Chicago Conference: 1977
Table of Contents
Acts 20:13-21
Reading
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Alright, Chapter 20, Verse 13. And we went before the ship and sailed under Azov there, intending to take in Paul for so heady appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met us at Azos, we took him in and came to Middeline. And we sailed fence and came the next day over against chills. The next day we arrived at same office and tarried at Trojillium.
And the next day we came to my leaders, for Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus because he would not spend the time in Asia.
He tasted if it were possible for him to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost, 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.
Do you know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have 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 weight of the Jews?
And how I kept back nothing that was profitable under you. But I 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 a thing that shall befall me there.
Say that the Holy Ghost witnesseth 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 me, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I knowledge ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Where 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 heed therefore unto yourselves, and all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
I know this, that after my departings were grievous wolves enter in among you, not bearing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore once, 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 have coveted no man's silver, nor gold, nor apparel.
Yet ye yourselves know that these hands administered under my necessity, under them that were with me.
I have showed you all things.
How they're so laboring. He ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive, and what he has thus spoken. He kneeled down and prayed with them all, and they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he speak, that they should see his face no more.
And they accompanied him under the ship. Now this we all take up more Pauls address to the elders at Ephesus. But there's one point that might be of interest and have some importance too. And that Paul walked across the isthmus while the ship was going around the isthmus.
And there must have been a reason why the Spirit of God would record that.
You see, Paul had been talking all night, preaching or discoursing there in that third loft where the assembly was gathered at Choice, and I feel that he felt the need of being alone with the Lord, so he left the others who were with him on the.
The traveling on the ship and took this journey.
Alone, He could be there alone with the Lord for a little while and have communion with him. And he does teach a lesson that to those who give out must take in. So when the Lord had sent out his disciples to heal and to preach the gospel, and then he said, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.
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Well, that's even the Lord and his disciples felt the need of that time alone with the Lord and we all.
Need to remember that there are times we need to be alone with the Lord, and especially when there's some special work of the Lord that we have been engaged in. We need to have time of quiet meditation in the Lord's presence.
Because we can easily form hasty and perhaps incorrect thoughts if we are not.
Waiting on the Lord and in communion with Him.
And there's something else, I suppose.
The Apostle Paul had a burden on his heart.
And he felt the need of being in the presence of the Lord, alone with the Lord, in view of what he was going to tell these elders.
At Ephesus, no doubt, he had this burden on his heart, and he felt very much the need of help.
Guidance of God by His Spirit. And so I suppose that would be another reason why.
He felt the need of being alone so that takes us right on down. We don't need to go over the different places they stopped on their voyage. But when we come to the 17th verse it says and from from elitist. He sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. He was that was the port of the important city of Ephesus in those days.
And he didn't want to meet the whole assembly, he felt he hadn't time. And so he just sends for the elders.
Now it might be helpful to all here to know that elders and bishops and overseers are one and the same, perhaps in the original, the same word.
And it chose to. There's no such thought of a Bishop, of a diocese or of a church. There must have been a fair sized group of elders that met the apostle there at Maleidom. Elderly, mature.
Godly men who had the responsibility of the affairs of the large assembly at Ephesus. We are told, for those who know the Greek, that.
This first word here of the elders is.
Pronounced as Stephen Presbyterus is what I want to say.
Now a Presbyterian.
In the word of God.
Is used merely.
For those that are older now, you take the elder brother in the 15th of Luke for instance. It is Presbyterian. Another thing.
They were not to rebuke an older brother sharply. First Timothy 51 and then in Titus two, we have also the women spoken of as the elder women, and the word is Stephanus.
So if we stick to the word of God, we discover that the word Stephanus and elder is limited to older people. Now another thing, not all older people are older men are.
Overseers like bishops because we have two different cattle, two different scriptures that describe the qualifications.
For what we call bishops, you see, they are episcopists. Now we have a few brethren here that I'm talking to. I know that know a little bit of Greek and you know I'm telling you the truth. And Stephanus has to do with the older ones. Episcopus has to do with the functioning of oversight.
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Now, must I add anything more to make it clearer? There are two different words one has to do with like the older ones.
You know, these Mormon elders that come around your door, I remember an occasion when they wanted to give us some literature and they say we're elders of the Church of the latter Day States elders. You look pretty young to me and so on. You know, that's all folly for them to call themselves elders.
They were just youngsters, if you please. So let's let Presbyterians We do have the Presbyterian Church.
That has the principle that the older ones have the same. Now we have the Episcopal Church, which does have their lineup and functions and they specialize in that. The Episcopal Church for after that word Episcopus, so that the one has to do more with age, the other has to do with functioning and they're not all.
The older ones are bishops.
Our overseers, there is a difference. I want you. Why not go by the word of God, brethren?
I'll read from Darby's translation.
And I think it makes it clear as to what overseer or oversight is. First Timothy chapter three, he says the word is faithful. If anyone aspires to exercise oversight, he desires a good work. The work is connected with overseeing.
And I suppose we may say that the word elder is connected with the place of the office, and it isn't necessarily.
An old aged brother because they were to have families.
They were to be married men, they were to have children, not just one child, but they were to have children because the children would teach the overseer.
How to manage in connection with assembly affairs, because he's had problems in his family that, that nothing else would have taught him how to, how to help different ones in the assembly. But I think we should remember this too, that.
Speaking about a Bishop, married, has a family.
As God's order. But yet you do have remember your leaders.
And the leader may not necessarily be a married man. He might be a bachelor. And yet a leader like our brother Klaus years ago was a real leader among among the Saints, an unmarried man. Well, that's that's different. They are different definitely leaders who are raised up.
And God uses them for guidance of of his children.
We had a problem and the question came up concerning this very point where discussing, so we had to go into it as the Lord enabled. There were some there who were aged and it was difficult.
To deal with them.
Because they lacked the requisite for eldership.
Now the word in the original is just overseer.
Elder.
Bishop, I don't think you can make too much distinction. Brethren, there is that distinction our brother Brown has made. But these were.
Men who posed as elders.
But they did not fill those requisites to be such.
Thus, there was a conflict there in the testimony. There were men who were younger, between 40 / 40 years of age, who filled those requisites.
So it was a question of getting with these older brothers, very much younger than I am, and I tried to explain to them that.
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They did not fill those requisites that were required to make them overseers.
Of that particular assembly, a Bishop or an Episcopal, he's not an, he's not an elder anywhere else. He's where that particular mayday, and these were in this particular mayday, the Church of England has taken up a different view of the point.
They are bishops over a diocese, which of course is unscriptural.
One, an elder is an elder in that meeting and nowhere else. That's a very important matter.
Now these dear brethren did listen to the Word of God attentively.
But after a while, they lost their.
And they did not return to the meeting. Well, I spoke very quietly to them and meekly and asked them if they did attend all the meetings.
They said once a month we appeared. On this occasion the assembly was on the taking up the Act of the Apostles.
Immediately these two older brethren came in. Now I'm speaking very carefully about this.
They came in and they immediately told these younger men to shut up, that they would listen to what they had to say as they needed to be taught. Well, naturally there was quite a trial, quite a trial for us all. So in drawing them aside, I said, brethren, what made you adopt these special themes that had nothing to do with the reading?
Oh, they said, these young men.
And by the way, they're well taught young men. They're not babes. They're they're over 40 years of age and being in fellowship years and well taught in the scriptures. I said, why didn't you allow them? Just why didn't you take part with them?
Now this was a quite a crisis, but thank God it has been overcome and these men apparently have understood the meaning of what it means to be an elder.
And are taking that part which the word of God requires. Well, now this is a very, very solemn matter, not to push young people into places.
Of position yet.
To encourage them.
To take up the scriptures and.
In.
Concerning their brethren to be acceptable to their brethren. This was a problem for us. It was.
Thank God it was solved.
Now there was self will on the part of the elders there.
Which is just pride, of course, and it was a sad case that they would lose their cool, as you say, because it was drawn. Their attention was drawn to the fact that they were not fulfilling their requisites that the Word of God required. Am I right in this?
There are serious matters that arise. There may be very godly young men, but they should not ignore the older brothers.
Meeting although the older brothers may not be as spiritual and may not have been as faithful, but for them to just take over and to act apart from the older men.
Can be a very serious mistake. I remember years ago I was at a conference in Kansas City. Brother Brown at that time was quite a young man and there were some problems in the Des Moines meeting.
That were coming up and feller Brown took with another brother, took brother Potter and the brother Fleck aside and talked to him about it and their advice was this you act through your elders, don't act independent of them.
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If they're they're not right, seek to exercise them, but don't act independently.
Of the elders, now they may not be elders in the sense that they're a Bishop, a responsible man, but still they're men of age and men that we should respect. I believe those things are are helpful to remember. And of course, I'm sure we all see this.
That at the present time we do not have any who are official elders. At the beginning we find that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in every assembly.
They had authority, they were apostles and could do that. Now that the apostles are all gone, we no longer have.
Official elders because we have no one that.
He is qualified to appoint them. But we do have in all our weakness and seeking to contain the truth on the ground of the one body, we do have men that morally fill the qualifications of an elder. And I might just read a verse and and.
First Thessalonians and the third chapter? No, the 5th chapter.
Verse. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly, and love for their work's sake. Now, what is the result of?
Steaming these mentions here, highly in love, then the next thing is and be at peace among yourselves.
If there comes in an independent spirit of ignoring.
Those that God raises up and gives a desire to care for the flock. If there's a ignoring of that, there is a lack of peace such as is mentioned here among the Saints. Now those that are mentioned in that verse that I just read the 12Th verse of First Thessalonians 5.
We all have men of that quality among the Saints. As long as the church is here, they're not ordained. They're not official elders. And another thing we should see that understand is that an office is different from a gift.
Now we find, if we take up the subject of elderhood or a Bishop, that he was apartment to teach. Doesn't say he was a teacher, but he was apartment to teach. That is, he could be helpful among his brethren giving instruction. He wasn't to be just a babe, just newly brought into the assembly.
But he could be helpful among them. But he wasn't a gift.
And now as to a Deacon, of course their responsibilities were looking after the temporal affairs, and we find that when anyone exercised the work of a Deacon faithfully, he was he could become a true gift, just like.
Philip, who went down to Samaria and preached Christ and a great work of God began. He was hairless from that time on in the Lord's service.
But he started out with just a humble job of looking after the financial affairs of caring for the widows in Jerusalem.
He is the only one I believe in Scripture who is called an evangelist. And he was only called an evangelist after he had been in the Lord's work for 20 years. And he's called Philip the Evangelist. We don't put that title, that name behind any of the Lord's servants today and.
One thing we see in connection with a man like Stephen or like Phillip.
He was just as ready to go down into the desert and preach to one Ethiopian as he was to preach to a whole city in Samaria. That's the spirit of an evangelist. There's a moral reason also why we do not have official elders, as true as our brother pointed out that we have no apostles or Apostolic delegates like Titus to make official elders.
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But morally, there is a reason that we cannot have official elders.
And it is this one who takes the oversight, as it's been pointed out.
Does a good work well, The brother does that out of conscience and exercise before God in an effort to be of help amongst those people, and he does the work well. We're admonished as to those who take the oversight well amongst the Saints, that they're worthy of double honor, having ministered unto us the word of God. But if a man is appointed to official position, he can then function in that position without consciousness.
Well, we can't help but can we, brothers? We must have the work of God done in consciousness and the presence of God out of exercise of heart before Him to serve the people of God. So morally there must be the exercise of heart and conscience if one is to take the oversight well amongst the people of God for help. It seems to me, Brother Barry, that we have a little example.
In the book of Philippians in this in the second chapter.
That would help us to.
See the principles that Paul would expect in the assembly after his departure, and there would be no more appointment of elders or deacons. And so we have referred to us there, Timothy.
And Epaphroditus, now I don't say that that they were elders and deacons necessarily, but they give us the principles because in this book of Philippians.
We have at the very start the elders and deacons mentioned, but then the apostle tells us or tells the assembly that they would have to work out their own salvation. He was going to leave them. The apostle would leave. And if you'll turn to the second chapter, Philippians, I believe we have some principles there that might, might guide us.
To look up as to who to look up to.
As elders and as deacons in the 19th verse. Now again I say, I don't claim that Timothy was an elder, but the principal here for qualifications is what is in view.
I believe Timothy was a leader as we have in Corinthians, but in the 19 first of the second chapter of Philippians. I trust in the Lord Jesus to send to Matthias shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state, for I have no man like minded.
Who will not care for your state? For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ. But she know the proof of Him, that as a Son with a Father, He has served with me in the Gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. Now here we have one whose heart.
Naturally cared for the Saints. Now this is necessary for one.
Who would in any way seek to fill this office?
But now we have a pathorditis.
25th verse. Yet I suppose it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother.
And companion in labor and fellowship, but your messenger. And he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that she had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also.
Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
I sent him there for the more carefully that when you see him again, you may rejoice.
That I may be the less sorrowful receive him, therefore, in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such in reputation, because for the work of Christ he was nine to death, not regarding his life to supply your lack of service toward me. Here we have a man who was who would even.
Be dispensable.
And caring for the practical needs of the Saints, and here particularly the Apostle Paul, it wasn't a question here of the spiritual blessing of the Saints so much, although I'm sure he had that in heart too, but he was thinking of their practical needs. And I believe that has more to do with the Deacon, does it not?
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Whereas in the first case the apostle had no man like minded.
Timothy was the one who took up the torch, as it were when the Apostle Paul left, and Timothy was the one whose heart was was taken up with the Saints. He he wanted them to be in the enjoyment of the truth of that highest truth that God had ever given to man.
And then I think also in Colossians of one who was mentioned.
In connection with that line of things in the last chapter.
It says.
In the 12Th verse, I believe this is one who had a care for the Saints in the assembly of Colossi.
Epifras, the 4th chapter and 12Th verse. Epifrath, who's who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you.
Bring fervently for you in prayers.
That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Now we don't hear much of this man, but in his local assembly he was one who cared for the state of the Saints, and he cared to the point that they might have all the truth. Now that is necessary. And is it not in Colossians that we get the full completed word of God?
And so we have him interested that the Saints might stand in this.
The enjoyment of it. Pardon and verse 13.
For I bear him record that he hath great zeal of you for you, and then that are in Laodicea, and them in Hieropolis. May I call your attention? I know we are lingering long on this point, but there's an important scripture yet that belongs to our subject in Titus chapter one.
Now the Apostle Paul did.
Give the authority to one Titus to act.
Innocent authority to select.
Where it was needed, those that might care for the Saints there verse five of chapter one in Titus for this cause left four in Crete. That thou should have set in order the things.
That are wanting and to choose that is to establish elders in every city as I had appointed that is ordered D Now here is a provision showing that they were limited not all elders, but they had to qualify to act as Episcopists as we get it in this next two verses.
If any, be blameless.
The husband of one wife having faithful children, not accused of rioting or unruly.
For a Miss Bishop here, the word is episcopus, that is an overseer. This has to do with the functioning and they had to qualify to act. Even though they were not youngsters, they had to be of the older ones.
Not.
I'm soon angry and not given to wine, not or no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men. Sober, just holy, temperate holding.
Fast the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able.
By sound doctrine that is teaching both to exhort and to convince the game Sayers. These would be the qualifications present, wouldn't they? Not the gifts. These would be the qualifications for such.
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Well, I think we've dwelt quite a little on this.
We understand that it's not an official thing to be an elder like a Bishop of a of a church or a sect, but we do pray for one another that there might be those requisites fulfilled in US.
To glorify the Lord and be a mutual help to God's dear people. As an old man in the service of the Lord for 56 years, I'm feeling this in my own soul more than ever, brethren.
That little by little, gods, dear people, are being taken away.
Many of God's dear servants whose ministry remains with us.
They are taken of being taken away.
And that occurred too in South America, some of those who've been at the table for 44 years no longer there. And we've been trying to to encourage those.
Younger ones to take the responsibility, not in an official way, but humbly to serve their brethren. So we'd ask prayer. I would ask prayer for the meetings in South America. It's a great responsibility, although no one is is. I'm just a poor old Jacob.
My days are over, but I am very concerned about those assemblies and there are many assemblies which for which you might pray, brother.
The assemblies in fellowship all happy. Fellowship in Bolivia alone.
And another 17 in the Dominican Republic. And now there are a number in Lima.
These are questions that come up and those brethren want an answer and your prayers will help. No one is.
Is.
I'm not needed anymore there, I told them long ago. But they need the word of God and they need prayer, the prayers of God's dear people in this land. Think of all those meetings in Bolivia, beloved, 50 out of them.
Outside the camp and the fire off from it.
There's been a great deal of trial there because of the National Council of Churches making a kind of a covenant with all the sects, including the looser section of Brethren.
With the one object.
To make proselytes, and thus the need of prayer that they may hold fast. It was so important that 150 of our dear brethren got together for four days to consider this matter.
And they wrote over the whole business separation, separation, which was a great comfort to my heart. Well, I mentioned this for your prayers, Brennan. There is a large group of Saints out there.
All in happy fellowship with you.
Who understand the truth of the one body who are gathered to the Lord's precious name and outside the camp, but this pressure being brought upon them. And so we pray that those who do assume the responsibility of overseers might be really kept low down. I remember reading what Mr. Darby said. In any service man goes forth from a place of strength realizing his own.
And I never forget reading that before I went to Bolivia in 1920, realizing our own nothingness. But the Lord can use us. You can raise up men. And we mustn't forget the sisters too, whose prayers of such value that they may continue there in that country, in those countries, faithfully.
To God.
Well, you'd say then the very thought that you.
Mentioned there about.
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Feeling our own nothingness is really what you get in falls addressed to the elders of Ephesus. It's really the way Paul ministered that we get here in this chapter if we want to, if we want to go into Paul's ministry, we get that in many epistles like Romans and Corinthians and Galatians.
And Ephesians, and Philippians, and so on. But in what manner? And what to wade it all minister as he went about and served the Lord well, we have a wonderful description of the way a true servant of Christ seeks to minister the truth as he goes on in his testimony.
And so he says here, you know, from the first day.
I came into Asia What manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mine, and with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews.
And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and that publicly, from and from house to house, testifying both to the Jew and to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, there is the character of a true servant of Christ, and all humility of mine. He never got to thinking that he had a great gift, although doubtless he had the greatest gift that was ever given to any of God's servants.
Yet he was never occupied with it, never tried to make a display of it. In fact, when he went to corn, he was among them in weakness and fear and trembling, lest he might just use his gift as an orator to win the Greeks, and then they wouldn't be ahead at all, because someone that was a better speaker might come in, and then he would carry them away.
So what he was determined when he went to Corinth was this, that he would have him know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So here we get all through this chapter the true spirit of a devoted servant of Christ, and there is a pattern for any who desire to serve.
Our blessed Lord, young or old and whatever little capacity it may be.
Whatever it may be in a local way, or whether the Lord calls one out, and that's very special. If one is called to give all his time to the Lord's work, in what spirit he should seek to serve the Lord as he goes about in seeking through the use of the Lord and guided by the Spirit.
And in his last epistle to young Timothy, he gives us the same truth in chapter 3, verse 10.
I like to read verses 1011 and 12.
Now the Timothy says, But thou hast fully known my teaching, my doctrine been right along with it. Is the most important thing also the manner of life.
Purpose. Faith.
Long-suffering.
Love and patience are endurance.
Persecution.
Afflictions which came upon me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Listerine, of what persecutions I endured. But out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yeah, and all that will live.
Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
It's interesting, isn't it? The apostle could abide two whole years in one place and then another occasion like this. He would simply call the elders down to the seashore to speak to them. This is instructive, Is it not for us that it's important that we do not go by mere habits?
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And serving the Lord that is making our own patterns.
And plans the Lord no doubt had led the apostle to remain two whole years.
For a special purpose.
In forming the truth into the hearts and minds of the Saints. But on this occasion where he passes Ephesus, it's simply to call the elders, and to instruct them as to the dangers of the way when he leaves, and all that was necessary for them in connection.
After his departure.
To sustain and keep them in the midst of all the troubles that would come upon the Saints.
There's one more thought and connection with this matter of oversight that's used to puzzle me quite a bit, and that's in First Timothy chapter 3, where we read. This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a Bishop, he desireth a good work if a man.
Desire the office of a Bishop.
Translation, I believe as we find it in the new translation is if any man aspire to oversight. I think it reads well. This to me is a very very searching thing and I trust might be of help. If any man aspire to oversight, why would anyone?
Aspire to such a challenge. God forbid that it would ever be with any thought of personal prominence.
Reward. But I think of an experience that we passed through as children when the five of us were still all going to school. My mother took very, very ill. She was in bed for many weeks and father took over the duties in the kitchen.
And I know that he aspired.
To do as well as he could in the kitchen.
Now, I assure you that his efforts were not up to my mother's ability, and we noticed that, particularly at the beginning.
We missed Mother's abilities in the kitchen, but as the weeks went by, Father's ability improved and the meals that were brought to us were better than they had been at the beginning and I know he referred to this later.
And it meant a great deal to us as a family, he said. I didn't want to see my children go to school hungry or I'll fed. I desired to be able to do the best I could for my family in nourishing them. I wasn't trying to earn a reputation as a cook. I wasn't trying to over shadow my wife.
But I didn't want to see my children go to school.
Hungry. Now, brethren, is there something of this in the thought?
Of aspiring to oversight. If we love the Lord, we left something of His heart of love toward His people. And we won't contentedly sit back and see our beloved brethren. I'll fed or drifting without any heart or care for them. May we aspire.
To that which would be of help, of encouragement of a shepherd and character.
Our dear brethren, not with any thought, and Paul surely displayed it so beautifully. Not with any thought of any self aggrandizement. He says, who then is Paul? And yet what a servant, what a shepherd he was. And Peter would remind us too that.
There awaits the faithful shepherd, a crown of glory. Is it not true in Scripture that the crown seems to be a recompense?
For that which may be sacrificed along the way, the crown of life to the one who lays down his life in the service of the Lord. The crown of glory to the one who is faithful in shepherding as much as to suggest, it seems to me.
Don't expect any glory in that service as you go along.
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Wait for it, the Lord will take note of it if it's done for him and if it's done for his people and if it's done in faithfulness. In faithfulness. I say there may not and there will not be glory here, and we surely hope we wouldn't want it, but I trust that this thought of aspiring.
To oversight may not be forgotten by us.
That all of us, wherever the Lord may have placed us, they have a heart.
That would yearn to see the people of God shepherded and nourished.
That it's important to notice the place that repentance is given here. Pauls ministry in that.
21St verse testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repents toward God.
And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Seems that there's a danger of not stressing repentance even in the gospel.
As though just to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And accept Him as your savior.
Open your heart door receding without any word that would exercise the conscience, and make a Sinner feel his need and his guilt. Now that verse is so often quoted. John in Acts 16 to the jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house.
But who is that addressed to? It was addressed to the Philippian jailer.
When he was face to face with eternity, he'd taken out his sword and would have killed himself. But just before he made the fatal move, I heard a voice within the prison wall too, that I felt no harm. We're all here. He brings them out, trembling. And.
Says sinners, what must I do to be saved? Well, now there's a man that's face to face with eternity.
A convicted Sinner and how blessed the message.
Is given to him to leave on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house.
But I think sometimes that verse is not used at the right time in the right way just so all you have to do is sometimes these youngsters say, Oh no, it's just so easy. All you have to do is to believe. But we have to remember what it costs to our blessed Savior to make it possible for us to be saved.
That cross and what he suffered there tells about the the greatness of our our our guilt.
Our sins and our needs like John.
The name gets from me, it says in his form.
How one look he gave with said I suffered all this for thee and then hide. Then he saw after looking at that cross and seeing what it cost the Savior.
To put away all the terrible guilt and sins that he had committed, that that Blessed One would suffer all that for him.
What a marvelous thing that was when he accepted that one as his personal Savior. Well, let's remember how the apostle went in and out among those at Ephesus. And I believe, too, that there could be a word for us after we're safe when there is failure.
If there's going to be two restoration, there must be true repentance. If one just says, well, I'll wait a while and then I'll be received back and so often that.
Failure comes in that all that's needed is to be received back into the assembly. Remember, the upper restoration in the assembly can take place. There must be a true self, judgment and repentance of one's failure.
The man who I was put away in the 5th chapter of.
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First Corinthians and restored in the second chapter of Second Corinthians, he was about to be overcome with much sorrow and Paul says receive him, don't hold him back but why was the sorrow? It wasn't just simply that he'd been put away, but the awful thing that he had committed and when that failure really lays hold of the one who has failed and brought himself under the discipline of his brother, when?
Is really judged in the presence of the Lord. It should be a very happy thing.
To restore one, no matter how great and how fat his failure may have been.
Because what had happened was only an indication of the state of the assembly, and we find the Lord Jesus.
In taking up the ministry after John had been put in prison, he begins his ministry by preaching repentance. And in the 13th chapter of Luke.
The Lord himself could say, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. And so it's a very important part of the preaching of the gospel, and I think that there's no real sound work without it. One who who was used much of the Lord, said he was more interested in quality than quantity.
And I think that's important that there will be.
Quality rather in in the salvation of souls. There will be the work of God there, rather than simply a superficial ascending to the gospel, if there is the preaching of the repentance.
In Matthew Matthew 13, we have a shore going forth to show, and the seed falls in four different kinds of soil.
Well, in the first three there's no fruit, but in the last one, the 4th one, we read that it fell on good ground. For what is good ground? Well, a farmer knows what good ground is. That is ground that's been plowed up and worked down and and it's gone through several processes perhaps to make it fit for the seed time.
Well, this is what the Spirit of God does with soul. He plows them up.
Stirs them up, works in their soul, gets them to the point.
Were they ready to receive the simple word of the gospel? It may be by the preacher giving out the word and preaching about sin, the results of sin that may be used of the Lord by the Spirit of God to plow up the soul. But that is very important, the plowing up of the soul first.
And then when the seed falls into that kind of a state.
Into that kind of a heart in that state, it's going to produce fruit. And I believe we do have to be careful. And I appreciate what our brother Barry has been bringing before us because it's so needful. Now we can go to Africa. And as our brother Hadley intimated yesterday morning when he was speaking to the children, it's so easy to get a show of hands.
And we learn from the early time of our stay in the Congo.
That we didn't dare push anybody into a profession. We must wait on God to work in their hearts by the Spirit to produce a sense of sin. That they sinned against God.
And you know, when they got to that point in their state of soul, in their exercises, they were not so ready to put up their hands, but all you could get all kinds of professions and show of hands and get them to come up and shake the hand of the preacher and whatnot.
But it's the work of the Spirit of God that we should be looking for and working in our souls and getting them ready to really receive the word of the gospel. So it's so important here, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe it's repentance toward God because the soul must realize that he sinned against God.
The offense of his life that he's lived has been against God. He has to do with God, a holy God. And when it's God, it's it's that person in his nature of holiness.
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And this is the sense that must come into the soul. I've sinned against our holy God, and I deserve the punishment that's been pronounced upon me. According to the word of God. I deserve hell. Well, when a sword was gotten to that point, isn't he ready to put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? He sees Christ, yes. The Lord Jesus died on the cross for my sins. He bore my sins in his old own body on the tree, and he suffered all that for me.
Just accept Christ as his Savior. But all there's no, there's no real salvation, I don't believe without repentance. Repentance in itself is not sufficient. You have to have the balance of these two things that we get mentioned here, don't we?
Repentance is no savior, but there's no salvation without it. How true though it is. Some people think if they if they just harass their souls and cry and get down and moan and so on.
That that's the way they get saved? Well, it may not be saved at all.
That work proceeds, but in order that one who is troubled about his sins might get to know his sins are forgiven, he's got to accept the Savior and receive him by faith. And then, then he sees the burden was born by his substitute on the cross. I'd like to.
Add more to this most important subject of the important.
Of every soul.
Being made to feel their guilt before God and, as it were, in His presence.
Salvation is of the Lord. It is God Himself that when we were dead in trespasses and sins by the Spirit hath quickened us, that is, He has imparted life.
And the first thing the person that has in life is a begin to feel the shame of their past history, their guilt. And before God has to do with eternity and the salvation of their soul, they're brought trembling. And what to do about it? But peace only comes through the gospel.
That declares that great work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who took our place, who suffered the whole judgment, and who? Who died in our stead and forests, and who also whose blood was shed to cleanses, and to redeem us, and to make us His own, and purge worshippers? Now this is essential, without going into the details of the 88th Psalm.
Mr. Kelly says that Mister Darby told him that he virtually lived in the 88th song for seven years.
I have His literal words written here in my Bible, but in that Psalm, the writer himself must have had some experience. And again, there's an application that would apply to the Lord Jesus Christ, who in the Garden of Gethsemane he weighed all that lay before him that he was about to go through on the cross.
And all that great burden of guilt of his people.
Who were under the law, They too were to be brought to realize what a a an awful failure of keeping the law they had done. The godly remnant will go through that. Now. That's three applications. There's one more.
Every soul that has to do with God on that same principle must be in God's presence.
Feeling their guilt and their shame and trembling before God with a sense of their need of that which they do not deserve. That's mercy and it's great. I want to read I just mentioned now in the second Corinthians, chapter 12, verse seven, it speaks about God bringing those that are brought.
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Low. God knows how to bring us low. The other is in.
In Jeremiah 71, three verses I think that are right to the point of our subject.
Verse 18 Jeremiah 31 Ephraim. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself.
Oh, we can't have too much of that.
Thus thou hast chastened me, chastised me, and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Turn down knee. Oh, that's the important thing. God turned us to Himself.
And I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God, surely. Now notice this strange statement. After that I was turned a quickened soul. He's converted. He's turned now to God, as it were, from self.
After that has returned.
After I was turned, I repented.
And after.
That I was instructed.
I smoked upon my thigh. I was ashamed.
Gay, even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
I think we should understand and reading in the 22nd verse. And now behold, I go, bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem.
Not knowing the things that shall before me there. It doesn't mean that Paul was being guided by the Holy Spirit, but he was bound in his own spirit. I was very when Paul had that vision. One night a man from Macedonia praying has come over into Macedonia and helping help us. Then they took their voice, being assured that the Lord had sent them to preach.
In that city in Macedonia, well, in this case Paul had a great love for his Jewish brother.
And he had treated them so badly. When you think of hailing men and women and delivering them to prison there in Jerusalem and beating them in every synagogue. And when some innocent believer was put to death, he was standing there just exotic and giving his voice against it, standing there and watching them throw the stones at Stephen.
When he was looking up into heaven.
All I failed, he says, so badly he just felt that he must go back once more.
And testify to that people that he loved so much, but he didn't have the guidance of the Spirit or the spirit witnessed in every city that bombs and afflictions are weighted in there. And of he he allowed his own spirit being.
So oppressed as he were feeling there that he should go back and what's more, try to save some of his breath.
Well, we can say this about Paul. It was a noble motive, but perhaps a misguided.
A misguidance there as to whether being led at that time. And of course he had to go through all that sorrow and imprisonment, and yet Dog was in that being made a prisoner and eventually taken to Rome.
So God does, even in His grace, overrule our our mistakes.
Our blessings that if there is a true heart and a desire to please the Lord, the Lord doesn't forget that.
And he never forgot how Paul was willing to lay down his life. He didn't even esteem his life dear unto him and going on his way at that time. But still we just have to leave those things with the Lord. But we can see that in the end, God had His purpose in it all.
For there's no doubt that Paul never reached the height of his ministry.
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Until after he had been a prisoner at Rome and when he wrote the book of Ephesians, he had really reached the height of his ministry at that time, the one thing he did desire and every believer should desire, that he might finish his course with joy by the will of God. Peter puts it in different languages.
Language when he speaks of having an abundant entrance.
Into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Brethren, do we die? Desire that not only we might make a good start.
But that we might make a good finish. Many, you know, make a good start. Like Jonathan, who loved David so dearly. But he wouldn't.
Sacrifice everything and shared David's rejection and live in The Cave of Adelaide and endanger his life. He went back to his father's home where he had every luxury and every ease and every protection.
He chose that, and all artists had less than there is in connection with the fellows he saw make a good start. But to go on and on and continue. And that takes real purpose of heart, doesn't it?
It needs the reading of the Word of God every morning, getting on our knees and asking the Lord to to guide and direct us, being subject to His Word, not exercising our own wills, but always willing to humble ourselves and to own and admit when we're wrong. All those things have to do with the course that ends like fall.
That I might finish my course with joy. And he did finish his course with joy.
Although he did.
Use his own love for his brethren at this time. But in the end.
We find him as a prisoner at Rome, when he could say, time of my departure is near. I fought a good fight, I finished my course, I've kept the pain, and henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness with the righteous good judge will give unto me in that day, but not on me only, but unto all them that love his appearing in the book of Philippians.
Where the apostle is finally in prison.
And he?
Sees the Saints carrying on the work.
That he was not able to do. He likens his position.
To the drink offering that was put on the sacrifice because it was an offering which suggested exceeding joy. Boy. They were the ones who he suggested were doing were making the sacrifice, but he would was to be offered up.
It wasn't long before the Apostle.
Executed and he was he was to be offered up, as it were, as a a drink offering on the sacrifice of his brother. That is, he was giving him himself up and completing his course with joy, because even though he was not able to do the work himself, God is so provided that the work that was committed to him was to be finished by his brother.
Acts 20:22-28
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Thanks chapter 20 and verse 22. And I'll behold, I go bound in the spirit under 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 I my life dear unto myself.
So that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus.
Testify the gospel of the grace of God, and I behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more, wherever 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 heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers.
To feed the Church of God, which you have purchased with his own blood.
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.
But now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
I am coveted no man's children or gold, nor peril.
Ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered under my necessities, and to them that were with me.
I have showed you all things, how they're so laboring. He ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give them to receive.
When he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with the mall, and they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him.
Sorrowing most of all for the words which he speak, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him under the ship passed over where he says, I have taught you publicly and from house to house.
It shows that House to House ministry is just as important as public ministry.
I remember years ago there was a very gifted brother.
That was a very good speaker, good, gave wonderful addresses and yet he wasn't a man to visit in homes, seemed to be very quiet when he was visiting or the place where he could speak in homes.
An elderly brother spoke to him about it. He said will you get me to get me an audience? And he says I'll preach to them. Yes, he's poor brother says anybody, any of us can do that. But it takes a lot more grace and a lot more energy and to go around from house to house than to just get up and preach to a a fair sized audience.
I'm sure that there are times that those who go out with the gospel will find that visitation.
Well, 'cause people to come to the meetings where they never would come otherwise.
And would give people a different view of the things of the Lord when you show a personal interest with them. The Wright brother Pilkington, you approved it, haven't you? And that's not just, it's not only for those who are in the work of the Lord full time. This is for those that we were speaking about this morning.
Who take responsibility in the assembly?
I suppose the Lord expects shots to to do the same thing, not leave all the visiting to one brother.
But.
There are others that can do visiting as well. I knew a brother. Brother Anderson. I won't name him. You know him well.
That before he was saved, he and his wife would go out every night to some social activity, dances or otherwise. But once he was saved?
He went out not to these things, but just to visit the Saints, and he had such a way about him that he would cheer them as he went about and he enjoyed doing it. I'm using the past tense, but he's doing it today.
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And he's, he's a real help in the assembly because of it. Now that's a real gift, I believe. But you know, gifts are developed too. And we don't need to be discouraged because we feel at first we, we can't visit the home because I think most everyone can at times visit in the home if they want it.
Is there a difference between preaching the gospel of the grace of God and.
Preaching the Kingdom of God that he speaks of here seems there are two things that especially mentioned as to his preaching when he was there at Ephesus. Would you say, brother Barry, that this is the perfect picture of the grace of God?
Here Grace, fullness, the fullness, divine grace.
Laid hold of the heart of the apostle.
And it would be in bringing the Lord Jesus as the object of faith to them. I've often thought of this verse in that light. There is the other side of you, as you mentioned. Perhaps you would give us a little message on that.
The preaching of the Kingdom of God. Well, I take it as pleased to these moral principles of the Kingdom. The Lord, when he was transfigured, according to Mark, He was disciples were told that they would in so many days see the Kingdom of God come with power.
That's in the 4th of March. Well, that's future.
When the Lord returns and sets up his Kingdom here on earth, He will set up that Kingdom in power.
Subdue his enemies. There will be a righteous reign, but at the present time.
There is still the Kingdom, but according to Matthew 13.
After the sword goes forth the soul, then you get the mystery of the Kingdom of heaven, that is, the Kingdom is down here and the king is rejected, and yet there are those that own his authority, or he is absent.
So that the principles that belong to the righteous Kingdom, which will be set up in a future day, are important for the Lord's people today, and we might just see.
A bit of those moral principles in the 14th chapter of Romans. 14th chapter of Romans.
The 22nd verse is that it? Verse 17. Thank you. For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness. Now notice that righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Now, as we go on as believers, all who are saved have accepted the gospel of the grace of God.
That introduces certain moral principles.
In connection with our walk and with our Assembly Light, and it's spoken of here as.
Not meat and drinks, that is. It isn't just an awkward.
Formal thing, Some ritualism.
But it's a very practical walk and and.
Carrying out what the world respects righteousness.
And.
Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Well, we're called upon to carry out those principles as soon as we're saved. And here is something rather remarkable in the next verse. For he that in these things serve Christ.
Is acceptable to God and approved of men. Now you might not think that walking in righteousness, joy and peace of the Holy Ghost was a work of of the Lord, but it does definitely say they who serve Christ, that is, those who are walking consistently in a righteous way before God and man.
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And in the joy of the Holy Ghost, and seeking to go on in peace.
Brethren, how needful that is.
To not allow anything in our assembly life that disturbs them unnecessarily brings strife and sorrow among God's people.
That's important too. Well, one that follows those principles serveth Christ. So we see that Paul in his laborers there in Ephesus, he carried the gospel, but he also carried the.
The ministry of the Kingdom of God among them, he continued in his own fired house, preaching the Kingdom of God.
It seems to me that this verse that we're considering.
As to the gospel.
In Acts 24 testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Would you not think possibly the Apostle was looking back to the Damascus Rd.
And then in the book of Corinthians, Two Corinthians, where he.
He speaks of the God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, that shine in our hearts to give the light the knowledge of the glory of Christ. Is it?
It was the person of Christ, particularly before him, in connection with the gospel of the grace of God, was it not?
And.
No doubt this he was reminded of this and at this time and this is no doubt what was needed in this assembly, which was already beginning, possibly to need some exercise, because we know what happened to Ephesus in the Book of Revelation, and the seeds of discord perhaps had already begun in the assembly, so that there was a need for this.
Of the preciousness of the gospel of the grace of God. To refresh the heart and mind, keep them in the enjoyment of their portion. The Lord in speaking the Nicodemus, told him how to enter the Kingdom of God.
Well, the one who enters the Kingdom of God, of course, is born again, has a new life and a new nature. Well, as soon as he's in the Kingdom of God.
He can be thankful that he has a life of nature that wants to do the will of God, that wants to please God, that submits to God.
So you find that there is that moral aspect of the Kingdom of God, but God has made provisions so that we can.
Follow these wonderful things that God expects, and that by which we can serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We have in James two, that God has chosen the poor of this world, heirs of the Kingdom which He hath prepared for them that love him. Well, that's more of the inner sphere of the Kingdom.
And it's what you speak of, brother.
Brother Anderson.
Birth you have to look at the Kingdom in view of the place in which you consider it, where it's like a mustard field where or a mustard seed that grows into a large tree in the birds log. Well there it's the widest aspect of the Kingdom, but where the Lord was talking to Nicodemus, he's limiting it down to.
To new birth and there Speaking of the poor of this world there.
Looked at in a special way as ears of that Kingdom. So there's certainly in the inner circle of that Kingdom and the left in special way. So I think that is wise and considering any subject and the Kingdom is one of those subjects that we look at it in connection with the passage in which the subject is brought before us.
And that's the principle and understanding many parts of the Word of God, what proceeds and what follows. Because if you just take a verse out of its connection, you can teach a lot that isn't the truth at all you mentioned.
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That verse from the 13th chapter of Matthew.
There in the six similitudes.
As to the Kingdom of heaven.
In mystery.
You have 6 similacudes in the 13th chapter of Matthew. You have four more 18th, 19th and 22nd and 25th, making 10 similacues to the Kingdom of heaven.
In Matthew's Gospel you do not get the term Kingdom of heaven anywhere else.
But there in the Gospel of Matthew.
Now the character of the Kingdom of Heaven in his mystery form has to do with the present opportunity of embracing.
Christ as Lord, though He be absent, and in not not here in the world now, yet it is owning His Lordship in this world, and whether that owning His Lordship is reality or mere profession is allowed in some of those.
Parables, for instance, you have the foolish virgins and you have the wise virgins.
The real ones and those are not real. In other words, the foolish virgins are counterfeits. You also have the wheat and the tears. The wheat is the real, The tears are the imitation, mere profession.
You also have good fish and bad fish, and of course the good are real. You also get a man.
Not having on the wedding garment, poor empty profession will be exposed, so that the Kingdom of heaven in the mystery form in the Matthew's Gospel is looked at as ever and always the sphere of opportunity now.
In this age on the earth, always on the earth, though what's called the Kingdom of heaven.
But it's in, it's a mystery form now when you come to John chapter 3.
You get an entirely different line of truth in the first 12 verse, the 36 verses in that chapter. In the first 12 verses, we get that subject of new birth.
Now Nicodemus was one of these tallest, proud Cedars that humanity can produce. He was the teacher of Israel.
No doubt had a prominent place in the Sanhedrin. He had more metals and plumes almost than any other person you think of, unless it be the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. Now the Lord meets this man who had had so many high privileges to see the miracles and to be.
Of the tribe of Judah and of that privileged nation of Israel.
And.
Here he comes in the dark at night because of his position as there were of importance and yet wishing to imbibe or get a little more knowledge as a teacher, in that he recognized the Lord Jesus was an unusual person as a teacher, so he came not knowing that he had nothing.
And so the Lord lays that sharp axe at the root of his brown tree.
And he says.
You must be born again.
He also says except you be born again, you cannot enter and you cannot see the Kingdom of God. Now that has to do with vitality, reality, the Kingdom of God. They're used in that way. Another thought is this of importance and might should be instructive.
New birth.
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Was ever and always a nature that the household of faith had in every age.
There was number such thing as a household of faith, no such thing as divine faith without there being a new nature.
And the new nature is in contrast to the natural, the old nature. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That's its character and nature. That which is born of the spirit is spirit.
He contrasts that in those first 12 verses and the Lord Jesus, as it were, rebukes.
Nicodemus for his dullness.
The teacher of Israel should read in the in the best translation.
For his not realizing the truth found in Ezekiel 36 and 37. As for God giving them a new heart and a new spirit and things like that, He should have known better. So that the Lord says, now if I have spoken to you of earthly things.
Truth that should be known in all dispensations on earth in the Millennium. Those that are really real in the Millennium are those that are born again. So it's a new nature that is reality that suits God, for it's the very nature of God imparted.
Well, I said maybe, if plenty.
You would agree with this, I'm sure, Brother Brown.
That there are places in Luke where the same subjects of the 13th of Matthew were found, like the.
The woman that took 11 and put it in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened. But there it's bits of the Kingdom of God in Luke, and also the mustard seed going into a great tree, and the birds lodging in the branches.
But in a general way in Matthew, you might say it's more territorial, that is certain speeder in this world where the authority of rejected Christ is owned, where generally speaking and the other Gospels.
It's more moral, as brought out there in the third chapter of John, and even then there is still a thought of that sphere.
Do that James brings it before us.
Amen. Who we would say, brethren, and the Kingdom of God is reality, and the Kingdom of heaven is this sphere of profession. Would you say, will you get the real? And those that are not, as has already been mentioned, there are those who profess and possess nothing.
But they're in the Kingdom of heaven. But you get this fear of profession. But the Kingdom of God is always realities, that's all.
Well, I wondered about that. The expression that we have in the Kingdom in the Gospel of Matthews to the Kingdom we have in Luke's Gospel is the Kingdom of God.
It's really supposed that even in the Kingdom of Heaven there would be reality, but there isn't. In some cases it's furious. And so we have the examples there of what is wrong, and I believe this is carried out in the other gospels too, in connection with the Kingdom of God on times that it grows as a great mustard tree.
But the intent of God in showing us the Kingdom of God in this moral character as we have here.
Is the real character, it's righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. But there there is in Mark's Gospel that which is very similar to Matthew, and it shows that which is also spurious, does it not?
Correct, brother, to say that even in Matthew 13, in the 6th similitudes of the Kingdom of Heaven, we have both the failure under the responsibility of man in the first three.
00:25:09
And then we have the three parables uttered to the disciples only in the house, presenting that which is real even in the Kingdom of heaven. We have the treasure hid in the field, and we have the Pearl. In contrast to the tree and the treasure, they are contrast, and the Pearl and the leather. The Pearl is pure. The pure she is, the priceless, the more priceless she is.
And then we have in the net and the the fish and the seed, the two kinds of seeds again the opposite. So we have the Kingdom of heaven looked at under the responsibility. All this of man all is failure. But from God's point of view, we have it presented differently in the last three. And isn't that also correct to say?
That.
The Kingdom of God is a general term, and it develops into the Kingdom of heaven and will be succeeded by the Kingdom of the Son of Man on earth, as we have it in the explanation as to the second parable, the first of the three of the first group, where the Son of Man will send his angels and get out of his Kingdom all empty pilots. That's the Kingdom of the Son of Man and the heavenly.
At the same time, the Kingdom of the Father, where the righteous shall shine as the sun in the Kingdom of the Father, so that the Kingdom of Heaven bill also be succeeded, and will still be the Kingdom of God, but it will be the Kingdom of the Son of Man on earth, and are redeemed in the Kingdom of the Father in heaven.
You know, whatever way, pardon me, whatever way we look at this.
Subject but poor preach where at Ephesus we have this to.
Exercises and it's this.
It says I take you to record this day.
For I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. All didn't trim the truth to suit a certain class that wanted looseness or wanted to cover up evil.
He he gave out the full counsel of God so that when he left Ephesus, they couldn't kill him.
Of any neglect or any hypocrisy in his laborers trying to just please man, he gave out the truth right from from the Lord and let the results with the Lord and that is very important, isn't it then even in our day and time that we should not just.
Try to please man or Paul says, if I please man, I'm not the servant of Christ.
Sometimes it hurts, but.
It's the right to give out what is the truth, even if it does cause.
Maybe sorrow to some.
We're not. I don't mean that we should just go around trying to offend or cause any any distress among God's people, but we should not just trim the truth up to suit a certain class.
Yeah, there's a danger of that.
Be a loose element that gets in among the Saints, and they like what just pleases them. They don't want anything administered that would hurt their conscience. So that there are needs that faithfulness, I said, Amen.
In verse twenty of our chapter, the apostle says I have held back. I've kept back nothing.
I kept back nothing that was profitable, so in our verse I have not shunned.
He has not lacked the courage to declare unto you all the council of God. Now there is an interpretation that I cannot allow myself to believe yet, that this council of God has only to do with His eternal counsels. I think the apostle has in mind the whole mind of God.
00:30:13
When he's the two speaks this way.
We need it as all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is.
Profitable. It's profitable for even reproof, even rebuke and instruction and correction. Whether we like it or not, the Holy Word is everything. Now I'll give you some verses that you suggested, brother, but what you said, I enjoyed what you said. Colossians, chapter 3.
Verse 22 The middle of the verse.
This is in keeping with what you said dear brother, not with I service as.
Men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God, And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.
Knowing that as the Lord, ye shall receive the reward.
Of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. And he says also chapter 4 verse four, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. If any man speak, let him speak as the mouthpiece of God, and not just simply ear tickling and smooth things.
And try to build things just to make everybody happy. By the way, I heard one who had been a a preacher.
I hope no one will guess who I'm talking about, but on one occasion he was given the platform and to me and my wife it looked like this was one of his old time favorite sermon when he was in the platform in, you know, in the camp.
Everything he had he had studied no doubt for years. He drew out this the sweetest, happiest things that exist in the word of God. It was nothing in the world but just simply make everybody happy, no matter how world it is they may live.
It nothing but to make a hit, a popular sermon as it were. Poor stuff that exercises our souls. We shouldn't evade it, should we? When we have a chapter, we should face the the word as it's given to us and act upon it.
Is that right? Yes. I believe the burden of the the epistles of God gives that truth in love and loving truth.
Great need of that in these days of the clinch and truth in love and loving truth.
Well, someone asked the question, is the assembly the truth? Well, we'd say no, it's the pillar and ground of the truth. But the Word of God is the truth, beloved. The Word of God is the truth. So that in giving, teaching or teaching.
Let us be careful humbly to give the truth in love and loving truth.
That if we're gathered on divine ground by the Spirit, that we're in a place where we can carry out every instruction in the Word of God. If we were not in a place like that, if we were in a system of man, there are certain truths that you couldn't carry out.
Take one man ministry and so on. But here that's not in gather to the Lord's name alone. Why that is something that isn't permitted doesn't belong to that. Well, that's a wonderful thing. We don't have to be dodging this scripture and that scripture because it doesn't fit in with the testimony that we're connected with.
There's some things that characterize the place where the Lord has placed His name.
And one of them is that the Lord has given his place and he's not pushed out by man. Man does not usurp that place. He may try to, but if we're truly gathered to the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ will not allow that.
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Let the Lord be displaced by man.
And another thing is will not allow that the Holy Spirit should be displaced. We wouldn't allow that the Spirit should be quenched, but he must be allowed to have his place in the assembly too. And then another thing.
Allow the Word of God to have its place, the whole Word of God, in the assembly too. And if these three things do not characterize the place where we are, well, how could we claim to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Merely being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is no insurance of our.
Answering to the behavior that is becoming to the House of God.
There is an article that was sent to me or many years ago by your brother Oscar Myers. There on is written by a man in system.
And his name was William.
Reed.
And that man, that preacher was writing an article to rebuke the his fellow men in the pulpit who were running down the brethren gathered the Lord's name and.
Misrepresenting them all together.
They were doing it right and left. Now this was in 1874 that he wrote the article and 75 that's over a century ago.
That article.
Shows the character.
Of the lives of those gathered to the Lord's Ninth over a century ago.
And the ministry, ministry of power of the Holy Spirit, ministry that made everything of Christ. The gospel had its fragrance and and in their stewardship their lives were spending their time and their means to make Christ known. Now this article is so fine that my wife and I have wanted to see it.
Reprinted, but on the front cover I write upon it.
And print it on it.
This article.
Is the strongest condemnation of our slipping, I think, or sliding and or departing?
Brethren, if we compare the lives of the power of their lives of that day with ours, it oughta do us good to make us hang our heads in shame, to make us like we talk about we ought to be in the dust, but to help us to be in the dust. In that article that Oscar Mayers sent me.
Now I'm just touching on a thing for this idea of telling people that all you need to do is to be gathered to name the Lord Jesus Christ and everything else would be all right.
True at all. There's a sister here that told me that she thought after she was saved through Harry Hayle that when she finally was gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ now everything was settled. But she soon found out that she had an old nature and that the state was not what she thought it would be.
No guarantee, brethren, just because we're gathered it might be our condemnation.
If we lack heart, I wish I could live up to my words.
And you and I, I think mostly, if you know what I'm saying, if we are have all the highest privileges, the finest library, the finest hymn book, the finest translation, the finest magazine or magazine, the first opportunities like we're having in our in our conferences. And wherever you go, there seems to be a home open and a bed if you're gathered.
These are high, unusual privileges and unequaled anywhere else.
But brethren, these are only spell our responsibility because there's no privilege that God has ever given us without a corresponding responsibility as to our living and walking in it. The speaker doesn't do it.
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I remember my father quite often saying that occupation with Christ will keep us both humble and happy. Humble because we are so little like Him, and happy because he loves us so much. I feel perhaps there is a little danger in our becoming occupied with that which will evaluate.
How we're getting along and so on.
I believe that the nearer we are to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more aware we will become.
Of the wonderful perfections that are found in him and how little like him we are. And yet at the same time we will indeed be happy because we remember how much He loves us. I was interested recently in looking up the various ingredients of the incense compounded in the book of Exodus.
How carefully they were measured. How carefully they were blended.
And I looked up the various ingredients and I found that one of those ingredients was what might be termed.
Well, it was said to be used as a sort of repellent for dangerous creatures such as snakes. It was certainly not an attractive ingredient by itself, but blended together with the other ingredients, it made this beautiful confection this delightful perfume.
And I believe that in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ there was that perfect blending of all those ingredients. There was no over exaggeration of any one of them. And so I believe, brethren, that occupation with that wondrous person.
In His love and in His faithfulness, in His discernment and correction of that which was in need of correction, we see that pattern that we well might covet. For I just dread the fact that if we get taken up with faithfulness as a goal, we will. We will.
Unconsciously want the reputation of being a faithful servant.
If we get taken up with humility as an object, we will fail because we will never want to do anything that will mar our reputation for humility or gentleness or whatever it may be. Any of these things, if we seek after them, would become a very great danger to us, but all beloved in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see that perfect and always displayed.
Blend of everything that we trust by the grace of God may be seen in us. If we compare ourselves with others, we will become again either puffed up or discouraged, but all to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus to realize.
That the sweet and incense of Himself contained all those elements that we have been Speaking of, including those which if taken by themselves, would be, shall I dare to use the word, offensive? Forgive me if I'm wrong in choosing that word, but all blended to form an incense that was delightful to the heart of God.
And brethren, if we keep close to the Lord Jesus, if we're occupied with him.
There will be that faithfulness in walk and ways and ministry. There will be that love, that gentleness, that kindness in walk and ways and ministry, blended together in a way that will bring no reputation to ourselves, that will bring a reflection of the sweet odor of the Lord Jesus before our brethren into the heart of God in revelation. Thou hast left thy first love.
Now in first love.
There are two things, and we get it exemplified in the book of the Song of Solomon.
The first is all his loveliness, his precious name, as we've had before us in these meetings.
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But the other is his thoughts toward us and of us.
Thou art all fair, my love.
Now those are his thoughts.
Of His bride, and if we are occupied with Christ.
He will make known to us his thoughts of us.
As he sees us now.
We were like the tents of Keeter Black.
But now.
Like the curtains of Solomon, that is. It's Christ's scene now.
In his character in the believer, I believe is the curtains of Solomon. Now when the is that right, brother Brown?
I enjoy what you're saying because.
In first love, we first have the person of Christ.
And his glories and his beauties.
And the moment there is a response.
Then he tells us his thoughts of us, what he thinks of us.
Not what we were, but what we are in His sight now.
Now this is what keeps us, brethren. It isn't what we think of ourselves because we have No title to think of ourselves. But if we want to be happy, we're going to find out what he thinks of us. And when you find the bride?
When you find that verse in the second chapter where?
We find him at that mountain of myrrh.
I suppose that's the phrase. I suppose that's the spike in art. I suppose that's what the bride has brought, and he's come to receive it. Then he says, thou art all fair, my love, there's no spot in thee.
That's first love.
And the assembly got away from it. They left it.
If grace would only cause us individually to return to it, to enjoy it, and then we would have not only thoughts of himself which would boy us up and keep our spirits high, but we'd also see what he thinks of us in that new light that's associated with him. Because of the work at Calvary that when the apostle Paul called for the elders of Ephesus, they responded.
There doesn't seem to have been any holding back in any way.
But they responded to his call. Well, we find that there had been no holding back on the part of the apostle Paul, as has already been brought before us. He had faithfully ministered all the counsel of God, and yet the truth learned in communion with God had produced in the Ephesians that.
Love for the ministry of the Apostle Paul that would enable them to seek to walk in it.
Well we find that in Second Timothy chapter one it tells us that approximately 8 years after this chapter was written in Acts that the apostle Paul has to write and say all they that be in Asia are turned away from me. They had turned away not so much from Christ but from the Apostle Paul.
We find that in between those two events.
The 20th of Acts, and the first chapter of second Timothy. The apostle wrote from a prison in Rome that most beautiful epistle to the Ephesians. It seems to my own soul, in meditating on that, that we see how that the apostle Paul ministered the truth. They received the truth, and the result of it was the ministry of more truth.
The growing in grace, the entering in more and more to the sweet and precious councils of God.
Has brought out in such a beautiful way in the Epistle to the Ephesians. But then when we go looking as our brother has just brought before us, and one has enjoyed his comments so very much. When we go looking for the reason what happened that brought about Second Timothy chapter one, that all they that be in Asia turned away from me. What was the course that led to that?
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Failure, that departure from the enjoyment of the ministry of the Apostles.
Well, it seems that the answer is in the second chapter of Revelation. Thou hast left thy first love. Our dear brother Albert is brought before us. That sweet and precious enjoyment and occupation with Christ. That is vital, because once that departure begins, it leads eventually to Pergamos in Revelation, where the Church.
Settle down into the world and the enjoyment of the ministry of the Apostle Paul is lost. Am I right, brethren, in saying that Pergamos is really in essence the departure from the ministry of the Apostle Paul? Not the abandonment of Christianity, but the loss of the enjoyment, the realization of the heavenly calling that we belong to heaven and not to this world at all?
We find here in our chapter that the most beautiful appreciation seems to be extended.
Without reserve to the Apostle Paul and his ministry. But it does change. But the change comes about from the loss of the enjoyment in the soul of the Person of Christ. Even in Revelation 2 They did not depart from all the outward observances of that which had been set up, but the inner life was gone.
And so there was no power.
The inner life was gone. Now may that be a lesson to us, dear brethren, that there may be all the outward as our brother Brown has been bringing before us in our local assemblies and these happy gatherings. But the question is, is the inner life there? That is, I mean the practice of it, the enjoyment of it?
A sense of His love towards us. Because if we're going around unhappy, we certainly aren't in the good of a sense of his love toward us. And I often wonder.
And I wonder in my own soul too, why, as one goes about.
Why there's such long silences as we gather together to remember the Lord?
Sometimes and.
When there should be a free spirit, there should be an exercise soul as to why we're there, and there should be that during the week which would.
Prepare us for the for the time when we gather together. There must be something working underneath that brings these conditions.
Among us, where there is no response to the precious saviors, we come to remember him in his death.
Don't you think, Brother Undine? Sometimes it's timidity among young brothers that haven't been accustomed to taking part, and they're almost afraid of their own voices. I'd rather see a meeting where there's long pauses than a meeting where.
There's scarcely any pause at all between hymns and prayers and the parts that are taken in the meeting.
So yeah, all those things remind us how.
We are gathered to the Lord's name and dependence upon the head in glory, and I do think this is important to remember that gathered together.
Surrounds the blessed Lord that we should remember that we are waiting on him, rather than waiting on the Spirit, the Lord by.
The Lord directs by the Spirit, but holding the head is really being occupied with the glorified One, or the one who says, There am I in the midst of the He's the head of the body.
And all nourishment comes from him, but he directs by the Spirit, and it has the remembrance of the Lord. There is an occupation with Christ.
Our hearts are engaged with him, while then by the Spirit he directs to a certain hymn, or he gives a certain brother to feel that he should offer praise, or another that he should give thanks for the emblems.
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Is that right?
The Old Testament rather buried that I think it'd be profitable to read. It's just two or three verses. It's in second kings.
Four and verse 42. Now this is in the ministry of Elijah and I believe we have various pictures in the ministry of Elijah that represent New Testament truths. Here we have worship. Now I stand to be corrected, but I believe that's something we can enjoy.
Connection with worship.
And there came a man. Chapter 42 Kings 4 and 42. And there came a man from Bail Silicia, Lord of the high places, or heavenly places, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, 20 loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof.
And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
And his servator said, What should I set this before in 100 men? He said, again, Give the people that they may eat. For thus, saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he said it before them, And they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord. Now you mentioned timidity on the part of some.
And I'm sure that's true. Here we have a picture.
Of two kinds of sacrifices.
That which would suggest.
We might say a young person in the presence of the Lord at the time when we're gathered to remember him in his death.
We have the 20 loaves of barley. It speaks of the poor man's bread. It speaks of Christ though.
That we also have the corn in the husks thereof, the full ears.
This speaks of maturity.
Now they're both equally set before the people.
They're first given to the man of God because the people eat of the very food that he eats up.
And so they're set before him. First. He's Christ really in type, but at the very same food as the food is set before the people of God. And so we have the servator saying, what should I set this before 100 men?
Should I do that?
100 Man, what little I have. Well, see, if the word of God says do so. You'd better do it. If the word, if there's a word of God on your heart, something to give to your brethren on such an occasion. I mean, after the breaking of bread. Well, the Lord has laid it on your heart. Give it it might, you might be giving it intimidating, but.
Give it and notice what it says.
Give the people that they may eat, for thus, saith the Lord, they shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
Christ can never be ministered in the spirit that what it fills the hearts of those who hear. So he said it before them, and they did eat and left there of according to the word of the Lord. And so whether it be an offering of praise to the Lord or whether it be a little word of of.
Encouragement to the Saints after the breaking of bread. If the Lord has laid it on the heart, why? Don't be afraid?
If the Lord has laid it on the heart, give it, and you'll find that when they eat, they'll leave thereof. There'll be plenty, and it'll be leftover. We do not varnish our weakness with activity. We're waiting quietly in the presence of God, So what better could we do if we're weak than weak quietly in God's presence? So let's not.
Varnish our weakness with activity. That's what we came out of.
Sometimes the Lord does allow a long pause to remind us of our state of soul. A member of Brother Ruskin Gill killing about.
01:00:00
Meeting where he lived one time when there seemed no power to break the bread that Sunday morning, and he admonished the brethren at the close that there was something that they grieved the Spirit of God.
And it came out during the week that there was a brother who's going on with evil, and they had to look into this matter and judge this matter. So there may be special reasons why.
The Lord allows these pauses and we shouldn't get upset too much if they are long pauses and we don't want to form a clergy to always go ahead and break the bread or.
Offer the praise sometimes it requires a long time of waiting to exercise younger brother that they have a responsibility as long as their older brother if certain ones always take part why it just limits the.
I the work, I mean the the the work of the Holy Spirit. Well, we have here the only Apostolic succession that is found in Scripture.
In Christendom there is a.
Idea that the apostles ordained elders and they are ordained other elders and that succession has gone right down through Christendom so that we still have Apostolic succession. But the only Apostolic succession mentioned is as you read here.
It says, if I know this 29th verse, that after my departure shall grievous rules enter in among you, not sparing the flock false of your own self, shall then arise speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Now that's the Apostolic succession, and that's what exactly, and that's exactly what happened, and that's the work of the enemy is still today then speaking perverse things.
And they may be real Christians, gifted men, because Satan can make far more use of a gifted man than the man that hasn't any gift if a gifted brother.
Presents something that is contrary to the word of God. Because of his gift he will soon get a following, whereas he was just a simple brother that took little part or wasn't known very far and wide why he wouldn't be listened to.
That the more gift a brother possesses in connection with the things of God, the more responsibility he has. And sad to say, we've seen the history even of those gathered to the Lords names. That it wasn't some obscure individual who knew had little gift, but the most gifted men.
Have scattered the flock men who had the real.
Ministry And yet when they became leaders in a party and misused the Scripture to carry out their know what they had before them, what havoc could be wrought among God's people?
We have today began in the early times, did they not?
At the after the apostles had left the scene and they may be covered up in different names today, but basically.
The denial of the person of Christ is the Son of God, and the denial of the virgin birth and all of these things began no doubt quite early in the history of the church in the 28th verse.
That administering the truth to others.
There needs to be, first of all, an application of it to ourselves.
It says, take heed, therefore unto yourselves. I think of how the apostle Paul could write to Timothy and say the same thing to him. Take heed to thyself. The Word of God is A2 edged sword, and the first application must be the self before there really can be any, any real power in ministry to others. It seems to me that there's a very, very real need.
To search our own consciences and to have it applied to our own hearts.
And to be before God, to have it applied to ourselves in verse 27.
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About declaring to them the whole council of God.
And that's why he says what he does in verse 28.
Take heed therefore. I've given you all the counsel of God, and I'll take heed therefore.
To yourselves. That means that you have to practice it yourself.
Be in the good of it and to all the flock, take heed to the flock. Well, if you've been given the truth, you have a responsibility to pass it on.
Over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers.
Well, that's quite instructive, isn't it? It doesn't say which the apostle Paul made you overseer. She doesn't say that I made you overseers. No, this was the work of God. And so it's important for those who take responsibility in the assembly to be before the Lord. Did the does the Lord want me to do this? Is this what he what he wants me to do? Is this the place he wants me to take in the?
Is there this responsibility? Now each one may not have the same gift or the same ability, but, and it may not mean that he's fulfilling the same responsibility as someone else, but it seems that each one should be before the Lord to find out from the Lord himself, what is the responsibility that the Lord wants me to take?
So it's the Holy Ghost that was active here to make them overseers.
And it wasn't just a matter of being overseers to dominate them or to Lord it over them, but to feed the assembly, to feed the assembly, to have a care for the assembly, not just to cut and dried seed, but it's like 1 member of the body having a care for the other member of the body. It's like our our two hands if a person has only one hand.
One arm, he doesn't have the other one when it comes to washing that hand.
It's very difficult for a person with one hand to wash his own hand. He needs the other hand so that both of them can wash each other. They have a care one for another. And so in the assembly, this is perhaps what is brought out here. The oversteers are responsible to have a care for the assembly and we need to have a care one for another.
Last part of that 28th verse, the Church of God which he has purchased.
It's with the blood of his own is that that is, it's the blood of Christ. And that is a precious thought. We should never lose sight of that. What it cost God the Father, what it cost his beloved Son to redeem a people and to form them into one body.
It cost the blood of the blessed Son of God that He had purchased us. Christ that He has paid for that which is spoken of here.
So in caring for it, it's what how dare that those that they're made overseers are to the heart of God the Father. He gave his Son, He shed his precious blood. That was the price that was paid. So the Spirit of God never allows us to get very far away from the cross.
And the work of Calvary.
That precious blood that was built there by the Romans, beer, you would bring us back to that and remind us that we are bought with a price. That's looked at individually. And I believe in the 6th chapter, first Corinthians, you're not your own. You're both with a price. It's true of each individual that we've been brought, but we have to think of the whole Church of God here and the whole church has been purchased.
At the light blood of the Son of God.
Now when I say life blood, I don't mean that it was taken from his body while he was alive, but it was the blood that flowed through his veins.
When he was here and when the Roman soldier pierced his side, there was a miracle performed, Because the heart, when it stops, you know, the blood ceases to circulate.
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And there would be no bloodshed by piercing a dead body. But it was a divine miracle that caused that blood to flow from the side of a Christ in death. I never saw before the connection between the charge to feed the flock, which he had purchased with his own blood. Doesn't it make that precious?
It it would become perhaps.
Wearisome if it were not for the continual remembrance that this challenge, this privilege, this opportunity.
Is concerning that which was so dear to him that he purchased it with his own blood. Oh, what a what a wonderful privilege to be able in any little way to feed or to minister to or in any way to be a help to anyone of a flock so dear to him as that. How could we ever, ever.
Neglect this. How could we ever shrink from it because of?
Some little criticism or something like that. My brother Charles will forgive me for this comment, I know. But after what I said this morning in connection with my mother's illness and my father's efforts in the kitchen, I thought I'd better check with Charles to see that I got it right. I said, Charles, did I tell that right? And he said, yes, you did, but you missed out one part of it.
What did I miss? He said. You missed the part that we found fault with Father's cooking.
But he went on anyway. He said, don't you remember? We told him he burnt the gravy, but he didn't give up. He kept on because he loved her. I was kind of glad for that little addition because, brethren, we do see those who try to help, who try to feed, and their efforts perhaps are not appreciated. But oh, beloved, I, I, I'm glad to have got this to my soul today.
That the challenge and privilege of it anyway.
Helping, encouraging, nourishing any of the flock of God is associated with that which was so dear to Him that He purchased it with the blood of His own. What a privilege.
Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it.
Well, that was written to the same ones to whom the apostle Paul was speaking here. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
So I suppose what we have then verse 28 is a similar to it. Now he says you're thinking about Christ loving the church and giving himself for it. Now you give yourself for the church too. Of course, not in the same way to sacrificially that the Lord gave himself for the church, but still I believe we can also extend it beyond the sacrifice. The Lord is still caring for the church. He's still loving the church.
And it goes on in that same chapter, Speaking of the washing of the water by the word.
That's the present care of the Lord for the church too. And then there's the future is going to present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Well, this is the care of the Lord for the church all the way through. And evidently this is the picture that's being put before these elders at Ephesus to care for the church. Have a love for the church.
Do we really love the assembly? Do we love the church that Christ died for? Well.
It's brought out to us here in the fact that it speaks of that precious blood that was shed to to buy, to redeem us, how it touches our hearts.
I received a letter from my dear father.
Just before he went home, which greatly inspired me to keep going.
I will only take a moment to explain, he said. Son, hold fast.
He commented this portion we're on this afternoon.
He said feed the flock son, hold fast, stand fast.
He said I'm ready to depart. I want to write a little letters of my son, Eric.
So he told his daughter, who's a nurse, to prop him up.
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And he propped him up and he wrote a beautiful note to me, perfectly written. And these are the words he said, Son, hold fast, stand fast, the professing church.
Is in ruins, but remember, the church in the mind of God is ever perfect, ever perfect.
Now he says I'm ready to depart and my sister said he just drew 3 breaths and quoted I will never leave thee nor forsake thee and was gone, was gone. Well these are days. I was just thinking that with the time is gone. Faithfulness to God is a great need today and you'll find it in second crime in First Chronicles.
Where you have the those who were the the enemies of David.
Knowing that David was to be supreme in Israel, they came over to him and they said, now thine are we David?
That's first Chronicles 12 And on thy side, thou son of Jesse, peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be unto thine helpers, and thy God, for thy God help of thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. Now of these we speak of.
Men who could keep rank.
In that scene, verse 38, in that same verse, we have the words one heart, and we have also.
In verse 33.
Those who were not of a double heart. These are days when we need understanding of the times, beloved.
To keep low down and our eyes fixed on that precious one.
Well, hold fast below, stand fast. The Lord is coming.
Acts 20:29-
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The mind of the Lord this morning that we do not give up the finishing this chapter because of the importance of these at last 8 verses. Perhaps the last 10 verse is so very very needed and seasonable for our present day Revelation chapter I mean.
Acts chapter 20 and verse 29 to the end.
20 and verse 29 For I know this, that after my departings or gravest wolves enter in among you, not bearing 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, brother, and I commend you to God into the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, nor gold, nor apparel. Yeah, ye yourselves know that these hands administered under my necessities, and of them that were with me. I have showed you all things. How the soul laboring.
Ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus. How he said, it is more blessed to give them to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he speak, that they should see his face no more than the accompanied him under the ship.
I suppose the grievous wolves would be like those who come in with false doctrine.
And scatter the flock. But there's also mentioned that of your own selves showing that these were real Christians.
Speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Notice in verse 28. Take heed. Does he not want us to open our hearts, our ears?
Take heed and in our verse 31, therefore watch. That doesn't mean that we should be slothfully indifferent, but rather awake and diligent in these last days in view of what the apostle predicts.
How things are going to go.
They're not going to go better.
Mr. Darby in about 1826, we'll say, and seven long there, he looked back at Acts and especially chapter 431 to 34, where we see the paradise of the church where I leave we see a work of God that was perfect in the church. I'm inclined to believe that, brethren.
That they were all of 1 accord 1 mindful of grace and power.
And.
Mr. Darby compared that with what he saw all around it, and he didn't see anything like that.
Now remember how in back in the third of Ezra and the remnant that came back in the days as a rubber bowl, how there were some that saw that temple foundation renewed. They saw the work starting in the right direction. The old man then.
They wept when they compared what they saw.
With what they had seen of the temple that Solomon had built, they saw the difference. The younger men saw such a commendable work going on like they hadn't been going on. They just rejoiced and shouted, as it were. Well, that's all right in its place in in Haggai chapter 2.
We see Haggai calling their attention to that occasion.
But Haggy, I called their attention to the fact that we still have.
The Lord with us, we have his word still with us. Aggie I chapter 2, verses four and five I believe. And also the Holy Spirit remaineth now in a day of ruin, ruin, confusion.
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Like this even amongst ourselves.
We still have the Lord unchanging His Word, liveth in the body forever. They cannot be ruined. Our souls have a resource in the person of the Lord, in His Word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now if the Holy Spirit is using the Word.
To speak to us.
Well, that is what makes this three days worthwhile. Yesterday between the meeting, what is the application? How do we apply practical truth? Now, in keeping with what you've said, dear brother Brown, may I just read a verse in the Song of Solomon? Pardon me, I read it yesterday, but it's the second chapter.
I quoted it yesterday. Part of it.
And the eighth verse, the voice of my beloved, Behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. Now what is this?
Well, in the 1St place, it's not simply being occupied with doctrine. Now it's good to be instructed, but beloved, unless it's the voice of my beloved, it will not have any effect upon my heart. In practical truth, there has to be the enjoyment of first love, and if there's the enjoyment of first love, there will be brokenness with us.
And there will be the exercise of soul.
And.
No matter who brings something to us.
We will accept it from the Lord and at least weigh it. I remember as our telling our brother Smith just a few moments ago.
That I value a little girl coming to me, a little girl. And she didn't know what she was hardly saying, she said, Mr. London, why do you always say that? And it just went like an arrow to my conscience. Now that little girl was a watchman.
You know what I mean? A watchman like we have in the Song of Solomon.
It took that little girl to bring home to me something that I needed, that perhaps no brother could bring to me. Now it's the voice of my beloved.
Do I want to really please the Lord? Do I want to act upon the truth? Well, that must be in communion. And if we are out of communion, the Lord may use any means that He pleases to restore our souls. And it may be only in one thing, but still we need that. And now what is the next point?
He cometh when you and I lose a sense of the Lord's coming, his return. We're we're like Samson, we have lost our sight.
Spiritually we are a heavenly people, and that hope of His coming must be remained constantly before us, or we these practical exhortations will have no effect because our eyes are on something else and this idolatry really in the sense of the Word of God. 14th chapter of Ezekiel.
Six times it speaks about, and the Lord is one that's speaking to his people of Judah.
It speaks about these men have idols in their heart. It mentions that six times and one time. It mentions a multitude of idols in their heart. So if we have so much of Satans attractions of this world that we are so easily and naturally taken up with, it deprives us, it robs us.
It usurps the place that Christ should have in her heart. As you said, it must be a work of the Lord of devotedness. God working in our hearts to will and to do according to His pleasure. And I want to say this, I want to learn to have no use for legal.
Faithfulness now, I'm sure.
That of the Spirit, where it is a devotedness, faithfulness, Christ, or an obedience. There'll be plenty that will label it legality. But all brethren, we must have open hearts and ears for God's mind, and disregard our own or even our brethren, if it differs from that which is for the glory of Christ.
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Sacrifice, devotedness. If there's no salt in the sacrifice, it's a picture of a an operation, whether it be service for God or whatever it is, without the heart in it, without devotedness, there must be the saw. Thou shalt not allow the salt to be lacking in the sacrifice.
I think it's worthwhile for it, just take a few moments to find out what salt refers to.
Well, we have salt mentioned in Scripture, in Mark's Gospel.
Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Everyone shall be salted with fire. That is, everyone must be tested by God's own character, because we're going to live there forever, and it's only what has been brought to us in Christ that that amounts to anything but in our service.
Everything we do is going to be tested by devotedness now. If it's right, it will serve as that which preserves and also as that which.
Would savor it should, and even our speech should be seasoned with salt. Now this is something we should remember, because otherwise we'll be careless in our words and there won't be anything for God unless.
Of the Holy Spirit, that's all. It's what He produces in our hearts.
I don't mean to take so much time. I don't know if this will help my brethren, but I intend to. Others may have better thoughts I have thought. When I read Mr. Darby's translation of Matthew 513, he says if the salt have become insipid, now notice that word become. Now I believe that the salt has to do with.
Souls having to do with God, the more we have to do with God on our knees in reading His Word and waiting upon Him to help us to enter into it and to apply it to our luck for our lives. We know how miserable a job we make of that. But I do believe, I'm kind of believe. It's helpful to me to believe that salt is a matter.
Of really having to do with God.
My ministry will be flat if I don't spend much time on my knees. I don't do it near enough. You know how difficult it is. But I do believe that the more we have to do with reality, with God, our ministry will carry with it that which God would have it. Gary.
Destroys nature, doesn't it? And that's an element that's needed.
In our pathway is it not brings everything into the presence of God. You can weigh that and consider it. There's number of ways that salt has been explained. But there's one thing to remember what Brother Lundeen was quoting. Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt. It doesn't say salt seasoned with grace.
Perhaps we see in the woman at the well.
In the fourth of John.
She was evidently much impressed with the conversation with the blessed Lord there, but it would have produced no blessing in her soul if the Lord hadn't introduced the soul. And when the Lord said, go, call thy husband and come hit her, he introduced the salt it displayed.
Made manifest what had been going on in her life since she'd been living in sin.
Then the salt brings.
Exercise. And the blessed result is that that poor soul owns Jesus as the Messiah.
You have two, brethren. How little?
Have we entered into that which we do frequently desire and have high respect when Lord Jesus says learn of me for I and me and lowly.
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In spirit or heart, then we have that word. In Philippians one speaks about a supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
At the end of the book against Legalism, the six chapters of Galatians, the apostle says the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. At the end of Philippians in J&E translation, exactly the same words now there were two sisters vying each other.
They needed that humbling truth as to the Lord Jesus humbling himself and.
It ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be your spirit, you odious and Seneca. You can see anything good in them. Think of those things don't always look about something against them. In Philemon that one chapter love letter where that dear brother Philemon had the assembly in his home, but he had a Barnsley that got away from him. He landed.
With Paul and God used it for salvation. Paul writes this love letter to Philemon to receive him as himself and so on. So loving and gracious is the apostle. He ends that epistle with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with your spirit. Now the last thing when the apostle Paul lays down his pen, he's written 100 chapters.
14 Epistles.
He's given us that heavenly truth. He does not word it exactly the same, but you read it rather than that last verse that he writes, and you'll find out that he includes the very same thought now for these last days, these perilous times when he says.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus in Christ Jesus mentioned seven times. Oh, I hate this business. They're showing off. You might say what I know. I hope there's something profitable, brethren, and worthwhile in Christ Jesus mentioned seven times in Paul's last epistles for these last days. It has a different.
Character than it does in Ephesians and Colossians and Corinthians about being in Christ Jesus.
If any man be in Christ, he is his new creature and so on. But in Second Timothy, it's rather we have in Christ Jesus everything as a supply, as a reservoir to draw from to meet our needs in these last days. So I love that truth.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit and all such as I just mentioned.
Mind the entrance of false doctrine, entrance of false doctrine. That's very important, this now in verse 30. We need to go on with this verse and little brethren, because it embraces quite a problem also of your own self shall men arise.
Speaking perverse thing to draw away disciples after them, It's remarkable how many letters one gets from brethren concerning problems in the assembly. What are we going to do where we have adopted a method among the Latin Saints? If it is a question of false doctrine or anything that is contrary to the essential Godhead of the Lord Jesus, then.
A servant of the Lord so-called can.
Pronounce upon that. But we have always told them that if there are problems, not to worry me about those problems, but to consult among themselves, the elders, these are the, these are the ones to be consulted.
Are they? Is the Spirit of God not sufficient forgive to give the the elders among us wisdom to deal with any little thing that may come up?
Concerning the onward March of the work of the work now may we be very careful, brethren, in our.
Replying to questions answered us, the Saints tend to look up to old men to give them a solution, and we just humble ourselves and feel that we are not able just because we do not understand the conditions prevailing in their assembly. So we refer them back to the elders there to take up that matter in the presence of God.
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And if they are unanimous about the decision, well, good. Why bother anybody else about it? Why should I put myself there to propose something different?
I say the danger is that there's always looking to someone who's an older man to make a decision. And we thank God for the confidence that the Saints do manifest in poor old Jacobs as we are. But there are elders in the meeting who are capable of dealing with these problems. I asked a brother who was in they had problems in this particular meeting. I said, are you?
100% agreed on that. Well, I said I have nothing to say. Is it concerning the essential Godhead of the Lord Jesus, the authenticity of the Scriptures, or the denial of the Godhead of the Lord Jesus? Then I might pronounce something on that. But perverse things? Oh brethren, I wish we could take that up a little bit more.
Perverse thing many of the divisions among God's dear people.
Come about because of the introduction of others. The body is one we know. But why cannot the elders in one meeting decide before the Lord any problem? Why can't they? Sure they can.
You know, brother, and agree with me that it is the action of the assembly, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, that we are not only to bow to.
But we should not merely bow to it with reluctance that the inside of us is different than our outside mouth. And maybe walk. God likes truth in the inward hearts, consistent with His truth, consistent with the truth of the one body, and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting.
Bond of peace. Therefore divisional things held in the heart are like embers, liable to come out in a flame and cause more trouble. Yet I'm speaking on a very delicate subject amongst ourselves. But we ought not to be guilty.
Of being double faced and walking with those gathered at the Lords name on the truth with one body without being in subjection, not merely submitting and submitting reluctantly like a brethren tradition. That we ought to bow to every assembly action, not marry. That it should be a work of faith and reality and other heart and conscience.
If in the local assembly.
There doesn't seem to be the power or the wisdom to act on a matter. It would only indicate our state of soul and the powers there. The Spirit of God is there and I believe if we get on our faces that God will come in. He's able to govern his house and I believe He will come in instead of looking to men. I think we do well.
Just to bow to the Lord and say Lord, we have a problem.
I recall once that in an assembly there was.
Something that exercised the Saints. They felt that there was number liberty.
The brothers went off into a little room and they got down before the Lord and they said, Lord, we can't go on this way.
The next day something happened that opened up the whole matter and it was all cleared. Well, now I believe that's the right way. They got before the Lord about it instead of going outside for help. It might be necessary in an extreme case, but usually I believe that we can recognize that there's power in the assembly if the Spirit of God is there to solve these difficulties.
On her knees in that kind of a circumstance.
And not want our own will. If everyone of them were thus open to wanting nothing but the will of the Lord, that would solve the whole problem. That's not that sounds like theory to his president. Why? Because of our naughty, naughty tendency to want to have our own way. I wonder perhaps if the without turning to it, if the 5th chapter of Numbers might give us a little picture of it. I.
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Suggest we turn to it. I think it's well enough known the priest is faced with a very, very real problem and he doesn't know what to do. There are false and contradictory statements made before him and he has no way of finding out what the truth is nor what his responsibility is. And he is told to take an earthen vessel and clean water.
And dust from the floor of the Tabernacle.
And God says when you do that, then and not till then, will I tell you what action to take. Well, we are at times faced with problems of a similar sort and we perhaps think we should become detectives or.
Make strange arrangements of our own. But dear brother and I have seen this carried out when faced with a very, very distressing and trying problem.
We recognize that we do have the earthen vessel, we recognize that we do have the water, but we must admit we do lack the dust of the floor. And who was it that got down in the dust? Did the priest point to the one suspected of guilt and say you get down in the dust and until you do, there be no solution? No, the priest had to get down in the dust.
And I have seen the Lord's people in the dust, in tears.
With a problem before them that seemed absolutely without solution, it seemed insurmountable. But I have seen those dear brethren on their faces in tears, in the dust, crying to the Lord. And I have seen the Lord come in as he promised to do in the 5th of numbers. I have seen him come in in the most remarkable way. I feel perhaps it's helpful for us brethren, because I know that problems arise and.
We're inclined to act like lawyers or think we have that ability.
But I do feel that what we need is the dust of the floor for ourselves, for ourselves. It is not right, and it's not just limited to.
A few I believe that brothers and sisters alike can be found.
On their faces before the Lord, crying to the Lord, that by His very wonderful grace in the day such as are described here, we might, may not only be preserved and kept.
But be able, by the grace of God, to rejoice. As our dear brother pointed out from the second of Haggai, these resources were not only given to the children of Israel in order that they might be able to make the most of a difficult situation, but that they might be able to stand fast and rejoice.
Because that same outline ends, I believe it's in the ninth verse. With this most wonderful promise, the latter glory of this house shall be greater than of the former. The cause of their discouragement was that they were looking back in memory to the glory of Solomon's temple, and comparing it with the pitiful smallness of the House of the Lord before their eyes.
The Lord, I think, was saying you're looking in the wrong direction if you turn a look ahead.
I promise you something that will outshine the glory that ever was known in Solomon's day. Now, brethren, here we are in a day of great weakness. I hope we're ready to admit it. The things that were warned of by dear Paul in these verses have certainly come upon us. And what do we do?
Does sort of make the best of it, or can we recognize that God has been faithful to His promises? He has given us the very resources that have been brought to our attention. I am with you, saith the Lord, according to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. So my spirit remaineth among you. Fear ye not. These resources are still available to encourage and strengthen us, and so is the prospect of that which lies ahead.
If we turn and look ahead.
Oh, what a prospect lies there, I think of Dear John on the Isle of Patmos, and if you want to put yourself in his position you'll get something of the feeling that John must have felt as he stood there and looked across the water to the land from which he had been exiled. You kind of feel with Dear John as to what must have passed through his soul. But he heard behind him. That's rather unusual, isn't it? He heard.
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Him a great voice as of a trumpet speaking, and the next words are these being turned I saw, being turned I saw and the whole panorama of the Book of Revelation was unfolded before his eyes because he turned around. And I sometimes think that we turn in the wrong direction and we make comparisons that cause us to feel downhearted, but I think the Lord would say.
Today there are resources for days just such as these. Those resources, I believe, are ours to gladden and strengthen our hearts. But we do well to remember that the dust of the floor is that which I believe can bring us the answer to the continual problems that arise. Verse 32. It appears that the apostle couldn't commend anybody.
Commend these dear souls standing with him to anybody.
There were two wonderful statements made here. I commend you to God and the word of his grace. Brethren, this is our resources. It not God and the word of his grace, say Brother Smith. That's really prayer and the word of God.
Two provisions that will never fail. He didn't even commend the Saints there at Ephesus to the elders.
But he did commend them to God and for the word of his grace, and after warning them of the coming in.
Wolves to scatter the flock, and the men are rising to speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. That there was that provision in spite of all the efforts of the enemy and the success of the enemy. God's Word and getting before the blessed Lord in prayer.
I was thinking to brethren about what he says here. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears.
Now the work of the Lord's servants isn't confined to gospel will work that's wonderful when there are opportunities and it should be taken advantage of. But there is definitely a work for any servant of Christ and any assembly.
To help and to establish them and to encourage them.
You find that when Paul that when Barnabas went and found Paul and brought him to the Antioch, that they continued their whole year instructing the disciples of the young believers. How was that wasted time? God has sent those men out to preach the gospel, but where they wasting their time to just be instructing?
Those in the assembly there? Not at all.
So there is the definite work in the assembly and brethren, let's not forget this. Let's not forget this. Do any of us desire to serve the Lord to any of us desire to help our brethren, Let's remember how Paul.
Warned with tears. Oh, think of the heartaches that it possible had, he said to the Galatians, you know.
Whom I have labored and travel.
That Christ might be formed, and you think of the deep exercise of soul that that dear man went through for his.
Has children in the faith and so for anyone who desires to serve the Lord they of need there is among the dearest Saints of God. And remember the attitude of soul. What a contrast there is here between.
Men among yourselves are rising speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. They may have been the most gifted men that were laboring in those days. The fact a man has a gift doesn't indicate that he is the most use useful man in the assembly.
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He may be the most dangerous man in the assembly if he uses a gift he has.
To promote his own cause or to carry out his own self will gets willful and won't yield and won't submit to his brethren. A man of that character can do more harm than any humble brother that isn't taking much part in the meeting. But contrast that with the the dear apostle here. He says for three years.
He was warning with tears.
How these there are Saints of God, and rather than the enemy is busy. And do we not need that character of ministry among us with tears, not to think we're anything or give to ourselves any importance, but all to help our brethren to strengthen them in any way we possibly can?
May the Lord exercise deeply in this matter.
The word of the impossible, my little children, of whom I again travail in birth, until Christ be formed in you, my little children, of whom I gained travail in birth. We know what that really means. The order for fruit bearing is desire, submission.
Travail, and as it is beloved in the natural, so it is in the spiritual.
What a heart of love, my little children, of whom I gained travail in birth, until Christ be formed in you. That's a real heart of love for those little children who had gone so far astray. The Galatians had gone completely wrong.
Old foolish Galatians who had bewitched you, Why, I've always enjoyed the reply of the apostle there.
About his little children he travailed, Mr. Darby says it's a kind of a double travail there. Yeah. Therefore, watch. It seems to me that this is a very important expression. The Lord repeated this over and over again to his disciples before his departure, and I'm thinking for the moment of.
The expression Watch unto prayer.
And not simply pray, but watch unto pray prayer. We find that one of the kings of Israel went to battle with musical instruments.
But it was at the watchtower that they received the blessing.
When they came to the Watchtower.
I'm I'm reminded also of Elijah that when he was told to go and tell Ahab that it was going to rain after 3 1/2 years of drought.
That.
He did, but Ahab went out to eat and drink.
But the prophet got down on his knees and put his head between his knees and waited. And he sent his servant out, I believe seven times, wasn't it? And the 7th time we find that there was just a little cloud the size of a man's hand, and that's all that was needed. Didn't he know the blessing was coming?
Yes, he would've been told definitely to announce it.
But he was going to watch until it came. Now, brethren, the blessings coming. We're sure of that. The blessings coming.
You know, in our little assemblies when there are problems, remember, God wants to bless us, and I can give you a scripture for it. It's the third, third Psalm. We won't turn to it. Thy blessing is upon Thy people.
But he wants us to watch.
He wants us to be exercised, concerned Ahab may go off and eat and drink.
That the prophet is going to get on his knees and he's going to stay there the complete period of time that 7 suggests until the blessing comes your prophet the next very next day. Why he flees from Jezebel chose what four things we are.
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How mightily he was sustained by the Spirit of God at that time, and making known the true gods there, Israel, when things were so terribly.
Yeah, we're so terribly sad. And yet how quickly he could lose his courage. So it shows that it's dependence that has to go on every day of our lives. We never can trust ourselves. And sometimes, you know, as we read in connection with putting on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day.
But then it says, having done all to stand, one may be used to win a great victory and then be defeated right away. After that, our brothers talked to the young people about David, chose the danger, the very same man one time meeting Goliath and winning the victory.
Another time he goes down and sad and humiliating defeat.
To see Elijah after he had been so honored as to.
Restore, as it were, the testimony, destroy the prophets of Baal, and so on, that after the rain came, instead of exalting himself, he becomes a footman to run before the king.
Into the city he takes a low place now later on.
He did fail, but it's lovely to see how the Lord enabled him to act in grace and take a low place, to run before the King and to own again the authority of the King, even though the King was acting badly. Truths that we've had before us this morning, our brother. Hey Hose speaking about the dust of the floor.
Now I have another scripture with virtue, the same truth but in different.
Away and it's an easy verse to remember. Its second Kings 316 isn't that easy to remember 316 at this time. Edom was a terror in the days of Elijah and the host had been traveling seven days.
In this whole difficulty without water.
There was number no water. Now look how the victory is run.
And the host is refreshed. I should put it in reverse. The host is refreshed and the victory is one.
In verse 16 we see a marvelous truth. And he said thus saith the Lord, make this valley full of ditches. Now you know the valley is a low place, but when you have to get down, still lower and use a little energy diligence.
To dig ditches, that's God's mind that's getting down pretty low.
So of course the victory follows. I just want to add that to the dust of the floor. Now our brother Eric Smith was speaking about the travail of the Apostle in Galatians. Others have said the same.
And with that, Colossians chapter 2, a couple of verses, verses one and two.
The apostle says For I would that you knew what great conflict this is great to reveal. I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that's you and me that their hearts might be.
Comforted being knit together in love.
And unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.
In which?
Are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? I thought those are worthwhile now when I was first saved in connection with this.
I command you to God, and the word of His grace the Evangelist. The first verse he recommended me to learn was Proverbs 1928.
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He was a good warning for me to never forget. I wish I would never forget it.
Cease. Now you know what cease means. Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causes to err from the words of knowledge.
Now that was a good verse for a young convert and we need to be on our guard, dear young Christian and older ones.
Don't give any place to this new charismatic line of things connected with the.
With this work of the Church of Rome, of trying to reunite all together in one church, that's a work of the devil because it's going to succeed in uniting to Babble in the great, the mother of harlots. That is what it is leading to.
Now the other verse that I value very much with it I trust you do too, is.
I consider all thy precepts concerning all things. Now it's God's word concerning all things to be right. And I hate every false way. God is not tolerant like many in Christendom. He's not So what they would call broad minded. If we're going to be broad minded, it's going to be the mind of God.
Not this silly natural mind of man.
Of the apostle Paul the very first verse and the result is he lived that amongst them and they were one to his heart, how they loved him and we should love God's word that the apostle Paul is given to us.
And I want to say this, I knew of a brother. You all know you're very commendable brother. I had a lot to do with him. He held this principle. If Mr. Darby and Mr. Kelly are agreed, that's good enough for me. Now, that's good as far as it goes, but God's Word goes still further, and that is.
Prove all things, that is, by the word of God. Hold fast to that which is good. Now Mr. Darby and Kelly, if they were here with it, say Amen.
Wendy the old paths and the old landmarks, brethren, are not merely our finest old ministry. Our ministry is the most excellent there is, but there is not perfection, and they don't claim or pretend to it.
But we must test and take home and have the word of God for faith, our strength.
The reason for it is there must be the exercise of the conscience in connection with the truth, otherwise we become parrots. I was wondering about the just to go back here just for in this 30th verse perverted thing.
I have wondered if this wouldn't be deception.
Of a deceiving nature.
For instance, we find today some thoughts of compromising certain things. We have human prudence that comes in wisdom of man. And then I was thinking too of love of numbers. Perhaps I wondered if some of these things couldn't be among the perverted things to draw away disciples after them.
No concern for the flock of God, but a concern with their own wisdom and knowledge and get a following. Would that be in accord with this? Grant did just what Frederick Grant did. He would hold his private meetings in homes of a sympathizers.
While the assembly was gathered on certain special meetings. What a shameful way to be so anxious to justify himself.
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And to build in his doctrine in the minds of those that would give an ear to it. So he was. He was finally given two nights of a hearing of his teaching, and the brethren had to reject it. And they used Titus chapter 3, verses 9 and 10. That is a heretic is one.
Mr. Wigram tells us that Herod.
**** or heresy means choice. It's one and the same truth as to Will will working and where the will is working to build up a little school of opinion to follow and get sympathizers. That's the mischief as a heretical teacher now not only Grant but Fe Raven.
And also BW Newton and one could keep on.
Naming leaders that had gift and ability and the plenty of followers. But brethren, we want to take the low place if it has to be going on with a few, a very few. Like in England, while some of those gatherings have only several, at the most they only have about a dozen I believe.
About that. And yet there's a sense in most of them of what a what a.
Difference between now and what it was 150 years ago, when there were thousands gathered to the Lord's name in England.
And they were rejoicing, and they they're, they're rejoicing rang out. So it reached afar. Well, brethren, we should be willing to go on with a few in humility. Another, brethren, we are becoming fewer and fewer. We have to confess that some are going back to the beggarly elements of the world. We've noticed that others are going back to.
Systems they professedly lived, which is very sad indeed. And others are throwing up their hands and quitting, saying if there's no more use, there's no use. But all this is wrong, beloved, and we would encourage one another this morning by remembering that God will maintain a corporate testimony in this world until the Lord Jesus comes.
No matter how low a state we may get into, God has He will promise.
To maintain a corporate testament in this world, where do you find it?
Follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them.
Those two words have encouraged my heart during many years, and especially at a time when I sat under the ministry of Scott and Mace and Sinjin and those other champions in those days.
All how sad I was to find them.
Thinking more of a great number why they wouldn't preach in a in a little gospel hall.
I opened the meetings for them off times in theaters. They wanted me to help them and there would be none less than 1000 or 1500 and the last time I was with the Ascension and I was with him quite a bit.
Took the town hall.
Capital and filled it for eight nights with 2000 people and he spoke on the Psalms.
Nothing more than on the Psalm.
Had that all taken down in short hand and put into simple English, but the band that's got away with it, it's something that we've lost. It's been a real loss.
I lost all that ministry eight nights because the bandits got away with my bag that contained things that I treasured. But all beloved, let us never get down hearted about this. We ought to follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call upon the Lord with them.
00:55:02
Doesn't that assure us that there will be a corporate testimony?
With them that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart, may we be content to go on with them. We are weak, but He is mighty. And there was a time in Bolivia when my first wife and I sat for two years alone. There was another, another soul with us, but we were comforted.
Even in that old Indian Hut with a flow of wet with the tears.
We were comforted with the fact that we sat down with the whole Church of God, with the whole Church of God.
Oh, beloved, let us not be discontented. We have found among the Saints in Bolivia that they will go on when they understand this truth that Christ is everything to the Father and that He is in the midst of His people. One day a missionary came to tell you who's in the service of the Lord for the odd years.
And said, why don't you come with us?
We are many, we are hundreds in Canada and the States and tell you he's looked at this young missionary of about 22 years of age.
A novice and he's quoted Matthew 18 and 20 where two or three.
Gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them. What happened to that missionary? He went off. Never saw any more of it.
All that dear tell you had the truth that Lord Jesus in the midst, he's everything, beloved, is he not everything to the Father? Of course he is. Is he everything to us? Oh, may he be everything to our poor hearts. Beloved, there'll be no trouble among us if we have that blessed one before the heart that spoils the soul. But I just went a little further than I expected, but it's.
Heart to speak about that.
As for the subject that we were mentioning, man's will entering in May, we remark this that in our local assemblies we are responsible to present the scripture and the truth that we believe to be right should a matter come up. And it's very important. Curse it, be he that holdeth back.
His sword from blood. But remember this, you're only one.
And you're in the assembly and there are others there. You have the responsibility.
To present the scriptures that may apply to the particular problem at hand.
That you'll have to leave it with your brethren and their consciences, if you insist on it. You have already started on a course that may lead to heresy. What is the thought? I I want to get cleared on this. In Mr. Darby's rendering of this 30th verse, he says, And from among your own selves shall rise up.
Man speaking perverted things.
Draw away the disciples after them. What is the thought with this? It's it's changed a little bit from the King James. Do you believe that Hymenius and Alexander were unsaved in the book of Timothy? Whether I believe one way or the other or we have a plenty of warning and such characters like in chapter 2 of harmonious and so on. And then in in the last chapter four we get.
Mentioned again how much, how much evil against the apostle, how he felt it in that same chapter.
They practically all getting up the apostle. They must have forsaken me, having loved this present evil world. Demas means popular and the world and going on in its ways might make one more popular, but.
To be an adversary of the apostle Paul like Alexander was does not look good. I don't know that that we can say whether he was real or not, but he doesn't look good, does he? No, no. But the point is this, that.
A believer may be especially used of Satan if he's out of communion, and the apostle in that case delivers them to Satan, so that we find that whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn.
01:00:08
Not to blasphemy, I don't think that said of Alexander, is it? So you see there there is such a thing as one who who may have been gone to A to a great extent in opposing the truth and still be a Christian so that we we need to watch not only for others, but for ourselves. Take heed to yourselves.
So that what we hold.
And what we teach must be.
From Communion, otherwise we cannot.
Be sure that we have the mind of God.
Nehemiah, if you remember that line of truth, Nehemiah could.
Ask for the Lord to remember him, how he had fed so many at his table. And Nehemiah was a large hearted.
Well, intending.
Leader of that remnant at that time.
But he did not lack the hospitality of providing for such as he had an opportunity to to feed. And we too ought to buy up our opportunities to be a little bit like the Apostle Paul.
Whose life was a life of devotedness and hospitality, such as you get in Hebrews 310 of the love to All Saints that is necessary in a testimony for Christ.
Be exemplified by men of like passions with ourselves when we think of Moses in the Old Testament and Paul in the New.
Both of whom might well have had the opportunity to do something of what was suggested here by leading a way. The disciples after them. The Lord said in the hearing of Moses, Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, and I will make a thee a great nation. But how we thank God for the spirit of dear Moses, that would make nothing of himself in order that God.
'S beloved people might be nourished and fed and LED into the blessing that God had for them.
And when at the end of his long journey of faithfulness and long-suffering, the Lord said, Moses, I'm going to have to take you away because of, as our brother Anderson reminded us, what he had done at the waters of Marybeth. Moses, instead of getting upset about it, he said, oh Lord, if you're going to take me away, one thing I ask.
Please raise up a faithful servant who will lead these people into the land that you promised them.
No matter what happens to me, take care of this flock and lead them in the very opposite, to drawing away the disciples after him and dear Paul. Same in the New Testament when there were those who would willingly have made Paul their champion. Who then is Paul?
He was willing to be an absolutely broken down and hidden vessel so that anytime he had to refer to himself, it seems to be in lesser and lesser terms.
The chief of sinners, one born out of due time, not meet to be called an apostle less than the least of All Saints. Was he trying to draw away the disciples after him? No, he was trying to support the weak. And I think this is a good thing to remember, because I have no doubt, dear brethren, that when that poor wounded man picked up by the side of the road and led to the door of the inn by the Samaritan, stood there at that door and the innkeeper.
Look at him, he might well have said, no, we don't want people like that. In this end, look at his pitiable condition, see how weak he is to the point of helplessness. But the Samaritan had brought him there and said, take care of him. Oh beloved, I have seen this. I have seen brethren who have heard the Lord.
Say that to them, take care of him and have faithfully fulfilled that challenge.
And you see, those who would otherwise be turned out of the way, those who otherwise would have drifted far, have been by the grace of God supported and strengthened. And I believe this is a challenge to us. What a contrast to teach perverted things to lead a way. The disciples after after me think of what I would have to give an account of in the coming day, even though there might be.
01:05:21
Temporary honor here there would be.
The review of all that in the coming day, but to devote ourselves to the Lords, beloved people, and to support and encourage the weak, What a privilege, what a responsibility.
Well, when our brother Hajo has been inferring or referring to as we have in Hebrews 12 Concerning.
Our own path and the path of others.
Hebrews 12 and.
Verse 12.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down on the feeble knees, and make streets pass through your feet.
Less that which is lane be turned out of the way, let it rather be healed.
I remember some years ago.
There was a sister who was isolated because her husbands work would take him away and he was doing trucking of hay and he had to go down to the valley to get the hay and he was away for certain weekends for quite a while.
But there was a sister who faithfully, after the breaking of bread, would call this sister long distance over the phone and give her the substance of what went on in the morning meeting. A little later, this sister said if that sister had not called me, I would no longer have been with a gathered Saints.
It was that which I received there through that sister that sustained me and preserved me in the path of.
The testimony that she related of what had gone on in those meetings and bringing before continued the person of Christ and remembrance.
Of his death, she was sustained and kept until she was able again to be at the meetings. Now, I thought that was just exactly what we have here, supporting and encouraging. And it isn't left to some brother who may be traveling around among the Saints. It's something that probably can be done more.
By a sister in many ways than a brother at all.
I was thinking, brethren of First Thessalonians 5 and verse 14. We exalt you, the apostle says, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. Now we found out that that word in the translation of the Scriptures into the Inca tongue, that word feeble minded, didn't mean that they were bereft.
Of any understanding, but they were under.
Deep sorrow.
They were weakened because of real sorrow. Now a certain Indian sister came to my wife and I with that sorrow. And I said, honey, what are we going to do with this sister? And it was, we prayed about it. And I said, well, it's going to cost something. We'll pray, but we'll.
Let this poor sister pour out her woes until she gets better.
And we kept her there five days, and I gave her two hours in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon. And she poured out her woes and suddenly she got better. This is another aspect of it. She got better. Her poor heart was burdened and she was weak in her soul and pouring out her walls.
And it took a lot of patience and the strain, the mental strain too, because the poor woman was partly.
She wasn't, she wasn't out of her mind, but she was so depressed but pouring out her mind, her heart and listening to it, saying nothing but let her tell it out. She got better and was never anymore had no more trouble with her. This is another aspect of it. Are we spiritual enough with our brethren and sisters who are down under a wave to.
01:10:13
Them to sit down and pour out their sorrows and listen to them until they get better. Try it. This is the I believe the meaning of this verse. Comfort the feeble minded then.
The sentence of the Lord that He spoke on the earth.
Now most of his magnitude was received from the heaven. When he hear, he quotes the words of the Lord Jesus, just as I mentioned before.
And he spoke about the charge that who was fortressed with a lot of his own and was emphasizing and hear the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was no they were born he didn't you heard them from someone else didn't you didn't get them from the heaven. It's remarked about his trust and the only place we find them holy to find is on my heart connections. What our brothers what our brother Franklin asked and in that verse of.
Five, I'll read it again. You wrote it, you read it now. We exhort you, brother, warn them that are unruly. Comfort the feeble minded, supports the weak. Be patient toward all men. Well, how are we going to do it? Enjoy the remarks of another many years ago. And they said communion with the Lord is the power.
To do it and the Word of God is the guide.
And I thought it might be helpful to it. So often we just don't seem to have the power to say the right word at the right time. And we need to be exercised as to why. Seems our time is about up the 37th and 38th verses. I enjoyed very much your remarks, Brother Brown, as to the beginning and the ending of this chapter, how he he embraced.
At the beginning and then how the chapter ends and they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him. But I I'd like to ask, don't we have here something too that.
We should notice not only the fact that there was the love expressed in both occasions, and because of His ministry, because of His love for them, they valued the Apostle.
But it says, souring most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more.
Wouldn't it have been well also if they had sorrowed because of the fact that declension was going to come in, and that the testimony would be broken down, so that if there had been exercise of soul with them which he intended when he stopped, no doubt?
That there would never have been the record of the second chapter of Ephesians.
Where the place was outwardly going on well, but inwardly there was number, heart.
Because of the Revelation 2 Revelation 2 Ephesians Yes, I.
In all my Bibles I mark at the end of this verse. Well, let me see. Notice at the end of verse 25.
Shall see my face no more. I always print right after that.
Here when you get also to verse 18.
That they should see his face no more. I also print right above it HERE. Then I love to ask the Saints, Do you know what one sink cannot say to another? St. Some of you have heard me to see it right here. Well, they say this and that and so on. Or what? What we cannot say to another is this. I'll not see your face again.
Acts 20:7-12
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If you were to read the 20th chapter of Acts, thinking particularly from the seventh verse on to the end of the chapter. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the Morrow and continue his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber where they were gathered together, and they're sat in a window.
A certain young man named Euticus being fallen into a deep sleep, and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep and fell down from a third loft.
And was taken up death. Paul went down and fell upon him, and embracing him said, trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him.
When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even until break of day, so he departed, and they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
And we went before to ship and sailed under Asos. They're intending to take in Paul for so Handy appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Asos we took him in and came to Medellin. And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Geoff. The next day we arrived at Samos.
And Terry de Trojan the next day came to Merlida's.
Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus because he would not spend the time in Asia, for he hated it were possible for him to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
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 have been with you at all seasons.
Serving the Lord with all humility of mine, and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable under 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 towards 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 witnesseth 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 have received with the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Then and 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 a record this day.
That I'm pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which is purchased with His own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing, should grievous wolves enter in among you not bearing the flock.
Also your own self 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.
So 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 with their sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, nor gold, nor barrel. Yeah, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
I have showed you all things, how the soul laboring ye ought to support the weak.
And to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive.
When he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.
The all wept sore, and fell, and Paul's neck, and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he speak, that they should see his face no more than they accompanied him under the ship. It seems to my own soul that we get in this chapter.
00:05:12
A reminder of the condition of things in which we Live Today.
A reminder to of the resource that we have that God has provided for us.
And at the same time, before the apostle Paul goes into the dissertation to the elders of Ephesus, the most sweet and precious encouragement for us as to that which God will preserve.
Until that wondrous day that we were singing about in our hymn, and also the character of ministry that will recover those who have fallen asleep.
Someone was just remarking today that perhaps what has had more to do with holding the Saints gathered to the Lord's name together? Yes, the breaking of bread.
The remembrance of the Lord in his death.
Is being given up by many systems.
Have that received and christened them? And some have so departed from the truth of Scripture that is.
Having one man ministry and only one man that thought that authorized ordained that could.
Perform the service.
Been so misused and so abused that the blessedness and preciousness of it has lost its place. But I believe that is a true statement.
That giving the remembrance of the Lord and his death is placed.
Is the power and the way that God has.
Folding us together and preserving the testimony.
Have been gathered to his precious name. Now there is little doubt that at Choice this was a great event in the little gathering there to have the greatest of all the apostles to visit their assembly. But did they come together to hear Paul preach? They did not. It says on the first day of the week they came together when the disciples came together to break bread.
If Paul hadn't been anywhere near to us, they would have come together just the same.
That was their custom and Paul takes the opportunity when they have come together to break bread.
Now to give a long address, I believe that instead of just preaching, it's more discoursing in not in just a continued talk, but an informal wait. He was talking until break of day, but let's just get the importance before us.
Of the place at the beginning that the remembrance of the Lord had in those early days.
There was an institution the Lord left when He was departing from this scene that last night in that upper room, perhaps to the Passover or the Passover was never to be kept according to the mind of God. Again, the Lord took the bread there and said, This is my body which is given for you.
And then he took the egg cup and said this is the New Testament in my blood and the New covenant. But he said it shed for many, for it's not limited to Israel.
But to every poor believer that has accepted Christ and blood has availing and gracious power in saving and cleansing from all sin. Like Israel of old, when judgment was approaching, they were under the shelter of the blood of the land.
So it does seem that this portion opening with the the breaking of bread as intended of the Spirit of God.
That we might feel deeply in these closing days how important it is to go on with that testimony in remembering the Lord and his death.
00:10:10
We're told to do this in remembrance of the Lord.
Remembrance Feast.
To remember him.
We're thinking of Him, meditating upon Him, and of course that leads to thinking about what He has done for us, His precious blood that has been shed on Calvary, His precious body given in death. This is what we think especially about at the breaking of bread. But I noticed here in the seventh verse, it says they came together.
To break bread.
There was number thought of breaking bread individually or in little groups, but they came together. They came together as members of one body. And this brings before us what we have in First Corinthians 10.
There it speaks of being at the Lord's Table and partaking of the loaf as an expression of the fact that we're members of one body. So this is another thing we do.
In Breaking Bread, we give expression to the fact that we're members of one body.
Because the loaf is the symbol of the one body, and when we partake of that loaf, we're partaking of the portion in that loaf that belongs to us as a member of the body of Christ.
So actually we do two things when we come together to break bread. We remember the Lord and we give expression to the fact that we're members of one body. Well, that excludes all other membership, and there can only be one membership expressed at the Lord's table, and that's the membership.
Of the body of Christ there is always the danger, beloved.
Hierarchy.
That is to say.
Those who would pose to occupy.
All the teaching and preaching and everything, this pleases the flesh. I was talking to a minister of the gospel, and undoubtedly it was a saved man.
And I brought this very portion of the word before him.
Said that is right. That is right. But he says I prefer to go along with the hierarchy. Well, I said, dear brother, you stay there as long as you can.
As long as you can, you stay there. I think he looks quite surprised, you know, because if you should come out and not understand the truth of separation and being gathered to the precious name of Christ and the truth of the one body, you'd be the most miserable man in the world because you'd be waiting for some big.
Big display of the flesh and you'd be looking for a choir and some big organ and something that would please and Flint you stay there as long as you can. Well, we trust that he would see the truth. We don't know, but that is a danger the beloved you know to.
To wait upon those who labor even for the Lord. And I've been noticing, and I know you'll excuse me mentioning this as an old missionary.
Among the Latin believers in a prayer mating, perhaps 20 or 25 or more would take part. They wouldn't wait for any particular missionary to take part, but they would take part in a brief prayer. And this is very nice. You know, it's one longs to hear the dear Saints open their mouths in prayer and these prayer meetings and does your heart good.
So we have to be very careful lest we drop into this question of being a hierarchy too.
Don't you think we get the order of the remembrance of the Lord? That ministry follows the the breaking of bread, drinking of the cup?
In fact, if you take First Corinthians in the 11Th chapter, you get the breaking of bread.
As something that Paul received from the Lord and glory I have received of the Lord.
That which also I delivered unto you. Then in the 12Th chapter of Paul, in the 11Th chapter we get the gifts, and then in the 14th chapter you get the exercise of getting in the assembly, and as often and said in the 12Th chapter, you get the machinery.
00:15:22
In the 14th chapter, you get the machinery and operation. In the 13th chapter, the chapter all about love.
You get the oil, it makes the machinery run smoothly. A beautiful chapter of love. So it does seem that.
That is called order and and one is LED of the Lord, and has a word from the Lord to minister at that occasion. After the raid has been broken and passed, there may be an opportunity for a word of exhortation.
Mike well say something about the first day of the week, the importance of the first day of the week.
The last day of the week, Saturday, was connected with the old economy under Judaism, but we have an entirely new thing brought before us now.
And it's connected with the first day of the week.
The Lord rose on the first day of the week, and then we find that the Holy Spirit came down on another first day of the week.
And the church was formed on that first day of the week.
And now we find that there's the breaking of bread, the remembrance of the Lord on the first day of the week.
And it seems to connect with what we have in the first chapter of Revelation where the apostle John says I was in the Spirit on the Lords day.
The Lord's Day, the first day of the week is the Lord's Day, and on the Lord's Day we sit at the Lords Table and eat the Lords Supper in remembrance of the Lord. It's all the Lord. The first day of the week is connected definitely with the Lord and His Lordship, because the word that's used there is definitely pointing to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the dominical day.
And we know what the word dominion means. It's the Lord Jesus Christ having dominion given the place of dominion over the church. He's the head of the Church, He is the Lord and we remember him at his table on the Lords day.
What a day it is, what a blessing it is to have such a day. We're not under the old economy of the law connected with the Sabbath, but we're under the new, connected with the Lord Jesus Christ, His Lordship, and the first day of the week. I believe in Exodus 23, verse 16.
Previous verse speaks of seven Sabbaths, and so does verse 16.
Even unto the moral.
The moral after the 7th Sabbath. Of course, the Sabbath was ever the 7th day, and their blessings would come in the day of the Millennium, when the Lord would reign with blessing over the entire earth.
So ye shall #50 days and ye.
Shall present a new, a new offering unto the Lord.
23rd Leviticus verse 16 in particular, showing that it was the moral after the.
Seven weeks of Sabbath and that would make it the first day of the week. And again in First Corinthians 16 you'll allow.
That verse one.
And verse 2.
Well, verse two, upon the first day of the week that everyone of you lay by in the store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no, no special offerings when I come, that would be their continual practice, so the Lord gives prominence.
00:20:07
In Christianity.
To the first day of the week.
Giving God to the 1St place, the Lord Jesus, the 1St place, the preeminence or the the 50th day which is Pentecost. You get mentioned of the day after the Sabbath and the waving of the wave sheath.
Showing that the Spirit of God had the resurrection of Christ in view because.
The waving of the the wave sheep was a type of Christ risen now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. So that wave sheath was waived tomorrow after the Sabbath. You get that in the.
On the 23rd of Leviticus.
And the 11Th verse.
And accepted for you on the Morrow after the Sabbath, the priest shall waive it, showing how accurate and how perfect Scripture is in the Old Testament in connection with those days.
And it's lovely too, that it was to be for their acceptance. And we are not said to be accepted in Christ on the cross, but we are accepted in the beloved, The one who is risen and glorified, that man at God's right hand is the one in whom the believer is accepted. I take it that when they came up after Eudicus was raised and ate bread.
All continued until break of day that they are breaking bread.
At that time was not the remembrance of the Lord, but they just partook of food and.
As it was a late hour and had no definite connection with the the remembrance of his death, I think it rather spoils the thought of the importance.
Of the remembrance of the Lord, because that was the purpose that the disciples came together for was not to hear Paul, but they came together to break bread. So we don't want to confuse that with the.
Subject.
Of the remembrance of the Lord and the breaking of bread.
You agree with that, brother?
Lundy.
Possible that on account of so many of the Christians being slaves in that day and under persecution, that possibly the breaking of bread might be in the evening when they when they.
Laborers of the day were over, and their duties were over. I have heard that remark, He continued till midnight.
In his preaching, or at least his discourse.
I do agree what you say that this eating was a separate thing from the breaking bread, but I'm just wondering if the breaking of bread was always the first thing of the day whether well it seems that at the beginning the breaking of bread was in the evening.
It was in the evening that the Lord appeared in the midst of the disciples on the first day of the week. That was the very best time of the day for those at that time and for those who are living in the day in which we're living.
There's no question that the morning is the most.
Proper or convenient time that we should come together?
I don't think that.
Fact that they came together as they did here in the evening, said any president that we're to follow and always to break bread in the evening, it might be a condition or even the day where it would be best. And I haven't attended meetings where they broke red in the afternoon. There's no scripture that would tell us definitely there's a certain hour and a certain time.
We have become accustomed in our gatherings to remember the Lord in the morning. That's the best time of the day. On Lords Day. I believe it's very proper and consistent to continue going on remembering the Lord and to give the remembrance of the Lord.
00:25:12
Importance in connection with that day, I know of a system where they followed.
Line of truth that we hold and breaking your bread and every every Sunday morning.
I that's certain brothers I knew brought the emblems and they and they had the breaking of bread. But he told me one Sunday the preacher had taken the table and put it in the back of the room. He said to the man, what does this mean? The preacher? He said, oh, 11:00 is too good a time for a sermon. He said if you want to break bread while you can break bread in the evening.
Wasn't long before he said. Oh, once.
Months is often enough. Every Sunday is too often. Well, that's the way it's gone and Kristen doesn't. You can see the very fact that he didn't want it in the morning was because that was the very best time, as he said, the best time for a sermon. He wanted to preach the sermon and so.
Eventually they're breaking a bread with just practically set aside. Well, we want to be careful that we don't in any way.
Let it lose its importance by not giving it the very best time on the first day of the week. I think that is what we learned from this.
As long as you mentioned that brother Barry the.
The important thing that we're considering now is the breaking of bread itself and what it means and what it suggests to us now. It is not just a form. Christianity is not a set of forms. But he did make this request, this doing remembrance of me.
And as we gather, it should be the result of what has been stored up during the week.
In our occupation with Christ, because otherwise there won't be any praise. It's been sad, you know, that worship is the overflow of the heart. And it's on this occasion, as we remember him and his death, that the Spirit of God would produce that in our souls, the remembrance of his death. And what does this mean?
Well, from 11 angle, it's his taking our place in substitution.
He died for us.
True that he introduced an entirely new sphere of blessing by doing so, and then that precious, precious theme that through his death, and that death alone, we've been brought into that relationship with the Father that man never knew before.
Now all these things are precious subjects in themselves, and they do come to mind as we remember the Lord, because the Spirit of God opens to our hearts the true meaning of remembrance of His death.
We know that myriads of souls are occupied with observing.
A day, and possibly in Christendom generally there are two or three or four days that are observed and man thinks that he's done his duty.
And what a low position to take in regard to the things of God, and especially after Christ has done what he has for us. We remember him in his death. We don't remember the circumstances of his death.
That's not the thought. We may remember them, but that's not the thought. The thought is to remember him in his death. We find in the Song of Solomon at the very start of the book.
That.
The attraction is to his person and after that?
As she sees herself as entirely black, the bride and then.
We find the generous praise flowing out as the King sits at his table. But that's the result, is it not? First of being occupied with his person.
And then realizing what we are in ourselves and what we would have been and where we would have been.
Had he not died and taken our place in judgment and satisfied the claims of holy God? And so all this comes before us, I'm sure, either before the breaking of bread during the week or at the time I remember. Our dear brother Wallace is some you remember and used to be in Pasadena. He said it starts Saturday, not large day.
00:30:19
And I thought that was a real good remark. It starts Saturday.
Because, you know, just to rush off to the breaking of bread, we're really not, or even to meetings like this, we're really not in tune, as it were, for the things of God. Is that right, Brother Brown?
Yes, that was, however, a Jewish view, as the commencement of the day being the evening and the morning.
Our point of view is the first day of the week.
With a Christian point of view.
Now I believe in.
In Deuteronomy 26 will agree with the former remark you made a few minutes ago about how we lived during the week will affect how we come together on the first day of the week. And so when we speak of of Saturday night, in keeping with Brother Wallace's thoughts.
If we dissipate it, and we care nothing for how sleepy we're going to be the next day, how slow it will be to rise in the morning and to have any kind of refreshment and be really ready to come before the Lord in a joyful spirit. Now I bring these thoughts before us because they ought to be practical.
If our lives are geared with keeping the Lord always first before us.
Why it will help us. But there is first needed a devotedness to Christ in order to have it that way.
It I want to read the 1St 3 verses perhaps? Maybe another touch in Deuteronomy 26?
Commencing verse one it shall be.
When thou art come in unto thee land.
Thank God to us, it is Christ in the glory.
And the Lord, like thy God, giveth thee for an inheritance, and possesses it.
And dwelleth therein, living and rejoicing in our new place.
That thou shalt take of the fruit of all, the fruit of the earth or the land.
Which thou shalt bring by thy hand, that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shall put it in a basket, and shall go unto thee place, which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. Now another thought there in verse.
10 Now behold.
I have brought.
I wouldn't have anything to bring of the first fruits if I haven't been gathering.
During the week.
If my life has been out of accord, it's pretty hard to bring it in shape. All of them it all of a sudden Thursday morning to put off self judgment all through the week until the Lord's Day morning is not the Lord's mind.
Well, the verse ends in verse 10 with worship.
Before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, and also thy house. In this same verse. Well, another thought is over in verse 17. This day, to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, Christ.
Are the ways that we should walk it isn't easy now for me to say this because.
All of you know what poor, weak things we are, how little we live up to the ministry we might utter with our mouth.
But we do know our hearts want, I trust, to live in the ways of Christ during the week, gathering fruit so that we come with something, a heart like a 23rd sum. My cup runneth over.
00:35:08
That verse you just read us. Andrew Harkin unto his voice.
Yes. Now it isn't simply that we are taken up with the word. Is a deeper thought there than simply to be taken up with the word. It's to hearken to His voice. In other words, if it's his voice, he has something to say to me.
I might be acquainted with a great deal of scripture and yet never hearken to his voice.
I believe that's a thought that we should.
Would.
Give attention to.
Because the Lord, you know, is he's not very far from us. We may not see him, but he's not very far from us and he has something to say to us.
Continually, and when we read the word, we should be searching that there's a voice for us in it. Otherwise it will not affect our walk, right? Continuing and tied to what you say and looking at this verse again, to walk in his ways. Now in Haggai, He does not pat him on the back because they're gathered at the right place in Jerusalem.
But he does say twice.
Consider your ways now. If we really do that, it's profitable.
It's something like taking inventory, but when you get to another verse in Jeremiah 7, first part of the chapter again, twice.
Amend your ways.
We can hear a lot of lovely things.
Say a lot of lovely things by considering our ways, they ought to be the ways of Christ. We know that, but when it comes to amend your ways, are we not like the Ethiopian that can't change his skin nor the leopard is spots because the verse goes on to say because ye are accustomed our customary ways of life.
We are slow to make any change.
And all of our loveliest ministry has often a very, very little effect in any change in their lives. We say, oh, that was wonderful ministry, happy meetings and all that, but how much do we really make application of the word to our own lives?
Gives us a word there in this respect.
It begins a new and emphatic principle. Beloved, Beloved.
But it manifests the supreme authority of the Word of God. This is where we need to hold too fast too.
Now truth is only understood as it's couched in the Word of God and we are talking about.
This first day of the week.
What are we going to say to those who inquire about it? Well, we on the authority of the word of God, we declare what we seek to by the grace of God, to practice. Now this has come up often among the latent Saints.
Authority have you, Brother Smith, to teach us to break bread on the first day of the week.
I said we have no authority apart from the word of God. Now that's the principle that really is is unfolded in in Deuteronomy 12, the authority of the word of God there the place is mentioned six times and it also gives a warning he a heed warning there in verse 13. Take heed to thyself that thou often not thy burnt offering in every place.
That thou seest.
Well, here's a great danger too. But the authority is the word of God, beloved, concerning this point.
Concerning the.
Baskets.
That were mentioned gathering up the baskets of first proof I was thinking of connecting.
00:40:02
A thought there in the 23rd of Exodus, which we have sought to bring before some of the young and the verse is Exodus 23, verse 15.
Thou shalt keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
I shall eat unleavened bread seven days.
As I commanded thee at the time appointed in the month abith, for in it thou cameest out of Egypt, and none shall appear before me empty. I wondered if, Brother Brown, if there wasn't some connection between that principle. That we come, we gather up, we come with our little basketball, perhaps.
The first fruits something of his praise, something that Christ is some way that Christ has filled our thoughts, our hearts. And then the warning is the exhortation is none shall appear before me empty. And as our brother London has already said.
The praise really worship is the heart filled with Christ and a little thoughts of his love that flows out. Is that not so? And I believe it's a good exhortation, as we find here in Exodus. None shall appear before me empty. And I thought about this, meditated upon it. What a solemn thing to think that we are in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Solemn, isn't it?
And having the thought of His death before us, shouldn't our hearts be filled with His thoughts? What a solemn thing to think that that Blessed One endured that suffering for us, and we come there empty.
No praise, no thoughts of His love to us. It speaks to our hearts, does it not?
Danger of of that incense or burnt offering, that is not really.
Of the Spirit of God.
That's condemned both the incense and the burnt offering. That is not really of God.
So if we come and try to put on or try to make any kind of show of self.
Oh how shameful. What awful awful natures we do have. But if we do or if we try to help make a program that is not waiting on and being led of the Holy Spirit when we come with self for out of the out of the way and waiting on the Lord mind, what wonderful.
Grace, He still shows to us how undeserving we are.
But God is able to just fill our hearts to overflowing and when he does it, I tell you we just it's a real rejoicing. So first fruits and we read they rejoice before the Lord and we read they greatly rejoiced. But this one little point, Brandon, what is the highest form of service Worship, I believe is the highest form of service.
Now a preacher said to me, I'm I'd like to come among you people to preach the gospel.
So I said, you know, worship is the highest form of service I've never seen him sent.
Is in himself, it is true, brethren, that the highest form of service is worth. Is that right?
Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't wait for you to finish right here in our chapter that you refer to. Notice please, in chapter 12 of Deuteronomy, we get the place in verse five, and by the way, we get this mentioned as to the place the Lord thy God shall choose.
21 Times in the book of Deuteronomy alone. 3 sevens.
21 Times to the place the Lord thy God shall choose. But what I want to do is call your attention to the very first thing is the next verse 6 and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings. Now that's in keeping with your last utterance, dear brother, as to worship and the burnt offering is God's portion.
00:45:07
And that is Christ.
And the work of Christ is a burnt offering, all of the excellencies, and that is real worship.
Well, after that we get the rejoicing. In other words, let us come with our hearts. That's already been mentioned. Let us not leave our hearts at home. The rejoicing that's mentioned a number of times in the chapter, brethren, that as has been mentioned already, they came together to break bread.
But there is no proper intelligent understanding of the significance of the coming together to break bread apart from the ministry of the Apostle Paul. He is the one who has given us by the Spirit of God the understanding as to the significance. The Lord Jesus instituted the beast. He established it for us on that night in which he was betrayed. But the apostle Paul.
One who is given to us to explain it, to give us the order of it, to give us the significance of what we do. And we find that in this chapter, in this portion that we're reading, the Apostle Paul preached unto them, continued his speech to midnight, and then in the 11Th verse talked a long while, even till the break of day.
It seems to my own soul that while I I I certainly wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly agree in the comment made concerning the breaking of bread in the 11Th verse.
Yet there is a very precious encouragement reminder for us here and encouragement to see that God has given us in an outline that there will be that maintenance by God of the ministry of the apostle Paul and.
The those who will receive, at least in some measure, that ministry until the break of day, until the Lords coming for us to take us home. And whether it's midnight, still there is the precious ministry of the Apostle Paul, that which would encourage us to recognize the fact that we don't belong to this scene at all and we belong to the glory.
We find the comments made this morning about amending our way, and I place I trust in my own heart there's at least an acknowledgement of how necessary that is.
But we find that in connection with the ministry of the apostle Paul, it says of him, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the moral. And it's that character of ministry, that which will lift our hearts toward the glory and give us that longing desire to depart, that we have nothing here in this world at all that will lead to the amending of our ways.
We find in one John chapter 3 it speaks of every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. That is that thought of that we are going to be conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
We find in First Thessalonians chapter 4, after the precious outline of the truth concerning the Lords coming for us, then in the 5th chapter he says to us, walk as children of light. That is the result that will follow, if the sense that we have in our hearts is.
I'm ready to depart on the moral for today, the ministry of the Apostle Paul that will lift our hearts to heaven and ready to go there tomorrow.
I wondered about that expression tomorrow. Brother John pondered about it for quite a while, because I didn't feel that that was quite the proper attitude for a Christian ready to depart on the Morrow. And reading this passage over, it seemed to me to present a very, very interesting little outline of the Christian testimony, shall I say?
From its birth, its introduction, until the moment when we actually shall finally.
Be called away. I see three things characterizing this original early testimony. They were in a place of complete separation up there in the third loft. That would be a dreadful place to be if it were not for the fact that the Lord was there and made it all worthwhile. Why be separate?
00:50:08
Oh, how privileged we are to know the joy of being.
In the presence of the Lord Jesus, gladly we enjoy then a third law. Then the second thing was that they had an open ear, for, as you remarked, the ministry of the apostle Paul, and there was the breaking of bread. But then this statement, ready to depart on the moral, rather puzzles me. But it seems to me that when we go on with the story, we might see the purpose of it.
That is, this happy picture was interrupted. It was interrupted by a fall at midnight.
Back down to the level from which they had come forth and an interruption, I believe in the breaking of bread and an interruption, perhaps even in the ministry of the apostle Paul. You know, I picture this young man, Utica, sitting on the window.
None of us are wide awake one moment.
And sound asleep the next. If you've ever sat in a meeting and struggled like I have trying to stay awake, you'll hear the voice fade away. And then it'll come back and then it'll fade away again. First thing you know, you've missed quite a bit. You've fallen asleep. Well, there came this.
Deaf ear to the ministry of the Apostle Paul this fall back down to the level that had been left. And though what a sad picture this midnight really is.
It says was taken out dead, and I suppose to natural observation. There came that time in the dark ages when the remembrance of the Lord, the ministry of Paul, the place of separation, seemed to have been lost completely. And I guess if you and I had looked at the whole thing, we would have said lifeless.
Death. But Paul said trouble not yourselves. His life is yet in him.
And I have no doubt that even through those darkest of dark ages, the eye of God could see real life there. But then, as you remark, the story is resumed. We find again when midnight is past the company in that third loft, that upper room. And I agree with Brother Barry's comment that undoubtedly this was just partaking of refreshment.
Spirit of God does use the expression had broken bread. And it seems to me that it does present, perhaps to us a happy picture of a company characterized by the same three things, that same place of separation. And may we not say it carelessly or thoughtlessly? May we say it as though it were a personal challenge to every one of us.
Are we valuing the separation that would find us delivered from this poor world and all that it boasts of?
And the breaking of bread, shall I say, at least mentioned again the second time, and an open ear for the ministry of the apostle Paul. And this time, instead of saying ready to depart on the Morrow, it says until the break of day. Until the break of day, as though it were right now. Some years ago, someone asked, dear old brother beg.
What if you here knew him well and knew how much he loved the Lord and loved the prospect of His coming Brother Beg, are you looking forward to the Lord's coming?
No, perhaps you can just see the solemn, blunt way he said, Brother Beck, are you not looking forward to the Lords coming? No. Well, but I don't understand you. After you all you've told us about the Lords coming. You say you're not looking forward to it, Said why look forward to it? Why not expect it right now? I was at a wedding last week and if I'd gone to that bridegroom on a wedding day and said, well, you're looking forward to the wedding day.
He would say, no, it's today. So, brethren, I just love this expression until the break of day. And again, perhaps there's a little hint here of the two days that the Spirit of God knew all about. Thought Brother Hale, that we might get a picture.
Christian testimony starting out with Paul's ministry, which takes us to the third loft, which is ministry. It has to do with the 3rd heaven.
00:55:09
Very highest.
Truth ever ministered connected with that scene of glory where Christ is now seated on high, and the Church, so to speak, fell into that stupidity.
Of Utica's and went to sleep under Paul's ministry lost Paul's ministry and fellowed down from the high level where they were enjoying his ministry to the level of the world down to the street in fact, it's a known known and solemn fact that.
The the truth of of being gathered on divine grounds to the Lord Jesus and the heavenly truth connected with it was lost for centuries.
The toil goes down and reveals the young man and takes him up again to the third law. So could we see in that the recovery of the truth when?
The Lords servant certain ones that got exercise as to what the church really was and began to search the word. They discovered that through Paul's ministry that just bought the church really is.
And the very truth that had been abandoned and lost were were recovered, and much truth that the early Church possessed.
Is recovered truth. And so that testimony goes on now until the break of day, in other words, until the Lord comes. Would you agree with that?
Passage.
I wondered about the many likes.
They were on the third floor and there were many lights.
I have thought of this as one thing that as well to consider, and that is that Christianity operates in the light, not in the darkness. It's the pure, undiluted light of God's Word, and whenever the light of God's Word is despised and neglected, you are, so to speak, putting out the light. For everything must be in keeping with the character of God's Holy Word.
There's this point too, as to the many lights, and that is the moral elevation that accompanies the truth of being gathered the Lords name. Our ways have been brought before us, and we are not above becoming insensible like those who fell asleep here. All admonishes us in the Thistle to the Ephesians, where we get the highest truth of the Church brought out.
A week from the Dallas sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine on thee.
So there should be that moral elevation belonging to the gathered Saints that we see in the upper chamber here. Many lights, each one of us walking in the light of the truth that has been recovered, many lights morally elevated from that drudgery that's been the truth has been brought out of.
I heard, Brother Hale, you bring out something on an address in Montreal one time about others that permitted that.
Young men are sitting in the window to pull out of that window that there must have been carelessness on the part of some who are there. Maybe you could repeat something that you. I thought it was helpful. Well, I find it personally very, very challenging. That is, I have no doubt that when Utica sat in the window.
There were those who saw him sit there and may well have nudged the person next to them and said that young man's going to have a fall if he's not careful.
See where he sat down? That was a foolish place to sit. But there is no record of anyone moving over and saying Utica come and sit by me. Apparently he was just left alone to sit there on that window. And as I remarked, I'm sure he wasn't wide awake one moment and out the window the next. Again, I quite pictured. Maybe I shouldn't visualize so much, but I I picture Utica's.
Nodding his head and somebody nudging again and saying, look at that young man, he's going to forward out the window. But no one makes a move to go over and put an arm around sleepy Utica and say, come and sit by me now, dear brethren, before going any farther with it, I believe.
01:00:09
But we just have to lay our hand upon our heart and say, Lord, help me never to see another Utica and pay no heed to the condition that that I see. And I'm sure that if Utica is finally falling out the window attracted quite a commotion. And I had been one of those who saw him sit there and felt that he was making a foolish choice if I had seen him get so drowsy and never made a move to help.
I would have felt very responsible and very guilty.
When I stood by that body down there on the level of the world. Oh dear brethren.
Let us also be exercised, every one of us, that we may never resent a brother coming and putting his hand on our shoulder and Speaking of faithful words. Perhaps he's seen us headed toward the window. Perhaps he's seen us losing an ear for the ministry that would separate us from this world and attract our hearts to heaven.
And let us, on the other hand, be faithful in putting that loving and restraining hand on the shoulder of another, that we may not be guilty of another's blood.
Their father many years ago made this remark with regard to Utica, that it was Pauls ministry that put him to sleep, but it was also Pauls ministry that restored him. I believe that's what Brother Barry had in mind when he spoke of the those of an earlier age.
Who have searched the Scripture and found the ministry of Paul, that which brings before us the blessed truth of being gathered to the Lord's name according to the truth we have of the one body.
But I was thinking of what we have in First Corinthians 11.
For Paul brings before us what he received from the Lord, as to the remembrance of the Lord in a collective way. But along with it there are also the warnings as to the consequences of falling asleep. But also in connection with that there is a blessing promise connected with it. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you to assure the Lord's death till He comes there is going to be.
A clean place for those who seek to be in the dependence upon the Word of God and faithful to the Scriptures. There is a place where the Lord can be remembered according to His truth. A verse in Deuteronomy 25. In connection with Eudicus, I have often used this verse.
Going in the meeting and maybe I was trying to be maybe too amusing perhaps.
But I just call your attention to a principle here we find we'll see some young ones that.
Choose to sit as far away from the front as possible. I'm making that pretty bald. And not that it applies to everybody that sits in the back seat, but here in the 25th of Deuteronomy, Amalek, I want to tell you Mr. Darby's.
What he says Amalek signifies perhaps a little different than we generally look upon it. It's commonly thought that Amalek represents the flesh, but Mr. Darby says.
Amalek.
Signifies Satan's operations on the flesh. I have enjoyed that for many years, and here it is.
Amalek.
25 Verse 18 How he met thee, by the way, and smote the hindermost. The Eudicus was as far away from the apostle as he could get. He wanted to get a little fresh air maybe, and take it easy.
But his heart was not really going to be as close as possible and get all he could out of Pauls and ministry. You just the opposite. He smoked behind her, most of the even all that were feeble behind the wind. Thou was fate and weary.
I think we have a principle, brethren, to.
01:05:04
Want to be aroused?
We mentioned about being awakened and we're living in a day when we need, I need, we all need awakening ministry, not smooth. That just simply makes out that we're living absolutely so wonderfully. Complacency that is Nets like Leticia, What's the matter with me? Well, I'm rich and increased with good.
Have needed nothing like what's the object of what you say? That is a naughty spirit and it is an indication of how we are drifting this world as a snare. Now I believe this has its application to the subject at hand.
If we fill our lives with.
That which materialism produces.
Around us to the extent that we have no time during the week for the things of Christ.
Then we have already come under that snare, and we might go on with the forms. We might find our seat on Lord's Day morning, but there certainly will be an empty basket and.
We we find that it's the little things of life, not the big things.
That will deceive the heart, and that's why we're told in the Song of Solomon.
To take the fox as the little foxes, it's the little things that build up.
That causes the trouble and we allow ourselves to become so tied up with the little things that cares. We all have them, but there is a great many of them we make for ourselves we don't need at all. And it's those cares that tie us up to the point that we have no time for the things of Christ. I'm just going to make this statement when you and I get to heaven.
How many of the things that surround us will we take with us? How many things that surround us? How many of the things that were occupied with today?
Who we take with us, you know, this pride in the Song of Solomon could say, and that was at the very beginning of her exercises. My beloved is mine. Is there one thing in this world that you can say is mine? Oh, you have a new car? That's mine. Is it seven years, about the length of the life of it? Whatever you have, whatever you call yours today is not yours.
It's only allowed you for a certain time and even the very breath you breathe.
And now apply the principle of it. Who does it all belong to?
Will it not be all handed back again and the Lord is going to give us what is really ours?
As we have in Luke 16. Who shall give you that which is your own? What is that?
It's just what we have of Christ and that's all. And when we when the bride says my beloved is mine, her whole heart was in it because she had been given at the early start of first love to realize.
That there was nothing here that belonged to her.
Everything.
That was found in the bridegroom himself. Now we get away from this.
We lose the sense of first love. And how do we lose it? By allowing ourselves to be taken up with the snares.
The cares of this life, to the extent, the little things, the little foxes, the spoil, the vines, the fruit that should be found on those vines. And this is what hinders our spiritual growth. And that's why there's such long periods of silence as we come together. And I'm speaking to myself, dear brethren, as we come together to remember the Lord.
I know it's a time when it isn't a time of a great deal of.
Action necessary, but there should be some response from the heart to the Lord.
Even as we sit quietly, there should be a response from the heart.
As we come together to remember the Lord and if we really are engaged in what He has done for us and what He is to us at present.
There will be a response, even though it may be quietly, not audibly, but still there will be a response to the Lord.
Gospel in connection with Mary, we have that beautiful comment where she says, and the Lord says of her against the day of my burying hath she kept it? It seems to me there's a suggestion there to us that she had it laid by in store. She had it ready for the occasion when the occasion arose, to pour it out upon him. It's one of the most priceless things that you could find in the way of, of whiteness. There's not also a suggestion here, brethren, in that.
01:10:29
When it says about Eureka's being fallen into a deep sleep, at that point he hadn't had to fall from the third loft. He was still, can we say he was still positionally in the right place, He was still up in the third loft as far as simply occupying a position there, but he had fallen asleep. He was ready for a fall. And then it says, as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep.
That is, the asleep started to have that effect of having him sink lower, and the result was then a fall, and it was fall of such a character that he was taken up dead. That is, to all outward appearances it would appear as if there was no life in him. It seems to my own soul that there is a lesson and a warning for us there, that Brother Brown has said we need the warnings of Scripture very so very much, and there is such a thing as being outwardly.
Position that the Scripture, the Word of God authorizes or shows us to be the right one of outwardly being in that position and yet being so sound asleep that ministry by the Spirit has no effect. And the sleep begins to show itself in a sinking down. And finally a fall that can result in such a fall that those who know us would say there is no difference between him and one who's in the world.
Church, the church's history until the truth of the one body was recovered in 1825. So we get the story of the churches history from the top loft way down in the world. Here we are in the same boat, the same position, but there's another thought that comes to me present the value of God's word.
To call the last revelation of scripture, the scripture was made to the impossible.
Second Timothy. Nothing was revealed after that. And here we have this question of the breaking of bread. In chapter 10 we get the table of the law, and in Chapter 11 we get the manner in which we remember the Lord. Where do we get this from? From the apostle Paul. From the apostle Paul, how we should thank God.
Now there was life in this manuticus.
God used the apostle Paul to bring through God's dear servants way back in 1825, this wonderful truth. It was for centuries absolutely unknown, unknown. But He used those men in those early days, our old brethren, to bring it out. The Spirit of God used them to bring out this wonderful truth.
And it was Paul's ministry.
Through the Apostle Paul's ministry. Well, now we come back to that very important matter that.
We have this definite instruction concerning the breaking of bread, the order, and everything we get in false ministry. This is the value of the Word of God.
Will be a miss to call your attention to how this chapter begins and ends.
In the beginning verse one Paul called his ministry gathers and draws.
His disciples.
And he did it in love. He embraces them. And the chapter ends in the response on their part where they too embraced him, as it were, by their kissing him. And they just, their hearts had been won by him and his ministry, his life. Oh, there was something there that they knew they would miss.
When he would be taken from them?
Let us sow value the ministry, the heavenly ministry of the Apostle Paul.
Who God? Who the Lord, the ascended Lord has given gifts unto men, but all how he's given a wonderful gift?
01:15:04
In that humble man that proud Cedars all of Tarsus, the axe was laid at the root of his of that tree, and he could say, though I be nothing 2nd Corinthians 12A great vast principle that.
None of us have learned too well. Have we though? I be nothing. But in Colossians 311 Christ is everything. Now that literal Greek verify yes justifies that Christ is everything.
Now it shows in this chapter. Then in verse four, there were those who accompanied him.
Ought to be in Paul's company is worth much.
And in Second Timothy chapter 2 or No no.
Yes, chapter 2, it speaks there, the apostle says.
Consider what I say now. Paul, the great apostle, who gives us 14 epistles. Heavenly truth, 100 chapters.
He says they are considered what I say. Dear young Christians and all of us, we need.
To really value all that, God has used the apostle Paul to give us his ministry, heavenly ministry, so that we are looked upon and our brethren partakers of the heavenly calling and we have the responsibility to walk worthy of this heavenly calling. Ephesians 4 verse one.
Well, I just wanted to call your attention to it begins with love and it produces love.
Like it says in the Old Testament, God loves Solomon. It also says that Solomon loved the Lord well.
God's love produces the love that responds to it.
Conflict
Division Because of Him
Address—A.C. Hayhoe
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Together hymn number one 10110.
Oh God, thou now hast glorified thy holy, blessed, eternal Son, the Nazarene, that crucified now sits exalted on thy throne. To him in faith we cry aloud, Worthy art thou, O Lamb of God, him as our Lord we gladly own.
To Him alone we now would live, who bowed our hearts.
For thy throne, and gave us all that love could give.
Our willing voices cry aloud.
Worthy art thou.
O Lamb of God, 110.
I would like to speak to you this afternoon about.
Divisions. Now that may sound rather alarming, but I believe it doesn't have the intent that you may have taken from the word.
I refer to those divisions that have occurred in this world because of the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Four great divisions, I suppose we might say. One is the result of the coming into this world of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and the division that that coming presented here to men. The other is the division that was caused by the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet another by his resurrection.
And yet another by his coming again. And each one of these.
Has its effect upon everyone of us here in this company this afternoon.
This is an address particularly to those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. No age specified children, young people, grown up ones, all I believe, I trust may find from the precious living Word of God, as it is presented to us, that which will find you and me.
On either one side or the other of those divisions which have come about.
Long ago. I don't remember when, nor can I even recall the occasion that caused me to do this.
I wrote on the last page of my Bible just after those words.
The end I wrote these words just 5 words.
What think ye of Christ?
I can't remember having written them there, but there they are in my own handwriting.
And it may have been on one of those occasions.
When I came to the end of reading this precious book and felt that that was the impact on my own soul from my reading of the Word of God.
What think ye of Christ? That's not only a gospel message addressed to those who are hearing the glad tidings of the grace of God, but my dear brother and my dear sister in Christ. I need to have that question often addressed to my own soul, and I trust that as we turn from page to page in the Word of God this afternoon.
That that very question may often address itself to our hearts again, what think ye of Christ? Will you turn with me, please? First of all, to John's Gospel. John's Gospel, Chapter 7.
And verse 43.
So there was.
A division among the people.
Because of him there was a division among the people. Because of him, if we were to go back to the coming into this world of the Lord Jesus, we would find an immediate and very evident division. We find on the one side a character such as Herod who wanted immediately to get rid of that one who had been born into this world.
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On the other hand, we see such an one as dear old Anna the widow, whose heart was filled with joy and gladness because none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, had come into this world and all. My dear brother and sister in Christ, how glad your heart is this day.
That by God's wonderful and matchless grace, you are numbered among those.
Who can speak of Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior?
We see here a division of other people because of this person.
Who had presented himself to them? None other than God the Son. And as he presents Himself, as He identifies himself before them, they are divided. Some accept Him for everything that he claimed to be. They loved Him, they worshipped Him, they followed Him.
And others turned their backs.
And would have nothing to do with him except to find fault and to reject him. And beloved, I see that division in the world around me. You see it too. You see it at school, you see it where you work, you see it in your neighborhood. And I know that with a very glad heart you say, oh, thank God, that although I was once numbered among those who had no heart, no love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet today, by matchless grace, you'll love him.
Is that true?
Is that true? If you cannot say yes, thank God it is, then, my friend, don't try to pass any longer as a Christian. If in your heart there is not merely the recognition of who he is, but a response of love that would truly say he is precious, then I warn you friend, don't try to pass as a Christian any longer.
I know that I look this afternoon into the countenances of many.
Who can say with a glad heart indeed, I accept Him for everything that He claimed to be, God the Son presenting Himself here among men. And when I read of this division because of him, oh how I thank God that these footsteps of mine, which could so easily still be on the broad Rd. that leads downward.
Are by God's matchless grace on that road where trod defeat of those who know the Lord Jesus Christ.
For everything that he claimed to be, will you turn over please with me to Chapter 9?
And verse 16.
Therefore, said some of the Pharisees, this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. Others said, how can a man that is a Sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
This time it seems to be the miracles, the mighty works that He had been performing that brought about this division. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ immediately brings with it the precious and wonderful privilege of standing on the side of Him whom God has presented to this world, and the solemn warning addressed to those who turn their backs against Him. But now.
I see these miracles performed. I know that all around us today there are those who question the validity of these accounts, who doubt that these miracles ever happened. Or else. And I think I should utter a word of warning about this.
There are those who would try today to imitate these miracles.
There are those who would try to call upon supernatural powers to present before the eyes of men that which would imitate what our Lord Jesus Christ did when He was here. My beloved brethren, I I feel it necessary that we be solemnly and repeatedly warned that there are powers.
Beyond those which you and I possess, there are powers that belong to God alone.
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And there are supernatural powers in this world. There are the very powers of Satan himself.
I know that when we read the account of a poor naked man among the tombs, cutting himself with stones and unable to be bound, that folks read the account and they say, oh, what a tragic evidence of the shocking power of Satan.
But when you read of a young lady.
Following God's beloved servants, pointing them out and saying these men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation, who would dare to turn and attribute that to the power of Satan? But indeed it was a more dangerous and subtle form of the power of Satan. And my beloved friend, when I see the Lord Jesus here and the wonderful and mighty miracles of love and grace that he performed.
And those who stood by him and recognized who He truly was and the power by which those mighty miracles were being performed.
You thank God, and I thank God with an overflowing heart that that's where we belong by matchless grace. But we see those and we see too much of it today, that would try to call upon supernatural powers to deceive men.
And I have seen it. Doubtless you have seen it too. And the more I see of it, the more I recognize in it a very real danger and a very real call to those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our precious Savior to stand thankfully on the grounds.
Enlightened for us, and pointed out to us in a precious living word of God.
Oh, there is safety in nearness to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is safety in walking in the light and wisdom of the precious Word of God.
When I see those who have tampered with it, when I see those who have compromised here and there, the wonderful truth of this book, I see this kind of danger crowding in. And again, my beloved brethren, I warn you against it and recommend to you and to my own soul the increased necessity in these dark days.
Are both open blasphemy and subtle.
Teaching I recommend this precious book, The Living Word of God, with all its light and wisdom to guide our footsteps and nearness to the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can keep us in these difficult days.
Could you turn over now, please, to the 10th chapter of John's Gospel?
And the 19th verse. There was a division, therefore, again among the Jews for these sayings. Three times in John's Gospel we find this same.
The same thing taking place, a division among them, because of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, and because of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And it is still true today. And I believe that as I lookout upon your faces this afternoon, I see those who, by God's wonderful and matchless grace, can look at the open pages of this precious book and recognize in it the infallible, the unchangeable Word of God.
And let our souls be warned against those who would tamper with it, those who would take from it, those who would add to it. Is it sufficient? Does it contain all the light and wisdom that we need in order to live, to please the Lord Jesus, to serve Him, to worship Him? Are we entitled to add a little here and there? Are we permitted to take a little from it here and there?
Are no, my beloved brothers and sisters, we have here open before us this afternoon that wondrous book in which are found all things that pertain unto life and godliness. This book in itself is a marvelous miracle. The long rhyme left here, the more I thrill to the wonder of it to take this precious book, the living Word of God.
To take it.
To wherever the Lord may send under heaven and find that it contains all the light and wisdom that we need to live. To please the Lord Jesus, to serve Him acceptably, to worship him according to truth. To answer the questions and problems that arise, no matter what the culture or background or thinking may be of those in whose company we may be found.
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This book is sufficient. It contains all the light and wisdom that we need. But I'm going to suggest this, my dear brothers and sisters, that if you have not read this book from Genesis to Revelation, you're not completely equipped. You're lacking.
Part of the wisdom of God.
Shall I allow that comment to search us out a little bit?
Is there someone here who would have to raise his or her Bible and say I have never read this book from Genesis to Revelation?
I've skipped a lot here and there because I couldn't understand it very well. I hope you wouldn't have to say that.
I hope you would be able to raise the word of God and say thank God I have indeed read it and read it again and read it again. I don't claim to understand it all. I admit that there are many parts of it that I still do not see.
The purpose of God in it, but it has been read and God is able to take the pages of this precious book and bring them as light to our souls. And so we present to you this afternoon, beloved, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the glory and the wonder of his person, the wonder of his miracles, the truth of his ministry. And we trust by God's very wonderful grace.
That everyone among us can say with a thankful heart, I know on which side I stand. What think ye of Christ, Beloved brethren, Now could we turn, For we mentioned the death of Christ as yet again bringing about a division. Could we turn, please to Luke's Gospel, chapter 23?
And verse 33.
And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
A very, very dramatic and remarkable division here. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and our beloved Savior nailed to that cross, standing between these two malefactors. True, it's a very solemn gospel challenge here when we realize that the one who was on the wrong side was lost and lost for all eternity.
And the one who was on the side, the one who cried out, Lord, Remember Me, when thou comest into thy Kingdom, He, by God's wondrous grace, will be found in the courts of glory. But I believe there's something yet more challenging to our souls this afternoon as those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior remember when I was a boy, hearing often repeated.
The blood of Christ puts my sins away.
The death of Christ puts me away and the cross of Christ separates me from this world. Now I didn't understand that little statement, but I heard it often enough to remember it. The blood of Christ puts my sins away. That I did understand and for that I thanked God and still thank God with all my.
But then the next statement, the death of Christ, puts me away. I didn't understand that, perhaps because I didn't want to understand it too well. But I thank God, as I have read this precious book, and many another will say the same, then it was a very wonderful and marvelous deliverance to me to discover the significance of that truth.
As found in this precious book, I say again, not only the coming into this world, the presenting of the Lord Jesus to man brought about this division among men.
His person, His works, His ministry divided men, and we see it to this day. 1978 But now I say the death of Christ, the cross of Christ again produces a separation, and it's a glorious separation. For in the death of Christ I see an end to all that I was as a fallen, guilty son of Adam.
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I see a standing now in Christ before God, which delivers me from the curse and guilt of the broken law, which delivers me from the ******* of sin under which I was held captive, and I stand this day. And the truth of God would say the same of you.
A new creature in Christ Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he is.
A new creature. Isn't that a glorious deliverance? Isn't that a wonderful and a precious reality? You know, when I was a young fellow going to high school, they used to try to encourage me to get involved in this or that. They would invite me here or there. And my answer often was no thank you, I don't want to go or I don't want to.
Participate.
I was brought up in a Christian home. I can't say that I appreciated the restraint of a God fearing father and mother the way I do now that I look back upon it.
And my answer at school was very often no thank you, I don't want to. And then I would feel very.
Troubles, I would say to myself, you didn't tell the truth. You did want to and yet you said no. In fact, you said no thanks, I don't want to. And you know very well you did want to. And this troubled me until until I saw the wonder of the deliverance that was mine through the death of Christ. I saw that God looked at me as.
Dead.
And saw me now as a new creature in Christ Jesus. I see this pictured at the Jordan River.
When Joshua took 12 Stones and set those 12 Stones in the bottom of that Jordan River.
And an Israelite could stand at the Bank of that river and see those waters. He could not see beneath them, but he could say beneath those waters there is a stone that represents me. And I didn't put it there. Joshua put it there for me. And I'll beloved, as I read here of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, as I see the division that took place even in the hour of his crucifixion.
Those who cried out away with him and the one lone voice that called him. Lord, Lord, Remember Me all. Beloved, I thank God with all my heart, and I know you do the same, that although you once stood Yonder among those who had no heart for the Lord Jesus, now by God's matchless grace, you are numbered among those who look back to Calvary and realize that.
They're not only was the blood of Christ shed to put away your stains of guilt.
But there the Lord Jesus went into death, there the Lord Jesus died, that you and I might be able to say. And I died with him. And I stand now a new creature in Christ Jesus. So that when such suggestions are put to me, am I entitled to say no thank you, I don't want to? Yes, indeed I am. And if a voice within me rises.
Says, but you do want to. I am perfectly entitled to say you be quiet. That's what has been put in a place of death by the death of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how this separates beloved. And it's a very challenging thing to say this for it's not simply a doctrine that we can stand up here and talk about.
I repeat again, the blood of Christ puts my sins away.
The death of Christ puts me away, and oh, how thankful I ought to be for that.
And the cross of Christ separates me from this world. Will you turn with me, please, to Galatians chapter 6?
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Galatians chapter 6 and verse 14. But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me.
And I unto the world, oh, what a dramatic division, what a separation. We see here. If the coming into this world of the Lord Jesus Christ brought about that separation, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ has surely brought about a very real separation. And as I look at that cross.
And I see in it a symbol of shame.
Hatred, rejection, ridicule, mockery, all of the wretched heart of man could keep upon God's beloved Son, my precious Savior. And your heart says, thank God, my Savior too. Can we not understand what this means? The cross of Christ?
Whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Is that a difficult division? Beloved brethren, is it difficult? Is it trying to your spirit or mind to realize that this mighty event has brought about a division? Are you glad or are you troubled by it? Do you wish to? I wish that we could join hands and kind of get along a little better with a world that cast him out and.
Crucified Him? Or are you not rather glad in your own spirit? For the very wonderful grace of God there has not only cleansed you from every stain of sin, has made you a new creature in Christ Jesus, but has put you over there and put the cross of Christ between you and the world that cast him out so long ago, and has never, never repented?
Never changed its mind. What kind of world is it today?
In some areas it seems clean and respectable and filled with all kinds of fine ideals and objectives. In others, it's nothing but Sodom and Gomorrah back again.
That all, beloved, when we see the cross of Christ.
See that which stands between US and the world. Let it be a respectable religious world, or let it be a degraded world. The cross of Christ stands between and there is indeed a division. And as I look out this afternoon into the faces of my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I know that with one heart and soul, you and I are so thankful.
For what he has wrought for us. But I asked my own soul, and may I ask yours?
Is this just simply a theory? Is there something that is perhaps a little difficult to carry out in a practical way? We have often seen, shall I say, a form of separation that really rejoices the heart.
We have seen a young lady in her bridal attire come down the island, join arms with that eager bridegroom who's been just waiting for this moment. And there they stand. And the one who performs the ceremony says something like this.
Do you promise that forsaking all other, you will cleave to him only so long as he both shall live? You've heard those words, most of you. And what do you hear as an answer to those words?
I've never heard any variation but one answer, and that is a glad happy I do. Now why would she say I do to such a proposal as this? Do you promise that forsaking all other you will cleave to him only so long as he boasts to live? You know there's only one answer. There's only one reason that would cause anyone to say I do to such.
Challenge of lifelong separation and devotion. That one word is love and all my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.
If there is anything we can present to you.
And to my own soul this afternoon that would stir refresh in our hearts a response of love to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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This hour will be worthwhile. He presented himself to this world in immeasurable love and they rejected him. The world was divided. They didn't want him. Thank God for the few who stood by him in love and affection.
We see Him nailed to the cross, and again we see a divided world. On the one hand, we hear the cry away with Him, crucify Him. On the other hand, a few trembling, terrified disciples whose hearts at least were true, even though they failed so sadly, as we were reminded this morning.
And our beloved, I tell you, I tell you with a sincere heart, it does my soul good to be here again in Walla Walla and look into the faces of those to whom the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is precious and the prayer of my soul, beloved, is this, that the person of the Lord Jesus Christ?
May ever remains real and precious to your soul and to this soul of mine, until that day when we see His wondrous face in the glory.
Shall I reach around? Shall I reach around the cross of Christ to join hands with those who are on the other side? They would reach around and invite us to join with them and accuse us of narrow mindedness, bigotry and whatnot if we refuse to go along with them but our beloved, the person and work of Christ once again.
Brings about a division, that's true.
But God's word would say, What think ye of Christ?
And all I thank God with all my heart, as I stand here for the memory of those dear men of God. And I think I should say, and women of God too, who walked that path of separation in faithful devotedness to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and in a glad submission to the light and wisdom of the Word of God. And what was the end of their journey? Disillusionment.
Distressed that they had ever done so.
Oh, but it is a joy to recall the memory of those who, as they drew near the end of this journey and the glory was just about insight, to see the happiness, the thankfulness, the eagerness with which they anticipated the glorious moment when they would see the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And yet you have seen others, you have seen those who were on the wrong side of this divided picture.
And you have seen their disillusionment, their misery and their fear as they approached the moment when they were going to leave it all behind.
Now I say, yet another event has separated as divided mankind, and that is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Will you turn back with me please to Romans chapter 4?
Romans chapter 4 and verse 25.
Speaking here of our Jesus our Lord, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again.
For our justification.
Raised again for our justification remember what you heard last night? Didn't it make you thankful that you were numbered among those included in such a statement as this our justification all when I see the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ, I see again the world divided into two camps. Those who can say by matchless Gracie was raised for.
For my justification, but now if we turn over to the book of the Acts, Acts chapter 17.
We see a very remarkable significance connected with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, verse 31.
Because He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Isn't this solemn, beloved?
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The fact that that tomb is empty, the fact that the Lord Jesus has risen from among the dead and is seated now at God's right hand in glory, brings joy and confidence to the believer, for He was raised again for our justification. But what about the unbeliever? Here is where that division takes place. God hath given assurance unto all men of that coming day of judgment. God has appointed the day.
And this is the assurance that God has given. He has raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus yet again divides this world.
But I go a little farther. The Lord Jesus has not only been raised from among the dead, but he is seated up there at God's right hands. Oh, is your heart not glad when you read such language as that? What is the purpose of his being up Yonder at God's right hand? Here is one purpose. You and I know with glad certainty that God was satisfied with that mighty work.
And we are justified. But we read elsewhere in the Word of God, we read in Peter of the fact that he is gone into the heavens, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Isn't that a wonderful and a comforting statement?
Particularly in trying and difficult days like these, are you and I aware of the disturbed conditions that are around us? I know we are. The young and the old are alike aware.
A very disturbing conditions that are around us in the religious world, in the economic world, in the political world, there are problems.
Serious nature arising, multiplying, rolling in like a great storm. And I say in the moral world too. But beloved, how should this affect the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? You know, by God's wondrous grace which side you stand on.
You know that the person and the ministry and the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ bring joy to your heart.
For you say, he is God's beloved Son, and he loves me, and he died for me. You look at the cross of Calvary, and you see there again that which gladdens your heart. For you know that you stand on the side of those who look upon that mighty work as a redemption accomplished for you. And you look at the empty tomb and the ascended Savior. And here again, beloved, we see that which should.
Gladden and strengthen and stabilize our hearts.
For if I look around and I see the conditions that aren't developing, I will get very alarmed. I will get very, very pessimistic. I will perhaps feel that I should bend all my energies and efforts into stemming the tide of evil, into trying to remedy the difficulties.
That are looming so large on the horizon of this poor world. But beloved, what does God's Word tell us? The one who rose from among the dead is seated there at God's right hand, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Isn't that a comfort to the heart?
You and I are living in the very last days of waiting, and I don't suppose we're really surprised to see the difficulties that are arising on every hand in this country. Yes, indeed, in other countries. Go and have a look and you'll say the same thing wherever you go. The problems, the darkness, the disorder, the chaos is becoming so evident. What does it do to the?
All it makes him look up and realize not only is the moment of our Lord's return near at hand.
But it makes us realize with increasing thankfulness that he who loved us and died to redeem us is up there now at God's right hand, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. Where was the beloved apostle Paul when he wrote the words, Rejoice in the Lord all way and again I say, rejoice.
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And he just sat down from addressing 1000 people who hung on every word, no?
He was.
He was locked up for the Lord's sake, and there over him was a tyrant called Nero.
Many, many things could have combined to have depressed the soul of that servant of God, but instead he writes, Rejoice in the Lord. O my beloved brothers and sisters, I know, I know that among those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are burdens, there are sorrows, there are trials that bring us on our faces, that bring tears to our eyes.
But yet I love to quote to myself those comforting, cheering, precious words, when trouble like a gloomy cloud, has gathered thick and thundered loud. He with his church has always stood his loving kindness.
Oh, how good. I look up and I realize not only is that too empty, but He's up there, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. And then if I were to turn to Hebrews 7, we shall not take the time, but we'd find there that the Scripture tells us that He's gone higher than the heavens. Oh, what a wonderful thrill of joy fills the soul as we read such words as these. Risen from the dead, yes.
But forth that you and I might know that we are justified has ended up there and seated at God's right hand. What for? In order that you and I might be able to look around and see the circumstances that are growing more dark and difficult every day and yet to realize.
He, the unchanging one, is still holding all in his firm control.
But then again, to look up and realize that God's Word says he has gone higher than the heavens.
Oh, doesn't that sound grand to you? As though he were looking down and saying to you and me.
There's something that means more to me than the control of all the affairs of the nations of this world.
What could that be for? I repeat, in order that he might have that control, he's gone into the heavens. But we read if he's going higher than the heavens, for what purpose? That you and I might have a merciful, sympathetic, faithful, understanding High Priest. Oh, my beloved brother, sister, let those problems of yours or of mine, be they personal, family, assembly or whatever.
What a joy, what a comfort it is to look up and realize that there is one up there at God's right hand, our merciful, faithful, understanding High Priest who will be there until that moment when he takes you there, His eye will never be turned away from you.
He loved you enough to go to Calvary's cross to redeem you and my beloved brother and sister.
He loves you still with that same love.
I think many of you may remember my father so often quoting John 15 verse 9.
As a father hath loved me, so have I loved you.
Continue ye in my love.
He urged upon us that we should repeat that continually, again and again every day of our life. When did you last say it to yourself? When did I? Let me quote it again. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. The Lord Jesus spoke those words.
In other words, the same measure of love that shone down from the heart of God upon His well beloved Son when He was a man here upon earth.
Is the very measure of love that shines upon you this very moment. That shines upon me this very moment. Let this poor cold heart of mind be what it may. His love never, never, never changes.
Is this an excuse for carelessness on my part? God forbid we often sing and yet to find thee still the same. Tis this then humbles us with shame, Oh my beloved brethren, to think that we have, there isn't and a descended Savior. And then another statement in Ephesians chapter 4.
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Far above all heavens, all you think. Is there something even more exalted than what we have just been Speaking of? Yes, beloved, there is.
He's gone into the heavens that there he might exercise that control over angels, principalities and powers.
He's gone higher than the heavens in order that you and I individually might have a merciful and faithful High Priest, but far above all heavens. What can be of such great value and vital importance to him that such an exalted expression would be used?
What is it, our beloved brethren? It is the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him, that filleth All in all. This is what we have there in Ephesians and all. I say when I see this supreme language of Scripture Speaking of that exaltation, Speaking of the desire of His heart and the eventual fulfillment of that desire, I say to my soul.
What does it mean to me?
To know that I am a living stone in that church. What does it mean to me to know that I am a member of the body of Christ?
What does it mean to me to know that I am privileged to express that most precious truth here, while I await the moment when we're going to see all the redeemed of the Lord together? Ah, but that ought to mean a lot to my soul.
Will you forgive me, beloved brethren, while I digress? Digress, or just a moment?
To tell you of how it has stirred my soul to see that kind of desire in the midst of such great darkness and sought after at such great cost. I believe the Lord directed our way to India recently. We knew of none there.
Who shared the joy and privilege of being gathered to the name?
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Could we perhaps picture it? Will you permit me please to speak very plainly?
To use great plainness of speech, picture, if you will, a Hindu country with all the darkness and the misery and the hopelessness of it, this awful, awful prospect of endless reincarnation in whatever form the gods might choose.
For there are millions of gods in Hinduism.
And in the midst of all that darkness, there come missionaries with this precious book, the Word of God. They hold it up and announce it to be the Word of God. And from its pages they proclaim. A God of holiness and righteousness, a God of love and mercy they proclaim.
The gift of the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation through his precious blood and souls are turned from the darkness of Hinduism to the light of the precious gospel that you and I hear so often and perhaps treat so lightly too. But then I'm going to speak plainly. What happens, These same missionaries who hold aloft the word of God and we thank God for the courage they've had to go there and tell it, what do they do?
They say now let's found a church and let's call it.
Let's call it the Lutheran Church. I said I was going to use great plainness of speech, and this is what happens. Another missionary will come with the same book, proclaim the same message, and when souls are saved, he says, now let's form a church. We'll call it the Presbyterian Church.
Another missionary comes, and I could go on and on. For over there you find just exactly what you find in this favored land of light and liberty. You find all those names, and some of them have become very puzzled, very bewildered. They say, Sir, how is this, that all these men have come to us with the same book, They have told us of the same God, they have told us of the same Savior, and they've left us all divided up into little companies, each with our own.
Name each with their own barriers and boundaries. And this is the way they put it to me. And now you've come along with yet another idea. What new religion is this you have come to found?
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Wasn't easy to face that question. It was challenging. But beloved, we took this precious word and we thank you for your prayers. We tried to present to them from this precious book that which would not permit us to add one thought of our own to it. Not one word of our own, not one arrangement of our own, but it's to bow to the light and wisdom of this precious word alone.
And we found, thank God, an eagerness to recognize.
That there was still the precious and wonderful privilege of expressing that which God's Word speaks of with such wondrous honor and delight. The joy and privilege of being gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
To own and to bear no other name but his, to look up and to realize that they're Yonder. At God's right hand in the glory is the one who presented himself to men.
And men were divided. As soon as he presented himself, they nailed him to the cross, and men were again divided. He rose from the dead, and men were again divided. We take this precious book with all the light and wisdom of it, and men are again divided. What shall I do, beloved? What shall you do?
To take this precious book, the Word of God, to recognize that in it there is contained all. If we need all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Do you look up Yonder into the glory and realize that far above all heavens is seated the one who went to Calvary Head over all things to the church, which is His body.
And Oh my dear brethren, I I thank God for your prayers.
And I begged from you your continued prayers for those who, at a good deal of cost, reproach, mockery, ridicule, are now gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in that dark land. Has this produced division? Yes it has. Even in families there it has produced division.
Is it worth it, oh I beloved, to be true to the Lord Jesus Christ, to bow to the light of His precious word. Is this going to exist always? Is there always going to be this divided condition? No, thank God for the glorious moment that is now so near at hand, and your heart is glad at the mention of it. He is going to come again, and from every kindred.
Tongue and people and nation, every living stone in the Church of God, every member of the body of Christ, everyone sheltered by that precious blood, no matter where he or she may be, will hear the sound of that shout, and we will be together. He will present to himself that glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Oh, what a day that will be. Let me remind you, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Let me remind you that in that day, you and I will not be able to make any alteration to the record that has been written of the time entrusted to us here. Quite often when I write a letter and then reread it, I realize that I omitted something that I intended to include, and I put PS and add a sentence or two at the end.
They tell me that's not very good correspondence procedure, but.
I've done it rather often anyway, and when I type those letters, PS, I sometimes pause and look at them and say to myself, I'm not going to be able to do this when I reach home. I'm not going to be able to add any postscript to the record of my life that will suddenly terminate when the sound of my beloved Savior's voice calls me home.
Oh beloved brothers and sisters, gathered to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May the Lord preserve us and keep us bowing before the authority, the light, the wisdom of this precious living book. May the Lord keep us with our poor hearts, so prone to go grow cold, attached to Him whose love toward us never changes.
May the Lord keep the hope of our hearts burning fresh and bright within us as we realize that at any moment we're going to see the face of the one who loved us, presented himself, died that we might live, rose again, and is seated at God's right hand and is coming again. When I speak of His coming, it gladdens my heart and I know it gladdens yours.
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For those things which have separated the Lord's people one from the other.
Will all be ended then, but there will be that eternal division.
And I close on a note in the gospel.
If he came right now.
You think he might? I hope he does, if he came right now.
What would happen in this meeting room? Everyone of the Lord's redeemed ones. In a twinkling of an eye, we'd be home together with all the rest of the redeemed. And when I say that?
My heart is just filled with an eager yearning logging.
When you meet here and there.
The Lord's own, and there's a language barrier between you, but you know they love the Lord and so do you. You just long for the day and you're all going to be together and none of those barriers will ever be known again. But what about this company gathered in this meeting room this afternoon? This has been an address to Christians I trust to stir and to encourage our hearts as we realize.
That the person and work of Christ is that which has found you and me on either one side or the other. But with eternity in view and the coming of the Lord so very, very near at hand, would you just ask your heart, please? You just ask your heart right now, if He came at this very moment?
Would you hear that shout? Would you go to be with him? Thank God, my heart says yes, I will be there together with all the redeemed. Oh, may the Lord stir our hearts. Beloved Saints of God, as we pick up this precious book and realize the all sufficiency of it, realize the light and wisdom that is in it.
Realize, too, that as we walk in the light of it, we are going to find.
That it will bring a place of reproach and ridicule and rejection even by those who are truly the Lords.
Gospel
John 17
One Thing
Address—C.D. Andersen
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Shall return to Mark's Gospel chapter 10. Mark's Gospel chapter 10, verse 17. And when he was gone forth into the way.
Became 1 running and kneeled to him and asked him good master.
What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why call us thou me good? There's none good but one.
That is God thou knowest the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, Do not bear false witness, defraud not. Honor thy father and mother.
And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him, and said unto him.
One thing.
Thou likest.
Go thy way, sell whatever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that say, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.
One thing thou lackest.
Wasn't very much, was it?
Just one thing.
Some might think, well, that's insignificant, just one thing lacking. That's not so serious.
But in this case, it really was serious.
He had measured up quite well.
Keeping the commandments observing them.
Now no doubt he was that kind of a person, very diligent.
But he was diligent in other ways too, for we find that he had great possessions.
He was industries very ambitious, energetic and he had amassed.
Quite a fortune by this time, and when the Lord said to him, One thing thou likened, Go thy way, shall whatever thou hast.
And give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come, take up thy cross, and follow me. He was grieved.
He was grieved. What was the matter?
He valued his possessions more than the blessed Lord.
More than following him.
What a test for him. What a test for him.
To leave it all, give it all away.
And take up the cross.
And follow the Lord.
Well, he wasn't ready to do that.
If the Lord were speaking to each one of us, what would He say to us?
Would he say this to us? One thing thou like us. And then he put the finger on the problem.
Like he did here.
Go thy way, go thy way.
That's significant, that word thy way.
This young man was going.
His own way.
And of course, going his own way, living his own life.
He couldn't possibly do what the Lord told him to do. There were those that followed the Lord in the way, but it was the large way.
And the only way we can follow the Lord.
Is to go his way.
He says go thy way and do this. He couldn't.
He was grieved.
He didn't want to give up his possessions.
He would rather have his fortune than the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord speaks of the cross. Take up the cross.
Well, the Lord took up the cross. What a heavy cross it was.
He was weighed down under the weight of it. That is that cross in which he was crucified.
But the Lord had a cross.
In doing the will of God the Father, and he didn't hold back.
He did always those things that pleased the Father.
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He said I have a commandment from the father.
To lay down my life and to take it again.
And he wasn't going to stop short like this young man did.
He went all the way.
When we think about that, how the Lord Jesus Christ went all the way.
And complete, perfect obedience to God his Father, taking up that cross, bearing that cross, and allowing himself to be nailed to that cross.
A cross of shame.
The cross where he bare our sins in his own body on the tree that place. The cross where he showed up God's heart, His heart of love for this poor world.
When we stand face to face with that blessed law.
Who took up his cross?
Are we going to say no, I won't take up my cross?
I will not take up the cross.
The cross, and I am sure it refers to the Lord's cross.
But we can make it our cross, if we will.
Take up the cross and follow me.
Well, it meant a decision on his part.
And he wasn't ready to make the decision, but he's in favor of the Lord. He made a decision, all right.
He was grieved and he wouldn't give up his possessions.
He wasn't like Rebecca that we heard about last night.
She says I will go.
This young man wasn't ready to go. He wasn't ready to follow the Lord.
He was grieved.
I think of somebody else that was grieved.
We might look back in Genesis.
Chapter 21. Genesis Chapter 21.
Abraham and Sarah had just gotten a son in their old age, Isaac.
And of course, the little boy was growing.
And it came to the time that he was weaned, and that was a special time.
A time of great rejoicing and a time of feasting.
It was a great day in Abraham's house.
When Isaac was recognized as the seed, as the air, as the one that would take the place.
As the air in that house. Somebody else had been born in that house before though.
Ishmael about 14 years before Ishmael came along.
While he's born after the flesh.
But Isaac was born according to promise we read in Galatians.
And it should have been very plain to Abraham the difference between the two.
What we find here in verse eight. And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
And Sarah saw the son of Hager the Egyptian, which he had borne unto Abraham, mocking.
Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bond woman and her son. For the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
It was grievous to Abraham.
I believe Abraham.
Is expressing something that's.
A type in everyone of our lives, this young man that we read about in Mark's Gospel.
We read that it was grievous to him to think about giving up his possessions to follow Christ.
To leave it all for the Lord Jesus to give the blessed Lord the first place in His life.
And isn't this true of us? We go through this kind of an experience.
Perhaps there's we're grieved over the fact that there's something we have to give up.
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For Christ.
It was grievous to Abraham here in this case.
Well, I believe Isaac here's a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Ishmael is a type of the flesh.
I'm not talking now about being saved.
Everyone who is accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in truth is saved, and He has Christ in his heart.
And when Christ comes in immediately.
That old fleshly nature begins to act up.
It's like the Indian expressed it, he said. Before I was saved, it was like I had one dog inside of me.
But it was sleeping all the time. It didn't disturb cause me any difficulties.
But then after I was saved, I felt like I had two dogs in me and they were fighting all the time. The battle began, then the flesh began to act up.
Wasn't happy about having Christ in the heart.
Have you ever gone through anything like that?
And perhaps you've been faced with giving up something, giving up this thing of the flesh and that thing of the flesh that which appeals to the fleshly nature.
And it's grievous to you to give it up.
But God is telling you that He has a claim upon you. The Lord Jesus is telling you that He has a claim upon you.
And he wants you to yield.
He wants you to give him the 1St place, the topmost place in your heart.
And I'm sure that there are many that have gone through grievous moments just because of this very thing, but God's not satisfied with anything less than putting the Lord Jesus Christ on the throne in our hearts.
And it will be a great day of feasting. It will be a happy day when we do it. We need the grace of the Lord to do it. Abraham needed the grace of God to recognize what.
What God's will was, what his plan was.
Verse 12 God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bond. Woman, in all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Isaac.
He decides now.
And.
He says yes, I submit to it. If you look back further.
17th chapter of Genesis.
We read about the promise given to Abraham.
Verse 15.
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarah thy wife, thou shalt not call her share I, but Sarah shall be her name.
And I will bless her and give thee a son, also her.
I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed.
And said under said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is 100 years old, and shall share that is 90 years old, Bear. And Abraham said unto God, All that Ishmael might live.
Before the Is that what we feel?
Is that the problem with us?
Oh, that Ishmael might live before thee.
Oh, that God would recognize the flesh and allow me to have this and that and the other thing that is attractive to the flesh allow me to have.
No, God says, I'm going to give you another son, and in Isaac shall thy seed be called. He's going to be the one.
The one above all others.
I trust we learned that lesson.
That this is God's mind, that the Lord Jesus Christ should be the one above all others in our hearts, in our lives.
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In every sea. Now let's go to another scripture.
In John's Gospel.
Thinking about the man that was born blind. John Chapter 9.
Verse 24.
Then again, call thee the man that was blind and said unto him, give God the praise. We know that this man is a Sinner that is referring to Christ.
He answered and said, whether he be a Sinner or no, I know not one thing I know.
That whereas I was blind, now I see.
Well, they go ahead and question him some more about this.
But I'm interested in this expression. One thing I know.
That whereas I was blind, now I see we had something to say in the reading meetings about repentance. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
And there's not salvation without repentance.
Because if a person is not repentant, he has not seen his need of a Savior, he has not seen his terrible, sinful, lost condition.
He has not seen.
That he has to do with the Holy Garden. He is not fit for God at all.
There must be repentance, there must be taking sides with God against ourselves. Well, it seems to me this is what we have in this expression. One thing I know that whereas I was blind.
That man realized what condition he was in. He was blind.
But he also says, Now I see.
You see, there are two things.
Realizing his blindness.
And knowing now that he's been healed.
But he didn't really know who Jesus was yet.
But he was testifying to the fact of what Jesus had done.
And even went to say so far as to say in verse 33, if this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
While those that were listening didn't like that, they answered and said unto him, Thou art altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
Well, he wasn't fully acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ yet.
But it wasn't long.
Says in verse 35, Jesus heard that they cast him out, and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He asked and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hath both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. Oh, what a revelation to this man.
And what was the effect upon him? He said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him.
Well, if you're the Lord, you've been healed of your spiritual blindness.
And if you have the assurance of your salvation, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, you've also realized that you were blind, that the Lord has healed you now.
Are you satisfied with that? Is that all you want?
Just to remember that you were blind and now you're healed, you can see.
It's a wonderful thing to have our spiritual eyes open, to be given spiritual understanding, to understand the Lord, to understand His Word, and to see the spiritual things, because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, they're spiritually understood.
Nor he doesn't stop there. He's not satisfied just simply with knowing that now he can see and he's healed.
He's still glad to speak about the one that healed him. That's a nice thing to do, to give a testimony as to what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you.
To tell of Him to others that He is your Lord and Savior.
Now he sees the Lord Jesus face to face. If he'd still been blind, he couldn't have.
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But we were saved.
We see the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.
We see Him as our savior.
And in the assembly we see Him, because he says, where two or three are gathered together under my name, there am I. In the midst of them we see Him. By faith we see Him.
And when we see him.
In the assembly.
What do we do?
Do we worship Him?
This, I believe, is what the Lord was bringing this man to to worship.
This is what he was doing with the woman at the well in the fourth of John.
Bringing her to the place of worship.
Making a worshiper out of her.
And her heart was so filled with the Lord Jesus Christ and thoughts of Him.
That it overflowed and that's what worship is, isn't it?
The overflow of a heart filled with Christ.
And here this man now.
His heart is filled to overflowing.
And he's worshiping Christ, one thing I know.
He had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, now the one who did the healing.
Whom to know is life eternal, that I might know him?
And the power of his resurrection. Know him, not just know something about him.
As we read the Bible, we find out many things about the Lord Jesus Christ. But to know Him?
Be acquainted with him, have an intimate knowledge of him, to have the knowledge of association with him, walking with him, talking with him.
And letting him speak to us through his word. It's hard for me to imagine.
A person knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
And not wanting to bow in prayer and talk to him.
But I've heard of some.
They get caught up in the world of this world. They're so busy, they don't have time to pray.
In the morning, they don't have time to pause in the evening and pray.
They're not even as wise as those camels that had to kneel down.
Be unloaded.
And kneel down again. Take up the burden.
How could you ever bear the burdens of the day without kneeling down before the Lord?
We can't. It's impossible. Something's going to happen to us if we forget this kneeling.
When we get the burdens rolled off our hearts.
And we, when we get grace to bear the burden of the day.
I was speaking to.
A couple of young men and they acknowledged that we couldn't do without prayer.
And would acknowledge too, that if we forgot to pray.
The day turned out to be a ragged day.
Seemed to be a day frayed at the edges. Things didn't go right, something wrong?
There wasn't really a settled calm and peace in the heart.
Have you ever had that experience? You go through the day and there's something sort of worrying you?
Or how we need to get into the presence of the Lord.
And unload everything on him, cast our care upon him and get grace to face today. Let us turn to Luke's gospel, Luke chapter 10. One thing I like us.
One thing I know.
Now here we have another one.
Verse 42 of Luke 10.
One thing is needful now that's preceded by Buck.
But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.
For what was the occasion? We're quite well acquainted with it.
Martha had received the Lord into her house.
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And Mary was sitting at Jesus feet hearing his word, and Martha was busy out in the kitchen.
And perhaps there was a little more work than Martha felt that she could do.
And so she says to the Lord, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me?
To serve alone. That wasn't a very nice thing for it to say, was it?
Lord, dost thou not care?
She didn't realize really in her heart who the Lord Jesus was, who it was that was there in her house. Of course she cares.
He cares about every one of us. He sympathizes with us as high priest up on high. He's touched with a feeling of our infirmities. He does care.
And I'm sure he cared about Martha.
But Martha goes on to say, bid her therefore that she helped me.
Well, she was telling the Lord something in a way that was out of place. Martha got out of place in this.
But I believe Mary is a picture of one that takes her place at the feet of the Lord Jesus in submission.
Now I know there's there's a movement on today called the Lib movement.
And I don't think it's a very nice movement because the Lord.
Has directed that.
That the woman should be in the place of subjection.
And he has directed that the woman should wear the head covering.
To show the subjection of the assembly to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We read last night in Genesis 24 about Rebecca.
As soon as she was in the presence of Isaac.
She put a veil on. She covered herself.
She came down off the camel.
She took a low place.
But just think of the blessing that was Rebecca's.
Just think of the place of blessing that was her.
And she was a comfort to Isaac. Isaac was comforted.
After his mother's death.
Who are the comfort it would be to the blessed Lord if He saw subjection on our part?
And shone out by the sisters in wearing the head covering.
Now in connection with that, I might say this that it says in First Corinthians 11.
That the man is the glory of God and the woman is the glory of the man. So you have two glories there.
The glory of God, the Lord Himself, and the glory of man.
Now just from saying that.
I think any sister in here can see.
That when we're in the assembly in the presence of the Lord.
If she is the glory of the man, that glory ought to be covered up.
And if the man is the glory of the Lord, that ought to be uncovered. So you see how simple it is.
The woman, the glory of the man, must be covered up.
It's not just some custom we have.
Not something.
That the Apostle Paul got out of his own mind? No.
Came from the Lord as part of the revelation connected with the truth of the Church.
And I believe every sister that sees the truth of this should be so happy to wear that covering.
Because she knows she's covering up the glorious man that must not shine out or be displayed in the presence of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, here's monster taking the low place sitting at the feet of Jesus.
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And the Lord says one thing is needful. This is needful to sit at the feet of Jesus.
This is what I want and it's needful.
Want to rebuke? This must have been to Martha. Actually, he didn't say it in so many words, but it meant what you're doing, Martha, is not needful right now, but what Mary is doing is needful.
One thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, the good part of sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to his Word, which shall not be taken away from her. I'm not going to take it away from her.
If that's what you want, the Lord wants you to have it.
He's back of it. He's all for it, to have you sit at his feet. And oh, how much we miss by not sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus. We've been sitting at the feet of the Lord these days, and the Lord's been faithful to us. He's been speaking to us, He's been ministering to us, and we thank Him for it all.
One thing is needful. Oh, don't forget that one thing that's needful.
One thing that I like is, Oh yes, we can be lacking one thing. I know. Do we have that assurance that our sins are gone, forgiven, washed away in the precious blood of Christ?
That we have new life in Christ Jesus. We have the Spirit of God dwelling in our hearts. That we're really healed from our blindness.
Do we want this one thing that's needful? The Lord says it's needful, and if He says it's needful, we ought to feel it.
And really secret. Now let's turn to Psalm 27. Psalm 27, verse 4.
Now this also is a Psalm of David. We've had much about David brought before us.
And certainly.
We get the feelings of the Lord Jesus Christ expressed and many of the things that David says. Verse four One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after.
Now there's some determination there on the part of David.
That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty or the graciousness of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, or to meditate with joy in his temple.
One thing have I desired.
One thing is needful, and I think this ties in with the one thing that's needful.
Now he says one thing. Have I desired?
You've heard that it's needful, this one thing. Do you want that one thing?
Well, there are many things that come up to hinder.
I remember when after come back from Africa, after we'd served over there in the Congo for 10 years.
We came back to this country and I didn't want to.
Take the place of a clergyman anymore. I didn't want to hire out as a pastor of a church anymore. I'd seen too much truth.
So I went to work. I worked as a Carpenter, worked as a shipwright in the shipyards, as a joiner, putting in cabins into boats.
Then after a while I felt I wanted to be out on the farm.
It was out in Portland, OR where my parents were at that time, and that's where I worked in the shipyards was in Portland.
But I knew my father had a farm still back in Nebraska, out at Bolus, where I was born and raised.
And I had acquired a little little property. Property wasn't as expensive then as it is now.
The Lord had really helped me because we came back from the Congo with nothing.
Left everything, left the mission, left system, and we left all the support that we had, all those who had been used of the Lord to supply our needs left at all, and we had nothing.
Perhaps just the clothes that we were wearing when we came home.
But the Lord took care of that, started out working for a dollar a day. But I felt I wanted to get back on the farm. So this property I had in one house in Portland and the place we were living on South of Portland.
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And I was talking to my father one day about it. I'd like to get back on the farm with the family.
Well, he says, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll trade you that farm I have back there for the property you have here. So we just changed titles.
And we came east and we lived on the farm for 4 1/2 years. But what I'm getting at is this.
It was during the busy season.
And.
This morning.
We didn't take time as we ought to as we used to before the Lord. We used to take about 1/2 an hour in the morning.
To be before the Lord, to read his word and pray family altogether.
This morning I think it was just a short prayer that I prayed and out I went to start the tractor.
It wouldn't start. It had been running the night before and I couldn't understand this, what had happened. I took the Magneto off, cleaned it, put it back on, still wouldn't start. But when the half hour was up.
It starts, what a rebuke to me.
How the Lord spoke to me.
It's like the Lord saying.
You took that time away from me. You can't have it either.
It was just wasted, absolutely wasted. And isn't that the way we do oftentimes? We're robbing the Lord and we're robbing ourselves and the whole thing is wasted. Are we wasting time? When you take time with the Lord, you're not wasting time.
Well, this is something of what David was feeling. I believe one thing of our desire to the Lord that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, and behold the beauty of the Lord, the graciousness of the Lord, and to meditate with joy in His temple, in His presence.
Is that what we desire? To spend time in His presence, to behold His face, to see His graciousness?
To come into the presence of the Lord to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Is that really what we want? Or I trust that we have that desire? Now there's just one more.
One thing.
Over in Philippians.
Chapter 3, Philippians Chapter 3 and verse 13.
Brethren.
I can't knock myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do.
Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul had one thing before him. This one thing I do.
There's one thing I do, there's a negative side, the positive side.
But he had the Lord before, and he had the Lord before him in resurrection. And this is what he was looking forward to, to being with the Lord in resurrection. He says in verse 11, If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
The resurrection, the one out from among the dead, the special resurrection of believers, Saints of God. If by any means the apostle was really saying it doesn't matter how rough the path is, it doesn't matter how many difficulties I encountered.
I'm going on through. That's what I'm looking forward to, to the resurrection.
I'm pressing toward the mark for that prize of the calling on high in Christ Jesus.
Well, he had the Lord before him, didn't he?
One thing I do.
Well, how could he do the first part of this? For getting those things that are behind? Because he had the Lord before him. He had the positive before him.
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And the whole chapter.
What we have said there, like in verse seven, what things were gained to me? Those I counted lost for Christ. How could he say it? Because he had Christ before him.
Christ with him down here, but looking forward to being with Christ in glory.
Ye doubtless, and I count all things loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things.
Well, he was telling some things there in verses 4-5 and six.
And you wouldn't say that they were actually bad things, no.
Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But he found something far better than these things that he was occupied with before.
He had whereof he could trust in the flesh. He was circumcised a day of the stock of Israel. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews a Pharisee.
I suppose there were many in his day that envied him his position.
And I suppose they wondered what was the matter with him.
He gave it up, gave it all up.
Because now he had Christ, and he had Christ before Christ here, and Christ before him in the glory.
The Lord never left him, He was always with him.
He could write Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And then he lists a whole long list. He says nothing, Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Ah, he had found the one who really loved him, the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God. And you know, immediately after he was saved, he preached Jesus as the Son of God. He hadn't believed it before. He had heard about Jesus. Perhaps he said, oh, he's just a man, or he had listened to those that knew about him.
He'd swallowed it all. Now he found out.
He is the Son of God because he spoke to him from heaven on the way to Damascus when he was persecuting the believers.
What a vision he got of the Lord Jesus Christ when it pleased God to reveal his Son and me, he writes to the Galatians.
And Christ was so real to him that he was longing for those Galatians.
One thing.
Travailing in birth again until Christ be formed in you. This is what he was longing for, for those Galatians, because they sought lost sight of Christ.
Some had come along and said you have to add something to that Christ isn't enough, is Christ and is in Christ and that no.
The Apostle Paul found out that Christ was enough and all that he needed, and he'd have had a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ in his soul. Have you had to do with the Lord Jesus in reality?
Well, I trust that.
That we might speak the same sentiments as the apostle Paul, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things that are before are. There may be things that we're gloring in, looking back at. What have we got to glory in? Let him that glorious glory in the Lord.
That's the only way, the only one in whom we can glory. We can't glory in our attainments, what we have done, forgetting those things that are behind, reaching forth unto the things that are before, pressing toward the mark, down to the goal. I press. It's really the sense of it. Are we pressing toward that goal?
Well.
If we have given the Lord Jesus Christ that one place in our hearts that belongs to Him, if we've seen Him as the one above all others, I'm sure we'll be pressing down to the goal for resurrection Morning, longing to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe He's coming soon.
Coming soon.
I read something the other day which was a report.
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And I take it that the report is true.
That there are many vultures over in Palestine.
And usually vultures lay just one egg each.
Those vultures are known to be laying 4 eggs apiece now.
Hatching out four times as many vultures.
I connect that with what we have in Revelation 19, where it speaks of the Lord coming out of heaven.
To meet all of his enemies.
To judge the nations.
What's taking place?
Well, we have. Their verse speaks of an Angel in the sun, calling the birds together to that feast, to feast upon the flesh of men.
And horses, kings, all that great throng that's going to come down there to Palestine.
Is God already making preparations for that?
And we have to be gone before that. The Lord must come and take us home before that ever takes place, because we are seen in that 19th chapter of Revelations coming out with Him to be associated with Him when He judges this world. Just think of the place the Lord is going to give us an association with Himself.
Are we afraid to give Him the highest, topmost place in our hearts?
To give him that place that really belongs to him. Are we ready for this one thing?
May the Lord help us to just be more devoted to the Lord Jesus.
To have a harsh 1. To be occupied with him. Oh I'm so thankful for these meetings where we've been occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ and His precious Word and know how we need it in these last days. Shall we sing again #318?
Just before we sing this few minutes left, I want to tell the story of Nowisha over in the Congo.
Now Wisha was one of the 10 or 12 young men.
That used to travel with me from village to village when I was preaching the gospel.
And I wish you came under the sound of the gospel, and under the conviction of the gospel, and accepted Christ as his Savior.
And that meant he gave up paganism, he gave up idolatry. Now wish you was the son of a chief. And he came along with me to earn a little money, because I paid them for going along with me, carrying my things.
And he was interested in earning some money because the day would come when he would want a wife, and perhaps he was already paying on the dowry for his wife. So he needed this money, but he got saved.
Well, we're finished that trip.
Came back, came back to the mission station. He went to his village, which was just a little ways from the mission station.
And in a few days I heard he was sick. The report came to me. Now Wish is sick, very ill. Oh, I thought the trip must have been too much for him.
He couldn't take it. Maybe This is why he's sick, but I went over there to the village and I found him lying outside of his Hut.
On a map.
Trying to get some warmth from the sun because he had terrible chills.
And when I came up to him, I could hardly recognize him. He'd already gotten terribly thin. And I saw him lying there. And I said, and I wish you what has happened to you.
Oh, he says. They got me. They hate me now.
I used to be liked and looked up to here in this village, but since I accepted Christ as savior and have given up paganism.
They hate me and somehow or other they poison me. How they've done it, I don't know. But he says it's very likely that one night while we were sitting eating, and they usually eat after dark, so they can't really see what they're doing. But they have the basket of fruit in front of them, and several of them will be sitting around the basket eating out of that one basket. And it's a ball of food that's made out of the flour cassava root.
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And so each one is taking his portion on the site where he's sitting, he says perhaps.
There was an enemy of mine, unbeknownst to me, sitting on the other side, and he had poison under his fingernail and he deposited it over on my side. And he says they can carry enough poison under their fingernail to kill a man. And he says this is going to kill me. He says I know this poison. I've seen it work before. I've been instructed in how to use it.
And now they've poisoned me.
And I know the reaction.
Oh, but I said we don't want you to go.
You've just come to know the Lord and we need you here and we be sad.
He said don't worry about me, I'm going to be with the Lord.
It cost him his life to follow the Lord, to give the Lord the place that belonged to him in his heart cost his life. But he's with Christ, which is far better now that young man just wrote a paganism.
Taking that stand, doesn't it shame us? May the Lord keep us.
That Rock is Christ
Address—C.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.
We were singing and asking the Lord to lead us through the desert, and we find in the Old Testament that the Lord did lead his people through the wilderness. And we might turn to numbers, the Book of numbers.
Is the wilderness book in the Old Testament?
And it answers to Philippians in the New Testament.
And we find in the New Testament in Philippians, that the blessed Lord is brought very much before us, and He is the One.
That leads us through the wilderness.
And we need grace from God to look to Him, to trust Him for His guidance.
Here in numbers chapter.
Chapter 20. I'll read a few verses beginning with.
Verse seven And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying.
Take the rod and gather thou the assembly together.
Thou and Aaron, my brother, and speak ye unto the rock.
Before their eyes, and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them.
Water out of the rock, so thou shalt give the congregation, and there be strength. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock. And he said unto them.
Here and now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand.
With his rod, not the rod, his rod, he smote the rock twice, and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, because she believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore.
Ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and He was sanctified in them. The children of Israel had stood before the rock previously, as recorded in the 17th chapter of Exodus.
And there we find that the people were in need of blessing. They were in need of water.
And Moses, according to the word of the Lord, smote the rock, and the water came out.
Well, that answers to what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, lifted up on Calvary and smitten there for the blessing of all that believe in Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ was a smitten rock because we read in First Corinthians chapter 10 and that rock was Christ.
Isn't it lovely for us to look at this rock that we have in the Old Testament and think of it as pointing to Christ? Speaking of Christ, that rock was Christ. Well, it was really Christ, Jehovah, that was leading his, his people along.
We find in the very first part of Genesis in the beginning.
The name God is used, but then after a while the word Jehovah is used.
And the word Jehovah is used because now God is thinking of having a people in relationship with him. So Jehovah is the name of relationship that God has with his earthly people, with the people on earth.
Search the Lord Jesus Christ himself that we find really in the Old Testament.
Leading his people along, yearning over his people, helping them, guiding them, sustaining them.
And now, when we come to the wilderness journeys of the children of Israel.
We find that they are still in need, they are still in need and they still have to come before the rock in their need.
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And we, we have need all the time. We cannot do without the Lord. We need him all the time. There's not a moment of the day or night that we don't need him. And the Lord has said without me ye can do nothing.
I don't suppose that really hits us like it ought to.
But he has said it, Without me ye can do nothing.
And if we try to do anything, like our brother who spoke previously said, if we try to do anything without the Lord, where is it going to land us? Oh, David had confidence in the Lord.
But then he got away from the Lord, and where did it end? Where did it land him?
Oh, how solemn.
Now here are the directions are given to Moses to take the rod. This was Aaron's rod, a rod that's been referred to previously.
16th chapter of Numbers.
We find there in the 16th chapter that there were those that rose up verse 2 before Moses.
Verse Three. And the gather themselves together against Moses, and against Aaron, and said unto them, He Take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord. And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.
So he says, and he spake unto Korah and all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the Lord will show who are his and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto him. Even him whom he has chosen will he cause to come near unto Him. This do take your sensors core on all his company, and put fire there in. Put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose shall.
Holy, you take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
Then in verse 10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren, the sons of Levi with thee, and seek ye the priesthood also.
For which caused both thou and all the company are gathered together against the Lord.
Well, this was a solemn time. And then we find that the fire breaks out among the children of Israel, and there's a burning.
And in verse 41 it says on the Morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses.
And the order is given.
In verse 45, get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censor, and put fire there in from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly.
Into the congregation, and make an atonement for them, for their wrath gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun. And Aaron took us. Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the congregation. And behold, the plague was begun among the people. And he put on incense and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the living and the dead and the plague of state.
Now here we find that God puts on display.
His priesthood, that is in Aaron, the priesthood in Aaron is put on display here. He makes much of the priesthood. He makes much of Aaron. Well, that can't point to anyone else but the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this doesn't finish. They keep on murmuring and on into the 17th chapter we read in verse 5.
I will make deceased from me the murmurings of the children of Israel.
Or by the murmur against you. Well, what was it he had said? Well, he said to them in verse two of chapter 17.
Take of every one of them a rod according to the House of their fathers, of all their Princess according to the House of their fathers. 12 rocks. Right thou every man's name upon his rod, and thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the right rod of Levi, verse four, And thou shalt lay them up in the Tabernacle of the congregation.
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Before the testimony.
And so in verse seven says Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the Tabernacle of witness.
And it came to pass that on tomorrow Moses went into the Tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron for the House of Levi was buttered, brought forth buds, bloom, blossoms, and yielded almonds.
What a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ going into death. Just like that rod was a dead stick, the Lord Jesus lay in death. This rock buttered, brought forth buds and bloom blossoms, and yielded fruit. A picture of the Lord Jesus Christ coming forth out of death, bringing forth fruit for the Lord's glory.
And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel.
And they looked and took every man in his rod you can imagine.
Their eyes looking at these rods when they're brought out.
There they see only one rod that has budded and bloomed, borne fruit.
What a picture that must have been to them. God was again vindicating his priesthood. So the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony to be kept foretoken against the rebels, and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die now.
Again, the priesthood of Aaron is put on display. God makes it known whom whom he has chosen to be priests.
And Aaron was the one who stood between the living and the dead. And I believe we can safely say that if it had not been for God's priesthood in Aaron, there would never have been one of those people brought into the land of blessing, never brought into the land of Canaan. And I believe we can save today that if it were not for the priest, who the Lord.
Christ, not one of us would get safely to glory.
All we thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ, who is now our High Priest at God's right hand, and we're told in the book of Hebrews.
That He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, and we can come boldly to Him to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Or how we need the service of that high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. What would we do without it? We just can't do without Him.
And if we find ourselves growing cold in our souls and getting away from the Lord Jesus Christ, it just means we're getting away from the One who's the only One who can keep us and sustain us and uphold us.
We've been told to come boldly to His throne of grace, to get mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. All we need it all the time, every one of us, young and old. We never get old enough. We never get to the point where we're beyond needing that grace of God's high priest. And looking back again at chapter 20.
We find that this is a very striking chapter.
The chapter begins with death and it ends with death. A typical wilderness chapter.
Because we're in the wilderness of the dying.
And dear Saints of God are taken home 1 by 1.
And our hearts are touched, and they grieve. Lately, quite a number have been taken away, taken home to glory and those who are left behind.
They're left to mourn and to grieve, and certainly they need comfort, but oh, how wonderful that we can go to the blessed Lord our High Priest and get that comfort, that grace.
At mercy we need. What would we do without him in a time like that?
We often speak of those who don't know the Lord standing beside an open grave looking into the face of a dead loved one.
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And you don't know really what they're thinking, but we've seen them beside themselves. I've seen it in Africa, standing beside the open grave where a girl but 10 or 12 years old was to be buried, and the parents there beside themselves, not knowing what to do.
What a privilege it was to tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who came into this world? He was smitten that they might have the blessing of salvation.
Have eternal life and know their sins forgiven.
And that it was possible for them to have light beyond the grave. They would only believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then if they did lose a loved one, why, they could still look to the Lord to comfort them and sustain them. But those poor things had nothing like that.
What our treasure we have in the Word, God has brought before us these precious things, that we might have one upon whom we can lead.
In times of stress and strain and Ohio, there's a lot of stress and strain these days.
We're living in the last days. The apostle Paul says in the last days, perilous times shall come. The word really means difficult times, difficult times. And brethren, we're living in difficult times.
We can't go on without the Lord, We can't do without Him.
We must look to him. We must lean upon him.
And thinking about ourselves as individuals, how can we go on without Him? Thinking about ourselves as assemblies, Saints gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, We can't go on without him. No, we can't figure things out. We can't organize things. We're not sufficient for these things. We just have to lean on the Lord and trust Him.
To guide us and direct us and help us.
Moses is told to take this rod of priesthood.
And he says.
Speak to the rock. How lovely. Speak to the rock.
The rock was smitten the first time to get blessing. That speaks of the blessing of salvation. The Lord must be smitten. But now after you know the Lord is the smitten one and you have that salvation, now you speak to him. He doesn't have to be smitten again for you to get blessing. Just speak to him. Just talk to him. I need to learn more about that.
I'm sure every one of us needs to learn more about that.
We were speaking yesterday about the Lamb in the morning and the lamb in the evening. What is that? But getting into the presence of the Lord, being occupied with Him, feasting our hearts upon Him, talking with Him, reading His word, letting Him talk to us, how we need that lamb in the morning, the lamb in the evening. We need Him all the time.
Speaking to The Rock.
Do we know anything about speaking to him? Talking to him? Sometimes we're so busy that we don't even have time to settle down.
Be calm and quiet and talk to him in quietness, perhaps alone, perhaps in the family.
We're too busy. If we're too busy to talk to the Lord, we're simply too busy. So we read in verse 9, Moses took the rod from before the Lord.
He started out all right, and that's the way it is with us. We start out perhaps all right, but how is it we end up?
So Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels.
What a sad statement for Moses to make.
God wanted Moses to represent himself, represent God as a God of grace.
Moses missed the point. Moses missed the point. What a lesson for us that we shouldn't miss the point.
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Must we fetch you water out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod, the rod of judgment, the rod that Moses used in Egypt to bring the judgments on Egypt, the rod that Moses used to smite the rock and the water, came forth, the rod of judgment. He used that here. This was not God's mind at all.
God wanted Moses to use the rod of grace, the rod of priesthood, because he wanted to bless his people.
He wanted to be gracious to them. So the rock is smitten twice. Once wasn't enough, for Moses must be smitten twice.
Well, we find out later in verse 12.
Because he believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel. Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I've given them. So before the chapter ends, Moses or Aaron is dead.
And then Moses never gets into the land. It was the government of God upon them for misrepresenting God. Representing God to the children of Israel Here is a God of judgment instead of a God of grace.
They must put before the people that there is a priesthood, and without the priesthood they would never get into the land of Canaan. Moses and Aaron missed this.
All that we should not miss the wonderful truth we have.
In the New Testament that the Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest, that we might really go to him all the time, take everything to him, go to him in prayer, trust him, lean upon him. Where was God frustrated in His purpose of blessing for these people even though Moses failed?
It says in verse.
In verse 11, the water did come out abundantly.
The water came out. God gave blessing anyway, even though Moses made a mistake.
Why was it they were standing before the rock, and that rock was Christ? We may make mistakes.
But if we're standing before the rock, if we're looking to the Lord, he'll help us, He'll guide us.
We're not beyond making mistakes, Oh no.
We're very weak and feeble. We're nothing, but if we're standing before the rock, there's going to be blessing. If we're occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting Him, leaning upon Him, he will guide and direct and there will be blessing.
So it says in verse 13, and he was sanctified in them. Well, what did that mean? God wanting to be sanctified in his people, God wanted to be represented to them as a God of grace.
And they didn't deserve this water. They didn't deserve this blessing.
And even because of Moses mistake, they didn't deserve it yet because God is a God of grace. He gave them water anyhow. Isn't that lovely? That's the kind of a God we have. Yes, He's a God of government. That comes out too in connection with Moses. He couldn't go into the land. But God shows us he's a God of grace as well.
All that we shouldn't forget that just to go to Him to get grace and mercy to help us in our time of need.
And we have plenty of need, but He has all that it takes to supply that need. Oh, let us trust Him more.
The Potter's Wheel
The Power of God
The Source of Unity
Address—A.C. Hayhoe
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The RETURN, brethren, for a brief thought to Psalm 133. Psalm 133. The words of this song came before me repeatedly.
As the precious privilege that we enjoyed this morning developed the sweet odor of the ointment of the name.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ. You notice that this is spoken of as a song of degrees of David.
And these songs of degrees begin, I believe, with Psalm 120.
And it is generally thought that they were enjoyed by the children of Israel as they left the land of their captivity after 70 years of ******* there and started their long journey back to enjoy the privilege of being once again in the land that had been appointed to them by the God who loved them.
And you remember that in Psalm 121, just as they had.
Fairly started out on that journey. They sang these words. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. I love those words.
I will lift up mine eyes under the hills. Those hills, what would they seem to indicate?
I remember about 14 years ago wandering alone on those very hills.
The hills, the mountains that are round about Jerusalem.
And looking down upon that city and the thoughts that filled my soul have been precious to me from that day to this.
Those mountains that were round about Jerusalem could not protect that city against the invasion of the enemy, could not shelter them from being carried away into captivity. Took them a long time to learn that lesson, that those things which to the the eyes of nature might seem to be so unchangeable, so say, so impregnable.
They could not protect Israel from their enemy. In spite of those mountains, they were carried away into captivity.
And now as they're about to return, they see Yonder in the distance those same hills, and they say, I will lift up mine eyes under the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. No natural resource can shelter, can protect.
Us from the dangers that are around us.
We can look to the One who created those hills. We can look to the One who is above all that is seen by the natural eye, and realize that in him and from Him alone comes that which can protect and shelter and restore to. But now, beloved, in this Psalm 133, it would seem to me that they have arrived at last. There's just one more of the songs of Degrees.
Now they have returned to this land, and the privilege of it just fills them with gladness and with joy, And they say, Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell.
Together in Unity.
Doesn't that sound so delightful? And is it not particularly precious to our souls On an occasion like this, when you and I have been enjoying something of the foretaste that awaits us, when together in the presence and in the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, we're going to see the endless fulfillment of that which was the desire and the prayer of His heart.
That for which he gave himself.
That he might enjoy the endless wonder of His church, His bride to gladden and delight, His heart to satisfy the longing affections that were there. It's going to be realized. Perhaps today we're going to hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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We're going to be called home. There is going to be that endless togetherness, that oneness, that unity.
For which he so earnestly prayed, and for which you and I also should be.
Praying. But notice how it's worded, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It sounds very delightful, does it not? Sounds indeed both good and pleasant, but how is it to be brought about?
Is there any way in which the Lord's beloved people.
Can be found dwelling together in this good and pleasant unity.
Does the next verse not give us an answer? It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard that went down to the skirts of his garments. Oh, beloved, we enjoyed, did we not?
Something of the sweet odour of that ointment as we were here together.
This morning did your soul, did mine, enjoy the sweet odor of the ointment, the name, the worthy, the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Ointment poured forth. Where did it originate? The precious ointment upon the head?
Where is that head ascended up Yonder in the glory?
And if every believer here in this company, if every believer that the eye of God rests upon where to look up this day to that ascended head, were to be touched and permeated by that precious ointment, would there not be a unity that would be according to truth, and it would be both good and pleasant.
Oh, how wondrous it is beloved, to realize.
That the child of God can look upon every other child of God and realize that there is indeed an ascended head. Head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
I think perhaps I can take in something of the significance of that expression, but I find it very hard to explain or to present it. The fullness of him that filleth All in all. Who is the one that feels All in all, None other than our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
No honor is too great, too high for him, but there's something that is spoken of as the fullness.
Of him that filleth All in all, and that is none other than the Church.
His body for which he gave himself in that coming day, he's going to look with unending delight upon that for which he gave his life, as he looked down upon his whole handiwork in creation. The best that he could say about it was very good. It was as yet unspoiled by sin. There was no flaw in it, but the best he could say was.
Very good.
But when he looks upon the fruit of the tribal of his soul he shall be.
Satisfied. And you and I are going to see reflected in his countenance, his own gladness, his joy, his eternal satisfaction in welcoming home his beloved redeemed ones. But I say there is the privilege of enjoying the wonder and the foretaste of it here. How can it be brought about, Oh beloved?
That ascended head, that is the point from which this sweet and precious ointment.
Close do I speak the truth when I say that if every believer here were to look upward to that ascended head, and partake of the sweetness of the ointment that flows down from that ascended head, there would be this good and pleasant unity flowing down upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard.
00:10:06
I don't think I'm stretching a point when I suggest that this would speak of the spoken word.
The word of the Lord from the head, through the beard, down to the very skirts of the garment. There is an ascended head Yonder in the glory, and from him and through His word we have that which is so sweet, so precious, such a delightful perfume to the heart that is redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.
Not only is it sweet, but it is that which will bring.
Into this good and pleasant unity all who look up to him.
All who value the wonder of that ointment, that precious ointment, the worthy name for the Lord Jesus Christ, may I please just look around upon this company and ask each and every one here who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Have you looked up to that ascended head?
Have you recognized that from Him and through His word there is that which is so sweet?
Such a delightful perfume that not only gladdens and rejoices your heart and mind as an individual, but which would unite you and me together in a unity that is according to the Word of God, according to the claim of the One who is our risen and ascended Head, and would bring about that good, that pleasant unity we were reminded.
Of dear Mary.
Who brought that costly 1 LB of ointment and anointed the one so dear to her heart? And we are told, although she didn't mention it herself, that the approximate value of that ointment was 300 pence.
I suppose we are right in saying one year's income at a penny a day.
Which was their labor in that day. One year's income poured out upon a blessed Savior. We're told the value of that ointment. We're told of the sweet perfume of that ointment that the whole house was filled with the odor of it. You remember too.
That after he was dead, 100 lbs was brought to that precious dead body. There's no mention made of how costly that 100 lbs was. There is no mention of the sweet odor of that 100 lbs. He was dead.
Shall I say Mary brought it while yet there was the opportunity, while his soul could appreciate the love and the devotion of one who found her delight in him. Though he was rejected and beloved. There is such a brief time left.
We're soon going to leave the land where he has been cast out and rejected and is still unwanted.
Oh, what a privilege to bring that ointment. What a privilege we shared this morning. And beloved, I just want to pass on to you that which has stirred my soul with delight in this 133rd Psalm. How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment.
Upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard that went down to.
The skirts of his garment, right to the very skirts of his garment. Perhaps it would suggest something of the joy of being found at the feet of the Lord Jesus.
Oh, what a privilege to be found beloved at the feet of the Lord Jesus, that we might know the wonder of that ointment, that we might be able by matchless and wondrous grace to share together, to display one toward the other.
And before the world that looks on that good, that pleasant unity.
That flows from an ascended head, that comes from the precious word that He has given to us, and that bears with it the sweet and pleasant odor of the worthy name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For two or three, he says, are gathered together unto my name.
00:15:10
There am I in the midst of them.