Carolina Conference: 2008
Table of Contents
2 Peter 3:1-7
Reading
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#168.
Bring in love.
Was lost in that world.
Compared to the day, to the glory of the world.
We'll bring on it all me.
And the only grace.
Theresa versus in Hebrews 11.
He was 11 and just the first little part of verse 8 by faith Abraham.
Verse 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundation to builder, and maker is God.
And then in verse.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek are kind of equally if they had been mindful of that country. For when they came out, I had that opportunity to return, but now they desire a better country that is in heavenly.
Let's pray our God and our father, we just do thank thee that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ that we have of them future that we have that city whose building makers God beyond this world. And we just do thank thee that it can permeate our thinking, fill our minds that it's not this present world that should attract our attention, though we wish to serve thee and honor thee in this world. But we look ahead, we look down the road and we just do pray that, uh, all of our aspects, all of our thoughts.
Our motivations might be centered in that future that is for us. And so or Jesus, we look forward to thy sea in return and we look forward to thy tremendous work of grace in this world in this time to come as well. And we just do thank thee that Trudolph Christ will be glorified. God will be honored in this world. And we just do pray that help us to honor thee from day-to-day as we live. And those that belong to Jesus Christ, in my name we give thanks, Amen.
Man.
Our brother **** Yeager, at the beginning of the prayer meeting, made reference to the fact and made a suggestion that perhaps in the meetings we might have before us the thought that I can't remember his exact words, but to the effect that the end of all things is at hand. And I think we all feel that. And on the one hand that can be very encouraging to our souls. On the other hand there is.
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A note of sorrow in it as we contemplate the awful judgments that will have to come on this world for God's purposes to be worked out.
I wonder if it would be good for us to consider the third chapter of Second Peter.
And I'll mention that it's just a suggestion and may it may well be that someone else has something but.
In that chapter we find Peter laying out on the one hand the history of God's judgment previously in this world and the attitude of men in the past and the same attitude today, and he takes us right on.
Through the judgment that will take place in the Millennium and brings us right to the eternal state. But then it's particularly noticeable, and that's what I suggest we dwell on. At the end of the chapter, he brings forward some exhortations, considering that we know these things.
What do my brethren think of that? Does anyone have a comment? Well, my comment is that as we read, if we read this.
To recognize that Peter wrote the 2nd epistle knowing that the Lord was soon to remove him from his scene. So if we look at that official as some other epistle such I as I think second Timothy has the last words of these early disciples that we give particular import as to what the Spirit of God gave them to leave for us. So I just wanted to add that I fully support that brother, but I just wanted to add the point that this is, you might say, Peter's last testimony and I think it would be worthwhile for us very much.
Well, I think it'd be nice to read the whole chapter, yes, if that's OK. Second Peter, chapter 3, verse one, the second epistle. Beloved, I now write unto you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets. Another commandment of us, the apostles of of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of His coming? For since the Father's fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water. Whereby the word that then was being overflowed with what? Whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved under fire, against the day of judgment, and the perdition of ungodly men. A beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing.
That one day is with the Lord as 1000 years, and 1000 years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning this promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us word not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth's earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons are ye to be be in all holy conversation and godliness?
Looking for and hastening onto the coming of the day of God, where in the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for the new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless and account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as a beloved brother Paul, according also to the wits, and given unto Him, hath written unto you.
Has also in all his epistles speaking in them.
Of things in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable, rest, as they do also other scriptures, under their own destruction. He therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also be LED away with the error of the wicked. Fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
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Just a thought or two to introduce the chapter.
We know that each of the New Testament writers, particularly in the epistles, gives a certain emphasis. And if we could say it in a general way, Paul gives us the truth of the church. John speaks more of the family of God.
But Peter perhaps lays more emphasis on the House of God, and the House of God is that collective aspect of Christians where we have our conduct and the ways of God with those who are his own. And so we find that perhaps more particularly in the first epistle, but then in the second epistle, after dealing with our attitude toward this world, God brings before us his government in the world because he is going to have his beloved Son, given his rightful place.
And it's a wonderful thing to think that in spite of all the confusion, all of the purposes and thoughts of man in this world, that God is going to accomplish his purposes through it all and set his beloved Son at the head of all things. But then in view of the judgment that is coming, there's a right attitude, there's a right way of life, There's a right way that you and I should be living in the midst of all of this. And Peter lay some emphasis on that in this chapter.
And so certainly there is a fair amount in this chapter about the attitude of the world. And we need to recognize that. The fact that there are scoffers, the fact that man is pretending that all things are going to go on just as they were from the beginning of the creation, we need to recognize that. But if I could say this.
Let's not spend all our time in the meeting slamming that position, much as we need to recognize it. I believe the emphasis ought to be on you and on me. What is our attitude? We have been brought into the light as, as Peter says prophetically, we know what is going to happen. God has told us where it's all going to end. Now the Lord says through Peter, what are you doing? How are you living? What is your attitude and spirit in the midst of all of this, seeing that God has told you what is going to take place?
So I suggest that could be very profitable for us, especially as we mentioned in the prayer meeting that we do see signs that God is starting to work in this world, starting to set things up for some of the events that we know will happen after we're called home.
And that's important to realize that the signs that we speak of are not in connection with the Lord's coming for his Saints.
What we refer to as the rapture, but they're in connection with that which will take place after the Rapture.
In connection with the Lord's appearing, because as we speak of these things, we need to realize that for us and for the Saints in any age, there has never been anything need to be fulfilled for the Lord Jesus to come and call His Saints home to Himself.
I often think of the Apostle Paul when he wrote to the Thessalonians and explained very clearly to them the hope of the Lord's coming for them, He said we which are alive and remain. Now I realized later on Paul realized that he was going to be taken through the article of death, through martyrdom. But when he wrote to the Thessalonians and he said we which are alive and remain, he was Speaking of himself in the Thessalonian brethren. He was looking for the Lord Jesus to come at any moment, and he wanted them to have that hope as a reality in their souls as well.
But as Brother Bill said, there are things that we see in this world shaping up, which indicates the time when the Lord Jesus is going to come back and have his rightful place. That time when he's going to not only have his rightful place in heaven, he has that now, but he's going to have his rightful place on earth. And if God is looking forward to that time when his Son is completely vindicated in this, on this planet, on this globe, that we ought to be profoundly interested in it as well. And so these things encourage us, brethren, the Lord's coming at any moment, maybe this morning, to take us out of these meetings.
To that meeting in the air, but as we get closer to there are things we see that indicate how just how close it is.
So you could put on first Peter, the government of God and the House of God.
I think that's what you said Bill wasn't yes, and I'd just like to mention a verse for that in chapter four of first Peter and verse 17, because I think that is something to reflect on as well. Says the time is come that judgment must begin at the House of God and if it first begin at us, what shall the envy of them that obey not the gospel of God.
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Isn't it significant, brother?
How much the Lord seems to be speaking amongst His people today. I don't point fingers at any particular person, but I think it is for us to be exercised that when God begins judging, He's gonna start at His house. And it seems like it's very evident that that's happening today.
That's First Peter. But in Second Peter, you have the judgment, God's government in this world, and God is going to intervene. It seems like right now when you look at what happens in this world, it almost seems like God is standing back and letting men do what they want. But God is going to come to the point when he is going to directly intervene. And I'd like to just suggest something here in the third chapter of Second Peter that.
Has been kind of a help to me perhaps what we could consider an outline of the chapter that he speaks of three worlds. Notice verse six the world before the flood the world that then was that was the world before the flood verse 7 the heavens and the earth which are now this is a different order of things from the flood on.
Are kept by the same word in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
And then down in verse, umm, 13, nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth. That's the eternal day, which we have perhaps, uh, expanded on a bit in Revelation chapter 21, verses one to seven tells about the new heaven and the new earth. God is going to make all things new.
In that coming day of glory.
Oh, brethren, to realize that this, uh, world and this culture and this civilization that we are now a part of is coming down to its end. I really believe there are going to be major changes in everything. The structure of living. We look at Egypt and we look at the pyramids there and we say that was a bygone civilization. We marvel at what they did.
And I think the time is coming when we're gonna look back.
Perhaps there will be some skyscrapers still standing in New York or some other big city and will say that was a bygone gener, uh, civilization. We're getting down to the end and we need to be awakened as to where we are.
There's another theme that goes through the epistles, and Brother Bill touched on it, and that is that the first epistles of, uh, that are generally given are in the power and the strength of the age perhaps, and the character of the day that they were being written in. I'll just give you an example, the, uh, in connection with the Thessalonians. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians the first epistle and, uh, their hope, their blessed hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus and of his appearing was right before them.
But then he writes the 2nd epistle and he writes that a year and a half later, and it's because they were letting go of that hope. They were just releasing the grip and releasing it. And he could see it. And he addresses the 2nd epistle in that way. Well, in Peter, the first epistle of Peter, he speaks to those that are godly and those that have a desire to walk in a godly path in the world that has rejected Christ. Because Peter, you know, had that very special sense that he lived in a world that had rejected Christ and had suffered. And so he speaks of the sufferings of Christ in a very peculiar, a special way. I'll just, uh, refer to, uh, first Peter chapter one.
It says there in verse 14.
And this is how we ought to conduct ourselves in that world that rejected Christ as obedience. Children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, or manner of life, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And so holiness is being separate from evil, and a delight in that which is good. Well then, he writes the 2nd Epistle. And there was a letting go of that walk in holiness.
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Just a letting go, a letting go of that grip, as it were. And so he gives this instruction to them that they might once again have that hope before them and have that realization that they live in a wicked world that crucified the Lord Jesus and wanted nothing to do with them.
And now doesn't want anything to do with them, but he says, now I'm going to tell you the end of this world. It's not a good end and don't have any part of it. Don't be a part of it. And so the first epistle he's writing to those that are perhaps walking in a godly order, and he encourages them in that course. In the second epistle, he says, now don't forget it's a wicked world and there's nothing that's going to happen that's good as it were, that there's no it's a place of unfruitfulness for Christ. Don't be a part of it.
Hmm.
While the epistles of Peter have a Jewish character to them, and we know that Peter being the apostle to the Jews, he wrote from that vantage point, But just the same, they're profitable for us. However, the Jews had a difficult time because they were accustomed to thinking in terms of an earthly Kingdom, weren't they? And many of them found it very, very difficult to realize that there was not going to be an earthly Kingdom at that time, but something that had a difficult time getting over. The Lord was gracious, and He gave them a period of time to get over that. I suppose in a general way, it was about 40 years from the time that.
The Lord was crucified until the time that Jerusalem was destroyed, and during that time the Lord worked with them to bring out the precious truths that we get in Peter's epistles and in the book of Hebrews and so on, because God was bringing before them that now they had a better hope. It wasn't this world and all the blessings that God could give them in a wonderful though they would be, that God was putting before them. And you and I can be very thankful, and we have often expressed it, that we live in lands where we have liberty, as we do here.
And that we have the Ways and Means of coming together like this. Oh yes, the price of gas has gone up dramatically in the last little while. But I don't know, did it really hinder most of us from getting here? I doubt it. Our wallets may be a little bit thinner when we go to the gas pump, but it's not an insurmountable problem as it is for some of our brethren elsewhere in the world. So the Lord has given us much. The question is, as we've often had brought before us, what are we doing with it? The Jews were looking to settle down and enjoy a worldly inheritance.
The Lord says no, you're going to be strangers and pilgrims. That's what Peter talks to them as in the first epistle, as strangers and pilgrims, and he wants them to know that their blessings, their future.
Is not down here. And so all this is brought out to show that this world before God brings in that wonderful millennial blessing and he will is going to have to fall under the most awful judgment. And as our brethren have remarked.
I don't think there'll be much left of man's wonderful civilization and all the progress that he has made by the time the Lord gets finished with it. Well, it should make a difference to us in the way that we live and move, shouldn't it?
It's really what sets the value on things down here, doesn't it? So often we tend to set so much value on temporal things, and as has been expressed, we don't want to despise the mercies that God has given us, and we can use the unrighteous mammon for God's glory and in a way that propagates the truth and the gospel and so on. Think of modern transportation and communication today and how the Word of God is going out in places that's never gone out before. And some are able to travel to these places and give out the gospel and minister the truth in ways that's never been possible before.
And so we don't despise these mercies, as Brother Bill has said, but the realization that everything in this world is only for time, is only temporal and transient, is going to set a proper perspective and value on what we have here. It's often been said that in the Old Testament with Israel, what set apart the value on the things that they bought and sold was the nearness of the year of Jubilee. Because when the Jubilee came, everything had to be returned to its original owner. In other words, if a man bought a field in the 48th or 49th year.
We obviously didn't pay very much for it because he realized that in a year or two it had to be returned.
And brethren, as this chapter tells us, everything we build for down here in a temporal way is reserved under fire.
It's about to pass away. We're going to leave it all. And I know we often quote it, but I often see in the guest room of homes I stay in that little motto on the wall. Only one life to soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. There are young people here. I know you have to have an idea of what you want to take up as a vocation and or profession in life and you have to have goals and aspirations in that way. But there's one thing that should supersede all those other, shall I say, sub goals and aspiration.
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And that is what Paul expressed. He said this one thing I do, what was that he was pressing towards the mark. He had eternity in view of him. And when I read that expression, this one thing I do, that's focus. That's not multitasking like we talked about, that's multitasking is wrong in itself. Sometimes we have to do it to survive in the work a day world in which we find ourselves. But that focus, Paul had other things in mind. He wanted to administer to the Saints. He wanted to get the gospel out. And there were no doubt the cares of life and practical things that needed to be taken care of in his life. But superseding all that.
He had one thing in mind and that was eternity. That was Christ, that was the glory. And brother, that's the point in in Peter's ministry we're seeing in the wilderness on our way to the glory. We're not there yet. Paul's ministry, we're already positionally there.
But in Peter's ministry, it's the wilderness book and wilderness books, and we're on our way there. Lots of trials and difficulties along the way, but we have to have the goal in view. We're gonna become involved in the world. We're gonna get overwhelmed by the circumstances we see in the governments and the condition of the world and the professing church and so on, if we don't keep in mind that we have something of eternal value. And so when Paul, when Peter starts his ministry to the Jews of the dispersion in the first epistle.
He says you've lost everything as far as an earthly inheritance, but you have an inheritance incorruptible, an undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, and you're gonna be kept. It's kept for you, and you're going to be kept for it. Now, he said nothing can touch that.
And the marvels. But it occurs to me another aspect we might think of in the practical walk we have here. The 1St is as far as we are physically. We were made from the dust, and this body is going to return to the dust. But what goes on for eternity is our soul and our spirit, and that communicates with God. And Paul gave us the what we call the judgment seat of Christ, which tells us that what's done for Christ in this life will endure.
But all other things will disappear and be forgotten. And I think that be forgotten is wonderful because we won't carry into eternity any misgivings of what we fail to do here. We'll only enjoy our blessed Savior. And moreover, one thing I think of now, having children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, we won't be sitting on the cloud looking down at them. If we were, we'd be disappointed where we see failures and so on. No, in the glory we'll only have eyes and occupation with Christ.
And isn't that lovely to think about?
So as we read this, so those things are important because it puts everything into the right perspective. You might say, as we read this book of the end times, Peter's ministry too, stirs us up and puts us in remembrance, doesn't it? And that's the first verse of our chapter. Let's just go back to the first chapter for a moment. Let me read another verse in this regard because brother and I, I suggest that we really need to be stirred up and we need to be put in remember.
You know, we forget so often. Exercise in our life wanes. Can you and I remember, as we look back this morning, a time in our life when we were more exercised to live in light of eternity than we are now? Can we remember a time in our lives when perhaps we did have eternal things more in view, but we've become bogged down? We've become our focus isn't what it once was? Well, if that's true, certainly true, it's been true in my life many times.
If that's true in our lives, brethren, then we need Peter's ministry. We need to be stirred up and we need to be put in remembrance. Just notice the 12Th verse of the first chapter. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them and be established in the present truth. In other words, Peter says, brethren, I know you know these things. I know you've heard them before. And you know, we sit in meetings like this sometimes we think, well, we've had this chapter before us before we.
We've gone over these things many times. There's really nothing new brought out, maybe not even any real new aspect or slant of things. But that's all right, brethren.
We need to be put in remembrance. We need to be stirred up as to what we've heard many times. Now, Paul, when you're the apostle, when he wrote to the Hebrews, he spoke of stirring them up because things run out as leaky vessels and we need to be stirred up again and have these things before us. And so the apostle Peter says, I'm going to tell you again, even though you know these things, you've been established in them, but lest you forget, I'm going to stir you up again. You know, we have in Canada, we call it Remembrance Day on the 11Th of, of November. I think you call it Armistice Day or something like that in the United States, but we call it Remembrance Day.
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And there is a slogan, Lest we forget. I've been to some of the battlefields and memorials in Europe that remember those times that the men in gate. Every evening there's a short ceremony to commemorate those who have given their lives in the two great wars. Lest we forget. Now, brethren, if people are not concerned about remembering those who have heroically given their lives in the service and freedom of humanity, don't we need to be even more stirred up in connection with the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ?
And future events in this world that are going to impact us and this world. And so he says, I'm going to tell you these things, though you'd be established. I want you to notice this expression and then I want to connect it with the first of our chapter in the present truth, brethren, the truth that we hold in our hands and that we seek by the grace of God. And it's only by the grace of God. But the truth that we seek by the grace of God to walk, at least in some measure in and hold to is the present truth. It was present and relative.
When Peter wrote the 2nd epistle.
It was just as present and relative as he and relevant as when he wrote the first epistle. Had the truth changed? Things had changed. The condition of things was getting morally worse in the world. Things had changed outwardly. Circumstances. Had the truth changed? No. Now, brethren, bring that down to our day. Have things changed morally and circumstantially in this world? Indeed they have. They're ripening every hour for the judgment of God. Every moment. The darkness, the cloud of darkness that hangs over the Western world is getting deeper and deeper.
Every hour. But does that change the word of God? We have the present truth, and you and I can go on in the present truth. We don't have to compromise because we see it all around the breakdown of everything around us. No, it's the present truth. And so in our chapter he's gonna stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance. That she may be me mindful of the words which are new, some new revelation. No, it's the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophet.
And of the commandments of us, the apostles of our Lord and Savior. In other words, Peter says the truth.
That has been laid out for you. It hasn't changed.
Out in the things that thou has learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them. Yes, I believe again you have there the last days more in connection with the professing church when Tim, when Paul speaks to Timothy in the last days in perilous times.
It's the condition not so much in the world, but the professing church. What does he tell Timothy to do?
Continue.
In the truth that had been laid out and been given as the foundation. And brethren, I believe this is important for us to understand. Are these the last days? Yes. Do we see the moral rune in the church? Yes. Do we see things ripening for the judgment of God in the world as Peter brings before us? Yes. Is God going to come in and stop this? Yes, he is. He's going to come in, in judgment after we're gone. Does that change the truth of God? No, brethren. And the wonderful thing is we can still go back and we can live and act on the principles and the truth that has been laid down. It's the present truth. It's what would it continue in until the Lord comes.
In that connection I just like to point out here in the first chapter of second Peter, earlier verses, verse 3.
Well, it says in verse 2, grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that have called us to glory and virtue. I'll stop there, but it just gives us that encouragement. Everything that pertains to life and godliness is in our hands at this very moment.
And what an encouragement that is. And we're, we're hearing it. And I just thought those verses expressed it in the broadest terms. The verse fifth, uh, thirteen of the first chapter 2 Jim mentions remembrance. Uh, it's interesting to see how often he mentions that. I'm gonna just read it. The 1St chapter is the 13th verse. Yeah. I think it need, as long as I'm in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. Verse 15. Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able after my deceased to have these things.
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Always in remembrance. So remembrance is, is important. What does it, uh, involve? I think it really reflects, uh, go back to the 11Th verse. He mentions the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In a certain sense, we're already in that Kingdom, but the Kingdom today is in tribulation and patience and we're looking forward to the day when that Kingdom will be introduced.
In Power and glory and Peter had a preview of that and he mentions it in the first chapter. I think it is beautiful to reflect on brethren. Uh, he says in verse 16, we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, for he received from God the Father honor and glory when their king.
Such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven, we heard. So these are real things, brethren. He got a preview of it. They're on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Lord's face shone as the sun, His garments were white like the light, and there were two heavenly occupants of that Kingdom.
Moses and Elias, and they were talking of his deceased that he should accomplish at Jerusalem. There were also three representatives of the earthly side of that Kingdom. Uh, Peter, James and John were there as well. So it's interesting. This is a very real thing with him and it should be with us. Brethren. We're looking forward to this Kingdom and we need to be brought back to him. Man boasts of great things and doing great things.
We're not really that interested in the way man is going. We're looking forward to that Kingdom that's going to be introduced. And like Bill said earlier, there are things that are happening in the world today that make us realize we are getting close and we need to be brought back into remembrance. We're made for that Kingdom, brethren. We're not made for any glorious happening down here in this present world.
Dave, you were trying to say something.
Thank you. I I was actually taking bill of your challenge because you made a comment saying how is this going to affect us? We seem to know a lot of this when we talk about the lowest coming and as you look around us, many of us can perhaps say verbatim as many many have said before, but how is it going to affect our lives? Do we truly first of all believe in it and do we fully understand what the word of God has before us? I have to confess as we read some of this often I get the time and places mixed up. So here as in this case, we read off the earth shall melt with earth and heat. When is that brethren, my point is not because of just knowing it in terms of knowledge.
But to truly understand how God has set out his ways toward man, what is what is that judgment going to come? When is Christ going to reign? And it's not for knowledge either. Finished this chapter by saying that rather the epistle by saying, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's the whole purpose of this, isn't it? While we're here, can we grow in grace for you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you know that we know the verse though he was rich yet he became poor that we drew his poverty might be rich, but then the whole ways of God is laid out in the book here. Perhaps if you would let me I I let me take a few minutes just to mention it briefly. Obviously we won't have time to go into all of ways of God. If you recall this morning we read in the last verse of Malachi. It's kind of interesting as you look at the word of God, the outline and the Scriptures is in our hands. The Old Testament began with a verse that we all know well is that in the beginning God.
That's what we need to know in the very beginning is God and the Old Testament ends perhaps let's say very briefly as a reminder, Malachi chapter 4 and we'll find that God tells us the end of time in a sense in Malachi chapter four. We know it's our brother reminded us Malachi chapter 3 there that the condition was very poor. And those who, uh, fear the Lord speak often one to another. But then.
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The survivor, the Old Testament and by edition chapter 4, it tells them about verse 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healings in his wings. And ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall, and ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of their feet in the day that I shall do this, say, if the Lord Lord. So he gave us a picture of what's beginning, and at the end the Sun of righteousness.
The Lord Jesus himself speaking to the Jewish nation that they will reign because of the Sun of Righteousness. They can look forward to what power and majesty. And then the New Testament, if you were to look at it, it begins with a generation of do we know what that is? Well, let's turn to that Matthew chapter one. Matthew chapter one begin with a wonderful chapter. It's just the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. Ah, in between a new order of things has been put into place.
We know that this world is gonna go to its end because of man's wound. Well, here God put a a way of salvation in the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. There he connected. There's gonna be a rightful king to come. And then the New Testament ends with Revelation chapter 2022. There it talks again about the Lord Jesus. Revelation 22 verse 16, it says.
I Jesus have sent my Angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root of the offspring of David that he declare his his his kingly lineage and the bright and morning star. Now he gave us as redeem one as Christian a different hope through the Old Testament sayings they were locating toward the end for the Sun of righteousness to reign here we as Christians looking for the bright and morning star.
Now I am not one to get up very early in the morning, so I cannot testify to this, but I do understand that before the sun come up, there is that Morningstar that come shortly before that, that bright and morning star. So here God's way is to let us know before all these things to be settled by the sun of righteousness. We have this bright and Morningstar appears. He comes to take us away to be with himself. So we see God's ways in one way, but in between.
God's dealing with his people, Israel, and then God's dealing with his people, us, the Gentiles, and in between. It's nice to see that we spend some time perhaps, you know, often we challenge the young people to say, learn these. Well, I think the challenge should be ourselves because I know for myself there's so much we don't understand. So how can we call to remembrance if we haven't learned it? As another writer put it, the book of Daniel, Daniel Chapter 9 have laid out nicely what is to come.
We see Daniel Chapter 9 tells us God's way how the Jewish nation is set aside the time of the Gentiles come in. We read of the four images of the four kingdoms to come there. The time of Gentiles that's us get set into place. There is a 70 year there's seventy weeks of Daniel 69 of it has been fulfilled right to its full fullest. One more week has been stopped and put on hold and is about to begin. We need to lay hold of that Dong Tui that last week as our our brother alluded to.
The week of that tribulation, that terrible time to come, but yet to know that we should be taken out before that time. And then what happened after that? Well, the tribulation for seven years and then Christ gonna take care of all matter. He's gonna reign. He's gonna reign in righteousness. Therefore that thousand years. And then after that we find the Lord Jesus in first Corinthians 15 said he will hand all this back to God and that he remain a man. Isn't that wonderful to know to be with his bride and then.
Go into eternity rather than we need to lay hold of this so that we can call to remembrance of it.
I'd just like to add a little thought here and that in keeping with what we just heard with this impressed me some years ago. The Old Testament doesn't give any indication that the revelations of God say, through what had preceded in the Old Testament, the minor prophets and so on, Malachi ended his revelations and those revelations.
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Not thinking of the Book of Revelation continued in the New Testament, as we well know in all the writings and winds up with the Book of Revelation. And as you read that book, you get a distinct indication that this concludes God's communication with men because there's a warning not to change one word of it and telling us that the Lord Jesus is coming and at the end of time has come. So I just point that out.
As it's a nice indication of the completeness of what God has given us in this book, the Old Testament doesn't end that. It just turns to the New Testament to complete God dealing with all mankind, right from Adam and Eve to the very end to the day of grace in which we are. And that day started when Christ was born into this world as we know he was hemisphere, this world full of grace and truth. And that's what we have in our hands. And so all these things we're hearing are absolutely certain.
And God has revealed unto us in terms that we can understand as many, and I'll tell you why I say that. But when I read this person, we'll stop right here. I have not seen or hear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him. That tells us in the glory. It will be so new and different, it cannot even be described by comparison to anything we now know. Is that not wonderful to think about?
But everything we have in this book is in terms that we understand.
As men walking on the faces of this earth and uses descriptions of farms, ships and all those other things wars that characterize mankind as we know it. But in that glorious day that we all expect as believers, it'll be so wonderful. It can't even begun begun to be described to us. It'll be that greatly that greatness and difference and I I now that I'm seeing the edge of the road ahead. I really enjoy that thought that.
It's gonna be so wonderful to be with Him in the glory, but he gives us everything as as the verse I pointed out in the beginning of the 2nd Epistle of Peter.
Everything now that pertains to life and godliness.
In other words, he's telling us I'll take care of you while you're here as a believer in the as a child, but what you need to get through this world. But you have that wonderful prospect and that is still remarked earlier about Paul's hope. That is his desire too is to know Christ and that's our objective. It's right in this the last verse of the epistle grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Those promises that that are in the Word of God and are important to see and to lay hold of. I would like to carry this step farther and just glance ahead to our verse 11. Umm, and I'll read verse 11 in our chapter. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?
We have examples of in the Old Testament of those who saw the promises and lived at a time when God was going to judge the world. We've already referred to them and Noah has been referred to and Abraham has been referred to. And both of them lived at a time when God was about to judge a condition that existed in the in the world. And I believe it's probably the mercy of God that hasn't told us a lot about what the world was like.
Before the flood, I believe it was too awful, I believe it was too wicked, and God covered it all up and he didn't leave us remnants of what it was like very much.
Noah found Grace at that time and got.
Saved him. Abraham, we know a little bit more than Abraham's case. And he, uh, he lived a Pilgrim and stranger because he believed those promises. It changed his life.
Lot stands a little bit in distinction to that, uh, he pitched his tent towards Sodom and wasn't totally, uh, separate from the world.
The point I wanted to make is our our moral condition, our moral walk.
Is really what will give us character and testimony to be of any use or witness to those around us. At a time when God is about to judge. We can't live hand in hand with the world and expect the world to believe us when we say the world is coming to an end.
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We're we're, we're contradicting ourselves if we live one way and speak another. I think this is a point that we need to emphasize, brethren, because we know these promises and we've been told them and it's you have to believe that. You have to see it and realize it. That's a very important, but let's not stop there. Let it change our life. Abraham was willing to live a pilgrimage stranger. He would have had a lot of opportunities to go in and take it on his own terms and on his own way.
Without God, but he didn't do it. He waited and he waited and he's still waiting. And, and so God wasn't ashamed then to identify with him and become his God. And so we, it's a real opportunity, brethren, for us to live in this time. Uh, we believe we're close to the judgment that's going to fall and these difficult circumstances and these odd conditions that are around.
This speaks of the ones who are willingly ignorant.
You know, the world knows quite a bit about the Rapture.
It's been, it's been spoken of pretty quite publicly, but what does it do? They just go on the same, same.
And so that's a, that's a real opportunity for us to, to, to live like an Abraham and to intercede. Abraham was the one who could intercede and he had power with God to give deliverance to some.
Lot Oh, this is light relate to the intercession of Abraham. He interceded for that city and some were saved. So that's what the, our PO position here. And it's the go wholly, uh, this holy conversation and godliness that will, that characterized Abraham and I believe will give us to have a, a power, uh, and a testimony around those that we live with. Hmm. And in contrast to that too, Doug, with Lot at the end, we see that he tried to intercede too, but he seemed as one that mocked.
When he talked about judgment coming on Sodom, they looked at him and said how can you talk about that?
You've built everything for time. You've built everything for Sodom. You had a house in Sodom. He was sitting in the gate, no doubt, as we would say today, involved in its politics and so on. And so he had no testimony at the end what it said. Commentary was a righteous man and we're going to see him in the glory, but he lived to see everything he had built for down here destroyed when the fire and brimstone fell and Sodom and Gomorrah. I would also like to just in connection with Doug's comments. Rita few verses in Titus chapter 2.
That I think are applicable in connection with what we've been saying.
Titus, chapter 2.
And verse 11.
For the grace of God that bring us salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glory of appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. First of all, we have here grace as a teacher. He spoke of Noah who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and he appreciated that grace and it entered into his soul and it formed a character with him.
So that even though judgment was coming, he made preparation and he preached righteousness to the saving of his household, it had an effect on him. And brethren, I believe that in the measure in which you and I have an appreciation of the grace of God in our souls, it will form a proper character even in days when things are in moral ruin, when things are right for judgment, when we're right down at the end. And what does grace teach us to do? Not to live for ourselves.
Not to just let things go and cast off restraint. No, it teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly. When back in Noah's day, back in Paul's day, back in Peter's day, back in our grandfather's day. No, right where we are in this present age, brethren, you and I in this present age can live soberly, righteously, and godly. But then there's something else. You know, our object forms, our character too. Let me repeat that. Our object forms, our character. Whatever our object, it's going to come out in our character, in our lifestyle, in every aspect.
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Of what we do and what we say and our reactions and so on. What is our object? It ought to be looking for that blessed hope that's at any moment and the glorious appearing that day of which we spoke of earlier, when the Lord Jesus will come back and take His rightful place and we're going to reign with him. The Corinthians were trying to reign as kings before the time Paul said I wish you were reigning as kings because we'd reign with you. But he said this is not the time. They had lost the proper character of things.
You can see the moral condition that had come in to the assembly in Corinth because they had lost sense of where they were. But brethren, if we have a proper sense of grace and our proper hope before us, these things will be evident in a practical way in our lives, and as Doug said, we will be the proper testimony that we ought to be. I wonder if we could go back and read first Peter 2 verses 11 and 12 goes along with this, I believe. First Peter 211 Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims abstained from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. It's true that a godly life lived may be stopped that for a long time, but there comes a day when God visits those ones that are in the world and deals with them, and only then do they really turn to God and look.
For reasons and for answers. And it's who do they go to? And that day they go to, uh, the Christian who lives a consistent godly life. And then on that day that Christian has an opportunity to reach their souls. And so we may have to wait for those opportunities, brethren, our, our neighbors aren't gonna come flocking at us every day when we live for Christ.
When God comes and he sees fit to touch that family in a day of visitation, then they may come. And so sometimes you have to be patient and live this way and God will give you opportunities to witness, uh, on those occasions rather than I'd like to just go back to something a little earlier where our brother referred to the world being willingly ignorant. And I'll give you a simple example, but it's a big factor in our cousin's present life.
Our God abhor is what we call homosexuality is from the very beginning to the very end of the Word.
Sodom and Gomorrah is known to this very day throughout the world. I've checked with some who speak, uh, the major foreign languages, uh, freely as we do English. And we have a word called ****** that's in our language unit has a meaning that, uh, most of us are familiar with, but it refers back to that time when God brought down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah because of their immoral behavior. It's in our language, it's in our laws. It's known throughout the whole world. Settlement tomorrow.
What is going on today? They're trying to justify homosexuality. They're actually saying there are Christian churches that are homosexual churches. They are willingly ignorant of what God has given us in this word. I just give you as a perfect example, I think of being willingly ignorant. Man cannot escape it. It perverts all, evades all our culture through these thousands of years. It is disdain for that form of life, uh, that lifestyle.
And is hateful to him. And it stands like a rock. And yet in our current culture, there are all these steps being made to, uh, give them special privileges and recognize them and so on. It's hateful to God. They are willingly ignorant of what God has made very plain.
Well, that is true in many spheres too, isn't it? Man is willingly ignorant. I think in the theory of evolution, for example, the evidence is so overwhelming against it that it has caused scientists who believe in that theory to run for cover and scramble and rethink the theory. Now they've got a new theory, Neo Darwinism, that kind of tries to accommodate some of the new discoveries. As if that's going to make it sound a little more palatable. So man is willingly ignorant of many things when it comes to the knowledge of God.
And we find here to go on, just to mention a few of these verses that we're just touching on by little bits here. It says man in verse five is willingly ignorant that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. I believe that refers to the beginning of Genesis when no doubt there had been some kind of judgment, some kind of cataclysm come on the world. We aren't told too much about it, but something had come in to cause a chaotic state.
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God says you are not ignorant of this. I have told you clearly in my word.
What about the story of the flood?
We know that.
Even in many parts of the world where they don't have an open Bible, there are stories and legends that refer back to a great flood that once overwhelmed this world. Man can't get away from it yet man says, I don't prefer to believe it. And so there are all kinds of thoughts and ideas that try to discredit the story of the flood just as our brother is mentioned. They forget about Sodom and Gomorrah in spite of the fact that those cities, uh, their names are notorious down through the ages for the kind of sin that was practiced there.
And God is allowing things today. We don't want to point the finger, but that cyclone that occurred in Burma within the last week has caused untold suffering.
And yet what is happening? And again, we're not pointing the finger because man's heart is the same everywhere.
They're blocking the aid that others want to send in. Why? Because they don't want the aid. Oh no, send us the aid, Send us checks, send us money. But no foreign aid workers. Why not? Because they know full well those that will come with the aid will be predominantly believers. They'll be Christians who will come, and they'll bring the gospel with them. Same thing happened in northwest India about five years ago, in the state of Gujarat.
Christians from all over India flocked to try and help those who had terrible suffering from the earthquake.
The people said, well, look at that. They tell us these Christians are so bad, but who's there for us when we really need the help? Christians. And when a man is helping to rebuild your house and dig out the rubble, it's hard to tell him not to talk about Christ and tell him why tell you why he's doing it. And so the world is willingly ignorant.
Uh, but as Doug says, God knows how to prepare the day of visitation, God knows how to use, you may speak to your neighbor, you may live a Christian life and say, I don't seem to be making any impact. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't make an impact and we shouldn't be concerned. We could all do more. But the best preaching of all is a godly consistent life. I'd like to under score that Doug said a moral character that people can look at and say he's different, She's different. Yes, they drive cars, they live in houses, they go to work, They do the very same things as we do.
Abraham did too. He was a wealthy man. He had flocks and herds so that they called him a mighty Prince.
But no one was under any illusions about where Abraham's values lay. No one had any doubts about what Abraham stood for and why he lived the way he did.
And so God may have given us much in North America, and we don't need to, in that sense, apologize for it. But when others look on, what do they see that we're doing with it? What is our object? What is our manner of life? Where are our priorities? That, I believe, is what is going to count. The flood was a universal judgment, wasn't it? And it shows that God judges sin. And that's exactly what people don't like.
Hmm. They try to cover up their lusts and their sins and to think of God judging evil, judging sin is untenable to them. That's that's the point here. I think that the verse six you said verse 5 refers to Genesis one. I think that's exactly right. Verse 6 to refers to Genesis 6, right And seven where the flood came in the days of Noah to put an end.
To the world of that day, we don't know a lot about it, but men lived a lot longer. It must have been very favorable toward life, lived up to 900 plus years.
Hey, we can't live that long, but it shows that it was a favorable thing that God had prepared for men, but they just totally corrupted it all and God wiped out the whole civilization. It's gone. It's the world that then was. And like I think Doug mentioned, it's.
We don't know very much about that world that then was, but there is a world today and it's going in the same direction and God's going to, again, judge universally and it's not gonna be by water, it's gonna be by fire. Tremendous to realize we're dealing with realities, brethren, historical realities that people want to ignore, but it's because of the enmity of the human heart. I often think of that verse in John chapter 5, where.
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The Lord Jesus said ye will not come to me that you might have life. It's not that they don't know. That's not the problem. It's that they don't want to know. That's the greatest blindness that there is there willingly ignorant. I wonder if the, these, uh, when it speaks here about the scoffer and it says that, uh, where is the promise of his coming? And then when they add the words.
Uh, they say. Umm.
All things continue as they were from the beginning. It seems to me that the main thought Peter is bringing out here is that, uh, that umm, uh, there is a thinking in the mind of man, in the mind of the scoffer, the mind of a man who's against God, that the world goes on in cycles and it continues on and on. And so that is like the day that you and I are living in. And so.
The we see the uh.
Uh, today, in an effort to, to keep this world going and by having this green effect and by having recycling and all of these things, and it filtrates into the school system to preserve the earth on an ongoing basis. And Christians get involved in this. And it seems to me that perhaps we can apply these verses for us to be careful of that kind of thinking.
I think there's two, no, go ahead. And they do it so they can go on and live their sinful lives too. There's that motive behind it which makes it so serious. And God, we wonder sometimes why God doesn't come in and judge. We can get ourselves into A-frame of mind like Elijah who, who interceded against the people, uh, of Israel. And we have to be careful about that. There is something obnoxious about sin even to us, uh, the reason God hasn't come in and destroyed.
At this point, the world is, he's long-suffering towards those who he wants to hear the gospel. And so it's a, it's a, it really, really gives a, a force to the, the thought of the patience of God in the world in such a situation that we're living in like it was in those days. And so it's, it's nice to have God's thoughts about this to how we live, uh, and to be to.
How can we go on in a world like this that's so bad without being angry at it and interceding against it? I think it's our chapter here. It gives us, uh, we gotta see the mercy of God in in waiting.
And they can't use time as an example. You know, the world has gone on now for centuries and so on. And now we have global warming, you know, then is in control of things. They can stop earning fossil fuels, and that will stop global warming. And then the ice capoon melt. But God said in his word, he has set up the boundaries of the ocean.
And this to me, PL. uh, blows my mind, I'll put it that way, to think that nobody ever stopped to think, how did that big landmass up to the northeast of North America called the, uh, Greenland, ever get the name Greenland? Well, I think historically you can find that there was a time when it was all green and the Scandinavians went over there and farmed on it. But now it's covered with a great big ice mask that the bounds of the oceans change, no.
God says in Genesis that he had established that.
They're willingly ignorant of that and they think they can do it. Even scientists say, yes, we've got to worry about global warming. It's all in the hands of the Lord. His promise is what he says will endure. I was going to say that I believe there are two dangers that we need to remember, relative today's comment. One is the danger that, as we have said, we get all caught up in keeping the planet green and trying to preserve it and so on. The other danger is, of course, that man has traditionally squandered and misused the resources God has given him.
The Christian shouldn't be guilty of either. The Christian shouldn't be guilty of throwing trash out the window of the car because someone will pick it up. The Christian shouldn't be guilty of wasting the resources that God has given us. Uh, why? Because there isn't going to be enough. Not primarily, but because the Lord Jesus didn't waste. He gathered up the fragments of bread that that remained even though he was the one that had the power to produce it. And so there's a, there's a danger in both directions.
01:10:18
But I think it's good to see how this chapter answers the question, because why is this world here in the 1St place? Man thinks it just happened and that he can have it as long as he wants it. It'll just keep going on and on. And man's hope is that all things will continue as they will, as they have from the beginning of their creation. Why did God create this world as a theater on which to work out His purposes? And He is going to accomplish His purposes on it.
Her purposes primarily concerning his beloved Son and thank God.
He has chosen to bring you and me into the picture.
When that world is finished, when God has done what he wants to do with it, he'll burn it up as we have it in this chapter. He's going to make it so beautiful in the Millennium in order to vindicate the honor and glory of His beloved Son. He's going to say, see.
What I really intended, and he's going to give him an untold blessing that he's never seen before since the Garden of Eden, and he's going to put his son in his rightful place. But then when the time comes at the end of the Millennium when that earth is fulfilled its purposes, God says.
I'll burn it up. And so God knows how long the resources need to act to last. He knows exactly as our brother's conventioning how to keep the oceans in control. Flying down here yesterday, and one of the boys on the plane with me had a T-shirt on. Well, when all the ice in the world melts and the oceans rise and swimmers will rule the world and all this kind of nonsense and and so on, Well, man makes jokes of it, but he's worried. God knows how long all that has to last. He knows how long the oil has to last and the natural gas.
And the coal and the food and everything else. And so we can quietly go on trusting that God's going to work out His purposes in all of this, but at the same time recognizing that God is speaking to man through all this and using the opportunity to lay it on his conscience. Yes, God is allowing these problems to show you that it's not going to go on indefinitely.
Responsive your, your comments, Bill reminded me of the fact that our responsibility in the world, which the first scripture, that one of the first scriptures that we read was that the judgment, uh, judgment was first began at the House of God. And someone had said that, uh, they look for the church and they found it in the world and they said they look for the world and they found it in the church. Well, if judgment must first begin at the House of God, the Lord really has his work cut out.
Because the church as we see it on the face of the earth today, of course, is, is let divided and so forth. But uh, I was just thinking what, what, what you mentioned about our responsibility and not throwing trash out the window and the many other responsibilities that become us as Christians. So I was just thinking of thought came to me. Well, if judgment must first begin at the House of God, the Lord really has his work cut out for him. And I believe it starts with us as individuals. It spreads into the assembly.
And of course, it also includes the, the whole, whole of Christendom. We're only a very small segment of the House of God. MMM, There may be laws that are set up, uh, that we, uh, perhaps feel the mind man has gone too far on. But let us remember, Peter also says this verse, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake.
Big Brother Robert was trying to make a comment brother **** here, can he just have a I just wanted to point out here it's it's wonderful portion that we have before us and it's really in connection with the word of God.
And the scoffing isn't that theories as it were, but the scoffing here. And it's a solemn thing that it says that they're scoffers walking after their own lesson. What are they scoffing at? They're scoffing at the word of God. That's what they're scoffing at. And so it's the epistle here, He says in verse one, the second epistle, beloved, now I now write unto you. Isn't it wonderful? We have the word of God, we have the truth of God. And God's standard is the word of God. He's going to judge this world by the word that was spoken by our blessed Savior. And he says here in verse two that we're to be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets.
And of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior. And so it's a blessed thing to have the word of God before us. And let's never, ever scoff at anything that's written in the word of God. And you and I, we live in a day and age where much of, uh, the truth of God is known still, but not all of it is practiced and walked in. And we ought to be very careful as to how we treat the truth of God and the word of God. We stay together on 300, on the 300.
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Ye serp and stop God you're masterful for.
You know.
Umm, they come to God who is on the ground.
Like all the love and all your love.
The praise the Lord give us a problem for all her faces.
Got it. However, the Heaven Father, we give Thee out thanks once again this morning for Thy word before us. We thank Thee for reminding us once again of that great and that blessed hope and that glorious appearing of our grave God and Savior Jesus Christ. Surely we know that as we speak of the Lord's return, how much more so are we reminded that Thou, blessed Lord Jesus, was that One who came into this world in lowly grace. That was that.
Man who came, who was despised and rejected of Man the one.
Uh, who? Uh, whom? We as men found no beauty indeed that we should desire? The, uh, same one who has led to the Cross. And we as men would cry away with Him and crucified Him. And surely we know that because of our death, of thy suffering, of Thy bloodshed, and now the resurrection of thee, being seated at the Father's right hand on high, we can look forward, as Thy word has promised us, of thy soon return.
Now we look to the end. We know that with a little time that is left here in this world, while we're waiting for the, we would pray for thy help. We need thy grace. We need thy, uh, uh, guidance upon every step of our pathway here. We'll remind you how, uh, we need to walk so that this world, uh, may be able to see us as I work towards being an epistle red and known to all men. So we pray that our walk may be inconsistent, uh, to, uh, what that would have us to do, that we may have that holy walk, that we may walk that path to separation, but yet be a testimony, uh, for thy name's sake. So we look to the income at one another in thine hand. We think of the balance of the time we have here. If thou still tarry who do pray for further blessings. So we just commit our time now into thine hand, giving thee our things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
E-mail.
Coming of the Lord
Address—Bob Thonney
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Let's start our meeting with #170.
Lo, he comes from heaven, descending once for favorite sinners slain.
1000 thousand Saints attending swell the triumph of his train. Hallelujah, Jesus comes and comes to reign.
If him describes probably what is the most glorious event that will ever take place.
On planet Earth, the introduction of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings, to reign supreme in this world. It's still ahead, but we believe, as we mentioned this morning, that it's getting close.
I'd like to suggest we stand up, please. I know you're all wrestling with sleep. A lot of you, anyhow.
Let's sing it standing.
Before he comes.
Out from the rainbow. Now you know I'm going to come back and get him. That's God.
Blah blah blah and Thai shrunk flow and flowers.
On the ground and let's back up and jump little bit of crops and worship worms from all the neighbourhoods and I'm from the neighborhood now you're right from one hour from the end of the day, the spirit of mirror, mirror.
Uh.
The program.
6.45765.
0132 in heaven.
One sixth place, thy big love home.
00:05:02
Oh, really? Well, I'm pretty good. So we're not going to grow. You're going to fall. Just go home alone. Oh, creepy. Have any Shall not create anything. Shall throw them thrown. They will not come. Come.
Yeah.
Lord.
Of the rings.
Thank you.
I remember our brother talking about the Lord's coming and he said then I'm really gonna say Hallelujah.
Let's pray Father, we're so thankful for the hope that's before us.
And the grand future that belongs to the children of God.
Oh Lord, Jesus is gonna be wonderful.
Thy coming again. When we think about it, here we are still in the wilderness.
And our purpose this afternoon is to open Thy precious Word. Help us, we pray, we confess our need of the help of Thy Holy Spirit. So we ask as we give thanks, Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I just wanted to say if I get seeing too many people.
No, uh, nodding off. I might cite another hymn to sing, so keep that in mind. Uh, just last week this time I was down in Mexico City, and the brethren in Latin America tends to sing quite a bit more than we do up here, so I don't think that's a bad idea. I'd like to turn to the Book of First Thessalonians this afternoon.
And we're going to read Chapter 5. My desire is to speak.
About the two parts of the Lord's second coming.
Not 2 Cummings. It's one coming, His second coming. We talk about his first coming. That's what is mentioned in First Timothy 115. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That was his coming in meekness and loneliness when they nailed him to a cross. But Jesus is coming again.
And the second coming has two distinct parts, but it's one coming. And I'd like to, uh, show that from First Thessalonians briefly.
Sometimes I've given this illustration. Supposing the president of the United States was coming to Asheville, NC He's going to visit the town. But when he arrives at the airport, I take it that Asheville's airport is outside this town. Is that right?
Brother John Mark.
OK.
And uh.
So a big entourage of officials go out to the airport to meet him. He hasn't come to the city yet, but with that group of officials, he comes to Asheville. And that's something of the thought of the two parts of the Lord's second coming.
Let's go to the book of First Thessalonians. And as I say, I'm going to read first of all the 5th chapter because that's my desire is to is to go through that chapter a bit.
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1St Thessalonians 5 verse one. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have known me, that I write unto you for yourselves. Know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travel upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
You're all children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober.
Putting on the breastplate of faith and love and foreign helmet the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do.
And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you and the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them.
Very highly in love for their work's sake and be at peace.
Among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren.
Warn them that are unruly, Comfort the feeble minded or the faint hearted, support the weak. Be patient toward all. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good both among yourselves and to all men.
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit, prove, despise not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul.
And body the preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with unholy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
The verse was read this morning in Titus chapter 2.
Looking for that blessed hope and quote it as it says in the Darby translation. The appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
So both those events are the hope of the believer. We often talk about the hope that we have of being caught out of this world to meet the Lord in the air.
That's first of all, that's going to happen at any moment, and that is a present hope for every believer that could occur at any time. There is no signs that God has given us to tell us when that could take place. It could happen any moment, and it may very well happen before this meeting is over.
Then at the end of what is called the Great Tribulation.
The last of Daniel, 70 weeks, it's a week of years. At the very end, the Lord Jesus heaven is ripped open and Jesus comes on a White Horse accompanied with all his Saints. And as I said before at the beginning of the meeting, I really believe, brethren, that is going to be the most glorious display that there will ever be in the history.
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Of time here in this creation, there will be no other display quite so glorious as when Jesus comes to take the Kingdom. And you and I who are believers in the Lord Jesus are going to be eyewitnesses first hand. We're going to see it happen. I tell you when I think of that rather just overwhelms my heart to know that I'm going to be there, I'm going to see it happen. Jesus is coming again.
Annie is going to reign supreme in this world.
When we read First Thessalonians, we find that the two different parts are mentioned in a number of of the chapters. Every single chapter First Thessalonians talks about the Lord's coming in one way or another. Just like to point it out to you in first chapter. At the end of the chapter he's talking about the testimony of the Thessalonian believers and he said the end of verse nine, he turned to God from idols.
To serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead. Even Jesus, which delivered us for the new translation, puts it our deliver from the wrath to come.
The Tribulation period is a time when this world is going to feel the wrath of God. Jesus is our deliverer from the wrath to come. We who are believers in the Lord Jesus do not expect to go through the Tribulation. I know that there are many believers today who think that the Church is going to go through the tribulation, but I was encouraged not too long ago reading a book.
And in that book it says the vast majority of Christians today still believe in the pre tribulation rapture. Thank God, thank God, because that's the truth of Scripture. And the Lord wants us not waiting for tribulation. He wants us waiting for the sun from heaven. Chapter 2. Notice at the end of the chapter, it's almost always at the end of the chapter, verse 19.
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are glory and joy.
Chapters one and two really refer, I believe, to the Lord's coming at the Rapture before the great Tribulation starts.
That's what it refers to, but now notice chapter 3 and verse in verse again it says to the end, He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With all his Saints, very clearly that refers to his coming at the end of the tribulation when he will come with his Saints just like deposit here and just mention that the coming of the Lord for his Saints are what we call the rapture word. Rapture is not does not occur in the King James translation. The word is caught up. It really is the same thought as rapture.
The Spanish translation that uses the word.
It's being caught up too, but the point is, is that I wanna make is that that truth of the rapture is not known in the Bible, in the Old Testament.
It is something that the apostle Paul very specially was given to explain to us how it was going to happen and more or less the time frame it's going to happen. But the coming of the Lord Jesus with his Saints at the end of the great tribulation period is mentioned all over the book. You go through the Old Testament, it's all over there.
Even.
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Uh, Enoch, who lived before the flood, knew about the coming of the Lord Jesus with his Saints, Doesn't talk about it in Genesis where you have the story of Enoch's life, but you go to the book of Jude. The very last epistle talks about the very first prophet in the Bible, Enoch and Enoch prophesied.
Behold, the Lord cometh, when 10 thousands of his Saints the word.
10 thousands is really the myriads of his Saints.
Uncountable millions that are going to be in that company. Tremendous glory. The Lord will come with His Saints. How in the world did Enoch find out about the Lord's coming with his Saints?
He didn't have the Bible. He didn't even have the Old Testament.
But Enoch walked with God, and it was something so high.
On the agenda that God has about his own Son, that God evidently told Enoch, You know, Enoch, something's gonna happen in the future. That's gonna be tremendously glorious. And so Enoch prophesied about the Lord's coming before the flood. Isn't that interesting? I find that very interesting.
Now let's go to chapter 4. Here is one of the places where we have.
The rapture explained, and I just like to say for it helps to understand in chapter 4, if you can put a parentheses around starting at verse 15 right to the end of the chapter, that's a parenthesis. Now let's go back before the parentheses to read verse 13 and 14 because we wanna see what he's talking about here.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep means.
Some of their company had died. Christian really doesn't die. He he sleeps.
That ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
Even so them also which sleep in Jesus.
Will God bring with him?
What's that talking about? It's talking about God bringing with him those believers.
That had died. Now how did they get to be with Jesus if they had died and their bodies were placed in the grave? Verse 15 through 18 is a parenthesis in which.
He explains how those believers that had died in faith get to be with Christ to come with him at the end of the great Tribulation.
For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent. That's an old word, English word, that means, go before them which are asleep.
That means that those who have died gone to be with Christ are not going to be with the Lord before us who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord.
How's this gonna happen?
I can't, uh, refrain from.
Telling you brethren, from verse 16 forward, one day I was in Walmart in Vincennes, IN.
And.
I was walking down there aisles looking for something in the background I hear this voice coming over the PA system.
And this voice says, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, with the trump of God.
And the dead in Christ shall rise first.
I stopped to scratch my head. Where in the world am I anyhow? I.
Couldn't figure out what was going on. Just thrilled me to hear those verses and I looked at one of those monitors they have in Walmart and.
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It was after the 9/11 Chapter tragedy and there was a chaplain, the United States Army, I think it was.
Put in these verses just stood there.
Just drove me to think that was going out over the whole nation.
Rather than it's the truth of God's precious word, and God has His ways of getting it out. Even though there's so much elements in our country against God, still God has His way of getting out His truth. What a glorious event it's going to be. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. So there's a first.
And there's a then in the sequence here. Notice it verse 17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together. That word caught up is really rapture. It's the same word caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
So how do those things that have died and are buried from the beginning of time where their bones are? I don't think we have any clues to where Abel's bones are, but he died in faith.
And at that grand moment, they're gonna all come out.
Wherever they are and they're going to be raised incorruptible, it says. Also it tells about this event in First Corinthians chapter 15 towards the end of the chapter. The theme isn't really the coming of the Lord there, it's the resurrection. But still it happens at this time of the rapture and so the dead in Christ.
Are in the first part and then we which are alive and remain and as Jim mentioned this morning, he the apostle Paul includes himself there. It shows that it's always to be the present hope of the believer in the Lord Jesus. Paul was waiting in his day and we should await for that moment at any moment it's gonna happen. Oh brethren, it's called in first John chapter 3A purifying hope.
And when you think that is going to happen at any moment, it makes you careful how you live.
Sometimes people don't watch their words very much.
Out slipped some angry words. What would happen if the Lord becometh that instance? Who?
And we get caught up right after those angry words came out of our mouth.
I don't know, I've tried to think about that.
It makes me want to be careful.
What I let out of this mouth of mine, because it's gonna happen at any moment.
Young people.
Are you involved in going places you know that are not for Christians?
What's gonna happen if the Lord comes while you're there?
If you're a real believer, you'll go too.
What kind of a face are you gonna lift up to the Lord Jesus when that happens?
That's why it's called a purifying hope. It makes us think twice about what we say and about what we do.
Oh the Lord help us, it's going to happen at any moment. Now let's go on to the chapter 4, the 5th chapter. We've already read it.
But he starts out here. But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
In other words, when he's dealing with times and seasons.
He's dealing with the second part of the Lord's second coming, when he's going to come in power and glory. As we mentioned before, the rapture could take place at any moment. There is no outward sign when that event is going to take place. I suppose that we could say if there's any sign at all of the Lord's second coming to get us out of here, it would be the present state of the Christian testimony.
00:30:18
If there's anything that.
Resembles it in Revelation 2 and three, where you have a historical, uh, outline of the Christian testimony through the ages. It's what we have in Laodicea, indifference as to Christ's glory.
Thinking they're all right and not realizing that he has a lot of negatives to say. That seems to characterize the Christian testimony today more than anything else.
Hard to say that, but.
There are no outward signs. We don't have to wait for the appearing of Antichrist. Some people think you do, but we don't wait for his appearing. In fact, we know specifically that the Antichrist cannot appear before.
He who hinders is taken out of the way. We believe that to be the Spirit of God in the church that hinders the progress of evil.
But when we are dealing with the second part of the Lord's second coming, his coming in glory with his things at the end of the great tribulation, it's accompanied with all sorts of signs and it's connected with times, seasons, it says here.
And I think one of the most useful.
Keys to understanding the prophetic picture is Daniel's 70 weeks. You know, Daniel was given that prophecy. And as I said before, it's not weeks of days, it's weeks of years. And they're divided into three parts.
Seven weeks.
62 weeks and one week, seven weeks or 49 years are the time when Jerusalem was rebuilt. It's very specific date when that command was given in the book of Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem and then another 62 weeks.
Bra brings us up to the time when the Lord Jesus actually entered into Jerusalem, and seeing calculations of that prophecy and how accurate it is, is incredible. No way that Daniel could have known that by himself. You know, some of the critics of Daniel, critics of the Scripture, try to show that Daniel actually lived after the facts, and that's why he spoke so.
Accurately, that is false. The Lord Jesus himself speaks of Daniel the prophet. Now it was prophecy, but it was from God.
And when the Lord Jesus entered into Jerusalem in his triumphal entry, mounted on a donkey, it was just a few days after that that he was crucified and rejected, killed.
And if we can put it this way, God stopped the prophetic clock at that juncture.
They didn't accept his son, and so there remains still one week of years. That's where we get the thought of seven years of tribulation. Actually, great tribulation refers to the last half of that prophetic week, 3 1/2 years.
But that coming is connected with all sorts of times and I like to ask sometimes.
Young believers, what is it? What event is it that signals the beginning of that last week of Daniel's 70 weeks? Most always, they say it's a rapture. No, it's not the rapture. I hope you realize that.
We believe the rapture is going to take place before that takes place, but what signals the beginning of that last week of Daniel? You can read it in Daniel Chapter 9. The very last verse is a pact that is going to be signed between the Roman Prince, which is the head, the political head of the revived Roman Empire, and the people of Israel. You know that Israel.
00:35:11
Depends on the United States, largely for defense today. I don't know that they could survive without the, uh, help of the United States.
But I suppose you're aware that the United States is starting to fall. To me, it is incredible. You go overseas and you realize how much value the US dollar is lost. I was. I was astounded the last few trips I've made to South America when I went to Europe the first time.
Euro is only $0.90 U.S. dollar now. It's I don't know exactly. I think it's a dollar and a half dollar, sixty maybe. I don't really remember too well.
With the US dollar is going down and if the Lord lifts his people out of here, I think this country is going down major time and that's what's gonna force Europe to come to the forefront. And as soon as a pact is signed between the Roman Prince and the people of Israel, the prophetic clock starts to click again. And it will be 7 years from that moment till Jesus sets his feet down on the Mount of Olives.
When he comes back with his Saints in glory.
When you see the things that are shaping up in today's world, Europe, the way it's shaping up, the powerhouse that it proposes to be, and it will be, you see Israel where it is increasingly hostile neighbors.
See Iran, which is really Persia, poised to knock Israel out completely. Can't you see we're getting close?
Somebody has put this illustration. I don't know where the weather comes from in this part of the country. You know, Denmark and Lawrenceville, we got a lot of our weather from the northwest. So if we look at the northwest and we see a big cloud out there with Thunder and lightning, we say, hey, the storm is on its way.
It hasn't arrived yet, and I think that's exactly what we're seeing today.
We had something else happen in Lawrenceville not too long ago that is one of the definite signs of the Lord's near return earthquake. I guess some of you probably heard of that.
But it wasn't as severe as it is in South America and some of the other countries have been, thank the Lord. But it is a very real thing. Those are things, wars, rumors of wars, those are things that are signal the fact that we're getting close to the end, so.
Times and seasons are connected with the Lord's second coming when he comes with his Saints at the end of the great tribulation. But notice now let's go on here. Verse two says yourselves, know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
The day of the Lord. I think it is important to understand. It's in our chapter and our reading as well.
It is mentioned a lot in the Old Testament. It's mentioned quite a bit in the New Testament as as well. The Day of the Lord begins at the end of the Tribulation, when the Lord Jesus comes to exercise His authority, put down his enemies, and reign supreme from sea to sea.
And the day of the Lord extends the whole millennial day 1000 years. And at the end of that day of the Lord is when it is we have in our chapter, and I don't want to get too much ahead, but it says the heavens will melt with fervent heat. It's at the end of that day of the Lord that everything is going to melt and dissolve.
Completely.
The day of the Lord does not refer to the Rapture. I think most of us understand that, but I think there's some that probably don't realize that.
When it's talking about the Lord coming as a thief, he's not talking about the rapture. He's talking about the Lord's coming at the end of the Great Tribulation.
00:40:02
I sometimes say, Brother John, Mark, do you want the Lord to come?
And do you wait for him? Yeah. Another question. Would you like a thief to come to your house?
And do you wait for a thief to come? No.
So the alert is not going to come for you as a thief because you're waiting for him and you want him to come, but for the world that has no interest in the Lord coming back. And do not wait for him. He's going to come as a thief. And that is recorded in a number of places in the New Testament that he's coming as a thief. But remember, it's not talking about his, uh, coming in the rapture. It's coming.
At the end of the Great Tribulation.
And he says that he makes it very clear in verse four, Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Here all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Let us not sleep.
As do others, But let us watch and be sober, for they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. Two things the apostle dresses here, sleep and drunkenness.
And we're going to consider this not material sleep.
But spiritual?
And spiritual drunkenness, what does it mean? Spiritual sleep is somebody who just is not alert. If I had a person sleeping on the floor up here, I can say, hey, listen to me.
Are you gonna respond to me? No. No response. What's wrong with him? He's asleep.
You know what happens sometimes?
Remember, it happened when I was a younger person.
Young people are talking about cars.
Or girlfriends or boyfriends, they're having a good.
Good talk. And all of a sudden somebody says uh.
About the Lord in this conversation and everything gets quiet. Why does that happen?
Would it mean we're asleep?
I think it possibly could.
Or how easy it is to talk about our business, our house, our cars.
Do you know what it means to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ?
What a glorious savior we have to talk about.
Drunkenness. What's that? We often use the.
Uh, illustration or the words under the influence?
And we're not talking about the under the influence of alcohol. I'm sure that would be included. You wouldn't wanna be under the influence of alcohol when the Lord comes, would you?
But there is other things that influence a person so that they can't think properly as a Christian.
Could be sports, could be music, it could be cars, anything that you just don't function as a Christian because you are under the influence. Scripture says we shouldn't allow those things, dear brother.
When the Lord comes, you want to be in your own judgment that soberness. You want to be awake, and you want to be sober for that supreme moment.
So he goes on. And I just want our time is going faster. I want to get down a little bit further here.
Verse eight. Let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and foreign helmet the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath just like to.
Uh, draw attention to this verse nine. It's one of the clearest verses in the Bible to show that the Christian is not going to go through the great tribulation. Look at it.
God hath not appointed us to wrath. Great tribulation is a day of wrath. He's not appointed us to that, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. We wake that's if we're alive and remain or sleep that's.
00:45:12
If some are taken in death, they're asleep, but still we should live together with him.
Now from there on through the end of the chapter, we have a number of exhortations that are related to.
This theme of the Lord's coming, God has.
A way he wants his people to be walking in this world and we need to put some attention to what he wants for us.
Verse uh 12 He says, We beseech you, brethren, to know them, which labor among you, and are over you and the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, Be it peace among yourselves. I take this not as those who labor going from place to place as those who are in the local area and who exercise local oversight.
You young people respect them. They watch for your souls. I remember sometimes receiving.
A word of correction, maybe. At the time I just didn't like it.
But I learned if you would just take it and listen and maybe take it before the Lord and get in His presence, that there will be profit for you in it. So esteem them highly, Scripture says.
Verse 13 or verse 14, exhort you brethren to warn them that are unruly.
Sometimes we need warnings.
Comfort the faint hearted. It really should read.
There's people that are just downright discouraged. We need to be aware of that and seek to encourage them. Support the weak, and there are those who need help to get on. Be patient toward all. Verse 15. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all.
Oh, how important it is not to fall into the world's.
Idea.
You did me in. I'm gonna do you in a little bit worse. Don't go that way.
Return good for evil. It's the greatest way to conquer evil. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. That's definitely the example that the Lord has left for us.
Verse 16 is one of two verses in the Bible.
That have only two words. I'm sure most of you know where the other verse is that has 2 words. I think it's so beautiful to put those two verses side by side.
The other verses, John Chapter 11, Jesus wept.
Here their exhortation is rejoice evermore.
Do you obey that verse? Always, brother?
You don't.
I don't suppose any of us could raise our hand if I ask you to all raise your hand to those who are always rejoicing.
No, we need that exhortation. What does that mean?
The Lord was sorrowful at times, but there was always in His heart that deep flowing joy in His soul that He was doing.
The Father's will. And I think it's not so much an outward exuberance of joy that you're showing, but simply that deep joy in the heart to know that we are doing what the Lord wants us to do.
In Philippians he talks a lot about joy. Fact, he says in Philippians 4/4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Do you listen to me?
Again I say rejoice.
It's important.
00:50:00
Paul was speaking from the prison when he said that he didn't say be joyful because your circumstances are great. No, his circumstances weren't that great.
But it's rejoice in the Lord, Brethren, I know there are trials in your life. I know there are heavy things that happen. I know there's tears.
I know.
But there is, even in tears, a joy that we can enjoy.
Verse 17 says pray without ceasing doesn't mean you're gonna be always on your knees, just simply means that the whole character of your life is the expression of dependence on him who is always with us, the expression of dependence.
You don't have to always close your eyes to pray.
In fact, if you're driving down the freeway, it's better not to close your eyes to pray.
But we should always pray without ceasing verse 18 in everything. Give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Is this possible to give thanks in everything?
That's what Scripture tells us to do.
And if you wanna further thought on this, look in you're not gonna go to it now. Our time is too close. Look in Ephesians chapter 5, it says giving thanks to God for all things that bad thing that happened to you. Give thanks to God not only in that circumstances, but for that circumstance, brother. And I found it a real help to do that. And I just suggested to you, you know, it's easy to thank the Lord when everything goes just.
Fine.
It's not very easy when things go wrong.
But I really believe, if you recognize that there is a man on the throne of God who is head not only of his church, but his head over all things to the church.
That which happens in your life happens with a very specific purpose, a blessing. That's a tough one sometimes to come to, but I found it a real help to be able to say when things go wrong. Thank you Lord Jesus.
You know I rang inside you is upset, but to say thank you Lord Jesus is a great thing to do.
In everything give thanks. Verse 19 Quench not the spirit. Every believer in the Lord Jesus has the Spirit of God dwelling in him, and the Spirit of God is there to guide you.
In everything, not just when we're together in meetings like this, yes, we should give the Spirit of God.
Liberty to guide us when we're here together.
And can I say a word here?
It kind of bothers me.
In our prayer meetings at conferences.
That sometimes we think it's just brothers up here in the front rows that can pray and all those back there, they just have to sit there silently. That's not right.
Brethren, the Lord.
Your our brother and the Lord.
It's not a question of gift, it's a question of being a priest.
And if you're a priest in God's house, you have just as much.
Liberty to get up and express prayer to God as anybody else. Let's not get into that frame of mind. Let's shake ourselves a little bit on that one. Please, brother, would you please think about it? And let's not continue to do it that way. Just mention in the look at Revelation chapter 2, it mentions first the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Afterwards it mentions the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.
00:55:00
Think about that. I'll just leave that there. But the Spirit of God is in US.
And he's in us to guide us in everything in your life, your daily life.
Those are the children of God, are those that have the spirit of guide to guide them, says in Romans chapter 8. And sometimes I have to confess, brethren, that I'm not obedient to the impulses of the Holy Spirit in my life.
To tell you about what I believe to be a real rebuke that I got from the Lord on that score.
Years ago I used to work in Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital in the city of Chicago.
And there was a strike against the hospital and I was off in some other part of the city with a rental truck parked waiting for trucks to bring supplies for the hospital there. That's the way they did it in the time of the strike. And just gotten back from a Wheaton conference and I was really full up in my soul just enjoying what we had enjoyed at the conference.
And over there was standing one of the supervisors from security at the hospital, and it was as if the Lord said to me.
Talk to him about the Lord.
Lord, he's a supervisor. I gotta, uh, push him carefully. I don't know how to do this yet, exactly. I kind of put it off. You know how we do it twice?
Very distinctly this is the Spirit of God in me saying, Speak to him.
I didn't do it.
It was shortly after that a truck came up and said I got some supplies for the hospital. I said, OK, just back up to my truck there and we'll transfer the boxes. In the course of things, he had bad breaks and he was backing down and he stopped every once in a while. But that hospital supervisor got in between those two trucks and he got pinched.
Got killed.
Imagine what I felt like, brother.
Learned when the Spirit of God gives an impulse in your life, puts on your heart a certain person to speak maybe to the gospel or to do something encouraging, you'd better do it. He knows what he's telling you to do. Don't quench the spirit. Next one is despise, not prophesying. In other words, God uses instruments sometimes that we don't like.
To speak a word to us.
Don't despise prophesying. Remember years ago seeing as a young person.
To an older brother.
And that particular brother speaks. I can't hardly listen to him because his life isn't very in order.
That older brother looked at me and says.
Despise not prophesying, you know. That has been a big help to me.
Listen.
He said that older brother said to me, listen, maybe he's the instrument God wants to use to get a message across to you. Listen doesn't mean you have to accept everything he says. No, in fact it says in verse 21 prove all things.
Hold fast that which is good. That's been a big help to me. I've gotten good Nuggets from those I might not have listened to if I hadn't.
Had that word of correction when I was younger.
Abstain from all appearance of evil. Now before we close verse 23. And the very God of peace sanctify you holy, and I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he.
That calleth you, who also will do it. Thankfully, it's not a focus on our faithfulness here. Brethren. I can't say that I'm that faithful.
But I know someone who is completely faithful and he is the one that is going to bring us home to glory. Oh, when that event happens to be spirit, soul and body ready, blameless for that coming.
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God is triune, He made man in his image and likeness, and we are triune.
Three parts in one. The spirit part is that which has intelligence and ability to reason, and ability, if there's not sin to impede it, to have fellowship with God.
An animal does not have a spirit.
The soul is the part of us that is our maybe we can call it our personality, our likes and our dislikes.
I like certain kinds of food. There's other food I just don't like. That's my soul.
And the body is the part that we're so occupied with so often. But how important to realize that there are things in the world that we live that contaminate the soul, the spirit, and the body. Be careful young people. We're walking in a dangerous world. There is a faithful God who is able to keep us all the way home to glory. Let's just pray. Father, bless thy precious Word.
We're thankful.
We can have it open and read it and think about it, help us, each one, to live our lives in view of the fact that any moment we might hear that trumpet.
And hear that shout.
And be gone. Help us, Father. We commend ourselves to thee for the rest of the day.
The name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
2 Peter 3:8-17
Reading
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Should we continue on with Second Peter 3 then?
I would suggest perhaps beginning with verse 8.
Is that alright? Maybe verse 7?
Second, Peter 347 But the heaven and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, preserved into fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord of 1000 years and 1000 years, as one day the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. But his long-suffering to us were not willing that any should perish, but at all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
The earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seem that ye look for such things. Be diligent, that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.
An account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also in all his Epistles, speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable, rest, as they do also other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest ye also, being LED away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
Well, these next verses remind us of that which we have to remember constantly in the things of God, and that is that God lives and moves in eternity. And if He has in that sense created time and He has created it, and if he has created this world and He has created it, then he has his purposes to be worked out, but he works them out in His time and in His way. And so we are used to thinking in terms of time, and we're used to thinking in terms of having things done in a certain way.
And man often judges God by those terms, doesn't he?
But here we find that.
1000 years is just one day. Well to me I'm 1000 years is a long time and I believe God in his wisdom saw to it that no man ever lived quite to those thousand years. Methuselah came pretty close and Bob was drawing attention to it this morning that.
In the days of the patriarchs, the lifespan was much longer than it is today.
But no man made it quite to 1000 years. He didn't even live in that sense. One day in God's sight.
And so God lives and moves in eternity, and everything that He has in his purposes is being done within that framework. And so we don't need to be afraid that somehow things aren't going to work out. On the other hand, it's a very, very serious thing for man whose thoughts and whose whole being is bounded by time to try and judge God who lives and moves in eternity. Yet that's what's happening, isn't it? Man who is a created being and who is bounded by time. He can't get beyond it.
His proposing to judge God, whose purposes are being lived out, and rather worked out, I should say, in eternity.
And so the Lord calls that to our attention, and then, as we get in the following verses, proceeds to show us reasons why there is a delay in the carrying out of that awful judgment, a delay that has only the good and blessing of man.
At heart rather than his destruction.
Sometimes we become impatient with God. We like God sometimes to work a little faster in our lives, maybe in connection with our families, our young people, sometimes in connection with loved ones we've been praying for that aren't saved. Sometimes in connection even with His coming. But I think it's good, as you say, to realize that God operates outside the realm of time. Thank God He has put us in time. We with physical limitations and so on. We can't yet. We're not in a sphere of things or a state of things where we can operate outside of time. We will be.
In the in that eternal day. But I think this helps us to have patience with God in that way. You know, this is a day of everything being instant and instant answers and remedies to everything. And I know some of those things are helpful and needful to survive in the business and work a day world in which we find ourselves. But brethren, you know, there's a as I say, an instant answer and remedy for everything, an 800 number, a Google site, a search engine, a self help book, all these kinds of things. But God doesn't always operate that way in our lives. And so.
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Maybe there's someone here and you've been praying for the restoration of a loved one, someone who's gotten away from the Lord. You said, I just wish the Lord had come in and there'd be fruit and blessing. Maybe you pray to the salvation of a loved one. You say the Lord doesn't seem to come in, but in everything, whether it's his purposes in connection with this world, whether it's in connection with his full manifestation in the coming day and his church associated with him, or whether it's right down to the details of your life and mine. God has the timetable, and nothing frustrates the timetable of God. But remember, I say again.
He doesn't always work as quickly as we would like, and God is far more patient and gracious than we are. Well, in that matter, just consider the promise that was made to Abraham and how long it took for Abraham, Sir, to have a son. And if you, you know, want to talk about it in our human terms. But I couldn't help but think, brother, we just have a faint grasp of the vestments of this universe and we read the opening verses we need and turn to it. We all know it. In the beginning of John's gospel, in the beginning with the word and the word with God, nothing was made.
Now man has through the years progressed in their technical achievements through astronomy and so on, and they look at these distant galaxies and they try and predict the distances or describe the distances between this and that. What do they use to describe light years? Now what is a light year? A light year is the time at place we know on a circular measurements for light to travel using our measurements of time.
And distance. And that's the time it takes for light to travel in 1000 years. And so they said these stars are 50,000 light years apart.
That's just mind boggling to think of that in any terms of distance that we know. That's how great our God is as we read this book and he tells us everything He wants us to know. We can't do anything but just vow and acknowledge His greatness and His power. It is just vast, this universe, all the elements of the universe, by the way, you know, the astronomers can see, They can see by the frequencies of the color of the light.
What those elements are out there in the start of the, uh, same as they are here on Earth? That's his creation. Isn't that marvelous?
I just said too, that we may not see the development of everything or the fruition of everything in time either. It's really going to take eternity to see time in its proper perspective. Just another little practical example. I've often thought of Moses and his his parents. You know, Moses parents on mother only had him for a very short time. Then she had to send him off to the palace in Egypt to be schooled in all the learning and wisdom of the Egyptians. You realize it was 40 years before there was some fruit from her labor. It was 40 years before Moses came out and out for the Lord and took a stand for the people of God.
Was she alive to see it? Scripture doesn't tell us. And if she was, that was a long time as a mother.
To see some fruit of the seeds that she had sown when Moses was very young. And so again, I, I think we have to, we're going to have to wait until eternity to see many of the purposes of God that he had for us in our lives and even to see if purposes and fruition in connection with this world and so on. And the counsels of God in the full exaltation of his Son. We read about it by the Spirit of God. We have some understanding and enjoyment of it. But brethren, what is ahead is far, far more wonderful and glorious than we can ever anticipate now.
Well, just if you don't mind another observation.
We sow seeds the gospel, we tell somebody, others may water by giving the word or other events, but God gives the increase and He does it in his time. And so we can be faithful seed sowers, we can be faithful in walking in the light of the truth of the fruit of his work in our lives, but God gives the increase in his time.
The word of God, the glory to the return of the Son. We, we mentioned earlier on our brother mentioned about how the world have scoffer and how the world really do not want to accept the idea of this. And some of the reasons perhaps is this. If the world accepted the fact that there is a coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the world have to accept the fact that Jesus came into this world as a Savior. That Jesus was rejected from this world and that Jesus did suffer, did believe he did die of the cross and that this world would have to accept the fact that he rose from the dead.
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And he conquered something that we as men is dreadful of, which is death. So here the word of God repeatedly tell us that and we find in this book we have in our hands there he repeatedly tell us the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament sings knew about that. There's a king to come. We talk about the Sun of Righteousness. We fine tune that in our hand with a New Testament. It's interesting to see too that we have 27 books in the New Testament. And I believe almost every book mentioned of the Lord's return, say five we find in the book of Ephesians, it did not talk about the Lord's return.
For the reason that we are viewed as heavenly citizens. We're there positionally. We find that in the book of Galatians. I believe it didn't mention that because they were in such bad states that they needed to understand the basic fundamental of the gospel truth, which should speak to our hearts too. And perhaps sometimes what we don't value the Lord's soon return. Is it because of our own state? Is it because we haven't fully comprehended what our Lord Jesus has done for us? Is it because that we need to learn more?
As the world would put it, let's get back to basic to understand that Jesus died and he suffered for our sins. And that's why I got a conference as such. We have the gospel meeting where we can preach Christ crucified. We find that in the book. I believe in the book of Philemon, he didn't mention it for the reason that that book was more written, uh, on behalf of a slave to his master. And I believe there's two more books in, in John's epistle where it was written personally.
For sure of that are the five books, 22 books in the New Testament, all repeatedly warning us, encouraging us, telling us the importance of the Lord's return. We have taken up the book of Thessalonians and their every chapter, Isn't it? Our brother reminded us of the Lord's return. How precious. And to think that, yes, we do know that we wait for his time, and we sometimes think that we wait for his time. So shall the night all ends in blissful days.
Here men do not understand because we don't want to understand. We only want to benefit, but we don't want the responsibility. So how precious here that is reminded, as our brother reminded us this morning, through the three worlds, the two that was before us.
I should say the one that was before wise, the one that we're in, in the world to come. And what beautiful picture as we had on the Mando Transfiguration as we're reminded this morning. There we saw the Lord showing himself in full power and glory, and we constantly reminded of that. There we see one who was translated, one who died. We saw Moses, he gone through the article of death. He was there with the Lord in glory. We saw one Elijah, who didn't, who didn't go through death.
What a picture that we will remind of this morning that we too are waiting for that blessed hope. Maybe we don't have to go through that. And then those that are around us watching what blessedness we have here, waiting as the world may mark. But we should rejoice.
Oh, it's a wonderful thing to think that God has allowed the day of grace to go on so long. And we don't want to be sticky about this. But if we look at the various ways in which God has dealt with man down through the ages, if we look at what might conventionally be called the dispensations, and there are different ways of looking at them, but I don't think anyone would argue that this day of God's grace, I believe, has already continued on longer than any other one.
Wonderful. You would think, humanly speaking, that God would have put men under testing longer than that. And I suppose if you group everything together in the Old Testament, that's true. But in each particular way in which God tested man.
The result is shorter than what we have already in the day of God's grace. What does that say? Oh, that just underscores, doesn't it, what we have here in verse nine that the Lord is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. Well, what a serious thing then for men to take up that long-suffering and grace and use it as a handle to try and deny that God is going to judge the world. And to say in scoffing, well, everything is just continuing on the same way it always has been. We don't need to worry too much about judgment. God isn't really going to deal with things.
It's a little bit the spirit of what we get in the Psalm there where it says the fool has said in his heart there is no God, not particularly. And in every case denying the existence of God, although it can include that, but operating as if God wasn't going to take account of the situation.
Or bring man into judgment. But God is going to do it, but he's waiting and longing. And so we shouldn't be discouraged in giving out the gospel. Sometimes it is difficult and as we see it, turning away from God, especially in North America and Western Europe where there were.
00:15:10
Bright gospel testimonies and years gone by no, let's not be discouraged. Let's not give up because the Lord is continuing to work and if he's left us here, it's because there are still souls to be saved the time of judgment that's just ahead. The Lord himself said in Matthew 24, it is the most awful judgment that will ever fall on planet earth. And I think if we would realize how awful it is going to be during the great tribulation period, the plagues, the slaughter, the slaughter, the.
The terrorism, I mean, we had some terrorism here in the United States, but, uh, what's gonna happen in the great Tribulation period? I, I, I try to think of it sometimes. I, I wonder if the United States is gonna be one of the worst places to have to live after the rapture. I, I really believe it is because the people here in the United States are pretty well armed. And you can imagine when there's no more food supply entering the big cities, what's gonna happen? It's gonna be off just awful. And no wonder God is waiting for people to come to repentance. He knows how awful it's gonna be.
There's somebody in this room that has not accepted the Lord as their Savior. We ask you right now, think seriously about it. There's still time. God is waiting in patience for your souls to come to repentance.
So it's a serious thing. On the one hand, it's encouraging to realize what Bill said, that God is lingering and waiting, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But it's a solemn thing too, to realize that he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. There is an appointed time, and nothing is going to frustrate God's timetable. Sometimes our timetable gets frustrated, sometimes our timetable gets turned around and delayed. But God has a perfect timetable and nothing will frustrate it. And so in the days of Noah, he said, My Spirit shall not always strive with men.
God waited and Noah preached righteousness while the ark was being prepared, I suppose for about 120 years and you know he only had eight, He only had seven converts, seeing little fruitless, didn't it? 120 years preaching and he only had 7 converts and they were all his own household. But he was a man of faith. He prepared an art to the saving of his house. And God tells us what he thinks of Noah. By the world's estimation, that wasn't a very good track record for a preacher. But God, God tells us what he thinks of Noah and gives us his estimation. And that's just a little aside, but I think it's a very serious thing to realize. Yes, God is waited, but when iniquity comes to its full, and that's one re another reason he hasn't come yet.
For the Lord hasn't come yet iniquity. God doesn't judge till iniquity comes to its full. We say, can it be that iniquity hasn't come to its full? It will it, it's going to wax worse and worse, but when it comes to its full, God is going to come in in judgment. I do want to notice one little word before we pass on in this ninth verse. Sometimes we quote this verse like this. Now this. Listen carefully. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his long-suffering not willing that any should perish.
That's usually the way we quoted in the gospel, and certainly that's right.
But there's another little word here that has been a tremendous encouragement to me. You know, I grew up in a home where, uh, for four or five generations there's been predominantly believers in the family and so on. And I wasn't used to close relatives and in laws and so on that weren't the Lords. But I married a girl who didn't come from a Christian background. She's praying for her father to be saved. You know, God is not only long-suffering to her father, he's long-suffering to my wife.
And maybe there's someone here and you're praying for a loved one, someone, a family member, someone at work that you're close to, maybe a neighbor that you'd like to see saved before the Lord comes. God is long-suffering to that person, but he's long-suffering to us. Word. He hasn't come because he knows you're praying for that person. He knows my wife is praying for her Father. He knows you're praying for a loved one. And so he hasn't come yet. And I think that's a great encouragement for us to keep on praying for those ones to keep on living Christ and being what testimony we have opportunity to be to those ones.
Rather than he's long-suffering to us, word to those of us who are praying and working with loved ones, not willing that those loved ones should perish, that ought to encourage us to press on.
We know too, that the Lord, there's the both sides of it, isn't it? The Gray side that he weighs, and that the other side we're reminded from the story of Lot. There the Lord waited as if it were impatient. He waited given the more chances. Even when the angels came to a Lot's store, he gave them another chance to go talk to his son, his daughters and son, sons-in-law. Law. But then it comes that time.
When judgment has to come, if you picture a lot, lot wasn't ready to go. Just like many of us in this world, there are enough attachment and attraction we have that we're not set to go. But what did the Lord do to a lot? The angels grab a hold of his hands, his wife's hand as you read, and his daughter's hand. And I can picture this as if they were just taken out, ****** out of that scene because the judgment we're about to be pronounced in that world.
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So Redmond, we think about ourselves here as they him. We sometimes think, have I an object, Lord below? And then I believe that him right will go on and say, is there a hope, however dear, that would defer thy coming? Lord? I don't think our hearts and thoughts can defer it truly. But in our own hearts. Are there things that in our hearts we say, Lord, Please wait. We know that it is long-suffering, isn't it? What is our heart? And I believe what was mentioned earlier on that the way our hearts is.
Our action would translate to that.
And I'd like to point out something that's always spoken to my heart at the end of this verse 9 says.
God is not willing that any should perish. That is, He doesn't determine, He doesn't will that any should perish. That's John 316, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. So the way is open to whosoever will, he does not determine beforehand.
The hell was not made for man, it was made for the devil and his angels. But for those who refuse that wonderful author of God, His desire that they should believe and be delivered from judgment, where else can I go but to that place of perdition? So I just like to point out that that word God is not willing that any should perish, because if God will something, it will occur. He has absolute power. Oh hey, we were made all mankind in his image and likeness.
So that we might spend all eternity with them if we have that question of sin. So when his lobby tells us in this book completely about it and how it can be taken care of and how he can be righteous and forgiving us and so on, that whosoever.
Believeth is him should not perk not willing that any should perish. I just think that's an important point to make that he doesn't determine any man, no matter what they consider us raised in the ghetto and I didn't have this or that or my current for that. Every person will stand before God and he knows exactly what they were raised with and their difficulty, but I come back to a simple thing. The heavens, the Chlor Claire is anywhere all men are responsible to come to him.
And he has a way of salvation for them. And when we present the gospel, that's what we've got to point out. God doesn't determine you're gonna go to hell. That's a lie of Satan. Somebody will say, well, I'm this way and God let me grow up that way. No way. If you turn to God, he cast you not out, you can come to him. So if there's somebody here who said I had committed too many sins, I'm a hopeless case. You are not. God is not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance and be safe.
He's made salvation so accessible to all that nobody can say they didn't have a chance.
He's not willing. I'd like to present another thought too, in connection with the long-suffering of God. Umm, it's umm, his patience and not judging, uh, because he's doesn't wish to judge, uh. Another thought that I've enjoyed is in connection with the parable in Matthew 25 of the pounds.
Where the uh The uh.
Uh, trapped men that traveling into far countries, dispenses the pounds and then charges each of the servants to occupy while he's away. It's a picture of the Lord going into heaven and giving his servants, those of us here on earth, something to do for him. And that uses that word after a long time. I find that very interesting. Usually we think the Lord speaks of His return.
And, and as a short time, umm, but that's one place he says after a long time. And it's beautiful to think in connection with our verse, the long-suffering of God not willing that any should perish. Not only in the sense that he doesn't want the unbeliever to perish in his sins, but he also gives us as believers a long time to serve him, a long time for the gospel to go out to occupy with what he's given us. Uh, granted, some people get saved late in life and don't have a long time, but.
God has waited a long time and so I like to think of it in that way and I found that challenging to us too our.
00:25:03
It isn't we just sit back on our chairs and say God's long-suffering. But brethren, we have. He gives us a long time to serve Him. If He does so, then let's get busy. Let's be at it. There's a reason for us to be left here, and it's with this in view.
Hmm, because wanna just point out that Mister Darby's translation in French, he uses this word in verse five. He says for this, uh, they willingly ignore it's a, they ignore the word of God. And then he says here in verse 8, but beloved.
Umm, don't ignore this one thing. Don't ignore it that one day is what the Lord is 1000 years and 1000 years is one day. And I believe it just gives us the sense in our souls, uh, the encouragement that, uh, he's gone for two days. Perhaps that you, you might put it a long two days, he's gone, but, uh, he's left us here, uh, for those two days. And we're to have a sense of the brevity of time because he says in verse nine, and I'll just, uh, I like this the way it's put in the French Derby translation, He says, the Lord is not going to be late concerning his promise.
He's not going to be late. He's going to be right on time. And yet while he's still on time, he still gives us a sense that he's going to be on time. We can count upon his word. Men may scoff at his timing, may scoff at his word, but he says he's going to be on time and he is long-suffering. He's patient, not willing that long-suffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish at all, should come to repentance. And so it's the patience of God that has a limit. It's not infinite.
Patients, there is a limit. See a beautiful picture of AI believe that in the life of Mordecai in the book of Esther, how the timetable that God uses there and the salvation of that people of the Jews and their destruction that was so imminent. Beautiful to see that God gave a little picture of what's to happen in the future. I believe, Hmm, let's just read a verse to a couple of verses in Jose in this regard as well. And Hosea chapter 6, because I think this verse in connection with a day with the Lord is 1000 years and 1000 years is one day. It's perhaps a nice little key to us understanding certain prophetic scriptures. Now, brethren, let me make it very clear.
And preface my remarks by saying that we never want to set a date in connection with the Lord's coming. As we have stressed already in these readings, there has never been anything to hinder the Lord Jesus coming for his Saints at any moment. From the apostle Paul right down, the brethren have been encouraged to be looking for the Lord Jesus to come every day. Often told about a young man who had that little motto hanging on his bathroom mirror. Perhaps today he wanted to be reminded every morning when he got up and looked in the mirror that this might be the day of the Lord's return. And that's a good attitude. But.
Let's notice, uh, some verses in Hosea chapter 6 and verse one. Come and let us return unto the Lord, for He hath torn, and he will heal us. He has smitten, and he will bind us up. After 2 days will He revive us. In the third day we will write, He will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we follow. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, And so on. But all this looks on to a future day, a blessing for Israel, when they are raised up and revived and live in His sight.
It will take the tribulation to bring them to the end of themselves before He can reveal himself to them. That's what it's going to take. They've been through some circumstances in recent time, but it's going to take that to bring them to the end of themselves. But it says after two days and the third day, perhaps it corresponds to the prophetic character of the marriage of Canaan of Galilee, where the third day there was a marriage in Canaan of Galilee and the water turned to wine. It prophetically typifies the millennial blessing of Israel in a coming day.
When they enjoy the presence of the Lord Jesus amongst them and they recognize who he is and the water is turned to wine. But I was thinking here particularly of how he enumerates this two days after two days, doesn't say specifically in two days, but after two days and the third day, they will live in his sight. Now I would just say this, brethren, that we sometimes say the period of grace, the dispensation of the grace of God, or however we want to word it that Bill was Speaking of at the beginning of the meeting. We often say it's about 2000 years.
And I believe that's an accurate statement. It's about 2000 years. But what's been interesting to me is to notice when it talks about two days and so on, there's always a little variable thrown in lest we set a date. In fact, I believe that God has allowed our the the date of our calendar to be a little bit clouded. And there's some controversy about when it act what the actual date is. I believe God has allowed that lest we set an actual date. But let me just give you an example when the Samaritan was brought to the end.
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The man brought that brought him there. When the man was brought to the end, the, uh, Samaritan took out 2 Pence and he said to the innkeeper to take care of him. And here's the payment. Now we know that a penny a day was about a day's wages in those days, again bringing in the two days. But then he says, and I love this, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. In other words, he says, if I don't get back right when I think I will, and there's a little bit of extra I owe you, I'll repay you.
In other words, a little hint that perhaps things will be extended and as Doug said, some more work for us to do, some more souls to be brought in the long-suffering of God and, uh, allowing the gospel to go forth. But he says if there's any delay, if I don't get back as soon as I, I, I intended, I'll repay you. So I, I just say, when you read about the two days and the two pence and those little hints in Scripture, there's always a variable thrown in. And brethren, aren't we thankful for that? Aren't we thankful for the long-suffering of God? We get maybe a little impatient for the Lord to come.
And we'd like to see things write it in this world too. And the Lord Jesus come back and have his rightful place. But let's enter into the patience of the Christ. Let's realize what God is doing. How long has the Lord Jesus been waiting for things to be set right? How long has the Lord Jesus been waiting to have his people? And so on? He's been waiting 2000 years plus. He's waiting patiently. And He wants our hearts to be LED into that patient understanding and appreciating his long-suffering and grace.
Well, if we go on to the next, I'm sorry brother, you had to come up. Well, I just wanted to share something.
We had Albert Hayhoe come to our home where we had the meeting in New Jersey some years ago and he shared with us some thoughts and hearing the tools mentioned and so on. He pointed out that based on Usher's studies, USHER, it was approximately 4000 years from Adam until the birth of Christ. And we were then, this was about 2025, thirty years ago. Oh, more than that now as I think about it, Uh.
Approaching 2000 years after Christ and God's perfect number was seven and the go, the book of the Bible was very plain that there would be 1000 years of the Millennium. So he was just pointing out that the approach of Millennium would have to be close. And he gave him a number of remarkable examples in the Scriptures of the number 7 and the UH-5 and the two and so on. And I just, uh, thought I'd share that with you because I have a tape of it. It was, it's a terrible type. You couldn't hardly understand it, but I still have it.
Of that lovely address that he gave us and I'll just point out and, and, and that was really what our brother, uh, Jim just said about there's always a little space in there. So we are now in the year 2000, right? So, uh, we've had 2000 years since Christ. We had 4000 years before. So that's six. And if there's gotta be 1000 more for the Millennium.
We're right around the edge of that with some variation here.
No, it doesn't have an interesting thing to consider.
Differently than the way the outcome time, even we as men, we count time differently. And perhaps I'll use this illustration before I go on. I remember mentioning how part of a day is a day in the Jewish system. And being Chinese, we do the same too. In fact, we used to look at a baby's age of a baby was born the day before the new year, the day after the new year. You would say this child is 2 years old because he was born last year and now this is this year. So we have to understand that. And remember talking to brother Bob Bauman one time, he said, oh, we do this. He said when people go, go serve those weekend sentences.
He said, well, what they'll do is they'll go in Saturday evening at 10:50, just before 12:00, then they can say, well, they were there for Saturday. They serve Sunday, part of Sunday while there is the weekend. They leave the next morning. He said, we do that in the system and we'll find a word of God often. Look at it that way. Part of a day is a day. Uh, so it's really difficult to count day as the way we like to see the exactness of numbers. And in the case where, uh, in Hosea, when, when, uh, Jim quoted after two days, you'll find that interesting because in, in, in relation to what you said, we'll find it in Lazarus when the lower team, the Lazarus, he said, he said to him, he's been dead 4 days already. He's thinketh by now. You remember that passage?
Well, I believe the four days is a picture of the 4000 years. There's men's history that God put men on this earth tested man for 4000 years. What's the result of that? Please think it by now, that's the result of man. Well then the 2000 years, what is this 2 days? Well we'll find Israel of old have lost the nation at 606 BC. Well depending on which captivity you look at, the first captivity was 606 BC, the 3rd and the last great captivity was 587 BC.
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Israel ceased to be a nation until 1947. Am I correct? 48 In fact, a few days ago, last week, they celebrated the 90th birthday. So we find for them 60th. I'm sorry. Thank you.
That's why you have become part of the date.
And and we find that for them, this is a little over 2000 years. The Lord said to them up to date after two days, I shall revive you. We'll see that the nation in a sense is almost revived, but they're waiting for that for that third day when they would truly be restored in the Lord's sight. And then we find it in the word of God of what we have here. When it comes to, I believe under the great time of grace, time is very difficult to measure. As we already mentioned, it's a long-suffering. But then when it comes to judgment, we'll find that God's time is different. We won't have time to go into it. But if you were to look in the book of Daniel, you'll find the time is very precise is no longer actually, we can look at it very briefly.
And with a very little explanation, and perhaps it's something that we can encourage you to study on it. I know many know it well. Daniel Chapter 9, we find that in the 9th chapter of Daniel, Daniel knew.
From God verse 2470, weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city. It's not 69. It's not 75. It's not. Maybe we'll stretch it to 92.
Is precisely 70 weeks. And we find that Daniel in another place mentioned that he learned that. I think it's in the 9th chapter, how we learned that from the books of Jeremiah. There were 70 weeks to be determined on them. They didn't wreck the land for 490 years. There is the 70. We find this various reasons why the law determined the 70 weeks. And brother Bob gave a talk on that already how the 69 weeks has been fulfilled to the latter. In fact, it's interesting to see that the first seven weeks, if you have time to go through it, uh, carefully and count the number of dates to it. By the way, scriptures here, you have to count 30 days.
See, here's another thing our wisdom tells us, wait a minute, we're very scientific. It's 31 days and 30 days. It's 365 days a year. The word of God in prophecy, prophecy doesn't look at it that way. In fact, some of us think we're wiser. We might even go and say it's 365 and a four a day in so many seconds. But the Word of God referred to 360 as a year. These precisions in this, because we're talking about judgment. If you count the number of dates by using the 30 days, you'll find that.
The end of the seven years gone or the end of the 49 years, The seven weeks would take you right to the end of Malachi. Isn't that interesting? And at the end of the 69 years, as our brother mentioned, it takes you right to the time where our Lord Jesus enter into Jerusalem as that perfect Lamb of God. In fact, if you want the precision, it's on the 10th day of that month, because we know that the Passover lamb is to be chosen on the 10th day of the month and to be kept between the evening until the 14th day. And we find that the Lord our Lord Jesus.
Was sacrificed between the evenings on the 14 day precision there.
And you'll find the rest of the chapter talk about the last, the the time and chocolate, less time and so on. We talk about the last week of Daniel. You wanna see more precision in Word of God, We'll find that. The first half of the year we talked about how, oh, I should say the beginning of that was that when that man, that man of sin made a covenant, he challenged us on that. In the middle of the week, we find numbers become very important. Again, if you were to turn to the 12 Chapter of Danielle, just so you can see that in verse seven, it talked about it shall be halfway through that it shall be for time, times and a half, so 3 1/2 Times.
For 3 1/2 years and you go down to verse 11 and perhaps young people can pick this up better than we can and from the times of the daily sacrifice shall be taken away. We know that halfway through the the tribulation sacrifices will be taken away and the abomination that make a desolate set up there shall be 1290 days is that precision the word of God put those numbers in 1290 days.
Wait a minute, we said the second-half for 3 1/2 years. Some of you are doing your mathematics in your head. 30 days, 2 1/2 years should be 12160 days. So we see that it's longer and the Word of God already prolonged some of that. At the end of the 12190 days, that's when the Lord would appear. Oh brethren, when his judgment, God does not wade, but the time of grace is different. And that was set up in a sense, to the stage of the next verse, what we can now understand when the Lord's gonna come.
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The first time he came into this world, he was despised and rejected, and even till now men still want no part of God or of our blessed Savior. Now we're talking about that time when he's gonna come, that the day of the Lord will come at the 12190 days after the middle of that week. No ifs, no buts, no lateness. He will come. In fact, at the end of the last meeting, I'll say this now stop, someone said to me. Here's a quiz for you.
I don't know about you when someone say that I freeze when they say that the quiz, the question was when does the day of the Lord begins? And I hope I passed the test with that brother. And I'll leave that que as an open question back to you, because I think if I leave it as a question, we'll learn it a little bit better.
I hope I'm not alone in this because it's slightly different, but I think it may be of interest to the brethren. How many years will the goose in Babylon 70 was it not? So we know seven in multiples of seven are got kind of testing. This is something in our current era and I don't think people, Christians have thought about how long was the Soviet Union, atheistic country who said that they were, there was no God, they were gonna change, uh, train their children. And so how long were they in power, believe it or not?
70 years almost like travel and it was over at the Iron Curtain fill and I just think that's just a little bit of interest because of our interest in the word 70. So you know you might want to think about that. Not that it's scriptural, but I think it's a very important thing that's great atheistic monolith that went on for years started in the 19 teens ended 70 years later. I I'd like to make a confession on.
I think that was the one that makes make mention of that question. I was delighted to hear brother Bob mentioned that the, the day of the Lord begins at the end of the tribulation because many Christians, uh, think that the Book of Revelation is the day of the Lord. It is the tribulation, it's man's day. And Bob made it very clear that the, uh, the, uh, the day of the Lord begins when the Lord takes it in his power to bring things into all into subjection unto himself. But I was thinking just to comment on this word, repentance here.
We've been talking about the tribulation, talking about the day of the Lord and their fierce things. And he said, well, there's nothing like it. Well, there's something worse than the day of the Lord and that is eternal health. Now the word of God brings in here repentance. I guess we, we could jump past the tribulation, past the awful, uh, day of the Lord to realize that there is a judgment that lasts for eternity. And I was listening to some preachers different times preach and I've heard a preacher preach all, all the whole sermon and, and on sinners, but never mentioned.
That man is a lost center. I've always made it a practice since I've been exposed to that, that if I'm talking to someone about Aerocenter, we could use the word lost, alienated from God. And I, I, I believe that's the, the thought here that we, we in this company today where all of US1 heartbeat away from eternity. And I, I can't think of anything worse than going out of this life into a crisis eternity, whether it's eternal darkness.
The worm dies not the far is not quenched. Now, if you want to see something of the awfulness of the eternal hell that awaits those who go out of this life without salvation, look in the book of Matthew. I mean, I, I went through it one time and you'd be surprised how much the Lord Jesus speaks of that eternal hell. And that's the sad thing to think. There could be somebody in our company right in this room that is one heartbeat away from something worse than the great tribulation, worse than than the day of the Lord is coming on the world as an eternal hell. And it says repentance.
I think that kind of it brings us a little bit of past the tribulation, the day of the Lord to realize that it's incumbent upon us to repent and I'm not gonna be like that. A preacher one time said, and he sent all these people home and said you go home and think about it. Well, I don't think we should do that. I think repentance comes right now at the time when you have what repentance mean, brother, what does repentance mean? Well, basically I can see the change of the mind, but a change of the mind is certainly it results in the change of conduct. Would you say that?
Definitely it's important, isn't it repentance, Uh, what saves is faith in Christ. But the Lord Jesus said very clearly in Luke's gospel, except ye likewise repent, ye shall all likewise perish. So repentance is very important. It simply means repent in Spanish Pennsylvania pensaris to think. It means to change your thinking. You think you can just believe in the Lord Jesus and continue on in your sinful lifestyle.
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You need to change your thinking. You need to repent. Yeah, it doesn't work. Without repentance, there is no salvation. And there's too much of this gospel. Just accept Jesus and not addressing the issues of sin and the importance of repentance. And I just wanna say this, I think, remember Gordon Hayhoe made quite a point of it that those of us who have been raised in Christian homes need to.
Know what it means to repent. I must say for myself, brethren, I was raised in a Christian home, brought up in assembly meetings, and I remember looking back that I thought, well, I'm just not quite as bad as the rest of the people out there. I just never gotten off into all that messy stuff out in the world.
And thank God I was protected, but I had to repent to realize I was just as lost as anybody else. Naturally speaking, change your thinking. Think God's thoughts serious. Sin is serious with God. God took it serious. He gave his only Son to, uh, resolve that question. And so he's not going to play around with sin. If you think sin is something you can play around with and get away with it and believe in the Lord.
I say you need to repent. You need to change your thinking.
So it's repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And when we present the gospel to the lost, we need to present both, don't we? There has to be that change. Man has said his will against God, and man's thoughts toward God are not right. They're wrong. They're usually opposite to what they ought to be. And so there needs to be that repentance. But then there's faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And both are important. But as we go on with these verses and we embark on the fact that the day of the Lord will come and judgment will be brought in.
In God's According to God's timetable, I'd like to make a comment or two in connection with judgment from God's perspective. First of all, it's important to realize that God never judges without doing two things. He always gives a warning, and He always makes a way of escape. There will be nobody in a lost eternity or anybody left behind for the judgment of God who will be able to blame God, who will be able to say they didn't have opportunity. In every age of the history of man on the earth, God has given some kind of testimony.
And we see this over and over again in the Old Testament. We spoke of the flood, but before the flood came on this world.
NOAA preached righteousness for those years while the ark was preparing. The very fact that He built an ark was a testimony in itself to the world that judgment was coming. God didn't judge without giving a warning, and there was a way of escape, albeit only eight souls went into the ark. There was a way of escape for those who would avail themselves of God's refuge at that time. When God looked down at the sin of guilty Nineveh, he pronounced judgment and He said that Nineveh was going to be overthrown. But He sent Jonah to give a warning. And I know Jonah had some experiences, but he eventually went with that warning and the whole city got saved.
The judgment did fall, though a generation was spared. But about 120 or some years later, you read the book of Naam, the judgment did fall. When God pronounces judgment, He's not fooling around. But I say again, it's a principle with God that He never judges without giving a warning or without making a way of escape. I might just say this too, in connection with repentance. Those who are left behind, who've had opportunity to be saved, when the Lord comes, there will be no repentance. The goodness of God is working in man's heart now to bring them to repentance if they refuse that.
They will have remorse. They'll cry for the rocks in the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb.
The face of him that sitteth on the throne in the in the lost eternity in hell, there will be remorse, weeping and gnashing of teeth and wailing and so on, but you don't read of them repenting. It's the difference between a child being truly sorry he did what he did and being sorry he got caught. There's a child that's just sorry he got caught isn't really repentant. And so I, I just say that in passing, but I would like to just say this about judgment as well, that it is God's strange work. He does not delight in judgment.
He must judge because of His holy character, but it is His strange work. And it's very significant to note that when God judges, He always delays the judgment as long as possible, and then He gets it over as quickly as He can. I've been impressed in reading Revelation and seeing that even before the most awful judgments fall, there's that hush in heaven for the space of half an hour. And I know there's other thoughts, but one thing to my own soul is just as if He puts it off as long as possible.
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But then he gets it over with as quickly as he can. You know, the living beast God's got that represent God's governmental ways in the earth. Their swiftness connected with them. They fly and they're they're swift in their character. God gets it over. The other thing is in judgment, God never allows one ounce more of judgment to fall than it's absolutely necessary to accomplish his ultimate purpose of blessing. And in judgment, that is what he desires in the end, you know, the blessings of this world.
Are going to come out of the JA as a result of the judgment of God. You know, before the judgments fall in revelation. There's a an rainbow around the throne. It's like unto an emerald. It's gone the Lord looking on beyond the judgment looking on to the ultimate blessing of this earth. So I think these characteristics of God acting in judgment are very helpful and overall again, they show us his long patience, his long-suffering is patient and his desire for blessing after such a terrible crime as the way they treated God's son.
He's waited, like Bill said, longer than any time.
God would have been just to wipe the globe clean of every human being. But God is love and God is patient. And it's been close to 2000 years since his son was crucified and he continues to wait because of his patience. But then it'll be seven years and he'll wrap the whole thing up. It's, it's awful to think at that time that's coming. It is awful, especially the last 3 1/2 years that are called.
Great tribulation, unequaled judgment in that day.
And that's just ahead for the person who does not accept the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
So as we've mentioned here, the day of the Lord, it was mentioned in the Old Testament, wasn't it mentioned many times in the Word of God. And just so we understand it correctly, the day of the Lord, I agree with what's been said. It begins when the Lord appears. The great tribulation, strictly speaking, is not the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is when Christ appears in this world again in order to execute judgment and as we've had brought out.
God doesn't spend a long time over judgment.
However, it's important to recognize that the day of the Lord begins when Christ appears at the end of the Tribulation. It includes all the judgments preparatory to setting up the Millennium. It includes the whole of the millennial day. And it includes the judgments at the end of the Millennium that usher in the eternal state. So that it includes that judgment that God will bring down through Christ on those who rise up in rebellion against the Lord Jesus at the end of the Tribulation, when Satan is loosed for a little season.
It also includes the great White Throne judgment. Why is that? Because God, as it says in another place, commits all judgment unto the Son. And so the day of the Lord is a phrase that is used to describe not only in that sense, the carrying out of what we might call.
I suppose a sessional judgment, that is where we could say a courtroom atmosphere prevails. It includes the judgments that will occur during the Millennium when there is deliberate and willful opposition and rebellion against the Lord. Then we know that God every morning will judge the wicked of the land. And we have more than one Scripture that tells us that. But on the other hand, there's a positive side to it. Why? Because God is going to vindicate his beloved Son in the world that cast him out.
This world has dragged God's glory in the dust his brother Dave was mentioning and it's a good analogy. Man dishonored God for 4000 years.
So that the awful smell of that evil heart of man rose up to God and then he topped it off, if we could say it reverently, by crucifying the Son of God. Now the Lord says, I am going to put my beloved son in that position of lordship. I'm going to vindicate my holy character in the very world that cast out my beloved son. And he is going to reign as Lord until he's put down all rule and all power and all authority. That's First Corinthians 15. And so that's why.
As it says here, the heavens shall melt with a great noise, and the earth shall pass away with a great noise.
And the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also, in the works that are therein, shall be burned up. That doesn't take place until the end of the Millennium. But it's all part of God dealing with that whole first creation in order to bring in new creation that nothing can spoil. And so it's important to see that the day of the Lord will be an awful time. And well might we shrink back from seeing the awfulness of it. But on the other hand, it speaks in Second Timothy, four of those that love his appearing. Why? Because our blessed Savior.
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Will for the first time.
In this world have the place that belongs to Him, and have the honor and the glory.
And that is wonderful for us. The last time the world saw him was hanging dead on a cross. Thank you. The next time they see him is when heaven opens and he rides out on a White Horse to conquer and to reign supreme. And the word Lord simply means the one who has the authority and he has it. And in I think that's why you see in the Book of Revelation before the judgments begin.
You have chapters four and five in which both those chapters have a throne mentioned and it mentions the throne before it mentions the one that sits on that. Why is that? It's because it is establishing the grounds upon which God will impose judgment on this world. In chapter four, He imposes it because He is creator and in chapter 5.
It is redemption, the grounds upon which he will take the reins of power in this world. Every earthly authority is going to be replaced. I don't think we realize. We think we're in an election year today and this year. We are so used to that way of thinking and that I don't think we realize we're getting close to a major change in the government of this world. Major changes are just that.
Just one more comment too, in that same connection, and that is that the Millennium.
This is again reaching into the past. But Brother Harry used to say even the Millennium is not perfection. It is only God's front porch to the eternal state. I love that expression. Why? Because the Millennium, as we've often been reminded, it says in another place, righteousness reigns. He must reign, it says in First Corinthians 15. But what does it say here in verse 13?
A new heavens and a new earth wherein?
Dwell righteousness. And so when it says in verse 12, looking for, and perhaps more accurately, not hasting unto the coming of the day of God, but simply looking for and hasting the day of God or the coming of the day of God.
And not wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and so on. We don't find that happening in the eternal state. It should read there by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved. That is the judgment in the final essence of burning up this first heavens and 1St earth is part of the judgment that God will bring down on the old creation when He's finished with it, when it's accomplished His purposes.
He'll get rid of it, and so then he'll usher in a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And that ties in with what we've had brought before us because Brother Dave was bringing out. God has a finite, clear, definite time frame for judgment. It's finite, but the grace, the love of God goes on for all eternity. This quotation is an original with me, but I've added a bit to it.
The Millennium is necessary for the public vindication of God's holy character.
But the eternal state will be for the everlasting satisfaction of God's heart. And so God will vindicate himself in this world, the same world that rejected His Son. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. Man says we will not have this Mandarin over us. God, and we say it reverently, says, yes, you talk like that, I'll show you. And the Lord Jesus is going to reign and cripple this world, bring it to its knees, and then God's going to bring in blessing that the world has never seen since the Garden of Eden.
But even that isn't God's final story. He's going to burn this world up and says now, now that that's all through, I'm going to usher in an eternal state, new heavens and a newer, and you'll never be able to spoil it all on the basis of the finished work of Christ.
If we address the problem of the judgment that we face the judgment seat of Christ now, we think that Him, Death and judgment are behind us. Grace and glory are before us. All the villains rolled on Jesus. There they spent their utmost power.
We're talking about early on in the meeting that, uh, the judgment must first begin at the House of God and the first, first begin at us and so forth. And we know that the Lord disciplines every son whom he receiveth. Not only that, but he scourges them. So, but we are Speaking of judgment, perhaps just a word on, we still as Christians face the judgment seat of Christ. Is that correct? Well, it would be a big digression, but I think one scripture, I think clears it up. Uh, and.
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2nd Corinthians 5 perhaps?
By the way, if you want a bigger digression on it, read The Christian for this month.
2nd Corinthians 5 and verse 10 It says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that He hath done, whether it be good or bad. Now here it is. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest.
In your consciences.
Yes, there is the judgment seat of Christ and God looks at it in this chapter or the apostle looks at it in its broad character. All must come into judgment before God and for the unbeliever. Oh, the terror of the Lord is Bob was bringing out. How can we think of it or describe it? To have to stand before God with the nakedness that's referred to earlier in this chapter in verse three. Being found naked before God is, I believe, a term that is used of the unbeliever.
Who has nothing to cover his sin in the sight of a holy God. What an awful judgment he faces. That's the terror of the Lord. What about the believer? He stands before God, so what's the difference? Oh, it says we are made manifest unto God, the judgments behind us. As far as condemnation, the judgment seat of Christ is the thought of manifestation. And the old analogy I don't think can be improved upon. That is of a judge who evaluates something we'll say at a fair.
A science fair? A competition of some kind?
He's not judging the people, he's judging the work. And so it's our works that are going to be brought in there. And as we've often had referred, what a wonderful thing it will be to have everything cleared up before the Lord. What a wonderful thing it will be for the first time to realize how much he bore for us on Calvary's cross, the debt that was paid on our behalf. I don't, I don't realize it now, but I will in the coming day. And what a wonderful thing that He will reward the little bits of things that I have done for him down here.
I don't believe there will be any Christian there that doesn't have something that can be rewarded. And so I believe in that sense the two are tied together here.
The terror of the Lord for the unbeliever, but for the believer, it's not himself that is being judged. That's all over with at the cross, but simply his life is going to be passed in review. If we could use that sense. Is that, is that correct way of looking at it? Wonderful thing that the same person that Boris sends on the cross is gonna be on the throne at the judgment seat dealing with us there. And we, we know it's gonna be well for us then, don't we? Uh, just simply because of that, I would like to go back and, uh, in connection with, uh, we've had a lot about times and years and dates and, uh, and the judgments of God.
And, umm, something that's been helpful to me recently in thinking of this God's timetable, we, we believe as this verse says, the day of the Lord will come. Now that obviously is 1000 years, but it's also gonna begin with one day. And I believe, as the brethren have correctly said, God has already that has that Tim timetable and that day is determined and it can be counted by events, uh, in this world.
God gave us a key to some of this in the seven pieces of Jehovah of his timetable too. It began with the Saturday and an inmate with the Saturday representing the 7000 years that we've spoken about. It's all there in the Old Testament. Just recently I noticed something new that God uses two different beginnings in those accounting of those seven feasts. I don't wanna digress long, but I'm going to glean from what I've enjoyed and I think it applies to us here.
As to the Earth.
God has his times and seasons and it it begins with when God began dealing with Israel and so on. And throughout the months of the calendar, the lunar calendar year that they observed those seven feasts. You remember where, where, what began the counting of that calendar was there being taken out of Egypt. This month shall begin to you the beginning of months. That was God's beginning of God's counting of time with Israel.
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But it's very interesting that the second and third fees do not follow that lunar calendar. There's a key to the, uh, there's something of interest for us brethren in this. That is, the Feast of the Wave Sheaf and the Feast of Pentecost were not counted by that calendar. What was it that started?
Those two feasts, when did it begin? It doesn't tell what month it was.
They are a picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and of the gathering together of.
The people of God to present them to Him as a people in the feast of Pentecost. The two wave loaves. Those two feasts began the Morrow after the Sabbath, the first Sabbath after they brought the 1St.
Uh, first fruits of the harvest as an offering to the Lord. It's a picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and I believe that's where we fit in, brethren today in the calendar system.
We fit in as a part of the new creation.
That we that wave sheath. There was a picture of the Lord Jesus in resurrection and that's a new calendar if you please. That's a new time schedule and it's outside of the other. It has nothing to do with it. And so where we fit in today in this day of grace is in new creation. That's why the times and season don't apply to us because we are new a part of the new creation. When you get saved, you enter into that new creation. You're born into a new family of God.
Your deal with God no longer as to earth and its things here and times and seasons. You are already a part of the new creation. That's your time schedule. That's your calendar. It all began when Jesus rose from the dead, and it's gonna end when we're caught up to glory too and made like him. And so that's the how God fits all this together in the times and seasons in connection with us as a people for himself. MMM. We've had some expressions in connection with what constitutes the day of the Lord.
But I was thinking too, in connection with what Bill said earlier, God often takes things up in contrast. And would you agree that the day of the Lord is in contrast to the present time, which in First Corinthians chapter 4 and verse three, if you notice your margin or Mr. Darby's translation, he calls it man's day. Today is man's day. Man is asserting his rights today. I know God is still in control, but man is asserting its rights today. And when has there ever been a day when human rights have been glorified and asserted like the day in which we live?
This is man's day, but the day of the Lord, in contrast to that, is a day in which the rights of the Lord Jesus are going to be outwardly and publicly manifest and asserted. Brethren, we seek man living for himself. Today we see every man doing that which is right in his own eyes. But there's a day when it's not not going to be. So the Lord Jesus is going to assert His rights. And in the Millennium, as was mentioned, if there's open sin and rebellion, is it going to be allowed to go on?
You know, now, because evil against an evil work is not speedily executed, it's thoroughly set in the heart of man to do evil. And God lets that go on to a certain degree. But there's a day coming when sin is going to be judged morning by morning. Man openly rebels today. He's going to be judged the next. The next morning, the Lord is going to assert his rights. And what a wonderful thing it is because as Bob said, the last glimpse that this world, God of the Lord Jesus, was hanging on a cross of shame and they had cried.
Way with Him crucified him. They said we have no king but Caesar. They questioned his right. And the last glimpse they got of him was crowned with a crown of thorns. That which was part of the result of the curse, that was their estimation of their Messiah. That was the estimation of their King when he came the first time. But brethren, he's coming. Who's right it is. And when the heavens open up to reveal him the next time, he's not coming crowned with a crown of thorns.
He's coming crowned with many diadems. The word is a little different there than the word that's usually used for Crohn's and crown in the New Testament. And that thing again is Mr. Darby has this comment. It's that which is worn by right and title as by royal birth. Brethren, he's coming. Who's right? It is. And when the world looks up and he's revealed and manifests wearing those items, is anybody gonna question his right then if they do, outwardly they'll be cut off and judged. No, he's going to be owned then as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Brethren, God ought to thrill our hearts to think of, and that ought to encourage us.
To follow him in his rejection now, knowing that there's a day coming when he's going to have his rightful place. What encouraged David's men to follow him in his in his rejection? To sleep in The Cave of Adela, To flee with him when he fled for his life. They knew that if they associated with him in The Cave, they'd be associated with him in the palace. They were looking. They understood, perhaps, that there was a day coming when the rightful king would take his place. Brethren, are we willing to follow him now in his rejection?
01:10:26
Knowing that when He takes his place and when heaven bursts open to reveal Him crowned with many crowns, that we're going to come and be associated and He's coming to be glorified in His Saints and admired in all them that are about him. In that day when the world looks up and they see Christ, they're going to see perfectly reflected in every St. every heavenly St. the glories of Christ as well. I and the children whom God has given me. I say, if that doesn't encourage us to follow the Lord Jesus in his rejection. Now, Jonathan could have been in the palace.
But he didn't follow David in his rejection. Brethren, are we willing to associate with him now? I'd like to, uh, just make a comment or two in connection with this chapter. It seems to me that the burden of Peter in the chapter here is that the believers he writes here to those he calls beloved, he's concerned that they are going to be taken up with the thinking that permeates society in general. And though that day, he speaks of it as the last days. And so we can apply this for ourselves.
And he says he's concerned that the, the scoffers in their attitude of where is the promise of his company coming are going to affect the believers. Then he gives 2 examples of the word of God and what happened in connection with the Word of God that was spoken and how it was done. That is what we have in versus and versus, uh.
Five and six verse 5 referring as it was commented on this morning.
To Genesis one and verse six. To the flood in Genesis 6 verse 6 here, whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. Does God mean it when he says something?
Yes. And so it took no a long time to build the ark, but judgment came and, uh, fell on the earth. Now it says then it says after this in umm, verse 7, the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved under fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, because God kept those judgments that he told about because the word.
Says that that's what he was going to do and that's what he did in the past. We can be assured that that is what is going to happen in the future by the same word that the earth is going to come under the judgment of God.
Then Peter goes on to say in verse 11, Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?
Because I know these things to be the truth, what effect does it have on me in my daily life? Conversation here refers to a manner of life. We hear these things spoken of in the meeting. But what effect is it going to have on me when I leave this place and I go back home again and I'm among the scoffers in the world that go on as if the world is going to go on like this forever. You know, mankind, they just believe the world is billions of years old.
And it went back billions of years, and it's gonna go on for billions of years. And there's gonna be all these changes in society that take place. It's not the case. And God is going to judge this world now because of that, Peter says. What effect does it have on us, brethren in our lives? I think that's a burden that Peter has in this chapter.
Very day of grace.
I think that's sometimes we forget it and like was mentioned before.
Today, people get away with murder.
Uh, I mean, it's, it's incredible with what happens in this world. It's a, it's, it's a, it really makes you angry to see what people do and make others suffer. But in that day, the millennial day, and it's interesting to go back to the book of Isaiah. Don't have time to do it now, but the many times it talks about that day, it's gonna be a day of blessing like man has not known. But it will not be a day when evil will be tolerated.
Somebody's sins.
01:15:01
They're gone. The next day they're gone. That's it. No appeals, no court cases. That's they're gone. That's it.
And people will learn that we can't play around with this authority. And it's, it's, it's gonna be so totally different than the life that we know today. I would like to just read in Isaiah 2. It, it's so beautiful the way it speaks about this day when the Lord is going to take his place of authority. Uh, notice in verse 10, enter into the rock, hide thee in the dust for the fear of the Lord.
And for the glory of His Majesty, the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low. So in that day it's gonna be the Lord that is gonna be exalted today. So often men exalt themselves in one way or another. Brethren, man's glory is to be dependent and obedient, and in that day it will be so. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
Thing #162.
But I just make that comment I was going to make brother before we sing that hymn because it ties in with what we've been taking up.
What Brother Dave mentioned I think is very important, and in this chapter we have three separate comments relative to our state of soul and our walk. We have one that we've already looked at in verse 11 based on the awfulness of the judgment that is coming into this world or coming on this world. We have one in verse 15 which is based on future blessing. So God exercises us both ways.
By bringing before us the awfulness of judgment and by bringing before us the wonderful blessing, as Bob was saying, if man will be cut off in the tribulation or I'm sorry in the Millennium immediately for open sin and rebellion.
And if God is going to insist on righteousness, righteousness reigning, you and I have been brought into the light. Are we going to be guilty of less, a lesser standard under grace than will exist under the rule of righteousness? I hope not.
But then there's one final appeal in verse 17. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware, lest ye also, being LED away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
We won't take time. Our time is gone. But just a quick comment on that.
I suggest that the error of the wicked here and falling from our own steadfastness.
Is becoming overcome by the condition of things that we see around us. We can go on steadfastly as long as we have a little support, as long as there are others going on with us, as long as things are going well.
But how many times I say it to my own heart, is there a tendency to give up, to let my own life slide because I've suddenly seen that it's all right? No, because of what others are doing, because of the condition of the world around me, or, sad to say, because of what's going on in Christendom. And we're part of it. Let's be aware of all of that. God looks for you and for me to walk before Him in a way that is pleasing to Him. First of all, with reference to the awful judgments that are coming.
Secondly, with reference to future blessing, but thirdly with reference to himself and himself alone.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Al Coleman
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Could we turn in our Little Flock hymn books to number 66 in the appendix?
We have some lovely gospel hymns and the little floor hymn book and it'd be nice to sing one of these tonight. This well known gospel hymn. It says come hear the gospel sound, yet there is room. It tells to all around, yet there is room. Though guilty now draw near, though vile You need not fear with joy you now may hear, yet there is room.
Uh, let's, uh, seeing this.
Where are you now, baby? Here.
There's a little known.
Love being crying. Free food, yeah.
Oh, I didn't really.
Yeah, I never heard of you.
All things are rarely gone, yet there goes through.
Right, it's very nice.
Water. And it's not wrongly.
In for a thunderstorm.
A sailor, you will see.
You know, like I like that person.
Well, I've been there. I'm saying that, yeah.
Umm, that will be the last.
1.
No to my wage, not to say.
Yeah, well, that's all right.
The birds prayed no more. Well said. Yeah, I remember. It's not.
Let's pray.
Our loving Father, tonight we thank Thee for the words of this hymn. And we've been singing, yet there is room we think of that we think of.
How thou art long-suffering, and not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And here we are in the late day in the history of this.
Uh, gospel umm message that has been going out for 2000 years?
And still there is room. The door is still open.
And there is room still for guilty sinners to come tonight and be saved, and that arms are outstretched. Our God 2 guilty sinners tonight, that they might come to thee and find any a loving Savior, a loving God, a God who delights to save, a a God of love, a God who sent his Son here into this world.
His beloved son.
That one who went to Calvary's cross to suffer, bleed and die for guilty sinners such as we. The work is all complete. There is nothing left to do but just to receive the Lord Jesus as our own personal Savior. It only says a simple thing, believe and live. So tonight we ask Thy help as we open Thy word.
00:05:18
We cannot do anything without the loving Father. We just cried to Thee for help tonight, and we ask it in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
God's house is filling fast.
We're right on the threshold of the Lord's coming.
The Lord was to come tonight. Would there be some here in this room who are still lost and to be left behind for a coming judgment? Because coming judgment is going to come upon this world, and this world is fast going on to its destruction. It is. It's a sad old world in which we are living in the last closing days of the day of grace. And how wonderful it is that still that loving message from a loving heart of God.
Can still go out and his arms are outstretched to this world and I love that verse in Matthew 1128. It says come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Think of that. How wonderful beautiful that is that the Lord Jesus could stretch his arms out to this world and he's calling to you dear ones here tonight. Maybe a young person here tonight sitting beside their mother, their father.
Still not saved yet.
And he's, and he and he's, uh, his arms are outstretched to you. He wants you to come to him. Just come to me and I'll save you and, and you can be saved for all eternity. Saved. It's a wonderful, uh, that word saved.
Saved. How wonderful it is, but what a solemn thing to be lost.
And to be lost forever without any hope.
In hell forever.
Does God want that of anyone here tonight? No. You know it says in the 33rd chapter particularly says I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked would turn from his evil way and live.
Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die? He's pleading for this world, her souls in this world that come to him tonight. And so he says, come tonight before it's forever too late. Some guests will be the last to think of that. The irony of it all, if there was possibly one person here, that was the last one to come tonight and the door would be closed forever.
Forever.
And we behold, we behold. How blessed, how blessed. I'm waiting for that moment, more so now than ever before.
He's coming, he's coming, he's coming as sure as the dawn. What a savior.
I asked you tonight, this is your Savior. He's mine. Thank God he is. I've known the Lord Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior for over 50 years, and I'm not sorry for any one of those years. I failed him many, many times, but he's never failed me.
Never, never. And be more precious to me than ever before in these last little while. But a savior, What a savior.
There was a verse read this afternoon. I wanna read it again.
Uh, Ecclesiastes Chapter 7, it says verse 14 in the day of prosperity, be joyful and that wonderful, the joyful news of salvation can go out to whosoever will tonight.
It's a joyful message. This is a message of love. It's a message of God's forgiveness of poor, guilty sinners.
Be joyful, how wonderful it is. But do you know what it all says? But in the day of adversity, consider, oh, consider. Where will you be tomorrow, dear friend? Tonight, if you're still lost and in your sins, he says, post not thyself tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Where would you be tomorrow? Where will you be tomorrow? Will you be here in the meeting?
If the Lord Jesus were to come tonight, be forever too late for you if you're still in your sins.
00:10:04
How wonderful it is that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.
The work is all complete. The Lord Jesus did it on Calvary's cross for your sins and mine.
There's nothing left for you to do but just to come as a guilty lost Sinner.
And we had repentance this afternoon. And that's so important, isn't it? It says in Acts 17, it says God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day, and in which he will judge this world in righteousness.
By that man whom he hath ordained in that eak given assurance that he raised him from the dead. Oh, think of that. We have a living Savior on high in the glory. Do you know this wonderful person? I know Him. Do you know Him?
I'd like to turn to a well known gospel portion that probably as property has been told so many, many, many times before. And I'd like to tell it again. And you know what the the song says it says? Tell it again, tell it again. Salvation story, repeat or nor till none can Save the Children of men. I've never heard that story before. And I know that probably everyone here in this room, I've heard the story of the Lord Jesus.
Of his saving power to lost guilty sinners.
But once more, once to tell it again.
Numbers 21, Numbers 21 and verse 4.
And they were journeyed from Mount Horror by way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people speak against God and against Moses. Wherefore have He brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither any water, and our soul loathe this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people.
And much people died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee. Pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole. And it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass.
And put it on a pole. And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
And the children of Israel set forward and pitched in Obath, and they journeyed from Obath and pitched in Egerium in the wilderness, which is before Moab, toward the sun rising. Toward the sun rising. Then turn with me to, uh, Job chapter 34. Job chapter 34 and verse 14. If he set his heart upon man.
If he gather unto himself, his spirit and his breath, all flesh shall perish together.
And man shall return again to the dust. If he only thought of himself, and gathered unto himself his spirit on his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to the dust. John's Gospel, chapter 3.
John's Gospel chapter 3 and verse 14 and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.
Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
But have eternal life, 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 one final portion in Matthew chapter 27. Matthew chapter 27.
And verse 19 And when he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying.
Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
This is Pilot's wife. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should asper Abbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whither of the twain?
00:15:01
Willie, that I released unto you, they said Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them. What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called the Christ?
And they all said unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried the more, saying, let him be crucified. Oh, and we see this scene in front of us here, and here's Pilot. And he's been given, shall we say, a warning through a dream by his wife. And you know, before God brings judgment upon man.
He always warns him and you know, the, the, the gospel brings a warning with it tonight, a warning upcoming judgment coming upon this world.
And Pilate asked this question, this great eternal question, and this question that must be answered by every individual in this room, every individual, either one way or the other. What shall I do with Jesus, which is called the Christ? That question you must.
Answer Pilate thought that he could just forget about this question.
And he washed his hands of the whole thing. And you know there are many like that.
That are.
Uh, I won't bother about it right now.
That question, I won't bother about it. You know, we had a gospel we had, well, we had a funeral a couple of weeks ago.
And.
There were, I would estimate, uh, probably about 40.
At that funeral that were questionable as to whether they were saved or not.
I know of 10 in my apartment that were there.
Two of those individuals in the in the in our apartment were known to curse the name of the Lord Jesus many times over or heard them.
And they were there and they heard the gospel. I told Bruce I want to hear the gospel loud and clear. They walked out. There were others that walked out.
God will still hold them responsible, and He will hold you responsible. You must answer this question.
You can't wash your hands of it. You have to answer it. You have to.
What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called the Christ?
The uh, uh, janitor or the maintenance man of our apartment?
He came to me the next day and he says, I'm sorry, I always says I fell asleep. Isn't that typical? Isn't that just like the God of this world? Lonely man to sleep when there's a gospel meeting going on, the greatest question of their life.
And you'll sleep for all eternity in a lost hell. How solemn.
God will hold you responsible for what you hear. And in that wonderful, let you, dear ones here tonight, many of you, all of you probably grown up in a Christian home, have heard the word, the word of God many, many times over. You've heard the gospel many times over. But hey, listen, have you received it yet? Have you received it yet?
Little boy, little girl, tonight sitting beside your mom and dad, are you saved? You know the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior.
Can you say yes, I am, Yes, I'm saved, I know I'm on my way to heaven. How about it here tonight? What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called the Christ? You can't get around it. You have to answer it. Let's go back to Numbers 21. Here they are. It says the children of Israel are on a journey. And you know, every one of us here are on a journey. Some of our journeys are just about.
About over if the Lord was to come tonight.
It would be over. We'd be in our in, in the in the presence of our Lord. And I'm waiting for that moment.
Isn't that exciting that here we are in the last closing days of the day of grace and I know he's coming, his coming as sure as A and it says here that towards the end of this chapter towards the sun rising 16 times in the word of God, we see those words towards the sun rising. Oh, we're looking for the sun rising for the Lord to come and take us home. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that beautiful towards the sun rising. They're they're on a journey.
00:20:25
And you know, dear one, every one of us here on a life journey, but where, where the very solemn thing that, uh, that, uh, that, uh, I came up against in Nigeria.
I was asked to speak in a prison and we went into this prison.
And, uh, I spoke on that one and, and that, uh, verse in Matthew 27. What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called the Christ? And in that prison there were five prisoners. And I asked, uh, asked after that we got out of that prison. I said, what is happening to these prisoners? Those prisoners were gonna be taken out and shot.
They were going to be executed.
And I, and I think of that, what a wonderful, wonderful, long-suffering God we have. And here is five men that soon they were gonna leave this world. They were gonna be taken out and shot. And yet God gave him one more opportunity to accept Christ as their savior. One more opportunity. That's the way it is tonight. He's giving you one more opportunity.
In your life's journey to accept Christ as your Savior.
And how could you refuse such a wonderful God, such a wonderful loving Savior, to think that He's got his arms outstretched to you and he wants to save you tonight?
Loving Savior.
3rd journey and they're on their way from Mount Horror, encompassing the land of Eden, and they get discouraged. They get discouraged.
There's a very This was a real encouragement to me. Isaiah 41. Isaiah 41.
Verse 10.
Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yeah, I will help thee. Yeah, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isn't that beautiful? Hear thou not, for I am with thee. Oh, what a wonderful God. You know, this verse was such a comfort to me in this last little while.
I am with you. I'll strengthen you. I'll help you. Wonderful God. I couldn't have gone through it all without him. Wonderful God.
Yeah, and the people speak against God, and you know how many there are that today are speaking about go and speaking against God. And they they say, wherefore have you brought yourself out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? Was that the case? No, he said, I'm going to bring you into a land of milk and honey.
A wonderful God that took 2 million people out of Egypt took took them through the Red Sea. What a miracle that was.
Through the Red Sea and here they are. And they get into, uh, get into the desert and they start grumbling. And isn't that just like us? We start grumbling because things are not going right and we start grumbling.
And they start grumbling and they say there's no bread. No bread. What? What rained down from heaven? The manna, a beautiful type of the Lord Jesus Christ. It came down. What a wonderful provision by God to feed his people.
Through the desert there it was the man and then the water. They they said there's no water. Well, there was that rock that followed him, First Corinthians 10 all the way through the the desert.
And that rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Isn't that beautiful? Think of that.
But think of this, oh, turn with me to, uh, this is a gospel meeting. We must read this verse, uh, John 737, John 737 In that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.
Isn't that beautiful? That last day, that great day of the feast, here they were. They were feasting.
00:25:01
The the piece of tabernacles. They were feasting, but without God.
And it says, here the Lord comes.
And the last day, you know, friend, think of this. This might be the last gospel meeting from this room. The last time. The last time.
God's house is filling fast, yet there is room. Some guests will be the last.
Yet there is room.
Might be the last tonight.
Tomorrow will be too late.
And it says Jesus stood in Christ. Isn't that beautiful? Our blessed Lord? He's standing there and he's crying to that that crowd that was there. He says, if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty? He satisfy at the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with fatness.
But a God we have.
He can satisfy that thirst of years. Yeah, he can. I remember I as a young man tried the thirst of this world. You know, it don't work. It don't work. It don't work. There's only one person that can satisfy your thirst.
He's satisfied your longing soul. What a God we have.
Oh OK umm numbers 21 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and bit the people, and much people died. No, this brings us to Romans chapter 3 and it says there all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
All have sinned. That's it right there.
Sin. Every one of us here tonight, every one of us have sinned against God and those sins have separated you from a holy God. God cannot have sin in his presence. No, he can't. But all the wonderful answer to it all is first, John one and seven. It says the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. That's the formula.
For our sin, isn't it?
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.
Therefore the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned.
Have you ever told the Lord that I have sinned? The prodigal son said I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and no more worthy to be called thy son. You know somebody told me once and I and I'm sure it's true. Those are the just think of this. Those are the three hardest words that a person can ever say.
I admit that I have sinned. Think of that.
I have sinned the hardest words that a person can ever say.
To think that a guilty lost Sinner would get down on his knees and trembling before a holy God and say, I have sinned. But what a wonderful God we have.
The minute we do that and say I have sinned, he comes in and blessing almighty love, arrest that man, save that precious soul. What a God we have.
Verse eight And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and have put it upon a pole, and shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live. Oh, God told him to make this fiery serpent, and put it upon the pole.
What was it all they had to do was look and live, look and live. And you know it says in Isaiah 45 verse 22, it says this look unto me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. A simple look, a faithful look to the Lord Jesus dying on Calvary's cross for your sins can save your soul. It's only one way it says in lamentations.
Chapter one and verse 12 It says, Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by, behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord have afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Oh friend, is this nothing to you, that the Lord Jesus died on Calvary's cross for your sins? Is this nothing to you? A solemn thing to go out of a gospel, meaning still lost.
00:30:01
There were many in that gospel meeting a couple of weeks ago that went out still lost, but a solemn thing. And Moses made a serpent of brass. Oh, think of that, it says the weight of the brass could not be found out.
When we think of our Lord Jesus there on Calvary's cross suffering for our sins, It says in in him 245. It says the depth of all I suffering no heart could ere conceive the cup of Roth or flowing for us thou didst receive, and all of God forsaken on the accursed tree. Oh, to think on those long dark hours, those three dark hours, those on Calvary's cross, when our blessed Lord.
Was made thin for us and bore our sins. Yes, tier one, He did it all for me there. All my sins so great, so many.
Were heaped upon that blessed One there on Calvary's cross, and he bore them all for me. Oh, think of that. The love that held him up there in that cross. Oh, think of it, tier one tonight. The love of Christ that passeth all understanding. I'll repeat that again. The love of Christ that passeth all understanding.
Have you laid hold of that love? Laid hold of that love?
Dear friend, tonight, umm, would you turn with me to umm Ezekiel 47? Ezekiel 47 after what? He brought me again to the door of the house, and behold, the waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward.
For the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came out from under the around the right side of the house at the South side of the altar. Then he brought me out of the way of the gate northward, and LED me about the way without the utter gate by the way that look up eastward. And behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured 1000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters, and the waters were to the ankles.
And he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters, and the waters were to the knees. And again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters, or to the ankle, to the loins. And afterwards he measured, He measured 1000. And it was there the river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen waters to swim in a river that could not be passed over. Dear friend, tonight I would like to just.
And tell you about these waters.
They remind me of the love of Christ. They remind me of the love of Christ, the love of Christ that passeth all understanding. And dear friend, tonight if you don't know the love of Christ, I want you Tier 1 to get your feet wet tonight.
Just get your feet wet, just to put your feet into that, into those waters, the love of Christ.
Just to see, uh, what a wonderful person you're coming to know.
The love of Christ, that love of Christ that led him to suffer, bleed and die in Calvary's cross for you. And if you'll just get your feet wet and just get into those waters and to know more of the love of Christ, to get deeper into those waters, you know, dear one, tonight he'll really overwhelm you. Yes, he will, Yes he will.
That's my loving Savior, my, my, my Savior that has overwhelmed me over and over again. I failed him many times that oh what a wonderful Savior.
Get your feet wet tonight, dear one. Tonight, just get into those waters. The love of Christ that passeth all understanding.
And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it on the pole. And it came to pass that if, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent, a brass, he lived. I wonder if you were to be there in that scene that night, that day, whatever it was, and, uh.
Those that were bitten by that snake and they were dying, they were probably lying there and there was that serpent brass and all they had to do was just look.
I wonder if there were some there that just didn't even bother to look, what would happen to them. They would have died a year one tonight. If you go into a lost eternity, you've got nobody to blame but yourself.
00:35:02
Nobody to blame but yourself.
It's available for you tonight.
And the gospel is there, it's available to you. All you have to do is come as a guilty law. Sinner Father, I've sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and no more worthy to be called thy Son.
Then it says.
And they journeyed.
Towards the sun rising.
Dear 1:00 tonight.
Journeying towards the sun rising.
My precious Savior is coming coming to Take Me Home.
It might be this very night I'll see him face to face.
How is it with you?
The coming of the Lord draws nigh.
Perhaps tonight.
Are you ready? Are you ready?
Are you ready?
Little boy, little girl. Tonight, sitting beside your mom and dad. Are you ready? He's coming. He's coming.
Maybe tonight.
That's thank you, our loving Savior. We thank Thee that even though this gospel meeting has been briefed.
Our loving Savior, we know that Thou canst use it to precious souls, and we pray, loving Savior, that if there's one here tonight that is still lost, that tonight they might come before it is forever too late. Our loving Savior, we thank thee for thy great love to us. We thank thee for that love that led thee to go to that cross of Calvary and die for us and Calvary's cross and make it all possible whereby we might have eternal life and whereby we might know the.
As a loving Savior that delights to save and whereby we might know that soon we're gonna be with the and lately and that coming scene of glory and we feel that thy coming is so very soon. Thy coming is as sure as the dawn and so tonight we just ask thy blessing on thy word has gone forth even though it's been feeble and loving Savior. We just pray that if there's here here tonight. One soul that is still lost in their sins.
That tonight they might come, before it's forever too late. Loving Savior, we ask thee, and we plead with thee for loss, perishing souls tonight, and we ask it, Lord Jesus, in the precious and worthy name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Open 1A
Watch, Stand, Act Like Men, Be Strong
Past, Present and Future Should Affect How We Act Now
2 Peter 3:12-18, Jude 20-25
Gospel 2
Open Mtg. 5
2 Peter 3:12-18, Jude 20-25
Stand Fast
Past Present Future
Two Aspects of the Lord's Coming