Chicago Conference: 1966
Table of Contents
Ye Must Be Born Again
Gospel—C. Andersen
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Let us turn to him #29 on your hymn sheets.
This hymn is entitled You Must be Born Again.
Someone was getting a bit irritated by the constant repetition of that little sentence. You must be born again.
And he asked why.
Do you have to repeat that so many times? And he got the answer. It's because you must be born again #29.
A ruler once.
Let us turn to a very common.
Chapter in the Bible.
It's been spoken from many times.
In Exodus chapter 12.
And I suppose.
Every child.
Of Christian parents in this room.
Has at one time or another.
Had this chapter read through them.
Or has heard the story, the message of this chapter?
Oh, what a privilege it is for your children to be raised in the Christian home.
And to hear the Bible read and to have prayer together as a family.
What a privilege it is to go to the gospel meeting and hear the gospel preach.
Or you have a wonderful privilege and you have really been blessed in this way.
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And I trust you, boys and girls.
Will not let this message to you from God himself go unheeded, because God is speaking to you. Every time we open the word of God, God is speaking to us.
And I trust tonight.
That you will hear that voice speaking to you, and that you will receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Exodus chapter 12.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, Say, This month shall be unto you the beginning of month. It shall be the first month of the year. To you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel. Say in the 10th day of this month, they shall take to them every man of land, according to the House of their fathers, a land for an house. And if the household be too little for the land, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls.
Every man, according to his eating, shall make your count for the lamb.
Shall be without blemish a male of the first year. Ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats, and ye shall keep it up until the 14th day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread and bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Eat not of it raw, nor saddened at all with water, but roast with fire his head with his legs, and with the pertinence thereof, and he shall let nothing of it remain until the morning. That which remaineth of it until the morning he shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand, And ye shall eat it in haste, for it is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night.
And will smite all the first born in the land of Egypt, both man and peace. And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord, and the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.
And this day shall be unto you for memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generation.
Ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.
Seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. Even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses. For whosoever eateth leaven bread, from the first day until the 7th day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the day and in the first day there shall be in holy convocation, and in the 7th day there shall be in holy convocation to you. No manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat.
That only may be done of you, and ye shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For in this self same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore shall you observe this day in your generation by an ordinance forever in the first month on the 14th day of the month at even. Usually unleavened Bread, until the one and 20th day of the month at even.
Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses, For whosoever eateth that which is leaven, even that soul should be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
Whether he be a stranger born in the land.
Ye shall eat nothing leavened in all your habitations. Ye shall eat unleavened bread. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take your lamb according to your family, and kill the Passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lentil and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning, for the Lord will pass through.
To smite the Egyptian.
And when he seeth the blood upon the lentil, and on the two side posts, the Lord will Passover the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto you.
Unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance disease, and to thy sons forever. And it shall come to pass, when ye become into and become to the land which the Lord will give you, according as He has promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean you by this service, that ye shall say It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt.
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When you smoke the Egyptians and delivered our houses, and the people bowed the head.
And worship and the children of Israel went away and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.
So did they, And it came to pass that at midnight the Lord smote all the first born in the land of Egypt, from the first born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, into the first born of the captive that was in the dungeon, and all the first born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said.
Rise up and get your forth from among the people, both ye and the children of Israel, and go serve the Lord, as ye have said.
Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people.
That they might send them out of the land in haste, or they said we'd be all dead men. And the people took their goal before it was leavened. They're needing Trump's, being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses, and they borrowed of the Egyptian Jews of silver and jewels, of gold and raiment.
And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required, and they spoiled the Egyptians.
And the children of Israel journeyed from Ramseys to soccer, about 600,600 thousand on foot, that were men beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them, and flocked and purged even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes from the dough which they had brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not carry, neither had they prepared for themselves any riddles.
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years, even the self same day it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord, for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generation. And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron.
This is the ordinance of the Passover. There shall no stranger eat thereof, but every man's servant that is bought for money.
Went down and circumcised him. Then shall he eat thereof, as foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be. Thou shall not carry forth of the flesh are brought out of the house, neither shall you break a bone thereof. All the congregation shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his male to be circumcised, and let then let them.
Him come near and keep it.
And he shall be as one that is born in the land, for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the strangers that sojourners among you and dust. If all the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. And it came to pass the South same day, that the Lord to bring the children of Israel under the land of Egypt by their armies.
Oh, what a chapter.
What a story. And it's not a fiction story either.
You know, there are stories that are called fiction stories.
And we know.
That they're not true.
They're just something that that made-up. It's the imagination of somebody's mind.
But beloved friends, tonight.
This is a true account of what God did that night, and you notice in the chapter it said, if the night to be much observed unto the Lord.
For bringing them out from the land of Egypt.
Now, in the very first part of this chapter.
We find out that it's God speaking.
It says the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt.
God is speaking.
This is God's word, and this was God's word to Moses and Aaron. And what does he say?
God said, This month shall be unto you, the beginning of months.
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It shall be the first month of the year to you.
The beginning of months. Why was God talking about a beginning? I thought the children of Israel had had their beginning.
They had the beginning in Jacob. Jacob's name was Israel.
And he had sons, and they were the sons of Israel. The descendants of Jacob were the Israelites. They'd had their beginning there. Why talk about another beginning?
Because God knew.
That they needed a new beginning. They gone down into Egypt and they got mixed up with the Egyptians and they were in ******* to the Egyptians and they needed a new beginning.
That is, God wanted to bring them out of Egypt. God wanted to deliver them from the ******* of the Egyptians, from the ******* of Pharaoh.
Well, we find as we read through the word of God, that Egypt.
Is constantly brought before us as a picture of this world.
And Pharaoh surely is a picture of the God of this world, Satan himself.
And there are multitudes of people in this world that are in ******* still to Satan.
And to the world.
And God.
Is still anxious to deliver souls from the ******* of Pharaoh Satan, the ******* of this word, the ******* of their sin.
Oh how God yearns over you tonight who are not saved. He would love to see you delivered.
He wants to save you. He's not willing that any should perish. He wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He wants you to be saved tonight.
God didn't want the children of Israel to stay in Egypt. He wanted them out. God doesn't want you to stay in the world. He doesn't want you to remain identified with the world. He wants you out.
All that you might take heed to this tonight, that it might touch your heart that God wants to take you out of the world. He wants to save you.
God wanted the children of Israel for Himself, or we read that in the previous chapter. He wanted to take them out into the wilderness, that they might hold a feast to Him, that they might be out there in the wilderness all alone with himself. That's what God was after, and that's what God wants for you tonight. He wants you for Himself.
He wants your company.
Why from the very beginning of man's history in this world.
From the very moment that man had sinned, we find that God is seeking man. God was seeking Adam in the garden.
Adam was hiding because he had a conscience. Now his conscience was troubling him and he knew that he was naked and he was hiding behind the tree. God came and he said, Adam, where art thou?
Oh, how lovely to see that God was seeking Adam.
Fallen Adam, sinful Adam, he was seeking him.
Yes, God is seeking you tonight.
He sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world, and we read that the Son of Man has come to seek.
And to say that which was lost.
God is seeking that which was lost. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world walking through this scene seeking that which is lost. And that is said in the 19th of Luke Gospel in connection with Zacchaeus.
The Lord Jesus Christ was seeking Zacchaeus law, Zacchaeus the publican. Yes, he needed salvation.
He needed salvation.
And the Lord says of him.
After he had spoken to the Lord.
After there had been a change in his heart.
The Lord says to him, for as much as he is the son of Abraham, ah, he was the son of Abraham, a son of faith, and that's why he got salvation. It wasn't because of the works that he said he was going to do restore this and to restore that. No, for as much as he is the son of Abraham.
That's why salvation came to him.
Tonight, if you put faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation will come to you, not because of your good works, if not by works of righteousness which we have done by grace. Are you saved through faith and not not of yourself? It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Or if you could get to heaven by your good works, why, you'd have something to boast about when you got to glory. But God cannot have us boasting there.
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All the glory must go to Him. He is the one that must have all the praise.
And there is none that can keep alive his own soul. No one can save himself. No one can get himself to heaven by grace. It's only by grace. And grace means that it's something that God does for us for nothing, without our help, without our adding, adding anything to it.
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months. Have you had a new beginning?
He said, well, I had a beginning when I came into this world, when I was born into this world. That's true, but that was the beginning in the flesh. And the Lord said that which is born of the flesh is flesh. But what the Lord wants you to have is the beginning in the Spirit, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
All you need to be born with the Spirit of God tonight. You need a new beginning.
He must be born again, the Lord Jesus Christ told Nicodemus.
Now Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, and I would surmise that he was quite an upright man, and perhaps he tried to do the best he could.
But the Lord told him he must be born again, even though a ruler of the Jews, he needed to be born again and everyone needs to be born again.
All speaking about a new beginning.
This poor world.
Is in a wretched condition. What a failure this world has been. What a failure mind has been.
And friends, it's not getting any better in this world.
When we can read about.
A man slave, eight young ladies all at one time.
When we can read about a young man climbing up in a tower in a university and gunning down 15.
Human beings and just within the last 24 hours.
We found out that there was another who had killed 4.
O beloved.
This reminds me of the days of Noah.
Characterized by corruption and violence.
And the Lord Jesus Christ himself said.
That his coming.
Should be as the days of Noah.
Yes, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.
And here we have this violence and corruption, and we're in the midst of it.
And God is looking down and he sees it all. And surely this world is ripening up for judgment fast.
That's why it's so important, dear boys and girls, men and women like you, take the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior tonight, that you have a new beginning, that you'll be born again.
Oh, you must be born again. And if you're not born again.
The Lord says, Verily, verily, stand to you, Except a man be born of waterness of the Spirit, he cannot enter.
The Kingdom of God, for ye must be born again.
You cannot hope for salvation by good works or by self improvement.
It's only by a new life.
We read over in Second Corinthians.
The 5th chapter.
The 17th verse.
What it is that God wants?
Verse 17 of 2nd Corinthians 5.
Therefore of any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away.
Behold, all things are become new. That's what God wants. He wants a new creature.
And also in Galatians, the last chapter a very.
Very significant verse.
Galatians, chapter 6.
Verse 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision. That's referring to ordinances.
Works, but what avails a new creature? A new creation?
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Have you been born again?
Are you a new creature in Christ Jesus? Do you belong to that new creation?
When the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead.
He became the head of a new order.
He became the head of new creation. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ?
Who died for our sins was buried and rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
Have you received Him as your Savior? If you have your part of that new creation, you are a new creature in Christ Jesus.
You have had that new beginning, but I'm very much afraid that there's quite a number in this room tonight who have not had this new beginning.
Perhaps you haven't been old enough to realize that you needed to be born again.
Perhaps tonight you are beginning to realize that God is speaking to your heart. Don't pass it off, Take it seriously.
Get in the presence of God and have this question settled.
Well, it tells us here in the next verses in chapter 12 of Exodus.
That they were to take a land. God says they shall take to them every man a land.
A land.
Further down it says in verse 4.
If the household be too little for the land.
Then in verse five it says your last. There's a little sequence there.
And we might say a little progress too, perhaps up until this very moment.
You have regarded the Lord Jesus Christ as a lamb.
A lamb.
A sacrifice.
And there are those today who in a way admire the Lord Jesus Christ because of his suffering, and they regard him as a martyr and they say, well, he did make some kind of a sacrifice. Maybe they regard him as a sacrifice.
But that's not enough.
That's not enough.
We must look at the Lord Jesus Christ as the last.
John pointed him out and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, the lions. There's no other lamb. There's no other sacrifice, none other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved. There's no other savior. There's no use looking for any other Savior.
God has provided the only Savior.
And why all we might be able to give many reasons.
Why He is the only savior? But listen, he is the Son of God.
He is the Son of God.
He came down from heaven. He is gone.
And he walked this world as a man.
And that.
Could take in everything that was going on in this world.
And he knew the horribleness of sin.
And he could fully measure the offense that sin had been to God.
And he knew also the judgment that should be meted out to sin.
He understood this perfectly.
And he knew what it was going to take.
To settle the sin question, to bear the judgment for sin. He knew that.
He could measure it, He could take it all in, because he was the Son of God. He was God manifest in the flesh.
You know, that's why I love to think of the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Because I know that when he died for my sins on Calvary's crops.
He didn't leave out one of those sins. He knew the mall. He took the mall in and he didn't pay partially for them. He paid for them completely. He suffered the death and the penalty for those sins in a complete, perfect way.
Oh, that's what gives me assurance, and that's how I can rest upon the work of the Lord Jesus Christ without any doubt.
Perhaps there's some in this room tonight that have some scouts about the efficaciousness of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps you're wondering, is it really enough? Don't we have to do something too old friends tonight?
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The work of the Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient because He is the Son of God.
But all marvelous marks, he became a man.
That he might go to Calvary's cross and die for sinners.
Have you believed that he died for you?
Have you believed that He is the Lamb, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, the only one who can take away your sin?
All the blood of men.
Has been shed, but the blood of man can never take away sin. The blood of goals, both goats and bulls, has been shed, but it could never take away seed. No, it's only the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that can take away seed. The blood of Jesus Christ Godson cleanses from all sin, takes care of all of them.
Oh, I am so glad.
That the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the precious blood shed on Calvary's cross, takes care of all sin.
And as soon as you take the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the sin question is settled.
For the past, for the present and for the future.
It is settled eternally.
Oh, I am so thankful that all of my sins are under the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. All gone, all forgiven.
Someone says.
Where if all of our sins are gone, all sins are dealt with in question. Settled.
Everything is settled between US and God. Well, then, perhaps we can go and do as we please.
Or indeed you cannot.
Indeed you cannot all the moment you see.
The Lord Jesus Christ hanging upon Calvary's cross.
Dying for your sin.
That very moment you will be attracted to him. That makes me think of my brother Worrell down in Trinidad.
For the world is the only one of the Saints down in those islands that has an automobile. That is, that you could call it an automobile when it gets around. And we were thankful for he took us around in a little Hillman station wagon.
He had a good motor in it and I teased him now and then by saying, well, what you need is to build a new car around this motor. You have a good motor. Oh, he took it a good naturedly and we had a laugh about it, but.
This dear brother.
Was one to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord won his heart.
He was a Roman Catholic.
And he was somewhat exercised and disturbed. And while he was in that exercise, the Lord brought him in contact with a man who knew Christ.
Who gave him the gospel?
And when he had heard the simple gospel of salvation, he became more exercise than ever, and his conscience was troubling him, and his heart was deeply stirred, and he was upset and he didn't know what to do.
One day, he said, and he was telling us this story as we passed the very cathedral into which he'd gone, he said one day I went into this cathedral and he pointed to it. He said when I got in there, I tried to do the things that I was supposed to do.
As a good Catholic.
But he says the longer I remained in there, the more it seemed like there was a fire burning inside of my breath and I had to get out of there. And he says I haven't been in their city.
Hamburger State.
He said. I saw the Lord Jesus Christ hanging on Calvary's cross, dying for me.
One of those images wasn't anything else but Christ Jesus hanging on the cross, dying for me.
Suffering there for me.
And that spoke to his heart, and his heart was won. From that day on, he came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, he bears the marks of that, you know, to this day because you still speak of the sufferings of Christ, Christ dying there on Calvary's Prosper Kids. And I believe it has helped to shape his life too, because he has a love for people. He has a love for sake.
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For the sin.
There's a sister in the meeting over there now in Trinidad. He's an Indian sister.
That is, she was born in East India.
She came to Trinidad, She had a little shop.
Where she would sell Indian food.
And she wanted to put up a little sign in front of her shop. Just a little sign. It was a globe around a light bulb. And she wanted the words hot roti painted on that light globe.
And she found out that Brother Worrell was a signature. She didn't know that he was a Christian or anything and done contact with him and he came over.
And saw what she wanted done.
And he said I'll have to take the light globe with me. Well, Mrs. Ali didn't like to trust him and he could sense that, so he left some security with her to assure her that he would bring it back after he got it painted.
But through that contact, Brother World has the opportunity to preach Christ to her.
Wasn't long until she accepted Christ as her Savior. She couldn't read. She couldn't read. But now she wanted to read the word of God and she said her heart and mind to it and she picked it out word by word to begin with. And now today she can read the word of God.
Well, it's God working in hearts like that. We thank God that He's still at work, and I believe he's at work here tonight.
In some heart heart of some boy, some girl, some man, some woman, I believe the Lord is working.
And oh, I beg you tonight, if God is speaking to you, don't turn a deaf ear. If God is working in your heart, submit to it. Bow to the work of God, the Spirit of God speaking to you.
Make the Lord Jesus Christ, as it says here in verse five, your land, your land.
Could you say that of the Lord Jesus Christ tonight? He's my lamb. He's my sacrifice for sin.
He is my savior.
The apostle Paul spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God who loved me.
And gave himself for me. Can you say that?
Oh, I love to hear people speak of the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way like that. He's my savior. He died for me.
Do you know anything about that?
Well, we go on down in the chapter and I notice another expression here in verse eight. It says they shall eat the flesh in that night.
Just thinking about eating the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ himself tells us over in John's Gospel, the 6th chapter, that He is the bread of life.
And he makes a very striking statement there.
But I believe we can connect it with this expression we have over here in Exodus.
Of eating the flesh of that lamb.
Verse 53 of John six. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Well perhaps that sounds strange to you. You say, well how can I do that?
Who should eat of my flesh and drink of my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up for the last day. Well, it speaks of the flesh, it speaks of the blood. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ, when he died on Calvary's cross, he gave his body, and he shed his precious blood.
It speaks of death. The Lord Jesus Christ giving himself and giving his blood. It speaks of death. Bloodshed speaks of death.
And so the Lord Jesus Christ is simply and plainly telling them here You must appropriate to yourselves my death.
And how do we do that?
By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving Him as our Savior, believing that He died for our sins.
And that he was buried, That he rose again.
That's how you appropriate. That's how you receive the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and make it your own. That's how you get life.
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He says, Who shall eat of my flesh, and drinketh my blood hath eternal life.
Have you taken into your heart the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for sinners, who gave himself on Calvary's crop?
If you have, you have spiritually eaten his flesh.
Drunkish blood you have appropriated to yourself all the value of his death on Calvary's crops, and you have eternal life on the basis of God's word, not on the basis of what I say. The Lord Himself said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me hast everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.
How do you know that you have eternal life?
By believing what God says, that's what gives you the assurance.
If not by what we do or but by what we say, that we gain assurance, but it's on the ground of God's word that we get assurance in our soul that we have eternal life.
Well, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ was shed to cleanse us from our sin.
That's what makes it safe, makes us safe. Like the children of Israel in Egypt, they were safe, shouted under the blood, but they had to have the word of God through Moses to settle them and give them rest.
You know, it would be one thing to be inside of the house, being under the shelter of the blood.
But it be another thing to be at rest about it and to know that everything was all right.
What made them have the assurance that everything was all right? The word, the word that was given. Oh, how important it is for you tonight to believe in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and rest on the word of God, the word that God has given. That's the only way you can ever get real assurance that your child of God that you have eternal life. They possible Paul could say, I know whom I have believed.
Well, what gave him the basis for knowing the Word of God?
That's what gives us the basis for knowing it. You can't pull knowledge like that out of thin air. You can't find it in men's writings. You can't find it in the newspaper. You can't find it in the eloquence of of preachers. No, you find it right here in the Word of God.
And that's what enables you to say, I know whom I have believed, and I and and, and persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. Are you trusting in the blog? Do you believe His word?
We were reading in the Gospel of John this afternoon. Oh, what a gospel that is.
It's a simple it's a simple gospel. It's not difficult to read simple wording.
I believe that's one reason.
That seems that the Lord led me to translate that that gospel into the African language first.
All boys and girls, have you read it? Have you read that gospel? You're missing something if you haven't read it. You're missing something if you haven't read the whole Bible. I just read a poem the other day about reading the Bible through. I wonder how many of this room have read the Bible through.
If you have never read it through, start today. Start reading it through today. You will find something that you've never found before. Read it through, get it all together as a whole, and things will begin to open up to you in the Word of God that you've never seen before. All the Word of God is a wonderful thing. We thank God for the work of Christ, the person of Christ. We thank God for His Word.
The living word. The written word.
Well, let's look at this chapter a little more and see what else there is. It tells us in the 11Th verse.
And that they were to be ready for something. They were to be ready.
Have your loins, skirt and shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. All that reminds us that the coming of the Lord will soon be here. Perhaps this very night the Lord will come all be in a hurry about taking Christ as your Savior.
Be hasty about it. If there's anything you ought to be in a hurry about doing tonight, it's this one thing. Settling your eternal destiny, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Don't put it off any longer. Oh, it's a dangerous thing to put it off. Put it off tonight. The next time it'll be a little harder.
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The next time it'll be a little harder. You know the oftener you listen to the gospel without.
Responding to it without receiving Christ as your Savior, the harder your heart gets.
And all, most people are saved when they're young. All you boys and girls, remember that most people are saved when they're young. Very few people get saved after they get old because their hearts have gotten hardened and they don't care for eternal things. They don't care for God, they don't care for Christ.
Receive Christ while you're young.
While your heart is still tender, when you can still sense that God is speaking to you.
Don't turn away from the Lord, Don't turn away from his words. As many as received him to them. He gave the power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name.
Oh, look at verse 13, he says. When I see the blood, I will Passover you.
When the blood was applied to the lentil, that was the piece across the top of the door and the two side posts.
When the blood was applied there.
And all were inside of the house.
They were safe. And God said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the destroyer didn't come into that house, and nobody died in that house. But in the houses of the Egyptians where there wasn't blood on the door, the destroyer went in and somebody died. Death came into every house where the blood wasn't on the door. But death didn't come in where the blood was on the door, because death had already come in. How the lamb had died. The lamb had died, yes, it already come in. And death couldn't come in the second time.
Have you had the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The value of that precious blood applied to your heart as you believe that Jesus died for you.
If you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures.
That is applying the blood to your heart. If you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, that's applying the value of the blood to your heart. And God says, when I see the blood, I will pass over you.
Have you applied it? Have you received Christ as your Savior? Oh, what a wonderful thing to be under the shelter of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now it talks about applying it in verse 22.
Ye shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lentil and the two side force with the blood that is in the basin, and none of you shall go out at the door of the house until the morning.
Hisser. What's hisser? Oh, it's a little tiny plant, an insignificant plant. Perhaps if you saw it, you wouldn't pay any attention to it. You'd say, well, there's there's nothing to that little plant, just a little insignificant thing.
But that's what they were to take a bunch of that dissipate, which speaks, I believe, of taking a low place, owning our nothingness, our insignificance, humbling ourselves before God, owning ourselves as poor, wretched, lost sinners, and that we need the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
That very moment for those of the precious blood of Christ is applied to your heart.
Just own that your poor, lost, guilty Sinner before God and God will do the rest.
The thigh of the work of Christ will be applied to you, and you will be saved right then and there.
Have you ever taken that low place? Have you ever gotten into the presence of God and confessed and owned to Him that your poor, lost, guilty sinners, and that you really deserve to go to hell?
Or if you take that place before God.
God will forgive your sake. He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You will be washed in the precious blood of Christ.
Yes he will, he'll do a work on your soul, but that's the point you must come to.
You must take the history, You must take the hyssop. That is, you must take the low place, as it were, following up the feet of Jesus at the foot of the cross, owning that he died for me, died from my sins, for my sins, in his own body on the tree. That's what you need to open.
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And so again in verse 42 it says it is a night to be much observed.
Well, it was night.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was hanging on Calvary Cross during those three hours of darkness, it was dark like night. And oh, what a night that was. Have you ever thought of that night? Has it ever touched your heart thinking of that night, that darkness, when the Lord Jesus Christ was hanging there between heaven and earth, forsaken of God, rejected of men, they was hanging all alone.
Dealing with sin.
And we who know the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior can say he bore our sins.
Body on the tree, it was our sins, my sins, that brought that judgment upon it, that caused that darkness that caused God to hide His face from His Son.
It's a night much to be observed. Have you thought about that night? Have you thought about the death of the Lord Jesus? Give it some thought. Think about it. Meditate upon it. Trust in Him. Receive Him as your Savior tonight, before it's eternally too late.
Lexington #32.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus #32.
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood.
Jesus and Him Crucified
Gospel—A. Hayhoe
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Pin number 17.
Pardon me in #23 #23.
Behold, behold the Lamb of God on the cross.
For us he shed his precious blood on the cross. Oh, here the overwhelming cry. Eli Lama, the bachten eye draw near and.
Savior died on the cross. Then we rise and sing #23.
Will you turn with me, please, to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter one?
One Corinthians, chapter one.
Verse 17.
Or Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
Not with wisdom of words.
Lest the cross of Christ should be made of non effect.
For the preaching of the cross. The preaching of the cross.
Is to them that perish foolishness.
But unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.
The 22nd verse.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.
But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews as stumbling blocks, and unto the Greeks foolishness.
But under them, which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
The second chapter and the first verse. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came up with Excellency of speech or of wisdom.
Declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determine not to know anything among you.
They Jesus Christ.
And him crucified.
Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I was very much impressed this morning and I'm sure I was not alone in this.
By the reading of a verse from the 12Th chapter of Luke's Gospel by a brother here the verse was this Think ye that I am condescends peace on the earth, I tell you nay.
But rather division.
What a remarkable statement, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Of God to this world set forth among men, and said, Think ye that I am come to bring peace on the earth? I tell you nay, but rather division.
There has been on this earth one sense of God whose every footstep displays the wondrous, loving heart of the God who inhabited eternity, and the very presence of that one here on earth among men was the call.
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Of that which He himself speaks of as divisions. And if ever there has been a cause for division upon the face of the earth, it has been the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in this company tonight, although with my limited perception, I cannot discern it.
There is in this company.
A division.
A separation.
And dividing into two companies.
And between those two companies, there stands across of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one company, by the matchless grace of God, rejoices to be able to say, redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, and on our way homeward to the glory to meet Him and to praise Him forever.
The other company must say.
Lost, lost, guilty. Condemned.
And on your road to hell. This is the language, my friend, of the Word of God. And at the very beginning of this meeting I would bring before you this solemn fact, that under the eye of God you are on either one side or the other of that division which has come to pass in this world through the present year of the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross upon which He was crucified.
A number of years ago, a young man was touring England.
He was taking pictures here and there of those things which he considered to be of interest, and he noticed the number of people gathered around a very large tree in the Midlands.
And he knows some of them taking pictures of it. So he approached to see what their interest was, and he found that this tree was surrounded by us.
A barricade, and on it there was a plaque indicating that this tree marks the geographical center of England.
And it seemed to be of great interest to those who were gathered round it.
The young man stood there with his camera for a while, thinking. That tree which marks the centers of English.
And then he stepped up to one who was nearby and tapped him on the shoulder and asked a few questions about this tree and then said to him, Sir, have you ever heard about the tree that marks the center of the world?
It sounded like nonsense, it sounded like an impossible condition, but this young man went on to explain that there was indeed a tree which marked the center of this world, and on the one side and on the other where those who were either redeemed and on their way home to the glory, or lost and on their road to eternal darkness. I want to preach tonight as God gives me strength.
From the cross.
Our Lord Jesus Christ. God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is impressed upon me, for I feel that the inroads of modernism are so subtle, so deceitful, that much that passes as gospel today would meet with the favor of a modernist. But I don't believe that the preaching of the cross of Christ.
Would receive a compliment from a modernist. Nor the precious blood of Christ, which was shed upon that cross.
For the cleansing of the guilt of my sins in the sight of God. Oh, from this precious book to Might, may we see that which brings an end, an utter and an eternal end to all that we were as guilty sons of Adam on our way to our dooms now, but a matchless grace of God. We are in truth redeemed with a precious blood of Christ.
The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
You and I have found it to be so. We have found those who mocked, those who ridicule at the wondrous story of the love of God in sending His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who stretched out his hands upon the cross of Calvary, and there bowed his head and signed all, says the man of religion. What a foolish story this is. This makes nothing whatsoever of man.
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And on he goes it with his religious observances, priding himself in them, but turning his back upon the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You remember the Lord Jesus said to a company of people, One day he shall die in your sins, and whether I go, he cannot come.
That solemn language. Would you like the Lord to address such words to you?
He shall die in your sin. Whither I go, ye cannot come. To whom did the Lord address these words? Was he speaking to those behind prison bar? Was He speaking to those whom we would consider the off scouring of society?
He was standing in the temple, He was standing in the temple addressing the Pharisees, the religious leaders, and to them he said He shall die in your sins.
You know as well as I do that in this land in which we live with all its Bibles, with all its churches, there are so many who are trusting in that which is not of God, the cross of Christ, the blood of Christ, the precious Savior who laid down his life there, that we might be redeemed.
Our dear next door neighbor Stuff recently passed away.
And the last visit we had with her in the hospital, she was getting so very, very near the end of the journey.
And she laid her head back upon her daughter's arms, and just after a word of prayer, as we turn to leave the room, she said over and over, Oh, my precious Savior.
Oh, my precious savior, what a way to go home. What a way to go home.
All my beloved friend, I want to ask you this. You may yet be young, you may be in robust health and strength, but can you look up this night and say, my precious Savior, indeed, have you ever uttered words like that? Don't tell me you are a child of God.
Don't tell me you are a Christian if that heart of yours does not respond in love to the one who went down under the dark waters of death in love for poor, lost, guilty sinners. Oh, you say I'm young, I'm strong, I'm well, and I don't believe I need to consider these things too seriously when the time does come. I'll give more thought to this matter when the time does come.
Thus, before I left home, there were a lot of workmen in Ottawa engaged in the building of a new bridge over the Rideau River.
They had come to work and had gone home again, day after day and all was well.
But on this particular day, with only a brief moment of warning, just a little quivering of the bridge upon which they were standing.
And with a horrible crash, the whole thing, tons of cement and steel, went tumbling down and the Workman with it.
And in a moment, the whole city was in alarm. Ambulances, helicopters and whatnot were rushed to the scene and I am not sure of the figure. There were between 60 and 70 dead and wounded carried away to the hospitals.
Come to work in the morning in the very best of health.
And before the day is over, there they were laid out one after the other.
They were gone, my friend, without one moment of warning gone into eternity.
God, if that had been your case or mine, where would you be now? Where would I be now? And what do you suppose was the reaction from a situation like that?
An immediate full scale investigation. Who was responsible for this?
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Whether some warnings issued, was someone trying to cut corners somewhere where there are warnings that were neglected or unheeded, and it would seem from the preliminary investigations that there had indeed been.
Warnings which had gone unheeded. And the picture on the front page of the paper was the picture of the chief engineer in charge of the project, with his hand on his forehead and a look of anguish on his face.
He felt a personal responsibility for the conditions.
That had taken place.
But I tell you, my friend, it's a solemn challenge to my heart to stand here tonight. For you and I are on our way to eternity, and you are either on one side or the other of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You're on your way to glory or you're on your way to hell, One or the other. It's not popular, It's not heard too often today, but it's the truth of God.
That I beg of you, my beloved friend, no matter how often you may have heard this story before, I beg of you.
To pause this very moment and ask your heart this solemn question, Upon which side of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ do I stand this night?
The 22nd verse The Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified under the Jews a stumbling block, and under the Greeks foolishness, those men who seek after and glory in the wisdom of this world.
Would certainly proclaim the message tonight as being foolishness.
Foolishness.
But it tells us in the 18th verse which we just read, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is.
The power of God, oh in that glorious language I want to present as God enables me to cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For it seems to me that stands forth from the pages of this wondrous book to separate the loss from the redeemed. Do you know that the very first recorded utterance of man to God in the pages of this book?
Finally, words.
I was afraid because I was naked. I hid myself. The first recorded utterance of man to God. I was afraid.
Because I was naked and I hid myself.
Last recorded utterance of man to God are these wondrous words. Even so, come Lord Jesus, isn't that wonderful earth, those glorious words, all my friends, which is the language of your heart, Are you looking forward to meeting him? Did your heart say today? Even so, come Lord, season pause. Can you say it right now? Can you truthfully?
Dear boys and girls, dear young people, each and everyone of us.
Can you look up right now and say in the joyful silence of your redeemed heart, Even so, come Lord Jesus? Oh, by the grace of God, I stand here and say with profound Thanksgiving that I can utter it and hope with all my heart that it takes place before the hour is over. Even so, come Lord Jesus, the last recorded utterance of man to God.
And the first one I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And between the two there stands across of our Lord Jesus Christ. The language of either one or of the other is your language tonight. Either you're naked and guilty before God, or you stand among those who are joyfully awaiting the moment of His return. There is no middle ground.
There is no ground upon which you can stand simply because you were brought up in a Christian home, simply because you have a Bible of your own and you know those wondrous Bible stories, and you know a number of verses by heart, and you sing these little choruses from time to time and perhaps have certain pleasure in singing them.
But let me remind you of this, my beloved friend, that if the Lord Jesus came this very moment.
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He would not look at the record of how many verses you know, nor how many stories you know, nor how much of this book you may have read, though I commend the reading of it with all my heart. But he would look to that heart of yours to see if it has been cleansed from every stain of sin, but of precious blood of Christ.
You know, we find in Revelation not only that marvelous language, Even so come bore Jesus, but we do find a company whose state is still as it was in the beginning.
Adam cried in his fear. I was naked and I hid myself. And there will be those whose language is recorded in the 6th chapter of Revelation.
They will call upon the rock and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
My boy Danny and I were just recently driving eastward from Vancouver.
And we came to an area there through the mountains where there had been a fearful landslide.
I've never, well, I had seen one, one that had taken place many, many years before, but this one was of comparatively recent states.
It appears, if I have a story correctly, that two people were going through in their car and had a little car trouble, I think because there had been a small landslide that made things difficult for them and they stopped to see if they could possibly get through. If I remember correctly, someone else came along in a truck and also stopped to render assistance.
Then along came a man driving a bus load of passengers. He took a look at what had happened. He took a look at that mountain that had apparently stood there for centuries. And what did he do? He turned his bus around with a word of warning to those who were still there and got out of that valley as quickly as he could. And no sooner had he gotten out than that mountain split in two and came down into the valley with a roar.
And when we came through.
The road had been built.
On top of.
200 feet of rock and beneath that rock.
Where still the bodies of those who had been trapped in it. They told us that the rock in that valley was piled to a depth of 200 feet and a new road built over the topless. And we thought and we commented as we drove and looked.
At the split mountain beside us.
That solemn verse in the Word of God.
The day when men and women.
Call upon the rocks in the mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the faith of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. The 11Th friend. I speak the truth, and I speak in solemn word of warning. You may call it foolishness, you may reject it, but the day is coming. I warn you solemnly with my hand upon the word of God. The day is coming, when that division which we speak of this night.
Will be an eternal division between us.
You there is a great.
Gulf Fix In the 16th of Luke the curtain is drawn a spy, and we are privileged to look into that solemn picture of the eternal destiny of souls. 1 Comforted, the other tormented, and a great and eternally fixed ghost between the two.
Could we just pick to the cross of our Lord Jesus, frankly.
Can we picture that Blessed One, after the night of his trial, being LED forth through the gates of Jerusalem, and with him there are led to malefactors? And the blessed Savior, the Son of God, who came forth from the heart of God and love to man, had just heard them crying. Not this man, but Barabbas. Oh, how he must have felt that.
Not this man.
But the rabbits? Oh, I warn you, beloved friend, there is a division. There is a distinction. There are two classes. There are two ways. There are two deaths. There are two destinies.
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And I see them in that verse, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
And the state of your soul is night before. God is in that cry. Not this man, but Barabbas. You wouldn't dare utter those words. And yet I ask you, where are you? There is a broad Rd. that leads to destruction, and there is a narrow Rd. that leads to life and eternal glory. I was on that broad rose.
I suppose I must say in all honesty that I was on the clean side of that broad Rd. So often that Broad Rd. is painted as those were spilled with human derelict, as though it were filled with men and women with whom we would not dare associate. But I want to tell you this, that I'm a Broad Rd. that leads to the pit of eternal darkness. There are many who are living clean and respectable and religious lies.
And when they pass into eternity, the very finest sermons are said over their remains. But they've gone down the Broad Rd. They've turned their back on the Lord Jesus Christ. They have rejected Him and will have nothing to do with the precious blood of Christ.
By the matchless grace of God, I say, He thought me, and he found me so. But a boy.
On the Broad Rd. man knew it.
By the grace of God, He set my feet upon the narrow Rd. that leads home into the glory. He redeemed my soul. He cleansed me from every stain of sin with the precious blood that was shared upon the cross of Calvary. And tonight in the language of the Word of God, I am able to say the blood of Jesus Christ His Son has cleansed me from all sins.
Have you ever made such a confession? What a joy it is to hear it.
Just a few days ago.
I was standing trying to tell a story of God's redeeming love.
In a maximum security penitentiary.
And there were a crowd of men there, listening. The guards were standing at the exit.
What would you tell a company of people like that? What kind of gospel would you tell them? Turn over a new leaf. Try to live clean, respectable, upright lie.
We tried to tell them, beloved friend, what we're trying to tell you tonight, that the heart of every one of them and myself included in the sight of God, had been staying with sin, sin that would banish us forever from all hopes of heaven.
But that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to.
Save sinners. And you know, when the meeting was over, to my great delight, one of those men, without waiting a moment, came forward, and in the presence of all the others, he grasped my hand and said, so everyone could hear. I would like you to know that I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. And if I never see you again down here.
I'm going to meet you up there. They were hardened men, murderers and lifers among them. And as soon as he sat down, another came forward while all the men were sitting watching. And he too grasped my hand with the same radiant, joyful confession. I'm going to meet those men in the glory. I believe their confession. I believe God heard it, and I believe they meant it with all their hearts. And I want to ask you.
Who have been brought up in a Christian home and you heard the gospel again and again. Have you ever in all your life said to anyone, the Lord Jesus Christ is my precious Savior? His blood has washed my sins away. Could you not say that tonight? Could you not, my friend? Oh, how he loves you. He died that you might be redeemed. He went forth from the city of Jerusalem.
He went up to the top of that hill called Calvary and their beloved friend. They took those hands which had ministered to the needs of multitudes. They took those seats which had trodden the lengths and breadth of the land of Israel and deeds of blessing and kindness. They nailed his hands and his feet to the very cross that we're reading about. Not long ago I took the map of the land of Israel.
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And I tried to trace over that map the long and weary journeys of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And when I was done, I wept. When I was done, I wept.
For I thought of those feet which had trodden those weary, weary miles.
And love to the souls of men, those feet nailed to the cross of Calvary. This is what men did to the heart. This is what men did to the Lord Jesus Christ.
But all my friend as he hung there from the cross.
A spectacle that made an Angel the most marvelous thing that could possibly transpire took place at noonday.
The sun refused to shine.
Darkness was over all the land. My Savior bowed his holy and sinless head, and according to the language of First Peter, chapter 2, through his own self.
Bore our sins.
In his own body, on the cross, in that marvelous language.
I remember a brother Speaking of that in Smith Falls one day, and when he came to that word, our sins, I can see him. He paused, bowed his head. He could hardly finish. He said, Oh, my friend, not only the judgment that I deserved, not only the wrath of God that ought to have in mind.
Sin in all their shame, in all their guilt. He found that holy head you can't fathom, and nor can I. With all the hatred of His holy being against sin, He bowed his head. And your sins, and yours and mine. But the grace of God were laid upon him. All the guilt of them, the shame of them.
He bowed his head.
But he hung there upon the cross for those three hours of darkness.
While the sword of God's wrath and judgment, which ought to have fallen upon me, swept again and again through the very soul of the Lord Jesus Christ, for he says.
He has poured out his soul under death. Isn't that strong language? Can you fathom what that must mean? He has poured out his soul unto death.
If you read the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and remain unmoved by it, I cannot span your heart.
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ stands tonight as that which separates the love from the same, the guilty from the pardon, the hell bounds from the heaven bound. For there upon the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God made atonement.
He finished the work. He cried in triumph. It is finished. Isn't that marvelous language? Is that glorious?
That wonderful? You've heard it before.
But all from time to time, when we meet with those who have never heard it, how it stirs our hearts to think of the matchless grace of God that ever gave to us such a privilege.
I remember one day I was standing outside Exeter Cathedral.
In England, I was admiring the architecture and the carvings.
And an old lady came out the door, very aged, bent with aids, and I had a little gospel paper with me, which I offered to her with a few words.
I believe she felt my accent was so unusual she must find out where I came from.
So she looked up and said, Sir, thank you very much. Where, where are you from?
Well, I said, lady, I am from Canada, but I'm more interested in where I'm going than where I came from. Where are you going? She said. Well lady, I'm on my way home to heaven to meet the Lord Jesus.
And, you know, her head went back down again and she said, oh, I wish I could say that, but.
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I'm a Sinner.
Isn't that unusual? I was delighted to hear her say that. Have you ever said that? Have you ever owned it? Or have you stood up and said I am not as other men are? There's no blessing for you unless you're willing to own what she owned that day.
Do you know when I began to tell her that the glorious reality of sins eternally forgiven through the precious blood of Christ, I found, to my astonishment, it was utterly new to her. We spent about an hour together going over the Word of God, and she heard for the first time, though she had attended that place all her life, she heard for the first time that Christ Jesus came into the world of safe sinners.
He was depending on her devote attendance at the cathedral to earn for her some vague hope of heaven. Oh, my friend, I know not what your trust may be, but I ask you this, are you trusting completely and only to the one who died for sinners upon the cross of Calvary? Could you take the hand of any other believer in this company tonight and say Thank God? I know from the authority of this book the word of God.
That my sins are washed in the precious blood of Christ, and that I am on my way homeward to the glory.
There stands a cross on the one side and on the other.
There are those who represent the whole of Adam's race, one good and one bad. Is that the way it is? No indeed, 2 malefactors.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And there is the whole of the human race represented in those two men, and one of them all thank God for this story. One of them turned to the Lord Jesus and says Lord.
Remember Me?
When thou cometh into thy Kingdom, isn't that wonderful language?
Those hands of his, while he had the use of them, were stretched forth in deeds of violence and wickedness.
His feet, while he had the use of them, had trodden the hard path of the transgressors, and now he can use neither one or the other. But his heart is free. His tongue is free. With his heart he believes on that one who is hanging on the middle cross, and with his with his tongue he delights to confess him as Lord make known to him, to his own guilt. And he receives these assuring words. Barely I send to thee today shalt thou.
Be with me.
In paradise.
The cross between those two men.
Both of them within a few heartbeats of eternity. Both of them before the sun goes down will be in eternity.
The one when home to glory as the first trophy of redeeming love and grace.
Oh what a sages, Oh what a saviour. When I read that story, my thoughts go back to the Garden of Eden and I see Adam.
Ease of transgressors beings. You might as well call them malefactors.
They had taken that which was not theirs, they that which was forbidden, and God must drive us from that earthly paradise.
That thief Adam, from whom we have also strung, and the very moment the gate of glory is opened by virtue of the Savior's death and precious blood.
First trophy of redeeming grace to enter that glory is none other than a thief, redeemed and cleansed by the precious blood of Christ All. What a Savior. I'm going to be there someday. Are you? Are you going to be there? Oh, I know that there are those who mock at the cross tonight. Call it foolishness. Ridicule those who rejoice in its power.
But would you look back?
When I look back to that noble army of martyrs.
And say they all were fools.
Or having even unto death.
Maintained their faith in the person who died of an across of Calvary and their shed his precious flat. What made them Fern even unto death? Was it a creed that they had accepted or that a dogma of some kind that they would hold on to and not change for anything? Our beloved friend, it was a person.
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A real a living person, the Christ of God, whom they knew as failures.
And whom they dare not, and would not in mind. May we just turn tonight for another little thought?
To the Epistle to the Ephesians.
Pardon me, I should say Galatians. Galatians chapter 6, verse 14.
Galatians 6, verse 14.
But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
And now the third chapter of Philippians.
And the 18th verse.
For many walk of whom I have told you often.
And now tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies.
Of the cross of Christ.
Will you permit?
A little word to those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
To those of us who might have grace of God can stand for us tonight and look at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and know the wonderful reality of redemption through Him who shed his precious blood there.
Now in our souls, by the matchless grace of God.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save fitters, and the very concession of its causes your heart to rejoice. You belong to the Lord Jesus. You are redeemed by his precious blood, your his. Your sins are gone. You're on your way to glory and do, knowing that all beloved fellow Christians, I need and you need the words of warning.
They're found in this book.
There are those concerning whom the word of God says they are the enemies.
Of the cross of Christ.
And Paul says, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified unto me, and I under the world. Even now that you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, remember this. Let us all remember us, that there still stands the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Separating you and separating me from those who are enemies of that cross.
Those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.
For I believe that the cross is not only an emblem of that which the Lord Jesus endured in order that you and I might be redeemed, but I believe the cross is also an emblem of the enmity.
And the hatred that this world heath upon your precious saviors, and upon mine, for when the Lord Jesus hung upon that cross.
He had been spit upon.
Crowned with thorns, beaten, stripped of the very clothes he wore, And there, my friend, he hung by the hatred and enmity of this world which he came to redeem.
Have you been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ? Do you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ? My dear young friends, then let us remember this and I point the finger right here.
Let us remember this that the cross of Christ.
Still stands as an emblem of the enmity and the hatred of this polite and cultured world through which you and I are passes.
Has its unclean side and it has its polite and refined and attractive and cultured side, but you bring in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And what do you find the truth of the verse our brother read to us this morning. Thank you that I am come to send peace on earth. I tell you nay, but rather division. And if the cross of Christ separates this company tonight.
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Those who are redeemed and pardoned and on their way to glory.
Those who are guilty and lost and on the road to hell.
Though the cross of Christ.
Should divide, should separate between you and me who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and those who would fit in His face again if he came back?
I know dear brothers, his son is here at meeting tonight. That brother was attending a conference like this.
He returned home.
Went to work and found that those of his particular.
Employment we're in at a conference. He went in and sat down among them. The conference was already underway.
And the chairman turned and looked at him, knew where he'd been, and smote his fist on the table with anger, calling him by name. He said, if Jesus Christ came back again, I'd be the first one to crucify him. Now there's a a man who lives a clean, respectable life and a successful businessman. But he suddenly revealed, but within his heart, Beloved friend, remember this.
And may I remember it too, that you and I are passing through a world that is seething with hatred against the name and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And they're off the stand between you and me and the world which hates him, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may I plead with you once more. May I plead with you with all my heart, Open your heart to receive him as your Savior. And if you know him, all, beloved friend, if you know him, speak to others about him. Our dear brother Anderson last night told us.
Of our beloved brother Warro, who after much exercise.
Receive the Lord Jesus as His Savior and has rejoiced in it ever since.
And immediately had a desire that others might know the wondrous forgiveness and deliverance that were that was His. He told us all how in doing a little sign painting for a dear Muhammad and lady down there, that he brought Christ before her, and she too received him as her Savior. And still to this day rejoices.
In the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I know our brother wouldn't mind if I just said one thing more about that same story.
I've often been to the little shop, the little home where our dear sister Allie lives.
In fact, I endured quite a good deal of her hot roti in order to have the opportunity of trying to present the gospel to her rebellious husband. For when she had devout Muhammadan came home with the news that he accepted Christ as her failure, he got out his big wicked looking cutlass and.
Started sharpening it and told her this was it, he was going to take her life.
And from time to time his hatred of Christ got the better of him, and hope would come the night and he'd sit there threatening her while she would plead with him to accept Christ as his Savior. I've often sat in the back of that little shop trying to bring Christ before that man, but his heart was as hard as a millstone. Do you think God could love a man like that?
Do you think God could love a man whose heart was so filled with hatred that he would threaten to murder his wife because he had accepted Christ and acted toward him too, in all loving thoughtfulness?
One day as Alan Hammer and I were standing talking to that dear man, all of a sudden, but I must admit we didn't have the faith. I'm sure we were taken by surprise. He suddenly burst into tears and he said, I'm only a poor lost Sinner.
But I accept the Lord Jesus as my Savior. Now that Graham, one by one as they come to Christ, their first desire is that they might tell someone else. And my friend, that's why I'm here. I want you two to know the loving heart of him who died upon the cross of Calvary. I want you, my friend, to be on this side of the cross. I want you to stand for tonight and say thanks God, I am redeemed.
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Pardon, cleanse, and on my way home to the glory.
Would you not say that tonight? Have you ever said it in all your life with anyone? If not, why not tonight, when this little meeting is over? You don't need to come and speak to me, though I would be so happy as you did. But if you just turn to any other believer here, maybe your dear father who's been praying for you, or your dear mother.
I've mentioned before.
Confessing the Lord to my mother.
But will you forgive me if I mention it again?
Perhaps I have a little understanding with you because I'm ashamed to stand here and tell you that it took me quite a while to get up with courage to tell even my own dear mother that I had accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior. But one night as I was in bed waiting for her to come and kiss me goodnight, I said, This is this. I'm going to tell Mother tonight. I know how glad she'll be so when she came in the room to kiss me goodbye.
I said, Mother, I've accepted the Lord as my Savior. I'm a Christian now.
He took one quick look at me and she said, well, I hope you act like one. And she just hurried out of the room.
I was disappointed. I thought he was going to say quite a bit more than that. But now that I have a father's heart, I know what my dear mother did. I know. She hurried to her own room and knelt down. And thank God for answer to her prayers for that stubborn boy.
Oh, I look at these boys tonight.
And these girls, these young people who sit here with a Bible in your hands, that I hear your gay and happy voices outside the door before and after the meeting.
Thy listeners I pass by.
Is it all right to tell you this?
I listen as I pass by to see if once in a while I might catch the sound of the sweet and precious name of Jesus. Oh dear friends, tonight confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your precious Savior this very night before you go out that door and have the matter settled, that was.
The Certain Samaritan
Gospel—R. Groth
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Sing together hymn #20.
Behold the Savior at the door.
He gently knocks as knocked before.
Has waited long, is waiting still.
You use no other friends so I'll notice this second verse.
All lovely attitude. He stands with open hearts.
And outstretched hands.
Open hearts, an outstretched hands.
All Maxwell's kindness.
And he shows his matchless kindness.
To his falls.
Open the door, he'll enter in.
And Sup with you.
And you with him and #20?
They all love.
I have several scriptures before me tonight.
This term, first of all, to the 10th chapter of Numbers.
Numbers, Chapter 10.
Verse 29.
And Moses said unto Hoebab, the son of Ragu the Midianite.
Moses, Father-in-law.
We are journeying under the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you.
Come down with us.
And we will do the good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.
Verse 30.
And he said unto him.
I will not go.
I will not go.
But I will depart to mine all land.
And to my kindred.
We're not thinking tonight about Moses failure.
Nor his shortcoming.
In connection with this portion.
But we're thinking of Moses.
As the great leader.
And prophet of God.
Giving his father-in-law.
A message.
Hold that.
Moses, father-in-law.
And what is the message?
We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you.
Come thou with us.
Our hearts go out to you, dear young people here tonight.
And I'm sure the burden of every heart.
Of the Saint of God in this room.
Is your good and welfare?
The salvation of your precious sorrows.
And we would say.
With one voice.
Come thou with us.
Come thou with us.
I'm not thinking of the journey back to Des Moines, but some of you are going to make.
Our Southern California or elsewhere?
Well, I'm thinking of that journey of life.
Which everyone of us, young and old, in this audience tonight.
Mistaking that journey of life.
And with a destination before us.
Thank God there are some in this room tonight, perhaps the majority.
That have a fixed destination before us, the end of the journey with Christ and glory.
The end of the journey with Christ and glory.
Is that your destination tonight, dear? Here.
Are you on the road that leads to the father's house?
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Or are you still neglecting this great salvation?
Are you still holding between two opinions?
You know that which is.
Right. You know the good way.
The perfect way, The way that leads to life everlasting.
That way that leads to the Father's house.
Yes, everyone of us are on that journey.
Well, I'm going to say this.
Without fear of contradiction.
That this group is divided in two.
There are those that are on the way to glory.
And there are those that are on that broad Rd. that lead us to judgment or destruction.
Solemn, solemn statement it is. And if you're still in your sins?
If you're not trusting.
In the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you're not sheltered under the precious blood of Christ.
While you're on that broad Rd.
That leader, the judgment.
Eternal separation from God and His love.
Or we would plead with you stop.
Stop and consider your ways.
See and ask for the old path.
The Broadway.
The old man.
All we have nothing new to bring. Bring before you tonight. It's the old path. It's the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
What a message Moses gives to his father-in-law.
No doubt his father-in-law has heard.
Of God delivering power and connection with the children of Israel.
And Moses as the leader.
God, man.
But in view of all that.
What does hold that choose?
The view of the knowledge of God which he must have heard.
From the lips of Moses.
What was his choice?
Verse 30.
He said unto him.
I will not go.
Are you saying in your heart tonight, dear one?
I will not go. The invitation has been given. Come thou with.
And our blessed Lord Jesus Christ in heaven above.
And saying from the words of the book, Come unto me.
All ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Are you going to say like Phob, I will not go?
Are you going to allow your will to work against God's will?
For it is God's will that all might be saved and come under the knowledge of the truth.
If you're unsaved tonight and you're at the age of responsibility.
If you're not sheltered under the precious blood of Christ.
If you are not on the road to glory, your will is working against God's will.
Or God's will is of all might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Hobart says I will not go.
What? What else?
I will depart to my own land.
The land of Midian.
And to my kindred.
Oh, what a solemn choice that is.
And perhaps I'm here tonight.
Have not closed in on God's arm for salvation.
I knew perhaps have made a similar choice.
You have not reached that point in your soul history.
Where you have seen yourself as a lost, ruined, helpless center, dead in trespasses and in sins, you have not come to that point in your life.
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When you cried out as a poor Sinner, God be merciful to me, the Sinner.
Have you ever trembled at the thought of meeting God?
Have you ever trembled the thought of eternity?
And as to where you'll spend your eternity?
Well, God wants you to tremble at His Word.
Yes, God wants you to tremble at His Word.
We're living in a day when the Word of God seems to go.
Have little effect upon the audience.
Little effect upon heart and conscience I can remember in my younger days as the gospel was given.
That men and women would tremble in their seats.
Fearing, fearing their condition has lost and undone and going on into eternity without Christ.
Yes, tremble in their seats.
Can you sit in your seat here tonight, dear Unsaved 1?
And not give one concern as to your eternal soul's welfare.
Can you go out of these doors once again in your sins?
Unconcerned.
We often hear from our older brethren.
That word, take heed. Watch ye here.
Well, I'm going to ask everyone here tonight. Take heed how you here.
What is your attitude tonight in connection with the Gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord?
What is your attitude to the Savior's invitation? Come, come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
I will depart to my own land.
The law of Hobart was identified.
The nation that later on, as we read in the 8th chapter of Judges.
Met the judgment of God.
Yes, God's judgment was poured out upon the Midianites in the days of the Judges.
And God's judgment is going to be poured out on this scene. And if you are not identified with Christ tonight?
And know Him as your Savior and Lord.
You're identified with this poor world that's going on to judgment.
Identified with this world that's going on to judgments. For God has appointed a day in which you will judge this world in righteousness.
By that man whom he hath ordained, we're off yet given assurance unto all, in that hath raised him from among the deaths.
Judgment is coming. Flee from the wrath to come. Flee to the open arms of the blessed Savior who bid you come.
I will depart to my own land.
And to my kindred.
To my kindred.
Oh, how solemn.
Asylum.
Or what? To God, that everyone of us in this room tonight.
Were like Peter and John in the 4th chapter of Acts verse 23 I believe it is.
Being let go, they went to their own company.
Their own company believers where they could have sweet fellowship together.
Over the things of God, just as we have during these last three days.
Fellowship together over the things of God and not that's not all that company that will soon meet to part no more in the Father's house.
But to my own, To his own kindred.
What is your decision tonight, your young one?
What's your decision tonight?
Are you going to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior?
Be shouted under the precious blood of Christ.
That sure protection from coming judgment upon this scene.
00:20:02
The blood of Christ, which is your passport to glory.
Or are you going to stay like Hobart?
In life's journey, I will not go.
I will depart to my own land, unto my kindred.
It's a solemn decision.
A solemn decision to make.
We are in Tonopah, NV a short time ago on our way to Aberdeen.
We stopped at a gas station.
To get some gasoline for the car.
And as we paid our bill, I handed the attendant a gospel tract.
He looked at it and he threw it to the ground.
He looked at it, threw it to the ground. I got out of the parking station.
And park my car went over, tried to pick it up and at that same moment.
A gust of wind picked up that gospel track and took it away.
You know the title of that gospel tract.
The last Chance.
The last Chance.
There's no doubt in my mind from the attitude of that young man.
That he had heard the gospel before.
He had heard of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Savior of sinners.
He had heard of the precious blood of Christ, and he had hardened his heart.
Against that message because his very attitude showed the enmity and hatred against the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and perhaps it was his last chance.
And perhaps it's your last chance tonight, dear one.
We beg of you not to go out of these doors tonight.
If you're still in your sins.
If you came in unsaved, we beg of you not to go out.
For time is short, time is running out.
The coming of the Lord draws nigh. I cannot give you the assurance of saying Amen to the Gospel. Him here tonight in our prayers.
No, we cannot. The cunning of the Lord draws nigh, and one of these days, one of these nights, you might be sitting in a gospel meeting for the last time, and the Lord may come and ****** his wedding people out of this world, out of the hall. Would you be there and I?
Turn over to the 10th chapter of Luke.
Luke, chapter 10.
If I say in this portion.
A man who is also on a journey.
For the sake of time.
Let us read from verse 30.
Jesus, answering, said a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And fell among thieves.
Which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise A Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan is he journeyed.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.
And when he saw him, he had compassion on him.
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an end, and took care of him. And on the Morrow when he departed, he took out 2 Pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee.
Which now these three thinketh, Thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves. And he said, He that showed mercy on him, then said Jesus unto him, Go unto thou likewise.
The Lord Jesus is talking to a certain lawyer.
00:25:06
And this lawyer stood up.
Tempting the Lord Jesus.
Calling him master.
And then raising a question, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
The Lord Jesus answers his question in his own language.
He says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy hearts, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.
The lawyer said unto him, Thou hast answered right. Or Jesus says to him, Thou hast answered right. This do, and thou shalt live.
And all these lawyers in the time of our Lord.
Together with the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
They were enemies of our Lord.
Yes, they were enemies of our blessed Lord.
They thought over and over again.
To trip our Lord.
In many ways.
And the Lord Jesus knew.
This man's heart.
It's a good thing to realize that.
This man well versed in the Old Testament economy.
A lawyer.
A teacher of the law.
Undoubtedly was well versed in the Old Testament economy.
But there's one thing that he overlooked.
One thought that did not reach his heart and conscience, and that that expression in the book of Genesis.
Thou God feast me.
For if that had exercised his heart and conscience, he would never have raised this question.
What shall I do to inherit eternal life?
But the Lord Jesus Christ knew what was behind this question.
And you might be ever religious here tonight.
The Lord Jesus knows your heart.
Yes, the Lord Jesus knows your heart.
You may have stood up and quoted your Sunday School verse last Lord's Day.
Or the Lord's Day before.
You made all, many, many gospel verses and put on a very beautiful front of the Lord. Jesus knows all about your heart.
Remember the words of Hebrews chapter 4.
All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him.
With whom we have to do.
What a solemn verse that is.
All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Oh, you might kid your brethren, pardon the expression.
You might play the part of a hypocrite.
But remember, all things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
And the Lord Jesus looked into the very heart and conscience of this poor man, this religious man, this man that wanted to inherit eternal life. He wasn't thinking of eternal life as we had before this afternoon in John's gospel.
He just wanted that earthly blessing that he might enjoy on and on and on through the scene.
And so the Lord Jesus refers him to the law.
Does anybody in this room tonight that's.
But thanks to have salvation by keeping the law.
Well, let's test them out.
The Lord Jesus says in verse 27, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.
Are you doing that?
How do we line up with that statement?
Or when I read that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, I fall far short.
00:30:02
Of loving the Lord like my God with all my heart. Impossible.
With all thy soul.
The soul that sinneth it shall die. There's the test.
The soul that sinneth it shall die in God's verdict is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
With all thy strength, when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
You do not have any strength in yourself to save yourself. Indeed not.
What's What's the last point?
With all my mind.
With all thy mind.
The mind is at enmity against God. Is anybody here in this audience that's seeking salvation on the basis of law?
Here's the test. You know very well that you cannot live up to it.
And this man found out that he couldn't.
And so how could he inherit eternal life?
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right this do, and thou shalt live.
Ah, but this did not. This did not satisfy the enemy of our blessed Lord.
Be willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
Self justification. There is no salvation.
There is no blessing for anyone.
And self justification.
I'll tell you where there is blessing.
Himself abasement.
Of taking your true place as a poor Sinner.
Before a Christ, holy God.
And crying out with anguish of heart.
God be merciful to me, this Sinner, the Sinner, as if I was the only one in this universe, only one of Adam's race. God be merciful to me, the center. Ah, there's blessing, there's when salvation will come in, when you take your true place before us, Christ. Holy God, trembling at his word like the Philippian jailer. Oh, he was quite bold.
When he thrust Paul and Silas into the jail.
Tied their feet fast.
In the stock.
And kept them there in that inner presence. He was very bold at that time. But when God sent that earthquake, oh, I believe there was 2 earthquakes that time.
There is the earthquake that shook the prisons and shook the very foundation of the prison, but there was an earthquake that shook his heart, that shook his heart, and where do we find him?
We find him trembling.
Trembling and then crying out, Sirs, what I what must I do to be saved?
And to the poor trembling center, the answer is only believe.
On the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
Is there a trembling center here tonight?
Do you fear the consequences of leaving this room?
With that question unsettled, will you give your heart to the Lord Jesus as you sit there in your seat?
For a trembling Sinner comes you can say yes to God as you sit in your seat.
And receive salvation.
Los Angeles We've had St. meetings for a good many years.
And in one particular corner.
There's a group of young men.
Standing on a platform listening to the gospel.
And as a certain brother was speaking, not myself.
But as a brother was preaching, bringing the message home.
To heart and conscience.
These young boys laughed at the message.
And this young boy that was preaching it was pretty quick and he pointed his fingers at those young boys and said, listen, you're going to laugh yourself into hell, but you cannot lock yourself out.
Yes, you can laugh yourself into hell and eternal judgment, but you cannot last yourself out.
As our brother emphasized last night, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
00:35:01
And just before this happened.
Another young man stood on that same platform.
And heard the gospel.
Dress up in a cowboy seat. A suit from Montana.
He heard the simple gospel of God's grace for the first time.
And he listened, he listened, and he stayed right there in the spot. After the meeting was over, some of the brethren went up to him, and.
Spoke to him, invited him up to the meeting room for the evening gospel. He said no, I want to settle the question right now.
And right there that question was settled. He heard the same gospel as these boys at mocks before.
He heard the same message of love and he accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Let me tell you, that young man is now a grandfather and he's in still and happy fellowship.
And our Burbank assembly.
Why don't put the issue off?
Don't put it off now. Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Now notice Jesus answering, Said a certain man. Here's the picture of the poor Sinner.
No doubt a picture of Israel.
But the poor center, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And isn't that just what Hobart did? He turned his back on blessing and went to that place that God had to visit with his solemn judgment in the day to come.
This man, a certain man went down, and that's correct geographically.
But morally, let me remind you.
Morally, spirit, soul and body.
He went down because man's course is a downward course.
It's never upward apart from the grace of God coming in, but man's course is a downward course. Man fails spirit, soul and body.
Yeah, that in the Book of Revelation, Romans.
He went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves.
All we heard of a little this afternoon about the thieves and robbers. Perhaps this refers to the same group, enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He fell among thieves.
Which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him.
And departed, leaving him half dead.
Was only half dead here.
That's all that Satan is allowed to do in this case.
Half dead. But if we turn to the second chapter of Ephesians, we'll find that we're dead in trespasses and sins, dead spiritually before God.
Morally and spiritually.
And salvation can only be obtained by and through the Word of God.
And by the Spirit of God.
What a journey.
Journey this was.
Turning his back on Jerusalem, the city of blessing. Going down to Jericho, the city of the curse.
A city that represents this poor world, shut up under the judgment of God.
If we had time, we turned to the Book of Joshua, and there we'd read that Jericho was straightly shut up.
No man went in and no man came out.
All they're shut up under the solemn, solemn, solemn judgment.
A picture of this world and this world is ripe for the judgment of God to fall upon, we are reminded yesterday.
And it has been much before me of late that before God visited the the world with the flood in Noah's time, ah, the earth was filled with violence and corruption. We don't have to go very far from our doors to see that violence and corruption. But there's one more thing.
And that is pleasure. Pleasure.
Lovers of pleasure.
00:40:02
More than lovers of God.
This world is becoming a vast pleasure ground.
And Satan is using that to divert your thought and your attention.
From your eternal souls, mouth bears. And beware, beloved Saints of God, lest we be tripped up in the pleasures of this poor world.
We need to be on our garden. It's the spirit of the day, it's the spirit of the age, and if we're not on our garden, we'll be caught in the tide.
Pleasure.
Well, what is the remedy?
Turn to the 4th chapter.
Pablo will find the remedy. Oh God has a remedy.
God has blessings for His creature. God is not willing that any should perish.
No, not one, but that all should come to repentance. Turn to the 4th chapter of Luke and verse 18.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives.
And recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
To set at liberty them that are bruised, poisoned.
None other than the blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And in verse 20, he closes the book. But that's not all. If we turn to Isaiah, we'll not take time. The 61St chapter I believe it is.
Or your reference is made to judgment, or judgment was not ripe as yet, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost. And so we find that Blessed One here brought before us as a certain Samaritan. Why the Samaritan?
Ah, that despised nation, that nation which we have mentioned in the 4th chapter of John's Gospel. The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Here this despised Jesus of Nazareth.
Coming up to this poor man.
And what is the outcome? But before he comes up, by chance there came down a certain priest. That way when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Oh, there's too much religion now.
There's so much religion in the world at the present times, religion without Christ.
Religion will not help you one bit. You need to get rid of that religion.
During ends and death.
By chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
There was no help.
From the priest for this poor individual that was laying on the side of the road and half dead.
Suffering.
Bruised. Robbed.
Likewise A Levite. Oh, here comes the ceremonial law.
Here comes the more religion.
What does he do?
When he was at the place, he came a little closer.
Yes, it came a little closer, but what help was he? What good was this poor man?
Likewise, A Levite, when he is at the place came and looked on him.
Passed by on the other side. He had a little pity in his heart for this poor soul.
Self pity.
The story doesn't close there.
There's much in this, I'm just touching the highlights. Nob verse 33.
But a certain scenario then, did he come by chance?
Ah, no uncertain scenario. And as he journeyed, here's another man.
If I may say the Son of Man on a journey.
And while the.
The poor man that fell amongst the thieves was going from Jerusalem to Jericho.
The priest and the Levite was going the same way.
A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.
00:45:05
And.
When he saw him, he had compassion on him.
All this reminds me of one of the Psalms whether we read the Lord looked down.
And he saw the condition of Adam's race. What a pitiful condition it was.
And then in the third chapter of Exodus, we read I am come down to deliver them.
He saw their sorrows. He saw the results of the hard taskmaster.
He saw that the end from the beginning and so he says I am come down to deliver them, that I may take them up and out, up and out.
Blessed our blessed Lord Jesus. He was on a journey.
And where was he journeying to?
Turn to the 9th chapter.
Of Luke verse 51.
And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
The 3 1/2 years of service was just about completed.
He had glorified God in every step that he took.
But there was one work that must be accomplished, for he would have companions in glory.
He would have companions and glory. And so he set his face.
As a fence, as a Flint toward Jerusalem. And what for? There to go to Calvary's cross?
And there accomplish that work, whereby 4 sinners.
Dead in trespasses and sins.
Bruised by Satan and of sin.
Knowing the way of the transgressor is hard. Oh, to set them at liberty. To set them at liberty, bring them out of ******* and into the glorious liberty which we have in Christ Jesus.
I is on his way to Jerusalem. He was going to be crucified.
He is going to be slain by wicked hands, as Peter reminds us in the second chapter of Acts.
But God deals with His dear Son during those three last closing hours.
When he clothed the scene in darkness and what darkness it was, there was darkness all over the land of Egypt.
That man could feel as it were. Ah, but when? When darkness covered this scene, when God dealt with his dear Son in connection with my sins and your sins, beloved.
Awe, as a hymn writer says well might. The sun in darkness hides in shuddered glories in When the Incarnate maker Died for a man.
His creatures sin, and now God can come out and offer salvation full and free, without money and without price.
He had compassion on Him, you know, the compassions of our blessed Savior.
Little love of our blessed Savior took him to Calvary's cross during those three hours of darkness.
But our salvation does not depend on the compassion of Christ.
Oh no, nor on the walk, that perfect walk of Christ. Our salvation depended on the death and resurrection of Christ and the shedding of His precious blood. For without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.
He went up to him, verse 34.
Verse 34, he went up to him. I'm putting a word in there that Mister Darby uses in his translation indicating that he was on his way to Jerusalem, going up to Jerusalem, as we have in the 17th chapter, and he went up to him and bound up his wounds.
Pouring in oil and wine. Oh, what a moment that was for each for some of us in this room tonight.
When the Lord Jesus met us in our needs.
And gave us to believe the message of the gospel of God's grace.
Gave us that faith to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.
And we're told that after.
We believe you receive the Spirit of God.
00:50:03
Yes, after believing we receive the Spirit of God.
The oil And what does that bring out?
And winds the joy of God's salvation.
Are you rejoicing in salvation tonight?
Is the Holy Spirit grieved, hindering you from rejoicing?
In the Lord Jesus, those of you who know Him as Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God dwelling within that divine guest.
All beware. Let us go forth in the power of an ungrieved spirit.
In the occurrence of God's thoughts.
And set him on his beast, and brought him to an end, and took care of him.
Put him on his beast.
Brought him to the end. What's the end?
Are the Assembly of God.
The Assembly of God.
And then the Holy Spirit.
Taking care of him.
And then in verse 35 and on the Morrow, when he departed, he took out 2 Pence.
2 Pence all. I'd like to think of 1 Pence.
As the word of God.
And I like to think of the second fence as that blessed occasionist that we had Lord's Day morning of remembering our Lord in death. Oh, I know there's various thoughts in connection with the two pants, but there's no word of God, one pence and the blasted privileges which we have in the assembly. And so God not only saves our precious souls, but He cares for us every step of the journey.
And faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. He's called his House of darkness in the latest to his faithfulness.
And he's going to call us home by Christ Jesus according to his faithfulness.
And in the meantime, he is made full provision for the pathway.
Dear young people here tonight.
Let me warn you. Oh, don't put off the issue.
Decide for Christ tonight.
Some of you may never reach home to the Lion or the East Coast or the West Coast.
The issues of life and death are in God's hands, and He's warning you once again.
All beware. Beware.
Be not mocked, Be not deceived. God is not mocked.
Whatsoever a man saw that, shall he also reap those of us who are saved.
Shouted under the precious blood of Christ on our way to glory.
May we appreciate more and more.
The blessed fact that we have been brought into the Assembly of God.
And appreciate the privileges which we have.
Don't esteem them lightly.
Don't think lightly of them.
Appreciate them and be found amongst the gathered Saints from time to time.
Earnestly.
Are going on together the apostles, fellowship and doctrine, breaking of bread and in prayers.
Created for His Pleasure
Children—R. Reeves
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to have you choose the songs that you like to sing, and if by chance you do not find the song in this hymn sheet, why? You tell me which song you would like to sing and we'll try to sing it together.
I wonder if you've noticed it on the back page there are a lot of real nice songs. Have you noticed that? What else shall we sing?
Yes, 46. Good.
Glad tape ID.
And.
Next yes #41.
Very good. Let's sing the 1St.
Two, and the last verse of #41.
Round the throne of the.
Bye.
If there any boys or girls in these sections that would like to choose a song, please hold up your hand. I'd like to give you the chance. Randy.
What's that? Number 40? Thank you. We're going to sing all of this. Such a good song #40.
Jason lost me.
Yeah.
00:05:43
Change my my.
Name is where I don't know.
From everybody.
Where I am.
Anybody in this section would like to choose a song?
2747 Thank you. We're going to sing all of #47.
When he comes.
Around.
Let us.
Try.
All you other sections have had your chance. Now we're coming back here. You had a song, didn't you? Which one?
28 all right.
OK, we're going to sing the first verse and the chorus of #28.
Races.
00:10:46
You find any song on the Backpage if we have not yet sung Yes Sir 44.
Good, we're going to sing the 1St and the last stanzas #44.
Allocation around me.
On the Backpage so we had not come yet.
On the Backpage, do you find one that we have not yet strung on the Backpage? Little girl in the red blouse.
45 say that's a good one. That's a good one. Number 45 in the Backpage, let's think.
To let the.
World.
Is there any other songs we have not yet sung? This boy here 43 Well, by all means, let's sing it.
One door and only one and down inside.
There yet one song we have not sung.
Yes, you in the red.
42 Yes, that's right. Let's think we wouldn't like to pass any of these songs up.
Wine, Wine.
00:15:35
Let's open our Bibles to Revelation, the 4th chapter.
I promise that you will not have to turn to any other passages of Scripture this morning.
We're going to talk about one chapter and two verses.
We might refer to others, but we're going to just hold our Bibles open to just this one chapter.
Revelation chapter 4.
Now we're going to read the last part of the last verse.
You read along with me quietly. I know most of you can read. And you read quietly along with me as I read just the last part of the last verse.
And for thy pleasure.
They are.
And were created.
We're going to talk a little bit this morning about why.
We are here.
Perhaps if I were to ask.
Boys and girls, why they're here. All they say, well, Daddy and mother said we're going to the conference at Wheaton and that's why I'm here.
That's a wonderful reason.
And I happen to be a daddy and so I've made such a statement too. And I'm so thankful that.
My children are here.
Well, let's let's think a little bit more about that.
Now we know why we're here in Wheaton. But why?
Are we here in this world?
Why did God make us?
Why did the Lord Jesus make us?
Because the Bible says it is he that has made us and not we ourselves.
I wonder if you boys and girls have ever thought about that?
Why did the Lord Jesus make me?
Why?
Oh, why did he make me?
We have the answer in the verse that we read. It says For thy pleasure, For thy pleasure.
And so this little lesson this morning is just directed to that one point.
And may the Lord help us to just understand that one point.
We are here.
The Lord Jesus has made you and me.
For his pleasure.
So we can please him, that's why. Now perhaps you've noticed that why we were singing. I took a few things out of my pocket.
And placed them on the table.
The first one we placed on the table is this.
This what? I don't know what it is.
It is very strange.
I'll tell you the story about this.
When we came to Wheaton on Saturday.
We pulled up our car at the curb over here by the tree.
And while we were taking the suitcases out of the trunk back part of the car, I looked down on the curb and my eye rested upon this piece of.
With some 12 year old boy. Tell me what you would call it.
Maybe you would were to use a word that would begin with J.
What would that word be? Some 12 year old boy tell me what this is.
What do you think? Yeah, that's what I was thinking of, and that's exactly what I thought when I saw this by the curve.
There is a piece of junk. Well you know this has a few sharp corners on it.
It might damage a tire.
00:20:01
And tires are expensive these days, and so there's no daddy that wants to buy anymore tires than he has to.
And so I tell you what I did with this thing, I just picked it up and threw it over under the tree and felt that that would be a good place for it over under the tree. And there I left it.
I have no idea at all what this is. I do not know what it is supposed to be.
I do not know what it has been.
I do not know what it is, I do not know who made it, and I do not know for what purpose it was made. Absolutely, I'm in total ignorance about this piece of junk. Don't know who made it, don't know why it was made, and do not know what purpose it has served. But at any rate, when all is said and done.
It is of very little value at the present moment and it certainly has been well called by our friend over here. You have given it a good name. It is Jump.
And so we don't know who made it, we don't know why they made it. We do not know the purpose for which it was made. And for all practical purposes, we'll say it has no value now, none whatever. And so let's get rid of it.
If there is any boy who collects junk.
And would like to have that piece that valuable, perhaps valuable to you, you may have it after this meeting, but.
For my purposes, we're finished with it. I don't know why it was made. I don't know who made it.
And I don't know what good it is for.
Now another app, little appliance.
I was thinking apparatus but.
I guess you'd call this just a useful tool, and you all know what it is, don't you? It's toothbrush.
Well, we know a little bit more about this this article.
This has been made and I can read to you what it says on it. It says TEK.
No doubt that's pronounced Tech Tech Deluxe USA. Well, we know a little bit more about this thing that we did about the first thing. This has been made by the tech company.
And that tech company is located in the United States. And we know why this was made. It was made for what purpose?
Would you have any idea this color, William?
That's right. That's exactly why it was made, to brush teeth. And daddies and mothers constantly have to tell their children that That is the purpose of this, this little apparatus here. And it's a good purpose, too. It was made to brush teeth. And this is a very useful thing to have. So we know who made it, we know why it was made. And we're all thankful for its purpose, aren't we? Aren't we glad to have toothbrushes, huh? Well, I don't suppose you boys and girls would want to go to bed without brushing your teeth, would you?
Let's put this over here then in the corner and take up the next little apparatus that we have. But that really isn't an apparatus. I really don't know why I keep using that word.
It is something that you all know about and I picked this up over by Williston Hall where we were staying. And would you like to tell me what it is? The boy here in the bow tie.
It's rock. Exactly right. It's a rock.
It is a stone.
Now would you also tell me who made this?
Would you have any idea who made it?
Would you, Did Mr. Johnson, our president, make it?
Did you make it? Didn't make it, did it?
Well, there's a boy that I believe knows the answer. God made it, and he's right. God made it. It's only the Lord that can make a stone. Man can make bricks, but the Lord makes stones. And so we know the Lord made this stone. And why did the Lord make it?
Why? This stone is a part of the earth upon which we live, and in the Bible it tells us that God created it.
The Lord created it, and it said He created it not in vain or not a waste, but He made it to be inhabited.
The Lord made the earth and this is a part of it for us to live upon. That is the purpose. It has a definite purpose. And I'm, I'm very happy to, to know that there is a world to live upon. It would be very difficult to, to live, wouldn't it didn't have a place to live. And so the Lord has made this world, the rocks, the stones, all that's here.
He's made this place for us to live upon. Now we're going to talk about something else.
00:25:06
Verse eleven of our chapter says Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou has created all things.
And for thy pleasure they are and were created.
12345678910111213 children are sitting on the front row and I would like to tell you children, that the Lord made you.
Because you're a part of all things. But I'm going to tell you something even more. I'm going to tell you that all the children on the next row were also made by the Lord.
And I'd also like to tell you that all these folks here on the other side are a part of his creation, and the Lord made them. He made them.
But more particularly, I want you to remember that He made you so that you can just say within your heart this morning the Lord Jesus.
Made me.
It says For thy pleasure.
Now the question is.
Have you always pleased the Lord? Have you?
You have been made for His pleasure.
Have you always brought pleasure to the Lord? Have you?
I saw one little child shake her head this way. She shaked her, shook her head back and forth and.
As if to say, well, no, I'm sorry to say that I have not always pleased the Lord.
Yes, but the Bible says that's why you were made. That's why God made you to please him. For thy pleasure. They are were created.
When we displeased the Lord.
That is sin.
When we please ourselves.
We have sinned.
Sin is doing the things that only we want to do. Sin is just seeking to please ourselves.
Boys and girls, if you have not always pleased the Lord, remember then.
You have sinned, and because you have sinned, you need to have those sins washed away.
And it will be necessary for you.
To accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
In order to have those sins forgiven.
Now you're here today in Wheaton.
If you want to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus in heaven, it will be necessary for you to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
To have all those sins washed away in his precious blood. And the Bible says the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from.
All sin.
Oh, I do pray that the Lord may lay this upon your heart, if you have been made to realize this morning that you have been made for His pleasure, but you have not always pleased him. Oh, it would be my desire and the desire of everyone in this room.
Who knows, Christ, it would be our desire that you might realize that this morning, and that you might.
Accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior so that those times when you have not pleased Him, those sins might be washed away, because it says for thy pleasure they are and were created. You have been made for the pleasure and for pleasing the Lord Jesus.
There was a man in the Bible whose name is Enoch, and it says about that man that he.
Pleased God.
Wasn't that a nice thing to have said about a man? It says he pleased God.
And there's another man I'm thinking about that please God his Father. And it was the Lord Jesus.
He always did those things that pleased his father. He never.
Never sinned, and more than that, he could not sin because he was the Son of God.
I remember reading some time ago about.
A man who said this, he said I like to read about the Lord Jesus because when I read about him I find a man who never did anything to please himself.
Isn't that wonderful?
And such is the truth when we.
Read about the Lord Jesus in the Bible, in the word of God. There we find a man, and only there, who never did one thing to please himself, or it was his joy and his delight to please his Father.
00:30:19
If you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, then this is the first thing you need to do to please Him. Because it says for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God's Word says that you have been made to please the Lord. Well, if you haven't pleased Him yet.
Would would you like to please him now?
The first part of the verse says Thou art worthy, O Lord, thou art worthy. Oh yes, the Lord Jesus is worthy.
You're pleasing him. He's worthy of the lives of all the boys in the 4th row.
Yes, the Lord Jesus is worthy of your lives.
He's worthy of your trust. He's worthy of all that you have and all that you are. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory.
But when we think of glory.
We think of what somebody has done and all boys and girls when we think of what the Lord Jesus has done.
Certainly we see a display of glory in that person because He died on the cross for our sins, and everything in his life speaks of glory and let us glorify Him and says honor. When we think about honor, we think about what a person is.
There are some.
Older Christians I know.
Who perhaps have never done a lot of great things.
But because I know them well, and I know their lives radiate the joy of the Lord.
It makes me think of honor. I ask what we think of honor. We think of what somebody is in their personal and all the Lord Jesus is worthy of honor because of who and what he is.
And it says power. Ah, that's position, position, authority. And the Lord Jesus is worthy of authority and power. Power over whom?
Well, first of all, let's say the Lord Jesus is worthy of power over me. The Lord Jesus is worthy of power over me.
And I'm so glad that some years ago.
I bowed my knees.
And said these words Jesus.
Lord.
Or he is worthy of power over me.
I wonder if everyone in this room has ever bowed.
Their knees and said these words. Jesus.
Lord.
Oh yes, let us give him power over ourselves. And boys and girls, let me say this, if never before, you have said within your heart and said in your lips to that wonderful person in heaven.
Jesus, Lord. Or maybe this. May this be the day when you'll give him power over yourself and acknowledge that he's the Lord. Oh, and he's worthy of power over this whole world.
Over the heavenly beings, over the entire universe, but more especially.
Today, let's realize He is worthy of power over ourselves.
Now before we sing #45 again, I want to just read the last part of this verse again.
And boys and girls, will you Please remember?
Just this one thing.
As we talked about these little objects here, we've seen that there was one item that we have not yet described. We do not know who made it, nor do we know why it was made. Then we talked about another item that we understood. We knew what was made and we know why the stone was made. But I would like to have you remember this morning that the Lord Jesus.
Made.
You and say within your heart today the Lord Jesus made me.
The Lord Jesus.
Made me.
Why? For his pleasure.
Let's sing #45 again.
00:35:02
2 little eyes to look to God, two little ears to hear his word, 2 little feet to walk his ways, two hands to work for him all my days.
To little life.
Take them, Lord Jesus, and let them be.
Always obedient and true to thee.
John 10:1-21
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
First verse 21 versus.
Chapter 10, verse one.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Jesus entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. But he is entered in by the door, and the shepherd of the sheep to him the Porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice. And he called his own sheep by name, and leader them out. And when he put his forth his own sheep he doeth before them.
And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from Him, for they know nothing. Voice of strangers, this parable spake Jesus unto them. But they understood not what things they were, but he spake unto them.
Then said Jesus unto them again.
Verily, verily, I say unto you.
I am the door of the sheep.
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
Eye on the door.
By me if any man entering any shall be saved, and will go in and out, and find pastures. The chief cometh not before to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
I am a drugstores. The drugs giveth his life for the sheep.
For he that isn't hireling, and not the shepherd whose only sheep are not, see if the wolf coming and leave it the sheep and flee it, and the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep.
The firing fleeeth because he isn't hiring, not for the sheep.
I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep, and I am known of mine.
As a father knoweth me, Even so no other father than I lay down my life for the sea. Another sheep I have which are not of this whole. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice. And there should be one full and one shepherd.
Therefore, does my Father love me?
Because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No, ma'am, take it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father.
There was a division therefore, again among the Jews were these sayings, and many of them said, He had the devil and his man. Why hear ye him? Father said these are not the words of him that hath the devil. Then a devil opened the eyes of the blind.
The 9th chapter.
The blind man is cast out who was one of the sheep, and by the same token the Lord Jesus was rejected.
So I believe we have in this chapter the Lord Jesus as the door.
The door so that the sheep might come out of the former order of things and be brought into the new. The Lord Jesus himself ushering in the new order of things, and he is the door Himself.
00:05:08
Wouldn't you say, Brother Lundy, that there are two doors in this chapter? There are two parallels.
And the first the door is the one the Lord himself enters.
In the second parable, the Lord becomes the door of the sheep. He is the door himself, where he says by me, If any man enter in, he shall be saved.
So I would take it that the first door that's mentioned here.
See that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the shape.
That.
We find that door in connection with all the prophecies of the Old Testament that the Lord fulfilled to the letter. In fact, in Daniel 9, you'll get the very year that He was to be born come into this world.
In their.
5th chapter of Micah you get the town Bethlehem was to be the town where he was to come, and the 7th chapter of Isaiah we get the way he was to come. A virgin should be with child and bring forth a son, and he was to be called Emmanuel so.
All those scriptures were fulfilled when the Lord presented him.
How to Israel not a scripture that had reference to the Messiah, thought the Lord fulfilled one and all. So he entered by the door. Others had come as the shepherd, but they didn't enter by the door. They tried to climb up some other way, which only proved that they were false.
And not the true shepherd of the sheep.
That's why it says to him before her openness, isn't it in the next verse?
Him, the Porter ultimate, and the sheep hear his voice.
There are a couple of other scriptures that.
Or like you said, brother, one is in John 5.
And verse 39.
John 5 and 39 speaks about the scriptures.
They are they which testify of me.
The scriptures pointed to one and only one, the coming one.
In Luke 24.
Some have called these verses 2526 and 27 the key to the scriptures. Now I say some have called it that and I hardly know of any better scriptures.
All fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ who suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
That's what the whole Bible is, is that it's the story of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some take the Scriptures as mere history. Well, there's history in the Word of God, but I like to think of it as His story from beginning to end. We see fights of the Lord Jesus Christ back in the books of Moses, even beginning with Genesis, way back in the first of Genesis when that land is authored by Abel. Well, it speaks to us of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The blood that was shed.
The animals that had to be slaves and the skins made into coats for Adam and Eve. Well, it all speaks to us of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's his story from beginning to end.
00:10:09
The point is that he alone qualified.
According to all the scriptures.
And I believe that the Porter is the Holy Spirit acting through Providence.
Well, take the case of.
So they're on the phone with the second of Luke.
Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, 25th verse. His name was Simeon.
Man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. Now notice there the Holy Ghost was upon him, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost. Holy Spirit Mansion began that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, again into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him, after the custom of the law.
Then took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now let us thou thy search depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. There we get the Porter opening the door to the aged.
Servants, the one who was waiting so long, doubtless for the consolation of Israel.
Well, he was led by the Spirit of God and of the temple the very.
Day that Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law. And so if you trace the subject on through.
Well, take the case of.
The disciples, well, we get there at the baptism of John.
How John says, behold, the Lamb of God. Two of his disciples left John and followed Jesus there. The Holy Spirit was opening the door so that those two disciples could enter into the place where they would have the company of Jesus. And we can say this that there wasn't.
A one among all the sheep.
That God had in Israel at that time.
That didn't get to hear the shepherd's voice. The Holy Spirit saw to it that every sheep among all the people of Israel got to hear of a shepherd's voice. The Lord traveled from one end of Palestine to the other. We don't read of him going outside of Palestine, for he was sent definitely to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
And his voice was heard by everyone of the sheep.
In that whole nation.
And it was the Holy Spirit opening the door. But would you say then, Brother Barry, that the reason the Jews?
Did not recognize in the Lord Jesus the one scent of God. That is because they deliberately rejected the testimony of the Scriptures.
I'm sure that's true.
And and also the fact that God had spoken in Malachi of sending one before him. And this John the Baptist that our brother said, behold, the Lamb of God was the special vessel to point out, to introduce, to usher in.
The Lord Jesus Christ so that if we look also in the third chapter of Luke, you looked in the second look in the third chapter Luke in the end of verse 21.
The heaven was opened.
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him.
00:15:00
And a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I find my delight, or in whom I well pleased. Now I think all these thoughts contribute to the thought that the quarter opened unto him.
We might say at this juncture.
That we might look upon.
2 words here in the chapter that might give, as it were, the key to this portion.
The first one is in verse one, the sheep fold.
The sheepfold was a confined.
It had its.
Its limitations, as it were. And such was Judaism.
A system of religion with the law as.
Its central thought.
The sheep fold, we might say then, is Judaism, in which the Lord found that blind man in the previous chapter.
Now the other word you give the key to this portion is in verse 16.
Our authorized versions uses the word full and it's it's not the right translation at all.
It should read flock.
So the contrast is the sheepfold the old Judaism system of religion.
With the flock, the one, as we say, had a circumference without a sentence.
The other is Christ, the center without a circumference. That's why we have the liberty of verse 10 or 9.
So.
The way God.
Preserved his people of old, I should say, was in the thought of a fool, a wall built around.
For protection. So we have in Jacob's word to his son.
Joel, it says that Joseph is.
How does that read by a wall? Truthful bow? A fruitful bow by wall whose branches run over the wall?
So that if any outside of the nation of Israel got in touch with the true God, it must be through Israel.
Like Ruth the Moabite, well, the brother, the vine ran over the wall and Ruth got some of those grapes of Levine that had gone beyond that wall. But still it was.
The thought of being legally held together.
With the laws and ordinances and the priesthood and all that God had given to Israel to keep them in separation from the unbelieving nations around us.
But we will find that as we go on, I don't want to get ahead of our subject that it was a barren place. Just like any farmer knows that barnyard where he keeps his animals, that every fear of grass is, is tramped up, becomes a barren place. So that's the way with the the position that Israel was in, it was a barren place. It was like what you read off.
It was a low D bar, a place of low pasture, but as you go on you're going to find where the pasture.
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To be found.
For rich pastures that the Good Shepherd leaves his sheep so they lie down in safety to enjoy.
The richness and the fullness of what he has brought his people into.
But we don't want to get ahead of the subject swinging these parts out because there's so much in connection with hearing the Shepherds voice.
The scripture you referred to brother area believe would be good to read a few more verses in Genesis 49 and we're like dropped to our fifth chapter, John.
Genesis 49.
22.
Joseph is a good football, even a beautiful bow by a well we granted running over the wall.
Parts of their shortly greedy with shot at him and pitted him, but his four, holding strength in the arms of his hands, were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob from thence into shadows.
Israel.
There's where we are.
Yes, and it's important to notice The Archers have thoroughly grieved him and shot at him and hated him. That tells what the Lord passed through his rejection and his sufferings down here, for He was despised and rejected of men. Man of Sorrows.
Acquainted with three. That's very beautiful they brought into that portion.
Brother, but his bow a vote in the strength, the arm of his hands were made mighty. After all the insults that man peeped upon our blessed Lord, He abode in his strength, didn't he? He came out of all his sufferings, even his atoning suffering.
Upper and the victor over all the power of the enemy of sin and death, and all that was against it.
And there we get the shepherd of Israel, proven to be the shepherd again.
There are three quite prominent thoughts here in this chapter and the one that you've just mentioned.
In connection with the shepherd giving his life to the sheep, I believe is the central one.
The first one that would be.
Could call attention to would be the 9th person what the Lord is.
I am the door. I don't mean to go ahead of our passage. I just like to call attention to these three things to keep them in mind. But in the ninth verse, the Lord says I am the door.
Find me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved. Shall go in and out and find pasture.
The next is I am the Good Shepherd, That's the 11Th person, the Good Shepherd given his life for the sheep.
Well, that's the sufferings of Christ, the basis of all the blessings. But he says I am the Good Shepherd, I am the door, I am the Good Shepherd.
Now the other one is in a verse we didn't read further on the chapter.
It's in the.
30th verse.
I and my father are one.
Now, I think those three thoughts are quite prominent in this chapter. In fact, this chapter.
Really should touch our hearts.
Brought right into the very presence of the Lord Jesus himself as the Good Shepherd, the one who gives his life not for Israel, that isn't what it says, but for the sheep. It's true that it was unto all, but still I believe what's before us here is the sheep, the Good Shepherd, and the sheep. He gives his life for the sheep, but the first thing that's mentioned is that He is the door.
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But there could be no one entering that door had he not given his life for the sheep. But then the chapter goes on to show us the ultimate because the one who was the man Christ Jesus, the shepherd down here, is the one who is, although he was servant to the Father, yet he's one with the Father. And that takes us back to the thought that we have in John.
Another places.
In my father's house or many mansions.
Associates us with the Father. That's the end of all the blessing to be with, with Christ and glory in the Father's house. But he is the door. He's the one who went into death, and he's the one who will associate us in the glory there with the Father has done so.
I think what you said by the mundane about the blind man whose eyes Jesus opened.
Being a sort of an introduction to this chapter is very helpful. I believe that's what you meant. And we really get a much better understanding of the whole chapter if we have that before us to see in the preceding chapter the blind man that the Lord sent to the pool of Shalom, who moist and came seed.
Gave us a bright testimony for the one who opened his eyes.
That they finally cast him out of the semi dog. And when they cast him out of the semi dog, you find them in company as the one who had been cast out before him to find the Lord found in man's, and says to him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Well, now he owns him as the Son of God and becomes a worshiper of him as that glorious person, God's Son, who had opened his blind eyes.
Well now let having that before us as we go into this chapter, we find the Lord enters the the door of the sheep.
So she pulled and he leads his sheep out of the fold. And this blind man is just a sample of all the others that were led out of that fold.
So that it becomes a very precious subject to our hearts to see that.
That he had gone before them and had already been cast out, and now that she'd followed him and they know his voice.
I suppose the blind man was not intelligent as to who the person of Jesus was when he was cast out. He gives the witness that he was a prophet, and then they cast him out. But the moment they cast him out, Jesus finds him again, and then he reveals further truth. And doesn't that set before us a lovely principle that if we're faithful to the truth in any little measure that's been given us, will get more light?
And this blind man now comes into the full revelation of who the person of Jesus is.
Because he had been faithful. And isn't it, brethren?
The fact that if you and I are in the enjoyment of companionship of the Lord Jesus, not only in separation but rejection, then the truth will be clearer to us. We'll understand it, but we'll also enjoy it.
Because if we're linked to tall with this side world that hates Jesus, how can we enjoy the truth properly?
And then it leads to worship too. It shows that worship is found in the outside place where the reproach of Christ is, is the portion of those that go unto him, like you get in the 13th of Hebrews.
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Let us go therefore unto Him without the camp during His atroach, and then you get by Him. Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise, giving thanks to His name. Then you get such sacrifices. God is well pleased. So there is a definite connection with the worship that is so acceptable to the heart of the Father.
Who delights the son in the place outside where reproach for his name?
Is found. I'd just like to mention, Brother Barry, what you were Speaking of in connection with worship that it wasn't just that this blind man's eyes were opened and that he was enlightened, but the Lord Jesus could say.
I am. He is the speaketh with me. I believe that's the secret, is it not?
Brethren, it isn't just knowing truth.
But as the soul and the enjoyment.
Practically, day by day of the person of Jesus.
That.
Draws out that worship.
Knowing truth won't do merely.
Am I right in this? Yeah, yeah, that's that's right. I'm sure. I believe this band's eyes were open to see the Lord Jesus Christ especially.
And.
We know that what it did to him when he saw him.
Oh, what a change that was in that man. He became a worshipper.
And that's what makes us worshippers, is to have our gaze, our vision filled with Christ, to see no man save Jesus only.
That's why it's so important that when anyone takes his place at the Lord's table, that he should see.
That the Lord Jesus Christ is there in the midst.
That's so important to see that he's in the midst.
Sometimes people might take their place at the large table for one reason or another.
There might be different experiences that they have.
That bring exercise to them, but there's this one thing that I believe they should see the Lord Jesus Christ himself in the midst and to want to be there because he is there.
And.
Filled with Christ, seeing Him will make us worshipers.
This particular case that it was not only excommunicated or put away, put out out of the synagogue, but also I will need to hold on Judaism.
Goes further than the synagogue, but very full from Judaism there was no room for a confession that this man was the Christ in Judaism was at that present time. And so it is with the with ourselves today we must not only.
Step out, as it were, or be put out. But we must recognize the person in the middle, and be attracted to him and to him alone, therefore thereby judging that which had been going on with.
Very helpful.
I understand that the words used here in the 10th chapter and the 9th chapter in connection with this blind man being cast out. It says in verse 34 they cast him out.
I understand that's a similar word to the word we have in verse three of chapter 10. He leadeth them out.
There's something similar about those two words, or what is translated there in the original.
Well, it's very important to come out, to be LED out, and the Lord may allow us to be cast out, to be put out. The Lord works in our hearts, works in our lives, that we might be brought to a place where we see no one but Him and see that He is the one.
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That we should follow because we find that after they're put out.
Then he goes before them. They find that he is their leader. They find that he is the Shepherd, and they don't want to follow anybody else but him.
A beautiful example of that in blind Bartimaeus. After the Lord had opened his eyes, he said, Now Bartimaeus, go thy way.
Well, the blind man might have said, well, I've never seen the novel Sights of Jericho, so I'm off. Instead of that, it says he followed Jesus in the way. His heart was attracted to the person who would open his eyes. I suppose he would be the first one blind Bartimaeus saw, the very one who had opened his eyes, and he fallen him in the way.
I was thinking to Brother Lundeen you just mentioned about the Lord being I am the door. I remember correctly the Lord presents Himself seven times in John's Gospel as the I AM.
I am the door, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the light of the world, I am the way, I am the Resurrection, and so on. But in the first six he stands absolutely alone. We have no part in either of those six occasions. When He says I am. But in the 7th is in the 15th of John, he says I am the true Vine, ye are the branches. Now He brings us into association with Himself there.
But in the other sects we have nothing to do with the resurrection for the door for the Good Shepherd or the light of the world. He stands alone in that. But how precious that He brings us into association with Himself on the 7th.
In the 6th chapter he says I am the bread of life.
In the 14th chapter, I am the way, the Truth, and the life.
And you mentioned 11Th, I think I am, the resurrection and the life. In the 18th chapter he says I am and they fell backwards.
This gospel declares him as the Son of God.
He is unique in his deity.
In John's Gospel.
And.
Our chapter is the middle chapter of John's Gospel.
The one gospel that.
Gives you the buddings of Christianity.
The stepping stones, as it were, towards Christianity.
May be traced from chapter one right through to the end.
It's the most peculiar in John's Gospel, how Christianity is anticipated and in a sense, vision is made, the Holy Spirit given the Father to be known as our Father.
And even when it comes to assembly, in the 20th chapter, the door is being shut and the disciples were assembled together and the Lord Jesus himself was in the midst.
And in that same 20th chapter, you get a whole series of new things coming out in connection with that person, that person that the Holy Spirit delights to honor.
He takes the things of Christ, He shows them to us. He glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.
And in resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ comes out as the head.
Of the new creation.
And through grace, you and I are identified with.
And he breathed on them, and he says, Receive ye the spirit.
Well, we have identification of Christ and resurrection life.
And he said, I go to my God, and your God to my Father and your father, and so many new things there. He gives a new Commission in John 20.
And our fourth verse.
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We have some things that are very important, I think, to notice in connection with, when he put it forth, his own sheep. Now these are in contrast with all the rest of Israel. These are his own sheep. These are the ones that he came down to die for, the ones he came to save.
And he's made full provision for his sheep. He goes before this. I believe that's very important to notice.
To put it practically, we find a person is converted, saved, and they're in an isolated place. They don't have much fellowship, perhaps the two or three.
Are they without resource? Why? No, He's made full provision, he goeth before them and now they follow him.
Well, that's the exercise of a new nature now and following Jesus.
We find that this has been brought out with the blind man, and with that is Bartimaeus and also the blind man in the 10th chapter.
The eye is upon Christ now. It has been taken off of the the other.
And it's resting on Christ, and so the soul has full provision by the Spirit now, who takes of the precious things of Christ and shows them to us.
But he does not leave us without resource, no matter how small a little assembly is in which you're found, you'll find that God has made provision for you. And it sometimes takes a little waiting upon God to discover it. But he has made that provision. And Christ is the is the one who goes before his sheep, his own sheep, and.
The sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
It seems to me that that is what characterizes the shape and contrast with Israel.
It's his voice that draws them out from the mass around.
Now those who have the oracles of God outwardly, as the nation, did not hear his voice.
They stumbled because they had expected a mighty deliverer to come, and they didn't know the ways of God. They hadn't been in communion. They hadn't been true to the light. They had but his own sheep.
Heard his voice.
Turn to Isaiah just for a verse. Isaiah 50. I believe it gives us a little picture of the same remnant that we have in Malachi and in Luke 2 as we've been reading up today, Isaiah 50.
The 10 first.
My brother Brown was saying that we have in John the buddings of the.
The truth of the church, the buddings of the beginnings of it. But here we have the little remnant looking on who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyed the voice of his servant. There you have it. Obey the voice of his servant. Now that's just as true today as it was when Jesus walked the streets of Galilee.
That walketh in darkness and hath no light. That's not so true today, though there's plenty of light today.
Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. Well, that's the little remnant.
That was found in the days of this blind man, when Jesus was here that heard his voice and followed him, had no light otherwise, but it was true to the light.
That he had there is a verse in the 50th Psalm.
He that offers praise glorify me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. I believe that to mean one who is true to the light that they have, there will be more light given, and not only for salvation, but for the pathway after we're saved.
Singing of what you're calling attention to is old faith.
The Lord uses the same expression in the 13th chapter of John.
00:45:02
Having loved his own, which were in the world he loved among to the end.
But why that speaks to our souls doesn't say his disciples, doesn't say his apostles.
He doesn't say his brother, but his oath, that very word speaks of possession, something that one values.
That as something that's priceless to their hearts.
We know in order that any poor Sinner might.
Belong to Christ he laid down his life as we get here at this chapter good chapter give us his life for the sheep, but.
That word speaks much to our souls, his own, which were in the world.
He loved him unto the end.
I think that's a nice brother. Very like we're told. It's so sweet when we think of math Was 13.
Sold everything to get that Pearl. Now he owns and I was taking notes. Mary Magdalene and John 21.
The third verse that we go back to that a moment she hear his voice.
He calls his old sheep by name. These two things go together there. Mary Magazine.
She was.
She heard his voice and the Lord spoke to her, but she didn't know immediately that it was the Lord. She still thought it was the gardener, but when the Lord Jesus said Mary, now he spoke her name.
He recognized them immediately. I believe that was our voice and his brother, Barry said. And this is just the disciples, they were known as those that accompanied with the Lord. All his path were here.
But Mary is old and his own here in a special way when she heard his voice.
There's a word missing here, I believe. I believe in the new translation, we find that there's a note as to this, that if you really read when you put a court all his own sheep, that's not leaving out anybody, not just the disciples, not just a few here and there, but all those who are the sheep.
He takes them all in here, and that would bring with it responsibility if the Lord puts forth all his own sheep and he goes before them.
Why? There's a responsibility there to follow him and to know his voice, to listen to his voice. No one is exempt here.
If we're thinking of the Lord as the servant.
Of God here, which I believe we do have is come down as the servant. But I know that is what characterizes Mark's gospel, but I believe it characterizes John also in this sense that you have Moses referred to often in John and you have those signs that Moses indicated prophet like unto me, but he's the servant here and now. That's makes it particularly sweet as we think of the Lord.
Come down to to do the work of the father.
His heart is affected as he sees the sheep and he lays his life down for them, but he does so as the servant. He's the servant of the Father. He's the servant of God. Now does that not have a voice for any who may seek to serve the Lord? It isn't simply carrying out of service.
But Christianity brings with it a heart warmth. I think our brother Eric Smith called her attention to the fact that what's needed today is broken hearted shepherds among the people of God. It isn't simply knowledge that's needed. It isn't simply walking in a strict.
Orderly course which is necessary, but to have a heart we have that here brought out his own sheep, and yet He had come to serve the Father.
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Mr. Potter used to say the Lord didn't have any shepherd dogs.
Any what? Any shepherd dogs? No.
Verse 16.
Both of Jews and the Gentile brought together in verse 16.
Another sheep I have which are not of this full referring this full referring to the Jews.
Then under Judaism.
Then also I must bring.
And they shall hear my voice.
Referring now to the Gentiles.
And they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
So you have to distinguish between the sheep and that which we have in verse 16. Other sheep I have. We can sit here and combine both, but it's good to keep them separate and because it brings before the marvelous place of cloth.
I suppose the Lord was anticipating.
But he brings out at 16 birds when?
His brother Anderson has called our attention to all his own feet so that it's just as much a word for ourselves as was for those Jewish sheep that the Lord was first addressing himself to.
So that we can have a very real way appropriate every thought.
We find brought with force to ourselves, like the shepherd going before us as Brother Landin has so nicely brought out.
And that's very priceless to think the Lord has has everything.
Raised and planned. Just, you might say, like the time the Lord sent the two to prepare the Passover. Lord had everything.
Pre arranged so that when they came together, they were in the place where they surely found the Lord in their midst. And then we could speak of this thought too, in connection with the sheep following Him and his going before the sheep, that there isn't a trial or sorrow that we will ever experience in this life, that the Lord hasn't gone before and passed through that sorrow himself.
So that he's not asking us to follow in the path where the Lord hasn't already gone through that, so that it's a safe path and it's a sure path.
Something like the 23rd Psalm where it says yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. So if the Saint of God is nearing the end of the journey.
I'm passing through.
Leslie.
Suffering, while the Lord has gone through the suffering of death even before him.
Of course, as we know, the valley of the shadow of death is not just.
The Saint of God dying. There's the whole scene down here that's spoken of in that way. Not death, but the valley of the shadow of death for death has cast.
Its shadow over everything that we have to do and in this life.
Everything fading, fading fast. All is stamped with deaths. Dark cast in the end of first Peter 2.
There are a couple of thoughts that fit in with what you just said.
Peter two and verse 21 The middle of the verse.
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that she should follow his steps. Verse 25. For ye were as she going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
00:55:09
May have the same true verses the former brother Ron like tension in verse 21.
Her brother Darby puts in a word that brings the intimacy a little closer, but he should follow in his steps.
So if we're following in his steps, we'll not be like Peter who follow the far off. I'm not able to hear the shepherd's voice.
In his steps, we'll hear his voice, like the little boy that was following his father through the snow.
He he reached out and put his foot right down where his father put his foot down.
In verse three, says the sheep, here his voice.
The end of verse four. For they know his voice. I was thinking what the we have from the Mount of Transfiguration, when the Father opened the heavens and declared, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, Hear ye him well. Why is it necessary today then for the Saints of God to listen to all the strange voices around us? Are we not liable that we can get confused if we do? Isn't the Shepherd's voice enough for every one of us?
It should be, but we find on every hand many dear children of God are listening to the many strange voices around, and in the end they're so confused they don't know where they stand. But the Father has said, this is my beloved son. Hear him well, Beloved Saints of God, surely His voice should be sufficient for every one of us. He will never lead us astray, never deceive us. He'll show us the right way and give us the grace to walk in it. We listen to His voice.
In Zechariah Chapter 11, it speaks of the idol Shepherd and he is in contrast to the Good Shepherd.
The idle shepherd is there. Speaking of, I think, of the future.
Antichrist.
The Antichrist and in our epistle of First Epistle John chapter 2, we are warned about the many antichrists. Even now there are such. So we have to be on our guard as to what voice it is that we pay heed to.
At 16th verse of the 11Th chapter, Zechariah, that you were speaking about, it says, Lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land which shall not visit those that be cut off. Neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that look, nor feed that that stands still, but he shall eat the place of the fat, and tear their clothes to pieces.
World of the idol shepherd that leave us the flock. The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm shall be cleaned, dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly dark.
You get.
The foolish shepherd in one of those verses, it's in verse.
Verse 15, that's the Antichrist. And then Mr. Darby's translation to verse 17. Woe to the worthless shepherd now in chapter 12.
Verse 7.
Awake, O sword against my shepherd Zechariah.
The wickedness will be such in that day that that shepherd will be cast into hell alive.
Without any sessional judgment before the throne, he'll be cast directly into hell.
That's the wickedness of man.
Really, of those of the Jewish nation summed up in this man manifesting in that one one man. I was thinking of the voice here in connection with Elijah.
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We find Elijah.
When he got a little discouraged, he left the land of Judea, and he went out to Sinai.
Into the presence of God.
And we we had a fire, I believe, and an earthquake, and a wind, and the Lord was not in the wind.
But when he heard the still small voice.
Then he knew the Lord was there, and he recovered his head.
Dismantle bowed himself. And perhaps that's a little picture to us of.
Of a practical side of this.
To be in the enjoyment of that voice, perhaps we get so busy and we become.
As Luke tells us, overcharged with the cares of this life, it might be so, and we think we know the Lord's mind, but we don't have it because we don't wait for the still small voice. And we're reminded that he's not in the wind, he's not in the fire.
And he's not in the earthquake. But in order to hear that voice, we'll have to be quiet, which is a very difficult thing to do today, I know.
But in order to hear that voice, we will have to be quiet.
I told the voices heard through his word instruments and that takes him all the scriptures.
But it's as one walks in communion that they get the voice of the Shepherd.
The apostates that Jude speaks about.
Are just the opposite, for they speak great swelling words, they make much over man, and they have not the spirit.
The Lord Jesus says I am meek and lowly in heart.
We know his character, we love him.
For that which is found in No Other Man on Earth.
We love him because of that tender, loving heart that is ever true, faithful and cares for us. He is the Good Shepherd.
Until it's it's really walking in the power of an ungreased spirit grieves not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby your sailor for the day of redemption. If we're allowing anything in our lives to we know it's displeasing to the Lord. Why we can't expect to have the guidance in the mind of the Lord.
So we need to be.
Much before the Lord, that nothing should be allowed to hinder the direct guidance that He gives by His Spirit and through His Word.
It may be a principle that's found in the word, or it may be some special words that comes just when we need.
Where to direct us?
I spoil where you read here on the 6th verse. This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. If the Jews, unbelieving Jews, and the unbelieving heart of man can never enter into the things of God.
Verse 26 is in keeping with just what you said.
Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice.
Now I suppose that this truth.
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Is to be found in practice only in the sheep. But do the sheep always walk through to this? I I doubt that that is not the subject of our chapter. I know, but for the sake of any that have these thoughts arise. Why you take Peter for instance. He was a sheep.
And yet he followed afar off, and there's many a child of God that has through carelessness, gotten away from the Lord, and they have been influenced by my.
All religious leaders and persuaded and it followed them and in fact they'd get into their little groups and make an awful lot over that one. Well, that's just what they wanted.
They wanted a following, so we have to be walking in the good of this truth to be true to our new nature.
John speaks to return to life. That's divine light and we get the characteristics of that eternal life.
And the 11 Characteristic is that those who have that light hear his voice and they follow him.
Well, it's a solemn thing to claim to have eternal life.
And not be following the Lord, not be listening to his voice, that is with a view to be to being obedient.
****.
Needed half my commandment and.
Keep it there, My commandments, and keepeth them. He it is that loveth me, and He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love Him who will manifest myself to Him. Now I believe the thought there is the enjoyment of it in the soul through obedience, obedience to His word. One may might be a sheep and not be in the enjoyment of walking and obedience to the Word. So he doesn't enjoy that communion.
I think that most of us have experienced that at times in our lives.
His commandments.
I I don't want to get off our subject, but we're talking about His voice, aren't we? Not they in the verse referred together in first John 5.
His commandments are preservative.
Where the soul goes on valuing his precious word, heeding it.
Why His word just keeps us in the path of happiness and blessing. His commandments do that. Oh, how much in contrast to the commandments of Moses.
They were indeed. They were a hard thing for anyone to try to live up to.
Because man is a fallen Sinner. But now we have those of the new nature is sheep, and 1St Epistle of John is the family, and there it's his commandments that do us good and keep us in the way. I used to have a very, very homely little thought, my own mind you take these wooden gutters on the House, or any any such thing that keeps the water flowing in its right course.
Well, his commandments keep us in the way of happiness.
When you speak of commandments, you're not Speaking of the 10 commandments, but any precept that the Lord has given us, any principle, if we really love the Lord, want to please Him, it becomes a commandment to us, doesn't it?
They're necessary for the new nature to know the path, and that's the path in which he's gone before, is it not?
The birds I'm thinking of is in John 14 at the end of the chapter.
31St verse. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandments, Even so I do.
That characterize the whole pathway of the Lord down here. Doesn't it mark him out as a divine person because every other.
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Servant, or every other one that has trusted the Father has failed in obedience at some time many times.
Here was one that never failed in obedience.
What his they could say as He does here, that verse that you just read, that the world may know that the Father, that I love the Father.
That was approval.
Brother Barry, I would like to get a little help on this question. If you notice at the end of verse 3.
He calleth his own sheep her name, and leadeth them out. Now, verse 7.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep, all that ever came before me, and so on. Is he not going out before them, and leading them out in verse 7, as well as three, and then after speaking about the thieves and robbers that had hitherto gone into that duty.
Judaistic.
Bull. Then he says in verse nine, I am the door, and he introduces that which would point to Christianity.
I'm sure that's.
Have contained in the thoughts before us.
That is, now that the Lord has gone outside himself of the Jewish folk, he becomes the door not to the the old Jewish folk. That part of the cold is entirely given up as God's ways of dealings with His people. But now the fall of a flock comes before us.
And as you say, that is the budding of Christianity, isn't it?
Now the Lord has a prop, and He is the center of that block, so that now in order to be among the sheep Christ, one must come in through that door, which is Christ Himself.
All that ever done I am the door by me. If any man enter in, it is into that flock. He shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pastures.
Paul gives us the doctrines of Christianity and we get a great deal of truth in Corinthians in connection with the truth of the body.
But it seems to me that John is so necessary to come before we have in the first chapter Christianity set forth in a person.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. We don't have really a transfiguration in John, but we do have His glory, perhaps in a little different way.
In the first chapter the glorious is seen as of the Son of God, but it's manifested here in a man. But it's Christianity in a person. The true Christianity in connection with the Church was not brought out until Pentecost. But still we have that which lays the foundations and the patterns, do we not? In connection with the individual here, Not the collective company so much, but the individual.
Rather, I believe in John.
That's why Brother Darby said on his deathbed.
Half he exhorted his brethren not to give up John's ministry for Paul's ministry, because the person of Christ is the is the subject all through the writings of John, and if we get cold doctrines without being attracted to the person of Christ.
We can easily.
Be turned aside, going the wrong direction. But if the person of Christ is everything to the soul, that one is going to be preserved and kept.
Then often said that it isn't doctrine that's going to keep any of God's people, it's love for Christ that will keep us.
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And that's why some of the most valuable teachers that were ever among those gathered to the Lord's name have gone astray. And then the leaders in division, they had the doctrine, they had the truth, clearly they knew Paul's doctrine in the most excellent way. But losing sight of Christ, well, the enemy takes advantage of that one.
To to make use of them in dividing instead of.
Instead of holding the sheep together.
We have and must have the balance of truth and I'm sure when Mr. Darby made that statement at the very last of his ministry, even from his bedroom.
That.
He had in mind that we were not.
To be only in the truths concerning the Church.
The Apostles 14 Epistles brings us the truth for this age in a particular way, like none other none other could have to do.
Well, the apostle Paul, he speaks about the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. He says the love of Christ constraineth us. And his epistles are full of Christ, the person of Christ. But it is in a different way in Paul's ministry. It is that one who is now in the glory, the Holy Spirit has come down here to make everything of Christ.
You read Colossians chapter one. Indeed he.
Shown that all of his glory and Paul would have us give him the preeminence as God would in all things. In Hebrews chapter one we see the majesty and the glory of the person who's gone in so acceptably in the worth of his sacrifice into God's presence and so well, we're not going to try to pit.
The ministry of run against the other. We need them both. Doctrine is absolutely essential at all times. If it is received in the heart and the fear of God, we need to tremble lest we have the truth merely in our head. We must live more in God's presence, more on our knees, and value every bit of the Word of God.
This business of having favorite scriptures and saying that this is a much more important than that. We must never in any way belittle any portion of God's Holy Word. Time is up brother 103.
We'll sing of the shepherd that died, that died for the sake of the flock. His love to the utmost was tried but firmly endured as a rock. 103.
No, no.
I'm ready.
John 13
Address—A. Barry
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Thy love we own, Lord Jesus. For though thy toils are ended, thy tender heart does take its part. With those thy grace befriended thy sympathy. How precious thou sufferest in sorrow, and bid this cheer while pilgrims here, and haste the hopeful morals thy love we own, Lord Jesus.
Thy way is traced before thee, the 167.
Their love will.
Grow.
In the beginning.
Let us turn to the 13th chapter of John.
Now before the beast of the Passover.
When Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariots Simon's son, to betray him.
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands.
And that he was come from God, and went to God, He rises from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poured water into a basin, and began to voice the disciples feet, and to wipe them with a towel, wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter.
And Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know Hereafter Peter said unto him,
Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
Simon Peter sat on the unto him, Lord.
Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Jesus said to him, he that is white needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whip. And you are clean but not all. For he knew who should betray him, Therefore, said he, he are not all clean.
So after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments.
And was set down again. He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me master and Lord, And he say, well, for so I am. If I then your Lord and master have washed your feet, he also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant.
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Is not greater than the Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
If he know these things, happy are ye if he do them.
I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, he may believe that I am he.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I sinned, receiveth me.
And he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter, therefore beckoned to him.
That he should ask who it should be, of whom he spake, he then lying on Jesus breath, said unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He It is to whom I forgive us, Stop when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped us up, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, and after the soft Satan entered into him.
Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest do quickly.
An old man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him by those things that we have need of against the feast.
Or that he should give something to the poor. He then, having received the soft, went immediately out, and it was night.
In our reading meeting yesterday.
I called attention to.
That word home, we found it in the 10th chapter, where the Lord says that he put us forth his own sheep, and he goeth before them, and the sheep following.
And though I mentioned this in connection with.
What we have in the 13th chapter, I believe it's worth repeating, for the Lord here says It tells us of the Lord that having loved his own.
Which were in the world He loved them unto the end.
What volume is that word own speaks to our hearts. He doesn't say his disciples. He doesn't speak of his apostles here, his children or his brother, but his old.
You know there's.
A desire with.
Everyone here to have in position what he can call his own.
It belongs to.
Our human desires and thoughts no one can speak of. His own wife, his own children, his own home, Things that we delight in and take pleasure in.
Without thought that belongs to me.
But when we consider Beloved the Lord's thoughts here in connection with those that were so dear to Him, it goes far deeper than any thought of what we possess ourselves because those that were dear to Him.
He purchased or on this occasion.
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Was about to purchase at infinite costs.
Say that lay hold of our hearts and affections.
That we belong to Christ.
And his interest and his desires and thoughts about us are in connection.
Where that word his own.
It says his own which were in the world.
The Lord was about to go back to the Father, and he knew what this poor world surely was, the world that hated him and was about to crucify Him, and he was leaving those.
So near to him, so precious to his heart in a scene like this.
His own which were in the world.
And beloved, all those centuries have rolled by. It's the same world that we live in today. But thank God there is one in the glory now.
Who owns us in the same precious way as we find Him owning those disciples that pass overnight?
As his own, which were in the world.
Just to think, the Lord looking down on a company like this saying.
There are my old they belong to me.
I have purchased them at the cost of the blood which I shed at Calvary's Cross.
Well, we find that the Lord is going back to the Father here, and He is preparing his own for.
Their departure, which was before him and you notice it says.
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God.
It was his going back to that bright scene above that introduces this marvelous, instructive chapter as to the Lord washing the feet of the disciples.
I'm sure that we all are agreed in this thought that.
Restoration of soul is the prominent thought all through the portion.
Just as you get in the 23rd Psalm, he restoreth my soul, so that was spoken by David long before the Lord came and died on the cross.
And went back to glory.
So God's people have always.
Then in the need of that which restores and brings them back into communion. So like in a couple, they might walk with God.
In a scene like this, but when we consider beloved that the Lord is taking his place on high and identifying his own with that scene into which he is.
Now entered the restoration that is before us here bears a special and very important character. That is, the Lord would have us in communion with that scene into which He has entered where He is now, waiting till the moment comes when we will receive us to Himself.
And that cloudless sea of glory above. Now the Lord would have us in communion with that scene. And that's why I believe it opens with the truth of his having come from the Father and his going back to the Father.
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You notice it says here, Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
What does that end refer to?
Oh, I'm sure it refers to the end of our sojourn in the sea.
And though where we have failed much and we have sorely.
Broad reproach on the name of that one.
In whose presence we meet?
Yet.
His love will not cease.
Until He has us up there in that bright and blessed sea where sin can never come.
All the end is to the journey, beloved.
And his love goes right on through all the dangers.
Through all the difficulties.
Trials, disappointments and sorrows of the way that love goes right on.
Until we reach the end and.
We're in his presence in that glory above.
We have something that jars as it were on the.
Preciousness of this occasion for it says.
Satan having put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. It was solemn lessons.
And there are things that we find beloved sufficient to solemnize our hearts, even though it may, and is an occasion of profit and blessings.
Our souls.
There are things that may well solemnize our hearts.
For when we consider.
What these hearts of ours are capable of Just think Satan put it in the heart.
Of one lovely 12 apostles.
To our betrayal, his Lord and master.
And that.
Was how deep.
Sorrow to the heart of that blessed one. But oh how the Lord arises above evenly things that grieved his loving heart at this time.
The chapters beginning with the 13th chapter.
On through the 17th chapter of John have often been called the Upper Room Ministry.
And it's one of the most precious, blessed portions of the word of God.
You know John's Gospel differs from the other gospels.
And in one way that in the other gospel.
Find the Lord instructing His disciples all through His ministry, sending them out, and so on.
But in John the Lord up till the 13th chapter is more out.
With the swirl that was.
Rejecting him. But after his testimony to this world is over, he closes his ministry.
Alone with his disciples.
And what touches?
I'm sure your heart as well as mine, how the Lord, although his sorrows were so near, how he, his interest, and his words are all for comfort and for the establishment of those that he calls his own.
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Wonderful, isn't it? Once in a while, you know the sorrows seem to.
Almost overwhelming Brown in the preceding chapter. He says Now is my soul troubled, but immediately rises above it.
For our precious beloved to get this ministry from the heart of Christ, just before he went to the cross to bear our load of sin and to see how His.
Factions is interest rise above his own sorrows.
So that he can enter into our sorrows and prepare us for every trial that we shall ever pass through in this dark scene.
So we're told that he rises from supper and laid aside his garment and took a towel and girded himself.
After that, he poured water into a basin and began to voice.
The disciples feet, though those little details strike us.
The Lord didn't have a valet to gird him, girds himself after laying aside his garments, everything that would speak of what is official or would be of.
Distinction or honoring As a man he lays out all aside, in order that he may get down to the feet of his disciples.
And it tells us here that he began to watch the disciples feet.
It never tells us that he has ceased to wash.
The feet of his own, and the love of the very fact that you and I are here this afternoon, is a proof of that very statement that he began a work that he is carried on for in the glory he is carrying on that work just as truly, just as perfectly, just as wonderfully.
As he washed the disciples feet there in that upper room at the Passover.
You know the foot washing was.
The service of a slave.
Nor the Lord reproached, Simon the Pharisee, thou gave us me no water for my feet.
He doesn't consider the Lord isn't worthy of the common courtesies of his day.
His little heart, perhaps for us to.
Put ourselves in the circumstances of those with Our Lord. They didn't travel on paved roads or walk on.
On concrete sidewalks they walk through.
Dirty roads and paths. So it was a very real need and the need that.
No one would, naturally.
Desire to exercise, to get down and wash.
The Dirty feet of the disciples.
But how wonderful beloved our Lord, teaching us of His precious service, to see Him there at the feet of His disciples.
Where the basin and the towel to wash their feet.
You know the water area is a picture of the word of God and.
We get in who might just turn to it, to Ephesians.
5.
The 25th verse, the middle of the verse. Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.
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The Word of God.
That's what the Lord uses. And beloved, if we are out of communion, it's this priceless book that he will use.
To.
Restore us to communion again.
I remember when I was a boy attending a we called it a conference, but it was a very small conference compared to what you're enjoying. Here were several hundred are together, just a very few. But Brother Heaney was with us.
And I only remember one expression that he he gave in that conference.
He was talking on this chapter and when he got to the Lord using the towel, he said that the water was grace, but the towel was grace upon grace.
Oh, how lovely that is, beloved. The Lord, in his wondrous way, uses the Word to lay barely sad failures.
Of our disobedience it is not very pleasant, you know, to have everything exposed and to.
Go into those things that are so truly wrong, but he not only.
Uses the word, but he uses the towel, leaving us so that we can be at ease and comfortable in his presence.
Then there cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter set unto him, Lord.
Dost thou wash my feet?
Or plea Peter thought that he was superior to any such need as that, and then to see his Blessed Lord humbling himself, and there before him to perform this service.
Was a deep trial Peter's heart.
You know Peter wanted to see the Lord. He loved the Lord. He wanted to see the Lord always in the highest place of esteem and importance. On another occasion we see the same air when.
In the 16th of Matthew, when the Lord was telling how he was to be spit upon and how he was to be betrayed and crucified.
Oh, Peter couldn't bear the thought of seeing his Lord insulted in such a way as that, he says. Be it far from the Lord.
Well, the Lord had to rebuke him in a very stern way. And get thee behind me, Satan.
There's a word there. So again, Peter wanted to see his Lord.
In a place of dignity and honor, not in the place that he had taken at the feet of his disciples.
And beloved, I am sure that.
If we laid hold of this.
More in our souls.
That in order that we might be restored when we have got out of communion.
There's there's nothing short of the humiliation of the Lord Jesus that could ever accomplish that workforce.
Don't you feel, beloved, if we had that more before us that it took the humiliation of the Lord Jesus to save us and then to restore us, that we'd be more careful and watchful of our walking ways.
Well, while a statement of Peters, thou shalt never wash my feet.
That gracious that the Lord doesn't always take us at what we we say if Peter had been taken for his.
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Wrong statement. It would have been the end of Peter's life as a Christian.
But the Lord is very gracious. Or we don't realize, beloved, how gracious our Blessed Lord really is, and going on with us through this scene of where we so often.
Slight in man, and dishonor his name.
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now?
But thou shalt know hereafter those words were said to Simon Peter. What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter, and it was not very long.
Before Peter was to learn.
In a very practical or very sad way, the meaning of his Lord's words.
For in this very chapter, the Lord tells Peter that the Cox would not crawl before he'd deny him thrice.
And then when Peter?
Has gone on in self-confidence. self-confidence always leads to a fall. You know beloved Peter's no different from the rest of us. We have self-confidence controlling our ways. We're headed towards that and dismal fall.
Well, in the and the High Priest house.
When Peter has denied his Lord, he turned and looked at him.
Oh, what I looked. That must have been for it broke Peter's heart. I'm sure that that look told Peter that he was forgiven, but still he wasn't restored.
And it was after the Lord had suffered for those various sins of Peters on the cross, you know.
Now the Lord had risen triumphant over all the power of sin, that he sends a message. Go tell my disciples and Peter.
Form that must have touched Peters heart, that the Lord still loved him, although his has dishonor to him had been so sad.
We read this morning about the Lord.
With those two.
On the way to Emmaus.
And you know, he was made known to them in the breaking of bread, and immediately he disappeared. Brother Wolsten thinks that after those two started back to Jerusalem, the Lord's next service was to restore Peter. For we find that when they reached Jerusalem, they found 11 gathered together, saying the Lord is risen indeed.
And hath appeared unto Simon.
There they were together, mourning and weeping over the loss of their master. And in comes Peter.
With this word, the Lord is risen indeed.
All beloved, what a precious lesson in that, that as soon as Peter is restored in his soul, he goes right to his brother, and I believe that that is.
One of the effects.
Of the soul's restoration that we want to be with our president. We want to be right with our brethren. We want to be happy with our brethren. We want to go on in fellowship with our brethren. So Peter can't get back fast enough to his brethren again. But still there were roots that had not even then been judged. So Peter goes back to his old occupation.
The Lord had said, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, and he had forsaken his net and his occupation to follow Christ. Now he's going back to the old life there on the Sea of Galilee.
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With all the lovely way, the Lord follows them to that place where.
He has. He see he has.
Departure.
And we might call attention to this, for it's a familiar subject, I'm sure, for us all, that before the Lord restores Peter, he warms and feeds him, and then when he's comfortable, then the Lord probes his conscience with these words.
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?
No, Peter Bose was the old man shall forsake thee, yet will I never forsake thee. That was the root of the cause of Peter's failure, and the Lord has to probe the root in order to bring about a full restoration of soul.
And when Peter so humbled that he says, Lord, thou knowest all things.
Thou knowest that I love thee. It was just as though Peter said, I know, Lord, that no one else can see any love in my heart for you, but you know that I love you. And when Peter had got to that place where he was willing to admit that the Lord was the only one that could recognize that there was love in his heart for his Lord, after he had so sadly.
Have denied him. Then the Lord can say Peter, someday you're going to go into prison and death for me.
You know the Lord has nothing to offer his own down here in this scene but the the shame and the cross and the and the rejection that He had in this world. When Peter and when James and John would have sat or asked the Lord, they might sit at his right hand and his left hand the Lord told that wasn't his to give.
But he would give them a share in his rejection.
All the love that there is nothing so precious as we go on through this scene to be among those that are sharing the rejection of our blessed Lord. It costs something. It costs a lot to be a testimony for Christ in your school life, young folks.
At your In your office, among your neighbors.
To speak for Christ and to let those that you have to do with know that that you're standing in testimony, or that blessed man that this world has cast out and rejected.
You notice that Jesus?
In reply to Peter.
He says, and rather in the ninth verse.
Peter said unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. For Peter had just uh, Or Jesus had just said, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Now notice carefully it doesn't say no part in me.
That would be like.
Where Judas, he had no part in Christ. He wasn't a believer at all.
But no part with me speaks about communion.
And we can have no part with our blessed Lord apart from this service that he so graciously and so humbly carries on in behalf of his own. Well Peter so loved the Lord to think of having no part with that blessed one.
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That he makes another mistake.
He says, the Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. In other words, Peter wanted to have a bath all over. If it was necessary to wash his feet, why not give him a complete cleansing from head to foot?
And that brings out a most practical and important subject for Jesus, said he that is oysters really the correct word is bathed needeth not saved to wash his feet, but is clean every whip.
You see the bath or the washing all over is what we see a new birth.
The washing of regeneration as we get in Titus Three and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Oh you dear friends here, if you have really from your heart, accepted Christ as your savior.
There's something has taken place.
Which has given you a new life and a new nature.
You're you're born again, and as we read in the third chapter of John, born of water and of the Spirit.
So when a verse of Scripture reaches your conscience.
They were The Spirit of God applies that word in such a way to your soul that a new life begins.
We were just speaking about the Lord using the water to voice the disciples feet.
And the same word that has been used for our salvation is the same word that's used.
For our restoration.
The same power of the spirit of God, too. I remember when I was a young man, I got in company one Saturday afternoon with some of my schoolmates and I went along with them and they were using coarse language and profanity, and I tried to be one of the crowds that afternoon.
That night when I went to bed, a scripture came to my mind, and it's in the first Psalm. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. There standeth a way of sinners and her citizen, the seat of the scornful. And I said to myself, that's exactly what I've been doing today. I've been walking in the council of the ungodly and sitting in the seat of the scornful.
Well, God used that word to cleanse me from going on with those companions. I want to tell you that one of those young men afterwards killed a man so you can see what kind of company I was in.
And how the Word of God can use that scripture. But suppose I hadn't been in a home or hadn't read the word for myself. You think I would have had that first that the Spirit of God could use?
That's why, dear friends, it's so important to daily read the word of God. Because you lay up a storehouse that the spirit of God can use when the time of need for your soul.
Has.
Has been brought about.
So we can't read the word too much.
Don't let a day go by, dear young man. I just enjoyed seeing so many young brothers here remembering the Lord this morning. May the Lord keep each one and dear young sisters as well, but store your minds with the word of God.
And then you have a provision that God's Holy Spirit can make use of in times of greatest need in your life.
Our Princess, That word to her.
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Clean every whip. As we sometimes sing, clean every whip. Thou says that Lord, should one suspicion alert, thine, surely is a faithful word.
And thine of finished work well when speaking about our.
Our needs as believers, we can rejoice in this, beloved.
That the famous believer of the Lord Jesus, the one who just accepted him yesterday or even today.
Is just as fit a subject for heaven as the most devoted godly brother that has walked.
And with Christ for 50 years, clean every whipped.
You are clean. Every whip says the Lord to his disciples, but not all All he thought of Judas that betrayer. Or if we love a trends in a crowd like this, there may be those listening to my voice that have never really from the heart accepted Christ.
As a personal savior that have never seen their lost conditions, never really been in the presence of God about their guilt and their need, And if there be such here, may this be the occasion when this all important matter is settled between your soul and a holy God, put your trust in that precious Savior.
Who died there at Calvary? Who shed his precious blood? That your sins might be forever put out of God's sight. And when you have from your heart accepted him as the one that died on the cross to redeem you, then you can know that you're clean every whip.
So after he had washed their feet and taken his garments.
Was sat down again. Then the Lord begins again to instruct His disciples.
And I believe, beloved, that this subject takes in.
More than.
Than the restoration that is so important, and I believe the the important subject of the whole chapter, the Lord restoring his own washing their feet. You know it's been illustrated in this way.
That when you take a plunge in lake or river you come out perfectly clean but as soon as you step on the shore whether it's.
Hamad or whether it's sand, immediately your feet pick up the the farm well. You don't need to go back to get the complete cleansing. What you need then is to have your feet.
Plans. And so in some of these bath houses, maybe most of the bath houses they have, they have.
A provision for that, where you can wash your feet when you dress so that you come out perfectly clean. So as soon as we're saved, as we have said, we're clean every whip, but oh, how easy it is to.
To become defiled in our walk and ways.
We are passing through a world of definement, where there is everything evil and corrupt and dishonouring to the name of the Lord, and so we.
We get defiled in our souls.
And then we have the Lord as our Advocate. And I believe in this chapter that the the Lord has looked at specially as the Advocate. As the High Priest, He is serving us to keep us from failure. But as they advocate, He is serving us to restore us when we're out of communion.
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You know in speaking about the advocacy of Christ, which you find in the second chapter.
Of the first epistle of John, the ninth verse of the first chapter you get if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Now that is the fruit, the result of the advocacy of Christ.
When we are brought to our knees and see that we have failed, it's because that service on high has been going on and then we're brought to our knees and we confess the failure.
But I believe that we see in this service that keeps us in the pathway all down through this scene through which we are passing, for the Lord would have us walking in a clean path.
And so he is. He is instructing us, warning us.
To keep us from any turning aside in any way whatever.
Someone has spoken in this subject in this way.
About having your feet in the Masters hands, you know Peter didn't want to have his feet in the masters.
He shrank from that, and there may be with US1 and all are shrinking.
From having our feet in the master's hand.
There is a always the danger.
Of following the Lord like Peter, did you know, which led to his fall afar off?
To get into a state of soul where we prefer not to be going on in in any way near the Lord, but kind of a careless.
Indifferent, sort of a way, as someone spoke of a brother, he said.
His state is that he doesn't want anyone to get too near him.
And I suppose that's the same is true as to his attitude towards the Lord. He doesn't want to be too near the Lord.
Oh, how dangerous that state of soul is, beloved, to be going on and be satisfied and content to be in a state of indifference.
Your young sister said she didn't want anyone to suggest that she got down before the Lord. She'd rather go on in a careless way.
And to get down and get into the Lord's presence, well, the Lord wants our company, beloved. He's going to have us with him and like him for all eternity, but he desires our companionship along the way, for this world is a scene of heartache and sadness to his heart. Just to think of the awful condition this poor world is in and all the comfort He has in this scene of his marvelous creation.
Evolves in connection with those that love him and seek to walk in his ways.
I believe we have in.
John, one who was indeed like the expression I I mentioned.
One whose feet were in the master's hand.
You know, John was known to the high priest. When he went out and brought Peter in, he went boldly and although he was known and at the risk of his life.
So we don't get.
John failing in the way that Peter failed, although at one time sad to say, because there is none of us, that the pop has in some way grieve the heart of our blessed Lord. They all forsook him at one time, you know. But all at the cross we find John standing by his by his blessed Lord.
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So that the Savior could commit his dear mother to the cure of that disciples open up as a disciple whom Jesus loved.
Well, we find that.
In the 21St verse, when Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit, and testified, verily, verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray me, It wasn't merely that he was to be betrayed, so long and sad as that word, and that Judas was to be.
The traitor about that one of that group had gone along with him was to be.
The betrayer of his blessed Lord, one of you shall betray him.
All the Lord was troubled at that very thought.
Well, we're told that now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, Simon Peter, therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus breath, said unto him, Lord, who is it?
You see the one who?
Alone had the mind of Christ. At that moment when the heart of Christ with his disciples was distressed, was the one who was leaning on Jesus bosom. Peter had to ask John. He doesn't know he couldn't get the word from Christ.
Well, that speaks to our hearts, beloved of communion.
The one who was in communion.
Gains the mind of Christ himself and the only one who could have the mind of Christ.
You may, beloved friends, read the synopsis from cover to cover. You may read all of Bella's books, all the other excellent ministry we have, and which I would thoroughly encourage you to read.
But I can carry this that that in itself will not keep you from being LED astray, the thing that's going to keep our hearts beloved in these days of departure and in the Clinton where the enemy is so active.
Is just what you see in John Nearness to Christ.
Being on the bosom.
A lap blessed one. Now all the disciples have a claim on the bosom of Jesus.
But John took that for himself.
We might say, but it's a difference situation that we find ourselves in at this time. Christ isn't here. We haven't seen him. He's up in the glory, Was another thing for John, who was actually.
In company with his Lord as a man down here.
Ah, the lovers.
There the privilege of being on the bosom of Christ.
Or enjoying that nearness of communion is just as much for us now, and perhaps in a more wonderful, marvelous way than it was when John chose that place where he had where he got the mind of Christ.
Look at the 14th chapter.
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And the 18th were.
The 18th verse, he says I will not leave you comfortless or orphans, I will come to you.
Yet old, while in the world, seeth me no more. But ye see me, because I live, he shall live also.
What does the Lord mean There I will come to you.
He is talking in this portion about the coming of the comforter that was up to abide with them forever.
And now that the Comforter has come.
Oh, think of it, beloved.
John didn't have that experience that you and I can enjoy at this moment, having God, the Holy Spirit, the other Comforter, dwelling in our hearts at this very moment.
They didn't have that, but we have it. And by the power and presence of the Spirit of God, he hasn't left his orphans, but he comes to us so that we can enjoy that very nearness that we are told about here in connection.
With John leaning on Jesus.
Bosom at the Supper. Well, there is much more that we could go into of Beloved in this chapter.
No, we can never exhaust the word of God.
But I feel that perhaps I have given enough for one occasion, enough for our meditation, and perhaps that's the time now to just leave the message and seek the Lord's blessing upon it, that he may keep US1 and all very near to His blessed side because he's coming so soon.
The next event is his voice to be heard in the air and our being caught out of this scene to medium to be forever with him. All beloved are we to be found in the enjoyment of his love going on.
In communion with him, How will it be with us to that moment come, as it will come, as one has said, the moment for which all other moments remain?
When we see his face.
We'll sing number six in the back of the book.
Gracious Lord, my heart is fixed. Sing, I will, and sing of thee, since the cup that justice mixed, thou hast drained drunk and drained drunk for me.
Gracious Lord, my heart is.
All everything in the world.
Hey, Cortana.
John 10:7
Reading
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241.
In verse 7.
How far should we read verse 17? Or should we go beyond?
I think our brother said verse seven, wasn't it? I was wondering how far we should read. We read the verse 17 or we should read further this time, perhaps because there's more in connection with the subject in the latter part of the chapter. Oh, it might read the whole chapter from verse 7 then.
John 10, verse 7.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door by me. If any man enter in, you shall be saved, and to go in and out and find pastures.
The deep cometh not, but for this deal and to kill and to destroy.
I am come that they might have light, and that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, but he that is in hireling, and not the shepherd who is only sheep or not. See if the wolf cometh coming and leaveth the sheep and pleaeth, and the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep.
The hireling fleeth because he isn't hireling and careth not for the sheep.
I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine.
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As a father knoweth me, Even so know either Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Another sheep I have which are not of this full. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore does my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father.
There was a division, therefore, again among the Jews with these sayings, and many of them said He had the devil, and is mad. Why hear ye him?
Others said, These are not the words of him that hath the devil.
Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
And I was at Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, and it was winter, And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon Park. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believe not.
The work that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of Maine. But she believed not. Because you're not of my sheep, as I said unto you, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, My Father, which gave them me as greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
I and my father are one.
Then the Jews took a stone began to stone him.
Feel as unto them many good works have I showed you from my father. For which of those works do you stone me?
Answered him, saying, For a good work we stole thee not, but for blasphemy, and because of thou being a man maketh thyself God.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law? I said, Your gods, if you call them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, say ye of him whom a Father has sanctified and sent into the world?
Famous because I said I am the Son of God.
If I do not the works of my father, believe me not.
But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the words that you may know, and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand and went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where Jonah first baptized, and there he abode.
And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle, but all things that John speak of this man were true.
And many believed on him there.
It has been remarked that there are two doors in this chapter, and we have spoken of the first door in which the corner opened.
That the Lord here speaks of himself as the Lord does he not on this verse.
He went through the door into the sheepfold, which was Judaism, to lead out the sheep and gather them around himself, and he's making known to them now that he is the door.
It might be allowed.
That He is the door for his sheep, that he has contacted in that sheep hole who have now responded to his voice. They are attracted to Him. They follow him who goes before them out. Some have thought that this is their authority to go out of that system of religion, Judaism.
When the Lord Jesus says I am the door in verse 7 some of thought.
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That I am your authority, you follow me, you've heard my voice. Now you are warranted in leaving that thing, and I am the door out, as he says in verse 7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Now verse 8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers.
That was shown in the earlier verse.
But the sheep did not hear them, they heard me, and now they go out. Now verse 9 introduces a new truth of I am the door. If any man will enter in now it is Christianity.
We should be very thankful for those words, should we not? I am the door. Verse 9. The law doesn't say I was the door yesterday, but I'm no longer the door. He doesn't say I will be the door to Morrow.
But he's the door today. How important to realize that it's here in the present tense. I am the door. He's the door now. And so it beholds those who have not entered in that they should do so at once. Because he does not say I will be the door tomorrow.
And only one comes in here. I am a big dog.
On our radar and only one door.
Their volume can be saved.
And that Christ itself. They say this figure is taken from a little practice of the shepherds in the east. They would build a Pharrell for their sheep to be protected at night. Now the shepherd stands in the interest to that corral, and only admits the sheep.
Within that shoulder, because there is the danger of a sly wolf coming in and making habit of the sheep, so he sees to it that only the sheep finds their way into this enclosure.
And how full the subject is by me.
If any man enter in showing that everyone who is among the sheep of Christ must have personally pursued with a Savior by me, can't find any other way, must be personally acquainted with the precious behavior you must have had to do with him, you must accept Him as your Lord.
Then you are.
On the sheep and in that place of shelter.
Is that the same body first fear one who by him do believe in God? There are so many who profess released in God, but the person of Christ is not highly esteemed among them. In conversation with some of the young men who came in last night.
There seems to be considerable interest in the Gospel, but they were a little afraid that.
The defense of the Person of Christ and the deity of Christ bordered on narrowness and perhaps even bigotry.
And we ought to be rather broad minded and consider as Christians those who did not accept the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. But how wondrous it is that we have a person of the Lord Jesus Christ presented to us as the door.
And that statement, who by him do believe in God, is, I feel, very, very important.
There is no reality, there is no certainty with the soul that does not accept the Lord Jesus Christ for all He claimed to be. Even the Jews recognize it here. They recognize that He claimed to be gone and that stirred their anger.
8000 and a week where the Lord said, If you believe not of armed heat, he shall die in your sins. Whether I go, he cannot come.
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I said to a Jew one time, he said Christ was a good man and a great man all, but he wasn't the son of law.
No, I gave you all the words. That was the I am of the Old Testament and rejected.
Is to reject salvation and to dominate your sins.
For them to say that he's a good man shows that they're not intelligent because the Lord Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God. He claimed that place that He is God, He is the I am.
And if he's not God?
Then he would be an imposter and you couldn't even say that he was a good man. So they don't realize what they're saying when they say he's a good man.
No, He's gone. He's the Son of God. He's the I am. And if he isn't?
We don't have any hope at all, and there's nothing to Christianity.
All It's all based upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, even his work. There's nothing to his work if He's not the Son of God. It's all based upon what He is in Himself.
We have a special line of truth in John, I believe in connection with what you've been saying, Brother Anderson, but also in connection with the fact that he is the Santa one. We get that in our chapter later. Not that I want to take it up exactly now, but just to point it out that there's a special sense in which the Lord Jesus comes to the Jewish nation as the sent one of the Father, not simply the sent one.
But the sent one of the Father, bringing with it that vast ocean of blessing the the largeness of the heart of God, in sending his only beloved Son to be the Savior to die. Now that's connected with the credentials of the Lord Jesus set forth by Moses the prophet. Shall God send unto you like unto me him shall he hear. And then he gives the warnings, and the 4th of Exodus.
Of those who would not hear, and there are certain signs that accompany him. One of them is his works, and the other is the motives of his heart. You get them both in John. He could say in John, If I had not done among you the works that none other man had done, you'd not have sinned. But the other one is, which of you convinced me of sin?
Every action of the Lord Jesus and every purpose of his heart was pure love and blessing and service to the Father and for the good of man. The Lord Jesus came down as the San Juan. He came down to reveal the bosom of the Father to poor wretched man. But he comes to the Jewish nation. He comes to that people. And although he's rejected at the very start in John.
Still.
It doesn't stop that floodgate of blessing. And he goes on, and he presents himself to them.
Here is the door by me. Any man enter in, he shall be saved.
And then go in and out and find faster. But I believe that the Jew especially is responsible for recognizing the one that their prophets had spoken of, the one who was said of God. But now he comes as a shepherd in our chapter to give his life.
As a sacrifice for the sheep, Brother Anderson's remarks are supported by verse 35 of Chapter 9.
To the blind man that he gave sight to, he says, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? That's chapter 935. Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
And he answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. Now in our chapter 10, verse 36.
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Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world.
Thou blasphemous because I said I am the Son of God.
Now another thought. Verse 9 introduces a word.
As to if any man.
Prior to this, we have been occupied with the sheep Judaism into which the Lord entered according to the Scriptures.
Now it is himself, as we mentioned before, that has attracted them. They've recognized his voice and they follow him. They follow him out.
He leads them out, he goes before them, and he's occupied up until this time now with those sheep in the sheep full.
When you get to verse 9, the introduction of that which we might call Christianity, Christ the center, Christ the Savior, Christ the one who if any man enter in by him, he shall be saved. Notice that if any man now that's whiter than the Jewish people.
Said they had a lot of buzzers on Monday.
Like that for the thought, but in John's Gospel I believe that title was brought before some 40 times.
And John prosper to complement their leisure, but at least 40 times the Lord Jesus is referred to as the sent while and and his closing remarks to the nation in chapter 12.
And verse 44 and of course 45. I believe this is the last message to the nation. In John's Gospel, that expression occurs twice.
John Paul verse 44, David described and said he's a believers on me, believeth not on me, but on him. That's that thing. And he that seeth me seeth him, that's at me. So that in itself was a stumbling block to the Jews. They couldn't entertain that thought at all.
And it's important to see that in John's Gospel, the Spirit of God emphasizes that truth. Then coming to the 17th chapter, we find that we are sent well implies that the same truth to us to represent him in this scene of his rejection.
How about chapter 20 also, brother? Several chapters. I mean that we're assemblings, yeah.
In 1St 21 Chapter 20.
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me, Even so send I you. There's a there's an important connection that has been mentioned already in as to the use of this.
Word sent one in John.
That is, that Moses was the leader.
To bring the children of Israel.
Out and then in. Let's take them out of Egypt and then into the land, the good land. But these things are types. And so it's taken up, I think in the 4th chapter of Exodus, and we find that.
The the Lord Jesus now the one that Moses has been referring to.
The prophet like unto me, that is one that God spoke face to face with.
It was going to be the leader to take his people not into the land of Canaan, but into that new heavenly land. It's Christianity, really. But he first leaves them out as we have in our chapter, the Jewish people. But then he adds also.
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The wider blessing as it goes in the 11Th chapter, all the children of God are going to be brought into blessings.
Through this leader, but he brings his credentials in John, according as Moses has set them before us as a prophet, and the Jew is supposed to recognize that, and especially the leaders they had the oracles of God.
But it is what the Lord says in Luke, where He shows the moral application of the truth to the heart. He said, We fight unto you, and you've not danced. We've mourned unto you, and you've not wept.
There is no response in the natural heart. In the 21St chapter of Matthew, we find that he comes to collect the dues of his vineyard in righteousness, and they not only abuse the servants, but they slay the sun as well. But in the next chapter he presents to them a wedding feast, and they do the same. They slay the servants. They reject it. It shows that man's heart is utterly opposed to God.
Be it religious or what it may be, it's supposed to God. It's only the sovereign grace of God, brethren, that opens our eyes to see beauty and Jesus. And if we're here this morning is saved souls. It's because of sovereign grace, nothing else.
I suppose the Lord is presented as the great leader of his people throughout John's Gospel, isn't he?
In the first chapter we find him as the lead out. There were two disciples following him. In the 10th chapter, he leadeth them out. In the last chapter we find 2 following him there too. So he's the great leader of his people, isn't he? And he's leading us through this world and a scene on our way home to glory.
Speaking of our eight at a time first.
Yes, pretty affairs, he shall be saved. One shall go in and out through and find faster than said to get inspected. You get liberty, and you get.
For safety, you get liberty and you get sustained.
Now there's the one who has come to Christ as the authority on the right to say that he is saved.
And will never perish, as the Lord goes on plainly to say, you see the the Jews who put this blind man in the ninth gesture out of the city dog that was looked upon as putting that man and a lost position.
Is cut off from all the privileges of the Jews. He was an outcast and he was doomed, but the Lord here in what he is bringing before us in this ninth verse show that this very man that they had put out.
There's the one that has with security and the safety of the ones who belong to God that are the the true sheep of Christ.
And then in the in the bowl, as we mentioned Saturday, it was right the place where David found the privacy, a low debar place of no pastor.
You go very barnyard, as all these farmers here know, every spear of grass is, is dropping out by the feet of the animals. So that's the kind of a place the jewels were placed in, a place where there was no pasture, and also where there was a place of no liberty. They were confined by the laws, by the ordinances.
And the regulations of the Jews.
Inside of that enclosure where God had put them.
You know, when David was king, he didn't go out with the gospel and preach to the Ammonites on the Moabites.
To destroy those nations, they were enemies of God, people. There was no privilege such as.
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Weak and so richly enjoy now going out to any poor center and telling that Sinner hears away.
You can be saved. You can have a title to heaven. They were held within those strict boundaries and then, as we said, it was a place of no pasture. But now the one who comes through the shepherd is in the green pastures where he can lie down and enjoy all his blessings.
In the Good Shepherd.
And drink of the still waters and even enjoy the the restoring grace so that he can go on in the blessings which have been brought, he's been brought into by entering that door which is the Shepherd himself.
I suppose almost every illustration we have appealing in John is an outcast.
The Lord is seen as a stranger, and he takes up the strangers.
We see the woman as an outcast in the 4th chapter we see the man lying beside the pool and the 5th that he has no help. He's helpless until Jesus comes. He's an outcast as it were and.
So we have in the 8th chapter of The Woman Who Was an Outcast and the 9th chapter of The Blind Man's an Outcast.
So I believe it's true in the gospels too, that the first miracle of healing.
If I'm right, is the leprosy and the next is the policy now?
A man who had leprosy was an outcast for Israel from Israel he had no privileges.
He was, He had to go outside the walls and he had to put his hand over his lips and cry. Unclean, unclean, unclean. That was his position. But all. It's precious to see the Lord Jesus taking up that poor leper at the beginning of his ministry, and it's a picture of ourselves and all our vileness and uncleanness.
He's going to bless us, but in order to bless us.
He must bless us with himself, and so he has to cleanse us first before he can bless us. And then the next variable of healing is palsy, because we have no strength. And he gives the man strength, and I suppose that's what we have here. He gives us pasture. The blessing follows.
In connection with the miracles in John's Tropical Matter, they seem to be special miracles in in connection with what you're saying.
They're special cases, demonstrating weakness, helplessness, and then finally utter corruption in Lazarus, who was raised from the dead. There are seven of them. 77 mirrors. That must be significant too, because in the Gospel of God we get a full rounding out of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ in a special way.
Not that we don't get it in other gospels, but oh, what would we do without this gospel? The Gospel of God is it's a precious one and it brings before the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Especially precious because they are all individuals in which effort goes at the mind is lost.
They're called signs, I believe in the other translation, and there are seven I believe as you suggest to individuals. But there is one in chapter 6 where he feeds the 5000 and that is also a sign which would really make 8IN the Gospel of John.
That's the only miracle I believe that is found in all four costs.
Large leading the fire power, but it's interesting to his first miracle of turning the water to wine.
I guess this call for Brother Big Brown falling attention to the first miracle moves. He turned the water to blood, death and judgment. The Lord.
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Has the true leader of the people turns the water to wine?
Expressive of the joy and gladness and blessing as a result of the work of salvation.
In the future day for Israel.
The married separate Cana is that not typical of the future joining of Israel as the bride in a future day, and there will be joy in that thousand years.
The third day, Israel, wine or joy had run out of heaven, Yes, but as our brother said, in the third day.
And in.
Oh, it is.
Hosea 6 where it says after two days he would come it. It may carry with it the thought of completing something that's been undertaken down here by God. It may carry that thought with it completing of a work that's been undertaken. I was thinking, brethren.
Our brother there, he has emphasized that word home and his talk yesterday and also we had it the other day.
His own sheep. And then we've been Speaking of these individuals that the Lord has singled out in John.
Now we think of heaven as a place where the courts of heaven will ring with the praises of all the Saints, and it's so. And we think of that vast company that's going to swell those praises in glory. But you know, brethren, there's going to be that individual attention by the Lord Jesus to every one of His sheep all through eternity. There will be those personal things that each one of us will know in His presence.
Just as down here we are his own sheep. And I believe that the Whitestone in Revelation may suggest something along those lines. We mustn't think of heaven as a place where we'll be just one of the large company and not noticed. We may not be noticed here, but in that glory everyone will be noticed in a very special personal way. Just as this word own suggests to us here as a sheep.
I was visiting recently in Bermuda and as a little guest house where I was staying, each morning one of the staff gave us a little talk about their particular responsibilities and the gardener 1 morning brought in a handful of various flowers that he had picked from the gardens and began to tell us about them. And one was the foliage of a page called Match Me If you Can. Every leaf on the heads has a very distinctive pattern.
And he was outlining the curiousness of it and showed us these leaves and told us the name Max me if you can. And the gardener said, you know, it's very interesting that in dog candy works he never never duplicated. And he said, I believe to this God looks down of all mankind. He takes an individual interest in everyone. In fact, I know he loves me. He loves me enough to send the Lord Jesus to die for me and the Lord leadeth is my Savior.
It was such a joy to hear, to say it, and even from the leaf of the tree we could learn that precious lesson that we are individuals in this sight. Here we are gathered together and with a number of us. I don't think there's one of us that could look around and name the name of every other one. But here we said individually beloved of him, how precious it is that his heart and should be. So do ours. You breathe, believe, brother, Hey, hold that if you had been the only one in this world, Jesus would have come to die for you.
And that precious?
Where everyone in that meeting was an exact duplicate of yourself. I don't think I would.
Why?
Personalities, right sometimes. Sometimes they don't just.
God with others, so we have to learn.
Time is unheard of calling holes in all our fuel, but a lot of holes on the wagon and some of them were quite crooked and they didn't fit together very well.
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So it reminded me of the fact that we're all crooked sticks in the bottle of light.
And unless there is something that is morally or seriously wrong and dishonor to the Lord, we have more or less.
Rub someone else the wrong way by they fuel the common expression or we have to learn beloved to go out together as the bonds of peace and communion together.
And all times the bear was one another, I've always insisted on having our own way of as to affairs in the assembly.
And it's a wonderful training that we're getting down here, fitting us SW for a deeper, enjoyable land perfectly where we'll all have the mind of heaven. A young brother made the remark.
That how disgusted we would be with our brethren.
If they were like ourselves, that's something like brother, Hayes thought.
The words in our ninth verse.
Charcoal in and shall go out.
Could they suggest that that is a divine order and that yesterday we went in to the sanctuary, today we're going out. I'm pastor. Isn't this order important for us? We are thinking of seeking to please the Lord as we first go in into His presence. Only then can we be ready for any service for Him. Usefulness.
Amen with the 2nd chapter of first Peter the Holy Priesthood and then the Royal Priesthood So many today and reverse that order and flip the loyal priesthood.
That is, we're going out with a thoughtful or testimony to the unsaved first and then they following it up with the finals.
Lord, I know a dear man. The neighbor of ours got a lot of truth, but he tried to go on in the secretary of position. In fact, he was largely instrumental for organizing the.
Secretary.
And for years they broke bread at the 11Th hour just as we break bread remembrance of the Lord. He told me they not a preacher into their church. They hired mine on Sunday morning. He had the table put in the back of the room and he said, oh, I listened to favor of all the time for the gospel. We're going to have the gospel now at the 11Th hour instead of.
And you can have the breaking of Brad, he said in the evening. Then he told me later on all he said that's too often once a month to remember the Lord. Well, that's the way Christmas is gone, hasn't it? They have made so much over the.
The royal priesthood, as it were, that finally they bought his food of the Lord.
What really brings us into communion with himself is neglected until finally it's it's ruled out almost entirely.
Does this not also suggest the liberty that Christianity brings? The Jew couldn't go into the the inner place and he couldn't go into the sanctuary and nor could he go out in the sense of Christianity does. I know that John perhaps would suggest more of the burnt offering.
But.
There is a peace offering, and David was.
Quite anxious that the peace offering be offered with the bird offering when he after he had sinned and numbered the people and was restored. Now that is.
In time it suggests to us the perfect liberty of the child of God in the Kingdom of God.
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We have been brought into liberties now that never could be known by the Jew in his position as a Jew. It's like the shoes on the feet. We have in 15th of loops the liberty now.
To go about without the hindrances that formerly belonged to that which.
Where the work had not yet been completed. But we have a largeness in John that takes I believe in all this because you know, sometimes if I remember right, the peace offering was offered with the burnt offering and you have a largeness here that.
Just overwhelms us like the sea of blessing.
We have the the Lord Jesus as the door, but we have Him as the Good Shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep. And finally the Spirit of God takes us right in where we see the Father and the Son as one. All this is brought to us in this chapter, our blessings and association with Him in that place.
We.
I was going to say.
What you have in the 4th chapter in the Lord's conversation with the woman in cycling as well was really caring for.
The blessing is which the believers brought now, or the Lord said to the Samaritan woman.
The hour cometh when neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem. There at Jerusalem, as you were imagining, the people could not go into the inner sanctuary, into the immediate presence of the Lord.
All through the Old Testament dispensation they worshipped afar off. Find that Sinai when Jehovah came, and all His Majesty and glory.
People still far off and worship or worship was always at a distance and all that distancing. But you notice the Lord says to the woman of Samaria. We might just turn to the wall chapter of John who gets the subject before us.
And their.
23rd verse. But they are comic. And now, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit, and in truth of the Father, seekers such to worship him.
I only could rightly say that the Old Testament Saints worship in truth. They have the word of Jehovah as the bringing heavenly sacrifice.
Burning the incense on the golden alternate as to their feast and as to the Day of Atonement and all that they have the truth that God had given, but you couldn't say that they worship in spirit, ash in spirit as well as in truth. Worshiping his spirit belongs to Christianity. And if you look at the.
At the third chapter of Philippians.
In the third verse we are the circumcision of the apostles, that is, those that are done with a place. The old man have judged it which worshipped God. Now read that pie in the Spirit, not in spirit, but by the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
The marvelous thing is beloved that we're brought now.
Into the very immediate presence of the blessed Lord. The veil is rent now at once. Shut God's people out from His presence. Rent from top to bottom.
So that we can come into the immediate presence of our blessed Lord and we can worship by the Spirit. I'm sure we all realize that yesterday morning.
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The Spirit of God was guiding and directed as to the hymns, as to the prayers.
As surely the breaking of bread, it was a meeting we could feel where the Spirit of God was guiding and directing.
All those things are belong to Christianity and give us to understand the superiority.
Of our position and our blessings when viewed in connection with Israel's blessings alone. Our brother letting I waited, but she didn't go ahead so well. It'll be subject 1 to another brother then I thought it would be better for you to go on. I was just thinking in connection with what brother reusing brought before us. The importance of that truth. We get the very same truth in the first four books of the Bible in connection with worship and service.
In Genesis we find there man is a Sinner. In Exodus man is redeemed with the blood of a lamb. In Leviticus man is worshipping, but in Numbers he's serving. We get the same order, do we not, in Hebrews 13?
So our brothers just reminded us, the Father is seeking worshippers and the Lord is seeking servants, but we must never reverse the order and put service before worship.
I was amazed a short time ago, a dear brother who was in fellowship with us, he said to me, you know, brother, we we want to get out of this place, so let's go and preach the gospel. And he didn't only say that. He said that he would be free to go out and preach the gospel on Lord's Day morning and stay away from the Lord's Table to do it. But I'm sure he did not have the Lord's mind in that thought.
Are we to put service before worship? The Father seeketh worshippers from the Father seeking today, and the Lord has his servants. But we should never stay awake in the Lord's table to go and preach the gospel anywhere.
Is that correct?
The Lord must have the first place in all things, must have the 1St place. I believe in God's thoughts He ever would put His own glory first before everything else. And in the Word of God. I believe that the members of the body of Christ, Christ the head, the members of the body of Christ.
Which were chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world, according to his eternal purpose.
That the second thing in God's thoughts is the church. Now the third thing I believe in God's thoughts is the service towards the unsaved. That is the gospel going out to the salvation of sinners. And then I believe the next thing might be God's earthly people, Israel, who in due time will be brought in according to prophecy under Christ the head over all things.
Now in Ezekiel chapter 44, we get the Levites that had gone astray and not kept the charge. There's something like Mary, I beg your pardon, Martha. In the end of the 10th of Luke, Martha was busy about much serving. In the 44th of Ezekiel, the Levites are given that place of service towards the house.
Towards the people. But then when you get to I think verse 15, the Lord shows how the priests, the sons of Zadok, they had kept the charge. And he says, they shall come near unto me and serve at my table. They shall minister unto me in the inner. Now surely God's place should be given first.
To worship Him is the first thing. Service has its place. We would never, never want to belittle service to the Lord, nor service in the gospel, but we must not let these things get out of their place like they are in evangelical.
Christendom, today I want to read a remark by Mr. Darby.
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Well, now, this. I'll tell you why I do feel like reading it, brethren.
I believe it's very needful at this time to be reminded of what we're first calling is, as Mr. Darby puts it, this way.
Our Calling characteristically is ecclesiastical rather than evangelical. I do not say we are not to evangelize.
Far from it, but I do say it is not.
Our greatest duty rather what is due to Christ.
By his body is the greatest favor.
Paul's doctrine must.
First and foremost.
Be old and guarded.
As our chief business, let us not give it up lightly and let us not.
Be neglectful of the gospel either. Is that the right order, brother?
I believe I'm very needed.
Ministry for us in this day when you will all and you will always see that those who get so gospel minded that they will neglect they remember to the Lord and the reading meetings, the prayer meetings that sooner or later they end up in the camp.
In the book of Judges, just a verse or two.
1St chapter of Judges to support the remark of our brother Brown that these were God's thoughts always.
We have in this chapter the.
The portioning of the land and who was to go up first and take their possessions. So notice here in the.
Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to fight against them?
And the Lord said, Judah shall go out. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. Now Judah means praise.
That's the tribe from which the Lord Jesus.
Came praise, but now notice the next.
And Judah said unto Simeon, his brother, Come up with me into my life. We may fight against the Canaanites.
Simeon, I believe, means Taharka. That's obedience. And so we have the order here, just like we have in the New Testament. It's the Lord gets the 1St place and then the moment we find ourselves in that circle where we gather to His precious name, we find that.
It's his lordship that's before us, so to Hearken comes next.
Chapter 2 Where do we learn and prove what preciousness of Frank?
Where do we learn and prove the preciousness of Christ under you which believe He is precious, or the sum and substance of all that is precious?
While we prove it, we learn it when we come into His blessed presence with our Thanksgiving, our praise, our worship. Well, then, how can we go out as royal priests if we have not been in to show forth the excellencies of Him who have called us out of darkness into His marvelous light? We have to learn inside first.
Go out in his strength, then show the so forth. The excellencies of him were called Olive Darkness, and it was marvelous light.
And Group 17, we have a date there with 10 lepers that were planned.
That was American International to give back to the Lord and to worship at his feet, the Lord says. And I'm sure there must have been sorrow in the heart of the Lord, he said. Where are the 9?
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I'm sure those nine must have told others how they were healed.
But they didn't come back to give the Lord his place.
I was thinking how it is you know we find doing so much with those that are evangelically minded. Put that first that the Lord does not have His place with them.
But our precious when we can give him that which is is due.
And then the the going out, as we've been speaking, going out is the royal priest that takes his right place.
They throw through that if our hardware really right with the Lord Jesus, this would be the natural order in our ways, would it not? It's wonderful to see the pattern and the instruction of Scripture, but it's also precious to feel that if our hearts are really right with Him, it will be the desire of our hearts to be in His presence, not simply because we are doing so.
Because of a certain pattern. But we know that in the bonds of natural affection it is a delight to serve. But who would ever think of true natural affection? That would not long for that sweetness of the company and presence and love of the One who is dear to our heart and beloved. If our hearts are right with Him, we will want that place of nearness and affection before Him. That place where?
He is everything to our hearts, and the heart blows out naturally in worship. And then it is interesting, and I believe rather searching, to see that the two are so often brought together, even in the choosing of the apostles. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel he says he ordained 12 That they should be with him, and that He might send them forth.
And in the 29th Second Chronicles, when Hezekiah is stirring up the hearts of the people, he says, My sons, be not, not negligitive, but the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him and to serve him. And so I believe it's the natural outcome of the heart that has been in the presence of the Lord Jesus, that his praises and his testimony does flow out to others.
And the two should be 9.
Natural in our lives in the last part of John.
Four verse 14.
We have that thought to also, brother, where the Lord says that which I give him shall be in him.
A well of water springing up into everlasting life, into eternal life.
Now the Lord was promising that which would be to those.
That would receive that gift and in this hour of worship when we worship the Father in spirit and in truth and according to that Philippians 33 that.
We are the circumcision that worship by the Spirit of God. It is Mr. Darby's translation.
And rejoice in Christ Jesus, where the heart is full, it will overflow.
Very striking to notice, Brother Albert, the first you just quoted. I was just looking at it. We have three things here mentioned in the 14th and 15th verses of Mark Three and seemed to be very important too.
First occasion we have in verse 14 the servant's relationship to Christ. First, they should be with Him. Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there are mine in the midst of them.
And then it goes on to say, and that he might send them forth to preach. Now that's their attitude toward the world. And then the next verse to cast out devils, their attitude towards Satan.
I believe there are three important things mentioned there.
I suppose that these things are very precious, but perhaps in the 10th verse we consider the solemn side of things. Here also the thief cometh not before to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, they might have it more abundantly. And so we have the the warnings of that which might be found even in the midst of all this blessedness on earth among the people of God.
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That we have been enjoying this morning that which the enemy may introduce.
But the true.
She his own sheep hear his voice and discern this which may come in among the sheep. The no doubt reference to what has gone before as to the thief, but also I believe it's a present threat constantly that.
In among the people of God there have been introduced.
From inside, from among themselves.
That which would upset the sheep. We have to be on our guard constantly. And as others have expressed this morning, it's the nearness of the heart, the Christ that preserves us. It's not merely knowledge, but it's the warmth of the heart, defection for Christ. It's enjoying his love for us and the responding of that love that preserves us in the case like this, where the thief comes.
You steal and you're kill and destroy.
Doing the sweep and the hiring.
What you thought?
Why I never meditated down. I thought maybe you had. I didn't say. I judge that it refers to the both referred to the Pharisees giving craps.
Little different view of their activities and and.
The Arabs that they were calling.
The character of season one comes with more or less suddenly.
Or Harley would be there permanently. He comes stealthily to a thief as a rule, and he steals. But this expression in the verse 8 and robbers, how many there are even nowadays of the apostate 1 standing in pulpits that are robbers.
It's Thunder too, feet, dust and plunder. He comes and steals and goes quickly. But a robber congressman?
In Acts 20 we have mentioned 2 with different characters. Acts 20 verse 29.
If I could fall, speaking to the elders at Ephesus, says, I know this, that after mighty parting shall breathe a woe entering among you.
Not bearing the flock, these are those coming in to do their their destructive work. But then it says also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
There are those that come in to do their destructive work and there are those on the other side that rise up.
And speak perverse things. And they draw away disciples. Away from who? Away from the Lord Jesus Christ, away from the center. These have no use for the Lord Jesus Christ, and they're doing what we find that the Lord is saying here.
They steal, kill and destroy and then as the hireling have no care.
For the sheep.
The wolves in this plain chapter of Acts, are they not?
As it were wolves in cheap clothing that do come in from without. Whereas the others there shall arise from among your own selves could be believers and teachers. They're infatuated over themselves, and they want to press their own things in order to get followers after themselves. And that would be to draw them away from the, as you say, the true center, as it is the business of the enemy to scatter.
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So it is the business of the Holy Spirit to gather and unite us.
I suppose all the way through John's ministry he warns of that which is.
Opposed to Christ and that which comes in at the end, which is the Antichrist.
And no doubt there is some reference here to that which I wouldn't be able to go into. But in answer to your question, I have no doubt that there is something in connection with the higher link that's referred to in Zechariah that at the end there will be that one comes and, and is a hireling. But he, he flees when, when the danger comes and he leaves the sheep. I have no doubt there must be something to that. But still the application for us here, it seems to me, is the present application for our hearts to be occupied.
And nearness to Christ over his word. Prayer that we might be preserved from these dangers around us.
Quite a contrast.
They have no heart they don't care for they see. They just want to get what they can.
Get out of it. But how different the true shepherd, when he saw the the wolf coming instead of fleeing while he lay down his life. So you find that when Judas was a band from the high priest came out to take the Lord.
So it says the Lord went before them, and he said he seek me, let these go their way. So he faced the enemy with all the dangers and the the terrible suffering that awaited him, rather than to dessert grow sheep in their peril in need.
In connection to the law adjustment in the first in Matthew 7 and 15.
Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly there are ravening wolves. Well, the mode of false prophet opens his mouth, he betrays his real character. For a wolf cannot say bar like a sheep, though he'd be dressed like one. He can only growl. So it's easy to discern surely the difference.
I'd like to just repeat what I remember our brother a or sometimes telling us and I believe it's good for us younger ones to remember that.
This expression more upon me is often held out by.
Some groups that speak of a sort of a second blessing, as though it is some attainment, but the truth here is that the Lord has not only given life, but abundant life to the weakest, to the.
Youngest child of God. It's not an attainment. That is what is given to each one of us. This presupposes no life before, but more abundantly would suppose. Well, there was some of it, but now it's more about it. That's not the thought I believe, but it is. It is the thought of of what we have in Christianity.
We are anticipating the finished work of Christ in almost the entire Gospel of John.
We also anticipate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God as our Father. They had that knot in the Old Testament time, but now it's distinctive of Christianity that we do have eternal life. That in the way that John uses the expression eternal life in this gospel, it is where we first get it in the Word of God.
And it embraces all of that life of a risen Christ.
Is the life of Christ risen, and the Holy Spirit the power?
And also by the Holy Spirit we cry our Father in relationship. So our communion and enjoyment. Now is that life abundant? That's Christianity and it's full development. It's always anticipated in John. I want to say for the benefit of any that might have a skeptical thought of what I've said, that in the Old Testament, do you find the word?
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Life forevermore in 133rd song, the last verse 3.
That is looking at blessing for Israel in the future on the earth.
And one other time.
In Daniel chapter 12 verse two, it speaks about some being.
Raised to light everlasting that is merely that bringing out of the godly Jews from the dust of the Gentile nations, if you please, and bringing them into the earthly blessings of the Kingdom future, future. Now in the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, whenever it chooses the expression eternal life or everlasting life, it's one the same word in the in the Greek they tell us.
But in those three gospels, it's always the Old Testament point of view of blessings ahead.
On the earth? Not until you get to John chapter 3 and verse 15.
Do you get eternal life used in the way it's used now in Christianity and in John's Gospel? And it's based on the 14th verse. John 314 says as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up?
That whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. The first time you get it in the Bible in that sense, but it's based on verse 14. The finished work of Christ is that solid, brother.
You would say then, that the everlasting or the evermore in the Old Testament is more the everlasting of time.
But eternal life, as we have it in John, takes us on into eternity. We have it now, but we have it all into eternity. Amen.
Would you connect this boss and I am coming. They might have life, and that they might have it abundantly with the 20th of dawn and His breathing on them. You speak of it in view of the completed work of Christ in John 20 verse 22, when he had said this.
He breathed on them and sat under them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. It would seem to be in contrast with the condition of Adam when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And we belonged at one time to that atom race.
With the sentence of condemnation and death. But now, by the grace of God, we are possessors of that which is abundant life, and it seems to me to have its connection here. One and two follows right through with your thought. There is now therefore no condemnation. Then they're in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Now that fits in with that breathing upon them. Resurrection life or identification with Christ in resurrection life.
#238.
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