Chicago Conference: 1971
Table of Contents
Mark 10:17-37
Philippians 2:1-4
Waste and Empty or Satisfaction
Fellowship with the Lord and His People
Address—C.E. Lunden
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Turn to the Book of James for a verse or two. The 1St chapter of James.
Verse 17 Every good gift.
And every perfect gift is from above.
And cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning of His own will, begatting us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. We just like to start this afternoon, dear friends, at the very beginning.
In two ways.
We find that we have the Father of Light spoken of here.
The Father of lights, or the author of it all, That's God himself.
Now isn't it precious to think of this of his own will begatting us?
The word of truth.
When you came into this world, you had nothing to do with it.
And dear friends, new birth is just the same as far as God's side is concerned. There's only one who can bring about new birth.
But we notice here it's coupled with the word.
And so if you'll turn with me to another verse in Peter.
1St chapter of Peter.
The 22nd verse.
Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that she loved one another with a pure heart, fervently being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
Now here we have new birds. That's the very beginning of your history as a Christian.
I trust that everyone this afternoon in this room knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. I hope you do.
But you have to have this beginning.
We see two things coupled here, the action of God in bringing about life, but we also see the faith that lays hold of the Word of God.
And so we're not going to dwell on this very long because I'd like to take up a passage in the Old Testament, but we'll turn back to James again for another verse.
The first chapter of James.
Verse 21.
Wherefore.
Lay a part of filthiness.
The superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness.
Not the engrafted, but the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
Well, we find that.
The Word of God through grace, reaches our consciences. This is brought out very distinctly in the subject of the sower, where the Word was sown in the heart. That's the action of God for the Spirit.
But you know there has to be the receiving of this.
And where the word was not received in the heart.
Received.
By faith there was number fruit.
But where the word fell into plowed ground.
Laying aside all filthiness, superfluity of naughtiness, receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls. There's faith that believes the Word of God.
And salvation is the result.
Because the reception faith is the reception.
Of divine testimony.
And you know there once that.
The Word mixed with faith brings you immediately into relationship with God.
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And so we have, then, the subject of salvation.
Now we'll turn to another verse. We've spoken of new birth. We've spoken of the word implanted to be received by faith. Now we'll read a verse in Acts, the 10th chapter, possibly the 11Th chapter of Acts. This verse has been read to us already.
Verse 13 and the end of the verse send men to Joppa and call for Simon, whose name is surname is Peter.
Who shall tell the words whereby thou in all thy house shall be saved? Are you saved this afternoon?
Are you saved? Can you say I'm saved?
Have you heard words whereby you might be saved?
Because faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God.
And so I ask you this afternoon, are you saved?
Now turn with me to a verse or two in Romans 10, verse 9.
Romans 10:00 and 9:00.
And that if thou shalt confess.
With thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
Thou shalt be saved.
Now I notice what it says.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.
And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Oh, how simple and how precious the truth of God is.
New birth, the word implanted.
Believed.
Confessed.
Saved.
Saved.
Now we have something that goes along with this and it's like a continuous chain, you know. So if you'll turn with me to Galatians.
Galatians 4 chapter.
Verse four of Galatians 4.
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.
Made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them, that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Now we have.
The adoption of sons. This goes with salvation.
Because.
We are told.
In the.
1St chapter of Ephesians having believed your seal.
Possession.
And so the ceiling introduces the subject of the Spirit of God.
That's the next verse here.
And because ye are sons.
Not in order to be sons, but because ye are sons.
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying.
ABBA Father.
Now those who are sons receive the Spirit of God.
It's because ye are sons that God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son.
Into your heart, crying ABBA father. Now, dear young people, these.
Things are very important for us to notice because there are false doctrines around us.
And they're trying to tell us all the time that you have to have this, you have to do that in order to be saved, you have to have a certain work of the Spirit of God. But we learn here that this is all what God.
Is doing in the believer.
Now when you start thinking about what God has done for the believer.
You begin to think of the fact that Christ was made surety for us.
That's the 7th chapter of Hebrews in the 22nd verse. We won't turn to it because of time.
Then we have the fact that the Lord Jesus became our substitute, that Savior, that precious Savior that hung on the middle cross.
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He hung there. He didn't say a word. Why?
He couldn't. He was bearing my guilt. How could he answer again when he was bearing my guilt? He took all my guilt.
He was my substitute.
That's the 24th verse of first of the 2nd.
2nd chapter, first Peter.
Whose own self there are sins in his own body on the tree.
Now he made atonement, although the word atonement really doesn't occur in the New Testament rightly, but it's rather the thought of ransom possibly or propitiation.
And we have that verse in the 10th chapter of.
Mark that he was. He was a ransom for many. He gave himself as a ransom for many.
And then in the Epistle of John, the propitiation for our sins.
That is, He laid the basis of blessing for our souls with all His work for us.
That's what he did for us.
Well, all of these things that are precious to trace.
But if you'll turn to 1St Corinthians or Second Corinthians 1.
I'd like to speak just a moment of the Spirit.
Verse 21 Second Corinthians one Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God.
Notice that past tense half anointed us is God.
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Now, dear young believer, this afternoon you have to believe these things.
In order to enjoy them.
You can't have any joy unless you believe God wants you to be happy. He wants your soul to be at rest.
Rest in a finished work, the work that's been done not only in you, but the work that is done for you.
By that blessed Savior who hung on Calvary's cross.
Now we have certain privileges that go along with Christianity.
One of them is baptism.
I put it that way.
What would you think of a soldier that turned up at the mustard one morning without any uniform on?
He'd be reprimanded.
And how about the Christian who doesn't identify himself publicly with Jesus? I'll turn to a verse in the 10th chapter of Acts.
In the case of Cornelius, that we've already noticed in the 47th verse.
Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Now I know that Paul baptized the household of Stephanus. That's another aspect of baptism which we're not going to speak of. But here we find a man who is saved by the believing of the Word of God.
Now Peter says can anyone forbid water that he should be baptized?
A young man came to me and he said am IA Christian. I said I don't know, are you?
I said why do you ask the question? What? He said. Someone at school told me I wasn't because I wasn't baptized.
He said will you baptize me? I said yes, I will. I knew he was a believer.
But you see, it took another student to.
To tell him that he wasn't showing his colors.
He hadn't taken his place publicly identifying himself with the Lord Jesus.
And identifying himself in rejection is going down into death and resurrection in connection with a new life.
Now we have another privilege, dear young people, and that's the Lord's Table.
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You know, by 1 spirit we're all baptized into one body.
And the expression of this down here, and I'm sure that you want to please the Lord if you only have these things called you remembrance.
The expression of this truth, which is the present truth.
Is just to be simply gathered to the precious name of Jesus.
And to sit at his table.
There was a young man, Mephibosheth, who was lame on both of his feet, and David invited him to his table and he accepted.
He took his low place. I'm but a dog, he says.
That David seated him at his table and he put his feet under that table.
His crooked feet.
Well, dear ones, you know your feet may be a little crooked, but get them under the table. Get them under the table.
There was another man by the name of Barzillai, I believe.
And David invited him to the table.
But he didn't come. He was an old man.
And he had done many things for David, but he wouldn't come to the table. He said, let my servant come instead. So his servant came.
But now there's another privilege that we have.
Of those who are believers.
And that is, you're going to be surprised when I say this discipline. Oh, you say, you call that a privilege. Turn with me to the 6th chapter of Proverbs.
Verse 23.
This is one of the many verses like this in Proverbs.
For the commandment is a lamp.
Or a candle. The law is light. That's all of scripture. That isn't just some part of it.
The reprobates of instruction are the way.
Of life.
Do you want to miss this privilege?
You know when When Peter.
Set up the.
Shall we say the table?
In the 22nd of Luke, when the Lord said, Go and prepare for us the Passover, that we may eat.
Just after that.
The Lord said to Peter.
Satan have desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
But I prayed for thee.
Now what happened after that was that after he was converted?
Restored in his soul, then the vessel was empty and he, God could use him on the Day of Pentecost for the salvation of 3000 souls. You want to miss this privilege of discipline?
Oh, how we shrink from anything like discipline. But beloved, it's one of the privileges of Christiana.
Now the time is slipping. I have something else on my heart. We've laid the basis now, as it were, for blessing for our souls.
And I want to talk to you first of all about an Old Testament passage that speaks of a still.
Small voice. It's the 19th chapter of First Kings.
A still small voice. You know this man, Elijah, of whom we're going to speak.
Was a man that got discouraged. He was a mighty man. He was a mighty prophet.
But he's just like everyone else.
That if we get our eyes off of the Lord, we're liable to be discouraged.
And there's not a person in this room. But what? That would be an exception, I'm sure, because if we get our eyes off of Jesus, we might get discouraged.
And we find that Elijah could call down fire from heaven. He could stand before that King Ahab, and say, according to my word, there'll be no rain these years. And then the next thing we see him running from a woman.
Who says she's going to take his life?
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Well, that's the way it is with man, you know?
Man has to have something stable beyond himself to rest on, and the moment he takes his eyes off it like Peter, he begins to sink in the water.
Oh, how good it is for us to have this stability that we've just spoken of in the in the epistles.
Something that our souls can rest on. A work done in US and a work done for us.
Now we find this man, if you'll notice in this 19th chapter.
We'll start with the 9th, 1St because of time.
He came further into a cave and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said unto him, What doest thou hear, Elijah?
He said, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel, forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with a sword. And I only, even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by.
And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and break in pieces of the rocks before the Lord.
That the Lord was not in the wind and after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice. And it was so when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering end of The Cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him, and said.
What doest thou hear, Elijah?
He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant.
Thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with a sword. And I even I only am left, and they seek my life.
To take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go return on that way to the wilderness of Damascus, and so on.
Now the point I want to make here is simply this.
Here's a man that isolates himself from his brethren and he finds himself very unhappy.
And we find that at the bottom of the whole thing is simply pride.
Pride, you know, he had said. I'm no better than my father's.
Had he thought he was?
Do you think you're better than your father's?
Oh, Elijah missed the whole point here, because it isn't a question of how good we are. It's a question of how good that one is upon whom we rest.
Where are you trusting?
Dear friend this afternoon.
Where are you trusting?
Here's one who isolates himself and thinks that he's he can't go on with his brethren because of their state.
I, and I alone, am a prophet of the Lord.
Isn't that pride?
It had been all right if God had said it, but not for Elijah to say it.
It is true that he carried a true testimony.
But he got occupied with himself.
There was a time when he stood before Ahab, and he says before the Lord God of Israel, whom I stand.
But now he stands before a woman, and then he runs.
Where am I standing this afternoon, dear friend? Where you standing? Oh, how quickly we can get out of communion.
Quickly we can turn aside and remember going to three days or four days meetings will not keep your soul.
There's only one thing that will keep it, and that's to get into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
That's the only place of power.
It's wonderful to be with your brethren, but remember this to get along with God and then to look at everyone of your brethren as God seized them. Now we're going to turn to another scripture.
In the Second Chronicles 20.
This seems to be a most happy scripture to consider.
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Now we're going to speak a little bit about a man.
Who's at the divine center?
That God has appointed.
It's true that things are not very good among the people of God.
It's true that the king himself makes mistakes.
But you know this King Jehoshaphat that we're going to read about?
Was true to his name just the same. Jehovah judges. Jehovah judges.
You know God sends storms into our lives.
In Job 3713 tells us why.
In Job 37.
3713 it it says that he sends these storms.
Either for correction. That's the rod.
Or for his land, that is to bless his land.
Or for His mercy now we have already witnessed in these meetings the mercy of the Lord in sending a storm last night.
Because we're more comfortable today. That was the mercy of God.
Bonus his mercy.
And so he does send his storm for mercy, but he sends them for correction too.
Now we find there were storms in the life of Elijah.
We find there's storms in the life of Jehoshaphat and there's storms in your life.
In my life.
But the question is, how do we react to these storms that come into our lives?
Now we'll notice in this life of Jehoshaphat something very beautiful.
But notice we'll notice the storm first.
In the 18th chapter, we'll notice a verse of Second Chronicles. Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor and abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.
He got mixed up with his relations.
There was a marriage in the family and he couldn't stand to see some of his loved ones.
Without taking part with them in this wrong course.
And so the scripture tells us, except a man hate his father and mother, he cannot be my disciple.
The claims of the Kingdom of God come before any other.
And the claims of Christ are first.
In our lives if we're going to be happy.
31St verse.
And it came to pass when the captains of the Chariots saw Jehoshaphat.
That's in this battle that took place that they said it is the king of Israel, therefore they compassed about him to fight, but Jehoshaphat cried out and the Lord helped him and God moved them to depart from him.
Now we find Jehoshaphat in trouble.
The storms come into his life.
But we find that God was able. Jehovah judges.
Had Jehoshaphat made a mistake? Oh, indeed he had. He knew better than to join affinity with a hat.
And now the Prophet comes to him. Notice the 19th chapter.
The second verse or the first verse? And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned to his house in peace.
To Jerusalem, that was God's mercy on him.
And Jehu the son of Hannah and I the seer, went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat.
Thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord.
Therefore his wrath upon thee from before the Lord.
Now we find that the wrath of God has come out against Jehoshaphat.
And it's because of his conduct.
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Now we find that he had joined affinity with those who had separated themselves from the true center.
And here the prophet speaks of them as ungodly. He doesn't say they weren't believers.
He doesn't say they weren't the Lord's people, but the question here is one of government.
And in their ways, they were ungodly.
And so it's possible for a Christian to be ungodly in his ways.
Not put God first in his ways.
Now he was not to have any, He was not to join affinity with these.
Return not to them. Let them return to you, the word of God said.
But he didn't obey the word of God, and now he has wrath on his circumstances down here. The 20th chapter. And it came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with their mother beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There come with a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side of Syria.
All they being hazen tamer which is in get eye.
And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord. Even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the House of the Lord before the new court, and said, Oh Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven, and rule us not thou over the kingdoms of the heathen?
And in thine hand is there not power, and might do so that none is able to withstand thee?
Art not thou art God, who did strive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gave us that to the seed of Abraham, thy friend forever?
And they dwell therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, for thy name is in this house, and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
And now behold the children of Ammon and Moab.
And Mount Cyr, whom thou wouldst not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt.
But they turned from them and destroyed them. Now behold, I say, how they reward us to come to cast us out of thy possessions.
Which thou hast given us to inherit.
Or God, wilt thou not judge them?
For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither knowing what to do, but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judas stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, their children. And upon Hazel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Mania, the son of Jail, the son of Martinez a Levite of the sons of Asaf, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation.
And he said, Hearken ye all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And thou, King Jehoshaphat, thus saith the Lord unto you.
Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours. But gods tomorrow go you down against them. Behold, they come up by the Cliff of Ziss, and you shall find them at the end of the brook or valley before the wilderness of Giroux.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord with your Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not, nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go, go out against them, for the Lord will be with you.
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground.
And all Jude on the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.
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And the Levites and the children of the Courthites and of the children of the Korah Heights stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
And there rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Toccoa. And as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah.
And the inhabitants of Jerusalem believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established.
Believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord that should praise the beauty of holiness.
As they went out before the army and to say praise the Lord, that's the same as Hallelujah, you know, praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever. And when they began to sing and to praise the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Mount Moab and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten.
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir utterly to slay and destroy them.
And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Sere, everyone helped to destroy another.
And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth.
None escaped.
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves more than they could carry. And there were three days in gathering of the spoil. It was so much.
And on the 4th day they assemble themselves in the valley of Baraka.
For there they bless the Lord. Therefore the name of the same place was called the valley.
A barracker under this day. Then they returned every man of Judah and Jerusalem.
And Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them to go again to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies, and they came to Jerusalem.
With psalteries and harps, trumpets under the House of the Lord, and the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.
Now, isn't that a story with a good ending?
You know, it's wonderful to think of the day when we'll hear the shout and we'll be caught away to be forever with the Lord.
But are you going to wait until that moment?
To be happy.
We find here that Jehoshaphat in all of his mistakes he had the true remedy for happiness.
We learned in the third Psalm this.
Thy blessing is upon thy people.
Do you think Elijah was wise to leave the people of God?
Oh, you say? Well, the people of God were serving idols, all right. They were too.
You know, it isn't wise to leave the people of God until God leaves them.
Having loved his own, he loved them to the end, to the end.
Oh, how often a soul will get up and become discouraged and turn away.
But it's pride.
Are you and I any better than the rest?
I'm sure that if we began to examine ourselves, we'd be more likely to stay.
And to be thankful for the consolation that we get from our brethren.
We find here Jehoshaphat. When the prophet came to him, he never said a word.
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He as much as owned that he was wrong. And what does he do? He immediately goes out and begins to teach the people and to bring them back to the God of their fathers.
He took the correction. It's the way of life.
And although God did bring judgment upon that people, and He sent the armies against them, remember this, that God had already made a provision just like He has for you, dear young people.
Don't become overwhelmed just because you've made a mistake and you feel that everyone's against you and God's against you because he isn't.
Your brethren love you, and so does God.
It's a wonderful thing to be able to confess your sins and to be restored again.
And Jehoshaphat.
He gave evidence of the fact.
By accepting the word of the prophet, you'll notice too that God sends two different prophets to speak to him.
He doesn't use the same one.
And you and I better take heed. If God raises up someone to speak to us, we'd better take heed.
This one rose up from the midst of the congregation, and he spoke to his brethren, and he spoke to the king, and the king took heed, and all what a blessing resulted when he took heed.
And here we find Jehoshaphat in the midst of the people of God at the divine center.
Any finding the blessing of the Lord, which makes rich and adds no sorrow.
Adds no sorrow.
And so if you're discouraged this afternoon.
If you feel well, things aren't going as I wish they were, remember this, that you're just a part of the whole failure of the people of God.
But remember this.
Too that God is able for every circumstance.
And even though you may be under the government of God, if you'll read the third Psalm carefully, you'll see David there who was under the government of God.
He was rejoicing in his position before the Lord.
He went into God's holy hill.
Holy hell that is. He confessed that he was wrong. He owned the holiness of God in his own unholy course.
He owned it before God and there was blessing in that third Psalm just like there is here.
Now I did notice one or two points in the third verse. It says in Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord.
Feared.
He feared the government of God.
There was only one way for him to turn, and that was to the Lord Himself.
Now we find Judah the fourth verse gather themselves together to ask help of the Lord out of all the cities.
Of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
The seventh verse.
He brings in the fact of Abraham, God's friend.
Abraham, God's friend.
Is the Lord of friend to you?
Or you always think of him as that one who is. He's the Lord, all right? And I keep my distance.
Or is he your friend? He makes known his mind to his friends you know.
Friend.
When the disciples came to the Lord in the 13th, is it of Luke?
Or is the 11Th chapter of Luke I've forgotten and they said teach us to pray.
You know what he said. Which of you shall have a friend?
And shall go to him at midnight.
The most inopportune time.
Lend ME3 loaves.
I have a need.
Do you think he would turn him away? No, he won't turn you away either.
When we sing that little song, what a friend we have in Jesus, do we really mean it?
Is he just a friend when everything is going smooth?
No, he's a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He's a friend at all times.
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When you have sinned, yes. Yes.
You will have to confess your sin. That's true.
And the clouds have come, But to our man souls he reaps. But remember this all the way through it. You can have a friend.
A friend.
Now in this ninth verse we find that the king goes back to the provision that God made long ago that if his people found themselves in difficulties and they cried to the Lord, he'd deliver them.
Now this is prophetic of another day when Israel will come back and they'll find themselves surrounded with armies.
And they will cry to the Lord, and He will deliver them.
It doesn't matter if there are myriads, the Lord will deliver them.
The Lord delivered them and also a wonderful thing to have the Lord Jesus.
It's a most wonderful thing to be among the people of God at the divine center.
All what protection?
And what protection for your children, those of you who have children, to be found at the divine center?
To be found under the favor of God in this special way.
How good it is?
And now we find in this chapter also.
In the 20th verse.
The basis of all the joy.
And the blessing that follows.
Believe in the larger God.
So shall he be established. Believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
You know, it says in Hebrews 11 That without faith it's impossible to please him.
Faith believes God.
Faith. Trust God in every circumstance.
And that's one thing about job you'll notice.
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him?
Job had that firmly fixed in his heart. He was going to trust God no matter what came.
You think it pays?
Job had twice as much as he had the beginning. When it was all over after the clouds had cleared away, Job found that he had twice as much as at the beginning. Did Job make mistakes? Did he did?
And so faith then?
Then it says in the 21St verse.
He says to them, Praise the Lord.
Say praise the Lord for His mercy endureth forever.
Now what was he rejoicing in? He was rejoicing in mercy.
This is a good subject for us to rejoice in, dear young people.
Not in our attainments.
No in mercy. Praise the Lord for His mercy. That's what we have here. Divine principles that carry throughout the Word of God we learn here in this book.
Now when they began to sing then is when the deliverance came.
You know that I don't suppose that I've ever read of another battle like this where they left their swords at home and they brought their musical instruments.
But that's what they did.
Their musical instruments and their voices of praise. And when they began to praise, when then the Lord just moved.
The whole host of the enemy, and they began to slay one another.
Oh, it's a good thing to trust in the Lord.
Yes, it's a good thing to be established in our souls and those truths that we had in the epistles.
So that we can have that firmness of conviction.
That we can trust wholly in the Lord. You'll never disappoint us.
Now we notice where the deliverance came.
In the 24th verse we find the deliverance comes at the Watchtower.
The Watchtower Have you a Watchtower?
Have you time to have a watchtower in your home?
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You know, man was created in such a way that he had to be dependent upon God for everything.
And so we're told to watch under prayer.
And Elijah, you know, on another occasion.
When he prayed for rain, he got down on his face before God, and he sent his servant out and he says, you go and see.
If the rains coming.
And he prayed, and this servant finally came back. And he says, I see the cloud the size of a man's hand. Elijah, that's enough.
And he told the king, he said you better go because you'll be overtaken with the storm. And he was.
The blessing of God was so great, but Elijah was on his face watching under prayer.
Didn't he know that God was going to bring the rain? Yes, he knew it, but he watched until it came. He watched until it came. Independence upon God.
The Watchtower in the 24th verse.
And now they gather the spoil. 3 days. The completeness of blessing three is completeness.
And in the 26th verse and the 4th day, they assemble themselves.
In the valley of Blessing, blessing, Baraka blessing.
Isn't that a good place to assemble?
I told you this story had a good ending. You know it does.
And here's the here's the man who had failed, and instead of getting discouraged, he came among the people of God, and he brought the people of God back to the Lord God of their fathers.
And then when the clouds gathered, and the troubles came, and the storm fell upon them, he simply laid it in the hands of the Lord, and there was blessing for the whole company.
Is that the path you're going to take?
Or you're going to make your way like Elijah.
Back into the wilderness alone, because either you and I, beloved, have to go on with the people of God.
In weakness theirs in ours, or we'll be isolated.
In a spiritual wilderness alone, which do you want?
Where there's no joy but all, here they have the whole company that come to this valley of blessing. Blessing.
Shall we sing that little hymn 298?
Joy, joy.
Joy.
To me.
We're the Saints that are gone before.
And bridal rocks will. All the Saints are here and shining in his glory, right? We'll see our Jesus there.
Oh, that will be joyful.
Joyful.
Joyful.
Oh, that could be joyful to him.
For the Lord to the face and to the heart, the Lord no more.
00:55:15
With sons to God are born.
I will this false replacement.
All the way where you're far.
He Gave Himself
Address—A.M. 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.
The 25th 1St I'll be season 5.
Husbands, love your wives.
Even as Christ also loved the church.
And gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.
That he might present it to himself.
A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be wholly and without blemish.
We have what Christ did in the past, we have what He is doing at the present, and we have what He will do in the future.
That says that Christ loved the church.
Oh, God has other companies that will be blessed. He'll have a Kingdom down here someday in this world. He has the Old Testament Saints.
That are a favorite people were our favorite people, but here we have a special and peculiar love.
What those that are spoken of as the church?
The body of Christ.
That are formed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, uniting them together, and by the Spirit.
Connecting them with a glorified Christ on high.
And what a wonderful thing, beloved friends, to think that you and I, who through grace, have accepted Christ as a personal Savior.
Armed members of that body, members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones, could not think of a nearer, more wonderful relationship.
Than to be a member of the body of Christ so dear to him, that when.
Saul was persecuting the Saints when the Lord spoke to him from the glory, he said.
Why persecute us? Thou me didn't say why you're persecuting my people.
Why are you persecuting me?
So to touch the fabulous believer and the blessed Lord is to touch the blessed Savior Himself.
And now, in order to have that church, his body, he gave himself, we know He gave His life, suffered on the cross, shed his precious blood.
And endured all the judgment of God, saw that he might have a people forgiven, a people that would know a Savior's love.
And not only did He endure all that judgment, but He gave himself that is all He is or ever will be. Throughout all eternity. He has given in behalf of the Church that He loves in such a deep and tender way.
So when he rose from the dead after having taken our sins, bore them in his own body on the tree.
He doesn't just lay aside his service, but here he went on high to serve us there and the Father's presence. And we know that he's there as our advocate, He's there as our high priest, He's there as our shepherd, He's there as the head of the body.
Serving his own, and someday he's coming as the bridegroom.
To take us home to the Father's house.
So.
That's the 1St.
Thought that's brought before us, He gave himself for it, and then that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. Now you notice he doesn't sanctify and cleanse the church in order to make it his own. He makes her his own first.
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And then this present service continues on.
So when everyone, no matter how young.
That one may be who has personally accepted Christ as a savior.
Belongs to Christ, and you're one of those for whom he gave himself when he suffered and died on the cross.
Now we have his present service.
In connection with that which he loved and gave himself for. For it says that he that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. First he makes it his own, and then he carries on the service. And you notice that.
Word that he might sanctify and cleanses. The Lord doesn't save sinners just to let them go on idly in this world, Save them for from hell and let them seek out their own pleasure and their pastime. In this scene. He saves us, beloved, for a definite reason.
For a definite purpose, and we get it here, that he might sanctify.
And cleanse it by the washing of water, by the word.
Sanctify us to separate.
And beloved, the Lord wants a separated people. We reigned in Hosea about class there. That's very sad. The Spirit of God brings before us. Perhaps I'll turn to it if I can find it.
It says.
Well, it's.
In the eighth verse of the 7th chapter of what I was looking for.
It says there in that verse, Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people. Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knows it not. Ye agree, Hears are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not.
Well, there's a picture of God's people when they have mixed themselves.
With the people, Oh, they're those of the world on every side and beloved friends. We want and all know we have to do business with the unsaved, or we're told that if we refuse to do so, we'd have to get out of the world. But it's a very different thing to spend our time.
Take up with their social affairs and go on with their ways and.
Make.
Worldly contacts with those that are of this world.
Well, now we find here that he has mixed himself among the people, and it says Ephraim is a cake not turned. Now elsewhere we're told that the Lord's portion is his people. I believe that's the 30th of Deuteronomy, isn't it?
That is, what the Lord finds down here in this scene is a people that He has redeemed and in which He finds His pleasure.
So the Lord portion is his people, but here we find of Ephraim that he is the one who has mixed himself with the people is like a cake that's not turned.
Was the.
Housewife, what's the other dough on the frying pan to make a meal for her family and fails to turn it over. What kind of a cake would you have? All burnt on one side and all raw on the other side. A cake not turn. What a simple bravado, very plain picture we have.
Are those among God's people who are not sanctified in a practical way?
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Are separated from the course of this world.
That's the kind of a portion you're offering to the blessed Lord. You wouldn't want to invite a friend to your house and then have a cake, not turn and offer that to him for his meal. You'd be ashamed to do that, wouldn't you? But let's stop and think, beloved friends, that if in any way we're mixing up with the political or the social life.
Of those around us.
In this world.
Where as part, we're offering the Blessed Lord a cake not turned.
Will to get back to our subject again.
It says.
That He might sanctify and cleanse it. That is, He separates us. And I might say to the lovers that no sooner did you accept Christ as a personal savior, then you were a sanctified one. You couldn't be a child of God without being sanctified, separated from all that's in this world. Now you have a Savior.
You have a home in glory before you. You're not of this world, as the Lord tells his Father. They're not of this world, even as I am not of this world.
So he goes on to say just to sanctify and cleanse it. That is, he separates us and then he cleanse us for how much defilement we find on every side.
Or we have an old nature within us that is corrupt and can't be improved. Corrupt according to the deceitfulness, the desires, every vile and evil thing. That's why we're called upon to reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ.
And whenever we have allowed that old nature to have its way.
It has defiled our souls. It has broken our communion.
And what is it that restores our souls to communion when we have failed? It's the washing of water by the work. And you notice that this washing and cleansing is the work of the one who has given himself forest.
That is, He plies the Word so as to reach our consciences, lead us to a humble, and judge ourselves for our failure, so that He might restore our souls and bring us back into communion again.
And here we have the Word and how important it is, beloved, that we should be daily reading the Word. Well, that's what the Lord uses.
He uses it by the Spirit, applying the Word and power to our souls.
I remember one time I came very near making a bad mistake going in debt for a car when I was a young man, and that verse came before me. I just opened my Bible to Colossians 3. That set your minds on things above. Well, I said, well, that's not in agreement with that scripture to go in debt. So I said I won't do it.
And I was kept from making mistakes. Another time I remember I got in with some ungodly young men when I was.
Going to school, and the first Psalm came before me at night. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his Lord, if he meditate day and night. Well, I said, that's just what I've been doing today.
I've been walking in the council of the ungodly and so I separated from that.
Company that I had taken up with Ohio. How important it is beloved, to read the Word daily and not neglect the Word, and then the blessed Lord is there applying the Word by the Spirit.
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Of bringing us into His presence, leading us to see when we have Earth, when we've made a mistake, when we're taken up with the wrong course. And then we're cleanse. And we have we can have His mind.
We gathered. I mean be guided by himself.
Well, now the third thing here is.
Future, as we said, that he might present it to himself.
A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be wholly and without blemish.
That's what is as before us.
And surely it is marvelous to think of the blessed Lord presenting those of this world for sinners. So fun, so far from God, without God, without hope in this world.
To present them and to himself without having.
Spot or wrinkle? You know, as you get, as we get old by wrinkles.
We get wrinkles in our face and we show aids. We show.
That weakness and.
Is creeping in old ages.
Is increasing.
But there's nothing of that will be seen and the redeemed in that day when we're with and like Christ in his glory.
What a marvelous thing without spot.
Not a stage? Well, now we're the last. Have many stains from.
Failures in this scene, but what a wonderful result his work will bring about.
And he presents us and told us that he presents us to himself.
Oh, what a marvelous, what a blessed day that is, beloved friends, when the Church in glory is presented and he presents her to himself.
In all the beauty, and all the glory and all the perfection of himself.
And nothing to remind His redeemed ones, His bride and glory, of all the sad fear and the many mistakes and sorrows they have brought upon their themselves in this scene. So you see, this is leading on to that glorious state.
One verse follows the other.
So we get first that he loved the church and gave himself for it with a definite purpose before his heart, and that was to voice and to sanctify, to wash and to cleanse it by the Word, and then lastly to present her to himself.
And that is the work that's going on, and that will be the result of the work that's going on now.
That he will be able to present himself or to himself, and he cleanses in view of the time when he will present her in all perfection and beauty that we see in the Blessed One, who has taken her up, the church up, and made him his own.
And I have noticed, beloved, when the Spirit of God in the Word is giving us.
The thoughts on that, that which leads up to that coming day of glory, the present work of the Spirit of God and his people down here, He cannot give us a standard that is short of that which is.
Absolutely perfect. And that, of course, is what we see in Christ.
I might just call attention to a few passages that show how.
He keeps that standard every ever before us in view of the work that is carried on in the hearts of his own down here.
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Now in the 20 in Jude.
Chapter I mean 21St verse.
He says.
But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith.
Praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And then in the 24th verse, now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, it's really stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory.
With exceeding joy. Well, we can't think of anything more perfect than what we have brought before us. Present you faultless before the Presence.
Of His glory.
With exceeding joy. Well, now He wants us in the good and enjoyment of that scene into which He will soon bring us in all the perfection and all the joy that will be ours when we're with Him and like Him in glory. But that's only one place in the.
First Epistle of Thessalonians.
The 23rd verse of chapter five, First Thessalonians, chapter 5.
And verse 23 and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, there's there's the standard for our walk down here.
One that's absolutely perfect.
And it takes in the whole man, body, soul and spirit. Preserve blameless, and for what time the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, you might say, and I could say too, that that standard too high for us. We surely never come up to such a level as that.
Has to be preserved, blameless for the so much we can be blamed for. We've made so many sad mistakes in our journey down here. But again I say the Spirit of God cannot give us a lower standard.
And that standard which belongs to our glory, in which we'll appear when we're with Christ. But to say.
That seems hopeless to us to any major come up to the standard. What is the next verse? Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it?
There's what gives us courage.
To realize how weak we are in ourselves.
How often we have failed, but here's one that is able.
And he will do it.
So that our failures, our mistakes, are made when we're not dependent. In other words, when we're dependent on ourselves, when we're not looking to Him. When, like Peter walking on the water, we get our eyes off of Christ and onto the waves and the wind.
Well, then, of course, we begin to sink.
Well, that's just another passage where you get.
The work of Christ down here looked at in the perfection in which we'll appear in the glory when we're with Him.
And there's another passage that.
You might turn to and.
And I believe it's in again in First Thessalonians.
The USS First Thessalonians again, chapter 3 and verse 12.
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And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you, to establish to the end. He may establish your heart unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With all his Saints.
So the standard there is as high as God can make it establish your hearts unbelievable in holiness before God, even our Father, but when at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that's when he comes with all his sinks that glorified church.
Returns in company with.
Her bridegroom. And then we will be seen in all the beauty and all the perfection of Christ.
And beloved, it is an important thing not to lower the standard. The tendency among us is to continually lower the standard and to excuse ourselves for a lot of inconsistencies and failures.
But let's remember, God never lowers his standard. The Word of God never lowers its standard for what is right and pleasing to God. So let's remember that His standard indeed is Christ himself. We could not have a higher standard than Christ.
He's our, he's our pattern. He's our standard for all.
The Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness
Remedy for Dry Bones
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to look at a portion, brethren, in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel. 37th chapter of Ezekiel. The hand of the Lord was upon me and carried me out, and the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them roundabouts. And behold, there were very many in the open valley, and although they were very dry.
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, Oh Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophecy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live, and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up.
Upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold, a shaking. And the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld lo, the seniors in the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them.
Then said he unto me, prophecy unto that wind.
Son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, come from the four winds old breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great army. Then said He unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel.
Behold, they say, our bones are dried.
And our hope is lost, we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophecy and say unto them.
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold all my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel.
And you shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened her graves, O my people, and brought you up.
Out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then shall he know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it, saith the Lord. The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man. Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it for Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions.
Then take another stick and write upon it for Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the House of Israel his companions.
And join them on to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand.
20th Verse. And the sticks were on thou right, as shall be in mine hand before their eyes.
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whether they be gone.
And will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land from the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all, and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all.
Neither shall they defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with all their transgressions, but I will save them out of all their dwelling places wherein they have sinned and will cleanse them. So shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my king shall be king over them, and they shall all have.
They also have one shepherd.
And they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
27th verse.
My Tabernacle also shall be with them. Yeah, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I, the Lord, do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore.
Well, I didn't intend, brethren to looking at this to speak of it in a prophetic way. I'm sure we're all aware of the fact that this tells us of the time when God will work with the nation of Israel and when He will bring them back into blessing and bless them in their land. What a wonderful day is ahead for that nation, that nation that.
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Once guilty, crucified their Messiah, but he's going to fulfill all his promises.
Goodness and grace to that nation. But I believe, brethren, that there's a moral lesson for us.
In this and something that can be with profit to us even in this very day in which we live. Our brother was speaking to us in the young people's meeting. But how God began to work in a place that was waste and empty, and how he made everything beautiful from his own hand and pronounced it very good.
Placed man at the head of it. But we know the 1St man failed. We know that death came in.
And so in this chapter we have a scene of death. We see the sad results of sin.
And not so much in connection with the world at large, but.
Here we have among those who are the privileged people of God, because it tells us in this 11Th verse, These bones are the whole House of Israel. These were the ones who were specially privileged of God, says in the word, What advantage then hath the Jew? What prophet? Is there a circumcision? Much every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
They were especially favored people.
But Ezekiel had to prophecy in a very sad day of their history.
The book of Ezekiel begins where the captives down by the river Chibar.
Begins with a very sad state among those who were so beloved.
Of the Father. And so here we find that Ezekiel is brought to this place where he is called upon to pass through this valley full of dry bones. Surely it was a dismal thing, wasn't it? Just think of having to go through a valley full of dry bones. Most discouraging. And doesn't that remind you?
Of this world today, doesn't it remind us, too, of how?
We, as the children of God, have utterly failed to be a testimony.
To what we should be here in this earth. Why? How wonderful a fact that when the Lord Jesus went away.
He appointed his own to be witnesses into the uttermost parts of the earth. But here we find a valley of dry bones, and it tells us that the people were saying our bones are dried, our hope is lost. And surely as we see the run of that that has come in through the failure of the Church, we might well look over and say.
Our bones are dried, our hope is lost.
Possibility of anything being cleared up. Is there any possibility of anything being straightened out in a day of such weakness and declension and failure? And so here was the position of the Prophet. He saw all the ruin, and as he looked upon those bones, was it possible to put them together? Much less was it possible to give life to these bones.
Was it possible that these bones would live?
Surely the idea of being able to put the bones together seemed impossible enough without the thought of giving life by those our brother was speaking about. The dinosaurs and those men who try and assemble these things take ever so long to try and take bone for bone and put them together and assemble them correctly.
You know how many times there are difficulties, there are tangles and we might say.
Who can ever straighten it out? Who can put things together, Who can make them as they should be? And so the Lord said to Ezekiel, son of man, and these bones live well. He didn't say, I don't know what can be done. Isn't it lovely and sweet? His answer? He said, Oh Lord, God, thou knowest, isn't that lovely?
Oh Lord God, thou knowest instead of saying it's an impossibility.
Nothing can be done. Who could ever take bones and put them together or give life to them? His answer was well I know that's impossible with man, but it's not impossible with God. God can do something that man can't do. That God could come into this scene of confusion with all these bones scattered at the graves mouth as we're told in the 42nd chapter, 42nd Psalm.
00:10:17
And he could put those bones together. And so the first thing that we noticed here is that he acknowledged that only the Lord knew the answer to this difficult and impossible problem.
Oh Lord God, thou knowest, he said. Then the Lord said.
Prophecy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones.
Hear the word of the Lord. Here we have the importance of the Word of God.
Not human wisdom here, but the word of God. Not the word of God.
Could do in a situation like this. And he brings the word of God into this situation and how lovely it is to see the action of the word of God upon these dry bones. And perhaps there are those here and you say, well, there's so many difficulties.
Our own little assembly has so many problems, although there was only somebody that could straighten these problems out of the Lord is the only one.
And we rely upon His precious word, His word that is ever suited to every present need, every difficulty that may arise. And so He was told that prophecy upon these bones. And when he prophesied, it says those bones came together, bone to bone. Isn't this remarkable? Think of it.
A valley full of dry bones. And to watch those bones coming together.
No wonder he could look on and see with wonder and surprise what God was doing. This was God who was coming in and was setting right a situation where it just looked absolutely impossible. But he saw this. He witnessed it. Then he saw more. He saw a flash coming up upon these bones.
And he saw this whole company stand up before him.
Now it looked as if everything was straightened out. All the bones had come together.
The people were standing there, but there was no life in them. There was no life in them. So shall I put it this way? It's not just a matter of setting things right. There has to be the action of divine life. There has to be the work of the Spirit of God. And this, I think, is most interesting to see.
And perhaps we think all if this could just be straightened out, or if that difficulty could just be straightened out, or there may be some young people saying, well, if this could just be straightened out. In my life, even if all those things were straightened out, even if all the bones came together and everything was in the right place and everything was just as you think it should be.
There they were, a lifeless group of people.
All bone to bone, sinew upon them, flesh was upon them, but there was no life in them. There was no life in them. And brother, it isn't just a matter of having things set light. What I believe and what was on my heart is it's the action of the Spirit of God. It is the divine life operative of that really is the necessary and important.
And saw here he was told to prophecy again.
And he claws upon the wind, and the wind comes.
And blows upon those slain, and now there is life in them.
There is life, and isn't this blessed? All Brethren, everyone of us who are really saved in this room this afternoon possess a new life.
We possess a new life. We have the life of Christ. It says when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory. And as Paul writes in the second Corinthians chapter four, he says we have this treasure in earthen vessels that.
00:15:03
The life of Jesus might be manifest in our mortal bodies.
God has put a treasure in the earthen vessel, and when self is put in the place of death, and that new life is seen by them, it's manifested, it displays itself. And so here He not only saw bone to bone, he not only saw a flash upon the sinew, but he saw an army with life.
And this is what is necessary, brethren, are you and I.
Acting in the power of that new life that God has given to us.
In a trouble that came up many years ago among the Saints of God.
One leading brother said. He said 5 minutes grace would have settled it. 5 minutes grace, the manifestation of the life of Jesus, would have settled the problem. But there wasn't the manifestation of the life, even though things were considered and as much as possible, bone to bone put in its place the life of Jesus.
Was not manifested, all brethren, doesn't this speak to your heart and mind?
How much are we displaying the life of Christ with our brethren? How much are we manifesting the life of Jesus in our mortal bodies? Each one of us have contributed to the failure. There was no bone to look at the other and say, well, I'm in a better position than you. Every one of them have been scattered and everyone had been brought together by the power of God. The life had been given.
And here was this exceeding great army.
And it's lovely to look into the faces of our brethren here and know that many we trust most in this room. Really. No, the Lord Jesus really possessed that divine life. But how often we act in the flesh. And the hindrance says, as it tells us in 2nd Corinthians 4, We which live are all we delivered unto death for Jesus sake.
That the life also of Jesus.
Might be made manifest in our mortal flesh, and again always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.
That the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. What is the trouble all we have them put the sentence of death upon self. There's so much unjust pride in us. There's so much self willingness now that we find it hard to say I'm I'm sorry I shouldn't have said or done this and our poor hearts.
Are so prone to display the old man that God has given us a new life.
And as our brother remarked in the young people's In a certain sense God sets before us a perfect object. He sets before us the one who is perfect in all things. And he says, I have given you his life. You possess all the power. God giveth not his spirit. By measure, every believer has an equal supply of the Spirit of God.
But are we manifesting it? What is the hindrance? Each one of us, we can look at the other person.
We can say, well if that other person would only display the life of Jesus, but it says.
And we which live are all we delivered unto death, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. That's for myself. I need to put self in the place of death. There's enough flesh in me to spoil any meeting, any one of us. If we allow that horrible thing to act in us, it will display itself in the scene that will only make a valley of dry bones.
That will only ruin everything.
But all, isn't this lovely? All that the prophet did here was to bring the word of God in. And by the power of the Spirit of God, bone was brought to bone, life was given. And then how beautiful to see this discouraged group of people who were saying our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off from our parts. Well that.
Everything is in Rule and there is no hope. Here are these people standing and exceeding great army. And then it says in the 12Th verse, therefore prophecy and saying to them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold all my people, isn't this lovely? All my people? He didn't disown them, He loved them, and it tells us having loved His own.
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Which were in the world. He loved them under the end.
We need to realize that they're dear to God.
You know, my father made a comment to me many years ago.
In connection with Elijah, it says that Elijah made intercession to God against Israel.
And he said that's the only failure of an Old Testament St. recorded in the New Testament.
God speaks of many Old Testament Saints in the New Testament, but he only records the failure of one, and the one was the man that thought he was better than his brother.
What a sad thing He made intercession against Israel and brother and I say this, let's never make intercession against our brethren. They need our prayers. I need your prayers. But God would have us to realize that they're his people.
All my people, he said. And he said I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord, and the 14th version shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land, and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it. Isn't this lovely? The Lord did it, and He tells us just what this meant, what it meant for Israel, and what it will mean for us.
In our different assemblies, in our different problems.
If there was that display that manifestation of the Spirit of God.
And let each one of us apply this to our own hearts, if the Lord leaves us here to return.
To our own assemblies, oh, wouldn't it be lovely if each one of us said, well, may the Lord give me grace to manifest the Spirit of Christ in any given situation that may arise. So this was what the Lord said. And then there's a second thing brought in in this chapter.
And this is very interesting.
1St we see God bringing order and life out of this confusion, and then in the second part of the chapter we see that that which divided the people of God into two camps is repaired. It's settled, it's cleared up, and I think there's a beautiful moral order in this chapter.
Oh, we say, if this thing could only be cleared up, but God, first of all, had to.
To let us see the awful ruin, the bones, the valley of dry bones.
That it was the word of the Lord, a new life and a manifestation of that new life.
And then we have the prophet, and he has two sticks in his hand. On one is the stick of Judah, the other is the stick of Joseph, and the name is written on each stick. Oh, what a what a sad thing this was. God's people were divided. God's people were divided. And we know that animosity was very strong.
When the Lord Jesus was here and talked to that woman of Samaria.
Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and ye say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. She said, I belong to the stick of Ephraim. And she said, You were the stick of Judah. Oh, what a what a sad thing to see this. And you might say, well, I am on this side, and somebody else I'm on the other side. But here the prophet holds the two sticks, and now the Lord has put them together.
Put them together. Isn't this beautiful?
When the life was restored, there was number problem to the sticks getting together and they were made one in his hand they were made one.
To know how simple it was it looked impossible begins with a scene of ruin, begins with that which looked absolutely impossible, and ends with the happiest time of blessing for the restored people of God.
That we can think of for that nation of Israel. And the prophet just took them. And then the people said, well, what do you mean by this? What do you mean? And so he tells them, 18th person, when the children of Israel shall speak unto these, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?
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Say unto them Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, the tribe of Israel, his fellows, and will put them with him, even with a stick of Judah.
And make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And so the people looked on and saw those sticks now just put together, but made one, made one. And it's not what God has done. And He made US1 He says in his Word, by 1 Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free. And if the.
Jesus was manifested in every believer. What a testimony there would be to this world. That's the way it was in the early church. It says the multitude of the disciples were of one heart and one soul. They were all with one accord together, and they bore testimony unitedly. Why? Well, because the Spirit of God had his way. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost. They were.
Manifesting the life of Jesus.
And the people in Jerusalem, although they didn't want to be associated with such a testimony, they had to magnify them. They had to see that this was a real work of God. And so here we find that he tells them that this is going to take place in their history. God is going to bring them together.
Now he goes on farther in the 21St verse, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whether they be gone.
And we'll gather them on every side and bring them into their own land, and I will make them one nation in the land of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all, and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all. Well, this is what is ahead for Israel.
This is the glorious future that is had for the Church too. When is our little hymn expresses it thou shalt to wandering worlds display.
That we with the are one all there's going to be a display. Just think when the Lord Jesus comes out of heaven with his bride and displays his bride to the world as one as though he would say it's long since you've ever seen a display like this.
But here.
The Saints come down, and it says, Ye shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be admired in all them. Believe not inside to be admired in all them believe. What a future. Oh, can there be some measure of this? Now, brethren, I say, in the measure in which we keep self in the place of death, and that the Lord Jesus.
Has his rightful place in Philippians chapter 3.
The apostle is standing before us. The Lord is an object. Christ is the object before the soul.
And so in this lovely chapter he says, And if in anything he be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
But that is, he longed to speak, our differences being dissolved by believers, making Christ and Christ only the object of their hearts.
And so it says in the 23rd verse, Neither shall they defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with all any of their transgressions, but I will save them out of all their dwelling places wherein they have sinned and will cleanse them. So shall they be my people, and I will be their God. All we mourn as we see the coldness that comes in, and how the world gets hold of our hearts.
How we find its effect upon us, as the Lord Jesus said, because iniquity shall abound.
The love of many shall wax cold. Don't let any of us raise our heads and say, Well, I'm not affected by the spirit of the age. We are more than we think. It rubs off upon us. It has its effect upon us, brethren, young and old, and we become more than we realize, taken up with it. But what is the cure for it? Laying down laws. Laying down rules.
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Oh no, when the Lord Jesus has his rightful place.
When he's acknowledged a supreme when he's acknowledged as Lord of all, then how beautifully everything is cleared. We find that the stick is made one his hands. He find they find that the idols and be castable things. They're all set aside total purist of the idols brethren want to deliver us from this world.
Our brothers said in the young people's meeting, the world is a waste and empty.
Why do we want it? Why do we want it? Because we're not enjoying anything better. Because we're not enjoying anything better. Let any young person or older one in this room really get the enjoyment of Christ in your soul, and those things won't seem like anything. You'll wonder, you'll say, like Ephraim says in Hosea, what have I any more to do with idols? Why?
Because in the absolute he condemned the idols.
Well, partially, but because he had seen the one who was infinitely better than the hymn writer has put it like this. I have seen the face of Jesus. Tell me now of not beside. I have seen the face of Jesus, and my soul is satisfied. All brethren, may we apply these things to ourselves. We mourn.
Almost the indifference, the warnings that have had to be given. We mourn these things and where is it going to begin? If there's going to be a change, it begins with me. It begins with us individually. When Israel were in a low state, it began with Jonathan and Jonathan said.
The Lord can save by many or by few, and he and his armor bearer went out to meet a situation looked absolutely impossible.
Paul, wouldn't it be lovely, each one of us this afternoon, daughter heads and our hearts in the Lord's presence and said to him a reason for all our difficulties and problems is that Christ has not had his rightful place in our lives. We haven't acknowledged him as the one king who is king over all, the one shepherd that his people are one. We have allowed other things to creep in because.
Our hearts were empty and we were not enjoying the Lord like we should. And so the detestable things, the idols, the transgressions, the dwelling places that were places of sin and all this had come in. And why? Because.
They were not walking as God's people should.
And David, my servant, shall be king over them.
And they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes.
And do them. Why? Well, because God would put His laws into their hearts, and in their minds. He would write them, and their sins and iniquities. He would remember no more. Is there any passing over of sin here? Is there any looking lightly on sin? Not at all. But it's because there was something so much better that they could look upon these things as detestable things. And then who gets the greatest joy?
Out of all this, brethren, who gets the greatest joy? We're inclined to be selfish and thankful what we're going to get out of it. But I want you to notice here were some verses I didn't read. I'll read from the 25th verse on. And they shall dwell in the land which I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your father's have dwelled. And they shall dwell, or in even they and their children, and their children's children forever.
And my servant David shall be their Prince forever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them and set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. My Tabernacle also shall be with them. Yeah, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. I say, who gets the greatest joy in this?
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The one who wants to bless.
The heart that wants to bless. And whose heart is that? The heart of God, The heart of God, His is the heart that wants to bless. He looks down upon us. A little company gathered in this room this afternoon. And brethren, if we only knew how much He wanted to bless us. And what is the hindrance? The hindrances ourselves.
Miserable self that we allow.
And we defend that. We stand up for it. And if we just got before the Lord and sought to be before Him, asking him for grace to put it where he would have us put it, the life of Jesus would be seen and all the blessing that was in his heart would begin to flow. I know I'm not speaking as it were as an idealist. I'm not saying that we ever expect to see perfection down here, but I do.
Say that God will never be satisfied until all his own are fully blessed, and he wants us to enjoy more and more of it down here. He wants it to be our present portion. Brethren, the Lords coming is near his soon. He's soon going to come and take us to be with himself. May he grant that while we wait that day, there may be more.
How this enjoyment of himself, this enjoyment of his love, this divine character manifested?
And saw that is even the world looks on and it says the heathen would say that God was sanctified in the midst of his people and the world of the con and say, well, those people have something they're enjoying something that we're not enjoying. Oh, May God grant that we may see that he is still sufficient in 1971.
For every situation that has arisen or will arise, if we'll look to him and count upon him.
And manifest the life of Jesus in our mortal bodies.
God Sanctified among His People
The Word of God
Open Mtg.
Sent of God
Prepare to Meet Thy God
Philippians 2:14-18