Chicago Conference: 1974
Table of Contents
God is for Us
Address—J. Brereton
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General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974, addressed by John Puritan.
Targeting this afternoon by singing hymn #242.
Sing aloud to God our strength He has brought us hitherto.
He will bring us home at land, since the Lord our God will do. Doubt not, for His word is stable. Fear not, for His arm is able #242 If some brother would start it for us.
I would like to turn first of all to a verse in the book of Proverbs.
Chapter 29 I believe it is.
Proverbs, chapter 29.
And verse 25.
The fear of man bringeth A snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord.
Shall be safe. And then I'd like to turn over to a verse in Romans chapter 8.
Romans, chapter 8.
And verse 31.
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What shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him?
Also freely give us all things.
What I have before me, dear young people, this afternoon, is to particularly consider.
In the life of two men, in the life of David, and again in the life of Peter.
Episodes concerning this verse if God be for us.
You know, beloved young people, you and I are going through a wilderness journey.
We're on our way home to glory, and we recognize that.
On our way home there are many difficulties, many obstacles.
Many hindrances in the path of faith, but beloved young people, we find that God has made every provision for us. He has given us the wisdom of the Word of God to direct us in that pathway on our way home to glory. He has given us the Spirit of God to indwell us and to be the power.
For that walk through the wilderness.
To please God until we arrive safely home, and then it seems to me like an umbrella.
Like a covering that comes up overall. Is this precious assurance?
That God is for us. You know, I was talking to a young lady just a week or so ago.
And she had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just about eight or nine months ago.
And we got talking.
Together a little bit about what is spoken of as election.
How that she was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
You know that dear sister said to me. She said one of the things that constantly goes through my mind.
Is why me? Why me all the marvelous grace of God, dear young people.
That chose you and chose me. Pick this up.
Brought us into God's own family. Brought us into that family by birth, by being born again. Brought us in by adoption. Adopted into God's family. Given us to know that God is our Father, That we now have God as our Father.
That we have been brought into the same relationship enjoyed by the Lord Jesus Himself.
Where he said, I ascend unto my father, and your father.
Unto my God and your God. And now, having been brought into God's families, we have the absolute assurance given to us that God is for us.
God is for us, you know. I look into my own heart.
And I see much failure. I realize, in some measure at least, how often I grieve that Holy Spirit that God has put in me, How often I fail, how often I fail to lay hold of in my soul.
The wondrous revelation that God has made to me through His Word. But dear young people, this doesn't change in any way the precious truth that God is for us. If you and I have failed today, God has not, and He has not changed. He is still for us.
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Not that the failure is to be excused in any way.
Dear brother here, one of those who have labored amongst us for many years made a comment in Montreal some years ago. He perhaps doesn't remember it now, but he made the comment and it bothered me a great deal. Matter of fact, it bothered me so much that I went up and spoke to him afterwards and told him I didn't like it one bit.
The comment that he had made was this, He said, remember that he said anytime that we fail, anytime that we sin, it's because we want to, because we want to. And as I say, dear young people, I didn't like that one bit, not at all. And yet as he explained it to me, and as I thought about it since, I realized just how true it is, because anything else.
Any other excuse?
Suggests that there has been something lacking in the provisions that God has made.
That somehow he failed to give adequately.
In order to enable me to walk to please Him. But that is not so. I have the word of God.
Marks the pathway clearly for me. I have the Spirit of God.
As the power to walk to please God and so if I do fail.
I can never say I couldn't help it. God.
Has made the provision, but if I fail.
God may have to speak to me in the circumstances of my life. He certainly speaks to me by His Spirit through His Word to rebuke my conscience, that I might judge the matter and get before God about it. But dear young people, it still remains unchangeable. God is for us, you know, some time ago.
I was visiting in the home of one of our brethren at West.
And I found in his library a book it was reported to be, I believe it was called The History of the Brethren. I've forgotten exact title, but it was something like that written over 100 years ago. And it was really written as a criticism of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And when I glanced through this book, I was struck with a comment that the author made. He said in this book, he said, you know, he said the whole concept of these people that are spoken of his brethren. He said the whole concept is an impossible one.
He said there is no way that it can last because he said what they're trying to do.
Is to administer a discipline.
So that if it becomes necessary for someone to be.
Put away or disciplined in Australia that this is going to be binding.
Upon some Christians in a remote village in England.
Now he says there is no way that it will work. It's impossible, it must fail. Dear young people, that man has been dead and buried a long time, and what is impossible as far as man is concerned, still by the marvelous grace of God goes on. Why? Is it because there has been no failure?
All you and I know better than that, but God is for us.
God maintains for His own glory that testimony gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And as far as you and I as individuals are concerned, it remains.
Just as true today as 2000 years ago. Just as true today after you failed. If you did, or I did as before I failed. God is for us. It never changes. All, beloved young people, that we might realize this, the precious wonder of it. God remains faithful and He's for you.
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Every day of your life.
Now I'd like to turn first of all to a verse in Revelation chapter 21.
The remarks that we want to make this afternoon.
Are addressed primarily to those who are the Lords.
The Word of God says the fear of man bringeth A snare well here in the 21St chapter of Revelation.
And the eighth verse it says, But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and ************ and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.
Which is the second death. Now, as I said, our remarks this afternoon are primarily for those who are the Lord's.
Those are the ones of whom it spoke, speaks in Romans chapter 8. God is for us, but we find here when we look at the subject of fear of the fearful of the fear of man, that there is a word here to those who are not the Lord. Dear young people, the fear of man brings a snare. That's what Solomon wrote by the Spirit of God.
Here the Spirit of God tells us that leading the list of those who end up in the Lake of fire are the fearful. Those who are afraid to take a stand for Christ, afraid of what their friends will say, afraid of what their relatives will say. You know, just a few days ago I was down at the tent in Nova Scotia.
The gospel, and it was a young man. He had come to the gospel tent one day. The next day he came and got on the bus and the bus had just started up, just started to move away, when one of his friends who was standing outside the bus laughed at him, waved at him and started to laugh. And right away this young man said stop the bus, I want to get off.
He got off.
He got off and we sought to encourage him to come, but there was number way.
With that friend of his outside laughing at him, there was number way that he was going to come to the gospel sense. Dear friends, is there something holding you back from coming to Christ? The fearful and the unbelieving lead the class.
Those who end up eternally lost. All dear young people, May God grant.
That you will see that you will see that the fear of man can rob you of eternal life, lead you to this terrible destiny in the lake of fire.
Could we turn now to the First Samuel, First Samuel chapter?
70.
First Samuel.
Chapter 17.
And verse 40.
And he, that is David, took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherds bag, which he had even in a script, And his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine, And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David. And the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David.
He disdained him, for he was but a youth and Ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
And the Philistines said unto David, Am IA dog, that thou comest to me with staves. And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
And the Philistines said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand. And I will smite thee and take thine head from thee. And I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day.
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Unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lords, and he will give you into our hands.
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted and ran toward the army.
To meet the Philistines and David put his hand in his bag and took fences stone.
And slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stones sunk into its forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine and slew him. But there was number sore.
In the hand of David, Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword.
And drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
We find here beloved young people. A young man, David, He was but a youth. We don't know exactly how old he was, but we see how the Goliath despised him. Fair, Ruddy, but a youth.
Ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
And David is put in the place here where he goes up against Goliath.
And he goes up against him, relying upon the God who is for David.
He goes with no other weapon but his sling in his stone, and the Word of God in particularly draws our attention to the fact that there was no sore in the hand of David. Oh dear young people. I'm sure many of us have enjoyed this passage many times. There is undoubtedly a very important type brought before us here in connection with the Lord Jesus as the one who defeated the enemy by his own sword, his own weapon.
By going into death itself and rising triumphant over it. But what I have particularly before me this afternoon is to see how David went, relying upon the God of Israel. God was for Israel. All the armies of Israel had stood and camped, and they had been so afraid of this giant Goliath, they had lost sight of the fact that God was for them.
God was for Israel and all. Dear young people, how we can lose sight of this? We see difficulties and problems. We see the enemy around us. You go to school and many there have no love for the Lord Jesus at all. Perhaps you're at work and there there are those who have no use for Him at all in your life. It may even be in your family that you face circumstances where there's no sympathy for your desire to go on for the Lord at all.
Well, David faced an enemy, but a youth with no natural weapons, just his sling in his stone. And even those he doesn't mention. He says he came against Goliath in the name of the God of Israel whom Goliath had defied.
And when the battle is joined, it is David who runs to meet the enemy. No Fear, No Fear. He's not dismayed by the size of Goliath. He's not dismayed by Goliath sword or by his shield or by his spear. He's not. He's not terrified or concerned about the words that had so terrified the armies of Israel for so long. No, he goes in the name of the God that was for him and for Israel.
Dear young people, this is what God would have us to do, to go through the circumstances of our lives here realizing God is on our side. I remember hearing the story. I believe it was just a young child who made the comment some one time. He said God and me make a majority. God is on our side. He is for us. Beloved young people, when you go back to school.
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You go back with God, God for you and whether it's a Goliath.
Or whoever the enemy is that comes against you. Whatever the problem is, this is the confidence that you and I are entitled to have by God's oneness, grace, that God is for us. Well, we see the answer. We see the result. Goliath is killed and Goliath's own sword is used to cut off Goliath's head. He is defeated. He runs toward David.
But he ends up.
Dead and defeated full, beloved young people, the Word of God tells us.
That God is for us here in this chapter. It tells us the battle.
Is the Lord oh that you and I would lay hold of that and I say that to my own soul to realize that the battle is the Lords. Are you having opposition in your family? You say, well, this is my battle. This is what I have to fight out. God says no.
The Lord says it's my battle, the battle is the Lord. If you're having difficulties and problems at work or at school and you feel perhaps in your own soul, this is my struggle. The Lord says no, it's my struggle, it's my battle. He gives the grace, He gives the strength, but all that, we would look to him just as David did, and fine, fine, how the Lord delights to have us go through whatever the problem and difficulty is.
With the conscious sense in our souls that God is for us. Now would you turn over with me to the.
21St chapter of First Samuel.
Here we see the same person.
We even see the same weapon coming in, and how the fear of man brings a snare. First Samuel 21 and verse 8 And David said unto A himalek. And is there not here under thine hands, spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me.
Because the King's business required haste.
And the priest said the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah.
Behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou will take that, take it, for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that, Give it me. And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to a Kish, the king of Gas. And the servants of Akish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land?
Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish, the King of Gas, And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
Then said Akish unto his servants, Lo, ye see, the man is mad. Wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of Mad Men, that he have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house? David therefore departed since.
We find here, dear young people, a real sad occasion in the life of David.
Saul was seeking David's life, Jonathan had warned David.
That Saul was seeking to kill him and David was advised by Jonathan to flee.
Jonathan was not prepared. Even though he loved David, he was not prepared to share David's flight with him.
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He returns to the city, but he leaves David to flee along. Now we find that David comes to know and here he speaks to a him elect. First of all he takes of the showbread that had been taken away from before the from the table of showbread. But now we come to this episode in his life.
When he wants a sore.
Dear young people, let us remember now that this is the same man that just a little while before, perhaps only a year or so before, had gone up against Goliath with no sword in his hand at all.
No sword in his hand at all, just relying on the God of Israel, on the living God.
Now he's fleeing, and now he wants a sword.
To me, it's so marvelous to see how God allows that when he comes to a him elect and asks for a sword, the answer that's given to him is there's only one sword here, and that's the sort of Goliath that's the sword of the one that you killed in the valley of Elam.
All you say, surely that would have been enough. It was a reminder.
From the God of Israel.
That David had before been in a time of peril.
And he had relied upon the God of Israel, and God had rotted great victory.
And deliver him. And there was the evidence before his eyes, the sword of Goliath, that reminder that David had got the victory when he had relied upon the God that was for him.
But now all David sees is a sword.
A great sword. And he says there's no sword like that. And he took the sword. All you say, well, now David got a sword. Now David is going to be strong and brave. Now he's going to be able to stand up to Saul and the enemy, his enemies. But that's not what the word of God says. He now has Goliath sword. But what is the word of God say? Why it says David arose and fled that day for fear of salt.
When he went up against Goliath, relying just upon the one who was for Israel, the God of Israel, No Fear, No Fear of man, No Fear of man, even though the man was 10 feet tall. Just confidence in the living God. And God delivered him. And now we find him, confidence placed in a sword, Goliath sword, what should have been a reminder to him.
Of the faithful God of Israel that had delivered him just a short while before.
But instead, as I said, it becomes simply a sword, and with the sword in his hand.
David is afraid, and all dear young people, we find that not only is he afraid, but he flees to a Kish, the king of Gas. He flees to one of the kings of the enemies of God's people, amongst the Philistines of all people, and there what does he do?
Does he imitate the Philistines? All he does worse than that, he.
Behaves himself in a way that even the Philistines despise all beloved young people. How the fear of man brings a snare when we find our hearts afraid. And I say this to my own heart.
When we find our hearts afraid of what others will think of what others will say, perhaps it's at the office and you know that if you're going to be faithful to the Lord there, they are going to despise, they're going to laugh, perhaps they're going to mock, they're going to perhaps treat you with contempt. Does it bring a snare? Or does it, dear young people, to give us to turn to the God who is for us?
And to rely upon him to realize that this is not our battle, it's his, and he's there to help. He is for us. What a tragic thing it is when our behavior, when your behavior and my behavior becomes that which even the world has to rebuke. You know, dear young people, the world knows.
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The world knows what is becoming to those who belong to Christ, who make a profession of belonging to Christ. Do they see in you and me that which becomes the gospel of Christ? You know, it's a striking expression that used here. You notice in the 11Th verse it says, and the servants of atheists said unto him, is not this David?
The king of the land? What about Saul? I thought Saul was the king.
Well, David was the anointed king. Saul was the usurper who was still on the throne, but David had already been anointed as the one who was to be the rightful king. But.
David wasn't acting as the King. David wasn't acting according to his anointing. And yet even the enemies, the Philistines.
It's the most remarkable thing but the Philistines seem to have recognized.
That David was the king, the rightful king, even while Saul was still reigning.
But David's behavior was not that of a king.
It was that of a madman. He changed his behavior.
All beloved young people, you and I belong to Christ. We bear his name. We are the children of God, and God has marked out for us here that path, that which is becoming to those who are the children of God.
Becoming in our dress the way we dress. Becoming in our behavior. Becoming in what we watch.
Becoming and where we go.
Are we walking as children of God? All you say? The difficulty is it's a difficult path.
It's hard. All God says God is for us. Who can be against us?
Well, we see here in David this remarkable contrast, the day that he relied upon the God of Israel and God brought him through that great test of faith before Goliath, and then the day that he relied on Goliath. Sore.
And instead he flees and ends up acting in a manner.
That even the Philistines despised.
Would you turn with me now?
To Acts chapter 10.
Acts Chapter 10.
And we'll read verse 11 and saw heaven opened.
And a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been, a great sheet, knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth, wherein we're all manner of four footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him. Rise, Peter, kill and eat.
But Peter said Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed that call not thou comma.
This was done thrice, and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
19th Verse While Peter fought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, Freeman, seek thee.
Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.
Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius, and said, Behold, I am he whom he seek.
What is the cause? Where for year comes?
And they said Cornelius the Centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews.
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Was worn from God by an holy Angel to send unto thee into his house.
And to hear words of thee then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the moral Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And the moral, after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up, I myself also am a man.
And as he talked with him, he went in and found many that were come together. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation. But God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Therefore came I unto you without gain, saying, As soon as I was sent for. I asked therefore for what intent you have sent for me?
Then at the 44th verse, while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the words.
And they have the circumcision, which we believe were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God then, answered Peter.
Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord, then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
And the apostles in brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, Thou wentest into men uncircumcised, and did eat with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.
The 15th 1St. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning, Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much then as God gave them the light gift, as he did unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. What was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles?
Granted repentance unto life.
We find here one of these.
Delightful episodes in the life of Peter.
When the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter in the 16th chapter of Matthew, he told Peter that he was giving him the keys of the Kingdom, the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. And we find that Peter used the first key in the second chapter of Acts when he preached the Gospel and there were 3000 Jews or Jewish proselytes that got saved.
And now we find he's here using the second key, the key that administers the Kingdom that brings the Gentiles in to the Kingdom of heaven.
And we find that it took a special revelation from God to Peter.
You know I love this episode, as we'll notice the contrast in a few minutes.
But we find that Peter here after, as our brother pointed out to us this morning.
After Peter had this debate with the Lord said not so Lord, I've never eaten that which is common or unclean.
But the Lord showed him clearly the vision three times.
That he was to call nothing common or unclean, and then?
The Spirit of God says to Peter, now three men are coming and you're to go with them.
Doubting nothing for I have sent them.
Now, dear young people, what do we find? Why we find that, Peter?
Does exactly what the Lord tells him to do.
He lodges these three that have come from the Gentile. Cornelius lodges them in his own home.
Rises the next morning and goes to where Cornelius is and says when he enters into his house.
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He says in the 28th verse, you know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company.
Or come unto one of another nation. But God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without gain, saying, As soon as I was sent for, Oh dear young people, Peter was shown.
By God himself what he was to do.
And he acted upon it, he says, without any hesitation. He didn't wait.
He went and did just what the Lord told him to do.
He came right to where Cornelius was, and when he hears what it is that Cornelius wants.
He preaches the gospel to them, explains to them what the Lord Jesus has done at Calvary.
And the result is that Cornelius and his family come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Peter went on this journey at the call of God.
Relying entirely upon God, he didn't ask questions. He didn't doubt once it was explained to him God was sending him.
Once he knew that that God was sending him, then he went asking no further questions it to me. It's all the more remarkable when he comes to Cornelius house. He says what did you want here I am, what is it that you want and he explains to them the gospel. Now God blesses this message and there's this fruit, the Spirit of God coming down and indwelling these Gentiles.
And the evidence is given, as it tells us in the 45th verse. The 44th verse, while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the words.
I have no doubt, dear young people, that Peter knew full well.
That he was going to be called to account for what he had done this day.
But God had sent him. God had told him to go. God had shown him.
That he was to call no man common or unclean. And whereas under the Old Testament economy.
He was to remain separate from those who were not of the Jewish religion, the Jewish faith.
Yet God was showing him now that he was to go to the Gentiles, and he went relying only upon God.
The result was this wonderful blessing that has since.
Spread out throughout the whole world. Dear young people, do you realize? Have you ever laid hold of in your soul to me? It's been so precious to my own soul.
This simple act of obedience on the part of Peter.
Was the first ripple, it was the first stone being dropped into the water, and the ripples have spread out throughout the length and breadth of this land. The first Gentile brought in, Cornelius, the first one brought in. And since then there have been millions upon millions upon millions, all what Peter started this day, just relying upon God.
Going at God's direction, following the vision from glory.
That told him he was to go.
Told him that he was to God.
And God blessed his word, and souls were saved. Now when we come to the 11Th chapter.
We find that Peter is indeed called to account when he went goes back to Jerusalem right away.
There are those there who say why?
Thou wentest into men uncircumcised, and did eat with them.
In other words, they were there to say, Peter, you've done something terribly wrong.
He was called to account.
But he patiently, faithfully, fully explains what God had done.
It tells us in that fourth verse, Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded by order unto them.
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And after he has explained all that, God is wrought the miracle of God's grace.
That simply relying upon God, acting in obedience to the vision that he had and the voice of the Spirit directing him, he had gone into the Gentiles. Now it says in the 17th verse, For as much then as God gave them the light gift, as he did unto us. In other words, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
What was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, Then, hath God also to the great Gentiles granted repentance unto life? Dear young people, God is ready.
To use you and to use me for his glory. He's ready, He wants to, he delights to what is our resource? Why, it's God himself. God is for us. When the apostle Paul was leaving the Ephesians, the elders at Ephesus in the 20th chapter of Acts, he says I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. You say there may be obstacles and difficulties. Indeed there are.
Dear young people, no one is going to deny it. There are difficulties, real obstacles in the path of faith, but God is for us. What an obstacle Peter faced this day, an obstacle in his own inner convictions, first of all. And God had to remove that, the obstacles that were going to result from those around him that would oppose. And God eventually removes that too, satisfied even them.
But Peter doesn't wait.
He goes at the direction of the Spirit of God, and God blesses his word. Souls are saved. That ministry that began here in Cornelius House has spread throughout the whole world. Gentiles all over the world have been brought to Christ.
God has granted to them repentance unto life to you and me. Now, beloved young people, what is your life going to be? Is it going to be a path that's for His glory? You know, you're at the age in life, many of you, when you're planning just what your life is going to be. Oh, May God grant that your plan, what you're looking at for your life, is what is for the glory of God.
What is it that God would do with my life? What a question that is. What does God want to do with my life? And beloved young people, if we go to God with that question, what does God want to do with my life? There is no obstacle, no obstacle but that God can overcome. Someone has said the obstacles are like a dam in a river.
And that is, the higher the dam, the higher the water goes until it overflows it. The grace of God, the power of God, the wisdom of God, the provision of God, it's all there for you.
And for me, God is for us. Well, Peter, acting simply.
In obedience to what the Lord told, going in the confidence that God was with him.
Acting in obedience to what God had told him to do, the blessing flowed out to others.
Now I would like to just use our last couple of minutes to turn to Galatians Chapter 2 for a moment.
Galatians, chapter 2.
And verse 11.
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed.
Before that certain came from James. He did eat with the Gentiles, but when they were come he withdrew and separated himself.
Fearing them which were of the circumcision, and the other Jews dissembled likewise with him.
In so much that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, liveth after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compel us, thou, the Gentiles, to live as do the Jews?
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We find now.
That Peter seems to have for the moment.
Lost sight of the fact that God is for him.
We find that first of all, though, he eats with the Gentiles at Antioch. You remember when we were looking at the case of David, God reminded David. He allowed the sword that was there to be Goliath sword. That should have been a reminder to David.
Of what God had wrought in David's life.
We find here that the word of God distinctly tells us that Peter, when he came to Antioch, ate with the Gentiles. All you know, dear young people, what a voice that should have been, should have been to the beloved Peter to for him to be able to look around there as he ate with those Gentiles and see what the grace of God had wrought here was what God had wrought, that which had started in the House of Cornelius.
Now he goes down to Antioch and he says look where it's spread to. Look what it's come down here.
A whole company of Gentiles saved, and he could eat with them and rejoice at the grace of God and what God had wrought. But now there are those who come down from Jerusalem, come down from James, these ones who were zealous for the law. And what does Peter do? All the fear of man brings a snare. I have no doubt. I have no doubt that Peter.
Knew the truth.
He had had a vision from glory that told him he was to call no man common or unclean. He had had the evidence before his very eyes of the Spirit of God indwelling those Gentiles. And now he had just had a reminder of what the grace of God had wrought by seeing Gentiles at Antioch saved and rejoicing in the Lord, and him able to eat with them.
But now the fear of man comes in, and it turns Peter aside from the path of the truth.
And what is so sad to see, it not only turns Peter aside, but other Jews follow him. And last of all, Barnabas, even dear beloved Barnabas follows Peter in this same dissimulation, in the same path of error, it says. And when I saw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the gospel, dear beloved young people.
There are many, many Christians.
And I say it with sorrow, but I believe that there are many, many Christians.
Who read the word of God and see?
What is the path of the truth? But the fear of man keeps them from walking.
Keeps them from separating from that which is displeasing to the Lord.
Keeps them.
Holds them back from walking uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel.
Beloved young people, has the Lord shown you the path of His choosing? Has He shown you the truth? He wants to. He wants to show you the truth from His Word. The Spirit of God wants to bring before your heart the preciousness of Christ and the pathway of His choosing for you. Is the fear of man keeping you back from it? Is the fear of what others are going to say? Is the fear the cost that's going to be involved?
You know, dear young people, I trust you'll bear with me when I say this, but there are prayers that are not good prayers at all.
Prayers that are not good prayers at all.
Prayers to God asking God to lead you in a path that is contrary to the Word of God are not good prayers at all.
And when God has shown you what the truth is.
To then ask God and say now show me what to do.
Is not a good prayer at all.
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If you say to me, for instance, you belong to Christ, and you say to me, I'm praying about whether I should remember the Lord Jesus and his death.
Dear young people, that's not a good prayer at all.
If there is an honest exercise as to where, then we can ask the Lord about that.
Have sometimes said to the young people back home, what would you have thought if when the Lord Jesus said to Peter and John, go and prepare at the Passover?
Go and prepare us the place where we may eat the passel.
Peter and John had said, I'll pray about it.
The Lord had told them what to do. All they had to do was obey. But they did ask the question, rightly so.
Where wilt thou did we prepare if you belong to Christ? And you say to me, well, I'm praying about whether to be our baptized or not.
That's not a good prayer, dear young people.
The Word of God doesn't even recognize such a thing as an unbaptized Christian.
God has marked out in His Word and the path of faith.
And to ask the Lord to show us the truth.
Is a good prayer to ask the Lord whether I should walk in the truth that the Lord has shown me?
Is not a good prayer at all. Well, we find in the case of Peter here.
When his eyes got on those Jews that came down from Jerusalem, he lost sight of the God that was for him.
And the fear of man brought a snare, but when his eyes were upon God, and upon God alone.
He could act in obedience to the revelation that God had given to his soul, regardless of what others were going to think about it. And we see in the case of David, dear beloved David, when his eyes were upon the God of Israel, it didn't matter how high Goliath was.
Have sometimes thought Goliath could have been 100 feet tall and it wouldn't have changed David one bit.
It wouldn't have changed David's attitude one bit. He went in the name of the God of Israel.
But when his eyes were on Goliath sword.
Then we find he runs away, and the fear of man brings a snare and leads to behavior that even the enemies of God's people despise. Oh, May God keep us, dear young people, keep us going on in obedience to His precious Word, and above all, with the conviction, the realization in our souls.
That God is for us and there is no obstacle.
Too hard. Nothing too hard for him.
The Gathering Center
Address—D. Andersen
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.
General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974.
Addressed by Dan Anderson.
Turn in our hymn book to #68.
Thy name we bless Lord Jesus that name all names excelling, How great Thy love, all praise above should every tongue be telling the Father's loving kindness and giving Thee was shown us now by thy blood, Redeemed to God as children He doth own us #68.
Lining we last large Jesus.
Last name all names.
Exactly.
Already I love all praise upon trust and praying on being fairly.
And the Father and loving God.
Breathe you from I children.
Oh my God.
And.
Through the.
I must wait.
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We've had much about the name of the Lord Jesus.
In these meetings.
We had his name before us yesterday morning and the breaking of bread.
We've had this person before us in the readings in the 12Th of John.
That name, what a blessed name it is.
What if we had never known that name?
What if we had never heard of that name?
My wife and I went to the Congo in 1930. We went into a tribe of people.
That didn't have the word of God.
They had nothing in writing.
Their language wasn't in writing.
There had never been a missionary there.
They had never heard the name of Jesus.
They didn't know who he was.
We would ask them, do you know who Jesus is?
Men in Zaiko, they would say, I don't know.
It was signed, but there have been many tribes like that.
And no doubt still are many places where they have never heard that name of Jesus.
They've missed everything by not knowing that name.
How thankful we can be this afternoon that we know the name of Jesus and we know what the name of Jesus means. It means Jehovah's Savior.
Precious name.
If we hadn't ever known that name, what a loss.
And we would be lost for all eternity.
Because we read in Acts chapter 4.
And verse 12.
Neither is there salvation in any other.
For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
And if there are any people in the world today that have not heard this name, don't know that name, there's no salvation for them.
Aren't you thankful that you've heard the name of Jesus?
That you've heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You've had the opportunity to have believed. You have believed.
But perhaps there's some here this afternoon who haven't believed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You haven't received him as Jehovah's Savior.
There's no other way for you to be saved but through Jesus, that blessed name.
I was thinking.
About that scripture we have in Matthew 18.
This is a very common scripture.
I don't suppose there's anyone in this room that hasn't heard this verse of Scripture? Matthew 18 and 20.
And we've gotten so used to hearing it.
That perhaps we think we don't need to dwell on it.
But I feel constrained this afternoon.
To dwell a little bit.
On this verse, Matthew 18 and 20, I'm afraid we get so used to hearing it quoted and all we hear is just the words and we don't feel the impact of it.
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We don't really realize what it is.
And I include myself in that. It's so easy to go over certain portions of scripture.
And not realize the importance of these verses.
But it says here, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
See, the name of the Lord Jesus is spoken of there. In my name is the Lord Jesus speaking, and he's talking about his name.
The name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think it's well for us when we're Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, to use his full name, Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe it honors him to use his full name. We hear part of his name used in the world in profanity and it hurts our hearts to hear it.
But when we use it as children of God.
I believe we should use the whole name the Lord Jesus Christ.
My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Is he your Lord this afternoon?
There are many young people here at these meetings and I'm so thankful to see them.
I'm thankful for any desire they have to be at meetings like this. Or sometimes they may come with other motives than just to listen to the ministry. They may come with other desires, other objects. But I'm thankful you're here.
And that you want to come to the meetings and listen, you may not come to all the meetings. Sometimes I wonder if some of the young people are at all the meetings. I look over the the audience, the congregation, and I wonder, it doesn't seem like they're quite as many at this meeting as there were at the other meeting. And I wonder if some of the young people have gone somewhere else.
Well, you may do that.
And of course, there's no law that you have to attend every meeting.
But I'm glad you're here and you attend some of the meetings. I wish you would attend all the meetings because.
You know your brethren go to a lot of expense and work to have these meetings.
And you should take advantage of every opportunity to be over the Word of God, because when you get into the presence of the Lord, you'll regret that you didn't.
Oh, we'll have regrets when we get there into his presence and we look back and we'll see, yes, I could have availed myself of this. I could have veiled myself of that. I could have taken advantage of this opportunity and I didn't. And I've it's been a loss to me.
So think about these things, dear young people.
Four. Why does that verse start out that way 4.
That means it's linked with something else that goes before.
It's something like John 316.
For God so loved the world and many times when we quote that verse, we leave out the four. I believe we missed something because if you'll notice, what goes ahead comes before John 316 is very important.
And what comes before Matthew 1820 is very important.
And you could read from.
Verse 15 about personal trespass.
And how you have to act in connection with that.
But let us come down to verse 18. It says, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Now that's one important subject that the Lord brings up.
Binding and loosening assembly decisions.
And then he says again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. That's in connection with prayer.
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So we have verse 18 connected with assembly decisions.
And verse 19 connected with assembly prayer.
And then it says 4.
There's power.
In an assembly decision, there's power in prayer. The authority of the Lord is behind the assembly decision. The authority of the Lord is behind the prayer.
4 Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, he said.
The assembly has authority to make decisions. The assembly has power in prayer, because where two or three are gathered together in the Lord's name, there he is in the midst of them.
So you see how important that little word for is? It connects to the other two verses.
Now the first word we get after four is where? Where?
That speaks of a place, doesn't it?
And is Speaking of God's place for his people. God's place for his people.
Where if you've lost something, say like a pencil, it seems like we're always looking for a pencil at our house.
And we say, where is their pencil? Where is the pencil?
What? What do I mean by that? When I say where I'm thinking about a certain place where that pencil is or anything else that we might have lost. We don't know where he is, where a certain location. We feel that it is in a certain location, a certain place. That's what the Word where speaks of. And this is Speaking of God's place for His people.
If you go back to Deuteronomy chapter 12.
You'll find that God is very much occupied with a place.
Now the place in the Old Testament, as far as Israel was concerned, was a geographical place.
And it was Jerusalem.
But in the book of Deuteronomy, the children of Israel are getting instructions from Moses, from God through Moses, in connection with entering into the land where they were to dwell and where they would find that place.
Deuteronomy 12, verse two. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places where in the nations which he shall possess serve their gods, upon the high mountains, upon the green hills, and under every green tree.
And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their Groves with fire. And ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God. Now there were many places where the heathen were worshipping, worshipping their idols, worshipping their Pagan gods. And those places had names.
And God didn't want them to occupy those places, and he didn't want them to be identified with those names.
He shall not do so unto the Lord your God, but unto the place.
Which the Lord your God shall choose. It wasn't a matter of their choosing the place, it was a matter of God choosing the place.
And we believe, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in the place that God has chosen. It's God's place.
That's important to be in God's place, and he goes on to say.
There, even unto his habitation shall ye seek. It's a matter of seeking it.
Have you been exercised by seeking the place where Goddess place his name will the Lord Jesus name is?
And thither thou shalt come. Those are times that I was seeking it. The Lord exercised my heart about it. I find my found myself in a place that didn't have a name according to scripture.
And I didn't feel it was God's place. It was not a place that was founded on the ground of the one body.
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And I became deeply exercised about it and I wanted to find the place, God's place. And I believe I'm in the place where God has placed his name, where the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst. And if I'm not, if I were to seek elsewhere, I wouldn't know where to go. I wouldn't know where to seek.
It's like with salvation.
There's only one name for salvation, just as we read in Acts 412. Only one name for salvation. There's only one name for gathering.
But you know, it's easy to say.
This verse, this 20th verse of the 18th chapter of Matthew, it's easy to say it's sort of like a formula because I remember when I was still in system, we would use this verse.
And when we came together in our meetings, we we thought we were gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, although we we went by some other name, might be Baptist, it might be Presbyterian, might be any denominational name, sectarian name.
But still we would use that verse.
Well, I saw the folly of that. We weren't really gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, although we wanted to honor that name.
We believed in that name, we were saved through that name, and there was a sense in our souls that we wanted to honor that name. And there are those out in system that do want to honor the Lord Jesus Christ.
But when we're insisting, we're blinded and we don't realize that God has a place where he's placed his name.
Thither thou shalt come, and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings. Verse 7 And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and, and there you shall rejoice. Well, isn't that what we're doing? We're here seeking grace to bring offerings to the Lord, to honor him, to eat before him. We, we were eating the Lord's Supper yesterday morning and trust, we were eating it before the Lord.
Not just as ritual.
Or a ceremony to go through. Ye shall rejoice. Oh yes, we rejoice too in the Lords presence in that place where he has placed his name.
We notice in verse 10 and 11 That the Lord said, when you go over Jordan and dwell in the land, verse 11, then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
And I believe 21 Times here in this book of Deuteronomy, you get the place mentioned. I'll let you look up all the verses. It'll be a good study for you to look up all these verses where the place is mentioned, the place that the Lord would place His name. But that shows how important it is. 21, three times 7.
Seven is the number of completeness, 3 is a number of Trinity.
I don't believe there's any mistake in why it's mentioned 21 Times.
So this is the importance that God puts upon the place, His place, and it's important to be sure that we're in the place that God has placed His name.
Then it says two or three.
That's a testimony, isn't it? In the mouth of two or three witnesses. It says in verse 16 every word may be established. It's a matter of a testimonial witness, a testimony.
Two or three, not 2 or 300, not 20 or 30. God has put it in the lowest figures.
It has to be at least two. One can't remember the Lord by himself, One can't be gathered to the name of the Lord by himself. No, in heart you can be gathered in a certain place with others, in other places, in other cities, but if you're the only one in the city and in heart, you're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet you can't act upon.
Assembly principles there like remembering the law.
In the sorrow we had in Ghana.
It came to a point where there might be only one brother at the meetings. That was Emmanuel.
One brother was away at school, the other brother was away at the border working.
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And the one sister that was there, she might not be able to come some Lord's days.
And I reminded Emmanuel, now it may be that some Lords say you'll be alone.
You can't remember the Lord if you're alone. There has to be at least two.
There has to be at least two in order to remember the Lord.
Because.
When you're 2, you're a gathering of two, but when you're one, you're not a gathering.
You're only one, and we come together on the principle of the one body of a gathering, and it's only then that we can remember the Lord.
So it did happen that he was alone.
But what happened that Lord's Day? For all they thank you, There was some sitting back, but he was the only one at the table.
And he read scripture and he prayed.
And finally close the meeting.
At the close of that meeting.
Two came to him and said we would like to take our place at the Lord's Table.
A young man and one of the older girls from the Sunday School. The young man has already taken his place at the Lord's Table. He's been received. Emanuel hasn't written me about patience, what's happening to her. But perhaps someday we'll hear that she has taken her place at the Lord's Table, too.
But the Lord gave blessing and encouragement that morning to dear brother, Brother Emmanuel.
What encouragement the little companies of twos and threes can have and even though you might be alone in a place.
You can still enjoy the presence of the Lord.
Well, the Lord will have a testimony to his name until He comes. There will be a place until He comes, and he's asked us to remember Him till He come. And how could he ask us to remember him until He comes if there wasn't a place to do it?
Or there will always be a place and the Lord will keep the testimony. We can't keep the testimony. Poor, weak, failing things that we are, we can't maintain a testimony. We can't keep it. We have to trust the law. We have to lean upon Him. He's the only one that can keep it. And it's only as we're going on in dependence upon Him that there will be a testimony. That's why the enemy is so busy working in our hearts to get us occupied with other things.
Beside the Lord, because he knows if he can draws away from personal dependence upon the Lord, personal communion with the Lord, he can destroy the testimony.
Let's seek grace to go on with the Lord.
And he'll take care of the testimony.
Are gathered.
Are gathered that speaks of separation, God's way of separation.
There are some here perhaps that know what it is to work in an orchard, picking apples, picking pears, picking cherries, so on.
Perhaps someone says, John, go out and gather the apples today.
And you go out and gather them. What are you doing? You pick them off the tree. You put them in the basket. You're separating them from the tree and putting them in another place.
Are gathered, you could say, about those apples. They are gathered now, taken off the tree, put in the basket.
Well, when Saints of God are gathered, what happens to them? They're separated from what they've been connected with, which is not according to God.
And God, by his Spirit, takes them out of that thing and puts them where he wants them, in the place where he's chosen to place His name. They are gathered. They're separated from something to something.
That's God's separation.
Then it says together.
Together. What does that speak of? What does that bring to your mind together?
We're all together here this afternoon, aren't we? One company?
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Not two companies. There's not one company over here in one room and another company over here in another room. No, we're all together one company.
Together speaks of oneness, doesn't it? God's oneness.
And there's a day coming.
And how blessed to think of that, that all God's dear children will be together in one company and glory around the Lord Jesus Christ.
It should be that way now, shouldn't it?
God's desire that all should be together. And in the beginning we read that they were all together. All were together.
There was not one company of Saints in one place over here, another company in another place over there. No, that wasn't it. They were all together.
And they had the sense of this oneness that they were all one company.
And I suppose there were so many of them there to begin with that they couldn't all get into one building, and they might have to meet in different buildings in different places. But still, they had that sense in their souls that they were all one, and if it were possible to get into one place, they'd all be there.
Together.
O of the dear Saints of God today in the different cities had the sense of this, that there were all one body, all members of one body, all members of the body of Christ, of which Christ is the head. What a difference it would make, but Christendom has lost the sense of this.
I trust that we may have the sense of it more and more.
And when we come together, like we did yesterday morning, to remember the law, we do it on the ground of the one body because we had a loaf on the table that speaks of that.
One bread or loaf, one body.
When you see that loaf on the table, is that what you see? Is that what you think of? Yes, we're all one body.
And it's not just we who are here together that are make the one body. There are other Saints in other places.
They they are meeting in other places. They're not with us.
But when I when we see the loaf, we see that all of those in other places, they really belong to that one body too. We don't exclude them, no.
And they could come and remember the Lord with us if they would come on that ground that were just members of the body of Christ, not members of anything else.
Together, God's oneness.
Were gathered on the ground of God's oneness, the one body of Christ. That's the only ground of gathering. There is no other ground of gathering like there was no other place for gathering for the children of Israel.
Then we come to the next phrase in my name.
That is God's authority, God's power.
In my name, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we might turn to a couple of scriptures in First Corinthians that mention the name.
First Corinthians, chapter one.
Verse 10.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing.
By the name.
Authority of that name.
That you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
There's power in that name.
To bring us together in our thoughts, to speak the same thing, to have the same mind, to be perfectly joined together.
Then also in First Corinthians 5.
In verse 4 the apostle Paul was giving instructions as to what to do with this man that corns that had sinned.
He says First Corinthians 5 four in the name.
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Of our Lord Jesus Christ when you're gathered together.
Notice the same phrasing are gathered together.
Are gathered together by the Spirit of God, by God himself.
Together on the grounds of the one body.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the authority and the power of that name.
And my spirit, he says, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver.
Such and one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
The assembly at Corinth was responsible to make a decision here.
And through the apostles writing, they became exercised about it, and they did it.
They acted on what the Apostle Paul wrote.
In verse.
13 Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was put away.
Did the assembly at Ephesus dare to receive him if he would come around?
Did anyone dare to sympathize with that man that was put away?
Did they dare to say, well, the assembly was a weak, carnal assembly. We can't bow to that decision.
Did they dare to do that in those early days? I don't believe they did.
There has been this kind of thing going on, however, in Christendom.
I remember reading about.
What happened to Tunbridge Wells?
Around 1910 and a few years before that.
There was a man by the name of Strange there that was causing difficulty in the meetings.
And the assembly.
Was much exercised about what to do about this man?
But it went on for quite some period of time. They didn't do anything although being exercised about and wondering what to do. And this was a brother that traveled around.
And he had the sympathy of quite a number of people.
Finally, the assembly of Tunbridge Wells felt they had to act to put him away.
What happened?
There were those that were in sympathy with Mr. Strange that said all the assembly of Tunbridge Wells is just a weak assembly. It's incompetent.
We don't have to bow to that decision.
Are the things like that going on today?
Are things like that being said today? Oh, that's just a weak assembly.
And there's a tendency to feel that we don't need to bow to the decision.
Of an assembly just because we think it's incompetent or we think it's it's weak.
But this verse says, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I in the midst of them.
And whatever they bind on earth is bound in heaven, and there are no conditions there.
It doesn't say.
Whatsoever is bound on earth shall be bound in heaven. If they show themselves a competent assembly. If they're not a weak assembly, you don't have conditions like that added.
And brethren.
We're in danger of being swept off our feet, just like all those that followed Mr. Strange were swept off their feet.
And many in England and even over in the continent of Europe were swept away into division because they would not bow to that assembly decision made at Tunbridge Wells in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must adhere to this principle, this truth.
And if we've been slipping away from it, it's time for us to take stock.
And this is not only for the young people, it's good for the young people. I believe it's good for us to go over these things that we might know the ground we're on and what it means to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Nor if an assembly makes a decision.
Let us be quiet and wait on the Lord. Just wait on the Lord if we think it isn't right, just be quiet and wait on the Lord. As soon as we start talking, somebody hears it, and thereby many become defiled and many may be LED astray. This is the very thing that took place over in England, and it happened more than once.
And usually divisions took place when a decision was made by some assembly and there were those who didn't feel disposed to bow to it.
May the Lord help us to be faithful to the Lord Himself and.
Bow to that decision.
Oh, maybe the assembly is weak.
Maybe they show weakness, maybe they show incompetence. Yet.
We don't know what exercises of souls those assemblies go through in arriving at a decision.
And who knows better all the details and the circumstances of a case?
Who knows better than the assembly that has to do with it?
Certainly I, at a distance, don't know all the details and I couldn't make a proper judgment.
We find fault with the judgment of the Assembly.
What about my judgment? What we need to do is judge ourselves and wait on the law. May God give us grace for this, because we can all fall into this trap. I can fall into it. May God give us grace to just walk humbly with the Lord, bowing to the Lord and bowing to those decisions that the assemblies make in the name of the Lord.
And if it isn't right, like our brother Smith was saying yesterday about this brother down.
In South America, that was judged wrongly. The Lord came in and said it right.
But he wasn't bickering and complaining and forming a party around himself in the meantime. He just kept coming onto to the meetings, waiting on the Lord. Oh, ever since I've heard that illustration.
A true illustration of their brother Smith is given, or it has spoken to my heart.
Let us have grace.
Just to be quiet and wait on the Lord.
Speaking of the power of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, let's turn to Acts again.
Chapters 3 and 4.
Here in chapter three we see that there was a lame man healed.
John went to the temple and in verse 6.
Peter says silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I thee in the name.
Of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ.
What happened? He rose up and won power in that name. Peter had no power, but it was the power in the name we who are gathered.
Have no power, but there's power in that name.
There's authority there.
Verse 16.
This thing was called in question now, and he says in and his name through faith in his name has made this man strong, whom ye see and know.
Oh how we need to have faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in.
Over in chapter 4.
Verse 10 They say, Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, and God raised from the dead, even by him does this man stand here before you hold. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which has become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there's none other name under heaven given among men, whereby you must be saved.
00:45:02
One name for salvation.
One name for gathering.
And it's a name of power and authority.
What resource we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes we forget about that.
I'm afraid we don't get before the Lord enough about the problems in our assemblies.
Let us not forget the Lord to bring everything to Him. He can solve every problem.
We just don't have enough confidence in the Lord, just don't have enough trust in Him.
We accompany us, brethren get together and we talk things over and we try to solve things and we don't seem to get anywhere.
Our problem is that we haven't gotten on our knees first to pray and to ask the Lord about it.
We haven't expressed our confidence and trust in him.
When I'm saying this, I'm saying it to myself because I forget it too.
May God help us not to forget to take it to the Lord, to present it to Him, to ask Him about it, to put it in His hands. Then He can lead our thoughts, He can guide us in our discussions, and He can bring us to a decision.
And sometimes I believe in the assemblies. God allows a thing, a problem, to continue on and on and on.
Until the Saints get sort of worn out about by it. Then finally they get before the Lord about it. Then the Lord solves it.
My, what lessons we have to learn in this scene when it comes to being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and acting as Saints gathered in His precious name.
Then we come on to the next. There am I.
We've had before God's place, God's testimony, God's separation, God's oneness.
God's authority. Now we have God's presence in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There am I.
How bless it.
To have the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst. In the assembly meetings, there am I, He says. Are we conscious of it? His Word says, so there am I.
And I believe that's why we need to go over this verse very often.
Because we need to be reminded.
That He is in our midst.
Not only as was brought out this this morning at the breaking bread, but he's in the prayer meeting, he's in the reading meeting, he's in the ministry meeting.
Where we seek to be led by the Spirit of God in giving out ministry, there's where He is in the midst He's present.
And very often we lose the blessing because we're not.
Conscious of this, that the Lord is in our midst, how do we become conscious of it? How do we know it? God says so. The Lord himself says so. That's how we know it. Let's believe it. How do you know you're saved? Because the word of God says so. How do you know the Lord is in our midst? Because he says so.
What a wonderful thing to have the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst. That person who hung on Calvary's cross and died for our sins suffered that terrible agony.
At the hands of God, when he judged him, because our sins were laid upon him.
That blessed One, risen from the dead, gone back to God's right hand, He's in our midst.
That one, the one who created the whole universities in our midst.
That one who's been exalted to God's right hand, whose name is above every name, the name of Jesus. He's in our midst.
What a person we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can't exalt him enough, We can't extol him enough. We can't say enough about him, that blessed person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then it says in the midst of them.
There am I in the midst of them. Not only is He present, but He's the center, God center.
You dear young people.
00:50:04
You have centers around which you revolve.
What's the main center? What's the real center around which you revolve, your life revolves?
Is it the Lord Jesus Christ?
How about the assembly?
Is it really revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we aware that the Lord Jesus Christ is the center?
What about the coming glory?
We'll all be gathered around himself there and all eyes will be looking to him.
Of course we'll see. And then with, in actuality, with our eyes, we see him by faith now.
But to face the Lord Jesus Christ is very real.
Faith is a substantiating of things hoped for when you have faith.
To see the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst and as the center. You see Him? Yes, you do. You see Him.
How wonderful it is to have the Lord Jesus Christ as our center now.
Not just looking forward to having him as our center in the glory that will of course be perfect. No failure there. But down here, it's our privilege to look to him.
Are we looking to him when we come together for the breaking of bread? Do we look to him when we come together for the reading meeting?
Do we look to Him when we come together for prayer? Do we look to Him when we come together?
For ministry of the Word is led by the Spirit.
We might well ask ourselves these questions.
He is the center.
And the whole assembly life and assembly activity should be revolved around him.
And in everything we should be looking to him, the center, the.
Now I notice she says of them. Then that word them is very interesting.
What's meant by them?
Well, dem refers to those.
Two or three or more who are gathered together in his name.
That's the them spoken of them.
Could that be the same then?
That's mentioned over in Second Timothy chapter 2.
In Second Timothy, chapter 2.
Them used twice.
Verse 19 Two Timothy 2 Nevertheless, the foundation of God's standard sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.
That then refers to all God's children, all those that belong to Him.
But then it goes on to say, And let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
If anyone identifies himself with the name of Christ, names the name of Christ, he has a responsibility to depart from iniquity.
And a great house is spoken of. Christendom is likened to a great house with vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor. Then he says, verse 21, if a man therefore purge himself from these or away from these, that's the separation part being gathered.
He shall be a vessel into honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Flee also youthful lust, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart with them there's another them.
But that's not as large a company it would seem, as to them in verse 19.
Then what kind of them are they?
They call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
I take it that means that they really want to please the Lord. They want to do the Lord's will.
They want to go on in a way that honors him.
00:55:00
They really want to be separated. They want to live holy lives. They want to please the Lord. They don't want to be mixed up with the world and the things of the world, the denominational and organizational systems of men. No, they don't want to be connected with those things.
They want to go on for the Lord.
Are you one of them this afternoon? No doubt there are young people here that haven't taken their place at the Lord's Table.
You haven't taken your place among them with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Why don't you?
You're probably not connected with any systems of men.
Perhaps you are not connected with anything that dishonors the Lord.
But you haven't been put in the basket yet.
Maybe you're separated from those things, but you haven't been put in the basket yet. Separate from the tree, but not in the basket.
Why don't you take your place at the Lord's table? Oh, it would please the Lord. It would honor Him. That's what delights his heart when we answer to His request. Take our place at His table to remember Him, and do it on the ground of the one body.
There are two things we do when we break bread. We remember the Lord and we give expression to the fact that we're a member of the body of Christ.
And you can't properly break bread in remembrance of the Lord unless you are gathered on the ground of the one body.
There are many in system.
No doubt remembering the Lord, but they're not doing it on the ground of the one body. And I wouldn't say they're not remembering the Lord, and the Lord doesn't appreciate that, but they're doing it on a lower ground than the ground of Scripture. There's only one ground in Scripture for breaking of bread, and that's the ground of the one body.
Because when we partake of the loaf, we're saying, well, I'm a member of the body of Christ.
Are you saved?
Do you know you're a member of the body of Christ? And do you know that the Lord wants you to remember him? Well, if you know this, act on it, act on it.
It'll take a step of faith, no doubt. Oh yes, it's a step of faith. Like accepting Christ as sacred, It's a step of faith.
Taking your place at the Lords table with them, that call on the Lord out of a pure heart, where the Lord is in the midst, the center. It takes faith.
Dare to take that step. By the grace of God, take that step.
Just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, may the Lord help us.
That we might.
Realized the importance of this verse of Scripture.
And I'm sure much more could be said about it than I have said.
And I trust that I haven't said anything that shouldn't be said.
But may the Lord help us to be submissive to the Word of God.
Vessels of Blessing
Children—R. Reeves
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General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974. Children's Meeting. Ron Reeves.
Verse #7 In fact, we'll sing the first verse of several songs, but the first one will be #7.
And by the fall?
Salvation.
About the first verse of the next one, which is #8.
Shall we gather at this?
When?
I.
Shall we hear the Savior Psalmist who was more beyond the sky?
We're going to sing a little while today. There are several reasons for that.
One reason is that I like to sing with anybody who else likes to sing.
Now, the reason is that it's awful hard to get your breakfast over with and into Sunday school on time.
When there's such a big crowd. So we'll sing just a little while while the folks are are coming in. I'm so glad that we didn't have to make our beds this morning. That's one of the things that are fun about coming to the conference, that we were able to go to breakfast and come back to our room and brush our teeth and so on and we didn't have to make our bed.
And that's great. You like that too, don't you? Well, let's sing then the.
First verse of #14.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed into the?
Fire.
Trusting in his grace, His heart. Are you harsh in the power of the Lamb?
Firewall in my life.
#16 the first verse the soul ever hear.
The world around.
This bomb, whosoever will take home.
Don't so ever will welcome. How about #24 just the first verse?
We call their surprise and.
00:05:04
Highway in the heavens are.
Where all the readings challenge? Wow, wow. Well, you're all right.
Now let's sing #29 first.
Stand performance.
A ruler once.
In the way of the way.
Of death.
Is born on.
#32.
What can walk away from the world?
Our old favorite number.
9.
We finally got to #40.
I knew we'd get there sooner or later. When we finally got there, number 40, the first stencil.
She's a small gentleman.
00:10:03
He didn't hear from that guy and he's not from our city. We got our hearts in God's love, in anything. You have to have a feeling it's not the last of Christianity.
#41.
Now #6.
#47.
And let's sing the first and last stanzas #47.
When he comes to the man, when he comes.
Against your.
Soul, I can start from the morning.
Still crying from the Lord, and it's the God and he's going to be a sinusoidal forehead and crown. Let's go, Let's go through. Let's move your ground.
OK, please just put your chem sheets under your chair on the floor. They keep the floors so clean here that it won't do the hem sheets one bit of harm so just put them on the floor.
Now it's easy for me to remember.
What we're going to consider this morning, because all of the things that we're going to talk about start with H In fact, we're going to talk about four HS and the first one was a hamburger joint.
And the second thing we want to talk about is we want to talk about Hezekiah.
The third thing we want to talk about is a hungry apostle.
And the fourth thing that we want to talk about this morning and we're going to have to get right along if we get it all done in about 20 minutes.
The fourth thing is a house that got saved, a house that got saved. Well, let's pray 1St and then we'll talk about these things. Our Father, how you feel about it, but.
00:15:08
In our family.
We oftentimes.
Go to a hamburger joint one second.
I want to make sure they hear you.
Well, I tried to get along without this but.
Now we start over.
A hamburger joint is very important.
In my life and is very important in the life of my family.
So we were coming to Wheaton and we had to get up pretty early because it was quite a ways.
Fact. We got up a little after 5:00.
And we were on the highway about 6 and didn't have much breakfast and.
Had a banana or an apple and some grapes and stuff like that.
But that really never would take the place of a hamburger.
You know that never would. So eventually we found our way to a hamburger joint not far from the from the conference here.
And we enjoyed what we got. In fact, it's very interesting to me that with some of us, even if we go to a real high class restaurant to have a real nice meal.
You'll always find somebody passing over the menu where it says sirloin steak, T-bone fried chicken.
Fried shrimp, lobster and that kind of thing. And they say, well, you know, I would just dad.
I just want a hamburger, a French fries and a malt.
I've often seen that happen and enjoyed it very much. Well, finally we got to this hamburger joint because we were all hungry and we enjoyed what they had. Hamburgers, French fries. And they didn't call them malts there, they called them shakes.
Well, I was enjoying my chocolate shake. I always get chocolate because that's what I like the best. And even if I get strawberry or vanilla or wild cherry or something else, I always am disappointed because it doesn't taste like chocolate and always waste after I got halfway through it that I'd order chocolate. And so generally I prevent that problem from happening by ordering chocolate in the 1St place. So this I did yesterday. Got chocolate delicious and.
Just enjoying it. In fact, it got down to the bottom of the cup too fast.
Then my son had ordered a vanilla, but he was through about third of the about 2/3 of the way down. He says, Dad, would you finish this up? I said of course. So I finished up his vanilla and we were using a very interesting vessel to enjoy that shake and I was sitting there in this hamburger joint looking at this vessel.
This apparatus that somebody had made for that purpose, this is just a little straw.
Plastic straw. Nothing particularly complicated about it. It's it's open at both ends. That means that what goes in at the top comes out at the bottom.
Or vice versa, which is makes a good vessel. In fact, I've often thought a servant of the Lord ought to be like that. He ought to be so clean that if God gives him something, goes right out to the others and blesses them because that's what he wants. Well, I was looking at this straw and I thought, what a wonderful thing that is. It's a it's a vessel that that carries the blessing to me. And it's quite unusual, isn't it? A straw? Everybody's seen one and there's.
There's really nothing too complicated about it.
But it brought the blessing to me first, first a chocolate shake and then the remainder of the vanilla shake. And I just even used the same straw my boy just handed to me Here dad, finish it up and I just said well, fine. And I just use the straw that he was using and it was didn't make any problems.
But I brought that with me because it it's an interesting vessel that conveyed something good to me, brought something good to me. Now the things that we're going to talk about today will will bring before us interesting vessels that have brought good things to us. And so the next thing we want to talk about is Hezekiah and we'll have to turn to our Bibles for.
00:20:11
Of that, it's the second Samuel. Excuse me, Second Kings.
Chapter 20 and verse 20 where we have a most interesting thing said about Hezekiah.
It's not hard to find because it's Second Kings and it's chapter 20 and it's verse 20.
I.
And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah.
And all his might.
If we were to turn to the book of Chronicles, we would find it says and his goodness, as though God said he did a good thing there it says here, but in our verse it says and his might. And now notice what Hezekiah did. Very interesting thing. He made a pool.
And a conduit. He made a conduit. And that's what I was thinking about this morning, was that conduit.
He made a conduit.
And brought water into the city.
That was a good thing he did, wasn't it?
This good king Hezekiah first made a pool, and if we would read other parts of the word of God, we would find out it was called an upper pool.
It was higher than the rest of the place. He made an upper pool, and then he made a conduit.
Well, in other words, a pipe or a big straw. He made this big pipe to bring water into the city. And wasn't that a good thing to do, to bring water into the city? So people could drink the water and they could wash their clothes and wash their hands and face and do all the other things that are necessary with water. And God records in another part of His precious word that Hezekiah did a real good thing when he made that conduit.
To bring water into the city.
I was reading a little paper that came to my house this last week about a town that.
Was dependent upon a big pool of water.
For their drinking water that was a reservoir, but the water dried up and they didn't know why.
They couldn't figure out what had happened. There was number more water coming out of the pipe and so they began to look around and you know what they found? They found somebody put a plug in the mouth of the pipe so that they could not get any water. And I felt so bad about that to think that somebody would be so.
What is a good word now to say? Dumb and so inconsiderate.
That they would put a plug in the pipe. And you know, I thought this, I thought, oh, I sure wouldn't want to put any plugs in the pipe. That would bring water to God's people. And I hope there's no daddy in this room today or Mama that's putting a plug in the pipe so that the water of the precious word of God can't get to their children. Wouldn't want to do that, would we? Put a plug so the water couldn't get down to them. Well, they found out that this person had put a plug in there and they took the plug out and the water came again.
And I was glad, but how good a thing Hezekiah did when he made a conduit to bring the water into the city.
Wonderful. Now let's talk about a hungry disciple or a hungry apostle, and for that we'll have to go to the book of Acts chapter 10.
Where we find a real interesting story about one of God's servants who got hungry. And let's not forget that even God's servants get hungry. God reminds us of that.
We should consider, but in this case something real interesting happened.
When his servant got hungry. It's Acts chapter 10.
And verse 9.
Journey and drew nigh into the city.
Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the 6th hour now.
He didn't get on the roof. I used to think that he went out and sat on the roof because I thought maybe that house was like my house. But no, he just went up in the top of the house there where there was a little railing around the the top of the house and it was cool. And he could just sit there on the on the roof and enjoy the cool and quiet of the day. And so that's what Peter did when he went up on the housetop.
00:25:19
And he went up there to pray about the 6th hour and it says he became very hungry.
And would have eaten, but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened. You know, wonderful things happen when heaven gets opened. Wonderful things happened. And it's the most interesting study for us if we just find out what happens in the Word of God when heaven is open. Well, when heaven was opened, this time it says a certain vessel.
Descending unto him as it had been. A great sheet.
Knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth, wherein were all manner of four footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
And there came a voice unto him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, not so. Lord, I've often thought about what Peter said. He told the Lord no.
And I've often thought of what a wonderful boss, what a wonderful master Peter had that would let him get by with saying no. Some of us have had bosses, you know, that if we dare say no to them, he'd they'd fire us right away. But oh, what a wonderful boss the Lord Jesus is. He so knows the servant so well that he would even let one of his servants get by with saying no. Well, Peter had something to learn. Not so, Lord, for I've never eaten anything that is common or unclean.
And the voice spake unto him again the second time. What God hath cleansed that call not thou common. This was done thrice, and the vessel was received up again into heaven now.
This is an another interesting vessel.
God uses interesting vessels.
And in this case, he used a sheet. You can just imagine what that looked like, a big sheet with the corners tied up and all kinds of animals in. There never was a vessel like that I ever heard of. But God often times uses different kinds of vessels to teach His people and teach people. Teach those that need his his instruction, teach them valuable lessons. So he sent this interesting vessel to teach Peter that he should give the gospel.
To those who were not of the nation of Israel, God used that interesting vessel.
Now we want to talk about a house that got saved, so please turn over to the 11Th chapter of Acts.
This is a little bit more about Peter, but here's a house that got saved.
And God used an interesting vessel too, to bring that blessing to this house.
Acts Chapter 10.
And verse 14 notice what it says.
Well, we better read 13 so we know who it's talking about.
And he showed us how he had seen an Angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa.
And call for Simon, whose surname is Peter.
Who shall tell thee words? Words. Notice that words.
Whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
So here is a house that's going to get saved, and do you know how it's going to get saved?
Do you know how the blessing is going to get to that house?
Through a vessel by the name of Peter.
Yes, God was going to send the water of his precious word through a very interesting and unusual vessel called Peter, and he was going to just convey to that house the water of God's precious word. And it says about Peter, who shall tell the words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
Did you ever see a house that got saved?
Did you ever see a house that got saved?
How can you get? How can I? How can a house be saved?
You know, that's quite an interesting question, isn't it? How does a house get saved?
00:30:05
Well, you know, the word of God is talking here, not about the boards and the nails and the stones and the roof and the doors and window, but he's talking about those in the house.
That's what he's talking about. It's about those in the house.
And when those in the house get saved, then the word of God says that house is saved. And God used Peter his servant to bring that water of his word. Now notice it says his word. That was the only thing.
That was brought to that house in order to save that house. There wasn't anything else.
Just the Word. And Peter gave the word of God, and that man Cornelius, and his whole house was saved. Now why do I talk about these things? I'll tell you.
I am talking this morning with.
Many.
In this room who live in houses.
Who have Christian parents?
Is your daddy a Christian?
Is your daddy? Is your daddy saved?
Is he?
If somebody would tell you is your daddy saved? Write down yes or no, what would you write down?
And if they say is your Mama saved, write down yes or no? What would you write down? If somebody said is your Mama saved, how would you write down?
I'd write down yes.
Would you? But now the point is this.
How about the rest of the people in that house?
If Mom was saved and if daddy saved, how about the rest of the people in that house?
Is everybody in your house saved?
How about your brother?
Is your brother saved? How about your sister? Is your sister saved?
Are you saved?
Oh, it's a wonderful thing when the whole house gets saved and they get saved when they hear the word of God and believe it and accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior by the Word. And so Peter was a vessel that brought the word of God to the House of Cornelius. And now we're going to read in chapter 10 just what he said, and it resulted in that house being saved. Oh, how wonderful when a house gets saved.
And it's interesting, the vessel that God uses to save a whole house. Now verse.
Chapter 10 and verse 34, we're going to read the word that Peter brought to that house. Now let's never forget that Peter carried the word to the house.
And it was by means of that word that that house was saved, nothing else.
Verse 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceived, that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.
The Word. See what it says. Does your Bible say that? Does your Bible say the word?
That's what my Bible says. It says the word. Yes, that's what God uses to save a house, the Word.
The word I say you know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.
Now I missed a verse, verse 36, the word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. Now notice what's inside that bracket.
You know, a bracket is kind of like a little fence that protects what's inside.
And God wants us to know what it says. It says He is Lord of all.
He is Lord of all. Oh I'm so glad that the day came in my life when I acknowledged Jesus as Lord of all and that wonderful verse God gave me to bring me peace in my heart. It says, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart, that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be.
But saved. You see, I belong to a house that got saved.
My dad, my mom, my brother, my sister and me, we all got saved. How, how do you think we all got saved in that house? Because we accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior. That's the only way we were saved. We got saved that way by the word of God. Well, that's what it says. He is Lord of all that word I say, you know, which was published throughout all Judea.
00:35:30
And beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, and with the Holy Ghost, and with power, who went about doing good and healing all the progress of the devil. For God was with him, and we are witnesses of all these things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, which they slew and hanged on a tree.
Notice what verse 40 says. Him God raised up the third day and showed him openly.
Whether you believe it or not.
God raised him from the dead, and the Lord Jesus is living this morning at God's right and him. God raised up the third day, and showed him openly, not to all the people, but under witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He.
Which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead to him. Give all the prophets witness that through his name.
Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Tell me now.
Who is it who has their sins forgiven? It's the one that believes on the Lord Jesus and nobody else. Nobody else. And the only way to have your sins forgiven is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you'll know the wonderful fact that it says in the Bible the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. It's the believers that know that person. Love it.
Well, Peter was an interesting vessel that brought the word to that house, and that house was saved. Is your house saved?
I couldn't say your house is saved if there's one left in it that's not safe.
Is there a girl in this room this morning that has not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior?
Do you know that your house is not saved until you are? Did you know that?
Is there a boy here who has never accepted the Lord Jesus as His Savior? Do you know that your house is not saved until you are?
Oh, it's the desire of my heart that you'll accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior during this conference.
And we were talking about some interesting vessels. First we talked about that straw that we got at the hamburger joint. Then we talked about Hezekiah that made a conduit to bring water to the people. And we talked about God letting down a sheet tied at the four corners to teach his servant a lesson. And then we read about a servant by the name of Peter who carried water of God's precious word that a house might get saved now.
I don't really know.
What kind of a vessel God is going to make use of to bring the water to each one in this room? He may use different kinds of vessels, but oh, it's the longing of my heart that during this Wheaton conference, God would use His servants and vessels to carry the water of His precious Word.
Down into your heart that every house represented in this room will be saved forever and ever. Let's pray.
Our Father, we're thankful for thy precious word.
And some of us are here this morning because of the power of that precious word that has brought salvation.
To us individually and to our houses.
Hearts Not Right
Address—E. Pilkington
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General Meeting, Wheaton, August 1974, Addressed by Eric Beltington.
In the back of the book.
Have I an object, Lord below, which would divide my heart with thee?
Which would divert its even flow in answer to thy constancy.
All teach me quickly to return and 'cause my heart.
Of Christ to burn #46 the back of the book.
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Now, this afternoon, this is a young people's meeting.
But as I look around, I see grandfathers.
And grandmothers. I see fathers and I see mothers.
And I see grandchildren this afternoon. I'd like to talk about a grandfather.
And about his son and his grandson.
Before turning to the scriptures.
I would like to read one verse in the 4th chapter of Proverbs which is a good verse for those of us who are grandfathers, for those who are fathers and those who may be children.
Proverbs, chapter 4.
And verse 23.
Keep thy heart with all diligence.
For out of it are the issues of life. We'll turn back to that verse later.
Now can we turn to Second Chronicles?
Chapter 24.
We'll just refer briefly to one who was a grandfather and and his son.
And chapter 24 we read in verse one and two.
Joyce was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem.
His mother's name was also as Abaya Aberciba, and Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
All the days of Jehovah the Priest.
Now we might just go on to verse 15.
But Jehovah acts all, and was full of days when he died.
130 years old was he when he died and they buried him in the city of David.
Among the king, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and towards his house.
Now after the death of Jehovah came the Princess of Judah and NATO obedience to the King.
Then the king hearkened unto them, and they left the House of the Lord God of their fathers.
And serve Groves and idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem, for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again under the Lord, and they testified against them.
But they would not give ear. And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehovah, the priests, which stood above the people, and said under them, Thus said God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? Because he has forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stone him the stones.
At the commandment of the King in the court of the House of the Lord.
Well, how solemn.
To have this record of 1.
Who was a king of Judah?
We find that in the beginning of his reign he did that which was right.
In the eyes of the Lord.
All the days of Jehora, the priests.
You know, dear young people.
Jehovah was a godly man.
He was a man of God and such was his influence upon this young lad.
That this young lad who later became the King of Judah, he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord.
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And one feels perhaps there might be.
Children here, grandchildren, young people.
Older one perhaps you and I are doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Because of the influence of some dear godly brother or sister.
Father, our mother or grandfather or grandmother.
But you know, there comes a time in the life of everyone of us.
When God tests us. And that's why we have that verse in Proverbs.
Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
All dear young people.
May I plead with you and myself this afternoon that you and I might keep our hearts with all diligence, you know.
Jeremiah gives us a solemn picture of what is in our hearts. It tells in Jeremiah 1731. At the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
Who can not I the Lord? Yes, the Lord knows what's in your heart and what's in my heart.
And all the grace of God.
Knowing what was in my heart.
Knowing what was in your heart, yet in love for your soul and mind, He gave His beloved Son that I am a cross. Yes, He shared His precious blood in order that you and I might have our hearts cleansed from sin, and He made fit for His presence.
Oh, how wonderful it is to have the Word of God and so here with this young lad.
He was only seven years old when he began to reign, and how important it was for him to have one who was a godly man to counsel him. And dear young people, children here this afternoon, how important it is for you and I to give heed to those who can give us godly advice.
For those who buy their godly walk.
Yes, our testimony to the truth of God. Well, no, Joe asks. He reigned 40 years. He did that which was right and the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jesus.
Came in his life.
When God removed that dear servant of his who was a godly influence.
Upon your *** and now your *** has to stand on his own feet.
He has to make decisions and there is no one like Jehovah to advise him. And so we find here.
In verse 17, after the death of Jehovah, came the Princess of Judah and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearken unto them. What kind of advice did these rulers give?
Their king? What kind of advice? What is the result of the advice that they gave to this young man?
It says in verse 18 they left the House of the Lord God of their fathers and served Groves and idols, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for their trespass.
Yes, wrath came upon them all, their young people.
Be sure your sin will find out you and I cannot transgress against the word of God.
And escaped from his judgment. No Judgment is his strange work. God does not delight in judgment.
No, he doesn't. But dear ones, this afternoon God is holy, just and true.
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Must execute judgment upon disobedient children. And so we find that God in His mercy sent prophets.
To warn this young king and we find the verse 20 the Spirit of God.
Came upon Zechariah the son of Jehovah, and Zechariah reproved this young man.
And he asked the question, Why do you transgress against the Lord?
Well.
Perhaps we might ask ourselves that question.
Do we transgress against the Lord is God's word?
Does his word control every step that we take and that life?
Does this word of God?
Govern my soul to the point that it affects my whole walk, my whole manner behavior, my dress, my conversation.
All house 13 is the word of God, and so we find here that.
As a result of this rebuke, we find that Zechariah is stoned to death.
In verse 22 it says.
In verse 21.
They stone them with stones at the commandment of the king. Oh yes.
This young king who was befriended by Jehovah, yes, it was through the kindness of Jehovah the priest. That young king was nourished in his young days and brought to the place where he became king of Judah. And yet he forgot the kindness of that dear old servant of God, and he was guilty of stoning his son.
Well, how important then to keep our hearts with all diligence? Yes, there are those things in our hearts, dear ones, that can cause us to do.
Terrible things such as we have here.
And so we find that the judgment of God comes upon this King Joyce and so you have a sat in and we don't read of any repentance. He had a sad end. Now in verse chapter 25 we have his son and briefly we'll just mention a few verses. Amazon was 20 and five years old. They began to reign.
And he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem and his mother's name as Johann of Jerusalem.
And he did that which was right in the sigh of the Lord. But notice this, but but not with a perfect heart.
Not with a perfect heart could it be that there might be some here this afternoon that is doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord. Perhaps you may be remembering the Lord Jesus in response to His desire.
Yes, you might be doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Perhaps you may honor your father and mother, and as your brother and view you, perhaps your whole life might, in the eyes of your brethren, be perfect.
But may I ask you and myself?
Are we doing that which is right? And the eyes of the Lord with a perfect heart.
Oh, remember, Joyce did that which was right and the eyes of the Lord.
Tell at testing time came what he did was not with a perfect heart and the events in his life proved that his heart was not right with God.
And now here, Amazon, his son. Oh what memories Amazon must have had.
Of his father. And what a warning to him in what happened to his father.
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Yes, and here we have a Messiah. He begins to reign.
He 25, and his mother's name is Johanna. That name means.
Jehovah is beautiful.
Oh what a wonderful name his mother had. Jehovah is beautiful. Oh dear young people, one thing to that verse and the 9th divide there. Yes, his name shall be called wonderful.
Yes, the mighty God, the everlasting Father of the Prince of Peace, and so on.
Yes, his name is wonderful, beautiful. Oh, I wonder if that precious name of Jesus.
Is beautiful wonderful to your ears this afternoon.
I trust it will be. Well now remember Amazon?
He did that which was right.
Yes, He did that which was right, but not with a perfect heart. Oh may I warn any hear this afternoon? Is your heart and my heart right with God?
Is what you and I are doing.
Are we doing it in love for Christ?
Is that why we remember him and his death? Is that why we separate from ungodly companions?
Is that why we are careful of our manner of behavior and our dress?
Is it in love?
To the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, to whom we belong this afternoon.
Yes, we belong to him.
Oh, I trust you and I will know what it is to do that. We're just pleasing to him with a perfect heart. A perfect heart. Well, now we find here that Amazon.
We find that the Lord blessed him, answered his prayer.
Give them the victory over his enemies. But I want you to notice.
In verse 14.
After a great victory.
Now it came to pass, after Amaziah was come from the Slough they edomite that he brought the gods of the children of Seer, and set him up to be his, their his gone, and bow down himself before them, and Burke incense onto them.
One of the requirements of the kings of Judah.
Was that they were to read the word of God? Yes, and obey it. They were responsible.
You have to read this book and to obey it. Now. Here we find a Messiah.
Asked the Lord had given him a wonderful victory over these Edomites. We find that Amaziah saw something there with his eye. Yes, he beheld their gods, and as he went home, he took home with him those gods that he had seen. And we find it intimidating doing that with the enemies of God.
We're doing.
All how sad. Yes, and that's why I believe we have that 3 words mentioned. Not with a perfect heart. Oh yes, his heart was not right with God.
And so when the test comes.
He bowed down to those idols.
Could this be true of anyone of us?
What is an idol? What is an idol? What was it?
To Amaziah, those idols took the place of Jehovah.
Those idols took the place.
There was only due to Jehovah the Lord gone. Oh yes, he bowed down to those idols. He disobeyed the 20th chapter of Exodus. In that chapter we have the instruction to God's children. They were not to bow down to Isles. And as a result of this we find.
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That the wrath of the Lord is kindled against Amaziah.
Yeah, how sad.
Outside, he disobeyed the word of God. Oh dear young people.
As I look into your face this afternoon. As I search my own heart.
Is there something in my life, in your life, that is robbing the Lord Jesus of His rightful place?
Oh, may we know what it is?
If such be the case, to honor to the Lord and get down underneath before Him.
And all how beautiful it is. And 1St John that tells us if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yes, and the falling versus the blood of Jesus Christ His Son landed us from all sin.
So we've spoken briefly of a grandfather.
Of his son and the sad end of their life. They died.
And all appeared without faith in Jehovah.
The Lord. Oh how sad. There was number testimony in their latter days.
That could prove.
That they had faith.
In the Lord.
Oh, isn't it wonderful that the Lord knows the hearts of each one? He knows their young people, whether.
You and I love his son. Isn't that nice? You know, I like those words of Peter.
When he said to the Lord, Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Wouldn't it be nice this afternoon that our lives was a testimony to others that we love the Lord Jesus and that we are obeying his words? Well, now we'll talk about the son, the grandson. And so to get the grandson, we have in chapter 26 the grandson of Johannes.
Son of Amaziah, and let's notice what it says about him. Then all the people of Judah took desire.
Who was 16 years old and made him king in the room of his father Amazon.
He built Elos and restored it to Judah.
After that, the king slept with his father.
16 years old with his eye when he began to reign any rain. 50 and two years in Jerusalem.
His mother's name also was Jekyll I of Jerusalem.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all his father Amaziah did. And he thought God in the days of Zachariah, who had understanding in the visions of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. And he went forth and warned against the Philistines, and breakdown the wall of gas, and the wall of Jabner.
And the wall of ice off and built cities about Ashdod and among the Philistines. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against Arabians that dwelt and gerbil and Muhammad.
Now let's just go down.
To verse 16.
Let's read verse 15. And he made in Jerusalem Indians invented by cunning, then to be on the towers.
And upon the bulwark dispute arrows and great stones with all, And his name spread far broad, For he was marvelously helped till he was strong.
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
And as our eye the priest went in after him, and with him four score priests of the Lord, that were valiant men, and they withstood as I of a king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee as Isle to burn incense under the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of error.
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That are consequences to burn incense, go out of the sanctuary.
For thou hast trespassed, neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord. Then, as I was wroth and had ascension, his hand to burn incense, and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the House of the Lord, from beside the incense, Alder and Azariah, the priests, the chief priests, and all the priests looked upon him.
And behold, he was leprosy in his forehead, and they thrust him out from that. Yeah, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord has smitten him. And as I, the King was a leper under the day of his death.
And dwelled in a several house, being a leopard, for he was caught on the House of the Lord.
And Jotham, his son, was over the King's house, judging the people, the land.
Well, what does that end? For one who had such a lovely beginning, what does that end? Yes, he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord in the beginning. Notice that he was 16 years old and began to reign.
And he did that which is right Messiah the Lord, according to all Amazon, His Father had done all He had his eye on his Father.
Oh dear young people.
May I say this? I am a father. I am a grandfather.
And perhaps you have fathers and grandfathers.
May I plead with you? Don't follow me. Don't follow your grandfather.
What you do, come to the meetings.
Don't do it to please your grandfather, your father or mother.
But I'll do it in love for the Lord Jesus, and I can assure you, you'll have a happy life.
You'll have the blessing of the Lord, yes, if what you and I do is with a perfect heart in love to the Lord. But remember, if we are only going to meetings, if we are only reading our word, the word of God, to be seen of men.
Forever, I want to warn you and myself.
There will be a testing time pump.
A time when it will be manifested what is in your heart and in mine.
And how important that we might keep our hearts with all diligence.
Proud of it are the issues of life. Yes, it will affect our whole life down here and so.
Asia. It says he thought the Lord in verse 5.
He sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions.
Of God, and as long as he thought the Lord God made him to prosper, Yes, God is good.
Dear young people, if you and I seek to please the Lord, we're going to know what it is to receive God's blessings.
Because God delights to bless his people. Oh, he delights. His heart is full of love. And what Father, who loves his children, What Father doesn't be like to prove to his children that he loves them?
Father will withhold from his children that which they require requests.
If he knows it is for their good.
Oh, to those of us who are fathers and grandfathers.
Could it be that we would give to our grandchildren, our children, that which would do them harm?
No, I trust not. I trust not. Oh, may there be that then in our manner of behavior as grandfathers, as fathers, may there be that in our walk and our manner of behavior that will be a help and a a guideline.
For our children.
Well we find here that there was 1 Zechariah who was a godly influence over as I am. Yes, Zachariah exercise a godly influence over this young king and we find that Zechariah had an understanding and the visions of God. Yes, he was a man that had understanding. I wonder this afternoon do you and I have an understanding?
00:35:23
Of the Word of God do we have an understanding, dear young people?
Would you like to have an understanding of the ways of God?
You can.
Shall we hold this place and turn?
To a person, 111 song.
The last verse of Psalm 111.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do His commandments.
All their young people, there's a secret.
To receiving a good understanding.
I got understanding of all they that do his commandments. We find that your *** and Messiah. They did not keep the commandments of the Lord and there we have the record of the word of God to warn us.
To warn us, yes. Oh, what a warning in their life to us the afternoon.
That you and I might do what does that which is right in the eye of the Lord. If we don't, dear ones, we will not escape that hastening hand of God who loves us.
And so how wonderful to have an understanding Zechariah had an understanding of visions and so on, the ways of God, and such was his influence. I like this. Oh, for those of us who are older, I wonder if our life, our manner of behavior.
All that we do and may I add our dress.
Does it have an influence for good on our young people?
Our children all may we are older. Search our hearts, yes.
Jose Cariah, he was an influence for good on this young man, so that this young man did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord who may we realize this? You know, we're living in this world, but we don't belong here.
No, we don't belong in this sea.
We're now the world that fadeth away, we say. We're now the night. No, we're children of days.
And the cheese that once bounded by deed is our reverend. Oh dear young people.
Older ones, may the Lord keep you and I going on in a way.
That our life will be a blessing and a testimony to those around us.
Who we are and whom we serve Well now we find here in Isaiah.
He did that which was right as long as Zechariah left.
But you know.
There came a time, God time.
And young people, if the Lord doesn't come, there will come a time when the older one who have been such a help and an encouragement to many of us who are younger, if the Lord doesn't come, these older ones are going to be taken away.
And what are we going to do when the older ones are gone? What are we going to do?
Are we going to do like Amazon who listen to advice by others?
That turned his heart away from the Lord. That caused him to disobey the Lord.
Oh, may I plead with you and myself, because we're reminded indeed, that light. The best is very brief.
The older ones are passing on.
My dear father, 93 years of it went to be with the Lord a few weeks ago.
There are many dear Saints of God. Yes, they're nearing the end of life journey down here.
I'll never forget a dear aided brother.
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Saying to me as a young boy, about 16.
I can't remember all that he said, but I can remember these words. God bless you, my last.
God bless you and you know I have carried the memory that dear old brother and the words that he uttered.
To this day, I haven't forgotten it. Oh dear young people.
May you and I not just do that which is right in the eyes, the Lord.
Till the older ones are gone. You know, I recall a certain meeting where some of the younger ones utter these words. God forbid that I would utter it this afternoon.
God forbid that any young one here would utter it.
But they said this just wait. We're waiting till the older ones are gone.
And then we're going to do what we want to do, we're going to do differently. Or may I plead with you this afternoon, if you and I do anything that is different according to the instruction of the Word of God, we're going to come under His chasing hand. We lose our testimony and we'll lose the joy of the Lord. Yes, we will. And so Zachariah, he had an influence for God in Isaiah.
Yes, and it says Avadaya. He sought God, the days of Zechariah.
I wonder if you and I are seeking the Lord?
Let's turn briefly to a verse in Jeremiah 29. Just hold this place.
Jeremiah 29 and verse 13.
And ye shall seek me.
And find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Yes, you and I seek the Lord with our hearts. We're going to find Him.
We're going to know what his will is for our life. Well, now we're briefly.
We notice that Asia some of the things that he did, he did many wonderful things and the Lord gave him victory over his enemies. Well that's known as verse 16, but.
God forbid that this afternoon there would come into your life of mine but a but.
What does it say here? But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the all of incense. Now this was direct disobedience to the Old Testament scriptures. Yes, God gave his people.
Instruction as to who was to go into the holy place, as to who was to offer the incense to the Lord. Yes, there was directions and it was only the high priest that was qualified to go in. Yes, God chose the high priest and he was the only one. But here we find Isaiah it says when he was from his heart.
All there we get is heart. His heart was lifted up to his destruction.
Oh, what does that remind us of all? Beloved? There is that in each one of us.
Shall we say the word?
Pride. What is the middle word? The middle letter in the word pride.
All some of you children here who go to school, you know what the middle word of pride is? It's I, I, yes, you and I cried. It's in the heart of every man, woman, boy and girl, yes.
Pride. Oh, may we realize that, and may we with a perfect heart cry the Lord to keep us, that we may have grace to keep that pride, and that where it belongs, in the place of death, that it may not influence or cause us to disobey the Lord. Yes, pride. And who hasn't pride?
00:45:01
You know, sometimes we have races for children.
And as a boy, I remember.
That when I ran a race, I have that desire in my heart that I wanted to be first. I wanted to be first, yeah. I wanted to reach the line first. I wanted to get the prize.
Pride. Yes. Oh dear ones, let's remember.
At the Lord Jesus.
Is the only one who is deserving of first place.
And may He have first place in your heart and mind. And so as I, we find here.
When he was strong, yes, he was strong.
They're all his enemies were vanquished.
God had blessed him abundantly, and there he was.
And now they didn't tempt him.
Remember, young people, that we have an adversary and that is a devil.
And you know he wants to tempt us, and he knows how to tempt us.
He knows what will be a temptation to us. Yes, he knows all about our poor hearts.
May we keep our hearts with all diligence. May the Lord keep each one of us.
Young people, that we might indeed go on a dependence upon the Lord.
May this book, the Word of God, ever be our guide. You know in connection with that verse in Proverbs 423.
Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the inches of life.
I remember a brother several years ago give me a little slip of paper.
A little slip of paper with something written on it and I open up this little.
Slip of paper. And what do you think was written on that little slip of paper? Young people, boys and girls.
These words.
A heart controlled by the word of God.
Assures.
A walk in the truth and so if your heart and mind is controlled by the Word of God.
You and I are going to walk in the truth. Yes, Oh, young people.
I can safely say, and if your heart is controlled, and my heart is controlled by the word of God, we will be walking in the truth till the Lord comes.
May I warn you and myself, if the Word of God does not have first place in our life?
Ah, we're in danger.
You know, I sometimes think of a little incident on the West Indies.
And seeing some of the boys ride on donkeys down the street.
And, you know, for those who've been there.
These donkeys.
They like to have their own way, don't they? And you know when God gives a picture of man, he tells a man is like a wild ***** coach. Stubborn, yes.
And these boys, as they go down on the street, on the donkeys back.
They have some of them have a stick in their hand. A stick.
Some of them don't use this deck, they use their hair. But when that donkey?
Wants to turn off to the right or the left to nibble a little green grass or something that looks attractive to it. You know that lad or that man will give the donkey a little slap. Sometimes they have a big stick and you know that donkey, when he turns to the right, whatever that sticks, that donkey is so wise that he turns his head back and he's going straight before he feels a sick.
And if he doesn't turn, Evie doesn't go on the path that his master wants them. There's that big hand or little hand or that stick. Oh, yes. And so we see the donkeys going down the bellies lanes. Yes, they know or not. Not the turns of the right hand or the left. I wonder, young people.
You and I do. We need a stick?
To keep us in the path, do we? The Britain, the bridal? Oh, I want to tell you that the Lord Jesus gone before us. Yes, He's marked out the path for us to tread. And if you and I keep our eye on the Lord, why, you know, we'll be saved from many temptations, many things around us. Oh, may I be kept on the Lord? Well, now as I ask, it says.
00:50:23
When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.
And there's those staple priests that warned him. Thank God for faithful brethren who will warn us when they see that our feet have turned on the truth. All dear young people, don't be like Isaiah.
You know, there are some people.
Who will persist and go on their own way?
And I've been one of them.
And you know, I've had to come under sorrow. I've had to come under the chasing hand of God.
Your young people, God does not want you and I to learn that way. No, He wants us to learn His way. His way is best, and He has given us His Word, and if His Word controls our hearts, it will control our walk and our ways, our whole and our behavior in this world.
And we will be like those whom the Lord said, Let your light shine before men.
That you might see your good works and glorify your Father within heaven. Well, as I it says here that he was angry. Yes, in verse 20, verse 19 Then as I was wrong and had a sense in his hand to burn incense, and while he was lost with a priest, the leprosy even rose up on his forehead. Yes, there the judgment came upon him for as I.
He became a leper.
All remember leopards, a picture of sin.
And while we had a lovely beginning and the history of Isaiah.
We have a solemn ending. A solemn ending? Yes, the grandfather.
The father, the son.
Oh, I trust.
That grandfathers, that fathers, that sons and daughters this afternoon.
Because we're all children of God, those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus. Oh, I trust, and you and I will be guided by His word. And so far as I get a solemn ending, He died a leper.
Yes, he went out from the presence of the Lord, a leper.
Dear young people, this afternoon you and I can go into the presence of the Lord.
Into the holiest of all unhindered. Yeah, it's been going. The very presence of God. Do we need grace? Do we need help? Do we need strength? We can go right into the very presence of God. And who is in the presence of God this afternoon? Oh, it's the Lord Jesus as our great high priest whoever lives for us during deceit port. Perhaps we'll just notice one more verse in closing James chapter 4.
James chapter 4 and verse 6.
But.
He give us more grace.
Wherefore, he said, God resists with the problem, but give us grace under the humble. Submit yourself, therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Oh, young people, again as I close.
He gave us more grace. How much do you want? How much do you and I want this afternoon?
Do we find it hard?
To love a brother or sister.
Do we find it hard to forgive one another?
What do we need? I'm sure that each one of us this afternoon, young and old alike.
I'm sure there comes into our lives.
Those moments when we find it hard to forgive our brother or sister.
00:55:02
Perhaps we've been offended by a look or by a word. Oh, I want to tell you.
God resented the proud, yes, and if you and I don't ask the Lord for grace, it's because we are proud and we don't like to own and confess that we need grace. Oh, as I close, he give us more grace. But remember, God resists with the proud. And so in Isaiah we have a lesson. God resists with the proud. But all I want to say this afternoon.
To you and I, He give us more grace. May we know what it is to learn from the Word of God. Those lessons they have us to learn. And again, let's remember.
The grandfather, the Father, the Son, the three, they missed the mind of God at their latter end. A house side. It would be that anyone that any one of us would be turned aside. Confirm the Lord when He is coming so soon. It could be this afternoon, it could be before we reach our homes. The Lord is coming.
All may we then have grace to serve and follow Him.
Till he comes, we're saying #23.
How good is the God we adore?
Our faithful, unchangeable friends.
Whose love is as great as his power, and knows neither measured nor end #23.
Oh, good, Islam.
Open Mtg.
Open—D. Andersen, E. Smith, C. Lunden
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.
General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974. Open meeting.
Might return to Acts chapter 20.
We were singing in our hymn.
Preserved ice block.
Most graciously within my sheltering fold.
Move them from every harm away.
And in thy safeguard hold.
Kill, thou shalt fully have obtained in us the fruits of grace.
And we enjoy that. Never end shall see thee face to face.
Isn't this something that everyone of us covets?
But we might be preserved.
Until the Lord comes.
I believe here in Acts chapter 20.
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We have something that has been given to us to that end.
And.
We might read a few of these verses here in chapter 20.
Starting with verse 17.
Acts Chapter 20.
And from my leaders he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia.
After what manner I've been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews, and now. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God.
And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there. Say that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither can't I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I've received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take thee therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He has purchased with his own blood, or the blood of his own. For I know this, that after my departing.
Shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock also of your own selves? Shall men arise speaking perverse things?
To draw away disciples after them, Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years.
I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up.
And to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
I believe we have something here that is very important and very important for us in these last days.
And I believe we are aware.
That there there's not long until the Lord comes. We certainly are in the last days.
And I believe we need to take to ourselves this warning that the apostle Paul gives us.
He says, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.
To feed the Church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
Take heed to yourselves. We certainly need that exhortation, don't we?
It's so easy.
In a day when there's prosperity.
And things are going quite easily for us.
We seem to be making a living and getting along quite well.
And we need to take heed to ourselves.
Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.
But he also warns us about the grievous wolves entering in among us, not sparing the flock.
There have been those.
That didn't seem to have a heart for the flock, for the sheep of God.
And it didn't seem to matter to them how they acted, or how they behaved themselves, or how they carried on or what they stood for.
And if they had some pet teaching that they wanted to put out, the the continued to harp on that thing, and even though their brethren exhorted them not to, they continued.
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And one.
Years ago said.
I'm going to continue on those smashes, brethren, to pieces.
Well, that wasn't the heart of a shepherd, was it?
That wasn't the kind of heart that the Apostle Paul wanted these elders at Ephesus to have.
Oh, that we might have a heart for the assembly, everyone of us.
Christ loved the church, the assembly, and gave himself for it, and we know a little bit about what that means, how he gave himself for the assembly.
Gave himself his whole being. That's an example for us.
We can't give ourselves in the same way as the Lord did, but certainly it's an example for us.
To give ourselves for the assembly in some way, to sacrifice in some way.
For the sake of the Assembly of God, and I believe if everyone of us had this spirit of sacrifice.
We would see a great change, a great difference.
We would all act differently.
But now he says in verse 30, Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse or perverted things.
To draw away disciples after them. We've seen something of this too.
And we must be on our guard against all of these things. Again, I say, as the Lord exhorted, watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.
We can't keep ourselves. We must trust the Lord. We must look to him. And I believe this is what we get then and what the apostle Paul?
Says in verse 32.
He says in verse 31, watch. But now in verse 32 he says, now brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
Why commanded to God, and why commended to the word of His grace?
To God for what, and to His Word for what?
To have implicit confidence in God.
And in his word.
Do we have confidence in God?
Do we have confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ who is in the midst of the assembly?
Or do we think we have to take things in our own hands and do things according to our ideas and opinions?
I'm afraid very often.
Were LED astray this way that we're not really trusting the Lord to take care of His assembly.
And we're not trusting his word that it's enough for the guidance of the assembly.
But this is very simple. I commend you to God and to the word of His grace. Now why doesn't it say the word of His law? You know, it's the word of His grace.
We need to be under the influence of grace. It's so easy to get in under the influence of law, legality.
Sometimes.
We don't have the right.
Thought about the grace of God, everyone of us, myself included. We get some strange ideas sometimes which are not thoughts of grace at all.
Their thoughts of legality.
But it says about this which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
It's God who builds us up, and he does it by means of the Word.
And that's why it's showing so important and it's so good to have meetings like this where we're over the word of God because we do need to be built up.
There are worldly, fleshly influences around us all the time.
And we have the old fleshly nature in us, to which the world.
And the things of the world can appeal.
And it's easy to feed the flesh and build up the flesh. And sometimes we get so built up in the flesh.
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But there's not much spirituality left in US.
But how good it is to sit under the ministry of the Word, and to be built up in our souls.
Spiritually built up all how we need it in a day like this when there seems to be so much that's tearing us down.
I don't suppose we're aware of how cold we're getting in our souls.
It's not good to get occupied with how we're doing.
Whether I'm spiritual or not, no, that wouldn't be a good thing. But we are getting cold in our souls and how far we are away from the Lord, we don't know. I don't believe we're aware of it.
That's why we need to get close to the Lord, spend time in His presence.
Because the more time we spend in His presence, the more aware we become that we're away from Him, that we're cold in our souls and we bewail the fact of how weak we are spiritually.
Well, God in His Word, His word of grace, are able to build us up and to give us an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
This is what what the Apostle Paul.
Told these Ephesian elders.
This is what He's telling us all. I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
Is there anything better than that? Nothing better than that.
To have confidence in God, to have confidence in his Word.
Now I'd like to turn to a parallel passage over in Deuteronomy.
Chapter 31.
And you have a similar circumstance here now and connected in connection with Moses.
Paul was about to leave the scene.
And he commended these to God through the word of His grace. He warned them two of the dangers.
Here we have Moses in chapter 31 of Deuteronomy.
Calling the elders Together, verse 28.
He says, Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song until they were ended.
You notice the similarity.
Why is this? Why do we get something like this in the New Testament?
Why did Paul have to speak as he did? It's similar to what Moses said. Why? Because man's heart is the same.
Whether in the Old Testament economy or a New Testament times, the heart of man is the same.
The heart of God's people is the same, and we God's people have always been prone to get away from God and, as it says here, to corrupt themselves and turn aside from the way which God has commanded.
We know how how Israel did this. Turned aside, corrupted themselves, got away from God.
And it turned out badly for them.
The government of God rested upon them.
And to this day, 10 tribes are still scattered and we don't know where they are. The 2 tribes, Benjamin and Judah.
They're having great difficulties.
Sometimes we really feel sorry for them there in the land of Palestine. But why is all of this coming upon them? Because they corrupted themselves and turned away, turned aside from the way which God had commanded them.
And he said, And evil will befall you in the latter days because they turned aside from God.
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This was all according to God's Word.
It all came to pass. What we've read in Acts 20 has come to pass to.
A sad history. The Church's history, I suppose we can say, is sadder.
Than Israel's history from the standpoint that more grace has been ministered to the church than to Israel.
This is the age of grace in which the Church is living Israel. We're living under the law.
We have a great responsibility.
And I suppose the failure is proportionate to the responsibility.
All of these things, as we meditate upon them and let them go through our minds and get into our hearts, what does it do to us?
Doesn't it make us feel that we just want to be close to the Lord?
We want to have more confidence in Him, more confidence in his word. Not confidence in man, not confidence in leaders, not confidence in the opinions and ideas of men, but confidence in God, confidence in his word. All to be simple.
Now, what's the remedy that's given us here?
After Moses says what he does to these responsible ones of Israel.
Well, in chapter 32, we get a song. It's a song of Moses that we get here, and we get a lot of good things brought out in this song, and we might touch on just a few of these.
First of all.
I want you to notice in verse four of chapter 32 of Deuteronomy.
That part of this song says he is all wrong. His work is perfect.
Is that the idea we have of God? Is that the thought we have of Him? Do we feel that way about God, that He is our rock? He's the solid one upon whom we can rest. We can have full confidence in Him, and it says His work is perfect. Do we trust his work perfectly, Completely. Oh yes, you say I trust the work of salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ has done.
But there's other work, work that God is doing right now. He's working in the assembly.
He's working in our hearts to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do we believe that God's work is perfect?
That he is doing just exactly what ought to be done.
Oh, let us trust him. Let us rest upon Him. The Rock.
Notice in verse 30 and verse 6.
Do he thus requite the Lord, or foolish people? And unwise? Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee?
Hath he not made thee and established thee?
Well, we can say that about our God, our Father.
They call God their father in the sense of a benefactor. They didn't know God as their father in the sense of relationship, because you have to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart to know God is your father. That is to have a sense of it in your soul, that is to have God as your father in relationship. But they thought of God as a father who was taking care of them, a benefactor, but they didn't even.
Think of that. They'd forgotten that, that he was the one that took care of them.
And that he's the one that bought them.
They'd forgotten that they were redeemed in Egypt. They'd been under the shelter of the blood God had bought them, and he'd brought them out of Egypt to be his special people.
Well, it's so easy for us to forget what God has done for us.
To forget what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. That's why it's good for us to have the remembrance feast, the breaking of bread.
Every large state, because it brings to mind again what the Lord has done for us, that we've been redeemed by his precious blood.
00:25:00
Notice what he says in verse 9. The Lords portion Is his people the Lords portion.
The Lords portion.
There's a lot of emphasis put on the Christians portion, the believers portion.
The church's portion, Well, it's all right to think about that, what our portion is. But in thinking about what our portion is, what our blessings are, so often we forget about what the Lord's portion is. And what is the Lord's portion? What is it He has delight in? The Lord's portion is His people.
Doesn't this touch our hearts? We are the portion that belong to the Lord.
We are what? Delight. The Lord's heart. Did you ever think about that? That we are a delight to Him?
Oh, of course we are. He loves us. He loved the church and gave himself for.
And He's looking forward to have it, having it with Himself in the glory. He's going to present it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and whose joy and whose delight is going to be the greater there in the glory. I believe we look upon His face, and we see His great delight to have us gathered around Himself there.
It's his delight to have us gathered around himself here.
We are his people, we belong to him, we're his portion, we're his delight. And for him to have us around himself, what a joy it will be for him then, but it's a joy to him now.
And he is going to lift up his hand, as it were, and he is going to say, behold.
I and the children which God hath given me.
I believe when we think of that, that draws us to him.
That causes us to delight in him more.
Find out really what our blessing is.
Now it says in verse 10, he found him in a desert land and in the waste howling wilderness. He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of his eye. A little bit of history in this verse. Where was he found? In a desert land. Where were we found?
In a far off place, in a desert place, away from God, without God and without hope in this world.
In the waste howling wilderness we were found down here where there's nothing to seek or to choose.
And after having become the Lord's, this world has become a wilderness.
But sometimes it doesn't look like it. Sometimes it looks like we're trying to make an Eden out of this world.
But it can never be anything to the true child of God by the wilderness. And it's a place that we're passing through. We're not going to stay here. And sometimes we we back down as though we're going to stay here forever.
But we're not. We're just passing through. Peter speaks of us as strangers. Yes, we're strangers down here in pilgrims, pilgrims on the way home, the glory. We're not going to stay here.
And he led him about. That's what the Lord is doing to us, leading us about. He leads you one way, He leads me another. We we go on different paths, but it's the Lord leading us.
And should we worry about the past when it's the Lord leading us?
It doesn't help to worry about it, does it?
Because you'll still be faithful and lead us. Oh, that we might trust his faithfulness more, even though we're not faithful yet here by this faithful He cannot deny himself. He'll lead us about in the way that we should go.
He instructed him.
You know anything about getting instruction from the Lord?
It's good for us to be instructed by him.
But all how we need ears and hearts ready to receive the instruction. Sometimes we rebel against it and we don't like the instruction.
But He'll give it to us nevertheless, and when we get home to Glory, we'll thank Him for it all.
He kept him as the apple of his eye.
You notice how the apple of the eye is protected.
00:30:04
Marvels how that eye is protected.
God keeps his children in that way. He guards them. He keeps them.
Do we appreciate it? Very often we don't. We don't appreciate how he's keeping us.
But Jude says now unto him, who is able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy.
It's his desire to keep her. She wants to keep it. He's willing to keep us. And in spite of ourselves, he's keeping us.
Or we might get into bypass, get on the wrong track sometimes.
But the Lord is watching us, and he'll bring us back to himself. He's keeping us.
As the apple of his eye.
Well, then, we get this about the eagle stirring up her nest, fluttering over her young, spreading abroad her wings, taking them, bearing them on her wings.
That's the way of the eagle, when the eagle, the mother eagle.
Sees its time or has a sense, the intuition that it's time for those Eaglets to get out of the nest and to learn to fly. She'll pull all the packing and all the things in the nest that have made it a soft place for the little Eaglets and leave only the the rock branches and thorns in the nest. Well, it's not a very delightful place for those Eaglets to nest anymore, and they begin to crawl out.
Of the place and get up on the edge of the nest.
But they won't. They won't leave the nest. They won't get away from there. They may have wings so they can begin to fly, but they don't want to leave. So the mother eagle rises up.
Flies around and with the tip of one wing she knocks one of those Eaglets off the side of that nest, way up there, the top of that precipice and the little eagle, it starts tumbling down. The mother Eagles floats down under that eaglet.
And bears up that eaglet on her wings.
But she's teaching that egret to fly. This is what the Lord is doing for us.
Ah, we don't like to get out away from our comfortable places. We don't like a little more exercise.
A little more venturing forth for the Lord's sake. We like it where we are. We stay comfortable.
But the Lord allows things to come. Makes it a little rough for us.
And then?
He teaches us the lesson that we have to trust in Him completely.
He may knock us over, as it were, and we may start to tumble.
But we'll find that the Lord is there to bears up on eagle's wings, as it were.
Oh how the Lord deals with us. And I'm sure this is put in the word of God because we need it and then it says so The Lord alone did lead him and I was no strange God with him. The Lord alone did lead him. How much do we know about that?
The Lord alone leading us.
No strange God with us.
Oh, it's so easy for us to depend on strange gods, this little thing and that circumstance or this other thing. And we like to be guided by circumstances rather than being guided by his eye.
But you know, to be guided by the eye of the blessed Lord, we have to be close to Him.
And sometimes we don't like to stay close to the Lord. We like to have a little leeway, a little rope. We want to.
Give in to our passions and our loss, and we want to satisfy the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We want to have a little leeway.
We don't like to stay quite that close to the Lord that we can be led by His eye.
But I believe we're missing something if we're not that close to the Lord, so we can be led by His eye.
I wish I knew more of it being led by his eye rather than by circumstances. The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange God with him.
00:35:01
Well, there's more in this chapter, but I'm going to leave it. You can read it over.
And you'll see the remedy.
That's presented.
After Moses warns the children of Israel.
How are we going to be kept?
Well, by these things that are brought out in principle here in this chapter.
Just trusting God.
Just trusting his word.
May we read a verse from First Timothy?
First Timothy.
Chapter 3.
And verse 15.
That's First Timothy 3, verse 15.
But if I tarry long.
That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself.
The House of God.
Which is the Church of the living God?
The pillar and ground of the truth.
Our brother has spoken from the 20th of Acts. The ruin was very great there as it is today.
And it would seem that he, the Apostle, couldn't commend.
Those few disciples around him to anyone, but he could commend them to God.
And to the word of his grace.
Now I'd like to follow on very briefly.
Some thoughts concerning the assembly.
We notice here.
That the word to Timothy is the question of behavior.
In the House of God.
We know that godly behavior is so essential in these days of dissension and the last declension.
One asked me if the assembly was the truth.
And I said, brother, I couldn't say that the assembly is the truth. The word of God is the truth.
But the assembly is the pillar or support the ground of the truth.
Sometimes we forget this, beloved.
And we fail to recognize that truth is only understood.
It is couched in the language of God.
That the assembly therefore is not the truth.
The Word of God is the truth.
And so the apostle speaks to Timothy.
In explicit language.
Concerning the need to behave there for the assembly is the pillar or the support the ground of the truth.
Let it be known, beloved, that the Assembly doesn't teach.
As some might believe, it is taught.
The assembly is taught. What is it being taught, beloved?
This is the point. This is the matter that exercises the hearts of those who are bishops or overseers, those who care for the little flock.
We repeat that because it's so urgent. It seems in my.
Experience as the servant of the Lord for so many years.
The assembly does not teach.
We repeat it is taught. What is it being taught?
00:40:00
In these days.
The assembly here is recognized as the House of God.
Beloved, the Assembly is the House of the living God.
Which sometimes forget that.
It is the House of God, the living Gods.
I suppose that declension comes because we fail to recognize one important truth.
And that is the authority of the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Wherever the authority of the Lord Jesus is recognized in the assembly, there you have peace.
There you have spiritual progress.
And happiness.
Wherever the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in the assembly is not recognized, you have dissension.
And.
Susan.
Which of course, in simple language is mere heresy. We sometimes think of heresy as the denying of the fundamentals of the faith, and that could be so.
But heresy is really forming of a party beloved.
That's heresy in its essence, the forming of a party. And this is something you will pardon me as an old servant, an old man.
This is something we have to be very careful to God against the forming of scissors, lest there be schism in the body.
Now no parental affection must influence you who are elders in the assembly.
If it is a question of sin, that has to be not only recognized.
Judged and put out.
Yes, the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ is everything in the assembly.
And a decision taken there, whether we like this truth or not.
And I say it humbly.
A decision made there must be held.
All you say, we don't go along with it.
But leave it with the Lord, beloved.
And do you know these 59 years that I'm trying to serve my blessed Lord?
In different languages and among different people of different.
Makeup.
I've never found it yet to fail.
That.
Where the authority of the Lord Jesus is maintained, irrespective of parental affection or anything else, God will arrange that problem and he will do it permanently and.
He will do it gloriously.
I have had many experiences to this effect.
Here is a brother. An assembly can form a wrong decision.
But who am I to intervene with my poor little thoughts about him?
An assembly may make a decision and may cause you to doubt.
But there's one thing we must do, beloved, and I say it with all my heart. Leave it with the Lord. Here is a brother who is put away for immorality.
1St Corinthians 5 is duly applied to him, and he is put away as a wicked person. The brother sits back for one year and a half.
00:45:01
Until one afternoon in the reading of First Corinthians 5A, brother suddenly gets up.
And putting his heart, his hand over his heart, and tears running down his face, he says, brethren, I am the guilty man. That brother is not guilty.
Now there comes occasion of this kind. What did that brother do?
I'll never forget he's with the Lord now, a most gracious Latin brother.
And sometimes they're not so gracious.
He never said one word. He sat back with his wife and his four children one year and a half.
He was duly and reinstated to his place at the table.
He never complained one word against that meeting and he never had a word.
Of scolding against his brother. He loved his brother just the same. What grace?
What happened? The Lord arranged that.
And beloved, that has remained to this day. And that's 30 years ago.
30 long years ago.
What happened to that assembly?
It's the happiest assembly in Bolivia and that's where they've been having their all day readings. Some 400 odd Saints gathered to the precious name of Christ have been for four rather five days together over the word of God.
Well.
It is something it is a bit difficult to deal with these things, but you'll bear with me. I'm not going to say very much more.
But I would remark this.
That.
Assembly.
Is composed, of course, of born again souls.
The authority there is the Lord Jesus in the in the midst.
The Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit is the guide there.
And the practice of the assembly is holiness.
And when we speak of holiness?
We mean just simply, as Mr. Darby saw a very nicely puts it, it is the exclusion of everything beloved from our life and testimony, which would be contrary to God's mind and to God's nature.
Those are not my words. They missed the Dobbies words that he wrote many years ago.
This is what he calls perfecting holiness in the fear of God, the putting away of your life and mine, beloved.
Everything that is contrary to God's mind.
And to God's nature.
If I tarry long that thou mayst know how thou art to behave thyself.
In the House of God.
This is only one aspect of it. There's no time to go beyond this, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth.
So we open our Bibles to John 12 reverse the.
Verse 26.
John 1226. If any man served me, let him follow me.
And where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man served me, him will my father honor.
Hebrews, the 11Th chapter.
00:50:18
Verse.
33.
The last clause.
Stopped.
Mouths of lions.
Now turn with me to the first chapter of Daniel, please.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
And the Lord gave Jehovah, King of Judah into his hand with part of the vessels of the House of God.
Which he carried into the land of Shinar to the House of his God.
And he brought the vessels into the treasure House of his God, and the king spake unto Ashkenaz, the master of his eunuchs.
That he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the King's seed, and of the Princess.
Children it should read youths, youth in whom was number blemish, but well favored and skillful in all wisdom, cunning, and knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the King's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them the daily provision of the King's meat and of the wine which he drank.
So nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
Now among these were of the children of Judah Daniel.
Hananiah, Michelle and Azariah, under whom the Prince of the eunuchs gave names.
For he gave unto Daniel the name of Belgie Shazer, and to Hananiah the of Shadrach, and to Michelle of Misha, and to Azariah of Abednego.
Or Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the King's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the Prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the Prince of the eunuchs.
And the Prince of the eunuch said unto Daniel, I fear, my Lord the king who hath appointed your meat in your drink, For why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? Then shall you make me endanger my head to the game. Then said Daniel, Till Melzar, whom the Prince of the eunuchs have set over, Daniel, Hannah, and I, Michelle and Azariah, prove thy servants, I beseech thee 10 days.
And let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenance be looked upon before thee, and the Countess of the children that eat of the portion of the King's meat. And as thou seest deal with thy servants, so he consented to them in this matter, and proved them 10 days. And at the end of 10 days their countenances were appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat of the portion of the King's meat.
Thus Belzar took away the portion of their meat.
And the wine that they should drink and gave them pulse. As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill and all learning and wisdom.
And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams now at the end of the days, that the king had said he should bring them in. Then the Prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, and the king communed with them. And among them all was found none like Daniel Hananiah, Michel Nazariah.
Therefore stood there before the king, and in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
And Daniel continued even until the first year of King Cyrus.
00:55:08
Now we've heard some lovely things this afternoon and this morning in the Sunday School about vessels and so on.
And I just like to call attention to some things that have to do with the personal walk of the believer.
As well as what has been given to us in a general way, which is so precious because there are certain principles that should govern the life of the believer, and we have them set before us, I believe, at least in part, in this chapter.
Now we noticed in the New Testament, in the 12Th chapter, where we were reading in our readings.
That if any man served me, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be. This would suggest communion, would it not?
And that's one of the first things that we noticed that if we're going to be.
To the glory of God, in connection with that testimony of His in this world, there will have to be communion.
Now in the chapter that we've read, we find a king. He's the king of Babylon.
We find today that the professing churches is like it's enclosed in the great octopus.
Babylon.
That would rob us of everything that we cherish.
Now we find a man here, set up by God.
And his life is given us.
For an example, individually how we might walk, and we'll try to point out at least seven things here.
In this first chapter, that should be of help to each of us as his people.
In the midst of a scene of confusion, Babylon, you hear people say, Well.
I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go, I don't know what to believe.
But we find that there was a playing path for Daniel.
And his three companions.
And we find, too, that.
It was not a complicated, it was not a difficult path.
Because.
The whole thing depended on following as we have in the New Testament.
The first thing we have mentioned here.
Is that?
When the children of Israel were taken captivity, there was a selection made of certain ones.
Who were to carry on a testimony, shall we say, in the midst of ruin, right in the midst of babbling? Is God able? Oh, indeed He is.
May I ask where has the church been cradled for the last 2000 years? If it hasn't been in the very midst of that Babylon, That empire of Babylon that is.
The very empire that slew our precious savior, the gates of hell.
Shall not prevail against that which God has formed, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against the individual believer.
Who walks in the path that God has set up?
And so.
We find then that there was a selection made, and among these.
Was Daniel and his companions Now? I don't recall, but I believe Daniel means beloved of God or something to that effect. Loved of God or beloved of God?
And you know, it's a wonderful thing to have the consciousness of this, is it not? As our brother was bringing out.
That we're beloved of God.
This must be then we can follow.
And.
It says here that there were certain qualifications for these men in their selection.
The first was.
Children in whom was number no blemish.
No blemish.
That is.
01:00:00
There were those who were now to perform a task. Daniel didn't know what was before him, but God knew.
And he had to have one in whom was number blemish.
Now this is very necessary, you know, and we might refer especially to the young people.
That if they're starting out to serve the Lord, this is a very important thing so that you can't look back and say, well.
I should have done this or I should have done that?
I just gave way to the flesh here. I gave way to the flesh there, No.
Who we find here with Daniel and his companions. They were without blemish. Now, that doesn't mean they were perfect.
But it doesn't mean that they probably had the will of God before them as to the instruction that He had given in his law.
And can we use the word blameless? Not perfect, but blameless. Their heart was set to follow.
To walk in the path.
So that's the first thing.
Now the apostle Paul, you know, said.
As he gives his spiritual credentials as an apostle.
Whom have I defrauded?
And so on. That's the 7th chapter of Second Corinthians.
Moral credentials necessary.
For one to be used of God in the way Daniel was.
And we might look at these three with Daniel as the little testimony of that day.
A picture of it.
So we have the next thing then.
Well favored and skillful in all wisdom.
Now this requires being in the presence of God, because we have no wisdom of our own.
If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and appraiseth not, and it shall be given in.
So we have then used with no blemish, well favored and skillful in wisdom.
Cunning and knowledge.
Now this. This wouldn't go with a lazy person, would it?
It's one who has his studious.
One who applies himself to the word of God. I know there are special applications here to young people because we have the youths mentioned, but it's good for us all. But there's a special thing I might say in this connection that.
It's very difficult when you get older.
And you begin to realize more than necessity of these things to apply yourself.
In the way you might apply yourself when you're young.
Oh, how good it would be to be in the position like Daniel.
That when he was called, he was ready. He had these qualifications.
So that God could use him, and he used him mightily, as we see.
Then we have next understanding of science.
Understanding of science.
Well, this is.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual, isn't it?
We use the application that we have in Corinthians.
Learning to choose the things which are more excellent.
Because in this beginning, in this chapter, we find that which compares to what we notice in Mark's gospel. First the blade, then the ear, and then the full cord in the ear. Here we have the blade for me.
Pretty soon the air. And finally in that verse that we read in Hebrews.
Just one little short expression. It's all set of Daniel and his faith stopped the mouths of lions. He didn't do that in the first chapter. No, that's the full corn in the air. They all blossomed out, but here there was.
The discerning the mind of God.
01:05:01
I suppose that there was much that Daniel had to learn for this world.
In connection with the position he was in.
A position that you and I would not be called upon as Christians today.
To be a president of Babylon.
But still he was faithful in his trust, and there was a reason. Now it says also and such as had ability in them to stand in the King's palace. Now this ability to stand in the King's palace was not simply that he was a cultured man and courteous and had good manners.
No, this had to do with his position as a servant of God.
Now there were times when Daniel stood in the presence of the king as one who had wisdom and would interpret dreams.
But we learned later that there was a time when Daniel stood in the presence of the king, and we find that he was condemned to the den of lions.
But we're not speaking only of Daniel. We're Speaking of the three companions. If you read the history in the third chapter, I believe you will see.
That when they were told to bow down to other gods, they told Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Think of it. That's the ability to stand before kings, isn't it?
Oh yes.
Now, how do we apply this today?
Do we not have that king of Babylon who's pressuring us continually? Are we able to stand before the king of Babylon now? How was he able to do this? How could he stand before that throne?
When he knew that there might be a sentence of death.
Well, you see.
Daniel had learned to stand before another throne, and that's how he got the ability to stand before the king.
He could stand before the throne of grace.
Is like our brother said with David.
He didn't need to sword then. No, there was another who was fighting for him.
You know how lovely the picture we have in Daniel's life. One thing after another unfolds as a result of what we have in this first chapter.
First, no blemish, because a little later we find that they tried to find fault with Daniel.
Oh, how they would have loved to point it at something in his life way back and say, well, Daniel, you were guilty of this.
They couldn't find it. And you know what they found against Daniel? The only thing they found was that which.
Was in relation to his God because they worship teeth in God's.
That it were good if it were so with us, that those who would point to us.
Would find only that which had to do with the testimony of our God as a little remnant today.
Seeking to walk in the power of the precious truth that God has given us.
To find no fault. Oh how we should be careful, especially dear young people that we set our course, like Daniel.
If God is pleased to use you for some special reason like Daniel.
He might use you.
Now we have the two pictures, of course, we have the individual path in Daniel, and then we have the collective path in the three others here and we find they're both beautiful pictures for us.
And so then we've noticed also in this.
End of the fourth verse.
It's all in this verse. You know four things.
That they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
Well, this was readiness to learn.
You think it would be? It was an easy thing for Daniel to settle down to learn the tongue of Babylon, no.
01:10:02
But this was the path that He has placed in and obedience was required and He was ready for it.
If you read the 137th Psalm, which we haven't timed right now.
You will find that the little remnant.
Sat down by the waters of Babylon and wept.
They said how can we sing the songs of Zion in a strange land?
And here they are, captive.
Captive Daniel wasn't ready to learn this tongue of the Chaldeans.
Except in obedience to the word of God, God had placed him in this position.
God was going to use him, and so he was ready for whatever it meant. He was ready.
Now this was the result. I say what we had in the previous verses. This election was made according to these qualifications.
On Daniel his companions.
But then in the next verse, in the fifth verse.
We find.
An appeal to good flesh, if you please.
Or you'll say, what is there good about the flesh? Well, nothing of course, but there is about the flesh, this that.
There are certain things that appeal to us.
Glamour glory.
Things that look nice, things that appeal to us, naturally we say, well, there's nothing wrong really with it.
No, Daniel saw the trap because he was the one who stood before God. He was before that throne so that he might have ability to stand before the throne of Babylon to the glory of God.
So.
He makes a request.
The king was going to appoint him the very same food that he ate.
Oh, how easy it is, you know, dear fellow believer, to fall to the level of this world and to eat the food, I mean spiritually that this world eats. But Daniel would not do that.
But Daniel doesn't say no. What does he do? He makes requests.
He makes requests.
He takes a humble place.
I'm sure all this time he was praying, but he made a request.
To the one over him. And God showed favor to Daniel in this.
And so we find they were proved for for 10 days.
Daniel is companions.
In regard to the eating.
Of this pulse that they had chosen rather than the King's meat.
Now this makes us think you know what the Lord said about fasting.
In the 9th chapter of Luke, you will recall also in mark the 9th chapter, I believe we have the transfiguration.
And we have the disciples, at least four of them, going up to the mount.
Three or four, and they beheld that glory.
That scene of glory.
At the beginning of the chapter of the 9th of Luke, the Lord had given them power and authority to cast out demons, but they couldn't do it when they came down from the mountain. Why couldn't they?
This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting.
Had they not been given power to do this? Yes, but they couldn't exercise the power except independence.
Because there's no strength, beloved, in you or me whatsoever.
And so in order to exercise the power that is given, and by the way, Ephesians One shows us that you and I have all power, but we can't exercise it. I mean to walk the path of faith. We cannot exercise it without dependence.
01:15:03
This is necessary.
This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting.
Oh, it isn't a question of whether this is sin or that is sin. It's a question, beloved, if you and I are going to walk in this testimony of the last days that we've been hearing about.
Precious truth.
Remember, there'll have to be a sacrifice, and it won't be a sacrifice in the sense that we speak of it.
If we follow Him, we follow Him in communion, there will be the joy of walking in the same path that our Savior walked in, not in the measure.
But the same path to follow in his steps as we have in Peter.
How lovely this is. You and I have this privilege.
So in the eighth verse then?
But Daniel purposed in his heart.
Well, we hear that expression once in a while, you know, purpose of heart. Well, here we have it, purpose of heart.
We will recall these again.
First of all, the fourth verse children are youth, and with in whom was no blemish, skillful in all wisdom, cunning in knowledge, understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the King's palace, to whom they might teach the learning in the tongue of the Chaldeans, and then requesting that he might.
Not eat of the King's meat.
The next thing is he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the King's meat. Two things.
He makes a request, but also he purposes in his heart.
Under no circumstances would Daniel do this.
But yet he approaches the one who is over him in humility, and he asks his favor in regard to it. That lovely.
It makes us think of the Spirit of Christ.
The meekness and the gentleness of Christ.
These traits, these characteristics come out in the man of God here because truly he was a man of God.
As his life afterwards proved.
What is the man of God?
Is it not one who manifests the characteristics that was seen in the Lord Jesus here in a practical way, not in measure, but in kind?
And so.
He purposed in his heart.
The ninth verse God comes in.
God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the Prince of the eunuchs.
And now he proves them for 10 days. That's the test period.
You know, we might say that we're going to do something.
And not be able to do it.
Daniel purposed in his heart, and so we find that there's a test period that he passes through.
To prove what he had said.
Daniel isn't ready for the next step we get in the next chapter till he passes through all of this. First the blade, then the air and then the full corn in the air.
We were hearing something this morning about the the vessel, you know.
And.
Some years ago I was privileged to work in a pottery.
To in our being a Carpenter, I was doing work there in connection with the building remodeling of the pottery and I got to know a little bit about the operation of the pottery and how pottery was made.
And we find that there were certain processes that the clay must go through, but when they start out, they start out with nothing but play. Nothing but play.
01:20:07
And let's remind our hearts of this beloved that we are nothing but play in ourselves.
There are certain things introduced, hardening agents, water and other things measured in proper quantities.
And this is called slip and it goes into the molds or into the on the pottery wheel.
And finally.
It's formed and dried and then it goes through the fire comes out bisque.
Then it has to be sanded.
Smooth.
And then there has to be the application.
Of the final.
Coat that. That would bring out the beauty of the pottery, but still it has to go through the fire again.
Twice it goes through the fire.
Until it comes out of vessel, as the scripture says for the finer.
According to the way that the one who.
Was making it as we have in the second chapter of John.
6 vessels.
Stone vessels containing two or three firkins apiece. That is the capacity, just as he wanted to make it, to hold the water he was going to turn into wine.
Well, I just use that as an illustration of what we had this morning.
The vessels were brought before us.
How the vessels are formed and how they have to pass through the fire. And then you think, oh, I trust it's all over now that I don't have to go through that again.
I know a man that was saved said to me his name was God be and I heard him confess Christ as his savior and I saw him a year later.
And he was He had fallen and hurt his back. He had lost his job, he said. Is this what Christianity is?
Is this Christianity?
Well, you see.
There are different processes in the forming of the vessel, but when we remember that if any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall my servant be. How simple it becomes, you know the Christian will lose nothing.
And in that day, we're going to be completely satisfied.
Completely satisfied.
Oh, what a wonderful thing it is to be in the hands of the Potter himself, consciously in the enjoyment of communion with him as we go through these periods of trial and testing, as Daniel did.
Now, in closing, just to mention, you recall the story of the lion's den.
Daniel was told that he couldn't pray to his God anymore, and he went right out three times a day and prayed just as he did beforehand.
Thrown in the Dion's den.
Was his God able to keep him?
But of course he was.
Of course he was able to keep him.
And the king goes out mourning in the morning because the king didn't want him to be put in the lions den. He was tricked into it.
And he said, Daniel, is your God able to deliver you?
Daniel says God has stopped the mouths of the lions.
He sent his Angel.
Scripture says.
He stopped the mouths of the lions. Oh how lovely. How God.
Honors faith. In the 11Th chapter of Hebrews, he honors that faith of Daniel. Stop the mouths of lions, the king of beasts, the strength, the strongest in beasts. That was Daniel. But what did it? The grace of God that followed him all the way through. This is the individual path of the one who had maintained seek to maintain a testimony to the name of the Lord Jesus down here.
In these last days.
1, 74.
Seven Fools
Gospel—P. Glading
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General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974. Gospel by Brother Gladding.
Amazing #7.
Hymn #7.
God loved the world of sinners lost.
And ruined by the fall.
Salvation full at highest cost. The office free to all.
All to his love, whose wondrous love, the love of God to me. It brought my Saviour from about to die on Calvary #7.
I'd like first of all to read part of the verse.
The 23rd chapter of Jeremiah.
Just unless you realize your friends and I'm under a very solemn responsibility standing here tonight and I feel it.
Jeremiah 23.
The middle of the verse.
And he that hath my word.
Let us speak my word faithfully.
00:05:03
Says the Lord, is not my word like as a fire?
Lord and like a hammer that breakthrough the rock in pieces.
And I do feel, dear friends, tonight I'm under this solemn responsibility.
To speak the word of God faithfully, because God will hold me responsible if I do not.
I'd like to turn tonight to sevenfolds mentioned in Scripture 7 Fools.
The first one we look at is in Psalm.
14.
Psalm 14.
The fool has said in his heart.
No God.
They are corrupt.
They have done the abominable works. There is none to do with good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.
They're all gone aside.
They're all together, become filthy. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one.
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?
Some years ago.
In Mansfield, England, the dear brother whose name was Halfpenny, who is now with the Lord.
He and I went to the police station to ask for permission to preach on the street on the Market Square.
And the police very readily gave us permission.
He said you got the Market Square. We said yes, and we had thought of going there. He said, well, you better stand with your backs to the wall. He said you'll meet a rough crowd there, but we'll have three men out to take care of you if you need any help.
So he sent 3 policemen. They stood by while we preached with our backs to the wall to a rough crowd of people.
And after we were through, we distributed tracks for those standing by and a handed one to a man. He said, I don't believe in God. I don't believe there is a God. I said, well friend, now this is rather interesting or should be to you to know that your name is in the Bible.
My name in the Bible, I said, yes friend, it is. But you have the audacity to say with your lips, no God, there's no God.
There's a set here. The fool has sat in his heart.
That you're more.
Ready to?
Deny this wonderful truth, you express it with your lips.
I said, now will you read it with me? The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. So now I'm not calling you a fool. This is what God calls you. Your name is right here.
The demon is very embarrassed and should be too.
Well, just imagine. I trust there are no people here tonight who have had the audacity.
To suggest there is no God.
Just for a moment, when he turned the 19th Psalm.
Instead of the heavens, declare the glory of God.
And the prominent showeth is handiwork day after day after its speech, and night. And the night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words at the end of the world. In them have He set a Tabernacle for the Son. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the permanent showeth his handiwork.
Is there anybody here tonight who would dare to say there's no God in the face of a scripture like this? And the first chapter of Genesis, it says in the beginning God. In the beginning God. Yes, friends, there is a God.
Although many disbelieve it, it'll be a very solemn experience for them to meet the person whose existence they deny.
00:10:02
Indeed it will. A soldier said the same to me one day. I don't leave. There's a God, said my friend. You gonna have an awful shock. You're going to meet the person whose existence you deny. You're going to stand before him, face him, and you'll be speechless.
And Solomon is to realize that those who deny that there is a God are going to meet him. Well, we must all give an account of ourselves to God. And there is a God, friends, and he's a God of love.
And He loves you, and He's proved that by sending His beloved Son down into this world to die for your sins on the cross of Calvary. What greater proof of His love could you have than this that He gave God, gave his beloved Son his only Son, and sent Him down here. He was sent to the Father. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
You see, you want to save your friends.
Do you know this blessed person as your Savior?
Personally.
Well, we're here on every hand today. There is no God.
Well, heaven did this world come about.
We read in Psalm 33 that he spake and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. He created the world by the breath of his mouth. Think of it. He spake and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. And in Joe we read. He hung up the earth upon nothing, and it hangs all right, doesn't.
Yes, that's the God we have to bring. The poise, the night, friends, one who loves you.
In John 316 we have that glorious truth, most precious truth for God. Oh, there is a God then. Yes, for God so loved the world. He so loved the world.
Gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish.
But have everlasting life.
I read a story and it was supposed to be a true one.
Of an atheist who went in the field with a sword and he said, I'll prove to you there's no God, you watch me. And people did watch him. He went in the field with a sword. He's flashing his sword. And he said, God, if there is a God, I defy thee. Here. Now the Mortal Kombat, come down, fight me.
And there is silence.
It was a windy day and the wind carried a piece of paper to this man's feet.
And out of curiosity, he dropped his sword and picked it up.
There were three words on it. God is love, not a fighting God. God is love. And it was that that broke him down.
Yes, friends, God is a God of love and he loves you dear. Send a friend.
He sent his beloved son down here to die for you, for your sins, that you might be saved from your sins, because if you die and your sins, you know you'll be raised in your sins.
To stand before the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the great White Throne, to be judged for them. There'll be no escape, there'll be no arguing, there no reasoning with God. Now you'll be speechless and heaven and earth shall have passed away.
And you'll be there if you die in your sins in spite of the fact that heaven and earth shall have passed away. You will be there standing before the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who has appointed to be the judge. You'll stand before him, speechless, condemned. Otherwise you wouldn't be there. Very. There is a proof that you have rejected Christ. Oh, dear friends, I trust you will never be there.
At that great white throne of judgment, you know we read in John 5/22, the Father judges no man.
But have committed all judgment unto the Son, and in verse 27, and have given him the Son authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. And between those two precious verses we have verse 24. And you all know what that is.
The one who's appointed to be the judge turns to the poor, lost, guilty Sinner and says, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
00:15:06
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that send Me half everlasting life, and shall not.
And shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. Or the glorious statement. I know no better one really in the Word of God, than that the Lord Jesus Christ addressing the poor Sinner personally, Verily, verily, I say unto you. And that double oath of affirmation in John's gospel is mentioned, I believe, 25 times. Verily, verily.
So the Son of God speaking, I say unto you, And if there's one here tonight in his or her sins, that word is addressed to you with your dear friend. Thoroughly, thoroughly I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him, that send me half of a lasting life, and shall not come into judgment. What a glorious truth, What a grand assurance through simple faith in Christ, repentance and faith toward God and Christ.
And have the assures that you'll never come into judgment, never be punished for your sins. Why?
Because Christ has blotted them out with His own precious blood of Calvary. Many of us here tonight have that assurance in our hearts that we shall never come under the judgment of God for our sins because they have been atoned for by the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. Yes, many years ago.
And it still stands good before a holy God. Indeed it does. Well, here we have the 1St.
In the 14th Psalm we have the first fool, a set in his heart, no God.
Oh yes, I tell you again, my dear friends, there is a God, and he's a God of love. He's so loved the world.
Are you part of the world? Well, you must be one whom he loves them.
To say you do not belong to this world, you've got to get out of it somehow and say, well, I belong to some other sphere of being. I don't belong here at all. But you cannot say that. You cannot refuse the application of those fresh.
Words Well, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever the world, and whosoever.
That applies to everyone here. The world and whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Doesn't mean you may have it later, you know.
Is proud possession. The very moment you repent and turn to God and accept Christ as your Savior, you have everlasting life right away.
And how foolish of people to say he can be saved and lost. It's really making God a liar.
Of course, it wouldn't be everlasting life or eternal life if I had it one day and lost it the next. Indeed not. So here we have the first fool mentioned now, Luke 24 and verse 25.
But although I remind you that there is a God, and he's a God of love.
Let us not be deceived by the lie of Satan, who suggests that if God is a God of love, he'll never consign his creatures to hell. You know he must never look at God with one eye.
No, God is a God of light. He's a holy God too. He's too holy to let sin into heaven. But he is a God of love, and we thank him for it tonight.
Now here in Luke 24.
And verse 25.
Then he said unto them, O fools.
And slow heart, to believe all the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ, who has suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Oh, full, slower, Hard to believe. Is that the case with anyone here tonight?
Slow, hard to believe, to believe the Gospel, to believe the sad and solemn truth that you are lost, guilty, Sinner by nature.
And on the road to Hale, I slow to believe that. Oh, I trust you will hurry up and believe it. It's God's word. Here we find the Lord saying to these dear ones here.
Since certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found so and so. And he said under no fool down slow of heart to leave, All the prophets have spoken. You know, in Mark 16 and verse 16 it says He that believeth not.
00:20:13
Channel being what damn, he that believeth not shall be damned.
That's a solemn statement, but these are the words of the Lord. And in John three, I'll just read it, 17 and 18.
These are very important verses for those who are slow to believe.
The third chapter of John's Gospel.
Says in verse.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. That's God's desire for the Sinner, that he might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned.
But he that believeth not is condemned already.
It gives the reason because he has not believed.
In the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Now there may be two classes in our company here tonight.
Believers and unbelievers.
Those who are ready to believe, and not slower to believe, but ready to believe, believe the record that God has given of themselves and the record that God have given of His beloved Son. Many have received that and believe that. But there may be others here tonight who are slower to believe. They have the doubts. What are you doubting for? Why do you doubt God's word? Because by doing that, you're making God a liar.
That's a rather strong statement, but it's true. If you disbelieve God's Word, you are making God alive.
Dare you do that?
He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed, is the one here tonight who is not yet believed.
One who is slow to believe. Notice what the Lord says here, old fools, slow of heart to believe.
What a solemn thing. To be slow to believe is wonderful truth of God's word. God speaks the truth, you know. There's something God cannot do and he cannot lie.
So therefore you should believe what he says. You should believe it right away, not while you get home, because you may not get home.
We've been reminded the day of the eminence of the Lord's return. The Lord may come before this meeting is over, and I trust He may. As far as I'm concerned. And many others. How many would have been left sitting on the chair, doomed, condemned, awaiting the execution of God's judgement upon them?
What a solemn thought it may be true.
Yes, if the Lord came right now, friend, how would it affect you? Would you be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, or would you be left behind for God's judgment? You'd realize there's a God then, all right? Indeed you would. And you've got to meet Him, friends, whether you believe it or not, everyone, we've got to face him. You can either face him tonight as a loving Savior.
Or in the coming day, you'll have to face him as a solemn judge.
Although he is a God of love.
Is the God of light is a just God and a savior? Yes, a just God and the savior.
Is a righteous God, a loving God, a forgiving God? What is your attitude to Him and to His Word?
Well the Lord says here, oh fools and slow of heart, to believe all of the prophets have spoken.
Old people say, well, I believe part of the Bible and not all of it. Well, are they not making God a liar? He's not the whole of his blessed book inspired.
Indeed, it is the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever will never pass away.
The earth and his works are going to be burned up. The word of God is forever settled in heaven.
Yes, friend, it is.
And in John 1248 we read these solemn words. The Lord says He that rejecteth me is the one, He, the knight who has rejected Christ. Have you Why he hasn't rejected you yet?
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But the time may come when he will, if you pursue that course of unbelief.
He that rejecteth me the Lord says in dwelt John 1248. He then rejected me, and receiveth not My words hath won the judge of him the word that I have spoken. The same shall judge him in the last day, this very book, this blessed, precious, immutable word of God.
Is the very word which is going to judge you in the last day, friend, if you die in your sins.
How solemn it is we read today of many dear Christians and other countries, while they give their lives almost to possess a Bible and be at liberty to read the Word of God.
Many thousands of their Christians are imprisoned today for the name of Christ. The Bible's taken from them, burned the children, snatched from them, and never see them again.
Put in the communistic schools, how would it affect us? I'll never forget a little incident in South Africa when I was in the British and Foreign Bible Society for a supply of Bibles for the troops.
A native came in in rags, barefooted. He had some coppers in each hand. He just dropped them down on the table and said Sir, to the manager of the Bible store. He said, Sir, I want a Bible, Sir, I want a Bible. I've heard there's a God I want to know more about.
Oh Sir, let me have a Bible. He threw the coppers on the counter and of course he didn't have enough coppers with. The difference was soon made-up and he was handed the Bible.
And he put it to his breast and hugged it and wept over. Oh, he said, thank God I have a Bible lost. I have God's word at last. And he haunted and wept over.
Went down the street crying, rejoicing. Is that how we value the word of God, friends?
If it were taken promise we'd value it more than, wouldn't we or?
Precious word that we have in our hands tonight. It could be taken promised yet I trust it may never be taken promised, but it could. We're not home yet. I hope we soon shall be though. But what is your attitude to the word of God here? There were those who were slow to believe the record. Are you going to be slow to believe the record that God had given of his beloved Son? You dear young people.
How do you stand before a holy God tonight? You've heard the Gospel hundreds of times, haven't you? Haven't you? What have you done about it?
Are you slow to believe it? Be careful, you may be slow a little too long.
Yes, the door of mercy may soon be shot, and it will in the day of grace will soon be gone, and He will, you know, and nor end of the out. The God in His mercy waited seven days more before the flood came. The perfect period of grace and patience on His part. And then when the seven days had expired, which seven days of grace, the flood came. And dear friends, the day of grace is just about to run out, I'm sure of it.
So beware, dear young people, do not think you have a long life before you, and you have plenty of time to think about eternal matters. You have not.
God says, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold now.
Not tomorrow, not at 8:00, not at 8:30. Rather is gone 8 now, not at 8:30. Well, we must get along. Now we turn to First Samuel.
26.
First Samuel 26.
And verse 21.
Then said Saul, I have sinned. Have you ever said that, dear young folks?
Have you ever acknowledged before a holy God that you're a Sinner, that you have sinned? Saul says I have sinned. Return my son David, for I will no more do the harm, because my soul is precious as thine eyes this day, the whole I have played the fool.
What a solemn statement for King Saul to say. I have played the full and friends and you.
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Christ, you've played the full. And what else did he say?
And have heard exceedingly. Not merely have erred, but erred exceedingly. I have played the fool. Think of it, the king to say that.
How long are you going to play the fool, dear Sinner friend?
Playing the folders.
Procrastination.
Yes, just putting it out and putting it out. Playing the fool. Think there's plenty of time I'll think about these things when I'm on my deathbed. You may never have one. You're not promised one.
You might pass into eternity the night. And where are you going, dear friends?
You dear sin of friends here tonight, where are you bound for at the end of the journey?
I'm sure you would say I hope to heaven, but hoping we'll never take you there. It'll never get anybody there. We need to know where we're going. And through grace, I know where I'm going at the end of the journey to be with Christ. But where are you going? Oh, friends, how it settled right now as to where you're going when you leave this scene, you've got to leave it.
Don't be mistaken about this. You have to leave it sometime. And if you leave it in your sins and we are most solemn thing for you, and if you leave it without Christ, it'll be a terrible thing for you. Or you say it's going to cost me quite a bit to be a Christian, that's why I'm holding back. I tell your friends it's going to cost you a lot more not to be one. Indeed it will. It'll cost you a lot more not to be a Christian than to be a Christian.
It will cost you an eternity in hell.
So here we got the solemn statement. I have played the full. Would you say that of yourself? Oh, you say no, of course I haven't played the fool. I've gone on lived an upright moral life. I haven't played the fool. I've gone to the gospel meeting and my name is on the church roll. I haven't played the pool, but you have. If you haven't accepted Christ, if you're procrastinated, keep putting it off and putting it off, you're playing the fool.
And you're earning exceedingly. What happened to King Saul?
Let's turn over the 31St chapter and see what happened to him.
The 31St chapter of Sam, first Samuel.
Three and four and the battle went sore against Saul and The Archers hit him.
And he was sore wounded at The Archers. Then said Saul under his armor bearer to all thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armor bear would not prefer sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it, committed suicide. Here's the king who played the fool.
Committed suicide. Oh, how solemn indeed it is.
And this all had a beginning. What was the beginning? The previous chapters, Simon said this all, stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God.
And Saul did not obey the word of the Lord, He disobeyed.
And toward the end of his life, he said I've played the whole my very exceedingly, and he committed suicide.
I understand from the statistics of the thousand people are committing suicide every day in this world.
Think of it, 1000 people committing suicide every day. Where are they going?
They think they're going to end the trouble, do they not? I met a dear Christian sailor in Shanghai.
He was in the Navy many years and he'd been dabbling with sin, gone into everything that was bad.
And when his ship arrived in Gibraltar, he told us this story, Mr. Willis home in Shanghai. He said when we put into Gibraltar, I went on shore with the intent and purpose of taking my life and ending all my sorrows and troubles. He said I got so deeply into sin I didn't know how to get out. And I went on short to take my life. And I was walking down the street, he said, and I heard somebody singing. I didn't want to listen to that, He said. It seemed that if somebody was dragging me over there where the singing was.
He said I couldn't help myself, the fellows, I was being pulled over there where they were singing. He said it happened to be a little gospel hall, he said, and it seemed to me as if some strong power was drawing me in that gospel hall, but I didn't want to go in there. I want to end everything. But he said I had to go in. I was being drawn in and I sat on the back seat against the door so I can slip out quickly. But he said instead of going on shore to take my life, I came out of the gospel hall with eternal life.
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He said the preacher was preaching such a wonderful simple gospel. He said it really bound me over, floored me. He said I realized then I was on the verge of hell, no one to flee from coming judgment. I didn't want to go to hell, he said. And that was the means of my salvation being drawn in that little gospel hall. Listening to the preacher preach the simple gospel of God and his love through the person work of Christ and his shed blood at Calvary.
He turned out to be a very, very bright Christian. I used to go around with him giving out tracks in Shanghai. Well, here then we have the end of Saul here. What a terrible end now.
Second Samuel.
Chapter 3.
And verse 33, Second Samuel 333.
And the king lamented over Abner, and said, died Abner as a fool dire.
Died Abner as a full diet, he says their hands were not bound.
Nor thy feet put in the feathers. As a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou.
Dyed Aetna as a full diet. Are you going to die, dear friend? As a fool dies?
Your hands are not bound. Your feet are not in fetus. You're at liberty to come to Christ right now.
And he invites you to come. He says, Come under me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.
Come unto me, he says. And he says, Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.
Yes, he invites you to come and to come now.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.
It's all now. Not tomorrow, not 5 minutes time, but now.
Oh dear friends, may the Lord stir you up the sense of your need of a savior if you have never been stirred up before.
Realize your need of him and realize you're lost and ruined and helpless condition.
And that by nature, you're really on the road to hell.
All friends.
Do not go to that door in your sins tonight. You can have them washed away in the precious blood of Christ. That's why Jesus Christ came down here.
Why do you think He came? He says in John 638 I came down from heaven. Do you believe that? Of course you do. So do I. He said I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. Well if it stopped there we wouldn't know what the will of the Father was. But in verse 40 it says and this and this is the will of him that sent me. The Lord says that everyone which seeth the sun and believeth on Him believeth on him.
They have everlasting life and shall not come into judgment. Yes, how very wonderful this is. The Lord Jesus Christ did not come down here to clean up politics. He didn't come down here and make this a better place to live in. And some people suppose some people like poor Mary, you know, who supposed him to be the gardener. Many people consider the Lord Jesus Christ came down here to be the gardener.
To make this world a better place to live in. That was not his object at all. He came down to do the will of his father and we have just been reading what the will of the father is.
And this is the will of the Father, He says of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I'll raise him up again at the last day. That's why the Lord Jesus Christ came first of all to do the will of His Father. And the will of His Father is that you should be saved, that you should be saved. Friends tonight.
Yes, he loves you. He proved it by going to the cross to die for your sins there, and we can never know what he suffered there.
Not only on the hands of wicked men, the physical sufferings.
But what is suffered under the hand of a holy God? We can never know. When God, a holy God, had to make His beloved Son sin for us, and then pour all that awful judgment upon His blessed, devoted head. Yes, He bore the awful judgment of a holy God against sin, and thanks be to that blessed One, He's borne my sins in His own body on the tree. What about yours, dear friends? Where are your sins tonight?
00:40:17
Are they upon you?
Or have they been washed away in the precious blood of Christ?
If not, they're still upon you. Well, here we get these solemn words. Died Abner as a fool. Dyer, your hands are not bound. Your feet are not in fetters. No, you're at liberty to come to Christ, my friends, and you're at liberty to come now. And I do sincerely trust you will, because tomorrow may be too late. Boast not thyself of tomorrow. But thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You may be an eternity tomorrow. I might be.
But where are we going? That's the important question. Eternities before everyone of us and you and I are going to spend it in one of two places. You either with the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory, blessed be his name. That's going to be my portion through wonders, grace that the other place is hell. Only two places. You cannot create a third place and say I'm on neutral ground. There's no such place before a holy God.
I've said it before, you've heard me say it. I'm sure there is a piece of neutral ground in Gibraltar and a quarter of a mile doesn't belong to the British, doesn't belong the Spaniards. So it's called neutral ground. But friend, you cannot stand upon that and say, oh, I'm neutral, I'm neutral. I'm not going to heaven, I'm not going to hell. You are going to one of those two places as the shores. You're sitting here tonight. And make no mistake about it, my dear friends, and let me tell you that God loves you. There is a God and he's a God of love.
As well as a holy God, you cannot look up and sin. Sin must be punished. And so my sins have been punished in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And now God has forgiven me through what Christ has done, in whom we have redemption through His blood. Even the forgiveness of sins. What a precious statement, even the forgiveness of sins.
Now Proverbs 14.
Proverbs chapter 14 and verse 9.
Fools make a market sin. What a solemn statement this is. Fools make a mark at sin. Why a sin has brought all the misery in this world.
Death and suffering, tears, anguish, poverty. Everything is bad. It's been brought in by sin.
And fools make a mark of sin, and my precious Savior was made sin by God.
That I might be made what? Not sin, but the righteousness of God in him. Oh, thanks be to God for that wonderful, wonderful love.
Has manifested than the gift of His beloved Son.
Is the person he here who would come under this category?
Making a market sin. Are you a fool now? I'm not going to call you a fool.
But we just go by what God's word says. Fools make a mark of sin, and it's sin, I tell you, that's brought to death and sorrow in this world on every hand, all the suffering we see around us as a result of sin.
And fools make a mark of sin. That which took my precious Savior to Calvary. Yes it did. God made him Christ to be sin for me. He took my place on the cross of Calvary. It was my substitute.
He loved me so much that He's willing to die for me and wash my sins away in His precious blood. And yours too. If you have believed on him, that's your happy portion and position. So here we read Fools Make a Mark of Sin. Now, the 10th chapter.
You can't stay long on these because time is going.
10th chapter of Proverbs and verse 21. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die.
Fools die for want of wisdom.
Where they're going to get wisdom, it's found in the Word of God and we read in First Corinthians. Who of God is made unto us? Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Christ is the wisdom of God. If you want wisdom, you must receive Christ as your Savior.
00:45:07
In connection with this verse, William Conley turned the 8th chapter of Proverbs.
It begins in this way. We find here the Lord Jesus Christ is presented to us under the beautiful figure of wisdom.
Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice?
She standeth in the top of high places, by the way, in the places of the past. She cried out at the gates at the end of the city, the coming into the doors. Now listen, this is Wisdom crying to you, dear friend. Under you, Oh man, I call you.
Oh man, I call this is wisdom calling you Christ, who is the wisdom of God.
He says unto you, O men I call, and my voice is to the sons of man, O ye simple.
Understand wisdom and he fools and he pulls be even understanding heart here for I will speak of excellent things and the opening my lips shall be right things and further down verse 33 here instruction and be wide.
And refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrong at his own soul. All they that hate me love death.
Just think of this, dear friends, wisdom crying unto you. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man. What is he calling you for? To repent. God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now this minute, old friends, do not put it off. I plead with you not to put it off another moment.
You're not sure of the next minute God holds your breath in the hall of his hand. He went to withhold of his few seconds. You'll be gone into eternity.
So how slender your life is? And mine. Harry is spending it. What are you going to do with it? It's loaned to you.
I ain't going to be slow to believe what God has said. They're going to be like Saul, say I've played the fool and commit suicide. The end.
Many doing it now. They're deceiving themselves by thinking they're ending all their troubles. They're just beginning. They're going to eternity lost in their sins. Yes, they're terrible.
How solemn this is. Well here, this is a wonderful word. Doth not wisdom cry? Guess wisdom is crying tonight throughout this world. Come unto me, the Lord says, Come unto me, look unto me, and be saved all the ends of the earth.
Brian, God, and there's none else. Isaiah 4522.
How simple it is, how precious. Look unto me, the Lord says, Look unto me.
And be what? Disappointed now? And be saved all the ends of the earth? The invitation goes out to all the ends of the earth. And be saved all the ends of the earth. I am God. Yes, I am God, he says. And there is none else.
No, there's only one Savior, dear Sinner friend, and you need him. You need him now, and he's available now. He may not be tomorrow. Maybe too late. Yes, tomorrow could be too late.
For anyone of us here.
Well, here then. This is very solemn.
This.
Chapter Proverbs.
It says.
The fools die for want of wisdom.
Oh, you say, that's only natural. We've all got to die.
But let me tell you this, dear friends, We as Christians are not looking for death at all. We may never die because the scripture says they that are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.
So you and I may be alive when the Lord comes and will never die. We find in scripture there are two men singled out.
To go to heaven without dying.
You know who they were.
Enoch and Elijah, they went to heaven without dying, and there are two men destined to go alive.
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The beast and the false prophet, Yes, two gone ahead from their dying and two are going alive into hell.
Oh, friends, I trust you'll never go there. There's no need. You know, God has made every provision for your salvation, every provision for your eternal security and safety and blessing. And it's through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and the officers to you tonight as a loving, precious Savior.
What are you going to do with Him? What thinking of Christ? What do you think about Him?
You know what? Pilate said. What shall I?
In other words, what shall I do with Jesus?
Yes, the solemn question came before Pilate. His wife says, Hath thou nothing to do with this just man? That's an impossibility. We've all got to have something to do with Jesus. We are at the meeting as a Savior or we meet him as a judge. He says, What shall I do then with Jesus? What shall I do with him? What did he do with him? Rejected him.
Scourge him, handed him over to be crucified, and he is still verily guilty.
And yet he had the audacity to say, bring me a bowl of water and I'll wash my hands. And now I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. What a lie. Never told a bigger lie in his life. He was guilty. The only one who was innocent there was the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the innocent one. Pilot was a guilty person, but he washed his hands in a bowl of water with water. Walsh away your guilt. Will it wash away your sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus will ever do that, my friends. And that precious blood has been shattered, Calvary, and it's ready and available to wash away your sins right now, if you'll have him, If you'll let him. But are you going to play the fool?
Are you, are you going to die as a fool without wisdom, the lack for want of wisdom? Well, wisdom is available in the person of Christ, he says. We told in First Corinthians that he is the wisdom of God. Christ is he is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, all those things were lacking in arsenal and regenerate days. We had nothing of that at all. But now Christ is made unto us these things.
Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption. Oh, praise the Lord for redemption. Praise the Lord for wisdom. Wisdom deceived the truth of His precious word. Now when he turned to Luke 12 on time, it's just about gone. Luke 12.
Hmm.
This is about the rich farmer. We know the story. There isn't time to go through it now.
I'll read one verse or two quickly. Verse 16 You speak a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a rich man brought forth plentifully. He thought within himself, notice he thought within himself like poor name. And he said, I thought he thought wrong. He says, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, This will I do, I'll pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I be so all my fruits and my goods.
And I, it's all I I will say to my soul. So there was much goods later for many years. Take thine ease, take it easy.
Eat, drink and be merry. This is what the farmer said. Now the next verse we read what God said. What did God say to the farmer? The rich farmer? But God said unto him, thou.
This night.
My soul shall be required of thee. Oh, what a statement. What a solemn, searching statement.
I suppose the man went to bed with this on his mind.
And as the hours were passing slowly away as he's in bed.
The time came when he passed out of time into eternity as God said he would.
But in the morning the barns were there, the crops were there, the farm was there, the farmer was not. God sent thou for this night. Thy soul shall be required of thee. And it was. If God were to say that to you tonight, do you send a friend? Would you go to sleep and sleep peacefully?
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We can imagine this scene. I don't want to speculate, but we can imagine this poor farmer summoning his friends.
From a distant village to come around his bedside to try and cheer him up and stand and watch him, his life slowing slowly, ebbing away. At last, he draws his last breath. He's gone. And what do they do?
I suppose they would say, well, he said he was going to have a royal time, He's got lots of goods laid up for many years. He said he's going to eat, drink and be merry. But where is he now?
Yes, where is he now? In eternity? I fear lost. Oh, friend, if you want a person pass in eternity now where would you go? Oh, I do plead with you to have this settled before you leave this room as to where you're going.
And do any of these pictures we read in 97 they suit you? Do they apply to you?
Have you heard exceedingly in rejecting the gospel, despising the riches of God's grace?
Neglecting this great salvation. If you've done that, you've played the fool, friend. My trusty will not end in suicide.
That'll end you in hell if that's the way you go on. Yes it will.
Oh, this is too solemn to speak about. But these are reality's friends. We want you to face them. You never face them before. Face them now. This minute.
As to ask yourself now, in the presence of God, who knows your heart through and through, where shall I spend eternity? If God says thou fool this night, thy soul shall be required of thee, how would it affect you?
I'm afraid you wouldn't get much sleep, would you?
Well, if the Lord said that to many of us here tonight, we'd rejoice. We would rejoice. And now that we'd be absent, present, absent from the body and present with the Lord. That's what we're longing for. But what are you, dear friends, longing for a better time here on earth? You dear young people, looking forward to getting through all the examinations and getting on in the world and getting a big salary on a banking account and a nice home and a big car.
Is that what you have before you?
All those things, my dear young people, are worthless in comparison to things we've been looking at tonight.
Listen to that Blessed One who is the wisdom of God unto you. O men, I call my voices to the sons of men. He's calling you to come to Him while it's safe, while it's safe to come, and while it is time to come. Within 5 minutes, it could be too late to come.
And there I have to leave it. Friends, think about these seven pools. Just weigh them up. And are you going to die as a fool, Dyer? Your hands are not bound like Abner. Your feet are not in fetters. No, you're free. You're free to come to the Savior right now. And why not come? Why put it off another moment? Delay is dangerous. And delay my land during in an eternal hell.
God's Abundance
Gospel—A. Hayhoe
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General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974. Gothel by Albert Hayhoe.
We sing together. Hymn #37.
#37 the gospel of thy grace, My stubborn heart has won.
For God so loved the world he gave his only Son, That whosoever will believe shall everlasting life receive #37.
The gospel of thy grace.
My Sovereign.
Oh my God, thank you blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Halloween.
Prayers for hours, but I'll give it to you and make it proud of God and Umbrella.
A lot of information about.
Blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Thank you a lot for creating communication and.
Like you to turn with me tonight, please, to the prophet Isaiah.
Chapter 55.
00:05:05
Isaiah chapter 55, verse one.
Hold everyone that thirst come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat. Yeah, come by wine and milk, without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfied month?
Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself.
In flatness, verse 6.
Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found.
Call ye upon him while he is near, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will.
Abundantly harden.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
Or as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Beloved friend, I want to speak to you tonight about the heart and thoughts of the God whose Sunday you and I shall certainly meet. He looks down upon this poor, groaning, disappointed world, and he appeals in those words that sound so needful for our ears today.
Hold everyone that.
Thirst. You know that we are living in a thirsty age, a thirsty generation.
You and I know full well at all around us there are those who are spending their money.
For that which is not bread striving after that which cannot satisfy.
And I stand here with the joy and privilege, yet with the solemn challenge of telling you, my friend, that there is one who can quench that thirst. There is one who can satisfy that longing for time and for eternity.
Notice please this sixth verse. Seek ye the Lord.
Seek ye the Lord.
I wish to press this upon you. God's word declares the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. You and I seek for things because we don't know where they are, but not so with the Lord Jesus. He has come, beloved, to seek you, to seek me. He knew right where we were, He came right where we were.
But what happened? I turned my back. Am I the only one? I don't believe I am. I believe there are many here tonight who would say the same thing. You knew that he was seeking you. You knew that he had a message for you. And I say again, Almighty, only one that turned my back and went farther and farther down.
The broad Rd. that was leading me daily nearer to destruction. But he sought me, He played with me, He said to me in the language of this very verse, Seek ye the Lord.
Did I have far to seek?
Is there anyone here that would say that you had far to seek? All you and I had to do is just turn around and find there the outstretched arms of a seeking Savior who came to seek and to save that which was lost.
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I see as the Lord Jesus was here among men the picture of that poor sinful woman of the streets of the city, who came at the very feet of the Lord Jesus, and there wept out with tears of repentance the sorrow of her heart, and yet the love of her heart. And what did the Lord Jesus, that seeking Savior, say to that woman?
Thy sins be forgiven thee.
See Zacchaeus, if you will, a man who might feel that he had an excuse to turn away from the opportunity that was so near in hand. It was difficult for Zacchaeus to fulfill the desire of his heart, but no obstacle could hinder that man from being in the presence of the one whom he felt sure could satisfy the longing of his soul and the seeking Savior.
And the seeking Sinner met together beneath that Sycamore tree, and it was there from the lips of the Lord Jesus and to that very man, Zacchaeus, that the Lord Jesus said, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
You and I know that again and again, through the pages of the Word of God, we find the seeking Savior and the seeking Sinner meet together. And every time it's pardoned.
And blessing, beloved friend, I say to you this moment, seek ye the Lord, while he may be found, Is there really an hour coming when he will no longer be found? He will no longer be.
Near there is indeed, my friend, and I feel it to be my responsibility to warn you solemnly that that hour, that moment, is very near at hand, when the seeking Savior will no longer be near at hand.
All that I have been burdened even before these meetings began, as I pictured to myself the fathers and the mothers with their sons and their daughters who would possibly be gathered together here.
And the challenge of those who would try to tell out the message of God's matchless love.
And I knew in my soul that the Savior who has so often looked down upon sin, just seen as this, would yearn far, far more than any of us could ever yearns. That everyone in this company, every boy and every girl, every one of you beloved young people, everyone in this company might know the eternal joy.
Of his home, his welcome, his love for all eternity.
Yet once more I face this challenge, and I look at this moment into the faces of those who are gathered here, and the challenge burdens my soul.
You know, quite a while ago I was standing outside a tent on the island of Saint Kitts and there was a man preaching there and he was putting everything he had into the message.
But he noticed, I guess from time to time, that there were those who were not paying very good attention.
And every once in a while, he'd stop and say, what did I say? And he'd make them repeat the last sentence. He was so in earnest that that message that he was delivering would not be lost upon those who heard it, that he'd point right at them and say, what did I say? And he'd wait until they gave back the message that he was delivering. Now, my friend, this is a very, very solemn moment for every one of us.
As our brother felt and expressed last night at the beginning of the meeting, he was going to be responsible before God for the words that he uttered here last night. And I am going to be responsible too. And you are going to be responsible for having sat here to hear a message which I trust I can say is not my own, but the message of him who here in the Old Testament.
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Pleads with his people that they might receive from him that which he had to offer.
Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found.
Oh, as I stand here and see a Bible in everyone's hands and know that you have heard this message so often, I wonder, my friend, do you and I realize.
What a solemn, solemn responsibility is being recorded in God's books in a day by day record of your life. This morning our brother spoke to us of a simple parable of the straw, if you wish, by which.
Water is drawn up into the the mouth of a thirsty man. He spoke of that conduit which brought the water from afar off to a thirsty city. City.
You know if he spoke.
I thought of a conduit.
A water pipe that began in a teeming, thirsty city of Hong Kong.
And that conduit, that water pipe was built from that city away back through the distant hills for miles in order that water might be brought to the people of that ever thirsty city, Hong Kong.
Day by day.
That pipe was constructed farther and farther into the hills in the distance. And do you know one day a strange thing happened. Maybe you'll find it hard to believe, but some of the workmen that were at the Hong Kong end of that pipe saw to their astonishment.
A man crawl out from the opening of that pipe. He blinked his eyes.
And looked about him. His clothes were torn, he was bruised and bleeding. He got up on his feet with a look of thrilling delight. He was in a free land at last.
And he'd only gotten on his feet. And another one crawled out, and another one man. Women, children, young people. They told me how many. And I have forgotten the numbers.
If you suffer from claustrophobia, you'd better not try to picture this.
That they had gotten in at a far end of that pipe. I'm telling you the truth. And have crawled and squirmed those miles through that water pipe, yet empty in order to come out in Hong Kong. Why have they done it? Did they not have enough to eat where they came from? Yes, they did. But they came from a land where the very existence of God was denied.
Where this precious book was unknown, Where the name of Jesus was never heard.
And beloved, I'm going to go a step farther. My dear wife and I stood beside one of those men who had escaped. We found him in a hospital on the island of Hailing Chao. Our beloved brother, Robert Pilkington was with us and stood by that bedside as that dear man who had just undergone surgery to try to remedy the ravages of leprosy from his hands and from his feet.
And he told us, and Robert translated.
That in that place, for the first time in all his life, he'd seen a Bible. The first time in all his life he'd even heard the name of Jesus. And with those bad digits, uplifted hands, he told us with gladness that he had found out that he was a Sinner in the sight of God, and that God loved him, that God's beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.
Have died for him.
And he had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior. He held up those disfigured hands and rejoice.
And I'm going to meet him in the glory. And now, my friend, you sit here with a Bible in your lap, with all liberty, hearing though you heard it often before, that there is a God who knows all about you, but who loves you in spite of it all.
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Does that offend you? Am I talking about someone else? No, my friend. I'm talking about you and about myself.
It amazes me to say it, and I say it with gladness.
The God who knew all about me, the God whose eye rested upon the record of my guilt, loved me. Loved me enough to send his own beloved son.
The Lord Jesus to take that guilt upon Himself, to bear the strokes of judgment that I deserve, to shed His precious blood for me. And I thank God for those who pressed upon me from the days of my earliest memory.
That the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from.
All sin.
I'm sure there is no harm in repetition. Let me emphasize the importance of that verse in a way that perhaps the children will understand. I hope they will. I was addressing a group of children one time from that very verse.
And we read it together. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. We came to that word us. And I asked the children present, was it proper English to say us when I'm standing all alone by myself? They said, no, Sir, you'd have to say I or me.
But us means more than one. Well, I said, I'm all alone up here and I want to read this book as God wrote it. Now, I don't do this very often. I had never done it before. But I pointed to a boy I remember on the front row who had been listening with such a happy look on his face. I said, my boy, do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? And he jumped to his feet in a moment. He said, yes, Sir, I do.
Let's ask ourselves now if that question were addressed to you.
And God could look into your very heart. Could you rise to your feet and say, yes Sir, I do?
Well, I said, my boy, would you then please come up here with me and let us read this verse together. And he did. And we stood there side by side and read that precious verse. As God has written it, The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth. And I looked down at that lad, and he looked up at me, and we read that precious word together.
Cleanser us from all sin.
I think we both enjoyed it equally.
It's ever precious to my soul that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son, is that which has cleansed this heart of mine from every stain of sin. Seek ye the Lord while He is near.
While he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
When you stop to think of it, if someone had the full record of my life, with all the stains of sin and guilt that I recorded there, would I not want to be on the other side of the world from that man? I wouldn't want to meet him.
I'd say there's a man that knows all about me, every stain of sin in my life, he knows he's got it all written down. I don't ever want to meet him. I want to stay a long way from him. And there's many a Sinner that feels that way. They want to keep at a distance from the one who knows all about the sin stained record of their life. But the Lord Jesus pleads with you.
And bites you to be found at his feet. What for? In order that he might remind you of the record that he has kept. You know, in the affairs of this world, folks can try to keep back the record of their guilt.
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They do. They try to keep back the record of their guilt. I remember years ago.
And you know, this was quite a while ago, the Bell Telephone Company had an open house where we lived and invited anyone to come and see how their operations were carried out.
And in the course of going through the plant, they had what was a very, very strange contraption known as a tape recorder. I'd never seen one in my life before. And they invited us to speak into this microphone and then hear our voices back again. It was a new experience to me. I don't remember what I said into it, but I remember my astonishment of hearing those words come back exactly as I had uttered them.
If you make a slip, it comes back. If you say something you wish you hadn't, it comes back. And my friend, I will remember that when I first heard my voice coming back on a tape recorder.
It.
It sounded fascinating, but then I suddenly thought, is it really true?
That everything I've ever said, he has heard it, he has recorded it. I can't erase it. I can't hold it back from him. He doesn't ask it from me. He has the record, all of it. And beloved friend, he looks at that record, he stretches out his arms and he says, I love you. I love you and Ioffer you a part and an eternal pardon.
And that pardon cost him the light blood of his own dear son. Verse seven. Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Now this surely couldn't be referring to anyone here, could it?
The wicked, the unrighteous.
Does this apply to anyone here my friend? You may try to avoid it. You may think this points the finger at someone that you know. But I'll tell you who is described in this verse. I am and you are. God's word says there is no difference, for all have sinned. God's word says all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him.
With whom we have to do, And you and thy had better not turn away from that description which we find in God's Word, for He writes it with a full record before him. Every act, every word. And what about the thoughts?
Surely not the thoughts. Did you notice this seventh verse? The unrighteous man, His thoughts.
Does God keep record of those?
Does God hold us responsible for those beloved friends? This is solemn. God decreed in the days of Noah, every imagination of the thought of man's heart was only evil continually.
Your thoughts? My thoughts? Would a holy God be entitled to brand them as wicked, envious, proud, selfish?
He knows it all, and here we find the invitation. He will have mercy upon him and to our God, for He will pardon. Look at your Bible. Did I read that correctly? He will abundantly pardon. Isn't that delightful, dear friend? He who knows all about you and me?
He who has so faithfully described the record of your life and of mine, stretches out his arms and invites and pleads with you and me to come near in order that we might receive from him.
Abundant.
Pardon. This is my joy. This is my portion, beloved.
I, by God's matchless mercy and grace, I have been abundantly pardoned. And if that book were to be open tonight, where my unworthy name is written down and the eye of God looked at those pages, do you know what would be found recorded there? Those pages would be found as quite as snow.
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The stains of guilt that were there, and they were many, are gone.
For the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from.
All sin. I repeat it again, and with gladness. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.
Pardon, mercy has been known in the courts of this land, we're aware of it. But here the invitation is extended in a pleading, seeking manner.
That the one who comes might receive.
Abundant pardons. That's the heart of God to you and to me, beloved. And I know that in this company tonight there are those who sit here rejoicing together with me, that your sins as well as mine are pardoned by him who delights the pardon abundantly.
In fact, I make this distinction without fear of being contradicted that everyone in this company.
From that corner to that corner, everyone in this company is either lost and guilty and in your sins.
And on the downward Rd. to hell or else. And there is only one other alternative.
Your pardon. Forgiven. Saved.
And on the way home to glory, to meet, and to thank the Savior who loved you and who died for you.
May I ask you, friend, young and old, I ask you now, in which of those two positions do you stand under the eye of God?
Lost or saved, guilty or pardoned in your sins, or forgiven eternal.
On the road to hell or on the road to glory, it matters much more to my Lord Jesus Christ than it matters to me. He stood looking upon the city of Jerusalem, and the tears ran down his cheeks as he wept over that city.
Longed that he might be able to bring blessing to the very city that was about to spit in his face and crucify him.
And beloved, he looks upon this company tonight, and here is where I feel the challenge of it. He looks upon you with a concern, with a care, with a love that this poor heart of mine I know can never, never express. But I want you to see through these failing words of mine that there is a God whom you will meet, and He loves you.
There is a Savior who will be on that throne in a coming day, and you will meet.
Tonight he offers you an abundant pardon and you'll remember forever and ever and ever if you refuse it. Yes you will. In the darkness, the remorse of a lost eternity, there will be 10s of thousands of souls who lived in Christian land who will remember forever.
That they were offered a pardon, and an abundant pardon at that.
And they refused it, in fact. In fact, you know right now as we meet here.
That there are many, so many, who are already in a lost eternity and have taken with them the memory of sitting with an open Bible in their hand, listening to the gospel, and went out of the door once too often. Lost and guilty still.
Turn please to First Peter chapter one.
First Peter chapter one.
Verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Which according to his abundant mercy.
Hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fate of not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God.
Through faith under salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.
Oh I love these words.
The very man who wrote these words was one day at the feet of the Lord Jesus, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. Oh Lord, does that sound like the language of Peter? It was indeed, you know it was. Has it ever been your language? Have you ever fallen at the feet of the Lord Jesus to own yourself sinful?
We dare not point the finger at someone else. We know very well that when God's word says there is no difference, it means me, it means you, It points to Peter, it points to Paul, it points to the very ones who penned these words. And it thrills my soul to see Peter at the feet of the Lord Jesus saying I am a Sinner. He says more than that.
I am a sinful man, oh Lord. And now Peter takes up the pen and by divine inspiration record these words for our confidence and joy. Bless it. Be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't this wonderful that He looks right up to the very God whom you and I once dreaded?
There never was a time with me when I denied or doubted the existence of God.
Nor even doubted the reality that I must someday meet Him. I knew it, and it made me tremble. And no argument by anyone ever, ever cause the faintest doubt to enter my mind. This book was the living word of God.
And that I was going to meet Sunday, the one who had put such words in my hands. I knew it, and it made me tremble. That, beloved friend, what do I find as I open it now? Bless it, be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that delightful? Isn't this delightful? The very one who you and I feared. The very one at whom we wish to stand at a distance.
Is now the very one who's loving wondrous heart is revealed that God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his.
Abundant mercy.
What he offered you and me was an abundant pardon, for we were verily guilty. And now in all our need, he offers.
Abundant mercy. Oh, I'll tell you this, that in preaching the Gospel, I find it hard to restrict myself to the forgiveness of sins and the certainty of heaven when the deadly journey here is over.
I feel it most necessary that we stress that that all beloved He picked me up and redeemed my soul well over 40 years ago.
And I look back over those 40 years to publicly declare that he's been far more than one who forgave all my sins, far more than one who promises me a home up there when the time here is ended. He has been everything that ever he promised and beyond my thoughts and expectations.
That abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope. All beloved, day by day. There is that sure.
And certain hope within the soul of those who know the Lord Jesus as Savior.
That we have even now a living, loving Savior, and we have before us an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. As we look around today, you and I know full well what we see. I know in spite of all the problems in this land, I don't think you'd really choose to go somewhere else and face the conditions there.
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I feel, dear fellow believer, that you and I have much to thank God for, and we can well lay our head on our pillow at night and thank Him again and again. But all the blessed hope that is ours of knowing that when our time here has ended, dearly beloved, we're going home to be with the One who loved us and died to redeem us, to share for all eternity in that inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled.
Not away. And all this because of the abundant mercy in the heart of God.
Oh, when I looked this night upon any who do not yet know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and I compare your destiny, your future with that which God's word describes, my heart aches for you.
What is the future, What is the destiny? What is the hope, if you prefer, of the unbelievers, of the one who goes out into eternity without Christ?
The Lord Jesus describes it, and you can't accuse me of exaggerating weeping.
Wailing. Gnashing of teeth.
Outer darkness.
Bound hand and foot.
A lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. Why did he speak this way? Because it's true, that's why. Because it's all true. And he doesn't want you to be there. Instead, he points to this glorious destiny, this wondrous inheritance. And between those destinies there stands the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Between the two their flows the precious blood of Christ. Between the two there stands the the abundant mercy of God. I know, for I was on the wrong side. Now, by God's matchless grace, by his abundant mercy, I am numbered among those redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as we get in this very chapter. Is this true of you, dear friend? Is it true of you?
Our own next door neighbor at home.
A man who worshiped the dollar bill. I'm afraid I must speak the truth.
He started a business not too many years ago and when he found he was not well, he offered his business for sale and the price tag was over $1,000,000 for that business he had for sale. And I saw him not long before he was taken, spoke to him about his soul, his destiny for the first time. He stood and listened till I was finished and then without a word he walked away. I never saw him again.
He's gone, He's gone into eternity, and it's a sad and dreadful experience to slip into the Funeral Home and look into the cold face of a neighbor. Like that beloved friend, I speak the truth. There are two destinies, and the abundant mercy of God has prepared for you and me.
A destiny that is described in the most wondrous and glowing language.
And the same God who describes the glory of that hope describes also the solemn and awful despair of those who go into eternity without Christ.
I'm going to say this.
Especially for the ears of those who are growing up in Christian homes.
I feel this to the depth of my soul.
At the most awful Wales that will ever echo through, those caverns of eternal torment will come from the lips of sons and daughters of Christian parents.
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I tremble to say it, for I picture myself.
As so easily numbered among them.
One day I was on my way home from a gospel meeting with my God fearing, praying mother. We came to the corner of Sunnyside and Fairburn Ave. in Ottawa.
And there was a wire hanging down right beside the sidewalk. I had passed that corner going to and from school every day, and I'd never seen the wire before. And with the curiosity of a small boy, I reached out to lay hold of it. And just then, with a shriek, someone pulled me back.
The fire station on that corner.
The fireman who pulled me back trembled and he said, my boy, there are 22,000 volts in that wire. It just came down and someones gone to turn off the current. And I was to stand here and see that no one touched it till the current was turned off. And he had turned his head for a moment and this boy came within an inch of touching that wire. You know, when I got home that night, neither mother nor I said a word the rest of the way home.
She said to me, Albert.
If you had touched that wire, where would you be now?
I'm sorry to tell you what I did.
I just hung my head and didn't answer.
I knew that I was lost, a lost son and a Christian home. I'd heard the gospel.
I've been in a Sunday school where my teacher and he's here tonight faithfully.
Lovingly, repeatedly plead with us to accept Christ, but I had not done so. It was not long after that, by God's grace, that I bowed these stubborn knees of mine, and I can say this night, the gospel of Thy grace, my stubborn heart as one. The abundant pardon is true, the abundant mercy it's true. My sins are gone, my soul is saved, and I'm on my way home to share.
The glorious hope that awaits those who are sheltered by the precious blood of Christ. Could we turn back, please?
To First Timothy.
Chapter One.
And we'll find a statement made by the chief of sinners, but the one who breathed out threatenings and slaughter against those who love the person in the name of the Lord Jesus. First Timothy 114 And the grace of our Lord was, please notice.
Exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. They'll love it when you hear the words of the chief of sinners. He looked back to that which he once was, and he said the grace of our Lord was abundant, or he adds to it.
Exceeding abundance.
Paul rejoiced in it, Peter rejoiced in it. Thank God I rejoice in it too. And the joy I taste this night is an eternal joy. Oh, my friend, do you understand something of what's going on in my soul as I stand here?
It means everything to me. I was lost. I was guilty. I was on the road to hell. But the abundant pardon, the abundant mercy, the abundant grace of God's own heart was directed toward me. He sought me. He found me. My stubborn knees were bowed. I told him I'm guilty. I'm lost.
And I want to be saved tonight. I want those sins blotted out. Now, does he hear a prayer like that? I recently asked a number of young folks, all of whom told me that they knew the Lord Jesus as Savior. I said, when you got down on your knees to settle this matter, did you say anything out loud? And you know, they looked a little surprised, as though I might perhaps insist that they had to say something out loud.
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And with some embarrassment, they all, one by one said no, I just said it in my heart. That's the way he wants you to say it. Beloved friend. I'm sure I didn't say a word out loud until after when I told those who cared for my soul, those who prayed for my soul.
I was surprised that the amount of courage it took to confess him.
Beloved, when I think of the abundant pardon, the abundant mercy, the exceeding abundant grace that has been bestowed upon me, a lost, hell bound Sinner, that I can stand here this night and tell you that the long-suffering of God has permitted you to hear once more the story of His matchless love and grace. He wants you. He wants you to know that pardon He wants to take away.
Sustained the burden, the guilt of your sins He suffered upon the cross of Calvary. He shed his precious blood. The work is done, beloved friend, it's done. It is finished. The Son of God has declared its soul. And with eagerness, with gladness, He offers to you.
Unstintingly, that which is abundant mercy.
Abundant grace long that you should possess that. We turn briefly back to John's Gospel.
John's Gospel, chapter 10.
Verse 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal.
And to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more.
Abundantly.
Again, that which he delights to give, He gives with all the abundance of his Lord and loving heart more abundantly does not mean that I possess it in a measure now, but He's going to make it a greater measure.
It's just something that I didn't possess at all until He gave it to me. He has given to me that which I did not possess before.
A light that fits me now, by God's matchless grace, to dwell with Him in the courts of glory forever. I possess it, and He has given it to me abundantly. Yes, more abundantly. Oh, how He delights to give.
I want to present to you as we draw this meeting to a close tonight, a God whose heart overflows with love and tender pardons. But I warn you as I do so.
That if you spurn the offer of pardon.
If you reject the invitation to receive His mercy, His grace, the life that he offers, all my friends, the only alternative causes my soul to tremble as I think about it. For this same precious book, with all its pleadings of love describes in the clothing sad scene.
A company that stand before him. What does it say of them? I saw the dead.
What a sad contrast to this verse. I saw the dead.
Small and great stand before God. Are they dead or alive? Well, they're standing before God. They're about to receive their doom, but they're still called dead.
It's a solemn thing, my friend, when he offers you life and you refuse that offer. See the solemn language of Scripture? Those who are even spoken of as dead, though they are brought forth out of their graves and stand there before him in that day, the language of Scripture still describes them in that terrifying way. And then what do we read?
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Casts into the Lake of Fire.
Do you understand why we plead with you? Do you understand why we even hesitate to see this meeting come to a close?
It's an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. It's the home of my beloved Savior, to which he waits to welcome me. Or or and there is only the one other alternative.
Cast into, Cast into. Think of those words, the mocker who said there was no such place.
The blasphemer who used that word hell so lightly and carelessly.
In his day by day conversation.
The son, the daughter of Christian parents who knew all along that it was true, but intended someday.
To have it settled and to escape that place. And then shall I dare to introduce one more class, Those who stand in the pulpits of the land and tell us there is no such place, Are they going to be cast into all? My friends, my friend, this is a solemn moment. I plead with you, I beg of you, that before you leave this place.
You see to it that the abundant pardon, the abundant mercy, the abundant grace of God's own loving heart is yours, that you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior and go out of this place with the joy of knowing on the authority of God's Word and by virtue of the precious blood of Christ that is wondrous, present and eternal heritage is yours.
Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ and on our way home to the glory. The other alternative? Don't tempt God, my friend. Don't tempt God. You're going to meet him someday.
Shall I just make one comment in closing? We read in I believe it's First Corinthians 8.
How that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty.
Abounded, abounded under the riches of their liberality. God doesn't promise His people a smooth and prosperous journey homeward, but I'll tell you what He does promise. He promises along with those abundant things that are offered to the lost. He promises that those of us who know Him as our Savior.
And enjoy the wonder of His company along the homeward journey. Though we may experience affliction or poverty, we'll have an abundance of joy from His loving heart that will make it all worthwhile. Beloved, I've seen it. Again and again I've seen it.
In the depth of poverty and in mountains of affliction, I have seen the abundance of joy.
That shines from the face and from the testimony of those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
I certainly don't do this very often, and my brethren though, I don't.
But I don't intend to leave this hall tonight.
Until the rest of you folks are gone.
And if there is anyone?
Even though it be a child who wishes to leave this place.
Assured that those sins are gone, assured that you're going to be with Christ in glory instead of in the lake of fire. I'll be here to open this precious book again with you, to pray with you.
I don't want you.
To go to bed and close your eyes lost.
Because you may never hear the gospel again.
Jesus The Saviour
Gospel—H. Hyland
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General Meetings. Wheaton, August 1974. Gospel by Brother Highland.
By singing hymn #25 on the hymn sheet.
Life, the best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf.
Like the binding of a sheep in time.
Reading days are telling path that the die will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed. Begin time #25.
Like that, That is very great. Like the falling of falling off.
Wow.
00:05:06
Could we also sing #16 Everybody knows it. I wonder if it's too warm for us to stand up and sing this him, whosoever here at show, show the sound.
Whosoever he read, shout, shout, the thumb send the blessed fighting.
The world.
And a lot of human.
Crowns.
Will happen.
I've had a little before me subject.
Some of the last things that I defined and recorded I have just.
Had these before me tonight and I'd ask you to turn with me to the first one found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew chapter 21, and we're going to read a parable.
Of our blessed Lord Jesus, that precious Savior who came from heaven. My friend, tonight when we think of the solemnity of, of time, the calamity of eternity, every heartbeat tonight, every tick of that clock as it moves towards the R, my friends, brings you, brings me nearer to eternity. And you can ask yourself the question, where will I be?
If I go outside of this room tonight and fall.
Down there, my friends, we just hear so many lately, young and old, who have passed out of time into eternity. We heard of one last night. And you know, as we think of these who have gone out of this life without Christ, how it should solemnize our hearts. My friends, tonight, this is a further warning.
A further warning. And if we sang that him life at best, life at best is very brief. Oh my friends, we think of it 30-40 fifty right up to 90.
90 years of age and those who look back over the many years of their life as they seem to think of it just as a short period of time. And when we contrast that with eternity, my friend the soul, your soul and mine friends are going to live eternally as long as God lives.
Where are you going to be an eternity? We can't spend it. We know that it'll never be spent after we leave this life. We know that the gulf is fixed and there's no further opportunity of coming to the Savior all but thank God tonight. God has given us this glorious gospel to tell out once more. And we would urge anyone here tonight who knows not Christ as Savior to come now. Come now.
To the Lord Jesus.
At least the word of God tells in Isaiah, Isaiah 118. Come now, let us raise them together. Set the Lord. Though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be as wet as snow. Though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. My friend, God loves your precious soul. That's the reason.
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He allowed, he permitted, He sent his beloved Son, the dearest object of his heart all the way from heaven that infinite distance down to this world of sin, because he loved your precious soul. And as we coat that wonderful verse, again, the gospel in a nutshell. For God, soul of the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. My friends, you may be hearing this verse tonight for the last time. You may be an eternity tomorrow night.
None of us know what's going to take place on the Morrow. I'll never forget and there's some here present will recall the incident just a few years ago as we had a gospel meeting something similar to this on a large day evening and we quoted a verse from.
From Proverbs 27 and one both snuffed eyes. Delta tomorrow. For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. We know not what lies on the Morrow, thank God.
You know the Lord Jesus as your precious Savior. You can rest assured, you can rest on your pillow tonight and know that your sins are forgiven, that God has justified you from all things. When you believe the gospel always is not worthwhile to have that assurance tonight. And God offers that to you to whosoever will may come and take up the water of life freely. Now in the first, in the 21St chapter of Matthew, we'll read on the 33rd verse, hear another parable. There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard.
And heads it round about, and dig the wine class in it, and build a tower, and let it out to husband. And went husbandmen, and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husband to the husband, and they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandman took its servants, and beat one, and killed him another, and stormed another. Again he sent other servants more than the 1St, and they did under them likewise.
Last of all, now that's what I want to bring before us tonight. Last of all, he sent them his son, his son, saying they will reverence my son. But when the husband and saw the son, they set him on themselves. This is the air. Come, let us kill him, and let us seize on the inheritance. And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and flew him. When the Lord therefore the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those?
Husbandmen, they say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men.
And will lift out his vineyard onto other husband, which shall render him their fruits in their season. Now I I'd often tend to try to develop this portion of scripture at the point that I want to bring before us is that the Lord Jesus in this parable he rings before them. Now the fact that he is the one of whom the parable speaks the one that only begotten of the Father, the one whom God sending of this world and the one whom men they despise and they slighted him they didn't want him. They said we will not have this man.
To reign over us. And so we see the Son of God, as it were, bringing before these men and women, the Pharisees, the religious people of the day.
Oh, bring him before them. That one would come, and that's how they would treat him. You know what reminds us of the first chapter of Hebrews, where we read God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, taking time passed under the under the parcel by the Proverbs half in these last days spoken unless.
By his Son, yes, He spoke to this world through all the apostles and the prophets down through the years. All my friends, let me tell you that he sent his beloved Son, He sent the dearest object of his heart affection when he said the Lord Jesus.
God manifesting flesh, the one that was born in Bethlehem, who was the eternal God, my friend.
And that blessed one who corresponds to this parable that we have here, he was the one who fulfilled as where this this parable because he was the eternal Son of God. And he came and they said, let us kill him. Oh, this is the air. Let's get rid of him. And they said, we will not have this man to reign over us. And what does it do? All my friends, we think how man took that blessed 1 The eternal, the holy spotless Son of God. We think of the one, those blessed hands that dispense kindness and compassion in the mileage words.
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We think of that blessed Savior as he walked through this scene healing the sick, how he could put his hand upon that leprous man and tell him I will be thou clean and how he could raise Lazarus. We've had before us the last couple of days from the dead who had been dead 4 days. Oh my friend, when we think of the wondrous power in that blessed One, the Son of God, how he did all this, how he performed these many miracles.
Yes, John tells of thee that many other signs truly did Jesus do not written this book, but these are written in John. These are written that you might believe that Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. Oh my friends, tonight let me tell you if we could only if we only had words to describe to you as a wonderful person of our precious Lord, that one who soul loved you that he came down to this world and he went on.
Yes, after doing so much good in this world, oh, that wasn't a good life, couldn't save us or he went on to the cross. And I think of those men as recorded in the 19th chapter of John, it says they took Jesus and they led him away. But my friend read the next verse it says.
And Jesus bearing his cross, he went forth all, He was a willing victim. And as he went forth, he went forth to Calvary. And there, my friends, and those wicked hands, those wicked hands of those men, as they nailed him to the cross, My friends, let me tell you that your, your heart and my heart is no different than those men, the crucified, our precious Lord as faith, sciences of faith and water.
Sold at the heart of man to man. My friend, your heart is just the same. We've all seen the Word of God tell us. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All tonight, beloved friends, let me tell you that the Lord Jesus endured all the spitting, the scoffing, and all the hatred that was heaped upon His blessed head from the hands of men in those first three hours.
But think of it from the 6th powerful of the ninth hour. There was darkness over all the land, when the Son of God, the God manifesting flesh, the Creator Himself, all he, he there bore at bore our sins in his own body on the three. My friends, we think of Him as corresponding to this parable. He said last of all, He sent his son. And my friend, we think how God tested.
Man down through the years.
As he tested him, we he found that he was he was he was a Sinner. Oh, I'll send my son and he sends his beloved Son the best the baskets of heaven he has provided in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ my friend tonight when we think of who he is.
Who is the eternal One, the Creator, the one who could command in this world come into being?
All but the save your precious soul and mind, it was necessary for him to go all the way to Calvary, and there in those three hours of darkness he bore that Lord of sin, And God poured out upon him that judgment, and it would have stunk this world to an eternal hell. But all God, we thank God that He exhausted that judgment, being as he was the infinitely eternal Son of God, He exhausted the judgment of God in those three hours, and he could say it is finished.
And we recall how there, as he laid down his life, he was the only man that came into this world who could lay down his life. He came for the purpose of dying. He came to die. And beloved friends tonight let me tell you, when he died, he laid down his life. No man could take his his life away from him. He laid it down voluntarily. And when he had done before he had done so, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit, my friend, we think.
There that of them coming as they did to break the legs of the of the two thieves, and they broke the legs of one of the thieves. He was still alive. They broke his legs. How true, how hard hearted those men were. Then they went to the other one and they broke his leg.
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When they came to Jesus, they came to the Son of God and they marveled that he was dead already. Pilot marvel that he was dead when they called him. Oh, it couldn't be solved. But yes, he had given up his life. And my friends, we find that a soldier with a spear, he takes us there and he thrust it into his blessed dead side. And out of that side flowed air, blood and water. All my friends, tonight it is my joy to be able to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ.
Sun cleansing small sin if there's an unsaved 1 here in this audience tonight, let me tell your friends you're trifling with eternity. If you if you put off the question of your soul salvation, you may believe in God. You may believe the record that God has given of his son, whatever he ever have you ever had a transaction about your sins with the Son of God himself? Have you ever come to him and said Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a Sinner that I need salvation. And if you will only come tonight as you sit there on that chair, if you'll just come silently to him and say Lord Jesus, I'll come to thee tonight. He'll save your Princess soul and you'll the joy bells will ring in your heart. It's very nice.
Rejoice in the presence of the angels of God over one sin of the repentance. Well, we know this is the last, the last offer that God is going to make. He has told us in the 9th chapter of Hebrews once. I'll have to read it in case I don't quote it correctly, but in the 9th chapter of Hebrews.
In connection with this verse we read at the last it says in the 26th verse. But for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once, once in the end of the world, at the end of the age, has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed, Oh, this is solemn, my friends, as it is appointed on the man wants to die, but after death to judgment, so Christ.
Crazy but once offered to bear the sins of many and under them that looked for him shall he appear the second time without without sin on the salvation the next time he comes he's not going to pick up the question of sin. The thin question is done with yes at Calvary the thin question is done with when he comes again or he's coming in power and glory all before that all he's coming to take his own redeemed ones out of this world and that might happen this very night just think of it we might hear that shout while we're.
Here in this meeting tonight.
And how many empty chairs will be here I should say will there be anybody left in this room tonight of the Lord Jesus was to descend from heaven with a choice is very nice with everyone here in this room be caught up to meet the Lord in the air my friend. That's that's the truth of God. That's the word of God the everlasting word of God. Let me tell you friends of this is the eternal word of God from cover to cover. It tells us forever. Oh Lord, thy word settle in heaven. Man have endeavored to get rid of this word. They put it they've made bonfires of it they've they've.
They've destroyed them by the millions.
Friends, there's more of Scripture. There's more Bibles available today than ever there were before. Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting in Iowa, Iowa Falls. And as some of our brethren suggested that I go over and see this man who ran the Bible house, I went over, I've been over there before. And I went over to see him and he remembered me and we had a talk and he took me through this new warehouse that he has with us, thousands upon thousands of different kinds of Bibles. And as we looked at those Bibles, I said to this man, I said, do you know the author? You know the author? And my friends, I don't believe that this man.
Knows the author of this wonderful book and it's God himself. He's the one who wrote this book. It's inspired by the Spirit of God, holy man of God speakers. They were moved by the Holy Spirit. My friends, as we think of the eternal word of God, how there are more Bibles available today than ever there were before. What a solemn thing it is for a man to make his business selling Bibles and yet not know the Savior which it speaks all friends tonight.
You know the Savior, you know the Savior, sinners. He wants to, He desires, He long to save you tonight He'll only come to Him. Now let us turn to another very scripture found in John's Gospel, the 7th chapter. And we have another expression here similar to the one we had.
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7th chapter of John and the 37 verse. A well known verse that we often sing.
In the last day, in the last day, that great day of the peace, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, If any man thirst, let him come under me and drink.
He that believeth on me as a scripture said out of his village of low rivers of living water. Oh, it makes me remind me of that scripture that our brother, part of which he read last night in the 55th chapter of Isaiah. And there we see heavy gospel prophets, Isaiah uttering these wonderful words by the Spirit of God.
Whole, all he wants to bring to the attention of all those who will hear him. And so he uses the word whole. And I'm told that that was the way they could, they could carry a note so much further, but by using that word. And so he says, Ho, ho, everyone, the 3rd to count you to the waters. And he that hath no money, let him come by and eat without money and without price. Yes, my friends, how can we buy something without money and without price? All the price.
Yes, it has already been bought the Lord Jesus as we read in the 53rd chapter.
There we see him making atonement for sin. And so the gospel prophet can come out and say that there's free water, the water of life is free to all who will but come and have it. And so that offer goes out to you tonight and tonight.
We want to bring before you this back in the last day. Always think of the Lord Jesus, the precious Savior himself uttering these words and we we would like to examine the occasion. What was the occasion? What if you went to the first part of the chapter? You would see that it was the Feast of Tabernacles and I believe the Feast of Tabernacles was the the greatest feast of the Jewish years. It was the greatest feast Genesee they.
Had lasted for about 8 days.
And on the last day and all here they had religion at Jerusalem and other Pharisees and all described the with all their their forms in the ceremony. They had eight days of it, you might say, and then the Lord Jesus and the last day.
That great day of the faith that Jesus stood and he cried, saying, if any man, Sir, how could a man be thirsty with all that religion? All my friends, let me tell you that religion won't save you. Religion won't quench your eternal thirst. All nothing but the precious person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that will do so. And so the Lord Jesus, he doesn't bring religion before them. He said of any man first, let him come where come out of me. Oh yes, under the Savior himself.
And an idea issue that invitation the youth has come unto me, all ye that labor and her heavy laden and I will give you rest. Oh, what a savior he is, what a Savior Jesus is. And he he, he, he's accomplished all this that he might give you the water of life.
Think about water, you know that the woman came to draw at that well. It's like our found in the 4th chapter. She came with all her sin and her wickedness. And there was the Lord Jesus going out of his way for about 15 or 20 miles in order that he might sit in that well and speak to that that wicked woman. And as he spoke to her, he he asked her for a drink of water. We think of the eternal Son of God the Creator.
Stooping down and taking that humble place that we read off in the second chapter of Philippians. He humbled himself, Yes. And he asked that woman for a drink of of cold water. Well, the woman was she marveled at it.
When he explained to her and by saying, if thou knewest the gift of God, the free giving of God, thou was the mask of him and he would have given the living water. My friends, that's what God wants you to have tonight is that living water. If you'll only come to the Savior. Yes, the fountain is free. The fountain is open and it's flowing right by right by you tonight. And if you only come and dip it up, you know, some years ago.
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Attract you've read it too, maybe many of you. How this this ship?
In days gone by when they weren't able to carry enough water as they were going down to South America, they they ran out of water and they they flagged signaled one of the shut through passing give us water. We need water. And you know, they thought they were being marked, but the the ship a signal back give it up.
Brought up, well, they didn't realize that right at that point they were passing over the mouth of the Amazon. The Amazon River run miles, hundreds of miles into the ocean. And as it does, it has that Clearwater and without the salt. And they had that refreshing water and all they had to do was to give it up for my friend. Tonight God wants you to dip it up. Tonight He wants you to come to Christ. He wants you to take the Savior of your own.
Once you come, all my unsaved friends, my dear young a person of the boy, girl, young woman, young man here who has never confessed.
Christ as their savior. Why won't you come tonight and just dip it up? Take the Christ of God is your pregnant Savior and he'll come into your heart and save you. The last call has been made last of all, the last of all he said, I'll send my son. Now we have in the last day, that great day of the feast. Here's the last call my friends. The call may not go out after tonight. This is now is the accepted time. We can't promise you the gospel tomorrow night.
We can't they come tomorrow and you can be saved or next. Lord say no now. God never speaks up tomorrow. No, he doesn't. He, He tells us both not by himself up tomorrow. He tells him now is the accepted time. Behold, today is the day of salvation. Now let us turn to another scripture found in the 15th chapter of First Corinthians. And this is quoted tonight in our prayer meeting. And I was struck by it because it was on my heart.
And I'm going to read a few of these wonderful verses, which brings before us the glorious gospel of the grace of God. The first verse of the 15th chapter of First Corinthians we read. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you, the gospel which I preached unto you, which all to you received and were in ye stand, by which all to your safety to keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.
Or I delivered unto you. Now the apostle Paul is actually speaking to Christians here. But you know, it's the word of God and it has power. The word of God is, is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged swords. And listen to these precious words as the apostle Paul by the Spirit of God appends these words. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how the Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Oh, my friend, right from Genesis to Revelation, we find that blessed person brought before. There's a brother in our audience here tonight. He and I were going down to the maritime some years ago. And as we were driving along, we took out the book of Philippians and we're reading about that precious Savior. And as he drove and I read to him how we discussed these precious portions of the word of God. And this brother said to me something I've never forgotten. He said to me, isn't it wonderful that this book that we're holding in our hands, that I was holding in my hand?
Two men, two men only, yes, and the first one is Adam, and we see the one through whom sin came into this world, all but the other man is a man from heaven, God's man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And my friends, that speaks of him. These two men, as we find the Lord Jesus is spoken of in type, right from Genesis, right through Revelation, that method. Once, my friends, here we have these words.
For I deliver another you first of all, at which I also received how the Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that he was buried. That he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures. How the the word of God is brought before us here. That it was no afterthought of God there that he spent his son. Now it was according to the plan. Yes, when the fullness of time had come, God sent for this son born of a woman guest, and that he was buried. Oh yes, he, he, he died on Calvary's cross. He bore those.
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At that Lord of sins, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
And that he was buried, yes, they tenderly took those precious at present body, Nicodemus and Joseph Arimathea, and they wounded in that fine linen, and they laid it in Joseph new tomb, in accordance with the scripture that tells us in Isaiah. He was with the rich in his death, and there he was.
With the rich men, men would have given the Lord Jesus the Potter's field. Yes, they were given a place with a very strangers all, but God saw to it that he would be buried with the rich, and that's where he was with in his death and he was buried.
But that's not all my friends, and this is the power of the gospel, that he rose from the dead, that he was buried and that he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures. And my friends, you say, well that's just what we hear the Rose from the dead for. Listen to the evidence. God gives us evidence here of those who saw him that he was seen as Cephas, that of Peter 10 of the 12 after that he was Dean of above 500 president at once.
Whom the greater part remained unto this present, and but some are fallen asleep.
After that he had seen of James and of all the apostles, all but friends. Last of all, all, here it is again. Last of all, he was seen of me, of Paul. Also have one born out of due time. Oh, here's the apostle Paul comes in. He saw him. Where did he see him?
He found that glorified man at the right hand of the throne on high, and as Paul had taken out papers to hail in the courts and perhaps suggest all that called on that precious name of Jesus, and as he had these papers and he was going to arrest them at midday. It tells them the 9th chapter of Acts how like from heaven shone down and Paul was.
Smitten to the earth.
A voice, he heard a voice and was a voice of Jesus. Oh, what a precious name, my friend, the name of Jesus, that one whom he was persecuting. He heard that name and he he said Paul fall out of his name. At that point Saul saw why persecuted saw me. Well, now he wasn't persecuting the Lord Jesus up there and glory was he? Yes, my friends, that's exactly what he was doing when he was persecuting the the Christians down here.
Oh, he was persecuting as a Christ of God. He was the head of the church and all those were members of his body and he was persecuting them. And as he persecuted them, he was touching the very, very one up there in the glory. And he said, why persecute a follow me? And the very moment he said that, oh, we see a right about faith. That's what really conversion is. He turned right around from the way he was going and he he said.
Who art thou? Art thou Lord? Thou Lord? Yeah.
Who he is, and he calls them Lord, My friends, a little later on the apostle Paul writes in Romans 10 and nine, that as thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus of Lord, and believe in thine heart that God have raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. My friend, tonight this wonderful gossip.
Going forth to you and you may never hear it again. You may never. Oh my friends, I plead with you tonight, don't pass up this wonderful invitation of God's grace and love to you. He wants you to be saving, delights to save you, and he wants to bring you into his family, make you a child of God, an heir of heaven. Oh yes, you have all the blessings down here on earth, seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. When you believe the gospel brought into the family of God, you can address God as your father.
The Christ, the Lord Jesus that your precious Savior and heaven, my friends at your home and that's your home tonight. It's.
Know him as your precious Savior all the wonderful to know we have that assurance. I couldn't lay my head on my colors and I if I didn't know that I that I that if the Lord took my life away tonight, if I died in my sleep that I would be absent from the body and present with the Lord. My friends, we just think of so many of our loved ones who have gone that very way tonight God would speak to your heart, your conscience.
And God, don't despise, don't turn down this offer. Don't neglect. You know, there's so many people and they, they believe what we say, but they say, we'll put it on. My friend, let me tell you how the word, the question is asked, how shall we escape?
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If we not reject, if we neglect so great salvation. Our friends tonight you heard that Christ is the only answer. Christ is the way. He could say I am the way, but I am the door by me. If any man or any child be saved, He is the way, the truth and the life, the Lord Jesus himself. And he offers you that tonight, tomorrow night, as we heard the last two nights, He may be a judge by tomorrow night and you, you'll be lost eternally. Oh, we don't like to talk about hell.
We don't like to frighten anybody about the awful judgment is going to come upon this world, and you'll begin it if you know not crisis Savior. Friends, we plead with you to come. We must be faithful as the Word of God would have us be faithful in telling you of the doom that awaits all those who neglect the Savior. Nor in the 16th of Acts, the curtain is drawn aside, and we see as that rich man.
That man that had a great funeral, we're not told even his name. We know from history what his name was, but we're not told much about him. Lazarus, you know, we got his name. He didn't even have a funeral girl. He was carried out by the angels into Abraham. But this rich man, he died and was buried. A great criminal protection. Many flowers perhaps were presented there and they gave a very wonderful eulogy to his, his life and all my friends that tells us in hell.
He lifted up his eyes, being in torment. My friends, we want to warn you of that awful place known as hell. God doesn't want you to go there. Wasn't prepared for man anyway to prepare for the devil and his angels, and Satan is endeavoring to draw men back down to that awful place.
God and his wondrous grace and love has provided a means whereby you need not go there. You can come to the Savior. And so we see the Apostle Paul, the one who got got the last sight. We may say, I believe it's the last sight of our present Lord. And he saw him as the extended one on high in glory. And that characterized his 14 epistles as he brings before us the risen glorified Christ. Yes, he could say in the Romans 116. The apostle Paul writing, he could say for I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
For it is the power of God on the salvation to everyone, the believers. Why could he say that all my friends, the apostle upon you. And that was dynamite in that precious word, the fact that God had raised him from the dead. There's the power now the power of the resurrection. There's the power of the gospel. We know that the death of Christ, the cross of Christ is the principle of Christianity. But resurrection is as power tonight and.
The Apostle Paul to say I'm not ashamed.
He knew what it would do if you'd believe it. He knew what it had done in his life when he saw the the Lord Jesus there in glory. And we find that the Apostle Paul, he, he, he came to the Savior and he received him as his own precious Savior. And now he's gone out to others and he has given this wonderful invitation. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. This is Paul himself, that Christ Jesus came into the world.
To save sinners, yes, and he could say of whom I am chief, until the chief of sinners has been saved. Now there's there's an opportunity for any here tonight who knows, who know not Christ, to have their sins put away by faith.
Him how our time is living by Let's turn to another scripture found in the Second Timothy, Second Timothy chapter 2.
Second Timothy, chapter 2 and.
Sorry, it's the third chapter in the first verse it says this. Know also that in the last days, last day, perilous times shall come.
Listen to all the list we have here. For men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous bolsters, proud black beamers. That's the beating. The parents and thankful and holy without natural affection. Truth Breakers, false accusers, incomplete. Those are good.
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Traitors had a high minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God having a form of gardens and not true today, having a form of gardens but denying the power thereof and such. Turn away my friend, these are the last days we're in, we know.
We see if we look in this world, we look at the prophetic words and we see what's going to take place after the Lord Jesus comes to take his church out of this scene and we know that he's coming very soon.
Before judgment can fall upon this world, the soul of the earth has must be removed. The Holy Spirit of God is going to be taken away. As soon as the Lord Jesus comes, you and I will be gone who know Christ as our Savior. Some may be left here old.
Forbidden. God forbid there's be any left here tonight. If the Lord Jesus was to descend from heaven with a shout is very nice. And you were left behind. What a sad, sad state it would be for you to be alone, without God, without hope, eternal.
Friends that just consider the eternal reality that God would have a thing of tonight in in if the Lord Jesus were to come now. He said this no also that in the last day.
Perilous times have come. Is that true today? Look about us. We see all the shooting that's taking place of the murders. We see all the governments having difficulty inside and out, all friends. All these things would tell us that they were in the last days and God.
Is not going to allow peace to come upon this world until the Prince of Peace himself, the Lord Jesus and glory is going to come and set his feet on the Mount of Olives.
And then he will bring peace. But we think of all the judgments are going to take place before that. All friends listen to the word of God. He take heed tonight of this the awful.
Result of neglecting God's way of salvation.
Now stays perilous, times shall come, and men shall be lovers of their own selves. Do we see that all about us? Yes, friends, we know it is the last day, and it's not only the last stage, but it's the very last of the last days. We're just on the verge of the coming of our precious Lord from heaven. Yes, I never like to call the gospel meeting without quoting that wonderful verse found in.
The First Thessalonians 4 for the Lord Himself.
As a sand from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. My friend, let me take place tonight. There's nothing.
Her prophecy is concerned prophecy is not being fulfilled now. The the clock of prophecy is stopped at this moment.
All but we see God as someone mentioned the day God is behind the scenes moving the scenes that he is behind and we know that he is he he's just setting the stage as it were or the setting up of Christ Kingdom again we think of all the judgment that's going to take place and we think of the Jewish people yes Israel all the judgment they must go through yes friends if you're not saved you're going to go through it and God's going to give you going to blind your eyes that you will be willing to believe a lie yes the thing about the Satan is going to blind the eyes of them that believe not all my friends is going to be a solemn time we don't have to frighten anyone here any young person or older one either into.
Coming to Christ, oh Lord God, love my friend, the one desires to save you. God stole us all. We can't measure it. We can't tell it out if we would like it, but we can tell you that little word so tells us how much he loves God's soul, love the world that he gave his only begotten Son. And what are those words if the Lord Jesus Christ himself speaking to Nicodemus, he speaks those very words and tells that God loved this world and he gave him.
The Charles son of God that you and I through faith in him might have our 10 foot away and be brought into the family of God. Well now we have the last days before let's turn to another Scripture before we we finished in the 15th chapter First Corinthians again and we read in the in the 51St verse we read about the resurrection. No men scoff when we speak about resurrection pointed out today I one of our brethren that.
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A man would endeavour to destroy.
The remains of a loved one because because I didn't believe there was a resurrection. Yes, denying God power. My friend, let me tell you that when God made this world and the Lord Jesus brought this world in the being, He did it with the word of his mouth and everything became as it is through the word of His mouth. Do not think that He is able to restore a body that has been gone for perhaps hundreds of years.
Every, every, that body will be raised again. And so we have here in the 51St verse. Behold, I show you a mystery. Oh, it was a secret, yes, and revealed particularly to the Apostle Paul himself. He goes, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep and we shall all be changed. He's speaking to Christians now. Yes, he said we'll all be changed. That body accumulation that you and I are in tonight is going to be changed and passionately on his body of glory.
And it says in a moment how fast, in the twinkling of an eye at the last Trumple here it is the last Trump, my friends, yes, I believe in the military, Roman military that had three trunks and the last one was formed in March to get ready. They were to pack everything and then they were just to be set to go. And then the last Trump was falling to March and my friends were going to get that that that board. We're going to hear it perhaps tonight for us to March and we're going to.
See our present Lord, and when we shall see Him we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is, not as He was down here. Now we'll see Him as He is, and you and I will be changed in fashion, like under His glorious body. With The only exception, He'll bear those nails, print a nail print in His blessing hands, and in His side and His feet throughout the endless ages of eternity.
And each time we look, we'll look at that blessed face and see the the the Marks and inspired in his hand. Or it'll just take us back to Calgary and we'll see the cost of our redemption. All my friends, I think that he has paid the price of redemption through his precious blood, and he offers free salvation to whosoever will, if you will. But come, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
He says in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last run for the trumpets of sound. And the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Or this corruptible must put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality. So in this corrupt rule shall have put on incorruption, on this mortal shall have put on immortality or incorruptibility then shall be brought to pass the same as written. Death is swallowed up in victory.
All death, where is thy sting or grave? Where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. All the Lord Jesus has tasted death for everything. The string is gone, and now death holds no terror for the Christian, because he knows that the sting is gone.
King of death is sin and the strength of sin of the law, but thanks be to God, which given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I'll listen at the resurrection when we hear that shout and we may hear it tonight. Well, there's one further verse and then we're finished in the 26th verse of this very same chapters, 15th chapter first Corinthians and the 26th verse it says. And let's go back just a few verses to 22nd verse four. As an atom all die, Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order, Christ the first roots afterwards they that are Christ that is coming.
Then come at the end. Then come at the end, when he shall deliver it up, and when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must bring, Hilliard, put all enemies under his feet. My friend, He's going to put all enemies under his feet. When he comes back again, you and I'll be with him as Christians. You and I who know him will never, never be separated from him.
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The last enemy, or here's the last enemy, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Yes, he corners destroy that, or he have put all things under His feet, And when He set, all things are put under him. It is manifest that He is accepted which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son as man remember the Son also, and shall be subject unto Him.
That put all things under it.
That God may be All in all. Now I'd like to clarify anything here that someone might say, Well, now the sun is going to be subject to the Father, just as man. He never did, never will leave the Godhead. He'll always be the Godhead. And when it says here that God may be All in all, it means the Godheads. The Lord Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, and he has never left the bosom of the Father.
Man, my friend, he's going to step down somewhere when he has plans this world when John the Baptist, you know when he saw that blessed ones and he said, behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away beareth away the sin of the world. He prophesied as it were this time when the Lord Jesus will have put on put down all enemies from under his feet and God may be All in all my friends, going to restore. That's what she took not away. He's going to restore it to the Father.
And why is it all, my friends, as Jesus, as that precious one, that he might be associated with you and me as Christians? His body, his church, his bride, He might be associated with us throughout the countless days of eternity is not wonderful. Yes, we're never going to be suffering from things.
He's going to put all enemies under. He's allowed down his death. Our friend, if you're on save tonight, don't trifle with the word of God. Don't trifle with his way of salvation. This wonderful offer of salvation has been presented to you. How shall you escape if he neglects so great salvation? Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. It may be too late tomorrow. Won't you come tonight? All come to the Savior. Take Jesus as your own precious Savior and joy.
And happiness will be yours. Could we sing a birth to two of #12 just as I am without one, please?
But that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bits may come to thee, O Lamb of God.
I come just as I am, and waiting up to rid my soul of one dark love to thee whose blood can plant each bottle down of God. I come just as I am, poor wretched blind sight, wretched healing of the mind.
Yeah, all I need in need a final Lamb of God. I cannot as one in this room tonight or more their exercise about their soul salvation. Once you sing this prayer and reality and say I'll come to the Lord Jesus. We sing the last two verses of this him just as I am.
Just.
Thy love.
John 12:1-10
Reading
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General Meetings Wheaton, August 1974. First reading Meeting.
I don't have the wealth of John. Could be about the subject for a ring.
That looks like a good job.
How far do you think we should read for their energy?
Well, we could read down through verse 19.
I think that's far enough.
Chapter 12 of 1St 19 verses.
Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served.
But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him, then took Mary a pound of ointment of Spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment, that is, that one of his disciples, Judith, the scariest Simon son, which should be trade him fire was not the assortment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor.
That he said not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag and bear what was put therein. Then said Jesus, let her alone against the day of my burying, as she kept it.
For the poor ye have, the poor always ye have with you but me ye have not always.
Most people of the Jews, therefore knew that he was there, and they came not for Jesus state only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away.
And believed on Jesus on the next day much people that were come to the feet.
When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him and cried hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young *** sat there on, as it is written.
Fear not, daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king cometh sitting on an ass's coal.
These things understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus was glorified.
Then remember they that these things were written off him, and that they had done these things under him. The people, therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from the Dead Bear record.
For this cause the people also met him, For they heard, for that they heard that he had done this miracles. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves perceived how he prevailed. Nothing.
Behold, the world is gone after him.
Is it right that this begins the last week on the Lord's suffering?
Said the six days before the Passover, would that make it the first day of that week?
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What are you having in mind, Brother Anderson, and speaking about the beginning of the Lord Sufferings?
Well, since this seems to be the the last week, the week in which the Lord was crucified, it would be a very, very solemn week, wouldn't it?
And the Lord was faced with the cross. Of course he knew all before.
But I'm sure the closer he he came to that time, the more the pressure of it came in upon his soul.
And I believe it's good for us to think about that.
Because I suppose we're apartment to read the scriptures about the sufferings of Christ.
And really not how it affects us.
As it should.
But when we think about this last week of the Lords suffering.
Surely it brings before us a tremendous volume of pressure that was being exerted on the Lord.
Now of course all of this was connected with his martyr, suffering, suffering for righteousness sake. It wasn't until he was on the cross, during the three hours that he was suffering for sin, suffering the judgment for sin, suffering at the hands of God. He was suffering now to a great extent at the hands of man and I suppose when we think of the.
Sufferings of Christ.
It puts in contrast what we have in the last part of what was read when there were the words of Hosanna. Blessed is the king of Israel and all of that.
I wonder how that affected the Lord.
Because he knew he was going to the cross.
And yet he saw that there was this sentiment among some of the people.
That they acknowledged him as king.
What contrast we get here?
This very precious the way the Lord was permitted to enjoy.
A little fellowship.
With this little company, especially three that are mentioned in Bethany before he went to the cross and laid down his life.
And died for our sins.
And where we are all I'm sure aware that this is not the large supper that we observe when we remember the Lord in the breaking of the bread, but.
Might it not remind us, in a way, of this special supper that the Lord has instituted?
I was thinking of it in this way.
What a comfort, the Lord.
So enjoyed.
At this time, when the dark shadow of the cross would lay across his whole pathway that he should have had a little time to enjoy.
The companionship.
And she expressed the love.
Of those there at Bethany, and what are our remarkable group? It is there was letters.
Only a short time before he was lying, corrupting in the grave.
Now raised, steered at the table with the Lord, and there was Martha.
And here we find Martha serving.
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At one time the Lord had to reprove Martha.
For much serving. But I would take it that Martha has learned a lesson.
The same as her sister, Mary had learned in company with the Lord what was acceptable and pleasing to him, for here her service.
Is not to reprove it would say that the Lord was.
Satisfied with the service of Martha on this occasion.
And I just thought of it in this way.
If we realize better.
What the remembrance of the Lord's death means to my blessed Savior.
What is not?
Touch our hearts in such a way that we would never unless it was sickness or some circumstance that made it impossible.
To ever miss being at that place.
Where the Lord has.
Loudspeaker, his presence to be in the midst of his own.
Looking down at this world of thin darkness and sorrow and all the grief, it means to his heart to have those that love Him and value His presence and would worship Him because of His work and His work to be there finally in His presence.
To remember his death.
Now in the breaking of bread.
Would you say that we have a little picture here of heaven the way it will be when we're at home? In Revelation 22 it says his servants shall serve him.
Well, that's Martha. But also we know that we'll be in communion with the Lord himself, and that is Lazarus. And then Mary sits at his feet.
Mary, here is in this picture is anointing, is it not his feet?
But that would make us think of the occupation of the Saints for all eternity, of the work that has been accomplished for us, because she anointed his body beforehand, anticipating what he was to go through. Would you not also say?
That in this chapter we have the summing up, as it were, the bringing together of many hearts, and the expression of these hearts. Also, just before the Lord is to go to the cross, we have this little picture.
That which refreshes his heart, of that which is our brothers expressed, sets forth the assembly.
The Church.
But also.
We have the Gentile character a little later in the chapter that we didn't read.
Where the Gentiles come in and ask that they might see Jesus. And so we have the expression also of the hearts of Israel, the leaders in the last two or three verses of the previous chapter. And we have the the expression of the heart of God in the last person of this chapter. So that we have a sort of summing up of things here.
Just before the Lord goes to the cross. Now another thought we might suggest.
When Adam was in the garden.
God would come down to commune with him, but that was broken. And then God raised up the people. Israel, that might be nearer to him, although there was a distance we know, but still a people that were set apart that he might.
Call his people.
Dollars fail, but then in sovereign grace he called out from among the Gentiles particularly.
00:15:02
Of people who were themselves nothing, absolutely nothing.
And He has brought them into a place now where we see them in these three places, Martha and Mary and Lazarus.
It's a picture, I believe, as has been expressed of the assembly and we notice in Bethany in the Gospel of Luke or Mark, I suppose about the 10th chapter.
I'm not sure, but I think about the 10th chapter. We find the Lord going into the temple.
And he looked around about upon all things, and he went out and went to the House of Mary and her sister Martha and Lazarus.
He couldn't find anything in the temple that would satisfy his heart, but that which he had prepared through his grace, just a few that were concerned and interested in him, that his grace had wrought with he could feel at home in that house. We noticed too, that in the end of Luke's Gospel.
That the Lord.
Led his disciples as far as Bethany.
And then he was taken from them another little picture of his leaving the assembly here, the last ones who saw him before he left this world. Similar picture in Acts 1, so that we have the the name of Bethany that really stands out suggesting.
The assembly down here which is so dear to his heart.
And which he where he loves to be found in the midst of the two or three that are gathered to his precious name.
Now, I speak of this in a special way because it isn't simply that all believers are part of the one body. That's true. Very true. But I think what places the Lord is to have His people gathered together on that ground as drawn by the Holy Spirit, just for that one purpose to remember Him.
Looking at it in that light, and as our brother has remarked, as perhaps.
An intended little picture of the remembrance of the Lord. It seems to me that it becomes very, very sweet to think that, as our brother Anderson mentioned, this was, shall we say, their last opportunity to have such an occasion with the Lord.
Six days before the Passover. I don't believe they realize this. They didn't know that this happy occasion would be the last one in which they would have this joy. And can we not feel something of the same thing as we realize that the coming of our Lord Jesus is very, very near at hand? How sweet becomes a privilege of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
How much sweeter becomes a privilege from Lord's day to Lord's day of being able to be gathered together? And if we might dare to use the expression, to make him a supper to bring joy to his heart, by responding to the provision that he has made, never knowing when one of those occasions will be the very last one. Well, on this occasion, as Mary brings this box of very, very precious ointments.
I'm sure she didn't lay hands on it at the last moment. There must have been considerable thought and phasing in view of the opportunity of pouring this upon the feet of the Lord Jesus. And it mentions that she did so that it was.
Very costly. Mary doesn't mention this herself, but the Lord does. He mentioned that it was very costly.
And Judas kind of lets out about how costly it was. The assortment might have been sold for 300 pence. That would be about one year's income, would it? Not a penny a day being a man's wage, about one year's income spent on that which she poured in a moment at the feet of the Lord Jesus. And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment, or as I think of it as being in any sense, a picture of the privilege of being.
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Where the Lord is in the midst at that supper which is such a delight to Him, is it not a privilege to pour out that which he can enjoy? I like to make a little comparison when I read this, and I may be corrected for a wrong comparison, I don't know. But I think of Nicodemus now when I say this. I know that God has recorded that He voted us and loving care of Nicodemus and of Joseph as they took care.
Of the precious body of the Lord Jesus. But they brought 500 lbs. No, 100 pounds, 100 lbs. But there's no mention of the older. I'm sure it was very sweet, but it's not mentioned the Lord was gone.
And here was the last opportunity. She brings one power and the scripture records.
Costliness of that ointment, the sweet odor of that ointment, because it was bestowed upon the Lord Jesus while still there was an opportunity for him to enjoy it. There came a moment when he was gone and then £100 was brought. And I know it was a very practiced and very deeply valued thing on the part of Nicodemus. And it will be a wonderful thing in the course of glory when all the redeemed join in the eternal praises of our precious spager.
But I really feel their sense of God, that it will be a happy memory between your soul and his soul.
That while we were here, where he is unwanted and rejected, we're privileged that that suffer to pour out the ointment upon himself.
Regarding this Passover.
Might we not?
Recall the first Passover.
When the Lord had provided the lamb breach.
Individual, family and for them all neighbors.
And God had in mind.
The new time.
Of his own beloved Son, the Lamb of God.
Would fulfill in appetite.
All that which the original.
Passover speak and then the following, keeping the Passover down through the centuries.
But it became a formal affair.
And so in the preceding chapter in verse.
55.
It's called the Jews. Passover was not at hand.
And even the one who spoke prophetically chaos in verse.
51.
He prophesied that Jesus should.
Should die for that nation.
And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
Well, this.
Last Passover.
In which the Lord Jesus himself partook with his.
And disciples.
Was indeed a great thing.
Though the grief and the soil and the cost, no doubt was on his heart and mind.
Yet I love to think of this.
Beginning of this wonderful chapter that has so much to say as to his death.
So much to say after his death and it is anticipated, but I like to think.
Of the joy that he had on this occasion. And there's a last verse of Psalm 110 that I love to think of.
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He shall drink of the book in the way.
He shall prove of the brook in the way. Now the brook is it not generally located.
Down low in the valley.
And.
So the Lord God gave him an incidental company.
Provided for this suite last occasion.
How good it was for his soul when his life had been spent with so much and the opposition and the nation rising up as it were against him, and our Gospel of John sees an increasing.
Bitter attitude on the part of his people.
At the most privileged spot on earth, Jerusalem. The most privileged tribe on earth, Judith.
And now the whole program in the Antichrist is about to be fulfilled in this last Passover. But how sweet, how sweet that there was an exception to the general run of the nation.
How sweet that they're elect setting. We love that exception in the beginning of Luke where we see.
Come in.
And Anna, and very few compared to the mass of the nation.
Who were the exception now, dear brethren, as we read this portion?
May we have a sense of our souls that we are at the end of a most highly privileged age. We're at the end of it.
And may we?
They so humble.
I won't let them screw myself, and I know you would too, so I'm humble.
That we might trend and not want the most precious truth on earth are being gathered to His name, to remember him in his death, and to offer our praise and Thanksgiving to him.
May we tremble, lest there be anything of the character, reducing it to a mere.
A mere practice. Hope you know what I mean.
Instead of.
A hard work.
Recorded in Matthew's Gospel.
March Gospel and now in John's Gospel.
And it seems to have a gospel writer gives a special thought in connection with the Supper.
In Matthew and I think Mark too, but we can see especially the reason why.
Mark Our Massive calls attention to the falling of the ointment on his head.
For the Lord was the true king.
And as such, all becoming House City, the third announcement was poured upon the kids.
While the true king of Israel.
Though rejected and soon to be given only the crown of thorns on his head.
In Mark's Gospel, you'll find that Mary broke the box.
Of costly ointment, and I'm sure the lesson for our souls, and the fact that in order of that ointment.
Might have respect the Lord. The box had to be broken. The box as well as the ointment was concrete and sometimes delivered in order that the Lord might have the poor.
00:30:15
Praise from our hearts. There is that breaking our will broken.
Nearly our plans and feared with.
But surrendering to him.
So that he might have left, which truly delights his blessed heart.
And it's been marked that the Lord says she hath done what she could.
It was saying, you know, that it was a waste. And remember that, brother, that properly came to be very unimportant.
A very insignificant.
Service to the Lord may have such importance in his mind.
So that he could speak of it. She has done what she could others. Could you do the things.
And the toddler is ruler ways of serving the Lord. But we each individual have the privilege of carrying out something that the Lord can rejoice him, so he can speak of it as having done.
What she could or walk us up that, even if it's the Urnium and getting up a little earlier in the morning.
Will be at the remembrance of the Lord that's precious to his heart, where mothers have little ones that.
They have to prepare for the day.
So there's that side of things that mark cause attention to.
But you'll notice here in John's Gospel that he anoints his feet.
And I'm sure that it has been sanded to touch.
His cold heart of us, while it's the blessed pathway of the Son of God that would seem that Mary was occupied with, think of what had taken place in the preceding chapter. The Lord had gone to a place called Ephraim, where John first baptized.
When the news reached him that yeah, about Lazarus sickness.
The Lord had called those weary miles to get to Bethany at the time appointed.
And just when their hearts were broken.
And we find Mary at the feet of Jesus.
We find Martha saying, Lord, if thou had been here, my brother had not died.
Remember the elderly brother calling attention to the difference?
Martha said it not at his feet. Mary said exactly the same words, but she said those words.
At his blessed feet.
And there at his feet.
In the 10th of a look she had sprapped. Now look precious lessons from his lips and again it is feet. There she had.
Learned further lessons to comfort her heart when the Lord wept with our sisters in their believers, and now our touching our pressures to see where the ointment is used on this occasion.
And I thought of mercy that had proud earth railway that this she here on this occasion announced, and then wiped them with a hair or head. Woman's glory she there would be stole upon his blessed holy speech, or a lesson. May we will learn, beloved in this way.
Luke 10, brother.
Well, she's a learner there, isn't she in Luke Penn. But in 11, she's a mourner.
00:35:01
In chapter 12, she's a worshiper. I was going to ask you a question, dear brother.
Would the testimony of Martha extend into the Kingdom?
Would that go beyond the testimony of Mary?
I couldn't quite get Maybe you got it with you, the testimony of the Martha. Oh, yes, Would What would you tell us?
Concerning her testimony, Well, I thought, Brother Smith, that not only had Mary learn deep lessons at the feet of Jesus, but Martha had learned lessons too.
Now she was.
So engaged with service in the 10th group, and she would have rocked Mary of the privilege of sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing his word. And then the Spirit of God calls attention to this, that she was covered.
About much serving. It wasn't so much suspended, it was that she had made a burden of the service.
After the death of her brother.
And she objected to.
Even having the stone rolled away, Lord said, DeMarco said, I am not under thee, that if thou wouldst believe thou should see the glory of God, you have to leave the whole manner.
Will the Blessed Lord.
And I'm sure she learned at that time. That's our important lesson, our dependence upon the Lord and waiting on him that now first service.
Will inverted, keeping with the occasion.
So that there is no correction here the Lord could gladly and joyfully will say that service.
That was in keeping with his mom and suitable to the occasion in which it's found.
It's very interesting the the question of the Passover. It was kept in Egypt, wasn't it? And then kept in the desert and kept in the land. Well, I got a surprise when I first went to Bolivia, which made me feel that I was among some of the lost tribes.
I found an old Indian. He just finished his house and he had killed a lamb without blemish and he was dipping that course grass that grows on the mountains there of Bolivia. He was dipping it into the bowl.
And sprinkling the doorpost with the blood.
So I said to him, Why do you do that?
Oh, he says. It's a custom.
But I said, what? What else? He said. We never feel safe without the blood applied.
Over the door when I began to wonder whether I was among some of the lost tribes.
What interested me, brother Mary concerning Martha? Her testimony?
Would extend beyond Mary's, wouldn't it? Would you say that Martha had faith he was attached to the Lord Jesus and?
Just as those who had come through the great Tribulation period, they would get a blessing too.
Would Master be more of a type of of that of that remnant? Would you like to explain us more about that problem? I think Mr. Darby teaches that that I never.
Went into it so I could remember the special thoughts, but I know it was along that line that you're now Speaking of that I think it's very possible to our souls to see.
00:40:00
That at the present time there are these three things meant.
Paris. And for Lazarus, he was sitting at table with him. There's communion, and there was married, anointing his feet with the ointment, so that the whole house is filled with the odor. We get worse.
And it's lovely, isn't it? Because we know that a woman's plate is fast in the Assembly of God, yet it was until, brother. It wasn't John, the beloved desire, but it was Mary, a woman who was the one who pictures to us.
That blessed the subject of worship.
All that far the heart of the one who is in him, that the enjoyment of the Lord occupied with his grace, his loneliness, his perfections, and yet the odor of that fills the whole house. And so for sisters, they can be just as truly worshippers.
In the presence of the Lord as the brother who may pray, a very acceptable excellent.
Worship and adoration.
To return to a verse that Song of Solomon in that connection.
Song of Solomon, the 4th chapter.
And we read from the sixth verse.
Song of Solomon 4:00 and 6:00.
Until the Daybreak.
And the shadows flee away. I will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.
Thou art all fair, my love. There is no spot in me. Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon. Look from the top of the Manor. From the top of Sheena and Herman. From the lion's den, From the mountains of the leopards. Thus ravish my heart. My sister, my spouse.
Thus ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is I love my sister, my spouse, How much better as I love than wine and the smell of thine ointments that all spices. Now I believe if I'm right, here we have the bridegroom speaking, and he likens this.
Which we speak of here in our chapter is worship.
To a mountain of murder, That's his estimate of it, a mountain of it, and.
He says until the day break and the shadows flee away. So we have this privilege of being in His presence in the place that he's appointed and the manner he's appointed until the Daybreak and the shadows flee away, which I believe is very soon.
But then.
He said I will get me to the mountain of murder and to the hill of frankincense. That's what he is saying now. The result is he expresses his affection for his bride.
And he says, Thou art all, bear my love. There is no spot in thee. Could it be, brethren, that as we gather together to remember the Lord and the Spirit of God, that lifts our hearts in worship, that he gives us a sense of Islam for us?
And the result would be.
The attraction away from this world in the following verses.
Because in the eighth verse you have the various dangers that accompany the past as a believer, and the only way, dear Brendan, that we are able to meet the animator the only way that we can.
Be spared from these dangers is to have a sense of his love.
00:45:04
Otherwise, our fickle hearts will go after something else.
Because our hearts will be turned to present things unless we have a fixed object before us. I believe that's what we have here in the Song of Solomon, and in these various dangers they might be connected with something I and lofty in the estimate of man, as these mountains would suggest and still.
They're accompanied with dangers.
And the lion, you know, is the strongest among beasts. So we have the enemy waiting to catch us, and we're going to fall unless there's a real sense of his love. And I believe we find this and enjoy it in a special way as we're gathered around this person, to have him speak to us in this way. Thou art all fair, my love.
I was thinking about.
This word Bethany. I think we're acquainted with that word best. We find it in the Old Testament, like the word Bethel, the name of a place, and that means the House of God. Beth's house Errol is God, Bethel. Here we have Bethany.
And it's been suggested, I believe, that that means the House of affliction. I'm aware that there's another meaning that's been given to it, but I like to think of the meaning House of affliction as being applied especially to the House of of Martha Lazarus and Mary, the House of Affliction.
No doubt they had.
A sense in their souls of what the Lord was going through. Perhaps not a full, perfect sense, but I believe they were aware of the affliction that the Lord was going through.
He was not having it easy. It was not an easy pathway that he was walking here in this sea. I believe they knew it.
And perhaps this is one reason why they opened their home to the Lord Jesus.
And Jesus knew it very well. There was a sense of communion there between them.
And I suppose when the Lord entered that home.
It was in a natural way.
And they took him in naturally.
There was a kinship of feeling there between them.
They had a sense of what the Lord was going through, and then the Lord allowed them to go through affliction in connection with their brother.
And so it became more in another way, a House of affliction.
I wonder if we could think of the Assembly in that way. What kind of a house is it?
I know we're living in days of prosperity.
And perhaps we don't feel much affliction.
But we enter into the Lord's affliction, into the Lords suffering, what he went through in his past week, down here, and in going to the cross, all that burden of suffering that was laid upon him, their Calvary.
If we enter into his affliction.
I believe that the assembly can become, as it were, a House of affliction, and I believe it's well for us to enter into the sufferings of the Lord. More and more it's easy to forget how the Lord suffered for us and what He went through.
Perhaps the Lord allows afflictions in our own lives personally in our families, that we might be more made more aware.
Of the afflictions that our blessed Lord went through, or it wasn't easy for him.
I trust that the fellowship of the Saints, the assembly where they come together, might be characterized more by this as being a House of affliction, entering into the afflictions and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:50:04
Find that.
All registers seem to have.
Listened to Judas because the other gospels rights the disciples that.
Find fault with merit for spending so much money as though it was a waste could have been bestowed upon the poor.
We'll even have sad and sound too.
That a man like Judas could become the leader among the Lord's disciples.
Or better, now we need to go on near the Lord.
And independence upon him. And let the Lord search our hearts to see if there's anything.
That hasn't been judged in our lives.
Or as possible after we could be deceived.
By an unprecedented man like Judas.
With all heart is so lovely here, that when all the disciples were against one for one, the Lords voice defended her, The Lord took her part, and saw, no matter what may be better, how much criticism or condemnation there may be brought upon one who is seeking in faithfulness.
To follow him to honor Christ.
Give us true devotion to Him. The Lord will surely take part with one who is sincerely speaking to do His will and to walk in His ways.
Where we find in love who had been dead.
You know when I told you about anything that was said to win souls for Christ?
He was just probably sitting at tables and Jonathan will come to me in communion with the one who had just fallen from the dark too.
Where his body had been laid, but whoever said was yours to.
Have the sole winner On this occasion, you have only to look down in the chapter.
It fell in the ninth verse. Much people of the jewel therefore knew that he was there, and they came up, for Jesus sake only, but they might deliver it also.
Whom he had raised from the dead, But the chief priests consulted that they might put Laverne also to death, because now notice this, that by reason of skill many of the Jews went away.
And believed on Jesus.
So we'll show Beloved if we're walking in communion with the Lord.
How that hard testimony of going home.
And the enjoyment of himself that God can use that in a way that we learn here that many went away.
At all they laugh. Those wretched jewelry were keeming for the Lord's death. They went away.
And all how unspeakably precious it is. They believed in Jesus.
My brethren, is our testimony such that rules that we have to do. Those that we speak to are impressed with the facts.
That we have a person that we possess something that the world does not possess.
Remember some years ago in Des Moines? A comment was made in connection with those who.
Came out of their graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
And it was remarked that there might well be 3 questions raised about this company. First of all, who were they? Were they're numbered? Among them, any of those whose names we might have recognized?
00:55:13
And another question was.
Did they die again?
But the thought was expressed that although they were an unknown, unnamed company.
And although we're not told whether they died again or not yet, their testimony was that of a people who were living witnesses to the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is nothing indicated as to what they said. They just simply appeared unto Manning. Their names are not known to us.
Their their faith shall I say. Did they die or did they not? The question is not answered in Scripture.
And is this not a picture of where we stand today? Are we not to be in this poor, doomed and guilty world awaiting it's our judgment, shall I say an unlained, unknown group of those who bear witness to the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ? And the same question remains unanswered about us also. Shall we die, or shall we be called home?
I feel we can well answer it on behalf of a good many here, because I feel maybe I'll be corrected for this too. But I surely feel I can say on behalf of ever so many years that we're going to hear that shout, we're going to hear that shout. And so the question remains unanswered, and we ought to bear testimony as dear Lazarus board, testimony to the power of him who can give life from the dead.
I don't know, Bill, if it was the same occasion, but I remember this coming up at a meeting in Des Moines years ago when Brother Park was there and they.
Was important about.
Those that came out of their grace.
Is that in the death of Christ?
We'll find the heavens dark, the heavens of love. Us were affected.
While I follow them.
Affected the realm of the earth. And then he said the realm of death was affected to by that sorrow moment when the Lord gave us surrendered his life there on the cross.
That's the meeting of the passage we have in Colossians, Colossians 3.
I was thinking of the connection at the cross. We see the power of Satan manifested in every way.
That here it says in Colossians 3.
And verse 15.
Well, we should read 14.
Colossians 2 and 14, I'm sorry.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way.
Nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them, openly triumphing over them in it. Now I suppose this refers to his resurrection, but does it not also include those?
That have been mentioned that were raised and visited in in Jerusalem.
That have just been named.
Different ones were raised out from among the dead for the moment, giving a public demonstration of the power of resurrection, Which you say that this applies to, to that?
Absolutely.
Mandy.
I've even wondered in that connection, and I surely raised this as a question in Romans one, it says, declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.
01:00:07
Now I noticed that I don't want to die breath too much, but in chapter 10 when they come to the Lord and said, Thou being a man, make us thyself, God, Jesus answered them, saying, Is it not written in your law? I said you're God.
This sounds to me at first like brother, an unusual way to meet a question of that kind.
But then I have wondered if in the next chapter, Chapter 11, he declares himself to be the Son of God in a way that would set him completely apart from all others by the resurrection from the dead. Now I believe that primarily I should say I think that primarily in Romans one it does apply to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I have wondered if also he declares himself to be the Son of God with power.
By his power to reign from among the dead, which he declared in John 11. Is that a right? Yes, he does. Brother Hale and the I understand, brother. This can give us the Greek board. I'm sure that it's a different word, resurrection of dead ones.
It's not merely the Lord's all her direction, but the fact that he had.
All over death in the grave, that was one of the absolute positive thoughts that he was the Son of God, he declared to be such as power.
Resurrected among the dead. Yes, the dead.
We've been enjoying this truth of resurrection in our readings and in Luke 24. There are some notable truths there that we might just look at for a moment. Now we're on this.
Luke 24.
We were noticing that there are five different declarations here in this chapter.
In verse two, they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
There's the testimony of the open grave. That's one now. The next is.
In verse 31.
And their eyes were open and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. Here they have their eyes open. No wonder 11 One of our old writers puts it this way, that the resurrection is the keystone to the Christian faith, to Christian faith, the keystone. Here their eyes are open. And when we look a little further on.
We find that, he opened.
To them the Scriptures. Then He opened He their understanding.
That they might understand the scriptures.
Well.
A brother wrote me one day. He's with the Lord now, and I respected that dear brother, but he wrote me a strange letter before he died, he said. Brother Smith.
Why do you stress so much the Old Testament?
When we have everything in the new.
Well, I just wrote him a very simple little letter and quoted this.
That.
Let's see, we'll close it.
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself, and sent that verse to the brother.
And he didn't answer. But I was told that he listed on that was very heavy about that. Well then their understanding was open that they might understand the scriptures didn't this wonderful. And at last the 5th is the open heaven, the open heaven, and these two shining these angels that stood there in Acts one and said to the.
01:05:03
Few who accompanied him before he went up in their Shekinah cloud, they said, You, men of Galilee, why stand you looking up into heaven? This same Jesus whom thou did see going to heaven, will come again in like manner. Oh beloved, we have a glorified man in heaven.
And he will be that forever. We're going to be like him. We're going to be like him. Will. These came up in our little reading. Their eyes were opened. Their understanding was open. The scriptures were open. The grave was opened, and heaven and heaven was open. What a wonderful testimony to say nothing of the 500. Bennett saw him at once. These are.
Witnesses is our brother. Albert has said there are witnesses.
Who was seen and heard and known? Is it anyone that the modernist attacked the truth of the resurrection, of resurrection so much.
Never said how bad it was to suggest.
The need of the poor, when all heaven was occupied, were the subject of the Lord going to the cross.
I'm doing our household cabbage to the Lords name have to be on our guard that nothing hits the place and the importance in connection with the remembrance of the Lords death.
He was the neighbor of ours who was connected with.
A an organization and at one time they started out very much like our meeting Wolf Bread every Sunday at the 11Th hour.
Now he told me that one Sunday morning he went to other churches and called it and the table was at the back of the room.
He asked the preacher, what does this mean?
You want to have a breaking of bridge. You can have half an evening.
11:00 in the morning is too good a time for a summer now. After a while, he said. Oh, one second.
Months is often enough.
So far I know that system. Why the blood supper has almost been ruled out. Well, doesn't that show a declension? He called. After all, may it not be fed, and rightly said that the remembrance of the Lord in his death, and the breaking of red hills, the chief meeting among the Saints.
And how important we should, how much importance we should get to that. It is not that Britain that has kept us together all these years. A week, coffee easily scouted and easily LED astray.
That there have been, and there still are those who put sufficient value on the remembrance of the Lord and death, that we go on and and give the Lords death, the remembrance of his death, the 1St and common place in connection, whereas.
Our testimony.
Bolivia We advise the Saints Brother Barry to procure to get work near to the assembly, not to go too far away from the assembly.
Some of them settle a long way away, and it's not very long before they begin to backslide. I believe what you said is most important. We should count at the breaking of bread is the important matter to attend to, and we're getting LAX.
Concerning, it is the remembrance of the Lord Jesus and His death, beloved. With all of that means may we even in looking for work. And I know it's not always easy to find work, especially in these days.
01:10:01
May it be a portion to seek those who have to look for work, to seek for it as near to the meeting as possible, not to go too far away. Now we have two or three in the meeting where I am now who have.
To the way.
It's this is the question of looking for work, possibly too far away, and they don't come anymore. It's very sad, isn't it?
I never did know what the expression meant as Sabbath day's journey, and I looked it up in the Bible dictionary and if I remember correctly, it said the distance from the farthest corner of Jerusalem to the Temple. And it seemed to me rather interesting that at least the definition in that Bible dictionary was the distance from the farthest corner of Jerusalem to the Temple. And I believe that, as you remark, our home got to be.
In relation to the happy and the wonderful privilege of being gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, and being able to remember him, to pour out that precious ointment before him in connection with that ointment, I believe that in the book of Exodus.
When the ointment and the incense are described in such minute detail.
They are reminded that.
They're never, never to use either the one or the other carelessly in connection with the Orange, and it was never to be poured upon the body of a stranger. It was for Jehovah and his service alone, and there was a very severe penalty.
If it was used for anything else and in connection with the incense, they were warned.
That if they compounded this incense to smell, there too they were to be cut off from Israel. That also was for Jehovah and for the ritual pertaining to Israel as Jehovah's people. So I feel that it's a very, very precious thing to see Mary pouring this appointment where it's rightly belong, pouring it upon the person of him who had fulfilled her heart. But I wonder when I see the warning that this is not to be compounded for.
The pleasure of man is there not there a warning that we see disregarded all around us, that men have introduced forms of worship, as they call them, compounded out of their own imagination, and really for their own delight, and certainly not for the Lord. And their form of worship is thought up and improved upon.
In order that they might enjoy it. In order that they might get some religious boost out of it.
But all beloved, what a privilege it is to know that there is that which belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ, but as we come and present it and pour it up to him, we do get the benefit of it. The house was filled with the odor of the ointment, but the ointment was for himself alone.
Word is the Hebrew Jehovah Shama.
Well, that just means the Lord is there. But we do know that that will be the expression that will be used when the when the Jew takes possession of the land which he will get when the Lord gives it to him, and not by the force of arms. But that's a wonderful word, beloved Jehovah, Jehovah.
The law is there now may we take notice of that when we come together to remember him in his death? The law is there, and what that will mean in the coming days to the Renmin.
We just can't imagine what it will be for the residents in that day when they recognize that at last the true Messiah is there, the Lord is there. I'm sure you've noticed that. I've enjoyed that, you know.
We're to buy the truth and sell it. Not, we're told in Proverbs, are we not? It's it's wonderful to see in scripture the very illustrations of the boldness of faith. And I recall the mind hearing of a young man who was transferred from somewhere in the eastern part of Canada to Winnipeg some years ago.
01:15:10
And when he was transferred, he was told to call his new boss because he was given an advancement in his job.
So he called his boss, and his boss says I'll meet you at 11:00 Sunday morning.
His answer was I'm sorry Sir, but I have an appointment at 11:00 Lord day morning.
His boss says. And what could disappointment be? That's more important than your job, he said. I have to meet the Lord at 11:00.
Well, his boss was of the Catholic faith and he said to him, well, if that's what you're going to do, he said, I'll meet you Monday at 11:00.
So I believe that they that honor me, I will honor because the Lord is over all things and He knows exactly what circumstances we'll be in. But it's nice to see, isn't it, the boldness of faith.
Could we sing, O Lamb of God, Still Keep Us?
Close to thine Pearson's eyes.
Who has a #318?
John 12:10-23
Reading
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General Meetings Wheaton, August 1974. Second reading meeting.
#1 program.
John 12, How far did we get?
I'd like to say that while I suggested that subject.
On Saturday, I didn't mean to.
Leave the brethren to think that they were under any ******* to go on with the chapter that is. Rather feel that that is the subject for us today. I'm happy to go along with it.
Be far from ******* I believe.
I believe it's the timely subject that that's my thoughts only.
00:05:10
If we get as far as 10 or is that a little beyond?
Should read through 36, should we not?
Non gospel chapter 12 beginning at verse 10.
But the teeth tree consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. On the next day much people that were come to the feet when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
Took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him, and cried Hosanna. Blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young *** sat thereon, as it is written. Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold thy king Thomas sitting on an ass's coal.
These things understood not his disciples at the 1St.
But when Jesus was glorified, then remember they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. The people Therefore that was with him. When he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead bear record for this cause, the people also met him, or that they heard that he had done this miracle.
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves. Foresee ye how he prevailed? Nothing.
Behold, the world is gone after him, and there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship as a feast. The same came therefore to Philip, which was a of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip, Thomas, and tell us Andrew, and again Andrew and Phillips, tell Peter and Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a quart of wheat fall into the ground, and die it abideth alone, but if it dies, bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he the pain of his life in this world shall keep it under life eternals. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servants be. If any man serve me him will my father honor. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour, Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore that stood by and heard it, said that it thundered. Others said, an Angel spake to him.
Jesus answered and said. This voice came. Not because of me, but for you.
Say now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out?
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ divided us forever.
How saith thou, The son of man must be lifted up. Who is this son of man? Jesus?
00:10:00
Then Jesus said unto them.
Yet a little while is the life with you.
Walk while ye have a light.
Let darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knows not whither he goeth. While he have the light, believe in the light, that he may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from there.
All right, just like to make this remark.
Before we go on with where we started reading.
In Saturday's reading, much was said about being of the Lord, suffer the great privilege of remembering the Lord.
And what it means to him.
To be where he is, said There am I in the midst of them, and we see what this separate there at Bethany.
Meant to him in his sorrow as he was on the way to the cross.
That I felt that there should also be this remark too that.
The breaking of bread is not the only meeting where we have the promise of the Lord in the midst. He doesn't say where two or three are gathered together to break bread, but where two or three are gathered together in my name.
And we often find in meetings there are those that are very regular, very faithful at the breaking of bread.
And then we don't see their faces at the prayer meeting or reading meeting. Many places I know the prayer meeting and reading meeting are combined.
Well, that's a sad loss. And if the Lord feels our absence at the breaking of bread, I'm sure he equally feels the lack of our presence when we come together for prayer, and indicates A weakness that indeed is characteristic of the times that we're living in.
And so I would just press this the importance of being at every meeting.
The every meeting where the Lord is in the midst, and that is an assembly meeting.
How it's been observed and has been spoken of by others, that the last meeting the Saints give up is the breaking of bread.
And it becomes with some just a form.
And I suppose it's something like the reason is what we find in the address to Ephesus. Thou hast left thy first love.
The reason why there is the neglect of going on.
Faithfully, regularly.
In attending those meetings that are definitely, distinctly Assembly meetings.
And so that those who give up the prayer meeting give up the reading meeting.
They are laying themselves liable to a complete departure. The enemy will take advantage.
Of our neglect. And we know that we need to be much in prayer, not only individual prayer but also collective prayer.
And how many have drifted that way until they give up the place where the Lord has put his name, the remembrance of his death? And rather, there may be much weakness in the place. But remember, until the Lord sets an assembly aside, and that's a very solemn thing, I've never seen it.
00:15:03
Happened myself, but if there was the condition where the Lord set it aside, it would be very solemn. Conditions would be very serious. But as long as there is the gathering together in the Lords name.
That is the place where the Lord has put His name. And rather than let's not neglect those meetings, it will be to your loss for eternity. And it will be to rob the Lord of what is very precious to His heart. So glad you brought that out, Brother Mary, I was going to ask you to kindly repeat what you said yesterday.
That the breaking of bread for the remembrance of the Lord Jesus in his death.
Really holds us together.
Well, there are three meetings. We know that are there are meetings of the Assembly. One is the.
Worship Meeting the Reading and the prayer. Meeting Gospels, not necessarily.
One of the assembly gathering. But what I was thinking is this, there is a tendency beloved among us to.
Return to the beggarly elements of the world. That's one danger that we have to guard against by His Grace. And there's another danger.
Some are returning to their ecclesiastical positions. They professedly left, which is very sad indeed.
A brother said to me who was gathered years, said there's no difference. Indeed there is a tremendous difference.
And the other.
Is that?
Some throw up their hands.
In distress because of the ruin, and we're part of it. We hang our heads in shame because of it, throw up their hands and quit.
Now, beloved, all these actions are entirely unscriptural and wrong.
We are to follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. And those two words with them have been a real state of my poor heart during many years with them.
Would you include?
As an assembly meeting, the meeting like we had yesterday afternoon, the meeting for Minister of the Word is the spirit would lead.
Yet.
It's really a denial or disobedience of the truth we have in Hebrews 1025 is not not forsaken, not forsaking the assembling of yourself together as a manner of Samius Well, we're not to copy the sum of the first part of the verse.
Which is very important. And with regard to the prayer meeting And brother, one said to me after the prayer meeting, and young brother, do you think it's all right for us to say Amen from the older brothers prayers? I said? Well brothers, a very easy way out. But the Lord says, let me see thy countenance. He likes to see you here. Let me hear thy voice.
It's all very well to say Amen, and sad to say the amens are dying. Have two brethren. I've noticed that recently in many assemblies the dear brethren pray, and there's no amends to them, as if they're not acceptable. We get many amens in the scriptures. Many.
Why are they? Pardon me.
Well, the last warnings that Brother Potter gave us before his departure and was this.
Long prayers for the closet, Short prayers for the public. Amen.
00:20:01
Sometimes.
There is such long prayers that it's it becomes miracle we should come with something definite.
To present to the Lord in prayer.
Well, I didn't intend, brethren, to get back onto the subject we had gone over so that we'd better start out where we read from.
But isn't that a solemn thing to think of a man that had been buried? They knew that he was lying there and corrupting in the grave.
And the Lord, with his mighty power had called him out of the tomb, and they are now talking about putting ladders to death. And now there was another Lazarus.
That prayed Abraham that he would send Lazarus back.
So that he had five brothers so they wouldn't come to that place of torment.
Where he found himself.
But you know what Abraham said to the rich man who died and woken his eyes in hell? He said that they they have Moses and the progress. If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though 1 rose from the dead. So here we have the proof of that. They wanted to put the man that was raised from the dead another latter.
Because they would not believe.
How our God had given them as His word.
The Moses and the prophets, of course, through grace we have not only Moses and the prophets, we have the writings of the apostles as well in the New Testament. And it shows that if God's word does not sufficient.
To awaken the soul to its knee, that nothing is going to ever convert them. It must be what comes from God's Word and those who preach the gospel, and often with power and function and liberty. But what is it that really reaches the conscience of a Sinner and brings?
A soul to Christ.
It's because he has made you or the word of God, and it's the word of God.
That has reached the conscience of that Sinner and has brought him to repentance.
I was wondering about Lazarus here. Have we any words that Lazarus ever said?
Yet there seems to be a testimony left behind by Lazarus.
So that there were those who believed in Jesus.
If something is not like John the Baptist, who in his own soul enjoying the Lamb of God and then his own disciples left him and followed Jesus, well that's that's true testimony, isn't it? And.
We don't hear too much about the various disciples other than those who wrote, but it's in John's Gospel that we hear.
What they have to say?
In this chapter we have the words of Judas. We also have in Mark's Gospel something Judas said very little that Judas ever said. But what Judas said was all was bad.
And here we have it, recorded what he said. We've already noticed it, but I just want to mention that because in contrast to Lazarus, he didn't say anything, but there was a testimony.
As like we had yesterday, our brother was bringing before the children a vessel. A vessel that God was using in testimony and is something that God was using that he was able to use because there were no hindrance on the part of the vessel. But there wasn't any action on the part of the vessel that we read on. But with Judas all he could think about was gain for this life.
00:25:20
And if you read in the next chapter, you will see that Thomas has something to say.
In the first chapter, Andrew has something to say, and in each of these cases of the other apostles there was blessing as a result and a testimony left to us which was very important. Now it's Andrew who brought his brother Peter, was it not to Jesus?
And it was Thomas who who brings out the truth of Christ being the way. And also another disciple says, show us the Father, it suffice with us.
Have I been so long time with you? And as thou not known me, Philip either to see me has seen the Father, so we have them. The sayings in John of many of the other disciples who have not written, and all that they've said except Judas, is good. Now applying this in our own lives, and this is very humbling to us, I believe this truth. How are we known in this world? By what we say?
We know. Is it a testimony to the glory of Christ? Now, I'm not speaking just of one getting up to preach the gospel or to minister the word, but I mean in our everyday life, how are we known? It's a very humbling thing. Is there a testimony?
In our lives, whether we say anything or not, I believe we have that lesson here in this chapter.
One brother, same brother. I can't hear what you say because of what you do.
We are epistles, known and read of all men.
I can't hear what you say because of what you do.
Well, that was very sad. It brought that brother to his sensual spiritually and he changed his conduct.
The life we have.
That born of God now.
His resurrection life were identified with the Lord Jesus Christ in his resurrection.
And so we have resurrection life.
And we are, as it were, resurrected 1.
Not in the same way as Lazarus, of course, but still, it's the work of the same one.
The Lord Jesus Christ who said I am the resurrection and the light.
Now that we have resurrection life, is it manifested to those around us?
We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. Who is the power of that new life we have.
But I'm afraid very often we are allowing things in our lives that hinder.
The operation of the Holy Spirit.
And so the power of the life is not manifested, and it's not manifested that we are resurrected once.
But I do believe that if we were walking in the power of that new life, we wouldn't have to say a word, just like Lazarus didn't have to say anything.
He was a testimony because they could see he was a resurrected 1.
Can they see that we are resurrected ones?
That we have that new life in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes there may be those.
That are trying to live a Christian life without having the life. Well, this is a sad thing and it always ends in failure. And perhaps this may be the reason why some continue with us a while and then they leave. They go away. They don't have a life and they don't have the power of that light. It's a solemn thing. We can't judge these things. The Lord knows them that are his.
But it's something to exercise everyone of us.
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That we might be living resurrection life.
We know we have the old life yet, the old nature and the old nature.
Wants to manifest itself and always wants to break out in one way or another.
And if we feed the old man, it's a hindrance to the Newman.
Paul refers to a calling in Ephesians 4. May we just look there, brethren, for a moment?
This is chapter 4 of Ephesians.
While we're on this.
Verse one, I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that he walked worthy of the vocation wherewith dear calls.
Well, we do know that the vocation looks back to God's councils in grace.
Put into practice by those who profess to know the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Now we are to walk worthy of such, the apostle says.
And in Colossians one and verse 10 we get a similar statement.
To walk worthy.
Of the mall.
Now in Ephesians one we have the to walk worthy of the vocation. In Colossians one and 10, I think it is, I'm quoting to war worthy of the of the law.
Will, there's another still in First Thessalonians 2?
And it's in verse 12.
We are to walk there worthy of God.
Worthy of God.
So how very important it is, beloved.
To walk in this way.
That all God's counsels in grace concerning us are to be put into practice. Is this right? Am I saying it right, Brother Barry? The calling.
Putting it into practice. And so we are to walk worthy of the law, worthy of the vocation or the calling, and worthy of God. I think this is a very important portion for us, Beloved.
And it does come in where in which in the portion we are treating, excuse me.
Sometimes think of Utica as being sort of a fat contrast to Lazarus.
Lazarus.
Dead 4 days restored to life, and a testimony that was known and effectual to to all those around him. Whereas with Utica it seems to be the other way around. Utica had a testimony for a while.
He was up there in that third loft, along with the rest of them, but he fell from that place, and it used to puzzle me very much to read that he's called Dead. There he was, in the darkness of midnight, right back down to the level of the world that he once had left.
And the scripture says dead, but Paul goes down and says problem not yourself, for his life is in him.
Well, we we feel stirred as we read of that, for we feel that such can be the case, that there is a lifelessness and a total lack of testimony, And as far as any observer is concerned, they say there is no life there. But I believe the apostle with God-given discernment that his life is yet in him.
And.
The rest of the story proved that that discernment was true. He was brought up again to the place that he once had left, but during that time of.
Lying there in the darkness. What a sad picture it was. No testimony whatsoever.
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May we be on guard, beloved, as is this. They are testimony rather be that of Lazarus. Who though what's dead?
There's an unspoken testimony that was very effectual to all around and not be as beautiful to fail from that position and lay there in the darkness with no testimony at all.
I think two of the restoring of life and the signs of life. The case of the youth whom Elisha was used for restoration. And the first sign of life evident in that boy was that he sneezed 7 times. Well, you wouldn't call that a very intelligent sign of life surely.
But you certainly would have to recognize it as a very real sign of life, and I thought of that, as our brother remarked yesterday first.
The blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear. But I believe perhaps we can be.
Gracious and tolerant and thankful, as we recognize, first of all, perhaps only a spiritual scene that is a sign of life that gives us great joy and gladness, as we have long prayed, perhaps for children or young people.
And we see the signs of divine light, and we thank God for it. We thank God even for a spiritual sneeze. Of course. I quite expect that that youth went on to give a more intelligent sign of life later on. We're not sold as we expected. Was so.
And so in those for whom we have prayed, and see how dear Elijah not merely prayed, but entered into the situation in a way that I think could well exercise us, how he got down to the very level of that youth.
And continued on until there was that real sign of life. So I don't want to digress too much from that which we see here as the testimony of one who once was dead, whose life was given to him again, that we see in Scripture, I believe, that which would stand out as a warning of the contrast. And we also see in Scripture a sign of light, which was perhaps rather unusual, but which caused great joy.
To dear Elisha and to the mother of that boy.
Important to notice that 11Th verse again, I I think it was mentioned here on Saturday, but many are here who are not here.
Today.
You say all that we are told about.
Ladders that he was one that had sat at table with him.
And it was mentioned that that's an illustration of communion. He was enjoying communion with the one who had so recently called him out of the tomb.
And it tells us here that because that by reason of him, many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus.
Now you notice that they went away.
That is, they left the Jewish system and they went away to be in company with Jesus to believe in that blessed one.
And so where there is that work of God in the soul, it brings life, and it also results in separation from what is inconsistent with the glory of Christ, because those Jews were clamoring for the death of the very one who had raised life.
Well.
That leads us on to the next day.
And then we get the large entrance into Jerusalem.
I think I'm right in saying that all four Gospels record this event of the Lord riding the ice into Jerusalem.
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So it must be a very important occasion in the life.
The Blessed Lord One thing it was fulfilling a prophecy.
In the 9th chapter and the ninth verse of Zechariah that foretold that the king would.
Now come into the city. The city of that was to be has where his throne must be established.
And meekness and lowliness riding upon an ***. And isn't there one outstanding thing in connection with the Lord's life?
That he was ever occupied and concerned that every scripture referring to himself should have its fulfillment. And even on the cross, having gone through that a toning suffering, there was one Scripture not yet fulfilled, and that was I first when that Scripture was fulfilled.
And the Lord bowed his head and dismissed his spirit He had fulfilled all of the prophets had written concerning him leading up to his death on the cross, And now he could surrender his spirit. Beloved, how that should instruct us to give importance to the holy.
Word of God.
That will be fulfilled.
And every detail in which is given to us.
Let's have supreme, authorized supreme, let it house supreme authority over our lives.
I've enjoyed very much for the very that the dismissal of the Lord Spirit was a quotation from the word of God thirty 1/5.
In the same account in Mark 11 we find as soon as the cries of acclamation had died away, they very soon thought his life Mark 11 and verse 18.
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and thought how they might destroy him.
And now so acclaimed him as king as we get here.
Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord, hose Aaron the higher.
Then they sought his life.
Oh, how it brings out the hatred and enmity of a man to wore that blessed person, whether it's king or his Lord.
It would seem to all the apartment. It would seem to that in each gospel there is some special thoughts and connection.
Where the large entrance to Jerusalem.
Fulfilling that prophecy in Zechariah 99 and here in John it's connected with the Lord having raised letters from the dead.
When we find two companies, those that had been present when he called ***** and those in Jerusalem who had heard about the report and were on their way there to Bethany because of this report.
So we can examine each one of these accounts and you'll find that in Luke's Gospel.
Their glory to God in the highest is mentioned. It's the disciples who found that message. Glory to God and the hyacinth peace in heaven. It is there see Aaron Luke's gospel when the Lord was born.
The angels were proclaiming peace on earth.
Good favor in mind.
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But what had happened during the Lord's life, He had to say.
I am not coming to give peace on the earth, but rather division. They had rejected him. Think of the Lord, as it were, with those baby hands, offering peace to the force bad world. Now the peace is made in heaven, and that is characteristic of Luke's gospel.
And you'll find too that there is a difference as to the way the quotation from Zechariah 99 is given.
What were you going to say, Brother Lundeen? Along the same lines in In Luke's Gospel we have it perhaps a little more pronounced, the prophetic outline that you mentioned.
And.
We have Bethany first now. Bethany was near the Mount of Olives.
And in Zachariah in the 14th chapter.
But you were referring to the 9th that this is quoted from. But in the 14th as well we have the Lords feet standing on the Mount of Olives.
Well, that's near Bethany.
And from then, as we have it in Loki descends from the Mount of Olives and goes into Jerusalem, and it's at that time that this occurs. Now, I believe this is a picture of what's coming.
Because even though the Lord was rejected, still there's a sort of a little preview given us in the Gospels of what will yet take place.
When the Lord will take his throne and his feet in that day shall stand on the Mount of Olives. But isn't it lovely to connect these scriptures with what we have in the end of Luke at the beginning of Acts, This same Jesus? And that's really our subject this morning, brethren. It's the person of Christ, and it'll be the same for Israel in the coming day.
The same Jesus.
Whom you've seen going to heaven shall in like manner not with the sword on his side. No, he's coming back first to see the little remnant in Acts one, the little remnant of the Jews. And then he's going to take up their cause and deliver his people. But the same Jesus that you've seen.
To go into heaven shall come in like manner as you've seen him go, and it said Bethany, It's at the Mount of Olives that he first appears again. It's where he left them, and he told them that he was coming back.
That right, Brother Brown.
You'll notice this too, in connection with Luke's Gospel.
That when the disciples went and.
Took the ***.
That those who own the Ash would ask the question why Lucy the ***? And they were to say the Lord hath needed him.
And that is in keeping with the line of things in Luke's Gospel.
For when the two who were sent to find the place.
Where the Lord would eat the last Passover with his disciples.
They were to say to the Goodman of the house, the master says.
Where is the guest chamber where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?
You say in Luke's gospel we first have the Lord presenting himself.
As Lord of creation, and he proved that he was Lord of creation.
Because the Unbroken *** a wild creature in nature.
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And I know something about animals, and having been raised on a farm, how difficult it is to break and have an animal that like that that you can ride. But this *** submits to the authority of the one that they put their clothes on. The Lord was proving that he was Lord of creation.
And even the creature that a little part of his creation yelled to the creators rights. But when the Lord is rejected or when he entered the city and they were all shouting their hose out as you were just saying brother that they they said.
The disciples said, master for business, they want to silence.
The very voices that were proclaiming his glory, so he was rejected.
And now it's no more as Lord of Creation that he takes his rights.
But it's the master, not the Lord, that says.
Where will thou that show him the place where he keep the Passover with his disciples? But the Master said, And the Lord has taken that character. Now, rejected as he is, there is still that outside place.
For it was an upper room outside all this world's activity.
And so that place is preserved now as the master or the teacher, that the Lord now can go on in fellowship.
Where those that are are owning his authority.
In reading these verses, I I think of the statement we've often heard quoted that God is behind the scenes.
Moving all the scenes that He is behind. And in this gospel we see our blessed Lord rejected, and yet we see in spite of it all, in spite of the heart of man, we see the Lord Jesus being displayed in successive ways that to me are so very, very wonderful. Would it be right to suggest that in Chapter 11 we see Him displayed before us as?
The Son of God with power.
By the raising of Lazarus from among the dead, then in the verses that we have before us now we see Him displayed, even against the wishes of those who would oppose it. Nevertheless, God was behind it. We see him here as the Son of David proclaimed with these hosannas, which to me is a very wonderful thing when you realize that they were plotting to put Lazarus to death.
To put the Lord himself to death, God behind the scenes having displayed his beloved Son as the true Son of God. Now we see him displayed here as the Son of David, and then in the verses that follow from verse 20, we don't want to anticipate it, but we see him there, I believe.
As the Son of Man whose loving heart goes out to those who otherwise would be left entirely outside of all this blessing, it reaches out to you and me. And oh, it seems to me so beautiful to see that God is behind all this, and see through it that His beloved Son our Savior.
Is displayed as the Son of God, as the Son of David.
As the Son of Man, and that you and I are brought in by all this into a place of blessing that we never would have known.
Very precious this expression in both in Luke and Mark, the Lord hath need of him.
That's very humbling. The Lord has need of a full wild ***. Doesn't say he had neither brother gladding, but a poor wild ***. To me. That's very humbling brethren, to realize that the Lord can do without any one of us. But here he needed the poor wild *** to convey him.
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It's noticeable too and and shows the accuracy and absolute.
Correctness of Scripture. Now I suppose we turn to Zechariah 99 and read the quotation that we've been referring to.
It says in the ninth verse of Zechariah 9.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, He is just, and having salvation lowly, and riding upon an *** and upon a colt the full of an ***. Well now in our quotation in John.
You don't get rejoice.
Or daughter of Zion. Or shout oh daughter of Jerusalem you have.
Still not Daughter of Zion and you'll find in Matthew, I believe it's Matthew 21, isn't it?
No, it's. Yes, it's Matthew 21.
It says there in the fifth verse.
Carrie, the daughter of Zion, Behold, our king cometh unto thee.
Me considering upon an earth and a cold to fold the earth. Well, we could ask the question why was it that Matthew and John?
Didn't give the whole quotation. There's a reason for that, because it was not the day.
For Zion to rejoice or for Jerusalem to shout?
Instead of there being the time, the being the time for rejoicing and shouting, it was the time for weeping and sorrow. For the very king that was to enter was soon to be nailed to that awful cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. But the verse in Zechariah, you read the whole connection.
You will find it has reference in its complete thought to the time of Israel's blessing, when, as her brother has just reminded us, that he's going to return to the Mount of all his His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, and the mountain will save beneath his feet. And then.
Zion's day of rejoicing will begin and the shouting will be heard.
In Jerusalem in that day. But you see how carefully the apostles Matthew and the Apostles John just limit their quotation to what was suited and true and fulfilled at that time. Berlin, we do we we so little realized the perfection of the word of God.
That every word is God-given and inspired and and no law can be found in it.
In God's gospel we find that the Lord Jesus Christ is rejected from the very beginning of the gospel. He came unto His own. His own received him not. He's the rejected one all the way through that gospel.
Of course, when we come to the 10th chapter, that seems to be sort of a turning point and he gathers a little company around himself.
And they're taken out of the fold, made part of the flock that's gathered around himself.
Well, here he must be thinking about the little flock. The spirit of God is guiding in what is recorded here, and of course in what is said at the time. No doubt the word fear not, as opposed to that little remnant to encourage them.
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Because that little remnant must feel how the Lord is the rejected one. And yet they're satisfied to follow him, to to be around him. And they have a heart for him, and they they could be very well disturbed to see how he's rejected.
And how the leaders, the chief priests and elders wouldn't have him and they plotted to put him to death. They could be greatly disturbed. But the word comes to them, fear not, fear not. And then bringing salvation. That which we have in Zechariah is not quoted here because it's again connected with this. I suppose that the Lord is the rejected one and salvation can't come to the nation of Israel.
That must wait till another day.
2016 verse These things understood not his disciples at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written again, and that they had done these things unto him.
So you know, when Jesus was glorified, he sent God the Holy Spirit.
Into this world.
And the Lord.
Continually speaks of a certain day in that day.
Captain John 14 Ye shall know that I'm in the Father, and the Father in me.
Oh, brethren, we are in a very favored and honored position that we have now dwelling in US God the Holy Spirit.
And it was only after the Lord was glorified on high.
That the disciples understood the meaning of the Lord's entering into Jerusalem, fulfilling that prophecy.
Then they saw and understood what it meant and how it must have rejoiced their hearts.
So isn't there a lesson to that we may read a scripture at certain time?
And may be enjoyed in a certain way, but later the Spirit of God may make that very scripture of great and definite importance for guidance in our lives.
You mean Well, the Spirit actually applies. Then we can say that we have the truth from God. Otherwise it may be just in our minds. We may even be able to minister the truth and not receive it really in our heart, ourself in practice. And that's a dangerous thing, is it not? But the the faithful and wise scribe, Am I quoting it right in Matthew 13 brings out of his treasure.
Things new and all, I believe that's ministry in the spirit. I believe that is something that has been valued and laid up in store. The word was husbandman, wasn't it? I called the wrong he's a he's a husband and he's a man who was laid up in store. That which he valued that God had given him and then he ministers it. I believe that's that's real ministry in the spirit, otherwise it.
It's something simply that you're passing on like a parrot, but.
This is from the heart when it's really enjoyed in the soul 1St and is given of God.
London.
One who can minister the word by the spirit is one really.
Who who practices self judgment in his life?
How important that is?
And brother. And let's remember this that if we have failed.
We need to get right with the Lord 1St and if it affects our brethren.
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We need to get right with our brethren as well, and one who refuses to humble himself and get right with his brethren.
May miss the path of the truth and go on walking in a path of disobedience away from the Lord or away from the place where he's put his name for the rest of his days.
So how important it is to be willing to judge ourselves?
Or pride comes in so quickly that we have made a statement.
We have made a step in our lives and we're not willing to judge ourselves and all that. We have made a mistake and so we go on and the enemy, of course delights to feed pride. And so it's a solemn thing.
I remember Brother Potter calling my attention to this that he never knew of a servant of Christ.
Had led the Saints astray that was ever restored, he said. He believed it was too solemn A manner. And I believe the root of the whole thing is this, that there was pride they had taken a step just like a certain brother that led others astray remark to another, he said. The thing has gone too far.
That is, he gone so far in taking that step that he wasn't willing.
To own his mistake and to come back.
And admit that he was wrong.
I like to use the illustration of the book of Ruth. It's a simple illustration, but I believe it's very effective for our consciences. Now Ruth was in danger of taking a wrong step and her mother-in-law corrected her and.
She was in danger of following the young man.
And her mother-in-law said it's good for thee to abide past by the maidens.
The result was she obeyed her mother-in-law and.
She was given to be brought right into the very line that we have mentioned in Matthew, the line of Christ. Now something else in that connection. She had been gleaning all through the barley harvest and wheat harvest until the harvest was over and she had gleaned a certain amount.
I don't remember the amount. I don't want to take the time to go into it, but a little later when Boaz, when she met Boaz.
Who became her husband, which brought her into the Direct Line of Christ. And she was a Gentile.
We find that he tells her to hold out her apron, and he fills her apron with twice as much as she had gleaned.
Twice as much as she had gleaned in the times of harvest, and this was after harvest. Now there's a lesson for us there, brethren.
There are times when, if we sit in the presence of the Lord.
Like David did at one time, you remember?
That he's going to fill our apron full.
Twice as much as we'll ever glean.
Now, I don't want to discourage anyone from gleaning because I believe it's very important. But I think sometimes what we glean from scripture, we don't really get ahold of until he fills our apron full, as I use the illustration of Ruth. And then we get twice as much, and then we also get it from himself, and we'll never forget it. It'll be a part of us. It's the truth that the Spirit of God brings home to our souls in power.
But may I add through the conscience because of what we are.
And as our brother Barry has been mentioning that it's very important that our consciences be always exercised when we're in the presence of God, especially even if it's the breaking of bread.
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Because of what we are, we're still here in this world, and we still have the flesh with us, and even in the most favorable circumstances for the Spirit.
For our souls, the flesh is liable to enter into and spoil everything for us and for others.
Finding the first job done with Naomi gave a very bad advice, didn't she? She said. Return unto thy God.
Now, after that, return to Bethlehem. Judah. Now she has some good advice for her. She learned a lesson there. She's back in the place where she left, wasn't she?
Now she gives a good advice and you just mentioned I'm thinking the first chapter she sent her.
Turn again, my daughters.
12 Go your way. Well, this is very bad advice, advising them to go back to the place where they left, the place of idol worship. But now she's returned to Bethlehem, Judah and Ruth says in truth, entreat me not to leave thee. So Ruth was not going to be turned aside. We find that the other one.
Warpa kissed her mother-in-law.
Showed must have with affection, but it says the first he returned to her Gods, but not Ruth. Ruth claim unto Naomi.
First of all, she gave a bad advice, didn't she? But now, as you remember, since she gives her good advice because she has returned the place she had left.
His remarkable, isn't it, in the Gospel of John.
Where the Lord is presented to us as a divine person.
That we find this verse, the 19th verse.
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.
We we find in John's Gospel in the in the 12Th chapter, this statement of the Lord. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
I laid down on myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
As far as all outward appearances were concerned.
The Lord was winning the victory over all the malice of the Pharisees, but right after.
What is said here? Then we get these Greeks coming, and the Lord saying, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die.
And abide at the local That was the purpose of his coming into this poor world.
Was to die for sinners on the cross.
That's the truth of resurrection, is it not? That is.
He dies, but we find resurrection following this, and that's the assurance for us of that resurrection because as that.
Kernel of wheat falling to the ground and dies. It brings forth fruit, and the fruit is after its kind and we're going to be just like Christ.
This is a wonderful truth, brethren, We have in this verse marvelous truth.
There was 1 quart of weight, and the destiny of every saved soul depends upon this one corn of wheat falling at the ground and dying. There was no other way, no other possible way for anyone to receive blessing in God's universe except on the basis of the corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying. The result was it was to bear much fruit.
They don't say that, as far as all appearances were concerned, that everything was leading up to the setting up of the Kingdom.
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There in Jerusalem the Pharisees with all their enmity, were saying, behold, the world has gone after him, and then certain Greeks among them that came up to worship.
Well, we know the Gentiles are coming into blessing along with Israel, and the day when he sets up his Kingdom. He had looked as though everything was there prepared, so that all that was necessary was the Lord to proclaim Himself the King, and the Kingdom as it is outside of in the prophets, would have taken place.
But all there was something that must take place before that could be true and that is as you have been saying brother, that the corn of the fleet, he was that unique corn of wheat.
Must go down into death.
And as you say two of the part of the fleet going into the ground.
There's equally a subject of resurrection.
So the the Apostle. And Speaking of the resurrection of the Saints, he says that which thou source has not quickened except to die, and then that then it comes forth.
A distinct body, though it's the very body that went into the ground.
But I was just mentioning that.
The subject of death and resurrection. But here, of course, the Lord occupies a peculiar place that no other.
Man ever occupied, and that was he, was that corn of wheat going down into death, and the result of his death.
And his resurrection would be much fruit. The only fruit for God that could possibly be gained was the death and resurrection of the Son of God.
It's lovely to realize too, is that the believer has the same life of nature as the.
A week that was sown, same life and nature, her farmers here, and they know that they serve wheat. When the crop is ready, they find nothing but wheat. And those kernels are exactly like the one they had sewn, the original one. And isn't it beautiful to realize that we too, as believers are like that corner? We have the same life and nature and resurrection as He.
In this portion.
Has to like verse 20.
There were certain Greeks. Now these were real Greeks and not Hellenists.
And.
So the Lord.
When told of their coming up and wanted to see Jesus.
Oh, how that touched his heart.
How he knew.
For which 'cause he came into the world. In fact, it's mentioned.
As coming to this hour in verse 27.
Now in verse 23 Jesus answered them saying.
The hour is come that the son of man.
Should be glorified.
Well.
In route to that glory must be.
The verse that follows.
The Foundation.
He came to die.
01:20:03
And.
It is the secret.
Of deliverance of salvation.
And a glorifying God, and the necessary step in his path and route to the glory.
How, by the way, you remember in 1963 at Lawrenceville, and I remember your father, brother.
A hole suggested that we trace the.
The Preparations for Christianity and the Gospel of John.
And I think it's a good thing right now for us to observe such things as that the Greeks coming into appearance, and then the Lords utterances, that the hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you.
Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it.
Abideth alone buck, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Now look over in verse 32.
And I if I be lifted up.
From the Earth.
Will draw.
All men unto me not the Jew only.
The long dispensation of his favor to that people that he brought out of Egypt.
They had been proven.
And how sad are the evidences of?
Their not profiting, but all the blessings and privileges bestowed upon them, and to them are committed the oracles of God.
And the promises.
All paving the way that they might have hope and welcome their Messiah in due time, Messiah King. But you know, as we said in the beginning of the gospel, they rejected him. And so if you trace by the way, this is the most interesting tracing for any soul that takes time.
To look into the Gospel of John and its peculiar character in the stepping stones, looking on to the introduction of Christianity, well, we have it all through the book, but we have a real strong touch of it right here in our chapter.
Most important chapter Our brother called for 12Th chapter. The death is emphasized. The death is a burial.
And the IT assumes also the resurrection and the glorification of our Lord.
Lord, what is mine is?
Everything I am, so I am.
Learning.
Land crabs, There is a flag.
Radiation.
John 12:23-36
Reading
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General Meetings Wheaton, August 1974. Third reading meeting.
Yeah, I don't know.
I gotta try that. I'll have another communication and we'll be able to get this interview.
John Gospel chapter 12, verse 23.
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is coming, at the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I send to you, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die it abideth alone, but if it died, it bring us forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hated his life.
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In this world shall keep it under life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servants be. If any man serve me him will my Father honor. Now is my sole troubled. And what shall I say, Father?
Father, save me from this hour.
But for this cause came I unto this hour, Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
The people therefore that stood by and heard it said, that it thunders, others said, an Angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him. We have heard out of the law that Christ divided forever.
And how saith thou, the son of man must be lifted up. Who is this son of man?
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.
Walk while he have the light, let darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth moth, whither he goeth, while ye have light, Believe in the light.
That he may be the children of light. These things make these us and departed, and He hide himself from this.
I suppose this expression in the.
21St verse, the Greek said. Sir, we would see Jesus.
Well, is that the real desire of our hearts? I believe there should be a real challenge to us today.
As to whether we really desire to see Jesus.
Or is there something we'd like to see accomplished down here? First, some little pet scheme that we like to carry out? But do you earnestly and honestly desire to see Jesus?
That was that his eye that we find in Hebrews 2, Paul says. But we see Jesus.
Was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death frowned with glory and honor. Paul had a vision of that blessed one above.
John said in the first epistle, third, third chapter, for we shall see him.
That's a glorious cheer is a glorious hope. And now we shall see him. But first of all, is that the desire of our hearts to see him at any moment? The Greek said we would see Jesus.
All says we do see him, John says we going to see him.
And in the case of the Queen of Sheba.
And she left her throne and went across the desert sands just to hear the wisdom of Solomon. I believe that's the spirit of what we have here, is it not? And we noticed, too, that in Luke's gospel the Lord has to say to those that had so much of the word of God, the oracles of God, and they wouldn't listen.
He said. We have piped unto you, and you've not danced, We've mourned to you, and you've not wept. And then he speaks of wisdoms, children. Then we see that woman a Sinner.
Breaking in, as it were, to a strange person's house just to see Jesus and she was welcome there because Jesus was there. We notice also that this has a particular Gentile aspect, doesn't it, that God granted to the Gentiles after Israel had rejected the Savior, that He caused the Gentiles to be ready to hear the word?
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And we have examples like the the centurion in the 7th of Luke and others who who were desirous for the blessing that Jesus had. So as you say, brother gladding, it's only the Spirit of God can produce this in our hearts. But the point is are we willing when the Spirit of God comes?
To respond to acts.
I suppose this is a case of anticipation here. We get quite a bit of that in John's Gospel.
Things by way of anticipation. For instance, in the 10th chapter there shall be 1 flock, 1 shepherd.
Well, there wasn't at that time, really. But it's looking ahead. And so I suppose this is the same thing with these Greeks coming. It's looking ahead to the time that they'll be part of that one flock.
Really. The desire to see Jesus?
Connects the Greeks with Jesus down here, which is not a legitimate connection.
The Greeks coming necessitate the answer of the Lord Jesus Christ Now is the Son of man glorified. Before the Greeks could have any connection with Jesus, it was going to have to be as the glorified son of man. And so this is the heart really of the whole issue regarding the Greek seeing Jesus. Jesus brings our blessed Lord before us as he was a man down here and they cannot have him after that order.
They must have him after the order of the Son of Man glorified. And so he has to pass through the death as we get in our next verse connecting the Gentiles with that blessed man going on high. Isn't that it?
We were breaking out of their hail how that we get the Lord as the Son of God.
The Son of man, God glorified in the resurrection of letters. And then the ones who were shouting hosanna, is to the son of David, isn't it? And here how was it you said specially about the Son of man, contrasting or connecting that with the lawyers, that her before us has son of God.
Son of David.
Well, I felt that in the 23rd verse he broadened out, shall I say, to express the beautiful picture of the Son of Man, whose delight it was to bring the Greek into the blessing that was appointed for them before the foundations of the earth were laid. But it did require his death, and his resurrection and glorification, in order that this wonderful wider sphere might be developed.
That's all.
Nathaniel was aware of the two glories.
But now?
He was the Son of God and the King of Israel, but he speaks of another glory to him that he didn't know about and that was the greater glory he speaks of that the heavens would open and.
The angels of God would send and descend upon the Son of Man. Now that's connected, as you say, with his death, but do we not see it at the same time, the wideness of that glory opening now the heart of God?
Not all the fullness of what God would like to express himself to his creature, and that's in the glory of the Son of Man. He's the one that manifests.
All that God is as we have in Hebrews, One God is the source of the blessing.
And the Spirit of God is the power that makes it good to us, but Christ is the one who manifests it. And as the Son of Man he brings it down to us, does he not?
Notice the two disciples brought together here, Andrew and Phillip.
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How we again in the first chapter John finds the names of these two disciples. Andrew is even mentioned before Peter.
We are told nothing about Andrew as to his gift.
We're getting quite sure that he doesn't have a gift like his brother Peter surely had because he had a powerful, wonderful gift when you think of 3000, saved under one sermon that he preached. But he did his quiet work of bringing another to the Savior. He brought his own brother, Simon Jesus.
And I'm sure as Andrews sat and listened to his brother when he spoke on the day of Pentecost, he must have been delighted to think how he had been used to bring one who would be so used of God in preaching the gospel later on. So Andrew Pierce again in his simple line of service. And you know that the Lord told Philip in the first of John to follow me.
And he starts out as a soul winner too. And he goes and finds Nathaniel and his word to Nathaniel was come and see. Well Nathaniel came and and owns Jesus as the son of God and the King of Israel. And then as you say brother Lundy.
Nathaniel learned the greater glory, and that was his glorious son of man.
I just thought might be nice to mention these two old men and if God hasn't given one, an outstanding gift, ability to hold.
Hold the attentions of hundreds of people, the quiet service of bringing another to the feet of Jesus.
Is just as acceptable and I'm sure we'll receive just as great a reward.
As the one who has have a special gift that can move hundreds of people with his message.
Not only did Philip and Andrew go and bring others, but it seems to me there might even be a little lesson here where these Greeks came and they said then the same came therefore to Phillip. On this occasion Phillip wasn't going out and finding someone whom he might bring to the Lord here, where strangers who came and perhaps looked at all the 12 and said to themselves, which one will I go to?
In order that I might get an introduction to the Lord Jesus. Why they chose Philip, I don't know, but it seems to me there's something about the picture that could well speak to our hearts. If someone wanted to know more about the Lord Jesus, would they? Would they come to any one of us and say, I want to meet the Lord Tina? Philip didn't go out on this occasion to find someone to bring them to Jesus. Here was a seeking soul, and that seeking soul for more than one, I believe.
So to come to Phillips.
Him, Sir, we would see Jesus. Oh, I think it's just a little exercise, But our testimony might be such at school, in the neighborhood, in the assembly. And if anyone wants to be brought near to the Lord Jesus, would they come to you? Would they come to me?
Well, do you take this statement in the work where we started reading? The hours come at the at the Son of Man should be glorified as though all the material was there together for the setting up of the Kingdom.
Then of course the Kingdom, glory of Christ the Son of Man, would be displayed. But then the Lord brings in something that must proceed.
The glory of the Kingdom and that is going into debt. For without his debt there could be no gathering together either for.
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Kingdom blessing are for heavenly blessing. It must be all the result of His death.
I don't see anyone.
Objecting, but that had been my thought, that all the material was there for that setting up of the Kingdom.
But the Lord brings his death in first.
Well now there wouldn't be any blessed basis for the Kingdom unless it was his death either, that the.
In either case, it must be on the basis of his death that the Jews will be blessed in the coming days, because it will be as the 11Th chapter of Romans tells us, They'll have to come in on the ground of mercy entirely. There's no other basis.
You you can't. You can't get any blessing other than through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Speaking of resurrection, I believe it's a part of the gospel message, isn't it?
I am. I hear what we could say and calling attention to this verse.
Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die in abideth alone the only man.
That ever lived in this world, that had a full clear title to go to glory on the ground of his life, and his perfection of man and the Lord could have risen right from Jerusalem at that time and gone back to heaven.
And received a marvelous wealth of all heaven, all heaven.
Received him with praise and delight. But think, brother.
There'd be a man alone there.
He dared me in that glory, but as he says here, it abideth alone.
And all the love of his heart that desired to have others.
Associated with him in that glory.
That lies ahead.
And in order to have one Sinner in that glory.
He must go into that solemn death.
That lay before him when he went to the cross. I suppose that truth is brought out in Luke 951. Is it not says when the time was come for him to be received now? Well, that had no claim upon that blessed one. The time has come for him to go back to the Father.
And if he hadn't gone back, as our brother said, he would have gone alone. And instead of that he set his face to go to Jerusalem. There he was going to suffer and die for the poor Sinner. I suppose the thief on the cross believed in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and his to take his Kingdom, didn't he? He was by his side when the Lord was dying. But he said, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
So we must have believed in his death and his resurrection and the take in his Kingdom too. But in actual fact he He postponed his blessing for centuries when he said that because the Lord has not taken his Kingdom yet, But the Lords are not going to keep you waiting so long today shalt thou be with me in paradise? But surely that thief believes in the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and that he's going to thank his Kingdom someday, didn't he?
More things of Matthew. We have a picture of the Lord telling his disciples to get into a boat and he went up into a mountain alone.
Well, I believe that's a picture of our high priest on high now interceding for us, but at a certain hour, that is at the 4th watch of the night, which is really the Gentile watch, we see him coming back.
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To his own well.
I just want to mention that part of it, because it's a lovely picture to follow through, but just that part of it that he was coming back to his own. He has to go up there alone for the moment, but he's coming back for his own now in connection with his death. It's quite remarkable that when Paul gives us the gospel in its entirety in 15th chapter of First Corinthians.
He mentions and was buried.
And was buried well, we find that the Lord Jesus died and he could say before his death.
The things concerning me have an end.
Paul could say we don't know Christ after the flesh.
An entirely new order.
Now that he's risen, he's a glorified man. And when he went on high.
Glorified We learned from Romans 8 that we also are glorified, and so the whole work has been finished that has brought us into the full blessing.
As associated with Christ as a man on high. That's our portion.
And the next part all about the line of things that you have been Speaking of.
The this new order of things that.
Has been brought in so that you read. He that loveth his life shall lose it. He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it on the life eternal.
That is the fact that Christ is going into death.
That his his death would have the result of much truth for the president marks out a pathway of rejection for those who would follow him.
Now that verse, that statement must have been very important.
In the Lord's mind because you find it six times in the Word.
You find it twice in Matthew, once in March.
Twice in Luke and once in John. I believe that's correct six times.
About one losing his life.
Now I think we should be clear on the meaning of 1 losing his life. Some have thought that it meant martyrdom.
But that isn't the thought I feel. You see, we have what we call life.
We speak our political life of social life the way what the world considers life is. And I suppose that hundreds of people ride around in this city. Would they came in here, they would say, what do you people live for there? You just sit around with your Bibles open. What have you to live for after all?
Well, it's that thought of the life that the Christian lives.
That pleasing to the Lord and what the world calls life, what they would say is having a good time entering into the pleasures of sin and having going along with the political, social affairs.
And climbing up the world's importance, they say, well, that's life.
Well, that which the world calls life is what the believer.
Loses. He loses that light that the world esteems and values. But in losing that life, it isn't a question here, I'm sure we understand, of getting saved. That isn't the subject. He's talking to his disciples here about what it will mean.
To follow a rejected Christ, he's talking to believers. I take it that way. And.
The thought is of losing.
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A life that the world thinks is so important.
You know instead of Esau that he was a profane man.
And I believe what we mean by a profane man in the 12Th of Hebrews was that he was a man that was trying to hold on to both worlds. Not that he saw that I'm Speaking of Esau as a saved man, but it's just to bring out that principle. And there are many, doubtless even among God's children, that would try to hold on to both worlds.
To go on in a measure and the Lord's things.
To be at the breaking of bread and then maybe during the week out with social friends.
And affairs that where Christ is not mentioned and has no place at all.
How? What a danger there is. How important it is then, beloved, to take a definite stand that we belong to a rejected Christ.
And if we're going to gain what he calls life here, we lose what the world calls life. And he mentioned, especially in this world.
You mentioned brother of Lundy and the Lord Jesus was buried. I'm glad you mentioned that because it said devout men carried Steven to his burial. So many dear Christians today believe in cremation. Well, that's absolutely condemned in the word of God. The second chapter of Amos, we find that there are other scriptures. Cremation is absolutely condemned by God, but we find the Blessed Lord was buried.
And Stephen was buried. And if I die, I hope I'll be buried and not burned in.
Chapter 2 Says, Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions of mob, and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into life.
Also got other references and Jeremiah and 2nd Kings too I believe. I believe the reason for that is because the bones are a figure of resurrection brother.
You see?
Pardon. You would not think there's condemning cremation here. That I didn't say that, but I mean that a figure of burning the bones was contrary to the mind of God, because the bones, remember Josephs bones were carried up into Egypt. That's a picture of resurrection, isn't it? So I think that's the thought there now in connection with the subject that.
Of.
Following Christ. There's a verse in Luke that says in connection with following.
If.
If any man, follow me, it's the end of the ninth chapter of Luke. Perhaps we should read it better than trying to quote it.
In the 61St verse.
Another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at my home, at my house.
Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.
Now here we have someone who would put something first first, other than following Jesus.
The the issues of the Kingdom of God are urgent.
It's necessary to act immediately. Why did the Lord say?
To the man who would go and bury his father, let the dead bury their dead.
Well, because they take 40 days to bury someone there. They did in those days, and he would forget all about following Christ by that time.
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No, it's a question of now. Behold, now is accepted time, Now is the day of salvation.
Now, in the case of Elijah, Elijah throws his mantle on him. It's the same as a call. What's Elisha going to do? Is he going to return to his former life? He's been plowing, hadn't he? That was necessary up to that point.
No.
At the rebuke of Elijah.
He says, Elijah says to Elijah.
Go back again because he was going to return to kiss his father and mother.
Now, Father and Mother in Scripture, our first principles, we have to leave them. We have to leave them entirely.
And so those first principles must go.
He turns back, not to kiss his father and mother, but to slay the oxen wherewith he had been plowing, and to take the instruments of the auction, and yet make a fire so he could boil the flesh and serve the people of God. There we have him taking up a new ministry, but in obedience at the rebuke of Elijah, and he follows. Now that's a picture, I believe, of the Christian following Christ.
He burns his bridges, as it were. The picture we have is buried. The whole thing is in the place of death. Now I know, brethren, that I for one, have not learned this lesson, as I should, But I believe it's the truth of God that the believer is to see that old order in the place of death. We get the same principle in Romans 8. There's a new principle of life in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Has set me free from the law of sin and death, this entirely new order of things.
For the believer, it belongs to resurrection life.
That follows and chapter, do we not the 9th chapter? Two of them said me first.
In connection with the Let the dead bird the dead, I heard this explanation. I don't know you agreed to it, but I thought it was good.
My brother was riding on the hearse with the undertaker and there was a dead man behind who died in his sins, apparently. So, the believer said to the undertaker, let the dead bury their dead, the man said. That's not in the Bible what you're talking about.
Oh yes it is, he said. Well, what does it mean? He said. Well, unless you know the Lord Jesus Christ is your savior, you're dead yourself in trespasses and sins. You're never going to bury a dead man behind you. So the dead is burying the dead.
There was one more point in connection with that verse.
I think we should call attention to He that hateth his life in this world shall give it unto life eternal. You see, life eternal or eternal life is mentioned in two ways through Scripture. John speaks of eternal life as a present position.
Hath eternal life, and shall not come into judgment, and then eternal life is spoken of.
And its future aspect, but it's the same life, but it's in its full display without anything to hinder as we have here the enjoyment of our Lord and what pertains to Him.
But I was thinking in this verse he that hated his life.
That is when drawing a comparison between the what the world calls life and what the Christian possesses.
As the one who is following the Lord, the contrast is so immense that is something that becomes hateful or I wouldn't go back to at all life.
The world is going on.
Seeking well the one who puts such interpretation as it were upon.
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The character of life that this world is seeking.
Why? He says he shall keep it until life eternal, just as though you go on living for Christ.
Following the Lord, counting things lost as Paul did for him.
I believe, as far as the enjoyment of what we possess is concerned, that it will just be going right into the same lifetime pleasures and happiness.
And delight and rapture that has filled our souls in this scene.
Well, is that contained in the passage?
I'm sure we have known some saintly believers.
That their life was so consistent, they lived so near the Lord.
That one remark was made on a sister of such devotion and and spirituality. They felt there wouldn't be much change when she went to glory, but she just go on living and.
Character light down here, but of course, as we all know, Beloved, that is so far superior that we in a way.
And scarcely compared.
In any way.
With what will be the fullness of joy in our Father's presence? Because the flesh will be gone forever, and will be will leave this world of all its delusions behind. In that way we enter into a fullness that can never be reached down here. But still I believe that the nearer we go on with Christ in our pathway.
The more we will be in that state where it'll be just changing worlds.
Go into the fullness up there.
In the Old Testament.
We have the case of the 2 1/2 tribes.
That decided that they wanted to stay on the other side of Jordan.
They didn't want to go into the land of Cain.
I don't suppose it was that they despised the land of Canaan, but they said we have cattle.
And they said that several times. We have cattle.
Well, they had their possessions.
And they felt that they needed a place where they could run their cattle, and they saw it was a good.
Place over on the other side of the Jordan River. There was lots of pasture there and they decided that that's where they wanted to settle down.
On the outside of the land of Canaan.
God's land, the place where he had chosen to place his name.
But they they were. They wanted to be there.
Well, really in that case, I suppose you could say that that area in which they said, well, that's the type of the world.
They like to be close to Canaan, all right, but they like to stay out in the world. And they had possessions that made them feel that it was better for them to be out there world bordering well, They lost something. They lost something by that. Yes, they that was their life over there. But after all, they lost it, didn't they? Because they weren't in the land of Canaan and they weren't in the place where the Lord was.
And so it seems that this next verse, verse 26, fits right in with that. If any man serve me, let him follow me.
They should have followed the Lord into the land of Canaan. I suppose the ark went before them all the way into the land of Canaan. But they they left the ark there. They didn't follow the ark through. They didn't follow to the place where the Lord would place his name. But he said, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be.
Well, if they had been real servants of the Lord, they would have followed on and they would have been where the Lord was. Well, we missed something when we don't follow on if we're not real disciples, real servants of the Lord.
First, you just commented on in our chapter. If any man serve me, let him follow me. Doesn't say go to a Bible school. It doesn't say go to a theological school and get trained as a good speaker.
00:45:16
But that can be.
Instruction for one and all of God's children.
Do we want to serve our blessed Lord? What are the credentials? What is the way?
Let him follow me.
Well, the more we follow the Lord in communion, the more He will guide in connection with His service, whatever little service that may be.
And where I am, I love to think of that in connection with following him. Where I am, there shall also my servant be well. In the 14th chapter he says, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.
He says I'm going to have you with me up there in the glory forever. I've made every provision for it and I promise it to you. But in the meantime, while we're still here, if any man serve me, let him follow me and it becomes so very, very pointed.
Where I am, there shall also my servant be well. When we read that, surely we can't help but think of what you just brought before us, Matthew 18 and 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I. Well, if I read that person, then I read this verse. How can I fail to see the wonderful provision that he has made, and a wonderful invitation that I think we see in this verse?
If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where? I ask, well, in enjoying this path and enjoying this place, Although in the eyes of the world, as it has been pointed out, and it surely is true, they look upon it as a lost life, they really do, even as we had at the beginning of the chapter. To what purpose was this waste, that which was devoted to the Lord Jesus in the eyes of the world with a weight, but it surely wasn't through the Lord.
And the one who devoted this to him will thank God forever for the privilege. So when we read a verse like verse 25 and then 26, we see that the life that the world called the lost life a wasted effort.
And even the Scripture recognizes that in the eyes of those who know not the Lord, it is that very thing. But who could suggest for one moment that anyone who has ever served the Lord according to the word of God would look back and say, oh, I missed a lot, but I've got something worthwhile ahead. No, that is the point, is it? That has been brought before us. The world may look on and say, oh, what you've lost.
The wasted years, the wasted talents that could have been used as such advantage for the betterment of this poor world. You've wasted them, You've lost them. So Lord looks down and says no, indeed you haven't. As far as the world is concerned, yes. As far as the Lord is concerned, no.
And I really believe that the child of God can say that we're really getting the best of both worlds. Am I wrong in putting it that way? Oh brethren, it has been my joy to stand by the bedside of those who have walked with God, brothers and sisters whose voice we may not hear in the meeting, but they walk with God, and you stand by their bedside.
And you just take a look at them and you know very well that they're not looking back on a lost and wasted life. They're looking back on that for which they thank God. And they're looking ahead with eagerness and gladness to being in the presence of the Lord at home.
So I just would like to stress the fact that it does not for one moment mean that we're going to have to put up with a great deal of sacrifice here in the way of being deprived of joy and happiness.
In order to have joy in the world to come. That's the attitude of a monk or of a nun. But the believer who takes that which has been entrusted to him as a steward in time, his health is whatever, and says this belongs to the Lord.
00:50:05
And he lays it at the feet of the Lord Jesus. The world calls it a waste, but he knows at the end of the journey draws near that he's had the happiness of the Lord in his his journey and as our brother remarked, just simply a change of residence. That's all I was thinking of, brother Crossley, when you spoke to it. I knew him pretty well, and I just seemed to me when that dear brother used to come to our home.
Just to look at that dear man.
Seemed to me as though he he belonged to heaven, and with his visiting in our living room.
That's the the meaning of the end of that verse. Him will my father honor is that looking forward then?
That's very precious, isn't it? But the world thinks after is to get some honor and recognition in this present life. Well, we may get no recognition by the world.
And in fact, the one who is most, perhaps most consistently, serving the Lord may be little known.
Here below.
But if any man it says there, if any man serve me him will my father honor the question of which honor do we desire, The honor that cometh from man, or the honor that cometh from God, only as you get earlier in the gospel?
I I've been thinking of what our brother Anderson said about the 2 1/2 tribes.
We remember how lot set the for example for the 2 1/2 tribes, but the 2 1/2 tribes did not profit by that lesson.
Law, as your memory had cattle.
But our brother said this matter of the 2 1/2 tribes they.
They made that their their whole motive for choosing wrongly.
Their business came first. Cattle, cattle, Cattle, I often say. You hear so much in the 32nd of numbers that that it rattles the cattle, Cattle, cattle well.
The same 2 1/2 tribes were the first.
To fail of the 12:00 I'm going to read from First Chronicles chapter 5.
Verses 25 and 26.
And they transgressed against the God of their fathers. That's the 2 1/2 tribes, verse 18.
Ruben and Gad and Manasseh after it.
And they went a ******* after the gods of the people of the land.
They are in whom God destroyed before them.
And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Paul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilghat. I'll neither king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites and the Gadites.
And a half drive of Manasseh. My thoughts are lingering on that verse.
25.
That we have before us, He that loveth his life, shall lose it.
And he that hated his life in this world, this evil world, shall keep it unto life eternal. May I drop the line for any that might profit by.
A word.
I believe that this is the only time that in John's ministry.
00:55:04
That he looks upon.
Eternal life as at the end or in the future?
As John's ministry gives us.
He have everlasting life. He have eternal life. That's the character of John's ministry. Now, Pauls ministry has the other point of view in nearly all of it, and that is when you enter into the fullness of it in the glory. But there is one I allow maybe, and the exception to that. That's the end of Romans 6.
I might read not only this last verse to bring out my point, but I might read the verse before it.
Romans 6, verse 22.
And now being made free from sin and become servants to God.
Ye have your fruit unto holiness, Now notice and the end.
Eternal life, everlasting life. Now that's natural, or that's in keeping with Paul's ministry in general. But the 1St 23 that we use in the gospel I think is well used for the wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God?
Is eternal life now? Notice in the other translation.
In Jesus Christ our Lord.
I allow that the apostle here is giving us the truth.
That being in Christ Jesus now.
We have a eternal life now.
Same as John's teaching brother.
Barry, you have any criticism on that statement?
No, I think that's.
I think that's correct, Brother Brown. Very nice. Very remarkable to see those two aspects of eternal life brought together by the Apostle Paul.
This may not be profitable for all, but if any can profit by it.
In the Old Testament as to eternal life, you get 2 verses that sound like it.
The last person 133rd Psalm verse 3.
Speaks of life forever more, but those songs of degrees are just coming up to the climax when the all the tribes will be joined together.
Our good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. That will be the uniting of the tribes into the one stick of the word Engel.
Now the other verse that sounds like our eternal life is in.
Daniel chapter 12 and verse two I believe in which it speaks about some will be raised to life everlasting and then it speaks about those to judgment.
But it is not New Testament like First Corinthians 15 resurrection at all. It has to do with the bringing out of the.
Well, especially the 10 tribes that have been scattered amongst what might be called the dust of the Gentiles. And in that sense they're merely drawn out and raised, as it were, to everlasting life and again.
Its blessings on the earth in the 1000 years of the Kingdom. Now, both those verses in the Old Testament, when you come to Matthew, Mark and Luke, you still have that aspect of everlasting life or even eternal life.
Because both of those words are based on only one Greek word. I don't know Greek, but I know that much.
01:00:03
Now I just want to say another thought no be true.
The first time that we get eternal life in the Christian sense, in the Christian revelation, the special Christian revelation, the truth for this age.
In view the finished work of Christ, in view of His glorification and the Holy Spirit come down.
Giving us to know God as our Father.
We grab a Father by the Spirit so that the the first time in the Christian revelation that you get eternal life in the sense of the way it is used for this age, the first time is John 315. Course verse 14 must be connected with it. I'll quote it and I'll be through.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.
Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life. Now John's ministry in the Gospel and in his first epistle ever gives us eternal life in the Christian sense, and not like the first three Gospels. My brother Barry, you were going to speak.
I thought Brother Bundeen had something to he answered my question before I asked him Oh yeah, and that's the that's the next verse that he answered. I believe brother the now it's my soul troubled. Is that not the case of the verse that he refers to?
The 14th verse of John 3, where the Lord anticipated being made sin for us. Is that the thought?
When you get to the 14th chapter, the Lord says, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. But in the verse we have reached in our chapter he says, now is my.
My soul trouble.
How precious that is to think that our blessed Lord.
Would go through all the sorrows of Calvary. There the judgment of our sins.
That he can say to his own Let not your heart be troubled.
But oh how his blessed heart was troubled, and with the shadow of the cross lying across his lessened pathway at this time we can understand.
Why the Lord speaks as he does in this way, but I love to call attention to this in this 27th verse.
And what shall I say, Father? Save me from this hour?
But for this cause came I unto this hour. Then he says, Father, glorify thy name, and it's just as though God the Father could no longer remain in silence, so that there came a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again, and perhaps in a very feeble sense.
We can learn from our blessed Lord.
And we learn deep lessons from his pathway. Or we may be passing through sorrows and trials and heartaches and.
Like our Blessed Lord has saved me from this hour. Or how we'd like to escape many of the trials that cross our pathways.
But when the Lord says glorify thy name to submit so that instead of being.
Disturbed, distressed, and carrying the burden so heavily weighing upon us to just leave it in the hands of God our Father. And He says, Father, glorify thy name, and if whatever we pass through is to glorify His name.
01:05:18
There are many of the trials that we can submit to because God will have his glory.
And connection with our trial that we're called upon to pass through.
We find the Lord was troubled on three occasions, do we not in the 11Th chapter, the 12Th chapter? In the 13th chapter, although he says in the 14th, let not your heart be troubled. If we find in the 11Th chapter, he was troubled because says in verse 33 he groaned in the spirit of his troubles, the grave of Lazarus.
Chapter he traveled against verse 27. Now is my soul trouble and what might say?
The 13th chapter, verse 21, when Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit.
And testified things early. Verily, I sent you, the one of you shall betray me.
Probably cause undoubtedly the sorrow of those he was drizzling in that time.
After Mary were in deep trouble, and the Lord was troubled, the grave of Lazarus, and he was trouble at the thought of Calvary, undoubtedly what was before him. And he was trouble because of the Christ rejecter and 13 chats.
How often we see in the world the same attitude that we find among the Jews that day, they said it thundered.
The voice of God that would awaken the soul as often, just just like Thunder as far as.
Awakening.
The the voice of God to his soul.
But the Lord says in reply to the voice from heaven.
I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.
Now am I correct in saying that He had glorified his Son in the resurrection of letters? He would glorify His Son again.
In his own resurrection after he had gone into death as the judgment of our sins That way. You take it, Brother Lundy. That's right. I think we we have this all connected with the with the resurrection of Lazarus.
The whole subject.
Whenever weary of being the wonderful comparison of our brother, Gladding pointed out between the precious promises of the Lord to us and the, shall I say, the cost of those promises to himself. How did we see three times preceding the wonderful words? Let not your heart be troubled, We see that which the Lord Jesus passed through.
If I were in debt or trouble of some kind and a very well-intentioned friend patted me on the shoulder and said don't let it bother you, I would know that his intentions were good, but I don't think it would lift the burden very much. But if someone came along and paid the debt at tremendous cost to himself and then laid his hand on my shoulder and said don't let it bother you, it would mean a great deal to me. And it seems to me I know it has been remarked but.
I never get over the wonder of it that it seems that every precious promise that we enjoy in the scripture seems to have as an amazing contrast that which it cost the Lord either that we might even read and enjoy those promises.
We read that I'll need to turn to or to locate them. But my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. I look for some to take pity, and there were none. Like the Father payeth his children. So the Lord faith them that fear him. I look for comforters, and I found none. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.
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Raptured failed me, who have fled for refuge till I hold upon the whole set before us. No man cared for my soul, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. They planted a crown of thorns and put it on his head, who crowned thee with loving kindness and tender mercy. They pierced my hands and my feet, put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
They parted my reigns among them, and passed lots upon my bester.
Bring forth the best roles and put it on him, away with him. Crucify him. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. I assure your brethren, that's just a start. You go on from there. The scripture is just full of it. And here's one that our brother Gladden pointed out, and I believe it's so beautiful that every comforting promise of the word of God and we hang them on our walls. If we're not thoughtful about it, it's just a sort of a a motto.
But if over against the model we saw the cost, it would mean so much to us. It seems to be stand up to me in that wonderful statement. We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor.
That he through his poverty might be rich, and every rich comfort and blessing you and I see in the word of God. I believe if we meditate upon it, we find the cost to him that we might be so rich.
You think, Brother Hale, that what you were saying about the one who could layers and on your shoulder and say I'll pay all your debts could be also found?
In the first Epistle of Second Corinthians are not turning to it where it sells the Father of mercies and the gods of all comfort. When we get the name Father speaks of nearness of relationship, but when we get have a name God, it often expresses the thought.
Of his power.
His greatness.
In the immensity of his love.
Well, just like he was saying, suppose.
Man's house was my house burns to the ground, no insurance on it is gone. And someone comes and says, oh brother, I'm so sorry for you. I feel so deeply for you that you've lost your home. But suppose another brother comes and says.
Brother, I feel for you in your loss, but you know I'm going to build you another house on that lot.
Far better than the one that you have lost and I'm going to put.
Far nicer furniture into your home than was ever in your home before. So when we lay aside a loved one, our hearts are broken at the thought that we will not see them again in this world. It's just as though the Spirit of God says, oh, I have something infinitely better.
Before that loved one. And in that way God the Father mercies He comes because He knows how we can, how faltering we are. But then when he comforts us, He comforts us where the assurance of his His great power that is so immense and so great and so wonderful.
That it just fills our hearts with praise.
Would prefigure the resurrection of Israel in a coming day, and we find these things brought together in these few chapters. In the 11Th chapter he gathers together that is prophetically, even from the lips of the high priest, the children of God, which were scattered abroad.
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Then we have the truth that.
Is taught in the Old Testament the resurrection of the nation.
Of Israel. I believe Lazarus gives us a picture of that. But here we have something else, don't we? We have that which has to do with entirely new order of things and really heavenly, although it's the enjoyment of it now down here in the possession of it by faith, but it belongs to entirely new order as the result of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Not that the other didn't depend on it too, but I believe there's a special sense here or not, in which the church is brought in, not directly, but anticipating it. Their brother Anderson was bringing out a moment ago, anticipating, looking on to the time of the blessings of the church.
Then we've got now with the judgment of this world. Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out.
Is this the first time the Lord speaks of Satan as the Prince of this world?
That is, Satan had been the enemy of God and had brought Harrogate into this world. But when he succeeded as he did.
In leading the whole world against the blessed Lord to put him on the shameful cross of Calgary, Satan's true character is brought out that he's the Prince of this world. He's the organizer.
So that while pilot was gentile.
And representing the Roman Empire. Yet he condemns the Lord. The Jews shouted away with him, crucifying the leader of the religion there.
In the High Priest is one that insists that he must be crucified. So now the judgment of this world.
Is pronounced in its leader, that is Satan, proven to be the leader of the whole world system. For the world looked at in this way is a system that have been developed in man's efforts to make himself satisfied and happy without God. And then this leads on to and I if I be lifted up.
I believe the better reading is out of this world will draw all men unto me.
You notice that how it's stated there. I if I be lifted up out of this world, that is, it's a Christ neither in heaven nor is it a Christ on earth. He's been lifted up out of this world, but that one who has been rejected below.
And looked at now as the.
Beef.
As the one before he brings in the coming glory of heaven and earth, He has the center.
The gathering Center for all God's people.
I remember rather close preaching the most powerful gospel sermon on this verse.
And he used it as all that I've ever lived here in this world, all these.
Centuries would be drawn to the Lord at the Great White Throne.
Rather close with sitting at a meeting and someone else asked Brother Potter if that was correct. Well, it's rather embarrassing for Brother Potter. And he made this gracious remark. He says never tie the hands of an evangelist. He says he has liberties that that we mustn't interfere with, and the illustration of all being drawn which to Christ in judgment at the Great White Throne is true.
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But then he went on to say that the real meaning of this passage.
Is all being drawn now to Christ and uplifted.
Rejected.
Savior.
In connection with our worship.
Is the thought in that draw all unto me?
Is does that include you and Gentile? Is that the thought that it's the Jew and Gentile, not just Jews now, but Gentiles are going to be drawn into?
I'm glad you brought that in, Brother Anderson, because I think that's the thought. It's no longer a Jewish center as it had been there at Jerusalem, but now that Israel has rejected their Messiah and king, he becomes a drawing center.
Both of you and Gentile and we can see that there is.
There thought to touch the hearts of everyone who has trusted him as savior. That what draws us or should draw us together.
Is the deep love that He has manifested in what He has endured when lifted up on the cross as our Savior, marvelous the way the the Lord answers the question Who is the Son of Man?
Doesn't it In the next verse they say.
Who is this son of man? The end of the 34th verse.
And the Lord answers that, as he always answers, graciously, leaving a word for the conscience. But graciously he says.
Yet a little while is the light with you. In other words, if you have the heart to believe it, I'm the son of man. But he doesn't say he's the son of man. He just says.
Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light.
Lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not, whither he goeth. It's a remarkable thing that the Lord takes that title of Son of Man. When he's rejected, no one gives it to him, but He takes it himself. In fact, He's the one who speaks of it. But here the question, who this Son of Man is? And he just leaves this word for the conscience.
Yes, a little while, as the light with you. And this would be a word for the conscience of any year this afternoon who have not yet received the Savior. Yet a little while is the light with you. We don't know how long.
Thank you very much.
Another representative of experience.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah corporation.
John 12:36-13:12
Reading
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General Meetings Wheaton, August 1974. Fourth reading meeting.
Couldn't say how others feel about going on in the 12Th of John.
But it impresses me.
That in the last part of the chapter, there isn't too much material there to develop.
So as I had suggested in chapter.
I was just wondering if.
One of the brothers had some other subject where there would be more material to develop for the reading.
But if anything opposite from me and think there is the material there to develop, I don't want to.
I would need to read the rest of this chapter and then go on into chapter 13 a little way.
How far in chapter 13?
Well, it's hard to know just where to stop, but.
00:05:01
I suppose.
We could read down to.
The end of.
Verse 12.
John 12 verse 37.
But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believe not on him, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet, might be fulfilled, which he spake Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because of events, that again He had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts.
That they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them these things that is there when he saw his glory, and spake off him. Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him.
But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, But they love the praise of man more than the praise of God. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me, and he defeeth me, seeeth him that sent me, I am comma light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him, mom, For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejected me and receiveth not my word hath won the judge of him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself, but the father which sent me.
Gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak Chapter 13.
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his power was come, that he should be part out of this world under the Father, having loved his own which were in the world.
He loved them unto the end, and suffer being ended.
The Devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon son to betray him, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he was come from God and went to God, he rideth from supper, and later signed his garment.
And took a towel, and birded himself. After that he poured water into a basement, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel where Whitney was girded. Then Timothy to Simon Peters. And Peter said unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered, and said unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt.
Hereafter Peter says unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.
Jesus answered him, If I want thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter says unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whip, And ye are clean but not all. For he knew who should betray him, Therefore said he, Ye are not all flames.
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done for you?
We might mention rather than Chapter 12 really ends the second section of this matchless gospel.
The First Division of John would take us to the end of chapter 6, and that deals with the question of life.
00:10:08
Life.
Now the second question deals with the second section deals with the question of light.
And up to Tap 20, we get love. These are the divisions of this gospel.
We notice in our readings among the left and Saints the 1St 6 verses Life, The Next Light and the last Love. And I really believe that chapter 21. I wonder if my brethren will go along with me there that chapter 21 is really millennial. I just mentioned that, by the way. And it might help some of the younger Christians to read with more intelligence, perhaps this wonderful gospel.
I all that I'm not.
Bringing out something that hasn't been mentioned and perhaps most heard in her acquainted with, but since they have brought in the 13th chapter.
The thought is that in the 12Th chapter we get the brazen altar, for there we get the Lord's death.
The lifting up of the Son of Man, which would be.
In tight.
We sit and offering the victim on the brazen of.
Then are those who have studied the Tabernacle. Between the brazen altar and the entrance to the Tabernacle there was the brazen labor where the priests washed their hands and their feet.
In connection with their service.
So it would seem that the 13th chapter does give us the brazen labor, of course.
In the 13th of John it's only the feet that are washed, whereas in.
And the Tabernacles.
Service. It was also the hands as well as the feet. And that gives us character, the character of the gospel, of the what we have in the Old Testament economy. That is, it's had to do with the service because the full work and of the cross was not yet accomplished.
Now that the Lord has brought His death before us, there's no work for.
To add in in any way because the work called the cross is complete and finished.
And so it's only our feet.
That in which we come in contact with this defiled world.
That we need this cleansing. Then we go on to the 14th chapter.
Maybe on through the 17th chapter were brought into the holy place, and maybe in the 17th chapter into the Holy of Holies, because there we hear the blessed Son in prayer with the Father about those he had given him to bring safe home at last.
Before going into the 13th chapter, I can hardly hold that telling of an experience I had in connection with five verses in the chapter 12 many years ago.
I had come from the East and took a letter from.
Sectarian institution.
And I found that the preacher had formerly been a roommate to a beloved cousin who was once found in the gospel.
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Long ago with the Lord.
The fact that this Charles A born in Seattle, had been a roommate and also my letter was put into that church in those days before I was saved.
Well, I had withdrawn the letter and the meantime I served three years as a blind leader of the blind.
And another.
Big institution.
I met Charles A born on the.
3rd Ave. in Seattle.
And I said brother born.
I now know the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior, praise the Lord, he said. We drove it to the side, to the curb to talk, and after a while he spoke about, she says. You know there are two Isaiah's.
Well, my heart dropped, but God had prepared me for this moment just the day before.
In reading an article.
A faithful article.
So my wife had sewed a little piece of lining in my coat pocket. I could carry a little Bible there in my work.
I just threw it out.
And I said.
Read these verses.
Now watch verses 37 to 41.
Of chapter 12.
But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believe not on him, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he speak Lord, who hath believed our report. Where do you find that?
Isaiah 53.
Now that's the last part of Isaiah, isn't it?
And to whom have the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, it's the same Isaiah.
He.
Has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart.
That they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart and be converted, and I should heal them.
These things that Isaiah, when he saw his glory and speak of him in chapter six. Well, the modernist, the higher critics in those days.
They divided.
Because in Isaiah, the 1St 39 chapters do have a different character from chapter 40 on, but here we have from the last half and here we have from the first half, I said. So he read these things out loud to me. I said, now am I going to believe you?
Or the Lord.
The Lord shows that all of Isaiah was written by one Isaiah. I couldn't refrain from telling you that, brother. Let's go on to chapter 13.
Don't you think, Brother Brown, that the fact that the Lord brings these two portions of Isaiah together?
As for very definite reason, you read what is said in the 6th chapter.
Of Isaiah He have blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see with their eyes.
Well, that might strike one with a spirit of uncertainty. Why would God blind the eyes so that the creature could not see?
Well, the fact that he has given us that quotation from the 53rd of Isaiah.
00:20:04
Show why God has blinded their eyes, for it says Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
It shows that those whose hearts were blinded.
Are darkened and their eyes were blinded.
For those who had heard the report, and we only have to read the gospel.
In fact, in this very connection, in the 12Th or the 11Th chapter, where the Lord had called ladders out of the grave.
Well, would we not think that any human being would have been convinced that the Lord was all that He said He was the Son of God and the king of Israel?
But no, they took counsel to put him to death.
Saw that when you get.
This song very about it, as it tells us here he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes.
Or understand with their heart and be converted in our healing. That is judicial blindness and that has happened to Israel nationally and that judicial.
Government of God.
Is still upon the nation until the veil is lifted for the remnants in the coming days.
God does.
In in a solemn way.
When the truth, such as they had heard the opportunity that they had when the arm of the Lord was revealed, had rejected it by then, God blinds one.
While it may be doubtful if just the same character of judicial government would, God would carry that out today.
But it is friends are very, very solemn warning when one resists.
The gospel having heard a time after time.
And seeing the change in the lives of those who have accepted the Savior. But.
To resistantly go on as a Christ rejecter.
Is a very, very solemn thing. And while I wouldn't like to say that God will bring.
Judicial blindness upon such. Yet we should certainly heed the warning that if God dealt with the people of old in that way with the Jewish nations, let's be careful that we do not resist.
The truth of God when he has given such favor as to give a full gospel.
For our souls.
We noticed that there is a wonderful change.
And the scriptures which are quoted here in our chapter against that in Isaiah because.
The end of verse 40 in Isaiah doesn't read the same as it does in John 13 in Isaiah.
Six The ninth verse I should say. It says.
And understand where their heart and convert and be healed.
Well, in John's Gospel, as well as Matthew and Mark, it says then I should heal them. I think we spoke before in the.
When the former meeting of the.
Change sometimes that the Holy Spirit effects.
By quoting a verse in the New Testament and adjusting it to the moment that had then arrived. And here was the one whom it could be said, I will heal them or I should heal them. The Jews were looking into the very blessed face of the very one that now was the fulfillment of that scripture. Was he not there, standing with his open arms? I will heal you.
00:25:14
Another thing, another thing that we could notice.
This last part of the chapter you'll notice in the 36th verse, while that wasn't read.
The Lord, or rather the 35th verse, then said Jesus unto them a little while.
Is the light with you more while you have the light?
Lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not, whither he goeth. Why did he have the light? Believe in the light, that she may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed.
Did hide himself from them. Brother Smith was Speaking of the divisions of John.
The very first chapter tells us in him was life.
And the light was the light of men. He showed that these two characters of the Lord are developed.
And the chapters.
That follow on so especially here the Lord.
As the one who was the light of the world.
And he gives that warning to walk while they have the life, and then you notice that.
These things speak Jesus and departed and did hide himself from them. It's just as though as the sunset.
In darkness one who was the light had disappeared, hidden in South from him. But isn't it lovely as we go on in the chapter? When you get to the 46 verse, I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. It's like the sunset. And then the sun rises.
For a day of blessing, as he says.
There, that whosoever.
Oh, I love it. That word is and his characteristic of the Gospel of John isn't whosoever.
That is for Israel, those who had all the opportunities that they'd had, and his ministry and his testimony there in their land.
As it were the sunset for them, although it rises only.
To display a wider.
Have range of glory and blessing, for it brings in the full so ever.
Now the light shines so that any poor sitter.
Can come in his lost condition.
You are Gentile.
And accept the Savior of sinners.
I was enthusiastic at the time of Hitler. The president of the Republic of the Libya permitted 2000 Jews to enter. And by the way, that was the most progressive time that Bolivia went through.
The president of the presence of those Jews. Well, I got in touch with quite a number of them. And this very verse that you read, brother, I've read to many scores of them and I've asked them, what is it that you don't understand this verse?
Well, I found that over 60% were agnostics. They didn't believe.
There was one man said, Can you explain what light is, Smith? I said no, I don't know what light is. I don't think the scientists can tell you what light is.
But I said, I know one thing about it, that God is light, and that's his very nature. And the one I'm talking to you about is God over all things, blessed forever. But brother Barry, there was not one episode and I was months with them.
00:30:03
All that.
Their eyes were blinded, veil over their eyes. What a day that will be when they really.
And truly.
See that blessed one? What a day that will be. And I asked those Jews, I said, what is the dream of your life? There were 2000 of them in the state of potassium.
And I got to know so many of them and they all said without exception, we are returning to Palestine. I said what for?
We are waiting for the Messiah to see the Messiah.
Well, I said. He's already come, and he's my blessed savior.
But it didn't register Brother Barry. How sad that is.
Government lovely too, when such a solemn word the Lord has spoken about blinding their eyes and hardening their hearts.
Oh, what an awful judicial judgment that was. But when we read the 42nd verse, we get a word there that we can, well, pay attention to.
Nevertheless among the chief rulers, although many believed on him.
But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, or they love the praise of men more than the praise of God.
There were those that really believed in him.
But all what an awful thing the fear of man is. Or, as we were hearing in one of our meetings, the fear of man work at the snare. I suppose. Perhaps Nicodemus was among this number.
Has he only spoke up one little word in the 7th chapter and he was immediately condemned?
Our Lord doth our Lord judge any man before it, see and hear.
Our brother.
Doctor Wilson has spoken of the.
Experience that Nicodemus passed through that in the third chapter where the.
Where he comes by night.
To question Jesus.
It was midnight in his soul in the 7th chapter, where in the presence of the elders and the high priest.
Scribes. He has a little word to say, a little timid word.
But oh, at the end, when all the disciples had forsaken him, and the Lord had.
Expired there on the cross. Nicodemus came with Joseph of Arimathea to honor him in his death. And sometimes it happens this way. It surely happened in that case.
That when some tremendous.
Circumstances.
Has developed like the death of Christ, so that there is no middle ground to take. You see their for him or against him.
It brought out a timid man like Nicodemus to boldly come out there, where all that mocking and deriding had taken place.
There to honor that one that had suffered there on the cross in his burial.
Is better? Is verse 41 not approved that Jehovah of the Old Testament and the person of the Lord Jesus are one and the same person?
I think it is brother. It says these things said, he says when he saw his glory, but it's more especially the sun.
In that 6th chapter as you remember that.
Isaiah was taken into the temple, and he saw the Lord of Hosts high and lifted up.
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And his throne filled the temple, and before him were the Seraphims, and so on. And he cried.
And I'm a man of unclean lips, so I may not be quoting all just correctly. I didn't want to take time to turn to it.
But.
I believe that while the Lord and Jehovah are often spoken of together, for.
Their their one in Godhead but I think that the prophet there.
As this very chapter would tell us, it was Christ war. It says here these things said he's there.
He saw his glory. And who is the one of Isaiah 53? Why, it's the One who.
Have.
Who?
As you get in in the 5th and 6th verses.
That Jehovah hath made him.
Well, I'm not getting just the verses correctly. All we like sheep have gone astray, and so on, but Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. So when the 53rd chapter, who have believed our report, And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed, is certainly Christ. And so here again that one whose throne filled the temple, whose glory is displayed there while the.
The Lord tells us that it was when Isaiah saw his glory and speak of him.
I was wondering about these that it speaks of here that believed on him but they didn't confess him. I was wondering if these did not confess the Lord on the day of Pentecost.
The way to confess the Lord at that time was to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
That would be taking an open stand in identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And there's nothing I suppose to indicate that that these that it speaks of here in chapter 12 were among those that it speaks of in Acts chapter 2.
But still, it's surely a possibility that they took an open stand at that time, because if they had really believed in the Lord, they would have to take an open stand sooner or later, it seems to me.
Boss For Peters says, separate yourselves from this untoward generation, and he says repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of of the Lord Jesus. For the remission of sins, that is.
In that place, baptism has a special character.
As a complete break.
For the Jews with Judaism.
They couldn't receive the Holy Ghost until they had been baptized, because that was taking a definite stand against that untoward generation that had crucified their Messiah and King.
Even to this day, going through the the right of baptism, being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, for a Jew isolates him completely from his people, and they his family regards him as dead.
In fact, some of them even have a funeral for him. Well.
It's a very difficult thing for you today to confess the Lord Jesus Christ. It means terrible persecution.
I was looking at John one verse 9 that was the true life.
Which light of every man that cometh into the world? Here we have the light revealed.
Have we not? And in verse 11 he came unto his own, His own received him, not the light rejected.
In verse 12 But as many as received him to them gave me the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name the light received in Johnny verse 12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world.
00:40:20
He then followeth me, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Well, we know that light has been rejected and cast out.
But how precious to realize. And I'm coming eternal scene that says the lamb will be the light thereof.
Used to be the light again in the glory scene about we no need for created lights, the sun and the moon, but the lamb will be the light thereof. Now very precious to realize he's going to have that place again.
I'm sure we all need to take heed to the warning.
As given here, Or they love the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Well, we need to take heed to that.
For we have the old nature that loves to get praise from man.
The new translation seems to make it even stronger, rather than, instead of more than.
This might seem to suggest that they love the praise of God a little bit, but they love the praise of men more. But the way it's translated in the new translation just absolutely eliminates any thought whatever of appreciating the praise of God, rather than they have no use whatever.
For the praise of God, all they want is the praise of men. Well, do you think, Brother Hale, that these were converted men or just had a head belief?
Well, until, as our brother remarked, until there was a confession and a public stand for the Lord.
It would seem to me that we would have no right to consider them as the Lord until they took that stand. What do you think? I agree with that We might notice a couple of verses in Acts to bear out some of these things which have been said concerning these people. I believe in Acts 6 and verse 7.
At six and verse 7 says, the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith that says now obedient to the faith now in chapter 21.
And the 20th Verse Act 2120.
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou Feist brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe. But it does say, they are all jealous of the law. Is not this also historically?
The companies to whom James, Peter, and James and Peter in particular, wrote Jewish Christian.
It seems that it was a slow.
Way that those Jews at Jerusalem and in Judea were completely delivered from Judaism.
They still clung to their old forms.
And it's only it seems to me, when Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, that they were called upon to take a deafness stand outside the camp that is the system that they have been clinging to and which genes were more or less a leader of. And this is our brother was quoting a reading there that that.
They're all zealous of the law.
Many other priests believe, but the time came when they were called upon to completely break with Judaism. Now, I don't want to get off onto another subject, but those who are familiar with the book of Hebrews can see how the apostles prepared those people to take that final step and how did he prepare it.
00:45:12
By just presenting Christ in giving him a place for every.
One prophet throughout the Old Testament.
Showing how all that system there was one person who took the place of Tabernacle altar of Moses, of Aaron, of Joshua. And when he gets to the last chapter he says, Therefore let us go, let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp I presented to you this blessed one. Now let's leave the whole system and go out to a rejected Christ.
6 They're really apostates. There are they're not brother apostates. This is very typical of them.
As I've had so much to do with them, I remember one man was saved in London, England years ago. He was the only son of the Chief Rabbi of the city. His name is Cargan Leahmark and I was with him by the lot and I said, Mark, tell me one thing, what about your father?
He says I'm already dead. They've had a big burial service over me long ago.
Is I don't live any longer, but, he said.
The preciousness of the Lord Jesus, he says. My eyes have been open and they really were open, He.
Rule in the north? Well, his father had a big burial service, being the chief rabbi and mother chief. Tremendous affair was made of it.
There we won't get into Hebrews too much.
I believe six to six months.
Any man here, man?
But to save the world, he that rejected me and receiveth not my words have one that judges him. The word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day. So there's a solemn warning there. We know it says.
In in Revelation 20 that the books were opened.
And once the book of life, that's to show that their names are not there.
There's a book of works, that's what they have done. But this blessed book is going to be opened there too. And the way words of Christ will be the condemnation of those who are judged there.
At that solemn judgment, where the lake of fire.
Has the destiny of all who are judged.
At that time.
Like to mention our old brother, but I knew some of the old brother in England and I remember Mr. Walter Scott holding up the Bible he was in old.
And he said they love that this book is open in our hands this evening and will be open in heaven forever.
I always remember that, but I don't care to mention too much names of those old red line who so well because they left the divine center. And it was sad. But I do remember that this book is open in our hands, beloved. Tonight we will be open in heaven forever. It will never pass away.
Rather, make your comments. Funeral for the dear Jew who had accepted the Lord.
Has made us wonder. Perhaps they're not too far out after all, in recognizing that the position that this young man has taken called for a funeral. I don't want to prolong this, but I remember hearing of 1 occasion and you will forgive me, I hope, for passing it on. A man who had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior was about to be baptized. He stood by the edge of the water. He removed his glasses.
00:50:05
Them on a rock. Remove his watch and set them on a rock. Took his pipe out of his pocket and set it on the rock.
And prepared himself for baptism. And when he came back up out of the water and was ready to go on his way, he put on his glasses. He retrieved his watch and went away. And someone noticed that he left his fight behind. And they picked it up and ran after him and said, Sir, you forgot your pipe. He said, that's not mine. Yes it is, Sir. I saw you said it on the rock, he said.
That doesn't belong to me. But Sir, you remember you put your glasses and your watch and your pipe there, he said. That belongs to the man that went under the water. I'm the man that came up out of the water. I think perhaps we can take this to heart if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
If the world even looks on, think it calls for a burial. Let us remember, dear Saints of God, that there's something exceedingly practical about belonging to the One who is wholly and true. We bear His name. His name has been placed upon us in the waters of baptism, and we should never forget it.
Brother Albert, I said. You're dead, eh?
And we'd looked up the Scripture, dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God. Then we went on sin shall not have dominion over you. Well, he says, I I saw that. All right. He says I'm dead, all right. And I believe he was really under in the good of that you know. Now it puts me in mind of a of a dear man I led to Christ, and a lady and wife to Christ of a German Pope.
And I said, cardless. When I come along, I notice you hide your bike behind you.
Well, I I'm nobody. Why do you do that?
Well, I said. I didn't know you were a high cap and high high churchman.
I didn't know you were a high judgment. Well, then he went back home and he said, Mother, give me that tightened debate. What are you going to do with it? Burned it. He never smoked again, never smoked again. Now he was never gathered, but he sent a little note before he died. He said, Brother Smith, would you marry me? As if the Lord doesn't come, I'll bury you. And he says, sing a little hymn over my grave. Come to the come to the Savior. Make no delay.
And I went to the service, buried the old brother there in that old 7.
Well, he never smoked again. He was a high judgment. I was rather naughty, I said. I could smell your block away, brother.
There's a high judgment.
Well, I believe there's a lot of truth, That mad brother Albert Gravy. Great deal of truth there.
Get this talk to you at Saint Peter's Writings. I think it's the third chapter where he speaks up.
The baptism, not the.
I better read it to washing away of the place.
First Peter.
Chapter 3.
Well, it's about Noah going through the ark. He went in the ark through the flood. He he went from one world to another world, a world that was entirely cleansed for the flood. And Peter speaks in the 21St verse, the like figure. Notice that?
Black figure baptism is has no saving power in itself.
But it is a figure of that which does save, because it's a figure of the death of Christ and our burial with him. Where unto even baptism does now also save us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
That is, one could be baptized and go clear to the river Jordan and be baptized as some are baptized, and yet go on in their old ways. But it does give a conscience, and that's what is intended. That is, it exercises the conscience the baptism as a right has.
00:55:16
Not change the individual, but it has given him an exercise conscience, just like this man, he had an exercise conscience to leave that pipe behind as something that didn't belong to the new life.
We have this statement last verse of chapter 12. I know that his commandment his life everlasting.
Could you develop that force, Brother Barry? I I have heard.
Something on it, but it doesn't seem to be too clear to me.
Well, my everlasting is looked at, as we saw yesterday, in different ways.
And I would take it here that.
I know that his commandment is life everlasting. That is, the new life feeds on the word of God, words of Christ and his subject of Christ, and thus is obedient to him. Sometimes they thought of life.
That divine life is looked at more in its practical, in a practical way, as the going on in the things of the Lord.
There is another verse that is somewhat in line with that in second Peter one.
Second Peter One and the fourth verse, whereby are given unto us, exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through less.
I don't think that.
The Apostle Peter is teaching how we get the divine nature.
Now in the first chapter of John we get the subject of being born 1/4 and of the Spirit. But Peter is looking at the subject here more in its practical application.
And the feeding of that divine nature on these great.
What does it say?
Exceeding great and precious promises.
Well, one who is enjoying those exceeding great and precious promises. Why the divine nature that we have from God is in exercise, and that all nature that is deceitful according.
Is corrupt according to the deceitful less hasn't any place that's just crowded completely out, so I would rather take it, brother.
Anderson.
There's more looked at more in that way in the practical.
Exercise of that divine life. Does that commend itself to you? I have thought that it probably meant that it's the new life.
Characterized by obedience and the desires for those new things.
I'm glad to get it developed.
While I have taken more words to express you as expressed in fewer words.
Favorite commandments in First John 2. But it's not the commandments of Moses there, it's his word. Read the context it says, but whoso keepeth his word in him, verily, is the love of God Perfect.
He by know we that we are in him. I suppose this is one of the tests here, is it not, dear brother? No, walking in communion with him.
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Test. I know there are certain section of the Adventists that always say that the commandments here the commandments of Moses, but have to do anything to do with that at all, for the context makes it clear.
Who so keep his word.
In Him, Verily is the love of God perfect. Hereby know we that we are in Him.
Well, it's a good test of whether we're walking in communion beloved with him or not. And then there are four which we shall not have. Might be well, just to mention it. Now we're on this point, if you don't mind.
The in verse six we have another there he that says he abideth him off himself also to walk even as he warned.
This is a very, very solemn verse, isn't it? Can we walk in the way? And just as he walked, we're going to walk in the way he walked by his grace? Well, that's the second there. And I was noticing too, verse 10, he that loveth his brother.
A budget in the light, and there is not occasion of stumbling in him.
He that hateth his brothers, and darkness warpeth in darkness knoweth not, whither he God, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.
Well, how sad it is that we're not fulfilling that that new commandment.
But there's one more here.
Love not the world.
Paul #4. Love not the world. It's not this created world, beloved, that we sometimes think of and which we admire so much. It's this diabolical spirit that pervades everything. Beloved, this is it, Love it not. And if we would love it, we would be an enemy of God. It's a very practical thing, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, Lust of the flesh in you, lust of the eyes, middle age, and the pride of life in older persons.
Then the apostle goes on to say, and the world passes away, and the lust that all but he that doeth the will of God.
Forever. These are very solemn portions, aren't they? And the commandment there would you say Brother Barry, It's his words you've been mentioned. It's worth.
The order of this subject we're considering the trial chapter, begins in six days before the Passover.
When we have subjects leading up to the Passover, we have the Lord going up to Jerusalem.
And the corzanas.
At that time.
And the various things the Lord had taught them about the lifting up of the Son of Man.
Now there seems to be, when we come to the 13th chapter, a complete break.
See most of the Gospel of John. You find the Lord in association more with Israel and not with His disciples. You take Matthew and Mark and Luther, and we have much of the Lord's time and His ministry with His disciples.
You don't find so much the Lord having to do with his disciples in John.
Until you get to the close of the gospel, it seems it's more his testimony to Israel.
And now the testimony in the 12Th chapter closes.
And from the 13th chapter on, we find the Lord exclusively with His disciples.
For his departure. And that goes on, except when they come and take him in the garden.
The Lord we don't find him.
Testifying to the Jews. But it's slowly here. How this.
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Art has often been called the upper room, Ministry begins.
I believe that the better translation is during the feast of the Passover or the worsening of the feet was a way of preparing the guests.
To sit.
And enjoy.
The Feast of the Passover. So we find the Lord rising from the table, laying aside his garments, and then.
Pouring water into a basin, and he began to wash the disciples feet.
You spoke of this, brother, as being a picture of the labor which stood between the brazen altar and the privilege of the interior of the Tabernacle itself. It seems to me rather remarkable, as far as I know, that the labor is the only article of furniture that we're told where the material came from.
The labor was made of the melted down looking glasses.
I suppose they were polished brass, and it would seem to me to suggest that in order that at any time we might ever.
Enter into the responsibility of washing anyone's feet. It would require very, very real self judgment on our part. Someone takes a look in the in the looking glass we see what we are, and then a very looking glass itself is melted down.
And used as a labor to contain this water. And brethren, if at any anytime we ever feel the challenge of washing the feet of a brother or sister, let us remember that it was melted down looking glasses that held the water. And we ourselves would certainly need to be much before the Lord that we might realize our own utter nothingness in His presence, and yet not too sure the challenge and the responsibility.
Of washing one another speech. Of course there was no need of this with the Lord Jesus. I want to make that very clear, but I do believe that in the measure in which some of us have experienced this from the hands of our brethren.
I think we ought to appreciate how much it has cost them to come to us.
And try to wash our feet. I Perhaps you have read this statement in the 6th chapter of Galatians. Ye that are spiritual, restore such in one that the spiritual brother is the brother who habitually judges the place in himself.
One who is ever judging any appearance of the flesh.
No matter how humbling it may be to him.
Is one who is qualified to go and restore another, which would be much in the same line as the has the labor being made of the looking glasses, wouldn't it?
The looking glass would reveal the define and the water and the labor would remove it since.
Well, that's the self judgment of the one who.
Brother Hill is brought out who is used in the recovery of another. He judges himself. Then he can apply the water of the word to restore the one who is out of the way.
It helps us if we ever have the responsibility to help another brother. It helps us to look at what the Lord does and how He does it.
We notice that it begins this passage by Speaking of his love. Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
His heart is filled with love for his disciples and.
He's designed the very best for them, and the Lord desires the very best for everyone of us. His heart is so full of love for us, and if we are approached, the Lord uses someone to approach us, to help us or to set us straight, or to restore our soul. Let's remember.
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That it's the Spirit of the Lord behind it.
The Lord himself loving us and wanting our restoration and something else.
In the third verse it says knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands.
And that he was come from God and went to God. This speaks of the place of dignity that the Lord Jesus has.
And even though he knew that place of dignity, yet immediately it says, he rises from supper and he washes their feet.
He takes this low place that he might help them, that he might restore them.
And what for? That he might make them comfortable and at ease?
As they were eating with him. Well, this is the Lord's heart. This is the Lord's desire. I think we have an example of it in Joseph down in Egypt, the 2nd ruler in Egypt. Joseph knew his place. He realized the dignity of that place. And when his brethren came down to Egypt.
He had it within his power to do to them anything that he wished.
But look at the way he dealt with them.
And what was the purpose of it? What was the end of it? What was he looking for?
Well, he put them through the different trials and testings to bring them to the point where they would own that mistake, own their wrong and judge it, and then they could be at ease in his presence. This is what Joseph wanted. He wanted their restoration, that they might be comfortable and at ease in his presence.
Isn't that what the Lord wants? He wants us to be at ease in his presence because sometimes we go on with a bad conscience.
And we just don't seem to be in touch with the Lord. And we start out the day and we haven't really gotten in touch with the Lord because there's that that's bothering our conscience. And we go on through the day and things are confused. And when we come to the end of the day, it seems like it's just a bunch of threads that is the result.
But the Lord deals with us to get us to judge ourselves and confess to Him.
And then it's all taken care of. Because he says, if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we can depend upon that word. That if if we've judged ourselves in His presence and confessed it to him, that it's all finished and we don't have to think about it anymore. And we become more at ease in His presence. And we feel comfortable to be in the presence of the Lord, and we want to get into His presence, to talk to Him, have communion with Him and fellowship with Him, we want to read His Word.
Oh, how blessed it is that we have this, what is called the advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ, restoring our souls when we need it.
32 Do we not connection with David?
Verse 3 When I kept silence, he said. My bones, my soul, through my roaring all the day long.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me.
Moisture is turned in the drought of summer. Apparently now he hadn't yet confessed his sin, But the next verse he says, I acknowledge my sin under thee and mine iniquity. Am I not kid? I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgave it the iniquity of my sin.
Sorry.
Just going to say while he kept silent, before he had exercised self judgment, he was in a miserable state. But as soon as he confessed that, he had the assurance that the Lord had forgiven him.
To mention in their translation of the Scriptures that word.
In in the word end in verse one.
Having loved his own, which were in the world.
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He loved them. Unto the end we discovered a nice translation of that word.
And its uttermost, uttermost.
Coming across the Atlantic years ago.
I tried to testify to the captain of the boat. He was a very hard boiled Scotsman. He didn't want to believe in anything. And I said captain, tell me one thing.
How far is the east from the West? You're a captain. Tell me how far the East is from the West.
Now, he says I don't want you to be preaching to me, but I said I just asked a simple question.
Tell me how far the East is from the West. Well, of course he couldn't. And I said, you know, that's as far as my sins have been removed so far. Had he removed my transgressions from me that he says, there you go preaching again. And it was interesting because we were off the coast of Africa.
And there's a point there called Sao Paulo justice. The point of a continent, really.
And I said to the captain.
Why don't they put a lighthouse on that place?
He says because there's a vibration there, Smith. He says you can't build a light, a lighthouse there. I said how unfortunate. Well, I said, how deep is the water here, Captain?
He said between 5:00 and 6:00, miles deep. He said, That's where my sins of God. He buried them in the depths of the sea. There you go again. Well, that word, uttermost is really beautiful. He loved the month of the uttermost. Oh, beloved, what a love is this.
And to the antimony immeasurable you can measure it.
As far as the East is from the West so far has been removed and transgressions from what a savior we have.
A way of approaching God here in these attacks, just recalling briefly that we had before us the praise and altar which was by the door of the court of the Tabernacle and the next piece of furniture, the labor. Well, we've noticed these two things. And then when you come to the 14th chapter, you have the Father's house. Very nice to see that. And one has enjoyed.
That in the 14th he is preparing the place for us.
But here he is preparing us for the place and will soon be there.
Claim Once we were mentioning that the first thing that the Jew saw when he came to the door was the brazen altar.
But what else does he see? The blood?
He recognized that he was a Sinner. The blood was there. That's the first thing he saw. Oh, how solemn that was, remember?
Yeah.
Touching, though, having loved his own.
Stop and meditate upon being his own.
He has special possession in the world, for we're surely in a world of sin, and we have an old nature that loves the world and it's lust. But he says he loved them unto the end. I believe the thought of the end here is not merely the thought that.
Of the end of the journey. But he loves his own through all the dangers and trials and temptations that nothing ever chills the love of his heart towards them.
Loves us on through everything in connection with the perilous journey that we're taking to this lost world.
Four or five months.
The difference between the restoration, which has already been mentioned, and the cleansing from defilement that this chapter takes up.
Is there a shade of difference between?
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Restoration where Phaedra has come in, and cleansing from the filament that our chapter takes up here.
Dad at Brother Thomas now they define under Christian.
In his getting depiled on his journey through this world, Well, if you take what the Lord says to Peter.
Peter objected to the Lord Washington speech.
And the Lord said, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part not in me, but with me.
It's a matter of broken communion and restoration to fellowship.
And so the the Lord washed the disciples feet, and when Peter said not my feet only, but also my head and my hands, it was as much as saying I want you to wash me all over.
Well, that would be a new birther regeneration. So that's why the Lord says he That is faith. There are two words that I understand.
He that his bees needeth, not saved to wash his feet. The illustration is so simple that we all can.
Class, but young and old that when one has.
Taken a dip in the river or the lake and you come out.
Grain from head to foot. As soon as you step on the shore, immediately you pick up the sand or the dust, and your feet are departed. Well, you don't. You're it's not necessary to go out for another bath at all that's necessary is to wash your feet so the Lord makes it very clear that you're that we're clean every whip.
The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sins. Although the subject of the blood of Christ doesn't enter into the 13th of John, it's more the subject of moral cleansing and there is a more cleansing in connection with new birth.
So that now we continually need the basin and the pitcher.
I don't know if I answered your question, brother Tom.
In the Old Testament, there was the contracted pilot, which was not necessarily.
A transgression on the part of the Jew, but coming in contact with that which was unclean.
The Jew was depiled and I think this is Brother Thomas.
Mind the connection with this chapter. The practical lesson for us is that as we walk through this world, while we might not necessarily fall into sin, we nevertheless get defiled, and we need the application of the water of the word to be cleansed. So how important is that, that we are in the world that we read the word? That we go to the meetings where the word is presented?
So as to.
Have this application of the water as a counteraction of that which decides us as we rub elbows with the world from day-to-day.
But the Lord said, Am IA, Lord a master? Wash your feet. Ye ought also to wash one another's feet. Well, the Lord could say his disciples in the 15th chapter. Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken unto you?
And the 119 salmon says wherewithal, till a young man fend his ways, but by taking heed thereto to thy word.
I believe it was Mr. Darby that made this comment. To watch one another's feet. It would be to bring the word of Christ before the heart in the communion and gentleness of Christ.
To wash one another's feet. You know, our feet are very sensitive to someone else's touch, and it's quite easy to wash one another's feet. What can we do it without offending? Can we do it in law? It was love that led the Lord wash their feet, was it not? And I believe that we're living in days when each one of us, young and old alike, we do get defiled by the things around us.
01:25:24
One of the things that we see by the things that we hear, oh, how we need the work.
If we.
Haste.
I think it's 200.
Gospel