Calgary Conference: 1989
Table of Contents
Is Christ Our Object
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.
My brother has spoken mostly to those who are unbelievers that they might receive the Lord, and I trust the Lord will answer and blessing. I just like to say a few words for those of us who are the Lords. Particularly you'll turn to Matthew chapter 17. I'd like to read this little story about the.
What we call the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew 17. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here, if thou wilt, let us make here 3 tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise and be not afraid.
When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only, and as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes, that Elias must first come? Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall come first come and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias has come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Minimal and when they were come to the.
There came to him a certain man kneeling down to him, saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sore vexed, for oftentimes he falleth into the fire, and OFT into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer You bring him hit her to me.
Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to Yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Albeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Well, in the end of the chapter before the Lord Jesus has spoken about discipleship, He was preparing the disciples for the fact that the Christian pathway would not be easy, that it would cost them something. And he said, He that loveth his life shall lose it. He that hateth his life in this world keepeth, shall keep it unto life eternal. He was preparing them that Christianity is not an easy path, but a difficult one. But what is it, brethren, that will sustain us in the difficulties of.
In life, what is it that will enable us to meet the problems that constantly confront us as believers? Wasn't it lovely to see the Lord Jesus taking these disciples up onto the Mount of Transfiguration, just to have a view of himself, the glorified? 1 And I think this is most precious. The Lord knows what we need to sustain us in days like this.
Our brother has been bringing before us how very difficult things are and especially.
For our dear young people and.
We know that we can't handle these things in our own wisdom or strength, but isn't wonderful when the Lord gives us a view, so to speak of Himself and to know that He is the one who we're soon going to see face to face. But He's also the one who is sufficient for the difficulties that we have to meet in the pathway of life.
So he takes them up and I was thinking of it, brethren, perhaps in connection with these three days that we have been enjoying together, perhaps we could say the Lord has been taking us to the mountain. Apart now, that is, we've been away from the world. Young people have been away from the influences of school. They've been away from the influences of the world as a system. Those who are occupied in business are very happy to have three days just to spend with those who love the Lord and just.
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Happy fellowship and conversations, and I'm sure we feel sometimes like as if we had been on the mountaintop too. And so we see here, this was perhaps the most wonderful experience of their whole life with the Lord, if we can picture it in our own minds seeing the Lord transfigured before them. And I trust our hearts have had a view of what it's going to be.
When we look into the very face of our precious Savior to see Him there.
This morning He was in the midst, but we know that it was only by faith that we could behold Him. But it's not always going to be that way. Faith is going to be changed to sight. We're going to see Him. The anticipation of this fills our hearts, in a certain sense, with a vision of glory even now. And so His disciples were still in the midst of a nation that was rejecting Him, but they were given a view of Himself.
And brethren, this is what I feel the Lord has granted to us in some measure as.
We have been occupied with the Lord Jesus. We're still here in a world full of troubles and sorrows, but he has given us. He's taken us, as it were, up to the mountaintop. I've rather enjoyed In the 42nd Psalm, the psalmist is saying, Why art thou cast down, O my soul, Why art thou? Why art thou disturbed within me? And then he says, I will remember thee in the land of Jordan.
On Mount Hermon.
And in the hill Mizar, you know, those speak of the ups and downs of life when it says Mount Hermon, that was the highest mountain in the whole of the land of Israel when it spoke to the Jordan. That's the river of death right down at the bottom and flowed into the Dead Sea. And if you look in the margin, you'll see the hill Mizar is the little hills. And so it represents these ups and downs that we have.
And as you read that chapter, you see.
That he is occupied with all these things, unable to go even to the House of God, because the enemy has taken possession and he's really sad. And what made it harder still? The enemy was saying, Where is thy God? Perhaps the enemy's been whispering in your tear. If the Lord cares for me, why doesn't he change some of these situations? Why doesn't he remove these difficulties?
And the enemy kept whispering that, and he was really.
Cast down. But then he says, I'll praise him for the help of his countenance. But before the Psalm closes, he thinks about him again, and he says, He's the help of my countenance and my God. He's looked at him and his face has been brightened. Well, the disciples had an experience like this. It was amazing to them.
However, even on the mount they intended to. They tended to think about man, perhaps great men, people from whom we have received blessing. We look back over our Christian lives and we think of people who've really been a blessing in our lives. It mean a great deal to us, but none compare with the Lord Jesus. The Lord has to sometimes remove those props on which we lean. He said to Joshua after Moses died. Moses, my servant is dead now.
Therefore arise and sometimes the Lord removes those props. Perhaps you say their word, brothers and sisters that were a help to me, but the Lord has taken them home and I feel sort of bereft. Well, the Lord made Moses and Elias disappear and what for? So they would see no man anymore save Jesus. Only have you say some brother or sister that I look to is really disappointed me, but the Lord will never he will never disappoint you.
He's the same yesterday and today and forever. So I say again, the Lord opened their eyes and isn't it lovely what it says here? And Jesus came and touched them. I like that word. Jesus came and touched them. That's what He wants to do to you and me. He wants to touch us. And when he touched them, they opened their eyes just to see him. Oh, what a wonderful.
Occasion this was well, you might say, oh, that's going to be.
Such a wonderful turnabout in their lives. They'll be able from that point on, to handle all the difficulties that rise. All brethren, How often we find that it's after an occasion like this that the enemy seems to come. Full strength. Full strength. He doesn't want to see us. Maybe they're brothers and sisters here.
Who are saying I want to follow the Lord more closely? One of the most serious tests came in my life just after I'd been to a conference. And you know what often happens that way? The enemy comes full strength. That's what happened. They came down from the mountain and I can just imagine how their hearts were full as they talked to one another. What a grand and wonderful experience they had had seeing the Lord and their faces no doubt reflecting in some measure having been with Him.
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But when they got down to the mount, why it tells us here?
That in the 14th verse, and when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man kneeling down to him and saying.
Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and sore vex, for oftentimes he falleth into the fire and OFT into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Yes, they couldn't handle a situation. And you know, we find that we're so dependent on the Lord, and if we think that a wonderful experience is going to give us strength.
No, dear brethren, it's.
Constant dependence upon the Lord. It's keeping our eyes on Him and on Him alone.
And so tells us in the 16th Psalm, Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. This must have been terribly humbling to listen to this man saying to the Lord Jesus, thy disciples couldn't help me, Thy disciples couldn't help me. And don't we feel just that way? We can't seem to handle the situation that's confronting us, perhaps in our business, perhaps in our family, perhaps even in the assembly. Yes, we feel we can't.
And we can't, brethren, we can't do it in our own strength. But isn't it wonderful the Lord came in spite of the fact that they couldn't do it? The Lord was so gracious. Doesn't He often come in when we're not even perhaps conscious of how weak we are, But He comes in, as our brother was saying, how wonderfully the Lord came in, in his life in so many situations.
And haven't we failed? Just absolutely helpless in some situations?
And then the Lord came in and he undertook for us, and the Lord undertook about this boy. This may be a family situation too, like it was here. This man was concerned about his boy. And this boy had been led captive, as it were, by Satan, LED captive at his will. And so maybe a family situation. Maybe there's some father, mother here and you just feel I can't handle.
The situation that's arising in our home.
Well, the Lord was able, how beautiful he cast him out. But we see then the disciples became exercised and it says they came to the Lord Jesus. Notice what it says.
In the 19th verse, then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief. Yes, we have a lot of confidence in ourselves, don't we? We may have confidence in Moses and Elias, so to speak, some other person that we think we can lean upon that will be able to help us.
And the Lord says, because of your unbelief, with whom do we need to have confidence?
The psalmist said I've seen an end of all perfection, and you know, if there's some brother that you're leaning on, the Lord may let you see that you can't lean on him.
But we can always safely lean upon the Lord. Trust ye in the Lord forever. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. And the Lord told him that if they had faith like a grain of mustard seed, they could remove a mountain. I have to confess that I have less than a grain of mustard seed because I know there are mountains that I haven't removed yet. But I know the Lord is able. But he does let us.
Feel how weak we are. But oh brethren, let us trust Him. Let us trust Him, casting all your care upon Him, for he cares for you. We need to confess. I've often noticed. I don't know of any case where anybody in the Bible ever boasted about his faith. Because I think the more we're in the presence of the Lord, we realize that what my father used to often say were unbelieving believers. We believed to the salvation of our souls.
But we find ourselves in situations so weak. But it doesn't change the Lord. He's the same. He answered the prayer when they were praying for Peter, even though there wasn't enough faith to believe, when he came to the door, he still answered. Oh how good He is. So wonderful to meet us in our need. But then there's a little word that the Lord gave to them.
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And he says.
Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. And I believe this is important for us too. We tend to give up and feel, well, it's no use, But I believe the Lord encourages us in prayer. He says with prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God.
Let's keep on. We're going to need it, and we're going to need.
More and more.
The armor of prayer as we sometimes sing and then what is fasting? Well, some people think of it in connection with doing without food. And there have been occasions, I suppose, when something has pressed upon a person so much that he said it burdens me so much I don't even feel like eating. And so he fasts he he really burdened about a situation. There are situations that press on our souls just like that, but there I believe that fasting has a much wider.
Application than just food. There may be things in our lives that we think we can't part with, things that we say. I just couldn't give that up. But that very thing, that little thing may be a hindrance. I remember a girl that we used to know.
And she really turned to the Lord and wanted to follow the Lord. But there was just one little thing that she kept in her life that I believe in the end broke her down. And, you know, we need to let the Lord have his rightful place. We sang in love that transcends our highest powers, demands our soul, our life, our all. We think of dear Jonathan, you know, when David had won that great victory.
He comes and he presents everything, his bow, his sword, his girdle, the girdles, what's closest to yourself. And he, he said, David, it's all yours. But he didn't give everything. He kept one thing as someone who said he kept his shoes. He didn't follow David. And that very one thing, the one thing lacking was what was his final downfall. He didn't walk with David. And when David was slain?
When Jonathan was slain, pardon me, on the mountains of Gilboa, it tells us that David mourned. Have often said, and it struck me, David never asked Jonathan to go with him. You say, why didn't he ask him? He wanted him to come out of love. He wanted him to come out of love. And I'm not laying down rules for you because that's not Christianity.
But I do say that.
The the Lord wants your company, and if there's something that's hindering you or for me from enjoying his company, you don't have to give it up. But is it worth clinging to it if it's going to rob you of the company of the Lord Jesus? He's worthy of our all and all had he missed by just keeping that one thing?
Yet did David value it? Yes he did. 1 Jonathan died. He valued what he had done. That's always touched me. He says Thy love to me was wonderful, He might have said, but he missed one thing. But he didn't. Isn't it wonderful that all It's not of himself. Someday, brethren, is going to be burned up, but there is going to be something that abides. And David didn't forget what Jonathan had done. But there was a loss in his life. And if you and I want to.
Really have the enjoyment of the Lord's presence and company in our lives and the ability to meet the different situations. We don't have it in ourselves. We have to be constantly dependent and we have to be careful that we're not allowing something in our life that's the hindrance to the blessing because He's full of blessing. He wants to bless us. He longs for our companionship and company, and He's not going to be satisfied till He has it forever.
And it says here.
And be satisfied, and I shall be satisfied, when I await with thy likeness.
The God of Love and Peace
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.
John 3 in verse 16.
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. And then in John chapter 15 and verse 9, as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
Well, I was thinking first of all that we have His love from eternity. It says that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. And that is God is love, we are told, and God would have us to know that love. He had eternal counsels in His own heart that He was going to make known that love, that He was going to have those who would share in that love.
And enter into it in an association with His beloved Son. And oh, how wonderful this is when we stop to think of it that way back before this world was made, God had purposes of love toward you and toward me. It's almost stupendous for us to think of. We talked quite a bit in the meeting this morning about the creation and how wonderful it is. But to me, it's far more wonderful that before any of these things were made, God had.
Those whom He had chosen in Christ, whom He had in His eternal counsels, plan to share in the enjoyment of what was in His heart. And so He chose us, that we should be in that position before ever sin entered the world. And then as soon as sin entered the world, then God made a promise. He said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. No sooner had Satan come in to spoil that which God had made.
Then God showed that nothing could frustrate or change that purpose that He had in His heart, that purpose for your blessing and for mine. And so He made the promise of a coming Redeemer. And the work of redemption, brethren, is a far, far greater work than creation, because in creation, as we had the verse this morning, He spake and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. Those mighty orbs that are.
US and this earth and every detail connected with it. He could make the whole thing. He could create it all just by the word of His mouth. But not so with the salvation of our souls. Not so if He was going to show that love when sin had entered to spoil it. Nothing could change those counsels but all the cost, all the cost to Himself. When we think of it, we think of how when He created this world.
Why he was looking down.
Preparing a beautiful place for a man to enjoy something of his love in the marvelous provision. I like that word that's given in Genesis where it says the Lord God planted the garden. He created everything, but just to think with his own hands, He planted a garden because he was going to place man there. To know that love, to know that joy, to be in a scene undisturbed by sin, a scene of peace.
And so he was rejoicing.
In the habitable parts of His earth, He was thinking about you and about me, and how we would inhabit this earth, and how we could know what was in His heart. And then sin came in and spoiled it. He made the promise of a coming Redeemer. But then from the time the promise was made in the Garden of Eden, 4000 years passed by. Did man appreciate all the displays of goodness and kindness that God had shown? Saying to.
People when they sin so grievously. Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Yes. He. He showed that love to the nation of Israel after their wilderness journey. It says, yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in my hand.
And then, after 4000 years of man's history, God hadn't changed his thoughts one bit.
We change, we say, well, I, I really love that person, but the way they've acted, it's killed the love that's in my heart. But it didn't kill his love. Those eternal counsels this world made beautiful for man to enjoy. The promise that there would be a Redeemer. Many, many displays of God's love through the Old Testament. But God sent his own son into this world. It says God was in Christ.
Reconciling the world unto himself, that means that when?
The Lord Jesus was here upon earth. God was saying, as it were, Well, I want them to see what's in my heart. They've brought in sickness, but I'll heal all the sickness. If there's some hungry people, I'll feed the hungry people. If there are those under the power of Satan, I'll set them free. I'll do everything to show out the heart of God my Father to them. And God was in Christ.
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Reconciling the world, that is, would man when he saw that perfect display in this.
World of God revealed in Christ. Would he change his attitude? Would that reconcile him? No, but God still loved man. He still loved him. He sent his Son and the Lord Jesus comes to the moment of that cross. It says the time came that he should be received up and he set his face to go to Jerusalem. He was like the Hebrew servant. He served his time.
His master said you can go out free if you're willing to go alone, but if you want.
The company of your wife and your children, then you must be a servant forever. And I think of that time when the Lord Jesus, that moment came when he must go to the cross if he was to have your company in mind. And he said, I love my Master came to do his Father's will to tell out his heart. I love my wife, the church, I love my children. Every individual believer. I will not go out free. And we see him in that agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
As He prayed, not my will but thine be done, and He goes on in perfect obedience. What it cost him to display that love will never really fully know, but we do know He displayed it. He displayed that love so fully by what He endured.
We sing a little hymn sometimes. Justice had withstood the purposes of love, But just as now withstands no more, And mercy yields her boundless store. And so the barriers removed, And I enjoy the way that another hymn puts it. The river of thy grace, through righteousness supplied, is flowing o'er the barren place where Jesus died. Supposing there's a little stream coming down the mountainside?
And you say, well, I'm going to stop that stream, so you'll build a little dam. Well, it's only a question of time. As long as there's plenty of water in the source that it overflows that dam, what is that? I'm going to build a bigger one. Well, you'd build a bigger one. And as long as there's plenty of water, it keeps rising until it goes over the top. And this world, as it were, sought to put the greatest barrier in the way of the display of God's love. But what happened? His love overflowed all the banks that went right.
Over the top of all that man did, and God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. All I want to say to anyone here that is not saved. Oh, if you only knew the love that's in the heart of God, you couldn't turn away.
Love isn't overlooking sin. What love does is find a way that the question of sin can be settled so that love can flow. That applies to a family. It applies to the assembly too. Love seeks to find a way. The difficulty arises. Love seeks to find a way. If you don't love the person, you say, oh, I don't care. But if you love the person, you try to find a way so that the question can be settled, whether it's life or children.
Whatever, you try to find a way, and God found a way. The cost was great to Himself, but Jesus paid it all. Now what does He want you and I to enjoy? Well, John 15, which we read says in the ninth verse.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
That I might mention another verse that has already been mentioned in our meetings in Jude where it says keep yourselves in the love of God.
Oh, may I say to each one here, the devil is at work to try to bring doubts into your mind about God's love.
Difficulty or a trouble comes into our life as believers lie. Immediately the devil tries to suggest why should this happen to me? Does God really love me, or does he love some other person better than me? And he tries to establish, if he possibly can, a doubt in our mind about God's love. But isn't this precious, as the Father hath loved me?
Could any of us try to measure the love of the Father to the Son? But any of us ever doubt the love of the Father?
To the son. But he says, so have I loved you? Can you measure love like that?
As I say in natural things, very often we see we haven't always acted the way we should. We haven't always displayed love the way we should. But God is love. He had eternal purposes of love to bring us before Him wholly and without blaming love. He made this world for us to enjoy. We spoil it by sin. And I sometimes said, it's as though God looked down when sin entered and said, well, you spoiled everything I made for you to enjoy.
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All that was in my heart. So I want to invite you to something better than what you spoiled because I still love you. Just think of love like that, brethren. And that's the love that he has. Oh, may the Lord grant that we won't allow one single doubt in our mind because the moment we do, we're going to be unhappy Christians. Many, many people in this world feel unloved and unwanted, but.
The Sinner is brought through the gospel to know that God does love him and that God at infinite cost has provided a way to display that love. But I'm speaking largely to brethren here, those who know the Lord as Savior. I'm speaking to you, dear young people. It's very frustrating and disappointing when maybe some friend disappoints you, somebody hurts you.
And the enemy begins to whisper in your ear. And why did God?
Allow this to happen. If He loves you, He's working out things better in somebody else's life than yours. Why is it? But never allow a doubt in your mind about God's love. He loves you, and He's going to continue to love you through everything.
Have often mentioned that in that in Hebrews Chapter 11 we have two different groups of people brought before us in the end of that chapter he says, what shall I say more time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Jephthah and Iraq and all these different people and it says who through face of Jude kingdoms wrought righteousness obtain promises. And we have a whole multitude of people who had wonderful.
Answers to prayer they were in real problems as our brother brought before us right in the fire and God preserved their life in the fire, but.
In that very portion there's a change and it says others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, not one mention of any deliverance for them at all. God, as it were, withheld his hand and allowed that second group to go through all kinds of problems that he didn't explain to them. And.
He just let them go through it and they might say, well, how is it that there were such wonderful answers that others received and we didn't get the answers. Does God love us? I I think the comment is so beautiful of the Spirit of God. These all obtained a good report through faith. Maybe some of you dear young people, God may put you in the group where you say, well, things just don't work out in my life like they do in other people, but you can obtain a good report.
You can obtain a good report and it says our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh before us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When you get to glory and see how God worked through those circumstances, think of Joseph. Nothing seemed to work out. He went to please his father and his brother's soul and put him in a pit and then sold him. He got falsely accused.
In the court in Potiphar's house.
Then the the Butler forgot, forgot him. Why? Over again? It just seemed that what he tried to do ended in disappointment. But when you beat Joseph in heaven and you say to him, Joseph, which one of the boys in that family would you like to be? Do you think he'll say, oh, I wish I was one of the others. They didn't have half the problems that I did. No, I don't think so. I think he's going to say.
We never knew it, I never understood it, but I see now that.
My life was just a picture of my blessed Savior. He'll he'll find out he's got he got a good report through faith, but he didn't get miraculous deliverances at least for a good long time in his life. Oh brethren, his love is the same as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If you lose the sense of that, you've lost all it's worthwhile in your Christian life. The devil is going to do his very best to get.
God's love. And if you can just bring those kind of thoughts into your mind and make you think that God has forgotten you or that he's not dealing fairly with you, he's accomplished a great purpose and you're robbed of what God intends for you. Now at the end of the journey, every believer is going to be supremely happy. I'll never meet anybody in heaven who's going to doubt God's love.
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Everyone in heaven is going to say, oh, it's wonderful. I never knew that he loved me this much.
When I see what he has prepared for those that love him. But down here the devil's busy. He's trying to get a doubt in our minds about God's love. Say it over and over again. My father used to say, Say that verse to yourself every day. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. Perhaps I hear someone say, But I've been wilful. I've been very self willed.
But he still loves you. He still loves you. It doesn't.
It doesn't change his love at all. It may change the enjoyment of his love, but not his love. A disobedient child is love. The disobedient, willful child doesn't know how much his parents love him. But the parents parts are just broken because they're longing to display the love that the child won't accept It won't realize that what the parent is trying to do is because they love it. Oh how wonderful. Well, we parents make mistakes, but God, my Father never does.
Well, may the Lord grant that this love may get hold of us in our inmost souls and really mean something to us.
Well, I'd like to read that in Proverbs again. Just.
Chapter 8.
Because this particularly brings in the thought of rejoicing.
Verse 30.
Then I was by Him as one, Proverbs 8, verse 30. Then I was by him as one brought up with Him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, And my delights were with the sons of men. Now let's turn over to the Gospel of Luke, 2nd chapter, the 10th verse.
Than the Angel of the Lord, and the angels of the Lord, No, pardon me, the And the Angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David as Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And I'd like you to turn to Luke chapter 15.
And verse.
6 Verse 5. And when he hath found that, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Now when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found thy sheep which was lost. For I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over 1 Sinner that repenteth more than over, and 90 and 9 just persons, which need no repoy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Well, here again we see that way back in the very beginning, God was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth. But as we mentioned before, sin had come in. But now this brings us to the gospel of Luke and we find the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and he's seeking the lost. He's seeking the lost. And it says here there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 Sinner that.
Repentance is not a very blessed thing for us to know, and that is we're loved. And that heaven would rejoice when he laid the foundations of the earth. It tells us in Job the sons of God shouted for joy. There was a great time of rejoicing when the foundations of this earth were laid. But man and his self will he departed. And then tells us here in Luke about the joy that the Lord has in one Sinner.
That repenteth, they'll then rejoices over new discoveries and science in progress. In many things that happen. We rejoice often at good news. But I think this is stupendous to think that if there was 1 Sinner last night who accepted the Lord Jesus as his or her Savior, the whole of heaven rejoiced. It just made those angels in heaven.
And I think it's so wonderful that they're unselfish.
You know when the when the angels fell, because there were some that fell with Satan tells us the devil and his angels, God didn't offer any pardon to those fallen angels. There's no pardon offered to them. But when men fell, God chose to act in marvelous grace and offer a pardon. The fallen man and the angels looked down and they see how men have spoiled this world.
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Tells us in Ephesians.
To the intent, but now under the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. That is, they look down and they see the ways of God with man.
They actually rejoiced when the Lord Jesus was born, says there was a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God. And so that they looked down and they see one person offered a pardon which was never offered to them, and that person receives the pardon and all the angels in heaven rejoice. And the heart of God rejoices too, because it's his delight to show blessing to man.
How wonderful it is.
And so shall I say man, sin hasn't spoiled that joy, because God has found a way that rises above man's sin, first for the display of his love, and then that there might be joy. Are you and I happy Christians? We ought to be the happiest people on earth, knowing that our sins are forgiven, knowing that heaven is our home. It ought indeed to make us happy people. And yet so often.
We're sad the world looks at us and they don't see.
That we're really happy, Mr. Darby once said. Our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord.
And I think it's so beautiful that we can go through this world as a rejoicing people of heaven rejoices when a Sinner gets saved. How much more we who are the subjects of that love and who have been brought into blessing, we should be rejoicing too. It ought to reflect in our faces. Moses went up to the mountains.
When the people had broken the law.
And he went up very sad. He said, peradventure I shall make an atonement for you. Well, he couldn't make an atonement for the people, but God did through the Tabernacle give him a little picture of what he would do for that people. Because it tells us that the Tabernacle was a pattern of things in the heavens. And that little display of God's goodness that could meet a guilty people caused Moses face to shine so much that when he came down it says.
The people couldn't behold him for the glory of his countenance, and so he put a veil over his face. And you and I know the heart of God in a much, much greater way than Moses ever knew. And yet we go through this world and if the world looked at us, instead of saying, well, they're a group of happy people, they often see that we're reflecting sadness in our faces where Moses face actually shines so much that he had to put a cover over it when he only knew half as much as we know of what's in the heart of God.
All brethren, we need to dwell upon this wonderful, wonderful grace of God that has met us in all our need.
But then when we turned over to 3rd John, we found there that there was a greater joy than just salvation.
So many do indeed rejoice when they're first saved, but they perhaps stop short of knowing how wonderful God's salvation is.
In our meetings we've been considering a little bit of how largely we are blessed and how wonderful and glorious is this person that we look to. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and he is the head of the body, the Church.
And there are many, many dear Christians who don't enter into these precious things and enjoy them. Well, we have been, through the goodness of God, been meditating on these things. And if there's joy when a person is saved, we who have been talking not about the way of salvation, because we believe that most are saved, but we've been just meditating in these meetings about how wonderfully we are blessed, as I said, in the Tabernacle.
Only the high Priest once every year could go in, but the veil has been rent, and every believer has been brought into a place so near that it says having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. We are accepted in the Beloved. We're holy and without blame before Him in love. Don't these things thrill our hearts? And heaven looks down, as it says.
No greater joy than when my children walk.
In the truth.
Would we be satisfied if we wanted to do something for our child and we just started to do it and we just had done the very first thing that we intended to do and the child said, oh, I don't want to hear anymore. Always say, oh please, there's a lot more to you, for you than what I have told you of. And that's what it means.
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When we read let's turn over to it in Ephesians chapter 3, I'd like to read from the 17th verse that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
That she, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now under Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
I believe we have two thoughts brought before us here in this passage. I believe in verses 17 and 18. It's to comprehend or to lay hold of how large our blessings are in Christ, not just forgiven, justified from all things, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. He wants us to know it all and then which passes knowledge.
I've used a little illustration just to try and bring out what I mean.
Supposing there is a young man, he's going to get married.
And he has tremendous wealth and he prepares a beautiful home to share with his bride. It's all ready for her.
She comes to see this poem and it's just so marvelous that when she steps inside the door, she said, oh, I've seen enough. That's all I want to see. I'm just so glad to be inside the door. I think the hymn writer had that in mind, trembling. We had hoped for mercy, some low place within his door. But the crown, the throne, the mansion already long before. And she says, well, I'm just satisfied. So I'm just going to sit down here. It's so beautiful at the entry.
Oh, but he says, dear, I want you to.
At all. So he takes her from room to room and shows her all that he has prepared for her. And each room is more beautiful than the one before, just filled with admiration as she sees the lengths and breadth and depth and height of the thing. And then after he's shown it all to her, he says, oh, but there's more than what I've shown you. And he puts his armor on her and he says, I want you to know the love that goes with it all.
And brethren, that's what God wants us to know.
It's not only that he has prepared things that are far beyond our minds to enter into, but that love that goes with us. Can we help but be happy? Couldn't you? Could you say that that girl would go out on the street looking sad and unhappy? I think her face would just be beaming up because she looked in the mirror and tried to perform a smiling face, but because she was inwardly happy. And so, as we were saying this morning.
We want to be filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, there's joy when a Sinner gets saved. There's greater joy, just like that husband. I can just see him as he sees how his new bride is appreciating all these things as he takes you through his joys increasing too, because he is sharing it with her, because he wants to enjoy it, not alone. It's nothing to him. It's an empty house to him, but it's a House of love. It's a House of joy to share.
And brethren, God's not satisfied that we should just.
No, we're saying he wants us to know the unsearchable riches of Christ, and he says keep yourselves in the love of God.
Now we can't keep ourselves from stumbling. It says he's able to keep us from stumbling. But it's to me, it's just like saying on a very cold day, oh, just keeping the sunshine. It's always bright and warm when you're in the sunshine. And here we are, brethren, in a cold world. We're in a world that Satan has done his best to keep men from knowing the love of God, the joy that God wants to bestow and the peace that he can bring. Satan's at work to try and keep people from knowing.
And after we get saved, He does His very best to keep us from enjoying our portion, But it tells us that there's joy when we walk in the truth. But then in the end of Jude, it says unto him that is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you before the throne of his glory with exceeding joy. And I look forward to the time when his joy will anticipate any joy I've ever known down here.
When he introduces us to the Father's house.
And as we sing sometimes he who loves us leads the singing, says in the midst of the congregation, will I praise thee? And as he looks, he's not going to be disappointed with one. No, it tells us, he shall see of the travel of his soul, and shall be satisfied. Could God have done any more to display his love? Could he have done any more to display the joy that he has in US and that he wants us to?
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Joy, she is true in this world. He's given us all things richly to enjoy. Sometimes people are afraid to be saved because they're afraid they're going to have to give up something.
I often say, well, all you give up is your sins, and all that you get is nothing but joy. He's given us in this world all things richly to enjoy. When you try to enjoy the world in disobedience to your Creator, it's like a child and you give them a toy and you say, now I'll show you how you can have a lot of fun with this toy, but there is also a warning connected with it. If you don't use it the right way, it could harm you. And the child says, I don't need any of that kind of instruction. I'll use it.
The way I like the child doesn't have the joy you intended, does it? And when we use this world, when we use our bodies contrary to the will of God, why we only spoil what God intended. He gave us all this world to enjoy.
Food, sunshine, everything. We've often said why could have made all our food taste alike, but he made it differently because he wanted us to enjoy variety. Could have made the world all one color, but he gave a variety. In this world, when they discovered the planets, they don't see all those varieties. But in this world he was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and his delights were with the sons of men. Could have made food and nourish our body without giving us the enjoyment of eating it.
Hello friends, what a God. We have Lovejoy and he wants us to know these things and he wants us to look forward to that time and then he also wants us to enjoy peace. I'd like to look at a few scriptures in connection with peace.
First of all.
Just like to turn to Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis.
Chapter 1 and verse 31 and God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the 6th day. Well, I was thinking particularly in connection with peace. If you don't find peace mentioned here, but I believe it's implied. Now if you turn over with me to Luke's gospel a second chapter.
Verse 13 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly holy.
Praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill to man and over to Colossians chapter 1 where we've been reading. If you notice this verse, but I just like to read it again, the 20th verse. And having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.
And then in First Corinthians 14.
1St Corinthians 14.
And verse 33.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints.
Well, when God had created everything, sin hadn't come in. It was a scene of peace, and God provided to help meet for Adam so that he could enjoy that scene where there was absolutely nothing to disturb. There wasn't anything there that he couldn't say. Well, I have to hold back on that. He could enjoy it. Of all the trees of the garden, thou mayest freely eat, but there was one that God gave to test his obedience, and that is would he recognize the rights of.
His Creator who had made everything for his good and for his happiness, well, He chose to reach out to that one forbidden thing. As someone has said, how often does 1 hidden one forbidden thing hide from our view? 1000 blessings. We go after something that's forbidden, and we just hide from our view all the good things that we can enjoy from the hand of God because we wanted one forbidden thing.
Thing it was a scene of peace and God thinking of man. I think it's so lovely. He thought of how he needed a companion to enjoy it though I traveled alone for a good many years. Beautiful things I saw didn't mean too much to me because I was alone. I felt, oh, it's not too much fun or pleasure when your partner's not alone to enjoy it with you. But when there was somebody to enjoy it with you, then it just seemed so much nicer And God said, well, I'll give him a.
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So he can enjoy what I have provided for him. But he chose to try and find peace in another way. He went after something that God had forbidden. May I say to you, dear young people, if God has forbidden anything in His word, it's because He loves you, not because He hates you. It's because He knows that that forbidden thing would not bring the happiness you expect.
How often we've experienced that we've reached out for something, we got it.
And it didn't bring what we expected. Oh, may the Lord give us to value obedience to His word. It says, if ye love me, keep my commandments. May He give us to experience this more in our lives. Well, sin did enter. Man chose to, shall I say, deserve the peace of the creation. He chose to listen to Satan and immediately the peace of the situation is spoiled.
He's driven out from the garden, driven out to toil the ground. His wife is tall. She's going to bring forth children with sorrow and thorns and thistles the earth would bring forth. Oh, how sad it was. Did God still care? Yes, O Lord Jesus bore the crown of thorns. The Lord Jesus came down and he said, I love man so much that I'll bear the crown of thorns. I'll take his.
Place so that he can be blessed. And when the Lord Jesus was born into this world, there was a multitude of the heavenly horse saying glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill to man if he disturbed the peace through his sin. Here was the one who came, the one who is the Prince of Peace, the one who alone can and will in the coming day bring peace to this world. But the world wouldn't have him.
Finally, when the Lord Jesus enters Jerusalem on his way to Calvary.
The message is peace in heaven. They wouldn't have the Prince of Peace, but peace is in heaven. He's made peace, brethren, through the blood of His cross. Does any Sinner that doesn't have peace, Peace is at God's right hand. There's a Savior, in spite of all our sin and guilt, who settled a question of sin that we might have peace, Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And he said, My peace I give unto you. He wants us to not only have.
Piece about the question of sin, but peace too, in all the circumstances of life, because absolutely nothing happens by chance in your life. And mine says about the Lord Jesus, My peace I give unto you. As the Lord Jesus walked through this world, did he face rejection? Did he face hatred? Was he hungry? Was he thirsty? Was he weary?
Yes, but he walked in peace through this world. And why? Because he said even.
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight, and next time something happens to disturb your peace and upset you, I just think the Lord says you can have peace in the midst of this. I've ordered it all. I'm planning for your blessing. And if you have failed, He's provided a way back. He says if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The psalmist could say, even though it's sin very grievously.
When he would come and confess his sin, then he says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. So here we find that He's born to this world. He brings peace. And every believer who knows the Lord Jesus the Savior has the peace with God, but we don't always have the peace of God. And I believe it's because we do not take things as from His hand when we receive them as from His hand.
Then we have peace.
In our souls, just to illustrate it by a little story I remember reading about.
A little girl and her mother was with her husband who was the captain of the ship, and they were on board this ship. And a big storm came up and the little girl was down in the room and she was asleep there when the storm came up. And the boat tossed so much she woke up. And when she woke up then she knew there was a storm because the boat was tossing so much.
Was just asked one question.
It's still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia. That thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith. So do I just like to mention the way this next phrase is in the Darby translation. Seems to me it makes it a lot clearer now the purpose of what is enjoined.
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Is love out of a pure heart?
And of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned, from which some, having swerved, have turned aside into vain jangling.
This verse strikes me very much. Here was the assembly that received the very highest truth. I believe the assembly at Ephesus received the very highest line of truth in the Bible, seated in the heavenlies in Christ. But here there were those in the assembly with all this wonderful unfolding of truth, and they were occupied with other things and the precious things of God.
They were ministering questions and bringing in a lot of things that were not for the encouragement of the Saints. And so that when people went away, they said, oh, that question wasn't answered, but there were many positive things that could have been said. It could have been happily enjoyed by the people of God. And now may I say this little word in a practical way to all of us who perhaps take part in the Assembly of God and try and help our brethren. I think this is very.
Important what it says in this fifth verse.
The purpose of what is enjoined, that is, the purpose of ministry, is 3 things here. Love out of a pure heart, of a good conscience, and of faith uncain.
I believe, brethren, that this ought to be the character of ministry. I believe that ministry ought to stir up our hearts in more affection for the Lord Jesus.
It ought to strengthen our faith.
It ought to exercise our conscience. If we have allowed anything that has hindered growth in the things of God, then I believe if each one of us were exercised, what a blessing our Bible readings would be. What a blessing our ministry meetings would be. The purpose of what is enjoying is love out of a pure heart.
A good conscience and faith unfeigned or unpretended or when we go to meetings when that purpose is in our perspective view, isn't it true that we come away and we say, oh, I got something from that and I see that there's a little hindrance I've been allowing in my life. It's not worthwhile. It's just hiding from me what God has for me to enjoy in Christ. Well, there's love, then there's joy and then there's peace and I believe we can as.
Said at the beginning, we can apply this in the three different ways individually. I just like to say in connection with law, I'm just going to quote these verses, love in an individual way. Paul enjoyed that. He said the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Isn't that beautiful? He was as an individual. You say, well, the assemblies, not all this should be well, I'm sure all of us have to hang our heads and say we've contributed to it too.
We're not perfect ourselves, but are are we coming to the meeting, brethren, and repeating this to ourselves? The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me the personal enjoyment of his life.
We have a little picture of a family love if we were to turn to Genesis 22, and there the Lord said to Abram, Take now thy son, thine only son whom thou lovest. We need to cultivate that love and affection for our children.
When you're when you're employed and with all the things that turn up in this world, it's very easy for us to forget that display of love to our children is so important, so necessary.
Really cost Abraham something because he really loved that boy. That was a family love and you read about that kind of a family. When the Lord came with the angels, that was a home of love. And they sat down and tells us about the meal that was served and how Abram pledged.
For his brother-in-law, oh so beautiful. It was a family of love. And then we see too in the assembly. If you turn over to 2nd Corinthians 13 I I just like to call attention to this.
2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 11.
Finally, my brethren, farewell. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Isn't that a nice, shall I say, recipe for an assembly? Was everything the way it should be in Coram? Well, we all know that there are a lot of sad things in Corum, but isn't it lovely that he closed the letter that way? Could have said, well, you can get all upset about things in that in your assembly. But he says, finally, my brethren, farewell, be perfect. That is, God sets before us a perfect standard. We never attain to a down here, but God never lowers the standard he never sees.
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That we should be anything less than having a perfect model before us. The Lord Jesus. Be of good comfort. Are there trials in the assembly? Be of good comfort, be of one mind. We need to the exercise about this too, brethren, to seek to go on as much as possible in oneness of mind. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Here we see the assembly, and it's particularly the thought of love. Then I was thinking of joy too. Paul is an individual.
In Philippians 3 he could say, I rejoice in the Lord all the way, and again I say rejoice. When he was in prison in the 16th of Acts, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. All the difficulties he went through didn't change his joy. It was in the Lord, not in his circumstances. We can't always be happy in our circumstances, but we can always have joy in the Lord.
Then in the 16th of Acts, we have a family.
The grace of God had come to that family and it tells us about that jail keeper tells us kind of a man he was before, but grace came to that household. He believed in the Lord with all his house. And what does it say? He rejoiced believing in God with all his hearts. So there was joy brought not just to an individual but to a family. And so there was joy together in that family. And then in Romans 15, I'd just like to turn to this in connection.
With collectively in regard to joy. Romans 15.
Romans 15 and verse 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope.
Through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Here we find a joy that Paul desired for the assembly at Rome.
Full joy and peace in believing and abounding in hope. He desired that there would be that joy in their midst collectively. And I just call your attention to what He said here.
I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Now I just suggest a little thought in connection with that verse.
Sometimes we might want to admonish a brother. I think it would be good if we asked ourselves the questions here, he says here.
Full of goodness.
When I go to that speak to that brother.
Does he know me as a critic, or does he know me as a person that normally shows goodness?
There's quite a difference. I'm sure you found the same. If it's a person you've shown a lot of kindness to and you go to speak to him, he's usually willing to listen because he knows you. In that character isn't this beautiful, full of all goodness and then filled with all knowledge. Sometimes we speak to people and we only know half the facts. We talk as if we knew them all, but we really don't, and we get ourselves into a lot of trouble because we take it. We act as if we knew the whole situation when we don't.
Full of all knowledge and more than that, we need to know the scriptures that we apply to the situation.
Because our opinion won't mean much unless we have the knowledge of God's Word.
We're not able to admonish one another. Next time that we want to admonish a brother or sister, let's think of those things. And I believe that it will help in the joy of the assembly. You know, just to mention, before we close piece 2, I'd like to think of what the Lord Jesus said there. My peace I give unto you in John 14. We won't turn to it. And then I will turn to a verse in Esther, because you might not all recall this.
The last chapter of Esther. Last chapter.
Of Esther and the.
Third verse, 10th chapter, and third verse. For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
I like to think of that as a family, that is the father and the mother in the family. That ought to characterize teaching the good of everybody in the family and seeking peace and blessing for them. And Mordecai had a lot of ups and downs in his life. You only have to read the book and see how conditions were in Israel. He almost got hanged on a gallows. But here we find this man now. What is he doing at the end of his life? Why he's accepted by.
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Altitude of His brethren speaking peace to all His seed. Oh, how beautiful these things are in connection with peace. And then in the assembly, let's turn to Acts 15, the 30th verse.
So when they were dismissed they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the Epistle, which, when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
A really serious matter came up there about law keeping that could have easily divided the Gentiles and the Jews.
And they didn't treat this matter lately, but in the wisdom of God and in the love of God, they sought to settle this matter in such a way that, shall I say, both sides would be happy and see that it was settled according to the mind and will of God. It was very beautiful the way they did it, because if they had settled at Antioch, the brethren at Jerusalem would have said, we don't like the way that was handled down there. So we find that they came up from Antioch and.
Talked about at Jerusalem. They considered the matter before the Lord, they brought Scripture to bear on it, and it was settled in such a way that peace was maintained between Antioch and Jerusalem. And when they came to Antioch and told what had been decided, instead of all being disturbed and upset, why there was peace, there was joy. God maintained it well. Broken. The Lord is able for these days in which we live. Let me say again.
That God is a God of love. He seeks our joy.
He seeks our peace. He's provided a way for it individually, in family life and in the assembly. Everything is going to be perfect in heaven, but He wants us to enjoy, at least in measure, what He has for us down here. He's given us directions in His Word. May we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to carry them out. We'll be surprised it really works. It's God's plan. May the Lord give us grace so to do.
The Upper Room
Colossians 1:1
Love Joy Peace
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I had it in my on my heart to speak about love and joy and peace, and I believe we could say that those are things that every heart longs for. It's a wonderful feeling to feel that you're loved. It's a wonderful thing to have true joy. The world's joy is always temporary, but when we know God and His heart of love, there is a joy. As the Lord Jesus said, your joy, no man taketh from you. It's a real joy.
We can forfeit ourselves, perhaps through carelessness, but it doesn't change God's heart. It's ever toward us in love and in peace. How many there are who are disturbed about circumstances, trials. And I thought of it too, in three ways. Individually, in the family and in the assembly. I believe the enemy tries to destroy those things which God desires should be the portion of the individual should be the portion of the family should be.
Version of the assembly and with the Lord's help, I just like to look to a few passages about these different beautiful thoughts in connection with first of all, the love of God because that's the foundation of all It's been said, you know that God is light and we make him a judge by our sins, but he is love and none has made him such and that is God wants to show his love. Sin is the hindrance, but we see how God has found a way.
Overcoming all that Satan did. He came, as we're told, to undo the works of the devil. And Satan has tried to destroy these three things, and God has found a way. Well, I just like to look at a few passages. Let's turn first of all to.
Proverbs, I believe it is.
Proverbs, chapter 8.
Proverbs, chapter 8.
Says here.
The 29th verse well, I'll read from the 27th. When He prepared the heavens, I was there. When He set a compass upon the face of the deaf, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the foundations of the deep, when He gave to the sea His decree that the waters should not pass His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth, then I was by Him as one brought up with Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.
Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and my delights for with the sons of men.
You turn to Ephesians chapter 1.
According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Now we turn over to John 316.
John 3 and verse 16.
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. And then in John chapter 15.
And verse 9.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
Well, I was thinking first of all that we have His love from eternity. It says that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. And that is God is love, we are told, and God would have us to know that love. He had eternal counsels in His own heart that He was going to make known that love, that He was going to have those who would share in that love.
And enter into it in an association with His beloved Son. And oh, how wonderful this is. When we stop to think of it that way back before this world was made, God had purposes of love toward you and toward me. It's almost stupendous for us to think of. We talked quite a bit in the meeting this morning about the creation and how wonderful it is. But to me, it's far more wonderful that before any of these things were made, God had those.
Whom He had chosen in Christ, whom he had in his eternal counsel's plan to share in the enjoyment of what was in his heart. And so he chose us, that we should be in that position before ever sin entered the world. And then as soon as sin entered the world, then God made a promise. He said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. No sooner had Satan come in to spoil that which God had made.
And God showed that.
Nothing could frustrate or change that purpose that He had in His heart, that purpose for your blessing and for mine. And so He made the promise of a coming Redeemer. And the work of redemption, brethren, is a far, far greater work than creation, because in creation, as we had the verse this morning, He spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. Those mighty orbs that surround us and this earth, and every detail connected with it.
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He could make the whole thing, He could create it all just by the word of His mouth, but not so with the salvation of our souls. Not so if He was going to show that love when sin had entered to spoil it. Nothing could change those counsels at all. The cost, Oh, the cost to Himself. When we think of it, we think of how, when He created this world, why He was looking down.
Preparing a beautiful place for man to enjoy something of his love.
In the marvelous provision, I like that word that's given in Genesis where it says the Lord God planted the garden. He created everything, but just to think with his own hands, he planted a garden because he was going to place man there to know that love, to know that joy, to be in a scene undisturbed by sin, a scene of peace. And so he he was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth. He was thinking about you and about me.
And how we would inhabit this earth, and how we could know what was in His heart. And then sin came in and spoiled it. He made the promise of a coming Redeemer. But then from the time the promise was made in the Garden of Eden, 4000 years passed by. Did man appreciate all the displays of goodness and kindness that God had shown, saying to His people when they sinned so grievously?
Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Yes, he He showed that love to the nation of Israel after their wilderness journey. It says yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in my hand.
And then after 4000 years of man's history, God hadn't changed his thoughts one bit. We change, we say, well, I, I really love that person. But the way they've acted, it's killed the love that's in my heart. But it didn't kill his love. Those eternal counsels this world made beautiful for man to enjoy. The promise that there would be a Redeemer. Many, many displays of God's love through the Old Testament. But God sent his own Son into this world.
It says God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. That means that when the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, God was saying, as it were, well, I want them to see what's in my heart. They've brought in sickness, but I'll heal all the sickness. If there's some hungry people, I'll feed the hungry people. If there are those under the power of Satan, I'll set them free. I'll do everything to show out the heart of God my Father to them, and God was in Christ.
Reconciling the world, that is, would man, when he saw that perfect display in this world of God revealed in Christ, would he change his attitude? Would that reconcile him? No, but God still loved man. He still loved him. He sent his Son and the Lord Jesus comes to the moment of that cross. It says the time came that he should be received up and he set his face to go to Jerusalem. He was like the Hebrew servant. He served his.
Time his master said you can go out free if you're willing to go alone, but if you want the company of your wife and your children, then you must be a servant forever. And I think of that time when the Lord Jesus, that moment came when he must go to the cross if he was to have your company in mind. And he said, I love my master came to do his father's will to tell out his heart. I love my wife, the church, I love my children, every individual.
Favor I will not go out free. And we see Him in that agony in the garden of Gethsemane, as He prayed. Not my will, but thine be done. And He goes on in perfect obedience. But it cost Him to display that love will never really fully know, but we do know He displayed it. He displayed that love so fully by what He endured.
We sing a little hymn sometimes. Justice had withstood the purposes of love, but justice now withstands no more, and mercy yields her boundless door. And so the barriers removed, And I enjoy the way another hymn puts it. The river of thy grace through righteousness supplied, is flowing o'er the barren place where Jesus died.
Supposing there's a little stream coming down the mountainside and you say, well, I'm.
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Stop that stream. So you build a little dam. Well, it's only a question of time. As long as there's plenty of water in the source that it overflows that dam. What, you say I'm going to build a bigger one? Well, you'd build a bigger one. And as long as there's plenty of water, it keeps rising until it goes over the top. And this world, as it were, sought to put the greatest barrier in the way of the display of God's love. But what happened? His love overflowed all the banks. It went right up over the top of all that man did.
And God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. All I want to say to anyone here that is not saved, Oh, if you only knew the love that's in the heart of God, you couldn't turn away.
Love isn't overlooking sin. What love does is find a way that the question of sin can be settled so that love can flow. That applies to a family. It applies to the assembly too. Love seeks to find a way. The difficulty arises. Love seeks to find a way. If you don't love the person, you say, well, I don't care. But if you love the person, you try to find a way so that the question can be settled, whether it's life or children or whatever.
You try to find a way, and God found a way. The cost was great to himself, but Jesus paid it all. Now what does He want you and I to enjoy? Well, John 15, which we read says in the ninth verse.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
Then I might mention another verse that has already been mentioned in our meetings in Jude where it says keep yourselves in the love of God.
All may I say to each one here, the devil is at work to try to bring doubts into your mind about God's love. Every time a difficulty or a trouble comes into our life as believers lie immediately the devil tries to suggest why should this happen to me? Does God really love me or does he love some other person better than me? And he tries to establish if he possibly can.
A doubt in our mind about God's love. But isn't this precious?
As the Father hath loved me, could any of us try to measure the love of the Father to the Son? Would any of us ever doubt the love of the Father to the Son? But he says, So have I loved you. Can you measure love like that?
As I say in natural things, very often we see we haven't always acted the way we should. We haven't always displayed love the way we should. But God is love. He had eternal purposes of love to bring us before Him wholly and without blaming love. He made this world for us to enjoy. We spoil it by sin. And I sometimes said, it's as though God looked down when sin entered and said, well, you spoiled everything I made for you to enjoy.
All that was in my heart.
So I want to invite you to something better than what you spoiled, because I still love you. Just think of love like that, brethren. And that's the love that he has. Oh, may the Lord grant that we won't allow one single doubt in our mind, because the moment we do, we're going to be unhappy Christians. Many, many people in this world feel unloved and unwanted.
But the Sinner is brought through the gospel to know that God does love him, and that God at info at infinite.
CAST has provided a way to display that love, but I'm speaking largely to brethren here, those who know the Lord as Savior. I'm speaking to you, Dear young people. It's very frustrating and disappointing when maybe some friend disappoints you, somebody hurts you, and the enemy begins to whisper in your ear. Why did God allow this to happen? If He loves you, He's working out things better in somebody else's life than yours.
Why is it? But never allow a doubt in your mind about God's love. He loves you, and He's going to continue to love you through everything.
Often mentioned that in that in Hebrews Chapter 11 we have two different groups of people brought before us. In the end of that chapter he says, what shall I say? More time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Jephthah and the Iraq and all these different people. And it says who through face of Jude kingdoms wrought righteousness obtain promises. And we have a whole multitude of people who had wonderful answers.
To prayer, they were in real problems as our brother brought before us right in the fire and God preserved their life in the fire, but.
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In that very portion there's a change and it says others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. They were stoned, they were Sauna Sumner, they wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, not one mention of any deliverance for them at all. God, as it were, withheld his hand and allowed that second group to go through all kinds of problems that he didn't explain to them, and he just.
Let them go through it and they might say, well, how is it that there were such wonderful answers that others received and we didn't get the answers. Does God love us? I I think the comment is so beautiful of the Spirit of God. These all obtained a good report through faith. Maybe some of you dear young people, God may put you in the group where you say, well, things just don't work out in my life like they do in other people, but you can obtain a good report you can obtain.
A good report, and it says our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh before us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When you get the glory and see how God worked through those circumstances. Think of Joseph. Nothing seemed to work out. He went to please his father and his brother's soul and put him in a pit and then sold him. He got falsely accused.
In the court in Potiphar's house, then the the Butler for.
Forgot him. Why? Over and over again, it just seemed that what he tried to do ended in disappointment. But when you beat Joseph in heaven and you say to him, Joseph, which one of the boys in that family would you like to be? Do you think he'll say, oh, I wish I was one of the others. They didn't have half the problems that I did. No, I don't think so. I think he's going to say we never knew it. I never understood it. But I see now that my life was just a picture of my blessed Savior.
He'll he'll find out he's got he got a good report through faith, but he didn't get miraculous deliverances at least for a good long time in his life. Oh brethren, his love is the same as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If you lose the sense of that you've lost all it's worthwhile in your Christian life. The devil is going to do his very best to get you doubting God's love and if you can just.
Bring.
Those kind of thoughts into your mind make you think that God has forgotten you or that he's not dealing fairly with you. He's accomplished a great purpose and you're robbed of what God intends for you. Now at the end of the journey, every believer is going to be supremely happy. I'll never meet anybody in heaven who's going to doubt God's love. Everyone in heaven is going to say, oh, it's wonderful. I never knew that he loved me this much when I see what He has prepared for those that love him.
But down here, the devil's busy. He's trying to get a doubt in our minds about God's love. Say it over and over again. My father used to say, say that verse to yourself every day. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. Perhaps I hear someone say, but I've been willful. I've been very self willed. But he still loves you. He still loves you. It doesn't, it doesn't change his love at all.
It may change the enjoyment of his life.
But not his love. A disobedient child is love. The disobedient, willful child doesn't know how much his parents love him. But the parents hearts are just broken because they're longing to display the love. But the child won't accept it, won't realize that what the parent is trying to do is because they love it. Oh, how wonderful. Well, we parents make mistakes, but God my Father never does. Well, may the Lord grant that this love may get hold of us in our inmost souls. And.
Really mean something to us?
Well, I'd like to read that in Proverbs again.
Just.
Chapter 8.
Because this particularly brings in the thought of rejoicing.
Verse 30.
Then I was by Him as one. Proverbs 8, verse 30. Then I was by Him as one, brought up with Him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, And my delights were with the sons of men.
Now let's turn over to the Gospel of Luke, second chapter.
The 10th verse.
Then the Angel of the Lord.
And the angels of the Lord, no, pardon me, they. And the Angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David as Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And I'd like you to turn to Luke chapter 15.
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In verse.
6 Verse 5. And when he hath found that, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found thy sheep which was lost. For I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over 1 Sinner that repenteth more than over, and 90 and 9 just persons which need no Rep.
I than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Well, here again we see that way back in the very beginning, God was rejoicing in the habitable parts of His earth. But as we mentioned before, sin had come in. But now this brings us to the gospel of Luke and we find the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and he's seeking the lost. He's seeking the lost. And it says here there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 1 Sinner that repenteth.
Is not a very blessed thing for us to know, and that is we're loved, and that heaven would rejoice when he laid the foundations of the earth. It tells us in Job the sons of God shouted for joy. There was a great time of rejoicing when the foundations of this earth were laid. But man and his self will he departed. And then tells us here in Luke about the joy that the Lord has in one Sinner that repenteth.
Till then, rejoices over new discoveries in science, in progress, in many things that happen. We rejoice often at good news. But I think this is stupendous to think that if there was 1 Sinner last night who accepted the Lord Jesus as his or her Savior, the whole of heaven rejoiced. It just made those angels in heaven, and I think it's so wonderful that they're unselfish.
You know when the.
When the angels fell, because there were some that fell with Satan tells us the devil and his angels, God didn't offer any pardon to those fallen angels. There's no pardon offered to them. But when men fell, God chose to act in marvelous grace and offer a pardon. The fallen man and the angels looked down and they see how men have spoiled this world.
Tells us in Ephesians to the intent, but now unto the principalities and powers.
In heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. That is, they look down and they see the ways of God with man.
They actually rejoiced when the Lord Jesus was born, says there was a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and so that they looked down and they see one person.
Offered a pardon which was never offered to them, and that person receives the pardon, and all the angels in heaven rejoice. And the heart of God rejoices too, because it's His delight to show blessing to man. How wonderful it is. And so shall I say, man's sin hasn't spoiled that joy, because God has found a way that rises above man's sin, first for the display of his love, and then that there might be joy.
Are you and I happy, Christians? We ought to be the happiest people on earth, knowing that our sins are forgiven, knowing that heaven is our home. It ought indeed to make us happy people. And yet so often we're sad. The world looks at us and they don't see that we're really happy. Mr. Darby once said our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord.
And I think it's so beautiful that we can go through this world as a rejoicing.
People of heaven rejoices when a Sinner gets saved. How much more we who are the subjects of that love, and who have been brought into blessing, We should be rejoicing too. It ought to reflect in our faces. Moses went up to the mountain when the people had broken the law.
And he went up very sad. He said, peradventure I shall make an atonement for you. Well, he couldn't make an atonement for the people, but God did through the Tabernacle give him a little picture of what he would do for that people, because it tells us that the Tabernacle was a pattern of things in the heavens. And that little display of God's goodness that could meet a guilty people caused Moses face to shine so much that when he came down it says the people couldn't.
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Behold him for the glory of his countenance. And so he put a veil over his face. And you and I know the heart of God in a much, much greater way than Moses ever knew. And yet we go through this world and if the world looked at us, instead of saying, well, they're a group of happy people, they often see that we're reflecting sadness in our faces where Moses face actually shines so much that he had to put a cover over it when he only knew half as much as we know of what's in the heart of God. Oh brethren, we need to dwell.
Upon this wonderful, wonderful grace of God that has met us in all our need.
But then when we turned over to 3rd John, we found there that there was a greater joy than just salvation.
So many do indeed rejoice when they're first saved, but they perhaps stop short of knowing how wonderful God's salvation is. In our meetings we've been considering a little bit of how largely we are blessed and how wonderful and glorious is this person that we look to in him dwelling.
The fullness of the Godhead bodily and he is the head of the body, the church. And there are many, many dear Christians who don't enter into these precious things and enjoy them. Well, we have been through the goodness of God been meditating on these things and if there's joy when a person is saved, we who have been talking not about the way of salvation because we believe that most are saved, but we've been just meditating in these meetings about.
How wonderfully we are blessed. As I said in the Tabernacle, only the high priest once every year could go in. But the veil has been rent, and every believer has been brought into a place so near that it says, having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. We are accepted in the Beloved. We're holy and without blame before Him in love. Don't these things thrill our hearts?
And heaven looks down.
As it says, no greater joy than when my children walk in the truth.
Would we be satisfied if we wanted to do something for our child and we just started to do it and we just had done the very first thing that we intended to do. And the child said, oh, I don't want to hear anymore. Always say, oh, please, there's a lot more to you for you than what I have told you of. And that's what it means when we read. Let's turn over to it in Ephesians chapter 3.
I'd like to read from the 17th verse that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all.
Pages world without end. Amen.
I believe we have two thoughts brought before us here in this passage. I believe in verses 17 and 18. It's to comprehend or to lay hold of how large our blessings are in Christ, not just forgiven, justified from all things, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. He wants us to know it all and then Christ which passeth knowledge. I've used a little illustration just to try and bring out what I mean.
Supposing there is a young man, he's going to get married.
And he has tremendous wealth and he prepares a beautiful home to share with his bride. It's all ready for her.
She comes to see this poem, and it's just so marvelous that when she steps inside the door, she said, oh, I've seen enough. That's all I want to see. I'm just so glad to be inside the door. I think the hymn writer had that in mind, trembling. We had hoped for mercy, some low place within his door. But the crown, the throne, the mansion, all were ready long before. And she says, well, I'm just satisfied. So I'm just going to sit down here. It's so beautiful at the entry.
Oh, but he says, dear, I want you to see it all.
So he takes her from room to room and shows her all that he has prepared for her. And each room is more beautiful than the one before. It's just filled with admiration as she sees the length and breadth and depth and height of the thing. And then after he's shown it all to her, he says, oh, that there's more than what I've shown you. And he puts his armor on her and he says, I want you to know the love that goes with it all.
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And brethren, that's what God wants us to know. It's not only.
That he has prepared things that are far beyond our minds to enter into, but that love that goes with us. Can we help but be happy? Couldn't you? Could you say that that girl would go out on the street looking sad and unhappy? I think her face would just be beaming up because she looked in the mirror and tried to perform a smiling face, but because she was inwardly happy. And so, as we were saying this morning, we want to be filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, there's joy when a Sinner gets saved. There's greater joy. Just like that husband. I can just see him.
As he sees how his new bride is appreciating all these things as he takes you through his joys increasing too, because he is sharing it with her, because he wants to enjoy it, not alone. It's nothing to him. It's an empty house to him, but it's a House of love. It's a House of joy to share. And brethren, God's not satisfied that we should just know we're saved. He wants us to know the unsearchable riches of Christ and he says keep yourselves in.
Of God now we can't keep ourselves from stumbling. It says he's able to keep us from stumbling. But it's to me, it's just like saying on a very cold day, oh, just keeping the sunshine. It's always bright and warm when you're in the sunshine. And here we are brethren, in a cold world. We're in a world that Satan has done his best to keep men from knowing the love of God, the joy that God wants to be solved and the peace that he can bring. Satan's at work to try and keep.
People from knowing this and after we get saved, he does his very best to keep us from enjoying our portion.
But it tells us that there's joy when we walk in the truth. But then in the end of Jude, it says unto him that is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you before the throne of his glory with exceeding joy. And I look forward to the time when his joy will anticipate any joy I have ever known down here.
When he introduces us to the Father's house, and as we sing sometimes he who loves us leads the singing, says In the midst of the congregation, will I praise thee? And as he looks, He's not going to be disappointed with one. No, it tells us He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Could God have done any more to display his love? Could he have done any more to display the joy that he has in US?
And that he wants us to enjoy. True, in this world, He's given us all things richly to enjoy. Sometimes people are afraid to be saved because they're afraid they're going to have to give up something.
I often say, well, all you give up is your sins, and all that you get is nothing but joy. He's given us in this world all things richly to enjoy. When you try to enjoy the world in disobedience to your Creator, it's like a child and you give them a toy and you say, now I'll show you how you can have a lot of fun with this toy, but there is also a warning connected with it. If you don't use it the right way, it could harm you. And the child says, I don't need any of that kind of instruction. I'll use it the way I like.
The child doesn't have the joy you intended, does it? And when we use this world, when we use our bodies contrary to the will of God, why we only spoil what God intended. He gave us all this world to enjoy.
Food, sunshine, everything. We've often said why could have made all our food taste alike, but he made it differently because he wanted us to enjoy variety. Could have made the world all one color, but he gave a variety. In this world. When they discovered the planets, they don't see all those varieties. But in this world he was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and his delights were the sons of men. Could have made food and nourish our body without giving us the enjoyment of eating it.
Friends, what a God we have Lovejoy, and he wants us to know these things and he wants us to look forward to that time.
And then he also wants us to enjoy peace. I'd like to look at a few scriptures in connection with peace.
First of all.
Just like to.
Turn to Genesis chapter 1.
And Genesis.
Chapter 1 and verse 31.
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And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the 6th day. Well, I was thinking particularly in connection with peace. If you don't find peace mentioned here, but I believe it's implied. Now if you turn over with me to Luke's gospel a second chapter.
Verse 13.
And suddenly there was with the Angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill to man, and over to Colossians chapter 1, where we've been reading.
We noticed this verse, but I just like to read it again the 20th verse. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by Him, to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And then in first Corinthians 14.
1St Corinthians 14 and verse 33.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints.
Well, when God had created everything, sin hadn't come in. It was a scene of peace, and God provided to help meet for Adam so that he could enjoy that scene where there was absolutely nothing to disturb. There wasn't anything there that he couldn't say. Well, I have to hold back on that. He could enjoy it. Of all the trees of the garden, thou mayest freely, but there was one that God gave to test His obedience. That is, would He recognize the rights of His Creator?
Who had made everything for his good and for his happiness. Well, he chose to reach out to that one forbidden thing. As someone has said, how often does 1 hidden one forbidden thing hide from our view? 1000 blessings. We go after something that's forbidden, and we just hide from our view all the good things that we can enjoy from the hand of God because we wanted one forbidden thing.
It was a scene of peace and God thinking of man. I think it's so lovely. He thought of how he needed a companion to enjoy it though. I traveled alone for a good many years, Beautiful things I saw didn't mean too much to me because I was alone. I felt, oh, it's not too much fun or pleasure when your partner's not alone to enjoy it with you, But when there was somebody to enjoy it with you, then it just seemed so much nicer. And God said, well, I'll give him a partner. So he.
And enjoy what I have provided for him. But he chose to try and find peace in another way. He went after something that God had forbidden. May I say to you, dear young people, if God has forbidden anything in His Word, it's because He loves you, not because He hates you. It's because He knows that that forbidden thing would not bring the happiness you expect. How often we've experienced that. We've reached out for something, we got it, and it didn't.
What we expected oh, may the Lord give us the value obedience to his word. It says if you love me, keep my commandments. May you give us to experience this more in our lives. Well, sin did enter. Man chose to, shall I say, deserve the peace of the creation. He chose to listen to Satan and immediately the peace of the situation is spoiled. He's driven out from the garden, driven out to toil the ground his wife is to.
She is going to bring forth children with sorrow and thorns and thistles the earth would bring forth. Oh, how sad it was. Did God still care? Yes, the Lord Jesus bore the crown of thorns. The Lord Jesus came down and he said, I love man so much that I'll bear the crown of thorns. I'll take his place so that he can be blessed. And when the Lord Jesus was born into this world, there was a multitude.
The heavenly hosts saying glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill to man if he disturbed the peace through his sin. Here was the one who came, the one who is the Prince of Peace, the one who alone can and will in the coming day bring peace to this world. But the world wouldn't have him. Finally, when the Lord Jesus enters Jerusalem on his way to Calvary.
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The message is peace in heaven. They wouldn't have the Prince of Peace.
But peace is in heaven. He's made peace, brethren, through the blood of his cross. Does any Sinner that doesn't have peace, Peace is at God's right hand. There's a Savior, in spite of all our sin and guilt, who settled a question of sin that we might have peace, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, my peace I give unto you. He wants us to not only have peace about the question of sin, but peace too, in all the circumstances of life.
Because absolutely nothing happens by chance in your life. And mine says about the Lord Jesus, My peace I give unto you. As the Lord Jesus walked through this world, did he face rejection? Did he face hatred? Was he hungry? Was he thirsty? Was he weary?
Yes, but He walked in peace through this world and why? Because he said Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And next time something happens to disturb your peace and upset you, I just think the Lord says you can have peace in the midst of this. I've ordered it all. I'm planning for your blessing. And if you have failed, he's provided a way back, he says.
We confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, the psalmist could say, even though he had sinned very grievously, when he would come and confess his sin. And he says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. So here we find that he's born to this world. He brings peace. And every believer who knows the Lord Jesus the Savior has the peace with God, but we don't always have the peace of God.
And I believe it's because we do not take things.
From His hand, when we receive them as from His hand, then we have peace in our souls. Just to illustrate it by a little story, I remember reading about a little girl and her mother was with her husband who was the captain of the ship, and they were on board this ship. And a big storm came up and the little girl was down in the room and she was asleep there when the storm came up. And the boat tossed so much she woke up and.
And when she woke up, then she knew there was a storm because the boat was tossing so much. He's just asked one question.
It's still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia. That thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith. So do I just like to mention the way this next phrase is in the Darby translation. Seems to me it makes it a lot clearer now the purpose of what is enjoined.
Is love out of a pure heart and of a good?
Conscience and of faith unfeigned, from which some having swerved, have turned aside into vain jangling.
This verse strikes me very much. Here was the assembly that received the very highest truth. I believe the assembly at Ephesus received the very highest line of truth in the Bible, seated in the heavenlies in Christ. But here there were those in the assembly with all this wonderful unfolding of truth, and they were occupied with other things and the precious things of God.
They were ministering questions and bringing in a lot of things that were not for the.
Encouragement of the Saints. And so that when people went away, they said, oh, that question wasn't answered, but there were many positive things that could have been said. It could have been happily enjoyed by the people of God. And now may I say this little word in a practical way to all of us who perhaps take part in the Assembly of God and try and help our brethren. I think this is very important, what it says in this fifth verse.
The purpose of what is enjoined, that is the purpose of ministry.
Is 3 things here love out of a pure heart, of a good conscience, and of faith and pain?
I believe, brethren, that this ought to be the character of ministry.
I believe that ministry ought to stir up our hearts in more affection for the Lord Jesus.
It ought to strengthen our faith.
It ought to exercise our conscience. If we have allowed anything that has hindered growth in the things of God, then I believe if each one of us were exercised, what a blessing our Bible readings would be, what a blessing our ministry meetings would be. The purpose of what is enjoying is love out of a pure heart, a good conscience and faith unfeigned or unpretended. Oh, when we go to meetings, when that purpose is in our perspective view, isn't it?
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True that we come away and we say, oh, I got something from that and I see that there's a little hindrance I've been allowing in my life. It's not worthwhile. It's just hiding from me what God has for me to enjoy in Christ. Well, there's love, then there's joy, and then there's peace. And I believe we can, as I said at the beginning, we can apply this in the three different ways individually. I just like to say in connection with love, I'm just going to quote these verses, love in an individual way.
Enjoyed that he said the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Isn't that beautiful? He was as an individual, you say, well, the assemblies not all it should be. Well, I'm sure all of us have to hang our heads and say we've contributed to it too. We're we're not perfect ourselves, but are are we coming to the meeting brethren, and repeating this to ourselves, the Son of God who loves me and gave himself for me.
Enjoyment of his life.
Perhaps we have a little picture of a family love if we were to turn to Genesis 22. And there the Lord said to Abram, Take now thy son, thine only son whom thou love. We need to cultivate that love and affection for our children.
When you're when you're employed and with all the things that turn up in this world, it's very easy for us to forget that display of love to our children is so important, so necessary. Really cost Abraham something because he really loved that boy. That was a family love. And you read about that kind of a family. When the Lord came with the angels, that was a home of love and they sat down.
And tells us about the meal that was served and how Abram pled for his brother life.
Oh, so beautiful. It was a family of love. And then we see too, in the assembly. If you turn over to 2nd Corinthians 13 I I just like to call attention to this.
2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 11.
Finally, my brethren, farewell. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Isn't a nice, shall I say, recipe for an assembly with everything the way it should be in corn? Well, we all know that there are a lot of sad things in quorum, but isn't it lovely that he closed the letter that way? He could have said, well, you can get all upset about things in that in your assembly. But he says, finally, my brethren, farewell, be perfect. That is, God sets before us a perfect standard. We never attain to a down here, but God never lowers the standard He never sees.
That we should be anything less than having a perfect model before us, the Lord Jesus. Be of good comfort. Are there trials in the assembly? Be of good comfort, be of one mind. We need to be exercise about this too, brethren, to seek to go on as much as possible in oneness of mind. Live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Here we see the assembly and it's particularly the thought of love. Then I was thinking of joy too. Paul is an individual in Philippians.
Three, he could say, I rejoice in the Lord all the way, and again I say, rejoice.
When he was in prison in the 16th of Acts, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. All the difficulties he went through didn't change his joy. It was in the Lord, not in his circumstances. You can't always be happy in our circumstances, but we can always have joy in the Lord.
Then in the 16th of Acts, we have a family.
The grace of God had come to that family and it tells us about that jail keeper tells us kind of a man he was before. But grace came to that household. He believed in the Lord with all his house and what does it say? He rejoiced believing in God with all his house. So there was joy brought not just to an individual but to a family, and so there was joy together in that family.
And then in Romans 15, I'd just like to turn to this in connection with collectively.
In regard to joy, Romans 15.
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Romans 15 and verse.
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope.
Through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Here we find a joy that Paul desired for the assembly at Rome.
Full joy and peace in believing and abounding in hope. He desired that there would be that joy in their midst collectively. And I just call your attention to what He said here.
I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. I just suggest a little thought in connection with that verse.
Sometimes we might want to admonish a brother. I think it would be good if we asked ourselves the questions here, he says here.
Full of goodness.
When I go to that speak to that brother.
Does he know me as a critic, or does he know me as a person that normally shows goodness?
There's quite a difference. I'm sure you found the same. If it's a person you've shown a lot of kindness to and you go to speak to him, he's usually willing to listen because he knows you. In that character isn't this beautiful, full of all goodness and then filled with all knowledge. Sometimes we speak to people and we only know half the facts. We talk as if we knew them all, but we really don't, and we get ourselves into a lot of trouble because we take it. We act as if we knew the whole situation when we don't, full of all knowledge.
More than that, we need to know the scriptures that apply to the situation because our opinion won't mean much unless we have the knowledge of God's Word.
We're not able to admonish one another. Next time that we want to admonish a brother or sister, let's think of those things. And I believe that it will help in the joy of the assembly. You know, just to mention, before we close piece 2, I'd like to think of what the Lord Jesus said there. My peace I give unto you in John 14. We won't turn to it. And then I will turn to a verse in Esther, because you might not all recall this.
The last chapter of Esther.
Last chapter.
Of Esther and the.
Third verse, 10th chapter, and third verse. For Mordecai are the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
I like to think of that as a family, that is the father and the mother in the family. That ought to characterize Speaking of good of everybody in the family and seeking peace and blessing for them. And Mordecai had a lot of ups and downs in his life. You only have to read the book and see how conditions were in Israel. He almost got hanged on a gallows. But here we find this man.
Now what is he doing at the end of his life? Why, he's accepted by the multitude of his brethren speaking.
To all his seed. Oh, how beautiful these things are in connection with peace. And then in the assembly, let's turn to Acts 15.
The 30th verse.
So when they were dismissed they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the Epistle, which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. No, there was a really serious matter came up there about law keeping that could have easily divided the Gentiles and the Jews.
And they didn't treat this matter lightly, but in the wisdom of God and in the love of God, they sought to settle this matter in such a way that, shall I say, both sides would be happy and see that it was settled according to the mind and will of God. It was very beautiful the way they did it, because if they had settled at Antioch, the brethren at Jerusalem would have said, we don't like the way that was handled down there. So we find that they came up for Antioch and he talked about.
Jerusalem.
They considered the matter before the Lord, they brought Scripture to bear on it, and it was settled in such a way that peace was maintained between Antioch and Jerusalem. And when they came to Antioch and told what had been decided, instead of all being disturbed and upset, why there was peace, there was joy. God maintained it. Well, brethren, the Lord is able for these days in which we live. Let me say again.
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That God is a God of love. He seeks our joy. He seeks our peace.
He's provided a way for it individually, in family life and in the assembly. Everything's going to be perfect in heaven, but He wants us to enjoy, at least in measure, what He has for us down here. He's given us directions in His Word. May we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to carry them out. We'll be surprised. It really works. It's God's plan. May the Lord give us grace so to do.
God's Care for His Own