Chicago Conference: 1968
Table of Contents
2 Peter 1:5-21
Reading
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General Meetings Wheaton, August 1968. Reading Meeting Tuesday.
1:00 and 5:00.
And beside this giving all diligence.
Add to your faith virtue.
Virtue. Knowledge.
Knowledge Number and a different Patience and a Patience Godliness and a Godliness Brotherly Kindness and a Brotherly Kindness Charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you, that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But either lack of these things, that blind, and cannot see a far off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his own sins. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election, sure. Or if you do these things, you shall never fall for so an entrance will be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them.
And be established in the present truth.
Yeah, I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me.
Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance.
00:05:02
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, for he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mountain.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy, for under you do well that you take heed.
As under a light the Shiner than a dark place until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your heart, knowing this verse that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not an old time by the will of man, but holy men of God's faith as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
New translation on its fifth verse is, I think twice interesting. It says but for this very reason also.
Choosing their width. All diligence in your face have also virtue.
For this very reason also you may be there with all diligence.
And it seems to me that the Scripture having opened up to us how richly we are, blessed we have received light. Precious faith, grace and peace is multiplied to us. We have all things that pertain unto life and godliness. We've been called by glory and virtue. We have these great and precious promises. Therefore we're entitled to relax.
Oh my God.
But for this very reason also using their with all diligence in your faith hath also verses, because of the wonderful provision that God has made, There ought to be on our part a diligence that they're not, and walking as those who have been blessed in this manner on our way over.
My power.
Thinking of these various steps that we have here, it's like an ascending ladder. The last one is love, isn't it? And then the Lord told his disciples.
In the 13th of of John we had them all together like like a heavenly family, you know down here. And he tells them by this shall all men know that you're my disciples, and that you have loved one to another.
So we have here as that we're on ascending scale bringing us to this point and that's what really brings us into the abundant entrance. Now this is very similar to what we have in the Psalms, the Psalms of degrees beginning with 120th song.
There are, I believe, 15 of them, but the 14th one how good it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. And the last one is praise.
Now it's like a stairway. If you'll count the stairways, you'll find most of them are 15 steps from one floor to another.
And it's though the soul were transported from the lower level to the higher level.
In this, in his experience, and that's the work that God is going to do with Israel. After He brings them back into their land, then He's going to work in their hearts, and my people shall be willing in the day of my power. But, brethren, that's just exactly what we have here in this chapter. For ourselves is desiring that we might grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But He also desires that we might have an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior.
And so in order to do so, it isn't a question of how much we spend in effort necessarily in trying to serve him. But it's this diligence that would rise to Our Calling and the enjoyment of it and the practical side of it, not simply knowing a lot of things, but walking in the good of them, as we have here step by step.
00:10:02
On his second Psalm you're quoting from how good it is present is for brothers to dwell together in unity.
120 Thirty 433rd It's important to observe the preceding song.
Because.
This ecumenical idea of.
Brethren, regardless of of church truth going on together and forgetting all about differences.
And throwing overboard any anything that has to the divisions that have come in among the people of God and just all come together and have a good time and be together.
So we might just notice the preceding sounds. I believe that's important. 133rd Psalm. That would be the 132nd song, wouldn't it?
In that 132nd song.
We get the importance of the Ark.
Lord, remember David and all his afflictions, how he swear unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob, surely I will not come into.
The Tabernacle of my house or go up to my bed. I will not give sleep to mine eyes or slumber to mine eyelids until I find the place for the Lord and habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Though we heard of it in Africa, we found it in the fields of the woods. We will go into His Tabernacle. We will worship at His footstool. Now notice this eight first.
Arise, O Lord, unto thy rest.
Thou and the Ark of thy strength, for that is the archetypal Christ. Beautiful type, isn't it? The Ark was made of a Casey Woods, Speaking of the Lord as a real man who grew up in this scene overlaid with pure gold, telling that he was divine as well as man.
And Christ only is the Center for his people.
For the Lord says, where two or three are gathered together under my name, there am I in the midst of them, unless we have God's divine center.
As the place to which we gather any thought of unity is contrary to the mind of God, now that being established as to a God's center, Christ himself.
By then we have how blessed it is for how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Well, I didn't want to turn the the meeting away from our subject, but since that was mentioned, I believe it's important.
132nd Psalm is very interesting.
I believe that perhaps Solomon wrote it and he's quoting his own father's father's thoughts.
In the in the first verses. Now look at second Chronicles chapter 6 and the last two verses of 2nd Chronicle 6.
Now, by the way, we're reading here as the Solomons prayer on the occasion of the dedication of the temple in the appointed place that God had in mind from back in Deuteronomy chapter 12.
To place his name there, that was in Jerusalem and in the Temple.
The place of approach, the center of God's people for worship. So in these last two verses, Second Chronicles 6 Now therefore arise, oh Lord God, into thy resting place.
Thou and the ark of thy strength, Let thy priest, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy Saints rejoice.
00:15:03
In goodness, not only the place but the heart to rejoice.
Oh Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed. Remember the mercies of David, thy servant now Solomon speaking now the 132nd Psalm. The reason I'm adding to what we've had is this.
We have a state of soul here in this 132nd sound. That is necessary if the soul is really wanting to know the place that God would have us, where he'd have us gathered, and to make that a primary importance.
Now notice that to make it a primary importance, that's the point of a Psalm 132. Now watch.
Lord, remember David and all his afflictions, how he swear unto the Lord and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob. Surely I will not come into the Tabernacle of my house, nor go up to my bed, and take it easy. I will not give sleep to mine eyes. I'm not going to let anything hinder me, or come before this or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord.
Give the Lord the first place in your heart. Want nothing less than that, and he will make it clear as to his mind of being gathered to his name.
Well now, Brother Brown, you didn't finish because in the done in 34th sum you have the Sanctuary. Go ahead.
That's what that's what this brings us to, is it not? Yeah. The very center that you're Speaking of is in the last of these songs of degrees. And so that's, that takes us to our subject in our chapter in Peter that the spirit of God would bring us.
In our souls to this point.
And you know faith and hopes will cease, but love abides alone.
And this is what the the the real evidence seen and the believer, if there is that affection, even though there's rebuke, even though there's trouble, defection flows on. Still, it's the real indication of the fruit of grace in the soul, is it not?
The translation brother or endless hair with your faith rather than add to your faith.
Peter has brought out the first verse.
That, like crisis faith, that is, we're saved by by grace, through faith that not of yourselves, That is the entrusted in Christ alone as our Savior. We have accepted His death as a remedy for our sins. But there's much more of us needed as we go on through this dark, entangled scene.
As it were, the faith that saves is just the first step in our Christian life send the whole journey lies before us. So we need all these things that are mentioned here, and the first is virtue that we spoke of before.
The the In the third verse we get through the knowledge of him that has called us by glory and virtue.
That same word appears again in this in this fifth verse, your face.
Virtually was described as moral or spiritual courage.
So that is the most important subject to begin with, because having the truth and not having the desire of heart, the purpose of heart.
To walk in the truth only leads to.
Dangerous state just having the head stored with knowledge. So you see that virtue precedes knowledge.
There is.
Wonderful divine Foundation.
Provided here in these first verses leading up to what we're starting with this this morning. Now the first has just been mentioned.
00:20:06
Divine Faith or Precious Faith.
This has been given to us in the full revelation of the Christian faith, the faith of God's elect, but to us as individual believers.
We have been given the ability of faith to.
Adopted to believe it, to enjoy it. And it is not merely an introductory thing like in the gospel. It is a thing that goes on continually. The faith of God's elect enjoyed. And that's the precious faith we have as one of the things that the foundation of universes. I'll mention another one here in verse 3. And that is divine power, divine faith, Divine power.
By the Holy Spirit and then right next to it.
Has been given to us as a divinely given to us all things that pertain into life and godliness. What a foundation have these this provision, the provision for us, so that we lack nothing in the provision. Now the next one is in verse 4.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great greatest, it should be the greatest and precious promises.
The heaven is eternal, that go along with the faith that you and I and Christianity have that's divine, the divine word now in the end of the verse and that he made the.
Partakers, or become partakers of the divine nature. Now this too is, I believe virtually as you and I now know it, eternal life to enjoy. It is not merely the evangelist point of view, not merely this.
That they might, or whom to know is life eternal. You know, we get on their knees. We pray for the gods.
And over and over again we hear that lovely expression. Whom to know is life eternal? It is not merely that first introductory acquaintanceship with the Savior eternal life. That is just the beginning of it.
But eternal life is that divine life enjoyed as we go along. It is continuous. It is the expression of the life of God. In our new life we have eternal life. So it takes the divine nature. What a good foundation for what's coming now.
Now in verse 5 and beside this.
No, but for this very reason also using their width as our brothers read it correctly using therewith diligence now.
That's the purpose of the Peter. He was about to depart. He wanted to stir them up to living, exercise and diligence in the things of Christ. Now what? We're going to get in the seven fruits, if you please, that make us fruitful.
Are things not merely that? You take #1 and then you add #2 to #1, then you add #3 to #2, and so on. It's not merely that like it is in the authorized version.
It is not so much a matter of adding and you first learn this lesson in this class and then you go on. You learn another lesson, that class. It is not that thought at all. If you and I or the sisters know more about this, we're going to make up a fruit cake. You'd have the recipe before you. You'd watch it carefully. You wouldn't want to leave out the soda or the salt or the whatever it is you know.
And if you have all the ingredients there, you make up a real good fruitcake. Now here God is bringing before us the virtues of Christ, the virtues of Christ. And if these things be in US, lacking none of them, it makes us very fruitful rather than idle, and the word like blind, and forget that there would once purge their old sins.
00:25:06
Be helpful to repeat what was said yesterday about virtue using the illustration of Moses. Now Moses knew from the Scriptures of at least what God had revealed to Abraham that Canaan was the land that God promised to him and to his seed forever, knowing the promise of God to Abraham.
Now Moses had the knowledge, wonderful knowledge of God's plan and purpose, lesson to Israel, his people. He knew that he was one of that people. But here he was in the court of Pharaoh. He was the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter. Well, he had that knowledge, but it took more than that knowledge to take him out of Egypt. And that's.
Where virtue comes in, that moral Curry, well, it's.
Really required courage to.
Face peril, and all his hatred and enmity awards God's people, and to meet all the opposition, and you get the description of that virtue in the 11Th of First Corinthians. By faith. Moses, when he came to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the quasars of sin for a season.
Virtue. And so, as we sit in these meetings and here's the precious truths, minister to our souls on what it means to be a Christian and to have a heavenly hope that we're not of this world. We'll go back to our homes with a lot of knowledge. But unless there is virtue to go with that knowledge, it will not.
Have.
Real power in our lives.
For if we are careless, we are worldly minded. We just had earthly things before us. We could soon settle down. But if there is that virtue, why we will want to act and live and walk as heavenly citizens with the glory before us and not just have our desire centered in in getting on, in this scene, building up something in this world.
So the 1St and all important subject brought before us is virtue and then knowledge.
And as well to have the knowledge that we get from God's word. I believe knowledge is the mind of God as revealed in His word. That right, Brother London?
And moral, spiritual courage, as you have mentioned. By faith he forsook Egypt and said a man of God is the man who burns the bridges behind him. We can't go back.
And there's too much with ourselves oftentimes of sort of holding on to some things. It'd be better if we burned the bridges. And now as to this, the character of this chapter, I agree with our brother Brown as to his remarks of the adding. On the other hand, may we just say this, that there is such a thing as progress here as well. There is such a thing as arriving at this point of the 11Th verse.
It but it's it's because that all of these things are true of the soul and we don't learn the mall in a moment. It's as we feed on Christ that these things become true in our lives.
In a practical way. So we can't expect, for instance, to to have.
Patience until.
There is temperance.
So there is such a thing as progress in the soul here.
As well as what has been said, there's growth.
Average the self denial.
Self-control forces I keep my body in.
00:30:03
I was thinking after your remarks for the Berry, the last couple of verses of Genesis 13, just for a moment, as to the practical side of the thing that you were emphasizing. I'm always glad to have some rather helpful bring out the importance of making these things good to our soul and not merely hearing them and doing when you're not the other.
Verse.
14 The Lord said in Abraham, after the plot was separated from him.
Said. Lift up now, thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and southward, and eastward and westward. Take a good a look at this good land flowing, and milk and honey, that I have made promises to you.
Now for all the land which thou says to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. Now verse 17.
Arise and walk through the land.
Arise and walk through the land. For you and me it is Christ in the glory and all the precious truths associated with Christ our head in the glory.
Our treasure, if you please in the glory, arise and walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. Then, Abraham removed, may we do likewise.
My mind just now goes to Psalm 37. It may be verse 5. Mr. Darby's translation. I love it.
Confide in Jehovah.
Do good dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness all around us. Within us we see everything and anything but that faithfulness, but in Christ we see it all together. Feed on faithfulness. That's a good verse for us in these last days.
To feed on Faithless, Well, here he removes his tent. Ah, he was dwelling in a tent, are we? And came and dwelt in the plane of memory. I think it means fatness.
Good for our soul, which is in Hebron Speaking of communion. By the way, Literally the word Hebron means passage. That's what it means is passage. Simonius and Jessenius, the Old Hebrew to give it. Hebrew men, scholars that give us the exact meanings, as near as you can get it, of these Old Testament words or names. Hebrew means passage to my soul and your soul. I believe when we think of that passage the Lord has made.
From our distance and depth that we were in, and how He's made a passage by his death and his resurrection, and on to the glory. Why we have in Hebron that communion because of that wonderful passage. And he built there an altar unto the Lord. Our precious is that.
As to this virtue.
I am gotten the idea. I think it's through.
Mr. Kelly, that it is related to God's virtues.
In the Proverbs, it speaks about the rareness of a virtuous woman, a woman of worth. But a woman of worth is one who has the qualities of godliness in her life. And oh, how that speaks and how we need it and how it encourages us nowadays.
That temperance is followed by a patient. I think the translation you were reading, it's endurance, isn't it?
The same as you get in Hebrews 12.
Run with Endurance. The race that was set before you looking off onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And I believe that Brother Lundin's remark is important to calling attention to temperance before you get endurance. So often we see Saints go on very well.
Till some trial comes into their life, maybe some trouble in the assembly and then the the they get will fuller, stubborn and they they leave the past.
00:35:15
Go off and leave the maybe the table of the Lord. Seen many sad evidence of that, so if if this.
Temperance.
Really. Asked. What did you the word you used, Brother Brown?
Self-control? Really. Judging ourselves for everything that would savor our own will? Having our own way? How dangerous and subtle that thing is, how often it's necessary to yield That your yielding must be known unto all men, and often in assembly affairs where we see such a lack of evidence of being willing to yield our will to our brethren.
We think we're right. Maybe, perhaps have been. It might be where there isn't any evil in view that we should yield, even though we believe that what we suggest or what we stand for is right. Far better to yield our wills and not always insist on having our own way. So that conference then leads to endurance. That's going on and on and on, isn't it?
Not surrendering, giving up, or turning aside.
Self-control in connection with what we might speak of as the evil side of things in this life. But it's self-control in connection with our habits. Because all day long we're making decisions, perhaps unconsciously times, but we're making decisions now. We have the opportunity of of taking up with the things we find in hand to occupy us in our spare time.
But if we're going to go grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we'll have to set aside a certain time for the reading of God's word and prayer we were speaking yesterday of the fact of.
Of the power.
To carry out what has been committed to us now, in the 9th chapter of Luke, the Lord gave the disciples the power and authority to cast out demons.
In the first 2 verses, but when they came down from the mount of Transfiguration and all the glory about it, they still couldn't cast out the demon.
And the question arose later.
Why could we not cast him out? This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting. Well, now what is prayer and fasting? And they always go together, it seems in scripture mostly.
Well, prayer would be bringing our souls into the presence of God and in the consciousness of what his will might be.
And asking that we might have the grace to carry it out. But fasting is denying ourselves those things which in themselves may be good but are not expedient if we want to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Now, there are many things that are good in themselves, but they cannot be considered.
The good material to use when it comes to faith.
In themselves they may be all right, the many inventions of this world that.
May be put to practical use, but when it comes to the believer using them for his his pleasure and that sort of thing, he's only resorting to the flash. And the flash profiteth nothing. But godliness is profitable, is it? To all things. Godliness is profitable for all things.
So we have to exercise self-control and in connection with our spare time and our habits. I was speaking to some young people once. I was telling them that the scripture says are there not 12 hours in the day, but we divide our day up more in eight hour periods and we have 8 hours to sleep and eight hours to go to school or to work.
But now what do we do with the other eight hours?
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It's a it's quite an exercise, is it not, To realize how much of our time is actually squandered if we're not careful each day?
Spirit of God seems to go on the place. Very, very great. Emphasis too on these things that have been brought before us. Not that I'm running ahead, I hope, of what's being spoken of, but in order that we may take it to heart as these things are outlined 1 by 1, perhaps we could just look at what the Spirit of God says concerning their importance in the verses that follows the eighth verse for if these things.
Be in you, and abound they make you, that he shall neither be barren nor untruthful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh The thing is blinds that can't see a far off, and have forgotten that he was first from his old sins.
Verse 10 For any do these things, he shall never fall. Verse 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to but you always in remembrance of these things, so he know that. Verse 15 Moreover, I will endeavor that he may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance, well, the beloved Apostle, as they cease long ago.
But his desire was that after his deceased these things might still be kept in remembrance. And what a privilege it is, and what a responsibility it is, the Sorting to be gathered together and have these things that were entrusted by the Spirit of God to the apostle, to put before the Saints of his day, with the blessed result of walking in them the solemn warning of being forgetful of them. Oh, how we should take heed to these things that are being dropped before us.
These very things that we are hearing this morning are of such vital importance in the life of every one of us.
That will be needed.
How can you look so far to say that?
It made me think of a patient I saw in my office not very long ago, a young woman who had been saved recently.
And she was desperate because she couldn't give up the habit of smoking. She said that she found that she could not give out a tract to someone who knew that she smoked. Isn't this something that we have to think about? I'm thinking about the young people now, we read in one of the officials. All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any of them. This young woman wept in my office, and she considered the consequences of this habit to which she had fallen.
She was not saved when she started smoking. I'm thinking now, particularly some young people who are tempted to try it out, to test it, just to see if they can do it like others do. And thinking then of this poor young woman in my office who really wept when she found out she couldn't quit because she had started. She was under the power of it. There's nothing in the scripture that says it's unlawful for a young person to smoke or to drink. But isn't this one of those things, one of those weights that we should lay aside?
And also something under which under whose power we can be.
So we can't get out and it ruins our testimony. This woman I trust through through grace will be able to give this up, but he's finding it hard. I would earnestly commend it to young people who who might be tempted to try it out just because it isn't unscriptural, Don't try it out. And I say this because I know there are many young people amongst us who have started it and are having a very hard time quitting already. I had one young woman say to me, well.
She thought she'd do it.
Until she was 35, and then she had quit because she knew it might cause some serious disease. I said to my time here at 35, it'll be too late. I found some who find it too late by the time they're 20 or 25. And again I say it isn't found in scripture. But I believe it is one of those weights that we should lay aside. It's one of those things under whose power we should never be brought in the 1St place. Childhood and youth are families. What does that mean?
It doesn't mean that that childhood and youth need to be completely.
00:45:04
Lost, but it means that that's what it is, unless the spirit of God comes in and take control. Now there was a case that our brother, Oscar Myers called our attention to that he visited in the hospital.
A woman who was lying in a bed, sick but in a straitjacket.
And he tried to give her the gospel, and she said, don't give me the gospel, it's too late, she said, You spend your time on these others, She said, I have the habit of drink and I cannot, I absolutely cannot get rid of it. It's impossible. And she said I'm lost. I know it.
And she said you might just as well spend your time on others. She said, I started this when I was young, and she said I thought it would be like a lark just to do it as I pleased. But she said now I'm in the chains of it and I can never get out of it. And he tried to show her that the gospel of Christ was sufficient to meet her needs, but is of no avail. Now these things are very serious as our brother.
Doctors has been Speaking of them these habits.
And we've already spoken in these meetings of these two things, as we have in Luke 14, habits and associations. These things are serious. And this is in connection with the subject of temperance that we have in this chapter. To me, it's most important, and it's most important for young people, but very important for old people as well. Habits, associations. They'll ruin us.
Ask a question here when we find one in such a major and this one as we want for exercise.
And they've been brought to our attention. Should not we, who are older, feel for them, seek to restore them, seek to draw them from it? I think we have a responsibility here as those who are older, as we find in the end of James, where there's those that are sick and they are sick and we're to go pray with them. I asked this question. Is it right that I should feel for them and seek to draw them back?
As an older brother.
We should always have the care of our brethren before us, whether young or old.
As in Christ, and we neglect them and turn them aside. The sad condition of my own soul. I was wondering if we could connect what we have.
Before us, in First Peter, Chapter 2, you have the other side. We're going over some very practical truths, but there's something else that goes along with it. First Peter, Chapter 2.
The first verse.
There is something to lay aside. Wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile, hypocrisies, envies, all evil speakings. Notice the second verse. As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby, There must be purpose of heart, there must be a desire on our part.
To go on in that path of faith, to pleasing of the one who pleased not himself, and the one who was brought before us as an example, the supreme example, in the end of this of this chapter, second chapter.
We have to lay aside these things.
Or endeavor to lay them aside, or having laid them aside and then pressing on. But there should be that purpose of heart, that desire of our souls, And it's really that which becomes the child of God, to be found walking careless and indifferent, going on with these habits that we went on with in our unconverted days.
And that becomes us as children of God, to lay those things aside and to be found in truth, followers of Jesus Christ.
Verse 11.
Of the second chapter, Yes, Dearly Beloved, verse 11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstained from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
00:50:02
The question has two distinct natures.
And the allowance of 1 disallows the other. Now which are you going to allow?
Our exercises should be continuous in this, rather than to grow careless. I noticed in the other translation here in verse 8. For if these things be in you and the bound they make you, that ye shall neither be nor notice this idle nor unfruitful. Instead of barren neuron, crucial, barren and unfruitful mean almost the same thing.
But to me I know careless, indolent in the things the Lord Peter wants to stir them up, to be diligent and grow in these precious things so as they'll be fruitful.
The next point we have is godliness, or God likeness. Now this cannot be brought about by simply thinking about what we should leave out of our lives. There must be an object for this, and so we think of the child and its parent. What a solemn thing it is to bring up children because the children follow their parents.
And so it is in this verse.
The children of God.
It's the likeness. We have that nature, but in practice down here there isn't the evidence often of that nature seen in us, but the only way that this can be brought about.
Is to be occupied with a pure object.
The Lord could say to Philip when he said, show us the Father.
Have I been so long time with you? And hast thou not known me, Philip?
Now we've been talking a little bit about being occupied with Christ. The point is, what? What does it mean to be occupied with Christ?
Well, how about reading the Gospels? How about?
Having our hearts warmed in the Gospels, if you'll notice in the 9th of Luke as well as elsewhere when the Lord is seeking to.
Bring his disciples into communion.
He occupies them with the fact of His death and resurrection. Now that's what warms our hearts. We find those on the Mount of Transfiguration totally engrossed in this one subject.
His sufferings that he was about to accomplish. Now this gives us a little hint as to what will be occupied within heaven. This is what warms our hearts and this is what gives us.
An object for our hearts, the one who loved us and the Son of God. As Paul says in Galatians who loved me, he gave himself for me. And so we cannot correct our ways unless we have a pure object and the Lord is working himself today.
Occupying us with himself so that this might be true, that there may be holiness in our lives, that there may be the absence of these things that belong to the flesh, but it's only brought about, and this is the next point, godliness.
God, like this. I believe it could be translated, couldn't it?
This is really brotherly love, I think in both the last.
Things that are mentioned.
In those verses it says And the Godliness brotherly love and the brotherly love love, this love in each place.
I'd like to hear you. What you said to say about that is the difference between brotherly love and love.
Well, there is a difference, as they're not. Is there not a reason for this?
That when we think of love, we think of that which is God's own character and that which he gives to his children, and so that we know we've passed from death unto life because we love the president. That's an indelible mark that can never be erased. But when you think of brotherly love, you think of that which has come about through something that a brother perhaps has done for you.
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It might be he's shown great kindness to you and you're attracted to that brother. Perhaps he's been able to help you in a financial way. Perhaps he's helped you spiritually. And so you're attracted to that brother in a special way. And and this should be exercised as we have in Hebrews. Let brotherly love continue. This is what's developed among the Saints of God, even in these meetings.
Together, as we're together, we learn that affection practically for one another. But there's a deep, deep love that is true in every believer because we're we're the children of God. It can't be changed. It's the very nature that we have.
Love because it's God has given it to his children.
The danger of divine love, Love for one another in that way.
Generating into just a social thing, just people that we like, if we can.
Enjoy because of where we have like ideas and thoughts and we can soon just find ourselves going on with those that we like.
Just in our social life, so that's fine. I believe in a special way.
We get what follows. That is divine love.
Partality doesn't make another place uncanny. The two the word unclean that is used in connection with both of those words.
Pardon me just briefly to touch upon that which I I don't know anything about Greek accepting what our best teachers tell us, but in these two terms, this brotherly love is the word Philadelphia.
Found in Revelation chapter 3.
And.
Brotherly love that the root word is Fileeo.
Filial.
We are not Philippians. For instance, means lover of horses. See Philip means lover of horses. Now when it comes to the other word for divine love, the word is agape.
And divine love.
Emanates from what God is in himself.
Irrespective of the virtue of the object.
God so loved the world that he gave and so on. That is divine love without any merit in the object. There was no merit in you and me, so I props. That's about enough to say that.
Brotherly love.
As our brother as well said, may be founded upon some special reasons that we see in another.
Now it may commence with the most Excellent.
Foundation for for loving another. There should be much foundation for loving one another. That's true, practically. But there is danger, as we say, going overboard and making an idol of of one we might love, there is that danger. But in divine love there is no such thing as failure.
You'll find no scripture which it used in connection with failure, but we are told that it be unfeigned, that it be real, unmixed.
I can turn to these scriptures on unfeainted love for brother-in-law or unfeainted love as the divine love. But there's no failure in divine love. But in brotherly love we got to be on our guard. We have to have the discretion. Discretion has to do with what would be wise and and profitable and safe for myself also for the other one, discretion.
Works both ways for myself and the other person.
As to what may be good for them too.
That little safe car put in there that the display of that love might be such it would be suited to absorb harm. Could I repeat a definition that I know I have mentioned before, that our brother Jr. Gill gave us connection with divine love. This was at a Hamilton conference quite a number of years ago and we were Speaking of this same matter, Divine Love. Our brother killed that violently through the whole discussion.
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See him thinking. And when we had done about reached the end, and I think had flattered ourselves a little bit that we did a good job of loving one another, he suddenly leans forward. And he said, brethren, the measure of divine love operative within the soul can be judged by the affection you bear towards the most ugly and cantankerous brother within the sphere of your acquaintance.
I'll never forget it. It was quite a silence that followed his definition. But, you know, I believe that's a very, very, very searching thing for us to think about. When you read the Epistle to the Philippians, you read Paul saying over and over again how he longed after you all.
He didn't have any favorites, that he loved the others that he just Simply put up with. And I quite expect a Philippian Taylor was sitting there and listened to that official read for the first time. What a thrill must have done through the soul of that man, the Philippian Taylor. Has he heard this message from Paul?
God is my record. How greatly I long after you all. Oh brethren, Divine love is that which I believe would cause us to love all the people of God, no matter how they may treat us or what they may think of us. Surely this is the matter of God love to us.
Now here's a verse that you quoted part of First Peter 122, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth.
Through the spirit.
Unto unfeigned love of the Brethren. Now that's Philadelphia, or brotherly love.
See that you love one another. Now this is the other word. This is divine love. See that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently, fervently. Now that would be to avoid.
Partiality and as you say, love all.
God is for us. Does that mean just me and my friends, Christians that I like and to go along with all the redeemed are precious in his sights, and God is for all, and he would have us to be for all if there be any little bit of a bitter root in my heart toward any on earth.
That ought to be judged to make me really happy and profitable to my brother. We should allow no bitterness in our hearts toward any, and I'm sure you'll agree with this in the little gatherings.
If, if there could only be they not wanting anything of my own will. If that was true of all, everything would be solved. If there was no playing around with some bitterness towards another, that was altogether absence and all in that little meeting.
Why? There would be no difficulty. The Lord's restoration would be right there.
Brother Highland, you had a.
Not looking at one another behind of Christ.
Divine love. Amen.
You better repeat it so you're right there by the microphone.
What your remark was that?
If we saw our brethren through the eyes of Christ, there would be no difficulty, something to that effect. That would be divine love, Divine love, our brother. Mr. Smith. At the Toronto meeting, I believe in April, he mentioned some brothers similar to what our brother.
Killed your attention. Well, this brother spoke to Mr. Smith and he said I can't.
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Love this problem? Well, now, he says. You look at him through the eyes of Christ.
And see what a change it'll make. And the next day he saw this brother all he said. I saw this brother, what a lovely brother he is.
There won't be any lovely cells in heaven.
Because this love that we speak of is divine, love will be throughout.
And will characterize heaven, but not only that.
We sometimes think that there will be so many there that one will be lost and not appreciated. But remember the Whitestone of Revelation, and there will always be that personal.
Enjoyment of the Lord Jesus.
In heaven and that there will always be that sense that.
The liberty of being in His presence alone, because there are things, you know, in our lives that.
Remain untold down here.
Experiences.
Trials, perhaps, for the name of Christ and going through experiences that words can never express.
But.
If there is such a thing as our gaining our capacity here for the enjoyment of Christ, we have it.
In this that in these experiences that we go through down here, I believe they draw us to the Lord personally.
Now in these meetings we have had general ministry and we have learned no doubt some truth. But the purpose of the Spirit of God is to draw us to the Lord Himself personally.
And.
It's through these trials and testings of life that he does draw us to himself. And as we said again, there won't be any loneliness in heaven.
There is one matter that Cotton calls one exercise when you see one who is going on in a wrong course, and if you went up and showed him love or put your arms around him.
You would be only encouraging him to go on in that wrong course. If it affected yourself in any way, well, then you need to be careful and judge any bitterness. But sometimes it doesn't. Showing brotherly love to to manifest affection to that one. Just like Joseph, he couldn't show love to his brother until they had thoroughly judged.
The wickedness that led them to selling into Egypt. But as soon as it was judged by then, he put his arms around them, and then he could be perfectly happy. So when there are those that are going on in the wrong course and never does this while we should love them deeply and pray for them, and have no bitterness toward them because of their ways, but yet we can't show that love until they're right with the Lord.
Was the main brother American to be blind here?
Cannot see a far off and have forgotten that he was perched from his old sins.
Well, it's a spiritual blindness, isn't it? And and I see a fire office like a man that's nearsighted. He can't look very far ahead. Not a very safe man on the highway because you can't see objects that.
Really a hazard to his driving. I know one brother that lost his license because he wasn't nearsighted. He couldn't see things very far ahead. So let's the state of soul at one gets into that. Neglects the things that we are considering.
It's a solemn condition to be in, isn't it?
It's a. It's a condition that a believer can get into. This is not Speaking of an unbeliever because it's a warning in contrast to the fact that.
What's before us here is is having an abundant entrance. This is just the opposite. He's lost the sense of his salvation, even possibly in his soul.
That he was purged from his old sins. I think this moment of a brother that was saved years ago that I knew.
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Oh, he came out heart and soul, for Christ gave up all his bad habits. He quit smoking and drinking and all that kind of thing, and was a real testimony for the Lord. And he got carried away with.
Time of the election he won the nephew of his elected, and he defiled his soul.
And he began to drift. I was sad to see him one day.
Smoking a cigarette again and right back he'd forgotten that he was purged from his old sin. You think that has the meaning there, That it's our old habits. And when we get careless and neglectful and we're not going on with the things that are mentioned here, then we go back to this automatically, as it were, for our old ways, things we had given up and justice, harmful and dishonouring to the Lord.
We'll go right back to it so it shows the only means of preserving us in this corrupt and evil word is to walk with one truth. Otherwise there's no power within us to keep us. We might resort to almost any contemptible thing if we're not kept for the power of God.
In the case of Samson, Judges 16 verse 20.
She said the Philistines be upon me, Samson, and he awoke out of his sleep, and said I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he whisked not that the Lord was departed from him.
His Nazarite ship long hair had been cut. He had given away the secret.
But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes.
His lustful eyes.
And brought him down to Gaza, and they bound him with feathers of brass. And he did grind in the prison house, a terrible state of soul that one might be brought to by their own folly.
I think the labor account blocked the Old Testament. Once of us we might be spiritually far sighted of the other very short side and perhaps tall and demons in the news. Demons had this affliction. It interested me when I saw the impression can't see a far off. I looked up in the garden and said George, I didn't. So I went a step further, looked it up in the Greek and it says myopic. The same word that we used to this day. I don't know any more Greek than.
Anyone but it was of interest to me to see that that very word which we used to this day in connection with the affliction of short side events, is used here. And may the Lord spare us from this wretched satisfaction. I think of that poor woman who was bowed over, and her whole life she had looked at this earth and nowhere else, And the Lord touched her, and she was straightened up so that she could see a right. Oh, may the Lord in the meeting lift up our eyes, beloved, to see that which is a far off.
May we be spared from this dreadful affliction, which I know we've all felt, spiritual shortsightedness which can see no more than what this poor world has to offer.
Same #5 on the back of the boat.
Gospel
1 John 4:4
Address—A. Barry
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.
Jesus, That name is love.
Jesus our Lord.
Jesus all means above Jesus the Lord.
Our Lord our own must be nothing that good. Have we nothing apart from thee? Give us our Lord.
As Son of man, it was Jesus the Lord thou gave thy life for us. Jesus our Lord great, was indeed thy love.
All other loves about love Thou is dearly Proof, Jesus Our Lord Hymn #109.
To us that.
Not knowing at all what Brother Lundin had before him to speak from this afternoon, I find that I have very much the same subject before my heart, and that is to bring before our souls something of the love of Christ.
That passes all understanding.
And the verse, Sir, I will ask you to turn to to introduce the subject I have on my heart, is in the first Epistle of John and the 4th chapter.
The 19th verse.
First, John 4.
We love him.
Because he first loved us.
Or another translation we love because he first loved us.
And what I had on my heart, beloved Saints.
Else to speak of our love to Christ.
As the fruit of his love to us.
Hello that the law made its demands of man. And if you'll turn to the 12Th chapter of Mark.
You'll see what the law required.
The 12Th of March and the 28th verse.
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, What is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, The first of all, the commandments is here, O Israel.
The Lord our God is 1 Lord, and thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.
And with all thy soul, and with all thy minds, and with all thy straight.
This is the first commandment, and the 2nd is like a namely, this. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these.
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The scribes said unto him, Well, master, thou hast said the truth. There is one God, and there is none other but he, and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength.
And the love his neighbor as himself is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly. He said unto him.
Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God.
And no man after that, there's asked him any more questions.
Now here was a man that answered discreetly.
When the Lord quoted the two great commandments of the law, that he had to say, Thou art not fair.
From the Kingdom of God. He couldn't say you were in the Kingdom of God.
For an order beloved trends to be in the Kingdom of God, as the Lord plainly said to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
And so he'll turn to the 4th chapter, the First Epistle of John again.
In the seventh verse we read Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.
And everyone that loveth is born of God.
And N God.
You see, we must have the divine nature which is love before we can know what love is.
That young ruler that came to Jesus and spoke discreetly hadn't experienced the new birth.
But when we are born of God, then we have a nature that loves God.
In the 13th chapter of First Corinthians we get a wonderful description of love.
We might just turn to it and read a few verses in that that chapter.
The apostle says, though I speak with a tongue of men and of angels, and have not charity or love, and become a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.
Then he goes on to say on the.
Fourth verse.
Charity or love suffereth long and is kind. Love, envious not love, wanteth not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not a role, is not easily provoked, Thinketh no evil, rejoices not in iniquity.
But in rejoiceth in the truth, bear up all things, believeth all things, Hope of all things endureth all things.
As soon as we read these words, we're conscious that we're getting a description of the Lord Jesus himself.
Because He was divine love manifested in the sad world of sin.
But marvelous, beloved, when we're born of God, we have the very same nature as our blessed Lord.
So that we can exercise the very things.
That we see in all their perfection in that blessed One.
Now when you're.
You look again at this 4th chapter. First, John.
Here we give a great contrast with what you get in the Law of Moses.
You see, the Lord demanded that man should love God with all his part.
Soul, mind, and strength.
Our brother Blanche is to say you can't even think of God for one minute.
For 60 seconds, without a lot of other thoughts come trooping through your head, much less loving with all your hearts, soul, mind and strength. We can't make ourselves love God. The fact is, until born of God.
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We have a nature that hates God, that wants to get out of his company, out of his presence.
And you know, for a Sinner away from God, there is nothing but the darkness of hell left for his soul.
He'd be miserable if he could be in heaven because he have a nature that's completely out of harmony with the love that fills that glorious scene where Christ is the center.
Let's look at the 10th verse of this 4th chapter, John, and roll the contrast you say. You see, the law says thou shalt love the Lord thy God. Now here's the way.
Grace speaks through the Apostle here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
So instead of demanding that man should love God.
To tell the poor Sinner that it isn't because he loved God, but because he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And that takes us right to the cross of Calvary, where we see that Blessed One in that midnight darkness.
Bearing the awful load of our sins forsaken because God hates sin and could not look at his only son when he was a sin bearer there in order that our souls might be saved.
Then the second commandment comes in. Beloved if God so loved us, we ought to love one another.
You see, the demand of the law was a selfish love. That is, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
How does grace speak if God so loved us? What a different moral that is for our love for our brethren?
Because of the great love that God has shown towards us.
It awakens in our hearts a desire that we might show that love to those objects so dear to his heart. It's a faithful love I love, that would not for a moment encourage in any way. One could go wrong in the disobedient, a wrong course, but still if it is exercised according to the heart of Christ.
It will be like the love that Joseph showed to his brethren when he spoke roughly to them. He went away and wept over them, and it was only one level of repentance in their hearts that he put his arms around them and drew them right to his bosom.
Now it's it's that love that has.
Won these hearts of ours. You know the law never saved anybody.
All the Lamb could do was condemn the Sinner. Or will I forgive us to prove his last condition and leave him in a state where he would be awakened to his need, so that Christ might come in as a Savior and reveal Himself.
Through his guilty soul. Let's just look at a verse in the second chapter of Galatians.
The 20th verse. Now the apostle Paul is speaking here.
And he says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the place I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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When you consider that these were the words of the greatest hater.
That Christ ever had in this world that was Saul of Tarsus.
Been of him delivering up men to prison, and when they were put to death, he gave his voice against them. He persecuted them in every synagogue and compelled them to blasphemy.
Being exceeding mad against them, he followed them even to strange cities.
Think of a man compelling a poor frightened.
Human being to blasphemy, the name he loved, under fear of the consequence of his not submitting to this persecutor. Oh, what a history that man had.
And yet it was the love for the very one that he hated that broke down that proud Jew.
And brought him to the knees of Christ on the road to Damascus. There shone a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, and falling to the earth he heard a voice saying. Saul saw, Why persecute us, thou me?
All to think that those Saints of God were so united to that blessed man and the glory that touched one member of the Lord Jesus.
Was to touch Christ himself. He was broken completely down.
It wasn't the Thunders of Sinai.
That broke down that rebellious man, but the love of that one that he hated so greatly.
So he expresses his feelings in this way. Who the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me?
And so beloved, the 1St all important subject we have before us.
Is your need to know.
Christ as your Savior.
It's been said, and rightly said that you may die unsaved, but you can never die unloved. God loves you, and He so loved you that He gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's the way God proved his love in giving the dullest object of his hearts affection, and letting him go over that shameful cross in order to save your precious soul, and if that which wins.
Well, the goodness of God, as we heard in the other address, is what brings the Sinner to repentance.
If God loves the poor Sinner like me in such a way.
An awful Sinner I must be. What an awful condition I must be in if it required that agony of the cross, if it required the forsaking of God on the cross, those hours of sound darkness, in order to put away my sins. There's nothing, friends, like the cross of Christ. It not only gives us to see God's love fully shown out, but it shows me what I am as a lost.
And guilty Sinner, it required all that agony of the blessed eternal Son of God, the very Creator of heaven and earth.
To pull away one sin out of God's presence.
Well, we find that it's love that wins the poor Sinner and brings them to repentance, just as it did to the apostle here. But you know when he says who love me, he's not.
In any way suggesting that others have not the full right and title to enjoy the same love.
He enjoyed in his soul, and they went writing to the Ephesians. He says that Christ.
00:20:01
Love the church and gave himself for it.
And they God carries us even farther than his death. He not only gave his life.
Beloved, when he rose, he went into heaven will uplifted arms.
Uplifted hands and he's been soaring. He has redeemed ones. His church that he purchased at such a cost.
To always days of it has histories and history and wandering in this world.
And there are the apostle John.
I might just turn to Revelation One for a moment.
John here is telling us about.
The way he was addressed there on the Isle of Patmos.
And he says in this in the fourth verse, grace beyond you, and peace from him which is and from him which was and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, see the three persons of the Godhead are brought to our attention. And then he sells Anne from Jesus Christ.
Who is the faithful witness? The first Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. And then it's just as though John's heart. Well, well, that was the delight of having that glorious person before him. He says unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, now in this place who loved us.
As plural, and so will ever. We can think of the love of Christ in a collective way. We can also think of it in an individual way, how precious that is.
Are you there for young people and older ones too? Remember that Christ loves you individually. He knows all about you.
You know the mistakes we have made in our lives, but they have never.
In any way.
Our downturns left burning love that he has for his own all levels that are as a company, you have this company. He delights to see a company like this gather together to be over his precious word. But every individual who knows and loves a savior is an object of his tenderness and dearest love.
I was thinking of a verse in The Song of Solomon. Our brother Lundeen was giving us some thoughts from that book. So I'll turn to it again and call your attention to something in the second chapter of.
Of Song of Solomon.
The 14th verse. Oh my God, that art in the clefts of the rock and the secret places of the stairs. Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice. For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is commonly.
The dove is the affectionate bird we find in the 4th chapter of the same book, he says in the first verse. Behold our fair my love, thou hast doves eyes within thy locks.
You ever see a dove sitting on its nest? Lovely side. You'll find his eyes fixed in One Direction.
And what is that direction? It's the direction where it's made Disappeared. The mate has gone off to find food for his his companion, and there she sits on the nest, waiting for his return.
Clovil Alert. May we be like that in our affections for Christ.
00:25:05
With our eyes looking onward.
To that glorious moment when he who shall come will come, and will not Perry, when we shall hear his voice, when we shall see his face.
You see, the dove is in the cliffs of the rock.
I remember hearing dear old brother Dunlop say one time that you could just read this like this old thou who hath affection for me.
Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice. Know the Lord delights to hear your voice, and mind prayer and praise.
Very sweet on the assembly for brothers.
Who are LED of the spirit. Don't be too timid, brothers. Some brothers get too timid, you know about.
Their voices. There's nothing more precious to appearance than the first list words of their little ones, or how they delight to hear those little words when they first try to express themselves just so with that blessed one.
See the light to hear your voice. He loves to have your presence, to let me see thy face.
We couldn't stay at home, you know, maybe read good books. People have radios and listen to sermons, and some say they can get more staying at home than they could going for meeting. Can the Lord see your face when you're away from the progress center? Where? He says. Where am I in the midst of them?
There is something lovely. And the third Psalm.
Return to it for justice a moment, the third Psalm.
In the third verse, the Thou, Lord, art a shield for me.
My glory and the lifter up of my head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hills. He lost. I laid me down and slept all week, for the Lord sustained me.
There is a clause of the day, maybe. It's been a very stormy day. A lot of problems have arisen. Many trials have confronted us.
But here we find the psalmist closing the day by crying to the Lord.
And having this assurance that he heard me from his holy hill, so that he lays him down.
Quiet, rest, and sleep. Then you read in the fifth verse, my voice self out here in the morning, oh Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. There is the morning prayer. So we get the evening prayer, and we get the morning prayer too.
And then if you look at the 55th Psalm.
In the 17th verse, evening and morning, and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice. Well, there's three times a day Daniel carried that out into practice, which ended in his being cast into the den of lions, as you know. But he had the Scripture, and he had the Scripture when he prayed towards Jerusalem, because Solomon had said that whenever they prayed through that city.
And where that temple was built before them, that God would heal her? And he did hear and he did come in and delivering grace to His people, all beloved. We can't pray too much or too often. Our lives should be in lies that are characterized by being in the presence of God. Do you turn all over troubles over to Him?
Here you close your eyes and sleep.
You arrive in the morning and look up and direct your thoughts under that one who loves you? Who else concerned about you?
00:30:08
Well, now to go back to our subject again of.
Our love to Christ.
As the fruit of his love to us.
And I wanted to make it clear first.
How we can get to know that love, if it's anyone unsaved, if he comes over the poor lost Sinner, you will find the love that saves, the love that forgives, and the love that brings him into the place of a child with all the blessing that God has in store for his own.
And then, after having come into His presence and having known Him as a savior, then we have His preserving, keeping grace.
If you turn to the 14th of John or the 13th chapter.
And read the last part of the first verse.
Well, maybe we'd better read the whole verse now, before the feast 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.
What does that end here?
I believe that four years that it's through every difficulty and trial and danger and problem in this life, he's going to love us all that journey through until the journey is over.
Love them on the end. His love never ceases beloved and that's why in this 13th of John.
That he washed the disciples feet, so that as he tells Peter, if I wish they'd not, thou hast no path with me. The Lord not only wants to have us as His children in his family, but He wants to have us enjoying His love and going on in communion with himself. And that's why He poured the water into the basin. And you know, if it tells us in this chapter that he began to voice.
The disciples feet doesn't see ever cease to wash their feet, nor have He ceased to wash your feet, and mine, beloved, and the only reason that any of us are here.
Who will the Word of God and enjoying Christian fellowship?
It's because many, many times in our lives, the Lord has washed our feet and He healed the water of the Word, and then He uses the towel so that He can make us comfortable to sit in His presence.
Where the lab which had broken communion, full age and removed.
Well, when I had, especially before me.
What it is that enables poor things like you and me to respond in love to the one who has done so much for us?
We all have a desire in our hearts.
How to? How to manifest more love towards the one who has in such grace?
Saved us at such a cost, but how can there be really more love in our hearts for him?
It isn't putting ourselves back on the lawn saying, thou shalt love the Lord thy God. Immediately you put yourself under law, or then we find the old nature active and rebelling and refusing to act upon the the.
Desires of the new nature.
My beloved is when we get occupied with His love for us.
00:35:01
Then when we get to our hearts warmed and filled and overflowing with that love, as the apostle says, to know the love of Christ, which passes all understanding, there's a very man that we were saying was the great persecutor of the Church.
And yet the one he met on the road to the Masters? Well, the one who had so won his poor heart that he serves the love of Christ, which passes all understanding, all we can measure it. Indeed, he goes to heights and depths and lengths and breadths, but there's no limit to it. It's just as vast. It's just so immense as.
A very space or as eternity itself or it's eternal in its in its origin.
And it's eternal in its purpose. But the lover there is this that you and I can delight in, and that is that we're the objects of that eternal love of Christ.
I was thinking in this connection.
Of dear Peter.
However, a child of God who got out of communion.
And it was through self-confidence that he got out of communion. And it's always the same, beloved when we trust in ourselves.
We're sure to go astray, but when we judge ourselves and humble ourselves, then repentance and restoration takes place.
Well, you remember how Peter went to sleep in the garden, and how the Lord had to awaken Peter, but when he awoke, he went right out, full of himself and his own importance.
Draw the sword. And when the Lord was submitting to the sword, but when he got into a palace of a high priest, his courage failed him completely. For a brother, if we're depending on ourselves, remember this, Your courage will fail you too. The Lord only preserves rules that are independence upon himself.
And then Peter denies the Lord three times.
It tells us with owes and cursing.
Figure that man who had followed Jesus for 3 1/2 years now cursing and swearing there that he didn't know Christ.
What was it that broke him down? Just one look.
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Well, how to look, that must have been.
That tenderest look of affection, wounded because of his failure. And yet, as it were, expressing to his heart. Peter, I love you still. You know that separated Peter from that ungodly company that murdered Christ. He went out, and he never went back. He was separated from them, but he wasn't fully restored in his soul until after the Lord rose.
Again from the dead.
You know he ran through a sepulchre with.
With John, John outran him, I think a bad conscience.
Made his feet lag, they went back even John through their own world.
And then Jesus had a private interview with Peter.
All alone.
It's not necessary for us to know all the ways of the Lord with his children.
And his grace to them. But when it came to the recovery, the restoration of Peter as a servant of Christ, that was another matter. And before he could be fully restored to grown in the apostleship and service that was given him.
The Lord restores him in the presence of his brother.
And it's very beautiful in the 21St chapter of John.
15th Verse So when they had died, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Yeah, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, he said unto him, Feed my lambs.
00:40:18
You know, Peter has boasted then that he loved the Lord more than all the other disciples.
For the Lord just asks him the question. You love me more?
And all these well, we see how completely Peter is broken down.
For he will not boast now at him the least, and he gives an answer that shows how true and how real, and how deep the work was in in his soul.
And the third time he comes out with this statement, he says, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. That is as much as to say, Lord, if there's any love in my heart towards you at all, it's only you that can see it That shows how deep their conviction, their repentance was, that he wouldn't train them anyway.
That he loves the Lord. That he was the only one that was able to see it, but yet he knew.
The Lord did see the Ethel bomb in spite of his sad sin and failure.
That it was love there for his blessed person, but what I wanted to especially call attention to here.
As the Walter Lord says to Peter about feeding his lambs, and feeding and shepherding his sheep, And it's this he said unto him, Simon, son of Jonas, lovers, thou me.
My beloved, the the the Secret of All Service is love for Christ.
Now, of course, God does yours.
Natural qualities and we know that he used the fact that.
Soil of Tarsus was brought up at the feet of d'amelio and had a perfect understanding of all the Old Testament. God made use of that in his time.
But without love for Christ.
All his advantages.
All his knowledge would never have made him a useful man.
In the vineyard of Christ.
And so, Peter, the word is Simon, son of Jonas, lovers, thou me, And he says, you feed my lambs, oh, the Lord, have lambs as well as sheep. And remember that beloved Saints. And I think there is something instructive here. He doesn't say feed my lambs and sheep. He makes a different distinction, that they are those that are young, that need special care.
They need simplicity of instruction.
And so three times, just as Peter had denied the Lord three times.
He fully confesses him, and then the Lord informs him that the very.
Her failure that had that had led to his fall later on. He was going to let another birdie. He was going to fully submit to the hand of God and was going to honor his blessed Lord.
And going to a cross and dying toward.
So as we think, we love any service.
No matter how small it is.
Whether it's your young sisters, you'll get a few children around you on Lord's Day and have a little Sunday school.
For whatever work it is.
If father is going to make that work a blessing.
It is love for Christ.
Now, therefore, I've been follows all through the word, and if we were to turn to the fifth chapter of the Second Corinthians.
00:45:25
In the 14th verse.
For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead.
And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves.
But unto him which died for them, and rose again, Therefore henceforth, knowing no man after the flesh, yeah, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know him no more.
And then he says.
Yeah, that.
For the love of Christ constraineth us, that is, the apostle in his laborers in the gospel. What gave power to his message and reached soul with a word, was the love of Christ.
Constraining him whereas he says if one died for all.
And we're all dead.
You see, I've been bringing before the Corinthians the Psalms thought of the judgment seat of Christ, where everything would be manifested in the searching light of God's glory.
Or when he thought of poor sinners without any refuge.
Outside of Christ have to face the Judge with nothing but the lake of fire as their destiny.
It filled his heart with love for those poor lost souls, the love of Christ.
Strained, And so in connection with his work among the people of God was.
It was his love for Christ that gave such power and such a testimony in connection with his.
Instructions.
To the dear Saints of God.
Now we have a very strong example of the absence of what we're talking about, the love of Christ.
As the power and the way that God will use any of his servants and blessing.
In this world, whether it will be in the gospel or whether it will be in helping and encouraging and strengthening the people of God.
Now in the second chapter of Revelation.
In the second verse.
He says, I know thy works and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and have tried them, which say they are apostles and are not, and has found them liars, and is born, and has patience, and for my name's sake has labored and has not fainted. You think that an assembly that could be addressed in the way the apostle addresses the assembly at Ephesus?
Their state must have been almost perfect.
He speaks of their labor, their patience, and they were not allowing evil in their midst.
And those that were not apostles, they were false teachers that were trying to get the year of the Saints. They tried and found them liars and it borne and have patience and for my name's sake has labor. There's lots of Labor.
Listen.
Nevertheless, I have against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
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No amount of energy put into service is going to satisfy the heart of Christ.
Or else we can get out on the street and give away lots of tracks. But if it isn't that, our hearts are warm by the love of Christ.
It will not keep us from being ensnared by the attacks of the enemy. I'm not in any way criticizing track distribution. What did God, there was more of a.
And what the God? There was more of an effort to gather in the children, for the time is short and the judgment of God is coming down on this world. Thank God for those who go to foreign fields and seek to win soils for the Savior before the awful night of eternal doom settles on this guilty world.
May God encourage and strengthen, stir up your hearts, your young people, for you know some of these older ones are not going to be able to continue many years more. And if the work is still gone, it will be carried on by younger men and Sunday school work, younger sisters.
That will be encouraged to carry on the work of the Lord.
But I say for myself, the beloved, as much As for anyone here, the importance of all being the result of that love in the heart for our blessed Lord.
Are those that emphasis once so intelligent in the divine things that Paul had written in Ephesians half the world sitting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus?
Showing how soon and how quickly the quenching who may come into your midst.
And what is it?
Where hath left thy first love? That love that we have partial pearls saw when he first went to Ephesus, and that John had experienced in his ministry?
That was that was gone. Plenty of activity, or else you can go to the Lords the morning meeting. Never miss a remembrance of the Lord.
What about your state of soul?
Is Christ increasingly precious to your heart? We'll have a trends as the time draws near and the Lord's coming is at hand. Or those are the things that need to pass these hearts.
Of ours.
And generals here that there was only one remedy for them. And what was that?
The fifth verse. Remember therefore from whence our fallen and repent.
And do the 1St works, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place.
Accept our repent.
Has self judgment every way to be brought back into the freshness of that love.
When we see ourselves slipping. When we see the world getting into our hearts.
When we find present things that are more important than eternal things.
And he does repentance to get down before the Lord and judge the whole her departure that has brought such carelessness and such clearness into our souls. So again, the average, the theme that I've had before us is love for Christ as the fruit of His love for us.
And they will throw message we have had here this afternoon.
How we can in your heart, and my heart perhaps more than any other.
And more occupation.
With the love of that blessed one, think of Rahi means to you and me. Think why he has done for us. Think of him there, and the glory on high, waiting for that supreme moment when he's going to descend with a shout.
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And call us into His glorious presence to be forever, forever in his company.
We sing hymn #2 in the appendix.
O Lord, thy loves unbounded, so sweet, so full, so free. My soul is all transported when they are, I think, on thee. Yet, Lord, alas, what weakness within myself I find no infants changing pleasure is like my wandering mind. I'm so glad that a man like Brother Darby wrote those words. Well, I'm sure we've all had the same experience.
However poor changing minds and how it will go on, at least I do for hours and never even think of the Lord. Be so engaged with other things, the Lord.
Is completely out of my thoughts and and my desires. Maybe I'll make plans and so on and never get into the large presence at all, but how sweet there the next word is.
And yet thy Love's unchanging, and thus recall my heart to joy in all its brightness, the peace, its beings in part.
#2 in the back of the books.
Oh Lord, thy love.
Hello.
I love you. I'm sorry. Where I can tell you right now, there's there's no.
No, no, no, no.
Baby, no, no, no. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No, No, No, no, no.
Gospel
Gospel—R. Groth
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Gospel message to 1.
It was a very solemn occasion.
Very solemn occasion.
The speaker is here, standing before the audience.
A mixed congregation.
That there are those that are bound for glory.
And perhaps there are those, and we feel sure that there are those in the audience that are still in their sins.
Still in their sins.
And if the coming of our Lord should take place before this meeting?
Before this meeting closes.
If still in, their sins would be left behind.
Left behind for judgment.
And dear one, tonight, if you're still in your sins, if you know not the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior.
If you're not sheltered by the precious Blood of Christ.
Stop, stop and consider your ways.
It's been 2 years since Lana was here.
And there's been many, many changes.
Take place not only in this part of the country, but over the entire land. Many, many changes.
Some of our dear ones have departed with the Lord.
Which is far better.
And in one way or another, the Lord has been speaking.
To all of us.
To all of us.
He's been speaking in a special way to you, dear young people that are.
Brought up the home of Christian parents.
Fathers and mothers, perhaps in the assembly, brought up in the assembly and protected by the assembly.
Perhaps this very night you have not made that decision for Christ.
May have not made that decision for Christ.
And we well might say, stop and consider your ways. Time is running out.
The coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and this might be the last night.
That the gospel is given out from this place while we have come together for three days.
We do not have the assurance of being here tomorrow morning, we do not have the assurance of laying our heads on our pillow tonight.
Dear young people, whether you realize it or not, the coming of the Lord draws life. And Are you ready for that occasion?
Are your sins washed away in the precious blood of Christ?
Are you ready?
For that shower, that shout, he's coming.
All I would warn everyone. I would warn each one here this evening.
To flee from the wrath to come, Flee to the open arms of the blessed Savior who bids you come.
Do not neglect this great salvation.
Turn with me to a verse in Jeremiah.
The 8th chapter.
Here is the Weeping Prophet.
As he contemplates the people of God.
And their backsliding and their carelessness and their indifference to God and to His Word.
In the 8th chapter and verse 6.
I hearkened and heard, but they speak not a right. No man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?
Everyone turned to his course as a horse rusheth into the battle.
What a silent message.
And that might be true of some here tonight.
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While it's applicable to the children of Israel, yet in bringing the gospel before you, I believe that there are those here tonight that have not repented.
Of their sins.
There has not been that repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. There has not been. You're taking sides with God against yourself.
You ain't a stork in the heaven N her appointed times, and the Turtle and the Crane and the swallow observed the time of their coming. But my people know not that judgment of the Lord.
Jeremiah the Prophet.
Brings their indifference and carelessness before them in these few verses.
And brings by illustration the stork, the turtle dove, and the crane and the swallow. These are migratory birds.
And they know their time of their coming, and they're going.
How sad.
When it comes to mankind.
That they know not.
They know now that judgment of the Lord.
Now there might be those present here tonight.
That have heard the gospel.
From infancy.
I have heard the blessed message over and over again.
But just like the people of our 8th chapter.
They're careless, careless.
Well, I want to warn you, dear Saul. God would warn you tonight if you're careless as to your eternal soul's welfare.
That is no excuse whatsoever. Carelessness, but carelessness and the things of God and connection with salvation of your precious soul.
We'll find you an eternal separation from God and his love.
That's how God speaks in his word about the Sinner being careless, careless of his soul salvation.
And you who know God's way and God's plan of salvation.
And have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.
You're doubly responsible.
Now they are responsible. Great is your responsible responsibility toward a thrice holy God with whom you have to do.
It's been well said. Mankind is not a free moral agent.
We are God's creatures.
And not only saw, but we are responsible to God as to the things we do in the body.
And there's a day coming when everyone, everyone is going to give an account to God in heaven are the things done in the body, whether they're good or whether they're bad.
Yes, we're responsible to God, our Creator and God who knows and sees the needs be of salvation for the poor Sinner.
Has provided a way or means of escape from that eternal separation from God and his love.
Or, as we have in other places, the lake of fire which is prepared.
For the devil and his angels.
Our eternal separation from God and His love.
For all your loved ones to be found alone in that place.
Where there is weeping on wailing and gnashing of teeth.
These migratory birds.
Although they know the time of their coming and they're going.
In a little town in Southern California, San Juan Capistrano.
The swallows come on a certain or they leave on a certain day.
After making preparation and they return on such and such a day.
And those that observe, they're coming, they're going and they're coming.
Can almost pinpoint the time of their arrival.
But how about poor mankind? They know not the judgment of the Lord. Are you in that class tonight, careless as to your eternal soul's welfare?
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Dear one, I repeat.
Could stop, stop and consider your ways. Why go on that broad Rd. that leadeth to judgment?
When God in his mercy and his love.
Is offering you salvation to light, salvation from your sins and salvation from the consequences of your sins.
They have turned to his course. What course is that?
A course which takes the individual away from God, away from God.
I thank God in sovereign grace.
If there is that repentant soul, that repentant heart, you'll come in and we'll turn you around.
He'll make you.
Believe the message you'll bring, the message of grace before you, and He'll give you that faith to accept it as your own.
Turn to another scripture.
Luke's Gospel.
The 5th chapter.
And the 16th verse, Luke 5, verse 16.
And he, that is Jesus, withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.
And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the Law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea and Jerusalem.
And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
This follows.
Our message of grace in the 4th chapter of Luke.
Given by our Lord Himself.
As he speaks to them about Elisha and name on the leper.
Our message of grace.
In which blessing was the result.
Here are those the Pharisees and the doctors of the law.
Those that were well versed in the Old Testament economy.
Those who are the religious leaders of Israel.
When the Messiah comes along and brings blessing.
They're so indifferent.
To the situation that we find them after certain days sitting.
There are Pharisees and doctors of the Law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
When we have the Careless Individual or Saul and Jeremiah, chapter 8.
And here we have one that's indifferent.
So the claims of God.
I say the claims of God because God has a claim upon you. You are his creature and he would bring you into blessing.
For God is not that hard an austere master, which we hear brought before us on the street corners. It is true that God is light, but nevertheless God is love. And he wants to do you, dear one tonight good, not only now.
What for your your latter ends? And when I speak of the latter end, I mean for all eternity.
God is not indifferent as to the blessing, your blessing, The angels of heaven are not indifferent.
For if there is one soul here tonight on accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, you're going to cause heaven to rejoice.
00:15:00
Heaven to rejoice over 1 Sinner that cometh to repentance.
Month if you're going to be indifferent.
Not only careless, but indifferent as to these eternal issues. Beware, beware, God is not mocked whatsoever. A man saw that shall he also reap, and that applies to.
The world.
It applies to nations, it applies to cities and it will apply to everyone here tonight.
In one way or another, especially those of you who are still in your sins, God is not mocked. Do not be indifferent, dear 1:00 tonight.
To God's claims upon you, for He would do you good. He desires your blessing. And as we had before us this afternoon and the reading from the third chapter of two Peter, God is not slack concerning His promise to us word that is toward the believer.
But his long-suffering not willing that any should perish.
But that all should come to repentance.
Came to pass on a certain day. Well, it came to pass.
You're here tonight, dear one.
And you're sitting in your seat.
As these Pharisees and Doctors of the law.
What is your attitude toward the gospel of God's grace?
The Gospel of God concerning his Son, Jesus Christ.
What is your attitude tonight?
Do you realize the authority of God's Word in this connection? Do you realize the power of God's Word?
All that each one of us, whether saved or unsaved, might realize more and more.
The authority of His word and the power over our souls.
Those who view that are in your sins all that you might know, the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
In Matthew's Gospel, we read.
Take heed how you hear.
Take heed how you hear you have come for these three days meetings.
We're glad for everyone of you. I'm glad to be here myself.
But as the gospel message is given, as the address is given.
Take heed how ye here.
Ah, don't close your hearts.
Don't close your hearts to the message, whether it be to the Saint or to the Sinner. And tonight I'm interested in the poor center, the deer center.
Don't close your heart to the message of God's grace.
Take heed how ye hear.
I know as a young boy.
Attending the Gospel meetings, a brother would get up and speak, and right from the very beginning I would close my heart to the gospel of God's grace because I didn't care for the speaker. Perhaps there's some here tonight that's doing the same thing, but let me warn you, it's not by might nor by power.
But by my spirit, saith the Lord and Paul may plant and Apollos may water. The increase is not on the part of the speaker, but the increase, the blessing is on the part of God in heaven, who desires your good and eternal welfare.
Now I'll turn to another scripture.
In Matthew.
27th chapter.
We all know.
This chapter we've gone over, over and over again. You have read it. I have read it.
The what effect?
As it had on your soul, What effect has it had on your soul? Well, just turn to the 22nd verse.
00:20:08
Jesus, as before Pilate.
And you know the reason.
You know all about the mock trial.
That blessed one being delivered.
A2 Pilot by the Jews.
And now Pilate says in verse 22 Pilate saith unto them the people, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ?
Pilate had the Lord Jesus Christ on his hands at that moment.
And I want to say in all reverence and godly fear that you have a dear, unsaved one tonight, the Lord Jesus Christ on your hands tonight.
And a decision must be made on your part.
A decision must be made.
And our prayers are and have been.
That that decision would be for Christ.
Are not for this poor world, Barabbas.
When I repeat.
A decision must be made.
You have the opportunity.
Of closing in God's offer of salvation.
This night deciding for Christ on the other hand, you can go out of these doors, perhaps unsaved.
But remember, you may never, never said another sound of the word again.
May never sit under the sound again.
Of the gospel of God's saving grace.
And is keeping power always these things dear ones?
Way these truths dear unsaved 1.
Your eternal souls welfare is at stake.
And there's only one Savior that has met your need. Only one, and that's the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has met your every need on Calvary's cross.
During those three hours of darkness.
When he accomplished.
The perfect will of God when He accomplished the work of redemption.
When that precious blood flowed from his ribbon side.
For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission, and God is offering that blessed one to you tonight as a Savior.
A savior of sinners?
Savior for sinners like me.
Your savior.
Is he your savior?
Don't be indifferent.
Don't be. Don't be careless.
Don't be indifferent.
And don't neglect.
That truth?
That you must stand before this one and a day to come.
You have to stand before him.
You're either going to be caught up to meet him in the air though the same question forever and eternally settled.
Or you're going to stand before him at that great white throne judgment, and hear those solemn words and depart from me.
The blessed Savior with his hands outstretched. Tonight he's saying, Come, come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, and you say no.
By refusing you just saying no, you're careless and you're indifferent and you've never realized the authority or or the power of the word of God.
Turn into another scripture.
16th chapter of Acts.
These are well known portions, and as we had those verses before us this afternoon for the Saints of God that their minds might be stirred up.
00:25:01
I would like to stir up from God's word by thinking an exercise on your part, dear Senator.
I repeat, judgment is coming.
But judgment is God's strange word. He desireth not the death of the wicked. He would have you accept his offer of salvation in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We all know the story of the 16th chapter of Acts Paul is answering.
To the Macedonian call.
It's nice that the apostle did not hesitate.
Come over into Macedonia and help us. And so he gathered that it was the mind of the Lord to go together. With silence they go on over to Philippi.
Well, he was faithful in that which he gave.
Is a faithful servant of God, and his faithfulness brought in a considerable persecution and finally.
In a prison itself.
And a prison itself.
And after the jailer made that security.
Why then? All seemed well.
Is this the Macedonian call? Yes. At midnight we find Paul and Silas, no doubt with their bleeding backs. At midnight they were singing.
Singing praises unto God, praying and singing.
Certainly the child of God that has a right to sing, praises unto God.
It is only the child of God that can pray. Unless you have prayed that prayer, God be merciful to me, the Sinner.
Ah, there is your Macedonian call.
What happens?
God answered their prayers.
And we know that. We know the details are not going into it.
A great earthquake took place and the foundations of the prison were loosed and the doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed.
Was it a blessed time beloved Saints of God, when the gospel was first introduced?
To this part of the country in Europe.
What if an earthquake took place as a sovereign grace of God, came down as it were, and gave the Gentiles an opportunity to close in on his offer? Salvation air judgment fell.
Or this to me answers to God's sovereign grace and his long-suffering impatience.
And there was that earthquake in Europe and in Asia that awakened souls.
To their eternal soul's blessing.
Well, this earthquake took place. The foundation of the prism of the foundation of the prison were open, were broken, and the prison doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed. Well, that's what the Gospel of God can do for the poor Sinner that is bound in the clutches of Satan, hand and foot, as it were.
It's only the gospel of God's sovereign grace, the gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, that can release such a prisoner. Release one from that ******* and bring them into the liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, dear one, tonight. If you're not saved, do you know that you're under *******? You're under ******* tonight.
Because all sins that you have committed have separated between you and your God.
Your sins have hit his face.
You know the verse.
What is often heard it stated that the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as savior is the crowning sin. But beloved, it's your sins that have brought in this separation. It's that course away from God that has brought in the difficulty and it will be that eternal separation from God and His love.
00:30:12
If you do not listen to what God says to you.
It is true, the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ only adds and makes the condemnation greater.
But remember, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God has two charges against us there in that verse.
All have sinned all of Adam's race.
And we've come short of the glory of God, and God is a thrice holy God.
And he cannot have sin in his presence.
Well, to go on with this incident.
No doubt this keeper heard Paul and Silas singing and praying.
I no doubt his conscience smote him, for he had a conscience. Every man, every man and woman and child have a conscience, and a conscience would tell them that they must meet a thrice holy God.
There's no such thing as an infidel, you may say. There is no God.
But there is, and you realize it sooner or later.
You will not depart. You will not depart out of this scene with those words.
On your tongue.
Well, when the prisoner realized the situation.
He called for a light. Called for a light. Oh, that's good. Are you calling for a light tonight, dear one?
Connection with your sins and the darkness that awaits you.
The entrance of thy Word had giveth light, so we have God's Word before us.
God's Word, the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
It's only salvation through Christ Jesus that can release the prisoner.
Can tear away the bands that have held them in.
Sand It's only the power of God in salvation that can turn the individual completely around.
And make him a candidate for heaven.
And so all the sovereign grace of God the prisoner trembling.
Trembling. Yes, you will. My death stared him in the face.
And death is staring everyone here tonight in the face. I don't say we're all going to go into or pass through the article of death. The Lord may come this very night and take the believers home to be with himself.
The issues of life and death are in God's hands. Remember that the issues of life and death are in God's hands.
And he knows when it's time.
And saw the this poor trembling center.
Trembling at the word of God, that which God delights to see in his creature, trembling at his voice. Aw, he cries out as he falls down before Paul and Silas serves. What must I do to be saved?
Have you ever trembled at the word of God?
Dear Saints of God, here tonight, have you trembled at God's word? We well might.
It's not a light thing to be under the sound of the word, whether here or elsewhere.
I believe we take too much for granted today, as was brought out in the national meeting. Too much for granted and we expect God's blessing and then we want to go our own way.
All God wants to see reality in the hearts of all of us.
God wants to see reality in the heart of the poor Sinner, and justice like the Philippian jailer trembling at his word, a poor trembling Sinner and crying out serves. What must I do to be saved? Well, under such conditions it's not hard to point a soul to Christ.
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When a soul realizes they're lost and undone sinners by nature and by practice on that broad Rd. that leadeth to judgment, it's not hard to show them the blessed gospel. Their hearts are ready to receive the good news of salvation.
But when you find one that's careless or indifferent, those that are just sitting by.
Oh, how hard it is to give them the simple gospel of God's grace. How hard it is to give them John 316. For God so loved the world, they gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And then to see them acknowledge that, but just go on their way unconcerned. Oh, how sad, but not so with this trembling center.
Anyway, I tremble, and if there's one here tonight that's still in your sins, you well might tremble too. The thought of meeting God in your sins should cause you to tremble where you are. And in similar languages the Philippian jailer raised the question, what must I do to be saved if we only realized, if this poor Sinner only realized his, that destination which is his.
The lake of fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels just realize a little of that.
I tell you, he would tremble.
But being creatures of God.
We don't seem to realize these things as God's speaking to us and the Sinner treats them in a different way and in different manner. And then when God speaks once or twice, then he becomes gospel hardened and he has no more use for the gospel of God's grace.
How sad, how sad to close your heart's door to the pleadings of God and our Lord Jesus Christ when they say, when we read, Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What must I do to be saved? Here is the cry all listen to the answer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Not that you hope to be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
And what else?
And thy house.
Ah, how good.
Thank God for the simplicity of the gospel of His grace. Well, there's one more scripture in Revelation 21.
It's a sad verse.
Solemn verse.
But I want to warn God is warning. God is speaking to you.
Revelation 21 verse 8.
But the fearful?
The fearful.
And unbelieving.
I dropped down to the end of the verse. Shall have their part in the lake of fire, which burned with fire and brimstone.
Which is the second death, the fearful and unbelieving.
Perhaps there are those tonight on Hearing the Gospel.
Over and over again, knowing God's way and God's plan of salvation.
Are fearful.
They're afraid of their pals.
Afraid of what your neighbors might say about you or those in the office?
Afraid to accept Jesus Christ as Savior in connection with the consequences down here.
Or how sad.
And yet it must be true.
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It is the word of God, and it wouldn't be put here in this portion if there was not a need to be.
The fearful and unbelieving are clashed together.
To stand before that blessed One at the great White Throne, judgment in their sins, and then to spend their eternal portion in the lake of fire, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Eternal separation from God and His love. Now, in closing, I would like to ask each one to weigh these things.
In the light of a never ending eternity.
In the light of a never ending eternity.
You may never sit under the sound of the gospel again.
As I look into your faces tonight, I see different faces than I saw two years ago. I see the young people growing up. I see the middle-aged becoming older and the older ones getting older.
I see the Gray hairs coming in.
It's a changing scene that we're living in. Everything has changed round about us, but thank God his word remains the same.
God's ways and his plans remain the same.
And.
The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.
Are you going to believe the gospel tonight if thou shalt confess with thy mouth?
The Lord Jesus I believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from among the dead.
Thou shalt be saved. Thou shalt be saved. God's terms, God's plan of salvation. It's not by going out and doing works. It's not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy.
According to his mercy, he saved us referring to the believer here tonight.
Works of righteousness will only condemn us.
What it's been simple faith.
Accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, the sinners hope.
And going on rejoicing, we left this Philippian jailer and his household rejoicing. And that's your portion tonight, dear Senator. That's your privilege tonight in accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It's your.
Privilege to go out of this room, a rejoicing St. of God on your way to glory. But if you depart in your sins, if you leave this place with that question undecided, what then will I do with Jesus Christ? Well then, friend, it may be forever and eternally too late, and you can't will never have that joy in your soul here. And you'll not have that joy in eternity. It'll be that remorse, I say again.
Dear Senator, awake, awaken, awaken to the fact that the Lord is coming.
It's coming soon, and you may not, on the other hand, see the sunrise.
Eternity is short. I mean, time is short. Eternity is long. Time is running out. Come to the savior? Make no delay. Let's sing hymn number.
34.
Precious precious Blood of Jesus shed on Calvary, shed for rebels and for sinners shed for me. Precious Blood that hath redeemed us all. The prices paid. Perfect pardon now is offered. Peace is made #34.
Precious precious blood of Jesus.
Gospel
Gospel—A. Hayhoe
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Just as I was erasing.
Me seeking from the.
Now there is no on that day.
The Sagar for me.
Thank you.
Sailors like me.
Shedding his blood for my rainbow.
Lived in Las Vegas for me.
Would you turn with me please, to I Corinthians?
Chapter 15.
One Corinthians chapter 15 and verse one.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you.
Which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand?
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel.
Which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand. You know. This verse has been a great comfort to me on many occasions, For it has been my responsibility, as it is once again tonight, to stand and face a goodly number of those who are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. And it is my joy to call everyone of such.
One of the beloved brethren in Christ. For if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
If your sins have been blotted out by that precious blood which flowed from his wounded side, then my friend, you and I can shake hands as brethren in Christ. But having accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, as the gospel, anything further to say to you? Anything further to say to me, I say. This verse has been a great comfort to me. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel.
Yes, those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior delight.
To hear the gospel once again. Is this not true? Author, the hymn that we often sing. I love to tell a story for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. And I love to hear the gospel. I'm not ashamed to admit. I love to tell it forth, too, the glad tidings of a God who loved us in spite of our guilt.
The glad tidings of a Savior who died to redeem us in spite of the enmity of our hearts. Oh, do you and I, who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, not find it our continual delight to share the gospel together? Moreover, brethren.
I declare unto you the gospel, but I don't believe that word applies to all who are present tonight.
I fear that there are those in this meeting who could not rise from that seat which you occupy and say.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior. My sins have all been blotted out by His own Precious Blood. If such is not your confession, my friend, let me remind you at the beginning of this meeting that you are lost.
That under the eye of God, and according to the testimony of this book, you are guilty.
You are condemned. You are on your road to eternal hell. This is the language of God's own word, and it is my solemn responsibility to bring it before your soul once again tonight. I love to tell of the love of God, and perhaps it only is natural that I shrink from the faithful presenting of what the human heart really is.
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In God's sight, even as the disciples shrank from the responsibility of rolling away the stone from the tomb of Lazarus.
They said, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead 4 days.
They didn't want that responsibility. They knew that the evidence would be very unpleasant. And yet, my friend, it is my responsibility tonight to remind you from the pages of God's Word, though you may be a clean and respected and honored citizen of this community in the sight of God if you have not yet been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, God's Word says.
There is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. God's word says, all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. And yet I delight to remind you, beloved friend, that in spite of that condition of your heart, and such was certainly so true of my own, in spite of this.
God.
Loves you this very moment. Will you turn with me please, to 1St John, the first Epistle of John.
And from that epistle we shall find a little text which I hope to speak on this evening.
First John Chapter 4.
Verse 16.
First John 4 verse 16.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love.
Glorious text.
3 Marvelous Words God is love. Oh, here we have a theme that it is not within my power to exhaust where all the time that remains to us at my disposal tonight.
God is love, beloved friend. What a text. I can look around this entire company tonight and say to each and every one of you.
Back here, including myself, by the grace of God, that he who knew all about you and knew all about me.
He whose I rested upon the sin stained pages of our lives, looked down upon us and wants us to know this wondrous, glorious, precious statement. God is love. And I want you to know, my friend, whoever you may be, no matter what your background may be, that this message is that which God longs to have your soul. Enjoy this evening.
God is love. Nor is this merely a text. I don't speak disparagingly as I say these words, I say. Nor is this merely a text telling us that God is love, for His love has been revealed in manifold ways.
Page after page, we turn in this precious book and see the heart of God in love revealed to man.
I believe most of us are aware of the fact that the very first mention of love in all God's Word is found in the 22nd chapter of Genesis, where we read this statement. Take now thy Son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest the Spirit of God, reserved the use of that word love, to be found on its first occasion in the word of God.
In connection with the love of that father toward his only begotten son Isaac, No mention made of the love that bound the heart of Adam and Eve as one. No mention made in the early stories of Genesis until we come to this account. And there we find that word love shines forth for its first time, the love of that father toward his only son whom he is about to lay.
Upon the altar of sacrifice. The second mention of love is found in the 24th chapter of Genesis.
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Where that same son Isaac, having been received back again from the dead in a figure, takes to himself a bride, Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her.
Oh, I'm sure that you and I can see a way back there in the Old Testament.
A wonderful foreshadowing of the love of the heart of God toward His beloved and only Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And the love of that one who went into death and rose again from the dead, his love toward those whom he now delights to embrace as his own, his chosen, redeemed and blood bought, fried as my soul was one day enjoying the tracing of this word through this glorious book. I became a little impatient. I thought, surely after the long years of Israel's sad history of failure.
And departure from God. The mention of God's love will fade from the pages.
Of the Old Testament and I couldn't wait to read it through. I thought, I'm going to start at Malachi and I'm going to read back and see how far back I have to read before I find mention of God's love to his erring and unfaithful people. And I turn to that last book in the Old Testament and began to read The Burden of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord.
I must admit that a tear stay in that verse when I read it for the first time. There at the end of 4000 years, almost of man's failing history, we read the last message by the last prophet to that forgetful and failing people. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Oh it is my joy tonight to proclaim that glorious and wondrous reality.
God.
Is love. How then, has his love been revealed, been made known to us?
I can think of no more wondrous verse than John 316.
Shall we turn to John 3 verse 16?
And read bare the glorious display of the loving heart of God to man.
For God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him.
Should not perish, but have everlasting life.
You know, I believe that almost everyone here could recite this glorious verse from memory. I think that very little children probably learned this verse as the first one they ever committed, the memory for God.
So loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him.
Should not perish but have everlasting life. I don't know when I first heard this verse. More than likely, although it's beyond the reach of my memory, more than likely I heard it first from my dear father or my dear mother, for this book was precious to them both. The story of God's wondrous love was dear to both their hearts and, from my earliest memory, this verse.
Was often heard around our home or God Southern loved the world.
And I knew that it meant me. I knew that God loved me.
And yet I hang my head in shame to own that there were no response in this cold heart of mine other than a rejection of God and of his love, and of the wondrous offer of pardon that God was offering to me in the days of my early childhood. I stand here a trophy of the grace of God, and as I speak tonight, of that matchless love I own, that it was sovereign grace alone.
Never broke down my rebellious heart to sense the sweetness of that love.
And to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as my Savior.
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What a marvelous verse this is. You and I in Christian lands such as these perhaps fail to realize what an amazing testimony to the love of God we have in this verse.
I remember our brother Willis telling us that years ago in China, his father, John L Willis, whom some of us remember quite well, was walking along the streets of Shanghai in China.
And he noticed ahead of him on the street an old man.
Who had been a missionary in China for many years. Brother Willis knew him well, so he hastened his footsteps to catch up with his dear old man. For he knew that he would hear from him something concerning the preciousness of Christ, That as he drew near, he noticed that the old man was talking to himself aloud. It was a habit of this old man. So Brother Willis just remained a step behind and listened to what the old man was saying, and this is what he was saying.
For God so loved the world. And then He'd shake his dear old head and start over again. For God so loved the world, and he'd shake his head and start over again. And brother Willis said he followed him for the distance of a city block. And the old man never got any farther in the verse than quoting these first few words. For God so loved the world. And then He'd shake his head and begin again.
He had been telling the story of God's love for many years in China, and it still filled him with astonishment to think that God would love such a world as he had seen in Shanghai. I don't point the finger at Shanghai. Do we need to go very far from home before we see that which makes us astonished as we read this verse? The violence and corruption that abounds everywhere today makes us read this verse with astonishment.
Where this verse is found month in Genesis where man's history begins?
But this verse is found in John's Gospel after 4000 years of the sin stained history of man has passed by. God makes known this wondrous fact that he so loved this world. I remember an account in the messages of love some time ago.
About a little girl who lived long ago in Germany. Printing had just been invented and was in his very primitive stages. And this little girl's father had a print shop. And one day, as she was wandering curiously through his print shop, she found a scrap of paper on which were written a few German words. She picked it up and hid it in her dress, went to her room and made out.
Those words. And they filled her heart with such a joy and a happiness and a peace that it just made a different girl out of her. And a few days later her mother remarked. My dear, you seem to have had a very happy and changed disposition for several days. But is the secret of this change? And the little girl said, Well, mother, I must show you what I found in Daddy's print shop. And she pulled out of her hiding place.
A little slip of paper smoothed it out and read to her mother these words. For God so loved the world that he gave. That's all it said. The printing was not very good, and the father had thrown it aside to try again. And this little girl had found those words. For God so loved the world that he gave. Oh mother, she said. Isn't this wonderful? God is a God of love.
And God loved so much that he gave. I don't know what he gave, but he loved enough to give something. I don't know what it was, but it makes me happy to know that God loved this world enough to give. And so they decided they would ask Father if they could please see the rest of the verse. Oh, my friend, you've heard it. You've heard it. You've heard it again. And what does it mean to you? Picture that little girl and her mother.
As they discovered what it was that God gave for God so loved the world that he gave.
His only begotten Son. Oh, I say, That little text God is love is magnified to my soul as I read this marvelous statement. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
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That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life other the height and a depth. There is a breadth and a length to the love that is revealed in this verse.
That no human heart can comprehend and no human tongue can tell. The height of that love, my friend, is the very throne of God. All the poetry and the art and the music that has been dedicated to the theme of love, they all fade away into insignificance. When I think of the love that is revealed in this verse. The very throne of God is involved in this love, the very throne of him who is holy and righteous and true.
The throne of him who looks down at you and me and sees those stains of guilt that have blotted our lives. The very one who looks at those pages in which our faulty record is written. Look down from heaven's glory, beloved friend, down to this poor world of sin and tears and God loved. Was there ever a height to love like that? But God so loved the world that he gave His only.
Begotten son.
Was there ever a depth to love such as that which was revealed?
In the giving of his beloved Son to the shameful, awful death of the cross of Calvary. And was there ever a breadth revealed, such as we have here in this verse, that whosoever believeth in him, it takes us all in beloved friend, it takes you in, it takes me in. By matchless grace, have you ever made it your own? Have you ever rejoiced in the knowledge that God knowing all about you?
Love you personally enough to give his own son that you might be redeemed.
That you might be the possessor of everlasting life. Ah, was there ever a length to love such as is revealed in that marvelous statement, the possessor of everlasting life, The height of that love, the throne of God, the depth of that love, the cross of Calvary, the breadth of that law, whosoever will, and the length of that love the possession of.
Everlasting life.
God so loved the world that He gave beloved friend God is loved. He gave his Son. However, this is just the beginning of the story. God sent his Son. That's true. But the full love of God was not yet revealed. In ascending of his beloved Son into this world, God the One who sent him into this world to reveal that mighty heart of love.
Look down.
And saw the treatment that his beloved son received from the hands of men.
Have you ever pictured that as you read the account of the Lord Jesus we were reading recently in the 8th chapter of John?
Of that poor, sinful woman who was brought into the presence of the Lord and charged with a guilt that bore the penalty of stoning to death.
And there she was in the presence of the Lord with her accusers. They are ready to stone her to death, and the Lord Jesus stood in her defense. He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her one by one. Those accusers left in the Lord Jesus was left alone, but finished the chapter, and at the end of the chapter they take up stones to cast.
Not at a poor, sinful woman, but at the Lord Jesus Christ himself in that very chapter.
And who stood up in his defense? No one. Jesus hid himself.
I challenge you to read that without your heart being moved, Jesus sent of God in love to the world His hand had made.
With a heart overflowing with love to poor guilty men and women, he looks into the faces of those who have picked up stones to cast at him. He had power to hinder it, but the Scripture says Jesus hid himself.
Oh, I have been humbled and touched to read a statement like that. And I think of the eye of God who sent him looking down upon a scene like that, seeing his beloved Son who had so beautifully displayed that loving heart here on earth.
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Hiding himself from those who would stone him to death.
Two chapters later they take up stones again to cast at him. I say God is love. He sent his beloved Son and he watched that pathway. He saw the rejection. He saw his beloved Son led to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. God, who sent him in love, saw all this take place.
And yet, in long-suffering, God lingered that his heart of love.
Might be fully and perfectly revealed at last.
Shall we turn to Matthew's Gospel?
Matthew Chapter 27.
Matthew chapter 27 and verse 45.
Now from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land unto the 9th hour, and about the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eli, Eli, Lamas Habakkuk. That is to say, my God, my God.
Why hast thou?
Forsaken me.
God is love, my beloved friend. Not only did he send his Son into this poor world that his heart of love might be made known to man, but God looked down upon his beloved Son and saw the rejection from those to whom that love was displayed. He saw his beloved Son with a crown of thorns upon his blessed head.
He saw his beloved son with a very garment stripped from him.
And a robe of mockery put upon him a Reed put in his right hand. And then the very servant smote him with the palms of their hands. They spit in his face. My friend, God is love. He sent his Son, and he looked down upon a world that did this to his beloved Son. And still the love of God pursues its glorious course.
Until this mighty moment.
The Lord Jesus.
Was put before the world of that day with the offer, Whom will ye that I release unto you, this man, or Barabbas? And they all with one voice cried not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
And this world has been suffering for that choice ever since. Nor can they point their finger back across the century.
For I believe you, and I know only too well, and only too sadly, that if the Lord Jesus were to return again today.
He would meet with exactly the same treatment. And I have wondered.
May I say this with all reverence, but I believe I say it in truth. I don't think they would put up with him for 33 years if he came again.
That's what this world in 1968 thinks of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I say God looked down upon that scene, and there his beloved Son hung upon the cross of Calvary. But we read that from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour. Oh, I want to pause here.
For if we have pictured him in the shame that he endured from the hands of men, we can picture him no longer. God has drawn a veil of darkness over this scene, and the angels who looked down and shouted with joy in the day of his birth looked down now, and what takes place is hidden from their eyes, hidden from our eyes, hidden from every eye. God himself forsook this blessed one.
During these three hours of darkness and we read in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, it pleased Jehovah to bruise him. If God's love was revealed in the giving the sending of his Son, much more has the love of God been revealed in the bruising of his Son in these three hours of darkness for my guilt.
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All beloved friend, I want to dwell upon these three hours.
I want to remind you that during these three hours of darkness, those pages of guilt that were recorded against me, those stains of sin that I had augmented, were laid to the account of and upon the sinless head of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. God is loved, beloved friend. How else can we account for the fact that he took that awful, immeasurable weight and stain and burden of guilt, and laid it upon that sinless one who had been His delight from all eternity?
And then brought down the strokes of wrath and of judgment that ought to have fallen upon me.
That ought to have fallen upon you. These strokes fell upon the sinless head of my substitute, the Son of God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Oh, as we think of these three hours of darkness, there shines out from that darkness that glorious text God is love.
During those hours.
The judgment that I deserved and ought to have borne for an unending eternity.
Was concentrated in all its awful vengeance upon the head of the Lord Jesus, and not mine only, but the sins of every one numbered among the redeemed, who will spend eternity in the glory. Oh beloved friend, I love to announce the glad tidings that God is love. I delight to point to the cross of Calvary and remind our hearts once more that the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God.
There upon the cross.
Bore in his own body our sins, and they are gone.
They are gone forever. When those three hours were ended, the Lord Jesus cried in triumph. It is finished and the mighty work was done. Do you believe it?
Friend, do you believe it It is finished. Do you believe it?
All how many of the religious systems of today that we see all around us.
Set those 3 words to one side and will not have them. I have mentioned this before but I believe it to be an apartment illustration of this very text.
When I was in my teens, I used to work in a factory in Ottawa.
Being very much of A junior, I had to remain there while everyone else went to their lunch hour. And there was one man there who remained also in his particular department, and he used to come over to where I worked to phone his wife every day at noon. His name was Mr. Wake.
And once in a while, our conversation would turn to this.
Glorious book. And one day he said to me, do you believe in sudden death, sudden glory? Well, I said, Mr. Wake, I certainly do for myself. For I know that the Lord Jesus has taken all my guilt upon himself, and that I will never have to give an account for those sins which would have cast me into hell forever. And he said, oh, I can't believe that. I can't believe that. Surely there must be for every one of us a period of purgation.
That was his language, a period of purgation after we leave this world.
Well, I say. I was a teenager and I didn't just know what to say.
But I did say this, Mr. Wake, when the Lord Jesus died upon the cross, he said it is finished. And that doesn't sound to me as though there was a period of purgation ahead for me. I believe the Lord Jesus meant that all my sins were gone and that all the judgment that I deserved was over forever. Mr. Wake, what did he mean when he said it is finished?
I can see the dear man to this day with a very, very heavy man. He stood there for some time then slowly shook his head and said it is finished and he turned and he walked out saying over and over again as he walked out. It is finished.
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And the door closed. The last thing I heard him say is he went out. The door was it is finished.
He went home, he got out the mower to mow the lawn and he never finished mowing his lawn.
He ended up lying across his own doorstep in eternity. In eternity.
No period of purgation, my friend. I lost eternity forever, or the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ forever. Oh tell me my friend, which would it be with you? I look at these boys and girls who have been brought up as I was brought up in a Christian home with a God fearing praying father and mother.
And a God fearing, praying Sunday school teacher who is sitting here in this company tonight. But in spite of all this, that heart of mine that knew the story well and could sing the hymns and choruses and could recite the verses from this book, my heart was guilty before God and all I stand here and I thank God again for the day that came when these knees of mine at last were bowed. This stubborn heart of mine at last was broken.
And I owned my guilt in the sight of God. I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. But I stand here tonight, and I say by the grace of God.
God is love. He sent his Son. God is love. He bruised his Son even unto death in order that I might be redeemed.
Well, you know, when these three hours of darkness were ended.
And the light again shone upon that scene. If you had looked down there, you would have seen 2 struggling malefactors, but you would have seen the head of the Lord Jesus Christ hanging in death upon the cross. The mighty work of suffering for our guilt was ended, but you would have seen.
A Roman soldier slowly wending his way up that hillside with a spear in his hand.
My friend, I cannot point at these Roman soldier, for I see my heart reflected even in that wicked heart.
He took that spear and thrust it into the sight of my dead Savior. And from that side there flowed blood and water. And beloved friend, I tell you, God is love. He looked down upon that blood that flowed from the wounded side of his sudden death, and he put in your hands and mine tonight this glorious statement, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanse us from all sin. Oh, I delight to exalt the precious blood of Christ.
In this religious world of today, we have modernists enough who will take the words saved and born again and all the rest of it, and put their own meanings into these words. But they cringe when you mention the blood of Christ. And I hope I'll never be guilty of preaching or pretending to preach the gospel without exalting the precious blood of Christ. Again I said, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son.
Cleanseth Us.
From all sin.
Trust on Friday afternoon two days ago.
It was my privilege and honor to take the funeral service of a dear old sister who was just a few weeks short of 97 years of age.
And entered into the presence of the Lord Jesus, and thereby her casket was this framed text.
Redeemed with a precious blood of Christ. This was not just some vague hope with those who were left behind. They knew well from the testimony of her long life that she not only rested and trusted with joy upon the value of the precious blood of Christ, but in her profession she delighted in a quiet manner to tell those who came to see her.
Of that same Precious Blood which meant so much to her.
And some of those that she had ministered to during her lifetime were there at the funeral, in honor of the one who had passed away 96, almost 97 years and to night, as I stand here before you, she miss Katie Hughes.
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Is in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and what will be the theme of her joyful song for all eternity?
Under him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Could we go a step farther, please, and turn to Romans Romans, chapter 4.
Verse 24. Romans 4 verse 24.
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up.
Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses.
And was raised again for our justification, therefore.
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Once again I say God is love. He sent his Son, God is loved. He bruised his Son. And again God is love. He raised him from the dead.
For our justification, the Savior who was sent from the bosom of God into this poor world.
Is no longer on the cross or in the tube. God in wondrous love has raised him from the dead.
For our justification.
And I've heard it said, and it sounds good to me, that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was God's. Amen.
To the Lord's cry it is finished. I like that the Lord Jesus accomplished the mighty work of redemption upon the cross, and in John's Gospel the only place where he could rightly proclaim his own estimate of that finished work. The Son of God proclaims it is finished, and God may I say it reverently. God said Amen when he raised him from among the dead.
Perfectly and eternally satisfied with that glorious work of redemption.
And God in wondrous love has raised him from among the dead. And now this night, in the very presence of God at his right hand there sits the one who bears the scars forever of that which he endured here upon earth.
And as God looks at his beloved Son this night and looks at you in this meeting room tonight, he wants you to know, my friend, that he loves you. He wants you to know that he delights to proclaim, still in his long-suffering grace, the pardon of forgiveness, the justification from every stain of sin that will blot.
Your record for all eternity.
And bar you from those courts of eternal glory.
If you do not come to Christ.
Long ago I had the joy of seeing a dear man except the Lord Jesus as his savior, and this was mentioned in the prayer meeting downstairs just a short time ago.
This dear man, I would guess to be approximately 50 years of age.
And after some deep exercise of heart, this man rose up from his knees, put his hand out, and happily proclaimed that he had received the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. And you know, as I took the hand of that dear man, I held it and I waited. I think he wondered what I was waiting for. And it never came across my soul before, as it did on that recent occasion.
I held his hand, I say, and waited. Do you know what I was waiting for, Strange?
But I believe this when the last soil is gathered in, I don't believe there will be one moment's delay.
I believe we'll go home at once, and I waited for the Lord to call us home. And when the Lord didn't come immediately, I said to myself, there must be someone else.
Are you going to be the one that's brought in just at the very end?
I know, I am sure my soul is deeply convinced of the fact that we are at the very moment when the door of grace is going to be closed and closed forever, and the wondrous tale of God's matchless law that you have heard over and over, beloved friend.
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You will hear no more, forever and ever and ever. Oh, I can think of nothing more solemn.
Nothing more frightful to contemplate and to look this night.
Into the face of a boy or a girl, a man or a woman.
Who knows that what we have said tonight is the truth of God's word, but your soul is guilty before God.
You have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus as your savior, and to have that door closed in your face, beloved friend, God's word says that they will stand and knock and say, Lord, Lord, open to us. This is not my exaggerated opinion. This is the word of God. Do you know who will do this? Those who have heard the gospel, those who have been brought up in Christian homes?
This world around us will be as it was in the days of Noah. The word of God tells us they knew not until the flood came and took the mall away. In spite of Noah's preaching, they were taken totally by surprise. They didn't expect the flood, but it came. They knew not. And when the Lord comes and takes his redeemed home, do you know? I believe this world is going to be taken by surprise. They're going to say what happened? Where have all these people gone?
So silently, so suddenly, who is going to tell them?
I hope it won't be you.
I hope. I hope it won't be you. But it will be those who, like yourself, have sat under the sound of the gospel, and you knew it well, and you knew that the coming of the Lord was near at hand, and you intended someday to see to it that this matter was settled someday, but not.
Today, oh beloved friend, as you sit here listening to the gospel, there are thousands of souls who have been taken suddenly and without a moment's warning into eternity. And they are already aware of the sad and awful fact.
That they are lost forever.
I trust you may not be among that number. God is love. He sent his Son to display that love to this poor, groaning world. God is love. He bruised his Son. He poured forth upon him the judgment that you and I deserve. God is love. He raised him from among the dead. And shall we turn yet to another scripture in the book of the Acts?
I'm well aware of the fact that these scriptures are not new to anyone here.
Perhaps even the connection of these scriptures is not new to anyone but all beloved friend.
Who can say that the story of God's love is not sweet to the soul, no matter how many times the same verses may be read again and again?
Acts 4.
Pardon me Acts, Chapter 2, Acts, Chapter 2.
Verse 36.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this which he now see and hear.
I believe we have here yet another, if you wish, a fourth evidence of that glorious text. God is love, having sent His Son, having punished his son for our transgressions.
Having raised him from among the dead, God looked down upon this world who had spit in the face of that Son of his love? God looked down upon a world still groaning under the guilt that was written to their account. And God sent down his Holy Spirit in order that men of every kindred under heaven might hear the glad tidings of his matchless grace. And, my friend, the message from God's word to your soul tonight.
Is not the message of some visitor from Canada the message to your soul tonight, beloved friend?
I trust I can say it with authority and truth. The message is a message from the heart of God.
With the authority of the Word of God. And I trust and pray with the power of the Spirit of God. For God loves you so that he has gone to every length possible that he might show that love to you, that your heart may be opened this very night to have those stains of guilt blotted out forever. What about the one who is sitting beside you on this side and on that side?
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Quite likely, as you think of the one who sits here and there, you know very well that he or she is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps you are here especially invited, especially coaxed and brought to this meeting by a friend whom you consider to have some queer religious notions. But let me tell you that the friend who invited you, who coaxed you, who brought you here, knows that the destiny of the soul that is not redeemed with the blood of Christ is an eternal destiny, a weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth. And that friend cares for your soul enough.
To bring you here tonight, to hear the gospel. To hear that God loves you, To hear that the gate of glory is open wide to night and that the loving heart of God pleads with you once more. To receive from His hand the gift of the eternal forgiveness.
Of every stain of sin the gift of everlasting life.
What a sad evidence it is of our rebellious heart that any of us should ever say no to such an offer as this. I feel we might even dare to say that. As yet a further testimony of the wondrous love of God is this glorious book we hold in our hand. Is it not true?
Ah, we are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, not with corruptible seed, but with the word of God that liveth and abideth forever. Oh, I thank God for this book.
I thank God that I can open its pages and see, shining from every page, the wondrous, mighty, matchless love of God. And there's a day coming, and I'm going to stand in the presence of Him who loved me enough to redeem my soul with His own precious Blood. I'm going to praise Him forever for that love. I'm going to praise Him for all eternity for that precious blood that blotted out those many stains of guilt.
More stains than I could remember or number.
He knew the mall, and he blotted the mall away forever.
Oh, our time is up, beloved friend, But I feel as the meeting ends that there are those in this company.
Who are lost at a solemn word, but it's a word that fell often from the lips of Jesus Christ.
Lest he said to the men who were steeped in religion, lust wherever he went, he reminded men and women, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And I say once again, your reputation may be of the finest, the cleanest, the most enviable wherever you live, but unless you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, unless you are redeemed with His precious blood, you're lost.
I don't want you to put that head of yours on your pillow tonight. Lost.
Would you accept Christ as your Savior tonight? And if you do so, beloved friend, will you confess him as your savior? Some time ago I was reading, I can't recall where. It was an old, old book, and I came across the copy of a confession that was found scratched on the wall of a dungeon that had been dismantled.
There in that dungeon for many years.
Had been imprisoned, a man who was only known as Brother Martin. That was the name signed to this confession.
And they are alone in that cell. This dear man wrote out his confession.
I have cherished it. I wish I could remember it, But instead I wrote it out that day a long time ago.
The date at the top of the confession was 1776.
A long time ago.
These are the words that this man, Brother Martin, had inscribed on the wall of his dungeon.
Merciful God, I know that I cannot be saved otherwise than through the guiltless suffering and death of thy well beloved Son, Holy Jesus. All my salvation lies in Thy hands.
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Thou canst not turn away the hands of thy love from me, for thou hast created and hast redeemed me.
Thou hast written my name in great mercy, with an iron spear, and with inextinguishable marks on my side, thy hands and thy feet.
Although I cannot confess these things with my mouth.
Today I confess them with my pen and with my heart.
There was a man behind the walls of a dungeon. No human ear to hear his confession, but he inscribed that confession on the wall of his dunton, to be discovered many years later.
Beloved friend, here you are at the very closing moments of the day of God's matchless grace.
God loves you. He has revealed that love in ways that my poor tongue can never tell.
And he wants you this night to confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. My dear boy, my dear girl, if you have never confessed the Lord Jesus, will you do so tonight? You don't have to scratch it on the wall of a dungeon. Thank God for that.
But you can turn to your father, your mother.
I would love to hear it from your lips too, but God wants to hear it. Tell him. Tell him.
May I just quote one more verse in closing a verse from the Song of Solomon in the first chapter? And I don't think I need to call it a digression.
It says there in that chapter.
We will remember.
Thy love isn't that precious. We will remember thy love.
Could I think of love like that?
And such a verse have no claim upon my heart.
I said I considered it an honor.
To speak at the service of that beloved sister who was taken home into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
For 83 years.
She remembered the Lord Jesus in his death.
For 83 years.
She had responded.
To that precious little text we will remember thy love.
Now she's gone into his presence to rejoice in that love in a way that the rest of us envy. But in the meantime, beloved, you and I can rejoice in that love and thank him for that love. And we can remember that love too. Shall we pray?
2 Peter 1:1-4
Reading
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76, 276.
We are. We are.
276.
5.
Second Peter, chapter one.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Our Lord, according as a divine power, has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by thee and He might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add your faith, virtue and of virtue, knowledge and of knowledge, temperance, and a temperance, patience and a patient's godliness.
And to God and his brother, the Kindness and their Brotherly Kindness charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He that lack of these things is blind, you cannot see a far off, and have forgotten that he was first from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren?
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, he shall never fall.
Pursue an entrance of administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in the present proof. Yeah, I think it'll meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. Knowing it shortly, I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor that you might be able, after my deceit, to have these things always in remembrance.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, for he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this boy, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mountain.
We are also a more sure word of prophecy for them. Do you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts? Knowing this, First, there's no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time, by the will of man, the holy men of God's faith, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
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Area of commenting on that person in second in the last chapter that we haven't touched on.
I thought it might be important.
15th Church.
Accounting that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given of him, has written unto you.
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things in the which.
Are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable rest as they do also the other scriptures?
Under their own destruction. He therefore beloved seeing. You know these things.
Before beware, lest also being LED away with the air of the liquid, fall from your own steadfastness.
But growing grace and have the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ him be glory was down forever. Amen.
Again, we're reminded that the long-suffering of God is.
Is for the salvation of perishing souls.
And lovely to see the ways Peter speaks of Paul.
In the second chapter of Galatians, no Paul was called upon to publicly rebuke Peter.
It shows that no servant of Christ who is beyond, beyond and above correction, although it isn't a very pleasant thing, especially for a leader that have to be corrected in that publicity, in that publicly.
Was what touches 1 hears to see the way that Peter speaks of the very one who was called on to rebuke him?
Our beloved brother Paul, he held no bitterness.
A lot of instructive for us. We're told to pull away all bitterness.
We should never retain bitterness in our hearts towards any either St. or Sinner. Sometimes we can't walk with those who are going on in a disorderly way that even if we're called upon as.
As Paul writes in Second Thessalonians, to avoid those that are walking disorderly and even if they have done something.
Bahamas said something against us. We should not allow that to be a means of retaining bitterness in our hearts toward them. We see a lovely example of that in Peter on this occasion.
And then another thing that we learned from this.
As our beloved brother Paul has written unto you.
I judge that that's the book of Hebrews because Peter was the impossible with circumcision, and the only epistle that Paul wrote to the Hebrew believers is the book of Hebrews. And perhaps that's one way we can be certain that Paul wrote Hebrews, although he does not attach his name to that question.
And perhaps for the very reason that he was not exercising his special partial ship, which was to the Gentiles, of course.
Of course, says we all remember that in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Lord Jesus is the apostle.
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Of an high priest of our profession, that's another lovely reason why.
Paul's name does not appear in that book, but some have questioned whether Paul wrote the Epsilon. But that would suffer accord or settle the matter, I'm sure, although that is not how important for us to be occupied with to any extent.
But what I was going to finish my little talk of saying is this, that Peter recognizes Pauls writings as scriptures and that shows that those inspired men of war for God raised up at the beginning of the history of the church apostles who were inspired men.
And we find that one inspired man.
Recognizes the inspiration of another inspired man.
All right, brother down, just going to mention that that Peter himself, who was called for the ministry to the circumcision, was a very instrument God used to open the door by using the key of the Kingdom to the Gentiles.
Chapter 10. And so our one epistle of Paul being the exception to his general line of ministry is Hebrews, but it makes Paul write 14 epistles. Then we have seven other, what we call Catholic confessors, the two of Peter, one of James, and the three to John.
In June, I was going to say it'd be difficult for Peter to write the first verse of the second chapter first Peter without this spirit that he showed in this chapter, wouldn't it?
Wherever laying inside all mallets and all dial, and hypocrisy and enemies and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that she may grow thereby. Someone who said that this passage that Peter wrote.
In this second chapter is like plowing the ground up before you put the seed in it's it's that state of soul that's open and ready for the truth of God, both in connection with learning it and to minister it. Now in this verse, the 16th verse of the.
3rd chapter of Second Peter before we go to our chapter.
I believe we should read this and be helpless to read it in another translation that is.
On top and ill established. It should be untaught and ill established.
Now, sometimes you hear people saying, well, I don't understand that. I don't believe that. And you ask them, well, now how many times have you read it? Well, I haven't read it very much, but and they read the scriptures as though they were on newspaper. But you know, if we're going to be established in the scriptures.
We have to read them in the fear of God and in His presence, for the consciousness of what we are in ourselves, that we know nothing. We have to be taught. And this word rest could easily be translated reason, could it not? It's a question of the human mind entering into the things of God. Now the things of God must be accepted by faith. If it's a question of history, well, we'll say science, for instance.
Chemistry are these things.
Mathematics, we use them in connection with this life, but when it comes to the things of God, we cannot allow reason to enter into it. It must not be allowed. That'll be the ruination of our testimony down here, if we allow the reason to enter in because reason was not given us.
When we have a direct revelation from God as to His mind.
And we must accept the Scriptures just as they are now. We may not understand them, and that's why the Holy Spirit uses one and another as an occasion like this, that we might be helpers together in the truth.
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That we might all grow up together, as the Scripture says in Ephesians, not to hear. So we need this. We need our reading meetings. We need these exhortations. We need these.
A little helps along the way, but it's the Word of God. We must obey, we must believe, just as it is.
Becoming very common in many groups of higher learning, we probably mixed that with this character that is pertaining to this client. I know that there are many people who refreshed me who clenched in the Mart of God and they put of the opposition to what is known to be fired to speak facts to find the new world and invariably what happens is that they disapply.
Got or they had something to it and this is one of the standards of being progressed to strictly one of the biggest means something that never was intended to me.
The Word of God was never intended to be assigned to participate in the Sinner, but it was never meant to explain all the facts of science. The young person who's studying in school never needs to worry about the word of God. None of you know, so to speak. They find that there appear to be some discrepancy of self disagreement. It's only because we are finite in order to call it interest.
And we find that as we get to know more about the scientific world thought him that's to understand it the horrible that how close it is, how how accurate it is, but it was never intended to get scientific textbooks. And I would like to just mention that the believer will never bring anyone to Christ by finding argue about the scientific world using the Bible as his text. The word thought is not intended to exist.
The only answer comes to becoming really a plaintiff of the Word of God.
I remember my father also saying that, the way of saying that I was getting to know how to get money. If you're handling the real thing off the tires, as soon as you become so sensitive to it, something falls, comes across the standing, know that immediately. Same with the believer, the young person going to school.
The professor tells you how you're the work of the God is wrong. He starts quoting, so you'll know if you were reading the word of God. You'll know right away where he's making his mistakes, because he won't be 40 and writing, or else he won't be writing and writing the order through the sympathy default and applying it to the right place.
But now I say it's so important to become well established in the Word of God and there's somebody disappointed your Lord, your senses to the part of the ocean and the spirit we have.
We get a principle of that in Isaiah 28, starting in the ninth verse 1.
Thank you.
My brother mentioned about Paul and Peter being inspired man and I'm very sure he will agree with his comments that back which they wrote and which is included here in the word of God is inspired.
I know our brother will agree with this because it doesn't really mean that everything that Paul ever wrote and everything he ever uttered was inspired. That which was written and included here in this precious book, the Word of God is inspired.
All of it is, but I believe it's right to say nothing else is. There are no other inspired writings in this world other than method. We have in this wondrous book from Devon Borelli and it's all inspired. The writings of Paul are inspired of God. The writings of fear are inspire God and it's a wonderful confidence to the soul of our brother in this remark, even though we may not be able to identify the inaccuracy of something that are others.
Or how many of us continue to be?
And find law that confidence is so given to us that this infallible book is inspired God man of today say what they will not respond off wondrous grace. It doesn't pass the faith that rests upon the inspired word of God. And I am saying that there are no other writings inspired except this but once in Ohio leaders such as paper.
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This or that author or speaker was inspired and that if you wrote or said because I don't really.
Possibly be entertained for a long they may have been later the Lord. They may have had the mind of thought and what they say not inspired refers to that because that made it in the covers of this book and nothing else.
Though an Angel from heaven, I was thinking of this 20th verse of the first chapter that we've had before it that we have before us this afternoon.
Another principle connecting with what we've just been Speaking of, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scriptures of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but the holy men of God's fake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Now, in order to understand the word of God, we cannot just take one verse and expect to understand the meaning from that one verse.
We have to have not only the context, but we have to have what Paul speaks of as a form of sound words. Now that's an outline of truth.
And though most of us will never learn much of the Scriptures in detail, yet we can have a general outline in our minds and hearts. And I think every Christian should strive for this, so that we'll be able not only to enjoy truth in its general.
Aspect as we hear our brother speak of a certain line and he says, well that's in the Psalms. Immediately it comes to our mind.
Character of the songs and.
For the conscience.
That then if we.
If we want to.
Understand.
The meaning of the epistles, we have to realize who the writer is and the subject of hand. Paul's ministry is the glory, the gospel of the glory. It has to do with the mystery. Now these things are general. That's an outline of sound words, and I believe it's important. No, no prophecy of the Scripture.
Simply mean prophetic truth as we generally speak of that, I suppose it's the it's the thought of.
The scriptures themselves in general.
Is of any private interpretation. You cannot learn it from its own. Individual passages must be compared with the general word of God as is given to us.
No prophecy of the Scripture is had from its own particular interpretation.
That's very good, what you say, really, Nadine, that requires the whole word of God. And I was thinking too that if if the man thought of God.
Apostle Jesus Christ had difficulty and understanding some of Paul's ministry. What about you and me? Poor ignorant things that we are so we're not to be surprised if we find verses or subjects that.
We don't take in or we can't understand. Reminds me of what I read of a man.
Said that when he was eating fish and he bit on something hard, he laid it aside. He didn't throw the fish away.
But he laid it aside, decided it must be a bone. And so when we come across a verse that we don't grasp, can't get the meaning at the time, just lay it aside and wait. And sometimes you'll find that the very passage of the very verse.
That you didn't take in at the time becomes an in life to divine truth and some special truth that your soul will need, especially at another time.
The first verse of our chapter Simon Peter. If you'll connect that with the first epistle, you'll see that he simply says Peter.
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Now it seems to me.
At least this is the way. It is impressed me, dear brethren, that Peter has been growing between these two epistles, and I believe we should learn this for our own hearts. Simon was his old name.
And although he does in the first epistle, he says Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ, you know, he says Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. It's as though Peter was realizing, keeping with what we've read already in the last chapter, that Peter himself was nothing. He was just Simon except for the grace of God. And I believe this, this gives character to this ministry we have in this first chapter.
Of second Peter. Peter felt what he was as he ministered it, and he felt that it was only grace he speaks of the God of all grace.
What a marvelous thing Grace says, brother, because it's by grace that she stands and there's no other way that you'll stand except by grace Here Peters realizing it in his fuller sense. Simon Heater, a servant, an apostle Jesus Christ to them that obtained.
Like precious faith.
He's an apostle, the authority, but what he's stressing is that like.
Precious faith isn't that wonderful when you think of those men of golf?
Who had known the Lord Jesus in his pathway down here like Peter?
And had served God so faithfully all their days and.
Seen Inspired.
By pestilence to write. And yes, the faith they possess is the same faith that you and I possess. Same faith like.
With all how precious that faith is, and it seems that Peter especially delighted in the use of that word precious. He speaks of precious trials in the first chapter and also all that precious blood.
Of crisis, of a lamb without blemish and without spot, He says unto you that believe He is precious. Here we get precious faith, and then you get.
Precious promises.
You say how?
Servant of Christ like Peter. Not only these truths in intellectual intellectually.
As had them in his mind. But how he had developed these things in his heart and soul, The importance and the infinite value of these things in his life. Remember, Peter was right at the end of his journey when he wrote this system.
Just about ready to be offered up and think what a death awaited him. As he knew when Peter was writing this epistle, he knew that the time was near when he was to be nailed to a cross.
Now the rest of this verse gives us to see how God is true to his character. He had made his promises and now Peter speaks of the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ and fulfilling them. Is that the thought? Yes, righteousness there has the thought of faithfulness just as you say God faithful to his props and that takes away any.
On our part, that is. We have this like precious faith, but we can't boast of it. We can't say that.
At least we have the good judgment to accept the Lord while others rejected the Lord. The very fact we have this faith is not.
Faithfulness on our part. It's faithfulness on God's part and parting that faith to us.
One thing that we noticed in both the ministry of Paul and Peter, and I suppose the rest as well, that.
00:30:00
There aren't many verses passed before he mentions the person of the Lord Jesus.
And I believe that's a little clue to any who would serve the Lord that.
We're liable to go astray if we get very far from this principle to bringing in the person of the Lord Jesus and then to his work. Those two things we find all through the Scriptures is person and His work. And so here at the very beginning.
It's God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Notice how many times?
He he mentions Christ as Savior, the verse you refer to and again on the 11Th verse, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the third chapter, in the second verse. Now the commandments of the apostles.
Of the Lord and Savior.
That's a very precious word, isn't it, Savior?
Because it reminds us of His left was and what He has done for us is death is crossed and sacrifice He made in order to save us, and not only save us from our sins, but save us for the coming glory where we shall be associated with Him.
I don't believe it's out of order in a reading meeting like this to present a fresh the way of salvation. Clearly that it's through the precious blood of Christ and that it's through that redemption which He wrought on Calvary Cross. There may be someone in this room this afternoon that doesn't know that Savior. And so we're told, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
My word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, believe in thine heart, that God has raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved, and then you can say He's my Savior.
Our Savior that takes in all the redeemed.
And joined together with delight and joy. Speaking of our Savior horses, who saves my Savior individually, but is our Savior collectively?
Peter very often seems to be delighted and I've noticed that in the second chapter of the first official, all the way through that chapter, he is exhorting them in one way and another. And he said you and he continually through the chapters.
Till he comes to that 24th verse who his own self bear our sins that though Peter does not to say when he came to this point, mine too. I've been into this, it met my niece so he said our face what a precious thing. He's the same brother Hale when he said whom having not seen ye love that he was feeling very humbled and humble in his soul to think of how he denied the Lord. So he doesn't speak of his love.
Even when calling attention to the love that others had for the Savior, whom having not seen ye, love, whom though now you see Him not yet believing, He rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
It's the language of historic Peter First, the second professor.
Here learn to walk and perhaps learn very quickly after the years was restored more to his brother, so now he could bring before and teach one of precious things. And you were noticing that at the end of the first verse.
The righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. But in the end of the second verse, he goes a step further.
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Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Our mortgage recognizes now and restored soul the warship of Christ.
Believe the character of the of these epistles of Peter are the strengthening of our souls when they are converted. Strengthen thy brother now, these epistles.
Are intended to strengthen us and that's what we have in this chapter primarily is it not the the building up of the soul in these various steps that are mentioned in the following verses. It's the strengthening the soul ready for that moment when we hear the shout we're gone as we have at 11 first.
The fourth Peter and Paul speak of grace and peace, and in the.
Dresses the same way or company of Saints. Mercy is omitted its grace and peace. But here Peter says, Being multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Now let's remember, and we think of the young people, that when you get that word, Lord.
It has to do with his authority.
He's not only our Savior, He's our Lord. That is the one we must obey, one we must be subject to, and this grace and peace.
Qualified and muscle only words that he uses as a result of.
Of the.
Pouring on in subjection to Jesus as Lord.
You see, the Lord Jesus has filled a deafness slave in connection.
With his own down here and he's he's their Lord. He's up in heaven. We're subject to him, Holy blood. We should go to him about all our affairs.
And this knowledge of God.
God that gave his Son and.
From Jesus our Lord.
Is the means of grace and peace being moved by? We're going through a world of sorrow and turmoil and trouble and danger on every side. The very foundations of society are trembling us at work.
They wonder sometimes just what is ahead of this country and other countries too. But the Christian can wend his way through this tangled scene with peace in his soul and enduring to the grace of God at unmerited faith, leading him and guiding him and directing him through all the difficulties of the way. And this is not just merely a knowledge we get.
To reading books or even reading the word necessary and important as that is what it's learning God's ways and His character as we go on.
Through this world, which, as we were singing, has become a wilderness wife.
Moses said, Show me thy way.
And so it says in Psalm 103.
He made known his ways to Moses. You know, God answers prayer. Show me thy way. So he he did show him his way. And I believe that's the character. And if we got the character Peter, it's a wilderness epistle and the character is his ways with us.
And so we have the Father and we have the discipline in Peter.
So that.
The knowledge that we acquire in this, that this chapter speaks about is that kind of knowledge.
It's a knowledge that's acquired.
Through the word of God, but by the experience and walking with God down here, learning his ways.
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I believe that's what Peter is speaking about when he says knowledge here, is it not?
And then we find that their power connected with that knowledge. That's the next verse, according as His divine power hath given them to us.
So we need power to one, because we have a very cunning enemy and there are many difficulties and dangers.
But we have not only power, but we have divine power.
And that divine power becomes.
A position, as it were, for us through this knowledge.
And we get the power.
To connect that, but the last verse of our chapter this morning, third chapter kind of passed forward.
Read the 17th and 18th, 1St the 3rd chapter. He therefore loved seeing you know these things before. Beware lest the author will be LED away with the error of the Wicked Hall from your home. Steadfast and plot roll in grace.
That's not all and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then as we grow in that grace, as we have that knowledge increases forward to that which the muscle fall brings before the Philippians that I may know of him of them. The apostle here says you'll ever be glory both now and forever. Amen.
I'll connect that to the grace of the second verse.
Presents Christ before the soul, drawing in grace and the mind of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Jesus Adam.
Interesting in the introduction nearly every arrest of the scene of this great and peace in our planet, and in practice every occasion.
Thank you. Good God. I think that's very remarkable, very striking, because it's only natural for us to feel.
A certain distance from God, and if we are not fully acquainted with the gospel, we'll picture God as being the ones.
Who would have done so had not been for the intercession and the mighty work of the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. And as a result, I fear that there are many progressives who are most thankful to the Lord Jesus for the wondrous work on their behalf. But they still feel a distance from dog and an uneasiness, shall I say. But we're great, and peace are mentioned there so often associated with the very particles.
These things are over 5 to the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord before you, Thy love, our heart of God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Lord, this grace and peace will be multiplied to us.
I know it's only natural for us to feel that the Lordship of Christ in some way involves the restriction and the restraint. And the same whisper that was heard by Eve long ago is still heard by our ears today. That the lordship of Christ brings restriction, that restraint, and then if we were just a little more free from this.
The liberty would be very pleasant, whereas the grace and the peace that God wants us to enjoy.
Is associated with his loving heart and with the Lordship of Christ our Savior recognize and express in our lives that not prove and there has to be that obedience.
And now it's been of lordship. Otherwise they there is not the joy in the Christian life, because joy goes along with obedience, does it not?
Now in this.
This third verse.
His divine power.
Just how would we apply this thought? This divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us by glory and virtue. Well, a person might say, I know that, brother, sister, so and so. They're very intelligent and they can lay hold of these things, but I can't.
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But that isn't true.
This is a question of natural intelligence.
The under the understanding and laying all of scripture is more connected with our state of soul than it is natural intelligence. And I believe we we have an example before us with the writer here that he was a he was spoken of as an unlearned and ignorant man.
A fisherman, well, yet look what he writes to us. But you see, it isn't in the power of the flesh. There isn't the power of human intelligence.
It's that it's the Spirit of God himself brings about and instructs in the soul. And so I think that this is where faith.
Comes in.
Faith must lay hold of this, according as His divine power half given to us.
It isn't something that we work for, but he has already provided this for his people. Now faith lays hold of it. And faith says he's given us this power in connection with all things, the understanding of Scripture, The Walking in the path of faith, enjoying communion. All these things belong to the Christian through the knowledge of him who is called we the Saints at Corinth.
We are so inclined to be dull because they were carnal.
And do you doubt with what we're living in days when the Saints of God are very, very much like this? Ain't Zakar?
They were reigning as kings. They were walking as men. They just shared the ordinary thoughts of men, as it were. And when we were on that level, a sluggish level, why we cannot be growing in the knowledge and the full knowledge of our God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
The apostle says to the Saints at Corinth, he says awake.
To righteousness.
For some now he's addressing Saints, for some have not the knowledge of God.
They they had come to know God as their Father in the gospel. That was their portion, but they were not getting further and deeper acquainted with the One who does love our acquaintanceship with himself.
Our confidence in himself.
See with himself now I can talk on these things, but my soul also would like to learn a little more practically these things. Now to the Saints at Colossi. The apostle Paul writes Colossians 19 and 10.
In verse 9 Morris to the full knowledge of his will, but verse 10 is what I want to get to.
Colossians 19 For this 'cause we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with a full knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that he might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful.
In every good work and notice this increasing or growing.
In the OR by the knowledge of. That's a full knowledge of God.
True. No, that's good. The true knowledge of God. Now in our chapter, we've just been going over this verse. I want to touch the bond though, by going back to verse 2 again.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the full knowledge. It has that significance through the full knowledge of God. Now that would be increasing our acquaintanceship with him and of Jesus our Lord. Now he's mentioned in the next verse. This is mentioned next verse again, according as his divine power hath given to us.
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All things that pertain to life and godliness through the full knowledge of him that act called us to glory. Now in verse 8. For if these things be in you, and the found they make you, that ye shall neither be idle nor unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And our brothers already read that the last verse that Peter writes. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
No question is fully equipped to meet every danger and every difficulty because it says here has given them to us all things.
You know, there's nothing that soldier dreads more than to be in the battle and to not have any ammunition. Well, he's cutting left for him. But to retreat, flee from the presence of the enemy, well, the Christian can never be in his spiritual warfare in that position.
It never can be, and he'd never be a time when he isn't fully equipped.
No matter how subtle the enemy is, or how clever his attacks may be, or how the world may present itself, the Christian is fully equipped if he uses the equipment that God gives him to meet every situation. No matter if we were in the time of fire and faith we're facing, maybe to be burned at the stake, or whether.
What we see today was perhaps more dangerous and difficult.
And even times of persecution, all the subtle efforts of the enemy to deceive, to rob us of our spiritual blessings, that's what Satan is seeking, especially, I believe in this land at the present time to do for the Saints and God.
He knows that we have Bibles everywhere. He knows that we have whole shells of books that have been written on every scriptural subject. He knows that we have the truth of the church and we know about the heavenly calling. Well, Satan is making every effort to rob us of these truths and to drag us down to the level of this lost world.
As soon to be under the fire of God's judgment.
But we're prepared and we should realize our danger and make use of all the equipment that gives that He has given us to face these dangers and not to as He fails to lose our steadfastness.
To turn and flee from the enemy.
And me the sad, humiliating defeat for nearly breaks your hearts. And all this know something that you have loved and seen walking in the truth to see how the enemy through private or in some way or the other has tripped them up. They're no longer going on. They're following the course of willfulness and disobedience.
Well, we need never to get into those.
Those those states where Satan will have the advantage of us if we make ills of the very things that are mentioned here.
What Brother Hail has brought before us is the knowledge of the heart of God and all the authority of our blessed Lord to let our wills and our thoughts go for nothing. If we have His mind and His will soon, isn't it beautiful like the very writer himself, willing to take such a humble place instead of insisting that he was right? When?
Younger man than himself who was converted long after Peter.
Takes a stand against him. He was fully humbly to admit that Paul was right, and to only speak of him was the dearest affection.
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Which is significant to it is that the one who wrote this is the one who was upheld today. And having been the first Pope, I pointed this out to a couple of priests. One time I said in Peters himself, Tell us that his divine power has given unto us.
All things that pertain on the light and documents. They were insisting that we must also be bound by subsequent search teachings and relations and whatnot. And we were reminded they saw a warning that not they need to be added that which God himself had entrusted to it. Do you and I love to be in the enjoyment of the possession of eternal life.
We have involved all that we need in boredom. This may be our happy, happy ruins, evil, thy womb walking, loving us. We have again a word of God. All that indeed is the light, the wisdom and the power in order to walk through the dog in whatever circumstances your eye may be found dead, even in 1968 when circumstances are so very different.
From the circumstance in which this missile threat is divine power, half evidence was all things that pertain on the life of savage. How sad that it is to see in Christina, even in evangelical circles, that they will take this close as the basis of salvation and eternal life and they will be horrified. The keeping of the law or something like this. And they are both gospel versions by the dozens.
But then having done so, having found themselves in possession of eternal life, they clothed above, sat the same up around, and say one hour, How shall we serve God? How shall we worship God? What denomination shall we do? And they forget the feeder inspired, God tells us.
Where by our given unto us all things that pertain under life and documents the same book that gives us the assurance of eternal life gives us.
In our whole life, our assembly life of our testimony.
We not only need the sort of speak the equipment that we were speaking about all things that pertain unto the life of God, but we need an object before the soul or we might have the word at our fingers in and we able to to beat the animal.
So how his tax?
Are wrong.
But we must have an object before our souls, and that comes in in the last part of the verse, doesn't it?
Him that hath called us now read that instead of two.
By glory and riches, now there is the as the object before our souls.
We see in that little hymn that glory shines before me. I cannot linger here.
And not only to have the glory as the goal before our soul, but to have worth. The apostle speaks out here as virtue. That is, I think virtue as spiritual energy, something like the like Moses. Moses knew that.
Israel was God chosen people and that he had promised them.
The lands of Abraham as their position. But it took something more than that knowledge of that coming glory that laid before Israel for him to forsake Egypt. That's where virtue comes in, isn't it? It says that when he came to years, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. There we get moral or spiritual courage to to act upon the truth of the glory that was ahead.
Of course we have a brighter glory, the glory of the coming one. Who is going to?
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Have to be exalted and reign over this world. And we associated with him as his bride. Sit on his throne. That's the glorious before us.
But it takes real energy and purpose of heart to go on with that glory before our souls.
I've enjoyed the few thoughts in the 84 Psalm in connection with what you've been bringing for us before us, brother.
As you said, God has called us, called us unto his eternal glory. It's the glory, the eternal glory that's before us. But you, you mentioned Israel, and we can apply what we get in this 84 song to ourselves in the.
In the fourth verse, Blessed, and are they to dwell in thy house?
Well, we're going to dwell in the Father's house. That's what's before us. But then in the fifth verse, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. You mentioned spiritual courage. Well, if we have courage or strength, that which virtues pizza is, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. That's where it comes from. It isn't in ourselves. And the state of soul has been mentioned. It says in whose heart of the ways of them I believe in other translations.
In whose heart is the highway that is here? It's Israel. On that journey you spoke out to Zion. For them, for us, it's the heavenly Zion. Well, it says whose and whose heart is the highway? Who passed into the Valley of Baca? Or tears or weeping? That's the character of this scene and Valley of Baca.
But it says they go from strength to strength. There's that virtue again, spiritual energy. There's progress because they have the end before them for us. It's Christ before the soul. They go from strength to strength. And I think the rendering should be every one of them shall appear before God and science. The end of the journey is sure we're going to be with the man and the glory and and then just not to take into all of these tales.
But in the 11Th verse, the Lord God is the Son and the shield the Son. There you get light and warmth that we need. And a shield would be for protection. Well, our strength. Blessed was the man whose strength is in thee. He's the one who's the shield for us. And it says he will give grace and glory, glory at the end and grace for the entire journey and all our needs down here.
Please call us by glory and virtue and but it's been mentioned the state of soul. No good thing will he withhold from them to walk uprightly. There has to be that uprightness, for that state of soul is characterized by walking uprightly.
If they ask a question.
What is Chris Dean?
First, Christian scripture.
Grace for Convenience, 6:00.
She is.
Say in my grace 24th quarter because this question smoke and it is.
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Grace GRH.
The word.
Grace.
That's how we do the 1St.
Begins with second words Grace and she's the most that means they must have. I can't believe this.
Morals, Christian.
That which rises above our needs, is it not and?
After our needs are met, God is acting now according to what's in Himself, His own thoughts, not just what our needs require. He saved us, but He's called us by His grace. He saved us through grace as a gift of God. But grace takes us into the heavenly things and all the provision.
Place of sonship, the inheritance, and all these things, not because of a need, but because of what was in God's own heart. And that's where grace leaves us for all eternity. Well, in the next verse we find that we not only need power and we need an object, but we need encouragement along the way. And you get that encouragement in the fourth verse where you get where bar given unto us.
Exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be made partakers of the divine nature, Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Again we have our word precious, used by Peter.
For these promises are very precious to the soul, if we enumerated all the promises that happened made.
People, of course I've been romantic.
Well, one promise we have, the Lord says, Behold, I come quickly, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there he may be also. Isn't that a precious promise? And isn't it a great promise, greater than Abraham's promises for blessings in the land?
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And it's really heavenly calling and blessings.
Brother Barry, I thought that by believing I had a divine nature. What does this mean?
Well, it's really the practical side. It's the new nature for them to action, isn't it? Peter looks at things in the practical side of things. He does not given so much to instruct us in doctrinal tools like Paul.
Whereby that He might be protectors of the divine nature. Of course we know from other scriptures. As soon as we were born again, we had a divine nature. We had the very nature of God Himself.
But that, that divine nature that we have, needs to be fed, put into action, and that's what these great and precious promises.
Are given for and you notice in this way, it says having escaped the corruption that is in the world through us.
Well, the more we're occupied with the precious promises, these wonderful trolls of the Word, enjoying them in our souls, the less the attraction of the world around us interferes with our blessing.
The Old Testament Saints had the divine nature, that is, they were born of God.
All the household of faith throughout all dispensation and just men, they all had a new nature.
And exercise faith too. But here there is that which rises above those past blessings. And so.
By these greater notice greater or greatest.
And precious promises, that is, it has to do with the heavenly and.
That by these ye.
May become partakers of the divine nature. I suppose this is an advance over Old Testament truth in that we.
Are now have eternal life.
In a special sense.
That is, we know of God as our Father. We have the Holy Spirit as the power by which we know Him can cry as a Father. That's relationship. We know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, who has finished the work, has shed his precious blood. We know where his by redemption, by his blood, and therefore eternal life is the divine life of God.
Which we have in relationship to Himself with all the happy well, communion and blessedness of knowing Him as such. This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ in our sins. Now that's the character of that new life which we have in Christianity. And the Apostle Peter is rising to that very thing.
Don't you see? You see, Brother Brown?
In Crescent on today in the evangelistic groups, they are preacher gospel and all kinds of very powerful gossip and get people, people saved. And then how do they seek to hold those believers together?
Well, we see it ends up in entertainment. All kinds of entertainment becomes more and more of a worldly system.
Maybe they've got to have a band, music and all kinds of social affairs and so on.
And that kind of a thing is in danger, creeping among the gathered Saints. We don't need to condemn others when we see the same thing creeping in among ourselves. While God's way of preserving his His Saints is just what we get here, these great and precious promises.
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Our heart feeds the divine nature and our use that we might escape the corruption that is in the world through us and that's why we.
We should press upon all the importance of attending the reading meetings, being there and being over the Word of God. If you take that away, if we have, we neglect the prayer meeting and the reading of the Word and together being over the Word.
We may have a very clear gospel and see how people get saved and then just fall into a worldly system of justice, entertaining our young people and so on, and ourselves too. Is there not a tendency of increasing social activities?
We ought to be discerning and on our guard, lest we be carried away with wanting an over amount of the social activities. I hope you understand me. I think a Christian act.
Available in that little story of the Pilgrim's Progress. When I read it. Then they had turned their backs on the City of Destruction, and they had the Celestial City before them, and they found it necessary to pass through Vanity Fair along the way. Well, there was plenty of corruption, charm, and things of interest in Vanity Fair. But you don't want to do The Walking through saying I must not, I must not, I must not. They had that which to them was.
Exceeding great and friends at the end of the journey to Celestial City.
And they went through Vanity Fair with their eyes fixed on that which lay ahead, much to the annoyance of the people in Vanity Fair who tried to distract this and, you know, give up. President, beloved young people, you and I are happening to a world that is positively characterized by corruption as well as by all kinds of things that are quick, charming. And how can we be delivered from it? By the grace of God, we have a exceeding grace and practice process. We have a glorious future ahead.
And surely.
We have even now in our soul, by the grace of God, that which can fill us with divide along the way. May we be more like things who went through Vanity Fair and their eyes on language lay on the other side. I want to just say this I I remember as a boy attending meetings just like this and sitting and listening Brother age rule and brother Potter and brother Heaney. I just said to myself, what are they talking about? I couldn't even.
Get the children things. I just wondered what it was all about. But you know, all the continual attendance of meetings like that, why they're not beginning to see things.
And things that I wasn't interested in, while they became a real interest to me by just being present, especially. But we play. Reading these news, I began to see there was something of real interesting importance. But if we give up because we don't understand.
The teaching why we don't miss the whole path.
This is divine speaking to the children about the danger of moving away to a place where the assembly it was somewhat delayed, misunderstood the comments that were made and 1St promoting would never be covered with any scripture to move away or this is simply.
We're advising our main district money for intended for young people, for children, not for grownups and Vikings being led of the war to go someplace where there's nothing that way. I was thinking later about the agenda I'm leaving the lions that started by one couple moving there. Living the age rules. The Lord may well leave may well establish godly family to settle down in a place where there is no assembly and.
Starting yesterday there come in history were primarily for young people who are not established in this matter who admits this very thing we're talking about may benefit of being under the sound of the word and having fellowship with the sink. There's so much need to early days.
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Read it.
All the plants now trust him. Oh #23.
Oh God.
Will the Lord.
Emptiness and Fullness
Grace and Judgement