we should have in the scripture that we were considering this morning it said evil communication, corrupt good manners. Now that is, if we get under the sound of what is false or if we form friendships that are harmful, it is going to affect us. And so if we are affected the wrong way by others, then also our lives have the wrong.
Effect upon others whom we become, we come in contact with.
And so let us ask ourselves, what kind of companions are we choosing? We all have to make choices. It's true that when we are saved, we're brought into the family of God. My father used to have a little thing, he said. God chooses my friend for me. And there's something for us to think about in this too. Because if we let God choose our friend for us, this is the kind of friend he will choose.
00:10:21
Companions of those who fear Him, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And I like to ask you, among those you come as your friend, do they fear the Lord? Do they really speak to honor him in their lives? And also it says, And of them that keep thy precepts. Do they seek to follow the word of God? Now we recognize that there is a room for growth with each one of us.
Will not be full grown until we get home to glory down here in this world. We're in the school of God. We're in, in a certain way, the growing progress process, and I hope it is growth to the glory of God. So we don't expect everything all at once.
But as we said in these meetings, and the truth is brought before us, is there a response within us? Do we say as we hear it, ministered? Well, that speaks to me. I'm sometimes glad when I hear a young person after a meeting, and sometimes an older one too. Sometimes I say it myself. That's meeting was for me. That meeting was for me. And so it's nice when we receive the word for ourselves, when we feel of God is speaking. And it's not the person, the individual, who gives the message, but it's whether we hear the voice of God through His word and by his spirit.
Speaking to us and as we think of the friends that we call our friends, our associates, our companions, do they qualify? According to this scripture? I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Oh, I'm sure if we think about this, it is it makes us desire to be in the company of those who really love the Lord Jesus, who really want to please him.
And then, if this is so, our personal lives will be for God's glory, and more than this, they will be a blessing to others. They will have an impact upon others with whom we come in contact, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dies to himself. It is impossible, I think, again, just to go through life and not have some effect one way or other upon those with whom we come in contact.
When all that turned back to the Book of Numbers and the 13th chapter.
And as far as I can recall, this is our introduction to Caleb in the scripture. I don't recall of him being mentioned previous to this.
Deuteronomy, Pardon Me Numbers, Chapter 13.
And the first verse. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou man, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give under the children of Israel, of every tribe of their fathers, shall you send the man everyone a ruler among them. And then the sixth verse of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jefuna.
And I will just notice the eighth verse of the tribe of Ephraim Ocean, the son of Nun, and the 16th verse. These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Orcia the son of Nun Joshua, or he's afterwards called Joshua.
And move the sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountains, and see the land what it is, and the people that dwell are in, whether they be strong or weak, to queue or many. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad. And what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds, smooth the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood there in or not.
And be of good courage, and being of the feet of the land. Now the time was the time of the first strike. Great.
00:15:01
23rd verse And they came unto the book Eschol, and cut down from France a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bear it between two upon a staff. And they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs.
Well, as I said, here we have Caleb brought before us.
We read about Joshua previously that Joshua, a young man, had sought out the company of Moses and we find him as Moses helper slowly to see a young person who seeks to be in the company of someone who has thought to be a help and a blessing to the people of God. Moses himself had many things to learn in the school of God, but when the time came that God used Moses to bring the people out of the land of Egypt and into the wilderness.
We find that Joshua identifies himself with him and when the people fell into idolatry.
The Joshua was one who stood apart from that, and so we see that Joshua had chosen the right kind of a companion. Is it any wonder that his afterlife after being in the company with Moses was such a blessing to the people of God, and how he was accused of God afterwards to lead the people across the Jordan and into the land and into the possession of the land? It wasn't however, particularly to speak of Joshua, but I mentioned him because of his association with Caleb, and we can see how that in his life also.
The companionship that he formed molded his life and made him a blessing.
But I was thinking here about how Caleb was chosen on this occasion as one of the spies to go up and to search out the land of Canaan. And as I said before, dear young people, there come certain times in our lives that can have an effect that would be a turning point in our whole life. Many of us can look back and we think of certain occasions, momentous times in our lives, and it affected the whole after course of our lives.
I think I can see many, many who are saying yes. I can remember a certain occasion I can in my life and probably you can. When something came into your life and it was a deciding point, it was an hour of decision and you made a decision that affected the whole of the rest of your life. All these points are so important because you know the enemy is always busy at these points of decisions.
The Bible says multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decisions, and we come to these points.
And oh, how important it is that we hear the right voice and that we make the right decision on such occasions as this.
Well, there were twelve of them who went over. They would aspire out the land and see what kind of a land it was. Was it strong, worthy inhabitants, Strong or weak? Were there many? How did they live? All about the fruit of the land too. And so they all went over the 12 of them. Together they all saw the same thing. They saw these men of stature, these sons of Anarch. They saw these walled cities.
The people dwelling in strongholds, they saw the good food of the land.
And they came back with their reports. They all saw the same thing, but all what a different effect it had on two of them.
In contrast with the other ten, there were ten of them, and they saw that good fruit perhaps even helped to carry it back. We're not told that it was Caleb and Joshua that carried that big bunch of grapes. It might have been some of the others who were afterwards so unbelieving.
But they all thought they all displayed it to the congregation. And perhaps if you sit in the meeting and listen to the things here, are you one of the 10 or are you one of the two? You listen to these things you say. I know that's right. I know that it is a good thing to follow Christ, to make him my object, to live for him. But there's just so many difficulties in the way.
And that's what these other ten seem to dwell upon. The Great Wall, the giants, all the obstacles that seem so insurmountable. And perhaps as you sit in the meeting and your heart is stirred, and I'm sure if you are a true, a true child of God, your heart is spared, as we speak well of Christ and of his love and what he means to those of us who belong to him. I know your heart is stirred.
00:20:15
Yet perhaps you're looking at the big difficulties. Well, I've often said that the difference between Caleb and Joshua and the other ten was this. Not that they saw different things, but Caleb and Joshua measured the difficulties.
In contrast with God's power, with God's love for His people, His delight in them, And so this gave them to underlay all those great difficulties, and to enjoy the prospects of the good fruit of the land, and all that they would have in that land that God had promised to His people. The other ten, however, although they saw this precious fruit, as they compared themselves to the difficulties.
They said they felt like giants beside these grasshoppers, beside these, they felt like grasshoppers beside these giants. They were just nothing beside them. And they said these walls, cities, we just never can overcome them. And they thought of all the difficulties, all the problems, all the hardships. And I'm not going to tell you that there are no difficulties. Caleb and Joshua knew there were difficulties.
Paul told the young believers, we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. We've been noticing this morning how that the Christian may be called upon to fight after the manner of man with beasts at Ephesus. He may be called upon to lay down his life for Christ. He may be called upon to make sacrifices, but when he looks on to the glorious end of the journey.
The good land where we're going to spend eternity that far eclipses all the problems of the way. And more than that, when we compare those giants to the God of Heaven, they're very small. No matter how tall those giants were, the way they had six fingers on their hands or not made no difference. If you made the comparison with God, the great God of the universe, the one who made all things, what were those giants in comparison to him?
They were just nothing, but with the high walls in comparison with the one who is above all, they were nothing. And so they looked at God instead of at the difficulties. And they said if our God delights in US.
Then he will give us the Lamb. But you'll notice and dear young people that they were in the minority, 10 of them discouraged the people. Ten of them said it's more years. The path of following the Lord is far too difficult. But the two of them together encourage the people. Two of them sought to be a blessing and help the people of God to face the problems and know that God was able.
For the difficulties that were ahead, notice the 30th verse.
And Caleb still the people before Moses and said let us go up at 1. Simple that said.
For we are well able to overcome it, but the men that went up with him said we be not able to go up against the people. For they are stronger than we notice the difference in the way they looked at the situation. Because they, Caleb, knew that God delighted in his people and that He would certainly give them the land. Notice the 14th chapters and the 7th person will see speaks again.
And they that Caleb and Josh to us, they come to all the company of the children of Israel saying.
The land which we passed through the circuit is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delighting us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us a land which flowers with milk and honey only. Rebel not ye against the Lord, neither Fear ye the people of the land, for they are bred for us. 30 fences departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Fear them not.
Phone Notice here the reason for their confidence was not self-confidence. That's a very bad thing to have self-confidence, but it's a very blessed thing to have confidence in the Lord and dear young people. I know that your lot is cast in a very difficult day.
00:25:12
I know that some of these things that you have to meet seem just about insurmountable, but they're not insurmountable to God. He's well able to help you, to be an overcomer, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. The Lord will not fail you. He's able to give you the strength to go forward. And so we find here, Caleb, having looked at things from God's viewpoint, we see now he didn't live to himself.
He didn't just keep this all in and keep it in his own heart. Instead of this, he's trying to fill the people. He's trying to encourage them.
And after this, there were quite a few years, 30 some years that they journeyed on and on through the wilderness.
They faced a lot of difficulties through that wilderness, and perhaps at times Caleb might have said, oh, it's a long wait, It's hard to have to endure all these things about. His confidence was in God. And so if you decide that you desire to put the Lord first in your life, I assure you of this, God is going to test your faith. He's not going to allow everything to come along just easily.
Then he's going to let you go through a lot of problems that are common to the people of God. And the only thing that sustained Caleb and Josh two or three those years was denied that God was going to bring them in and when he was going to bring them in.
Time was best, and they walked by faith, not by sight.
They couldn't see that good land any longer. They saw nothing but the wilderness, Sam, although they did of course see the provision that God had made in the tabernacles so they could approach into His presence. But all how It must have taken faith for them as they went on year after year all through that wilderness, and I'm sure that many a time they had to encourage themselves.
In the Lord their God.
But at last the time came when the Lord told Joshua that he was to lead the people into the land. Oh, what a time this was for Joshua after all those years of going on through the wilderness. And now he is fitted to be a leader and to be a help. And he leads the people into the land. And, you know God has those.
Who perhaps still work somewhat quietly.
And he has those who perhaps are called to a more public place, it seems In these two men, Joshua and Caleb, we have that represented to us. That is, Joshua was one who was a leader. Caleb, on his part, seems to be one who rather took a more retired place. In fact, I might say that the word Joshua the name means Jesus or the Savior.
For as Caleb means God.
And a dog, you know, follows his master. And that was really what characterized Caleb. It says that he wholly followed the Lord. And so it wasn't perhaps the the leader kind. But I wanted to show you though, he was not the leader kind.
He was one who did have a great influence upon the people of God.
And so you might say, well, I don't think that I am the kind that could really be a special help to anyone. I'm not the kind that would be a leader. But Caleb was not. But Caleb had a purpose in his heart. Caleb, in his quiet way, sought to encourage the people of God. Caleb sought the company of Joshua, who was a man of God, who in turn had sought the company of Moses.
So you see this influence that Moses had on Joshua, that Joshua had upon Caleb, and later on that Caleb had upon Osmio. And let's turn over to Joshua's.
And the the 14th chapter.
I.
00:30:08
And the seventh verse, 40 years old was I, when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Katie Shania to aspire out the land. And I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me, made the heart of the people melt. But I wholly followed the Lord my God, and lose a swear on that day, saying, Surely the land were on my feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance.
And thy children forever, because thou is holy, followed the Lord my God. And now behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years even since the Lord speak this day unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now lo, I am this day four score, and five years old as yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, Even so is my strength now for war.
Both to go out and to come in none. Therefore give me this mountain without the Lord stake on that day, that I'll hurt us in that day how the Anakin were there, and that the cities were great and fence. If so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said, and Joshua blessed him, and gave him the Caleb, the son of Jessuna, Hebron, for inheritance.
Now Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jefuna the Kezonite, the Kenzite under this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was Curtis Arba, which Arba was a great man among the Anakin, and the land had rest from war.
As I say, it took a long time, 40 years of 1345 to this point, from the time that he went into the land. And perhaps I hear some young person say, well, that's truly a long time to wait, 40-5 years. But you know, time doesn't count with God in the same way it does with us. The great thing for us in our lives is that we can live for his glory. And then our lives do count. And whether they're short or long, John the Baptist.
Glorified the Lord in his life. The Lord said he was the greatest among those born women, but he actually only lived 30 some years, I suppose just barely over 30, and that was his service to the Lord. So let us not think about time particularly, but whether our life is for the glory of God. Well, God has sustained him through this time because he wholly followed the Lord.
You might have think here that when he said this himself, but he wholly followed the Lord, that it was somewhat like a bull. But I don't believe so. I just commend this thought to you that we need to have the testimony of our own conscience that we are seeking to live to please the Lord.
We have, we wait till I say the judgment seat of Christ to have our lives manifested. But Paul said we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him and dear young people, I would just commend you to cover it in your own mind. The sense of the Lord's approval in your pathway. It's like the Whitestone, and it's a blessed thing to go on there, sometimes misunderstood when others discourage you.
Dissatisfied to have the Lord's approval according to his word, and just to go on, I believe Caleb had this sense in his soul and it sustained him.
And sooner the time comes that he enters the land and he comes to this place where the giants were because it tells us courageous Arba, which Arbor was a great man among the Anakins. Now that is the great giants that lived there. And this was really the city of those giants. And so when he entered the land, instead of seeking out the easiest place, here's a sign to perhaps the most difficult play.
And why was this? Well, God always put faith to the test.
He always put faith to the test, and in all perhaps that you make a decision today that you're going to follow the Lord. And I hope that each one of us will have some decision made in our hearts so that we really do want to follow him. And we may be surprised that the Lord will bring us then to the city of giants. He'll be along some obstacles who arise that just seems almost insurmountable. And you say, why didn't when I wanted to follow the Lord, why didn't he make it easy?
00:35:20
He didn't make it easy for Caleb, did he? When he got entered the land, the part that's assigned to him is perhaps we might say it a little difficult because if we're leaning upon the Lord, he is able to undertake for us. And so here we find him and the Lord gives him the victory over these great giants. The city is destroyed, as we would find in another place, and the name of the place has changed. The name of the place is changed to Hebron.
And I understand the word Hebron means friendship. Friendship isn't that very lovely because it's great to City of Giants now. It's a place of friendship. It's a lovely thing, as we said in the beginning of our meetings.
Have the friendship of those who speak to follow the Lord. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. He didn't call it Hebron when it was occupied by the giant, because it says in James the friendship of the world is in the tea with God. We ought to consider this world under the power of Satan as being in the arms of the wicked one, and we have to form friendships with them.
But we can form friendships with those who walk by faith.
And what real and blessed friendships these can be. What lasting friendships?
I like to think as I meet one and another at meetings like this. Oh, isn't it grand to think they're going to be my friends for all eternity? We're not forming a temporary friendship that's only going to last a little while, but every one of you dear young people who belong to Christ.
We're going to share the glory together. We're going to remember this meeting at Toledo. The friendship that began here is going to go on, and I believe 2. For speaking a moment ago about what it says in Revelation 2. I will give him a whitestone, and in the stone a new name written which no man nor saving he that receiveth it. I believe there will be a special joy that we will share together.
In the glory and company with Christ and with one another, in the measure in which there was faithfulness down here. Let me put it this way. Don't you think Paul and Silas will have a special joy as they talk together in heaven of that night they spent in the prison of Philippi? Oh, I'm sure they will. And don't you think on on on a difference, will say to Paul.
False. And Paul, do you remember that time I found you in Rome? What a nice time we had there together.
Now that will be peculiar to the path of faith. It even tells us in Revelation chapter three that if we are content in this world to keep His word and not deny his name, he says that those who reject that half it says I'll make them to come and worship before thy seed, and to know that I have loved thee. It doesn't mean they'll worship us, but it means that they'll someday have to acknowledge that the past of wholly following the Lord.
The path of giving him his rightful place was really the only worthwhile path, the only thing that really counted. And so, although his friendship abide forever, me that doeth the will of God abideth forever, I sometimes said. But I think this is even a little encouragement in marriage, You know, a marriage is given of God. There are many natural joys in marriage that some of us have shared and enjoyed.
But her, married to those natural joys, belong to this earth. But there's something that we can have even them in the companionship of marriage.
And that is to enjoy the Lord together, To serve the Lord together. Don't you think a quill on Priscilla will have something very special? They weren't just a nice married couple, they were a couple that opened their home and had meetings in their homes. They were a couple that served the Lord together and I'm sure that will be a recollection to enjoy. And so let me say to the young couples, don't just think about the natural joy is there right and proper in their place, but remember those things that are done together for the Lord.
00:40:11
That part of our life is going to abide he that doeth the will of God.
Abide us forever.
Well, soon we find here that he goes in and he processes this. He finds the true ground of friendship, shall I say changes the name of Curtis Arda to Hebron, and that is his dwelling place. Oh, May God grant that this might be an encouragement to us, but now we see how his life becomes a blessing to others. If you'll turn over with me to Judges, the Book of Judges.
And the first chapter.
And the 11Th 1St.
San Francisco went against the inhabitants of Deborah, and the name of Deborah before was Kerja Seifer.
And Caleb said he that smideth courageous Feifer, and taketh it to him, will I give AXA my daughter to wife? And Osmio the son of Kenneth, Caleb younger brother, took it. And he gave him AXA his daughter, the wife, and came to pass when she came to him, that she moved him to ask if her father feels, and he lighted off her ***. And Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?
And he said unto him, Gave me a blessing, For thou hast given me a South land, give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper spring, and another spring.
Now we find that Caleb's life had an effect upon others. Caleb was now an old man.
But we find him his life having an effect upon his younger brother Osmil. And this is very lovely to see. The effect that this man had upon his younger brother sometimes is the very hardest thing to have an effect upon those who are nearest to us in the relationships of life. But I always think it's very lovely here to see how that has off meal. The younger brother had watched his older brother.
He must have had his hard touch. He must have seen the reality of it, because it tells us in the passage that we read there in numbers or in Joshua. I should say that when he came back with the report, he said she gave the report according to what was in his heart.
It wasn't just Park, you know. It was in his heart. And I expect that Osmio often watched his older brothers. What was it going to be like? Was he really going to be able to send all the difficulties of the wilderness? Was he going to be able to stand up a lot against all the misunderstandings when the others tried to discourage the people? And without to discourage him, was he really going to live up to his word when he entered the land and be willing to try and possess the place where the giant were? Well, he was being watched. None of us liveth to himself.
That no man dies to himself had dear young people. We may say a lot, but our lives have much more impact than what we say. They both should go together, and with Caleb they did go together, but he said, and the life he lived seemed to correspond. And his younger brother watched him. And I say again, he knew him pretty well. People that live in our homes watched us a little more closely than even others in the meanings. They know all our shortcomings.
All these different ups and downs of life and here isn't it lovely to see that ask me All is encouraged by what he has seen in his brother Caleb. And now tells us here that Caleb said that whoever would overcome this place called Kurja fever to him, would he give access his daughter to wife. I know he's an interesting name to this meaning to this courage off sea, for that means the city of books.
That's a very interesting thing in this day of education.
It tells us, you know in the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, how the making of books there is no end and much study is a weariness to the flesh. And I suppose there never, never was a time. If Solomon noticed it in his day, it doesn't come, didn't compare with today.
00:45:08
The Princess can hardly keep up with the books that are coming off and you dear young people as you go to school are brought into contact with all this that is coming off the press.
It's the city of books today. This world is the City of Books. You're going to the bookstore. It's just full of books, isn't that? And can you overcome? You read this and you read that and you're feeling this way. In one way when you read one book. They're swayed in another way when you read another book.
And you just say talk, and I know everybody's got a different opinion and you'll just find that the city of books is just so difficult. And I say again, in this day of great education, it is courageous, Seaford. But here we find who was going to smite the city of books, who was going to be able to get the answer in a little school full of different ideas and all kinds of different sorts of man.
How are we going to choose and know the right path?
How are we going to do it? The man of faith off meal rises up encouraged by what he had seen in Caleb, and he smites the city of books. Now that is, he overcame. I don't say that you don't have to read a great deal of books as you go to school. I know that you have to study all kinds of things that you would just assume, not have to study, and it's hard sometimes to know how much you should read and how much you shouldn't read.
In a certain sense, we have to be measurably acquainted with this world about are we overcomers, or do they overcome us?
We were reminded this morning in Second Corinthians, it says, casting down reasoning and every thought.
Thought there, and every high thing that exhausted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. So Caleb went up against this city, and he smoked Kerja, and he changed the name of the place. He called it Bieber DEBIR.
And I understand that word means Oracle. And dear young people, you'll never overcome the city of books unless you hold this book here in high esteem. My father used to have a little thing that I like to repeat, he said. Every book that I read, I judge but one book.
And that one book is the Bible. I don't judge it. It judges me. And unless you and I are content to judge everything that we read at school or after bookshelves, and once we are content to take it and compare it with God's Word, the city of Brooks is going to overcome us. We're going to have our ideas conforming to this world.
And it tells us. In Romans 12 it says.
I defeat you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, as she presents your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your intelligence, service, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove. What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? How are you going to get these wrong ideas that are constantly shown in your mind in the city of Books?
How you're going to get rid of them? How are you going to be able to creating things and sort things out properly? All dear young people, our minds are transformed when we look at things from God's viewpoints. And I urge upon you test everything you read by the word of God. Accept this as God's revelation. It doesn't have to be brought up to date. The truth never has to be brought up to date because the truth is the truth.
And it always is the truth. And the Lord Jesus is the truth. And the Bible also says sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Well, Caleb overcame. I at least asked. Neil overcame and he triumphs over the city. Change the name of it. And to him there was one book. I hope there's one book. I don't mean that we don't enjoy the ministry. Thank God for the ministry.
That we receive. But even at all ministry, when I say this afternoon, please test it by the Oracle. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. And so here's how he overcame. Here's what he renamed the city. And then what happened? He got a Good Wife, didn't he? He got a Good Wife. And you know you'll never get the right partner unless you let God decide it And in the light of his word.
00:50:27
And so it's nice to see that he got a fine wife, a wife that was really a blessing to him.
Wise. That moved him. You know, there's a saying. The world never underestimate the power of a woman.
And then we find in the in the Garden of Eden, we find that it was Eve who moved Adam, and he partook of what was forbidden. But here we find one that moves her husband. But he moved him in the right way. And you girls can have a tremendous effect upon the boys, but be sure you move them in the right way. What did she do? What effect did she have upon Osmio had been affected by what he had seen in Caleb.
Caleb had been affected by what he saw in Joshua. Joshua had been affected by what he saw and Moses. And so it goes on. And now we find he moves him to ask a field. And so they come. I take it together. And Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? She said, You've given me a tough land, but I need refreshments. I need that which will refresh my soul. I guess, dear young people, is a dry and thirsty lamb. We can never go on happily in our Christian lives.
We can neither go on happily in our married lives unless we have a constant source of refreshment.
We need something to help us. Everywhere in the world, marriages are breaking up.
Sadly, saving among Christians, we see this sort of thing creeping in. And why? Well, be sure that when your home is set up, now that you have the upper strain and the nether sprain, and that you value this. And so we find here in this place called the Oracle, why she asked for the upper spring. So I like to think of that as Christ and glory and the blessed, that the Lord Jesus, our precious Savior, is up there in the glory.
There he is at the right hand of God, What an encouragement to us. There were those trembling disciples in the 28th chapter of Matthews, going out into a hostile world. And the Lord Jesus said to them, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, lying with you always. What an encouragement, The upper springs, and then the nether springs, does not speak to your heart of the pathway of the Lord Jesus.
He walked the path before you and I. He knows all that we have to meet. He was a boy. He was a young person. He knows all that you have to meet in life and he knows how to sustain your soul and help you. His pathway is the example. The secret of godliness is the pathway of the Lord Jesus here in this world. So here's a here's a girl accent. She moves her husband.
And Fiasco Fields. And she asked, Father. She said, you've given me a field. Give me also springs of water. She got more than she asked for. She just asked for springs. But he gave her the upper springs and the Nether springs. And now we see how this is going to have its effect. Now with Osmiel, what a blessing this was in this home. Here's a home that is set up in the right way. The City of Books has been overcome.
He's been encouraged by the proper kind of friendship. And now here's a home set up, and here is 1 encouraging the others, the wife encouraging the husband. And may I say to you girls, he encouraged the boys, He encouraged your husband to follow the Lord. It's easy, you know, to get occupied with a home and things that pass away, and they're right in their proper place. But let us have proper priorities in our lives.
May Christ be the real object. May we desire to always maintain in our homes that the upper and another spring now just one more passage before we close in the third chapter of Judges.
The ninth verse.
00:55:00
And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them even asked me all the son of Kinas Caleb younger brother, and the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war. And the Lord delivered Shushan, rich Asian king of the Mesopotamia, into his hands, And his hand prevailed against.
Recipient.
Lamb had rest 40 years, an off meal the son of Kenna's died. Smoothness life here what we see about.
The Frost meals Here's a home that has been set up for the Lord and now we find that off meal.
Becomes a blessing as we were mentioning none of the service to himself here, this young man, now he becomes a blessing to others. People came to him and he was a judge. It doesn't mean so much of his punishing people, but people came to him and said, I feel what about this? Ask you what about that? And ask me. All had learned by experience in the path of faith. He had a helpful wife who had encouraged Kim. No. Isn't it nice to see his life becoming a blessing?
And 40 years of his life. It says the Lamb had rest from war. Oh dear young people, I don't know how soon the Lord will come. I hope he comes very, very soon. But he may leave us here a little bit longer. And I love to look into your faces. He feels that if the Lord leaves us here, there's a place of usefulness for you. As it was mentioned in the morning here, who can tell what what will happen as the Lord removes the ones who are older, 1 by 1.
There is a place for you to fulfill. May the Lord grant that we will profit by these things and that our lives will become a blessing to others. Who can tell the blessing that our life will be? As I say, with Joshua it seemed more of a public leadership type, whereas Osmiel and with Caleb it seemed perhaps more of a quiet sight. But here we find that their lives became a blessing.
May the Lord grant that your life and mine will be a blessing among the people of God.
The Pew dear young people will help and encourage others. You're meeting many new friends here at the meeting and you're going to have an impact upon them. They're going to have an impact upon you. Wouldn't it be lovely if this became the turning point for you? Remember that turning point with Caleb and how that could change That took place in his life when he went in with the spies affected his life for so long afterwards.
Made him a blessing to others. Let him set up in the land in the very place where there were giants. Led him to be such a blessing. Oh, May God grant that we'll learn something from this. For his glory and for her own blessing, and for the blessing of others. The time is short for young people. The Lord Jesus wants us to live to please him in the little time that remains to us until he comes.
I've often said the scripture says the rest of our time. I don't know how long it is.
You don't know how long it is, but we can see grace that we should live the rest of our time.
To the will of God.
So we're saying #290.
We are seeing 290 the first verse and the third verse and the last verse versus 1/3 and 5/2/90.
Thursday.