Chicago Conference: 1990
Table of Contents
John 15:1-4
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Chapter 15.
I am the true vine, and my father is the husband, and every branch of me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purges that that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me and I and you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except to abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abyeth in me, and I in him same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. And men gather them and cast them into the fire.
And they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Here it is my Father. Glorified. If you bear much fruit, so shall you be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If you keep my commandments, he shall abide in my love.
Even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love, these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Here, my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
Henceforth I call you not servants, where the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends. For all things that I've heard of my father I've made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me. But I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. And whatsoever shall last of the Father in my name he may give it you.
These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hates you, you should know that it will hiteth me before it hated you.
If you are the world, the world will love his own. But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Therefore the world hateth you remember the word that I said unto you. The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my sin, they will keep yours also. But all things, all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake.
Because they know not him that sent me.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none of the man did, they had not had sin. But now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the world the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law.
They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is calm, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me, and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Well, I'm sure that the ministry that we have in these chapters 14 through to 17 is particularly precious to our hearts. If there's someone we love, the last words that they speak before they leave us are always very important and leave a deep impression on our minds. And we think of the Lord Jesus about to leave his own and how he spoke these words to them and how it ought to and and I'm sure it did in some measure.
Touch their hearts. It ought to touch ours too, because we're here now in his absence and his desire that we should experience in a practical way what he's bringing before us in these chapters, I might just say I believe that in the 13th chapter he prepares them for the ministry that he's giving here. He washes their feet. And we all know, brethren, that very often there's something allowed in our lives that's a hindrance to us walking in communion with the Lord.
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Hindrance to bearing fruit, hindrance in service. And so the Lord said to Peter, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. It didn't mean that Peter wasn't a believer. But if we're going to really enjoy the Lord in our souls, and be useful for him in this world, we know that there are times when our feet need to be washed. We pick up the defilements of this world that we're passing through and to all good for us.
To, as it were, be willing to put our feet into the Lord's hands and allow Him to remove anything and everything that would be a hindrance to communion and fruit bearing. So after this, then in the 14th chapter, I believe the main subject is communion, beginning with the Father's house, where communion will be perfect, for there will be nothing to hinder full communion up there. But He desires that there would be communion with him down here.
And the Spirit of God has been sent to comfort our hearts, to shed abroad the love of God in our hearts, to lead us into all truth. So I think particularly in the 14th chapter it's communion, whereas in this chapter it's more perhaps fruit bearing and service, in the 16th chapter I believe it's intelligence. And then how much we need is keeping this we have in that 17th chapter the Lord's High Priestly Prayer.
But in this particular chapter, I believe those two things are the.
Theme that are brought before us, that is fruit bearing in our lives and then serve us. It says later on in the chapter that he ordained us that we should go forth and bear fruit. And so I believe he's sending us forth, as it were, into this world to be a testimony for him in our lives individually and collectively too. I might just also add that particularly in John, we don't have so much the truth of the Church brought before us.
As the family and possessing the life and nature of Christ eternal life.
And also having the Holy Spirit within us, so that the thought is more particularly that we're in the family of God in a relationship knowing God is our Father being able to enter into and enjoy His thoughts, whereas in the the Pauls ministry we have particularly the Church.
The place we occupy A nearness to Christ as members of his body.
They're connected in a way, but there's sort of a different theme that is brought before us in Pauls ministry. But I believe brethren, if we're well established in John's ministry, we'll be able to enter into in fuller measure what we have in Pauls ministry.
As the subject on our chapter is fruit bearing, there cannot be any true fruit bearing if there's a troubled soul or if there's not peace in your heart, if there's something that would make you be uncertain as to the one whom we bear the fruit for. And by and so it's nice to see how he starts at 14th chapter. Let not your heart be troubled. And in the 27th verse the Lord says.
To his own. And as he's about to prepare them for his leaving peace, I leave with you.
My peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And so, how lovely it is. You know that he wanted to put that in their souls, that all is well, because he goes to the Father and he's going to be there representing them. And in the 14th chapter he says he'll send another comforter. How wonderful that is. So we have every reason to be able to go on in full communion without anything between the hinder and by grace bear fruit. That's what this chapter is about.
Bearing fruit. And you know each one of us, because we are indwelt by the Spirit of God, I really believe there will be something at the judgment seat of Christ that will last and wonderful will not be burned up. It's a wonderful thought. But what he would have is not just fruit, but more fruit, much more fruit and lasting fruit. That's really the way this progresses.
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This subject of the vine is brought before us in Isaiah. I think it's the 5th chapter, isn't it?
In the 5th chapter of Isaiah and the first verse.
Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill, and he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes.
And it brought forth wild grapes, and now all inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And men of Judah judge, I pray you betwixt me and my vineyard, What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes. And we learned from the seventh verse, The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel. So Israel were set as the vine in the earth, sat there to bear fruit for God, to represent God, so to speak, before the nations.
So that the other nations would see a people who had the knowledge of God, who could be a testimonial light for him in this Dark World. And so when he talks about what more could have been done in my vineyard that I have not done in it, it speaks about all the advantages that were given to Israel as a nation. The tower I believe referring to the temple, their place of separation, especially blessed of God.
But the whole test only proved that there was number fruit for God from the first man. There's nothing for God at all from our natural hearts. That's why the Lord said to Nicodemus in this very this very book, he must be born again. There's nothing we need. A new life says in the Old Testament that.
All that there was such a heart in them that they might walk in my ways.
It says if there had been a law given which could have given life.
Verily righteousness had been by the Law, so there was number, fruit, or God. But now shall I put it this way, God begins all over again. His own blessed Son comes down into this world, and every step of his blessed pathway was pleasing to God his Father. We find that heavens breaking asunder on 2 occasions to declare the Father's delight. In him Heaven looked down and saw one. I say again, whose whole life was fruitfulness for God.
Now he brings us into association with himself, gives us a new life and cares for us, prunes us if necessary, deals with us whatever is necessary, so that there might be, as our brother said, fruit and more fruit. Much fruit. Fruit that remains so that every one of us, brethren who are in the family of God have the same new life. We have the same power because we're indwelled by the spirit of God.
And if our hearts are disilling, there can be that which is a fragrance to the heart of God from these poor lives of ours, if we walk in communion with Him and allow him to deal with us in ways that are necessary, that there might be that fruit bearing for his glory, for our blessing too.
Sometimes think that that fourth verse of chapter 5 Isaiah is sort of a key to the Old Testament. What could have been done more to my vineyard than I have not done in it? There was no fruit for his glory. Nothing there out of man flesh was the reason in sin. God proved in the Old Testament that there can be no fruit for himself from sinful man, fallen man. That's it. And it's the key. There we can see what he did.
With Israel, how much he worked with Israel and how much he worked with his people but no fruit to his glory. And then sort of the 20th chapter of Luke, you've got an expression that I sort of feel is the key to the New Testament. And the verse 13 then said, the Lord of the vineyard, what shall I do for fruit for my vineyard? If you read the earlier verses, that was what was happening. He couldn't get any fruit even though he sent servant after servant, profit after prophet.
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They beat some and killed some and cast them out and wounded others. And there was number fruit. They wouldn't even listen. But then the key is what shall I do? I will send my beloved son. I like the way it's worded in Mark 12, verse six having. Yet, therefore one son is well beloved. He sent him also. Now there can be fruit.
And you know, it's a wonderful thought that by his marvelous grace, we can be fruit bearers. It's a marvelous thought. We're sinners. Brethren could have borne no fruit at all. But as our brother said, we've got a life. And that life is the very life of that one. The Father sent his own beloved Son. It's eternal. Never had a beginning. He'll never have an end. It's a wonderful thought. You have it now. The same life you're going to enjoy for eternity.
And it cannot sin, but it can only do one thing. Please God.
So when we let that life have its way, that's abiding in Him, that's continuing in the Lord, the source of that life, who is that life? So it's a wonderful chapter that's before us.
What is the character of the fruit that is born for in the fighting in the mind, and what purpose has it?
Well, I believe it's the manifestation of the life of Christ in the believer. We have something of it in Galatians chapter 5. Fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, Peace, long-suffering, meekness, temperance. But I believe in a simple way we could say that every time the life of Jesus is seen in our bodies, that's a fragrance to God, because that was the person in whom he found his delight. And so we read about that in 2nd Corinthians 4.
We would deliver all we delivered unto death, for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies. So God delights to see if I can speak in this way the reproduction of the manifestation in this world of one who walks, manifesting the life of Jesus. Now that's fruit.
So the and sometimes born that the world can't see. Sure, I've enjoyed that thought too, that there is that which the outside world can see, and that is most blessed. But there is that which only the eye of God may see. And I suppose, if we could use the expression this way, every right thought in your heart and mind concerning God's beloved Son is fruit for him.
And so the new life can be manifested in an outward way towards this world, and that's most blessed. But it's fruit for God. It's what He sees, and he may see that in your heart and mind which none other can see. Well, he appreciates that fruit, even if no one else can see it. And that's been a great encouragement to me. And I've often, I say often, sometimes been privileged to use it to someone who perhaps was lying on a sick bed or cut off from intercourse with the outside world.
And perhaps felt discouraged because they didn't think there was anything they could do for the Lord. But every right thought concerning God's beloved Son is fruit, isn't it? Even if the world can't see it, the Lord can see it.
In John 829 the Lord says, and he that sent me is with me.
The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him.
There was always that fruit in his life that was for the delight of God.
And I think the answer is we've given it to our brother's question is what profit is the fruit. First of all, it's for the delight of God. He always delights to see his Son manifested.
In him personally it was perfect delight, and as manifested in us, he has that same delight, same character of delight, not the same fullness of it, but the same character.
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We often think of fruit simply as serving others service, Christian service. That's the way it's usually equated. Well, it includes that, no doubt, but it goes far beyond that. As has been remarked and I think the 1St and primary answer to What is the benefit of bearing fruit? It's for the delight of God.
That's brought out in Judges Chapter 9 and verse 13 where the vine says should I leave my wine, which cheareth God and men to be and go to be promoted over the trees.
So it's the vine that there's the fruit that gives the wine that cheers God and men, so it's for God's pleasure. I like to think of fruit rather than that list that our brother mentioned in Galatians 5.
Lovejoy, Peace. None of those in that list are active things. They're all passive. They're manifested, perhaps, in service, but they are not service in themselves.
And a tree to bring forth fruit is not running. Hit her and yon to make fruit. It is simply the branches remaining in the main stock of the tree.
The SAP runs up through the main trunk and into the branches out to the.
Place where the fruit is being formed and if that connection is maintained, that is the way fruit is produced. And so it's not a question of activity here, it's a question of what we had mentioned in chapter 14 is communion and I really like to think of chapter 15. Really the subject of it is not so much perhaps fruit bearing, although that is the result.
As abiding in Christ, abiding in the vine. That's the important thing.
And if you and I abide in the vine, the automatic result is going to be.
Fruit for God's pleasure. Fruit that's manifested as well to our brethren and to the world around.
I'd like to ask a question in connection with the first chapter Colossians in this regard that you've been Speaking of brother. In the eighth verse it says who also declared unto us your love and the spirit. That's where it starts, doesn't it? Love to Christ is not the spring of where the fruit comes from in the vessel. But then verse 9 For this cause we also since the day we heard it.
Do not cease to pray for you in the desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Now here's the three verses that would perhaps be the question that has bearing on what we're speaking about. The 1St is outward, that you might walk worthy of the Lord on the wall, pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. That's the directive, isn't it, for the Colossians of Saints. And then he says, strengthened.
With all might, according to his glorious power.
Unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. That's the inward working, would we say. And then we come to verse 12. And I think this is lovely, brother. And because it's the it's going back to God. David says, all that I have is thine and I am thine. He's one of a receiver. I haven't received it from thee. And so it says giving thanks unto the Father.
Which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light? That's fruit upward, isn't it? So we can have fruit outward, inward, and upward. I think of that verse in the first of Philippians. It says it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. What is it? Well, our blessed Savior is bringing out here so beautifully in the our 15th chapter. Isn't it that we very much prove that we?
The we would develop in those ways that would bring what the vine would speak of its joy.
That's the end of it, isn't it? The joy in the Lord.
Hebrews chapter 13 speaks of the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. So there it's just praise. But I believe that it really is this manifestation of the life of the Lord Jesus. And so whether it's outward for others to see or not, the Lord sees it. He has a book of remembrance.
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And he records even a thought upon his name, while other people don't know when you have.
Lord Jesus, But God has a book of remembrance where he records that.
So that here we find but I believe in this verse where it says every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit. I believe the thought really primarily in the branch that bears no fruit being taken away was similar to the case of Judas, and is the same thought as in the sixth verse.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. There was such a thing as being in the place of privilege, of being near the Lord like Judas was, but not being a true child of God at all. And I believe this is what the Lord is Speaking of. We see also the same thing in the 13th chapter of Matthew.
When the seed was sown, if there was number fruit, why there was nothing for God from it at all?
But anything that fell upon good ground didn't all bear the same amount of fruit. But there was some fruit, and I believe, as our brother said before, that there will be fruit in every believers life in that coming day. If there's no fruit, it's because there's no divine life. But there is such a thing as being like Judas or like those who are spoken of in the epistle to the Hebrews who made a place of.
Profession.
But then the reality came out. They weren't really the Lords. They had never really been in the family of God, and it comes out sooner or later. So every branch that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and Judas was taken away.
That every branch that beareth fruit he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit. And we all need this purging process that is the Lord.
Deals with us in ways that are necessary so that there would be more fruit in our lives for him. And when he sees that we are his children, he knows them that are his. By then he brings into our lives circumstances sometimes very adverse, but in this way draws us near to himself, perhaps back if we wandered away so that there would be fruit and but I think that little expression. My father is the husbandman.
If I went to prune trees, I'm sure I would make a mess of it, because I don't know what to cut off and what not to cut off. But I think this is so lovely. My father is the husband and and brethren, if the Lord brings anything adverse into your life or mine, he didn't make any mistake about it. He knows what he's doing and we need grace to see his hand in it. And as we read in Hebrews 12, yielded the peaceable fruits of righteousness.
Unto them which are exercised thereby.
So often there's bitterness in our lives because of what the Lord does allow, but it's always because we have our eyes upon some brother or some sister or some set of circumstances that were contrary to us. It's almost always that way, brethren. But when we get our eyes on the Lord and realize that the Father is the husbandman, he's the one that's doing the pruning. Is there any room left for bitterness?
Or discouragement, brother can't be. We really have our eyes on him and realize that he is already given his only son to make his his own. And is he going to allow anything in our lives unnecessarily? No. He has our good in view and so to receive every single circumstance from his hand really brings peace to the heart and will bring.
Productivity in our lives as well.
That's what we have in Ephesians 5 and verse 20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's fruit bearing. Does it not give him thanks for all things that thought of purging every branch that beareth fruit? This is reality. These are ones that are vital belong to him. He purchased it.
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Not just ones that need it. Every branch he purchases that it might bring forth more fruit. And you know, purging is really not the most desirable thing as far as flesh is concerned. It's cutting back. It's knocking down a little bit. And we need that because, you know, if there is fruit bearing, there's a tendency to, like Joel, be pleased with yourself because of it. And we need a little purging, we need a little bit cutting back.
Knocking down and it's a it's a good thing. The Lord graciously does that, you know, I believe most of what will result, but whatever is done for the Lord in the Spirit or by the Spirit will not be known until the judgment seat of Christ. That's a wonderful thought, I think, of the children's work, so many going on all over in different assemblies and now up in the Maritimes in different places, but that won't be known the results, I think.
The great result of the fruit till the judgment seat of Christ. And in that wonderful itself it will be made known. But there won't be any time nor tendency to get puffed up there. You won't need any purging or cutting back. It'll be all to his praise and glory. Any reward or any crown will be cast at his feet. And so isn't it wonderful that it will be made known. But thank God it isn't all made known. Now we really have to be purged and cut down.
Because we have a tendency to think well of ourselves. It's just there. It's a sad thought, isn't it? So purging is very necessary. So there could be more fruit. There can't be fruit unless it's himself. That's manifested as doing it in you. Just a broken vessel.
That's all.
Sometimes it comes afterwards, that is the Lord.
Fees that we are getting that way or it might be preventative as with the Apostle Paul.
God allowed a thorn in the flesh, and it wasn't because Paul had been puffed up. But last he should be exalted. So sometimes the Lord may allow things when he sees a certain tendency in our hearts and in our lives, and He allows something that's humbling to us. And Paul felt this, and the Lord never took that away. He asked the Lord three times if he would remove that, and the Lord's reply was?
My grace is sufficient for thee.
For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Sometimes you might think, well, if I've learned a lesson, then the Lord will remove it. It's not necessarily.
He may leave it. He may leave it because he sees certain tendencies and we all have them. We may not be aware of them, perhaps our breadth and ours, but the Lord sees them. And sometimes it's correction, sometimes it's preventative, but it's always in perfect wisdom and in perfect love.
I'm not. I'm not much at farming, but isn't it possible to have a branch in a vine that had leaves on it? It's showing that there's some life there, but it doesn't have any fruit.
I think that's possible.
I've always thought, and would bear to be corrected if this is wrong, that verse two, look at it very carefully. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away. I rather thought that might be one that wasn't going on for the Lord and not bearing any fruit for him, and he might remove him.
In government.
Doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't have life.
Every branch in me, he says. But in verse six it very clearly shows that that branch is burned and cast into fire and destroyed. Clearly an apostate, one who had been in the vine but was cast out. Just seems as though verse six is much stronger than verse two. Would you allow that that verse 2 might embrace just a very worldly believer?
That made a profession, but there's no there's no fruit, and so the Lord takes them away.
Well, I wouldn't be dogmatic. It does mention in me in the sixth verse also, so that.
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But it is true that the Lord does in his governmental ways, like we have in John's epistle. It says that there is a sin unto death. I do not say that he should pray for it. I really had thought of the second verse. And the sixth verse is bringing before us the thought of profession, because.
Judas was one who had been identified with the Lord and had part in that ministry, as it says, but still he wasn't a believer. However, I wouldn't be dogmatic.
That sin unto death and that wherein the Lord may have to remove one and take him home is not just that he's not bearing fruit, he's dishonouring in the name of the Lord and he's going the other way all the way. But I do believe here we have one that beareth not fruit because there's nothing there and and I've always thought that way but I believe by application you be say that it's one that's not doing anything or not letting us spirit have his way or something like that.
But even the thought of the Lord, you know, the worst of us have that I was thinking we were mincing. Much of the fruit is never manifested and never seen. We do have testimony as lights and so on. That's beautiful. That's that's a privilege we have. Or when we confess him before men, that's that pleases himself and he confesses us before angels in heaven and so on. So we have the outward manifestation. But I think probably the most beautiful is what God accounts and what the Lord himself appreciates.
And I was thinking it was highlighted in Matthew 26. We don't have to read these portions. But when when Mary came with the alabaster box and she had believed his word, that's all she did. That's everything She believed what he said. She didn't understand it. I don't believe she entered into it fully. He's going to rise again. The 3rd day she entered into that well, the disciples said when she anointed him with that precious ointment.
To what purpose is this waste? And the Lord said in verse 10?
Why trouble ye the woman? She has wrought a good work upon me. This is how much the Lord appreciates, even when we remember him on Lord's Day Morning, how much He appreciates it, and our Father think how much it means to him. So he says verse 12. For in that she has poured this ointment on my body. She did it for my burial. She, in faith, just simply believed what he said.
Without taking it in fully, I'm sure she didn't. But she knew he wouldn't be there early the first day of the week. He'd be gone. And she's one not there. She's not there. The others are there. Verily, I say unto you, This is how much it means to him Who wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her. And I think what she did.
Continues to bear fruit for her.
Is that a wonderful thought? And that's how much the Lord appreciates that.
The children here, they wonder, what must I do to bear fruit? Well, I believe the smallest act of love we do for Christ. The smallest act that's if we do it in love for Christ. That's true bearing. And we'll get us reward in the coming days.
But we have to remember at the end of verse 5, without me you can do nothing. That just sort of sums it all up. And that's why the abide in me. Without me, you can do nothing. Let's don't think we can do something, even though if it seems right according to the word of God, if our if, if it's our own thought, our own reason, our own initiative, and not a work of the spirit that isn't fruit, that may look nice, may be appealing.
You know that isn't fruit. Fruit is what is of God. Is fruit unto God, and it's from the Spirit. Enough. Wonderful, isn't it? We can't properly appraise fruit. We are not equipped. But it will allow the Spirit to have His way. It'll always occupy us with Christ, you know, Always magnify Christ. And that'll be fruit.
I think the thought and abiding is really the practical side of things, as we can see because the exhortation.
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In the fourth verse, abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it Abide in the vine. No more can ye, except ye abide in me. Well, you can see that the thought of abiding in Christ is a practical side of things. If we're looking at it as a sign that a person is really in the family, well, every child of God in that sense is in Christ. But here it's an exhortation that we would abide in him.
So the disciples, Now the Lord was going away. It was a real trial for them to see him go away. It seemed the dashing of all their hopes, because they expected him as the Messiah to set up the Kingdom. But how important it was that they should, in their souls in communion, keep close to him. He's not here, brethren. Personally, he's gone away. But we can abide in Christ, and that is continuing in the path of obedience and communion, I believe.
And that's how we abide in Christ. And that's the only way that there can be.
Fruit bearing that is acceptable to God.
When none of us is a constant, it was with the Lord Jesus. He always did what pleased his Father, but with us, alas, it's not always true. But as we do seek by his grace to walk close to Him and in communion with him, then we know that there is this fruit that is so pleasing to Him for his glory, And it's a happy path too, as we can see, because.
Goes on about abiding in His love and so on. I believe it's a practical side of things that is brought before us in this portion that should touch each one of our hearts.
In that sense, then, is the expression in verse 6 where it says, if a man abide not in me, does that convey to us the thought that every believer, as our brother has remarked, will have some fruit for the Lord? That is, we could not say of a true believer that he is not abiding in Christ. He might at a particular time in his life be away from the Lord. But here it's in the absolute sense, If a man abide not in me, well, there's there's no life there at all, isn't it?
To me, that makes it clear it's a practical exhortation. But in every believer there will be something that manifests that new life. Sad to say, you may not see it very often in me, and that's a sorrowful thing if that's the case. But how many times, and perhaps speaking to our own hearts, have we come in contact with someone who, to all outward appearances, most of the time, didn't seem to produce much fruit for the Lord, but probe a little bit, probe deeper and.
Sometimes you'll get a confession of Christ that he didn't think was there. I can remember a man right now who for years.
People said, well, I don't think he's the Lords, I don't think, no, there's no evidence there. But once I had the opportunity of getting him by himself and he confessed Christ very brightly to me, told me he'd been saved when he was a young boy. Well, there was, there was fruit there, there was something there that you might say could be uncovered, but it would have been nice if there had been more manifestation on it. And so it is the practical side, but every time.
That the new life displays itself. Well, there is there's fruit for God. If there's never any of that, well, then there's no life at all. Is is that correct? Yeah, I believe so. And the leaves are not looked at in Scripture as a sign of reality because the fig tree, the Lord cursed, there was nothing but leaves, but there was nothing for fruit. There was no fruit for him. And so I believe that this is what the Lord is looking for. And brethren, I say again, and I believe it's important for us.
Every true believer has the capacity to bear fruit.
In fact, he has the capacity to bear as much fruit as any other Christian God doesn't have any favorites. And there's a beautiful verse in John Three that says God giveth not his spirit by measure. In the new translation the Mr. Darbys translation, the words God give us, not his spirit by measure unto him, are not put in. It's how could the Spirit of God be given by measure? He's a divine person.
And so you have the Spirit of God. I have the Spirit of God. But we may not be.
That power that God has given, we may not be in the enjoyment of communion that we can have because of having that new life, but the capacity is there in every believer. And so these chapters where the Lord is speaking to his own is to encourage them in that path to walk in communion, to allow the Spirit of God to have his way, to walk in the sunshine of His love. It's very precious, but it's very solemn. How?
00:45:25
A person can be in an outward place just like Israel were, and there was number, divine light, and nothing for God, even though they kept up the outward ceremonies and went on with the ritual, but no heart for Christ.
It's a real challenge to this brethren to examine our ways too. That we live and fellowship daily with the Lord is that's the only way. There will be fruit in our lives. The tree or the vine will never be occupied with how much fruit is buried. That's not the point. The point is to maintain that vital relationship of fellowship, and that vine has to be intimately connected to the main trunk that goes into the ground.
And the SAP that comes up through the main trunk, down the branch to the place where the fruit is being formed, then that is the way fruit is formed, it says in the Song of Solomon.
The bridegroom says to the bride, Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vine. So oftentimes they're just little things in our lives may not be great things. It's the little boxes.
That come in and they nip those little branches and they cut the connection there, and it may appear that it's still connected there, but the main force of vitality has been broken and there's the fruit that was forming. There is no good any longer. And how often that happens in our lives as believers in the Lord Jesus, we even maintain an outward position of going on for the Lord.
But we allow some little detail in our lives that cuts that vital fellowship with himself, and the fruit is gone. There's no fruit there. The Lord. Exercise our hearts, dear brethren, and your young people too, to maintain that fellowship, that intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus. That's what it's meant by abiding in Him. Without him, we can do nothing.
I don't know if a little illustration from the Archer, but help or not, but as being a brew grower, I do know that it's important for us and we're showing. It's been very exciting to remove that lush growth that you see coming up so vigorously.
On the branches because in removing that it permits the fruit buds to develop for 1991 last year. It also helps the colors of fruit to so that the fruit would be usable if we remove those branches that are so prominent sometimes in a tree, so all that outside vigorous growth that we see on the outside.
Is not always beneficial to the fruit that was found. I just get that little illustration because I believe that as our brother just mentioned, we really need to have the sunshine coming down on these trees. It was developed the fruit bugs for the following year.
And also helps to produce a nice fruit for the present year. And so sometimes drilling is very, very necessary.
I was just wondering the difference. I have an idea but I don't want to give it out. But where it speaks of fruit bearing and we've been mentioning that we all have the same capacity but not the same fruit. And in Mark 4 verse 20 it speaks about the seed falling on good ground and there's one now that in Christ in tight and it says such as here the word.
And receive it.
And bring forth truth, some 30 fold, some 60 and some 100, all some fruit, but there's an increase there. But my thought was in Matthew on chapter 13, it's the same thought, only it decreases. It begins with 100 and goes down to 30. And I was wondering is the difference because in Matthew 13, it's it's Israel, they rejected him and we're set aside.
00:50:09
The children, the Jews? Or what is the reason that it's decreased in Matthew 13 but increased?
I just wondered if you have a call on that.
Perhaps someone else did.
I've heard that the differences in Matthew.
It was committed to men, the board called America, sent them out. And so under the Lords people ourselves, we fail and everything that's given to us.
In the gospel of Mark, it's the perfect servant.
And there couldn't be anything but an increase when the word that's presented by the Lord Jesus that increased in its fifth term.
That's not my thought. That was a thought that was presented. I don't know who by or, but some years ago it stuck with me.
With a servant, there's a need for encouragement, isn't there? So he gets the the idea the hundredfold. I've talked to farmers out West and they tell me about how many bushels to the acre. You know, that's the big objective. How many bushels want to get 100 bushels or you get the acre of 60 bushels.
Or 40 bushels. Well, 40 bushels isn't doing very good, but you get up above the 60 to 100 acres, 100 bushels. That makes the servant all excited about the fight. Mr. Hunt says he's a sanguine servant. The Evangelist is a sanguine servant. So you want to tell him about results. But in when it comes to responsibility as the Matthew with the Kingdom, life, as you mentioned, everything left to man. It's not going to be fruitful, it's going to go the other way.
I think that analogy I've heard that also from others to verify what you have run out.
In a practical sense, it's true that there are some who start out very well and then toward the latter part of their lives, Brother spoke to us about Hezekiah, and he started out very brightly, but things diminished instead of increasing. And then others, you see they don't start out perhaps so brightly, but at the end of their life is very bright and there's much more fruit bearing in the latter part of their life. And so in a practical sense, we often see that.
I didn't say that to go against what has been said. Those are nice thoughts, but.
I was thinking, in a practical sense, that's often true in the lives of Christians as we watch them.
Some we watch them grow and make progress, Some, alas. As time goes on, there's a decrease instead of an increase. But there's always fruit where there's reality.
That thought brings out demons, does it not, of Paul, who in the Epistle to Philemon on the 24th verse could commend Demas as a fellow laborer that was fruitberry. When your fellow laborer with Paul, that's wonderful, but he's mentioned twice more, and the next time he's mentioned he doesn't commend at all. And then the final time, Paul says he's forsaken me. I believe it's a picture of Paul's doctrine.
Leaving it as Christendom seems to be doing today, he's forsaken me, having loved the present world. Demas means popular. And I believe there's a danger, brethren, if we find ourselves popular with those in the world. The danger of not only not bearing fruit, but leaving And sad, isn't it? Lemus didn't lose his life, didn't lose his soul. I mean, that's eternal, but he lost his life for Christ. That's one of those examples.
So it's a real solid thought. He was a fellow laborer of Paul, that's fruit fairy. But he ended up forsaking Paul the truth and going into the present world, not the present evil world. I believe he was going into the better part of the world, but his life was no longer fruitful.
Like to hear something said about verse three? A little further run.
First three, as you say, yes.
Well, I believe that he's Speaking of reality there in the same way that you have in the 13th chapter.
John John Chapter 13.
And the eighteen birds? Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
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A verse 10 is what you want, Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, he that his wife needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whip, and GR Clean but not all.
For he knew who should betray him, therefore said he are not all clean.
So I believe he's speaking, as I mentioned in the practical side of things, about abiding in Christ. But as to our possession, we are washed all over once for all, and we are clean. That's the difference, brethren, between what took place when the priests entered their position. They were washed all over at the lever. They washed their hands and their feet, but they didn't have to be washed all over again because they were put in that position.
That every believer has been washed all over. If you turn to Titus Chapter 3, I believe we have the thought there.
And it's very interesting. It's connected with what we are talking about.
I'll read from the third verse, For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers, lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy. He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Which He shared on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace.
Should be made errors according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying. And these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. That is, in our past days. He said, we were foolish, disobedient, deceived. But God met us, and he washed us all over, and brought an entirely new order of things into our lives.
The washing of regeneration is really not the thought of our sins being put away in the blood particularly, although that's blessedly true.
But you become a new creature in Christ Jesus. You stand before God in a new life, a life that never sinned and cannot say in the very life of Christ. And so he says, How do we correct those who have become careless in their walk? Do we place them under law? No, he said. Remind them of the position that they have been brought into, not only our sins, put away in the precious blood of Christ, but before God in this new life.
And we bring this before them. Why? You have a new life. You're before God. You've been washed all over. You have the Holy Spirit of God.
Now we're called upon in a practical sense to act accordingly, and that's what I believe the Lord is saying. Ye are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you. When a person receives the word of God, he's washed all over he comes a new creature in Christ. Jesus enters a new position. And now it's important in the practical sense that we abide in Christ so that there would be fruit bearing.
So that I believe he is Speaking of what he talked about in the 13th chapter.
It was true of all the disciples except Judas, but with Judas it wasn't true.
Peter might deny him, and did, but there was an entirely different result. He wept bitterly. He's restored. He's used again. He was washed all over, but he needed to have his feet washed after he failed. But with Judas, there was no reality. It was nothing to work on, so to speak.
Washing all over was something that happened once for all, wasn't it? In the case of the consecration of the priests, they were washed all over once, and then it was a continual thing as they went into the service of the Tabernacle to wash continually their hands and their feet as they went in to do the service of God. And so with us too, brethren, it's important if we're going to bear fruit, to realize that we are exhorted here.
Not to attain some position. It is to walk in the good of the position that I already occupied before God, and that really sets the soul at liberty, if we understand that.
01:00:16
That say abide in me to one who doesn't have divine life is meaningless, isn't it? It's impossible. Abiding in Him is communion and you can't have communion without the life. So the evidently that's why verse three is there to show that the the new life has been communicated, giving the power to abide in Him and produce fruit. We are clean every whip by the word Verse 3. And it's the same way that we continue practically clean. It's the word.
And I was thinking, is that the thought in the 17th chapter when he's speaking to his father and he says in verse 14?
Well, later.
Verse 16 or 17 Sanctify them through thy truth thy word is true. And verse 19 For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
And it's he's committing us now to the Father, isn't he? As he's Speaking of going to the Father. And that work is still the word of God. It's the only way we can continue in a way that we're in communion and we can abide is by that precious Word. And it's Christ. He is the word.
I think it's so important that we recognize the need, the absolute need, of pruning in order to to have good fruit. Whether Henry was telling us, oh, you'll get fruit if you don't prune the vines, but it won't be of high quality and there won't be any preparation for the future either. And God our Father, wants to see the blessedness of the reproduction of Christ in our lives.
And so he brings things in which hurt he brings. Pruning hurts. It's cutting off those chutes that would rob the the fruit of its vitality and make it all be much less than it would be without those, those other shoots. Our hearts are like that. We go out after 1001 different things in the world that are not Christ, and he will come in and deal with us and.
The Father will prune us. Every son whom he receives he chastens, and he scourges. That's a very strong word, every Son whom he receives. So if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, that are you ******** and not sons, and so as we've been saying this afternoon.
Reality requires because of the the old nature that's there, pruning because the old nature will shoot out after 1000 different things that are not Christ.
And in order for the new nature to have its full result in our lives, the father has to prune us. And so he's the husbandman that does the pruning. And he uses he uses things that are not pleasant sometimes, quite often of things that we would rather not have to go through to to bring forth fruit, to teach us to be cast upon him, and to rely upon him to teach us patience, for instance. We don't have patience.
Naturally speaking, that's one of the ninefold fruits of the Spirit. Fruit of the spirit. It's the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruits. It's. I like to speak of it as a nine flavored fruit. Lovejoy. Peace, long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance. There you have it. But it's the fruit of the Spirit, and when the Spirit is operating in our lives, he produces that fruit.
And every one of those nine flavors speaks of Christ, doesn't it?
And one of them is patients or long-suffering.
Like to consider this group in connection with families that are here at the conference.
That Psalms 132.
I think there's a practical word for mothers and fathers who are here at the meetings, verse 11.
The Lord has sworn in truth unto David. He will not turn from of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne, If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne forevermore.
01:05:08
To me, there's a little bit of encouragement here. I don't want to belabor this thought too much, but fruit is children are mentioned here as the fruit of the body, and there are many young parents with young children here at the conference. They're not going to just grow up Christians. They have to make that personal decision for Christ that I enjoyed a thought that was once given out at a conference that children ought of Christian parents ought to be raised as though.
They were Christians.
The present trend in the world seems to be to allow children just sort to make their own choices and decisions. If they want to be religious, they'll make that choice at some point in time. But I believe that the word of God says something contrary or different from that. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them for the fruit of the body needs to be taught. And that is a wonderful service. I believe that a sister, a mother and a grandmother perhaps can do in a family at lending school teacher can do.
Christian teaching is so, so needed today for living in a world where the Bible has been basically shelved and stools and many children who come to our Sunday school at home have no other exposure to the word of God than what they get in Sunday School. And so I just want to use this bought in the Psalms, I trust it's correct and did not believe corrected that as a word of encouragement to Sunday school teachers and to mothers who are here because as a fruit of the body.
Is like the fruit of the fruit tree. It's perishable and it needs all of that pruning and correction. Then we perhaps spend a lot of time on our plants. But do we spend as much time on the fruit of the body that the Lord has given us our children? That they might be raised for the Lord's glory and honor and for their eternal blessing? Even speaks of grandchildren here, because it says their children shall also sit upon thy thrill forevermore. So it's a real word of encouragement to every age group, I believe that's here at the conference.
Well, our time is nearly gone. I wonder if we could hear a remark on the expression of bide in me and I in you. It doesn't merely say abide in me, but it also adds and I in you. What are the significance of that mentioned twice?
I like to think about myself as the personal enjoyment of the Lord's presence with us, that as we abide in him. My we have the consciousness of his presence. But remember, when the Lord left the disciples there in the very end of Matthew, he said, Lo, I am with you, Alway, even under the end of the age. And there we find again in Hebrews, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
And I think many of us can say that when we lose the sense of the Lord's presence with us, we've lost a tremendous amount. We may seek to keep near Him, but the sense of His being near to us is most precious. I think of those two on the road to Emmaus, the Lord was right there beside them, but they weren't conscious of it. And there He was, walking beside them, listening to their conversation, and yet they didn't know who it was who was there.
Well, brethren, I believe we need this not only to seek to keep near the Lord, but to have the consciousness that he's there.
I remember many years ago an older brother said to me when I was quite young. He said I never asked the Lord to be with me because he's promised to be with me. He's promised never to leave nor forsake me. But I do ask him to give me a sense of His presence with me, and I believe that is important. I think it's a good point that you have mentioned there that there's the exhortation to us to keep close to the Lord, but also to have the consciousness of His presence.
Will it also be the thought that Peter had in first Peter 315? Sanctify the Lord God in your heart. Would that be the same thought? He's abiding there, but you're making him important to yourself and he fulfills your heart. Sanctify the Lord God in your heart. I think that's the thought, isn't it? It's not just that you're you're biting in him, but your ever thought is him.
01:10:04
And he's there, of course. We were looking at a verse in Philippians chapter 4 the other day, and I think it's very nice what it says.
There was apparently some kind of difficulty in the assembly there at Philippi, and he mentions in the second verse, Ibcgiodius and beseech Sintiki, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And then in the fifth verse let your moderation, or yielding us, be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. I believe Mr. Darby translates that the Lord is near. It isn't really the thought of the Lord's coming there.
But sometimes when a difficulty arises and there's a misunderstanding, we have the feeling, oh, nobody understands.
But he says the Lord is near. He's watching that he hears everything that was said. Other people may not clearly understand the situation, but the Lord is near, and how precious that is to our souls. I believe Paul had the sense of that all those in Asia turned away from him. But he could say, I know whom I believed and have committed. I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day, as if all these turned away, and the Lord's right near And he says.
Lord, I just have to commit it to thee. And he leaves it there because the Lord was near. And let's remember this brethren. Misunderstandings come difficulties. People say hurtful things. Never think. Nobody understands. The Lord is near. He sees it, so we're to abide in Him. But also it's very beautiful that it says. And I and you. The realization of His presence at all times is so precious.
The bond of the branch to the main trunk of the vine is not only outward, perhaps abiding me, but it is inward as well as SAP has to flow through. And perhaps that's the eye in you, because it's the life of Christ, brethren, that life that is in him, that kind of flows in through us when we abide in Him, and fellowship that produces automatically, perhaps unconsciously.
Fruit And I think it's so important that we don't merely maintain an outward stance of being in fellowship with our brethren, brethren, without cultivating that intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus himself. Something that is not seen. What goes on inside of that branch, that SAP that's going out that branch, you do not see anything of that, but if there, if there is not that in the branch.
There's no vitality in the vine either, and it will be manifest in time. So may the Lord help us to maintain that intimate individual fellowship with himself.
The branch doesn't bear fruit by effort, but simply by abiding in the vine, it's just.
Just that simple, isn't it?
In 17.
John 15:7-10
Reading
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Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit. So shall you be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love. Even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love, these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you.
And that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greedy law hath no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friends. Yeah, my friends, if you do whatsoever I commend you henceforth, I call you not servants, where the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. But I've called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father.
I have made known unto you.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, That whatsoever he shall ask for the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.
If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own.
But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
Therefore the world hateth you remember the word that I said unto you.
The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my sin, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sinned. But now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my father also.
If I had not done among them the works with none other man did, they had not had sin. But now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father.
He shall testify of me, and ye also shall bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Well, in the seventh verse we have the subject of prayer brought up a very important and necessary thing in our Christian life, Because if we're really going to be fruitful for the Lord, there has to be that prayer which is private communion with the Lord. And so we see two things mentioned in this seventh verse. If he abide in me, and my words abide in you, he shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
That is abiding in Christ. Is that in communion? But my words abide in you.
Would show that our request would be, according to the word of God, quite possible for us to ask for things that are not according to the word of God. And a little God sometimes in his governmental ways, might grant things like it says in the Psalms. He gave them their desire. He sent leanness into their souls, because they asked for something that was not for their good or for his glory. And so in all our prayers there should be that desire that we would.
His will. And if he sees fit to deny it to us, well, he see he knows what is best. But if we are in communion with him, then we'll ask for what is pleasing to him personally. I was helped very much by a remark in Mr. Darby where he said that prayer is based on the privilege of having common interests with God. I think that's a very lovely thing to think of in connection with prayer.
Perhaps to make it very simple, I could put it like this. Supposing that you have a desire to give something, we'll say to your wife, and you've chosen something that you really feel would be nice for her. And then one day before you give her the gift she asked you for the very thing that you had planned to give her. Isn't there a joy, you say? Oh, isn't that lovely? That was a very thing that I had planned to give her, and now she's asking for it.
00:05:32
Well, your father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye asked him.
And brethren, He brings our souls into communion with him, so that we have common interests with him.
And that we ask for those things that are pleasing to Him. And then, as we see also, there is the matter of communion.
Abiding in Christ is the thought of communion, not merely intelligence that we ask for the right thing.
But even if I did give to my wife something that I thought she would enjoy and that she wanted, if it wasn't accompanied by love, if it wasn't accompanied by a mutual feeling of love to one another, it would lack something in the element of it.
And I believe that this is brought before us here in this chapter, and how needful, and that we read the word of God. Then we come, become intelligent as to His mind as revealed in His word, And then that we keep close to Him, That we ask for what is suited to the occasion, suited to the protect, particularly present need, which the Lord sees and knows and delights to have us see the need as He sees it, and ask for what's pleasing to Him.
It's nice to see that this seventh verse we've been discussing is really brings out the the verse that we commenced our conference with at the beginning of the first prayer meeting. And it's rather nice to see the basis, the prerequisites that are necessary to have the promise of answered prayer. That's really what this is on the 7th verse. But we had this this first read to us from first John five at the beginning.
And I thought it was rather lovely in verse 14 and 15.
This is the confidence, could say boldness that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatever whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desired of him. Well, we began with a prayer meeting.
And I believe we come closer to A1 mindless in the unity at that moment, that meeting before a conference.
As we do, as we begin our remembrance meeting, because there were very close to his.
Will all of us. And so we prayed with confidence that the Lord would undertake.
And meet the needs and feed us according to our buried needs. And it's lovely. We expect that prayer to be answered. This is individual in the in the Epistle of John, but it comes out the same in in As to the assembly, which is a higher truth in Matthew 18, I won't turn to it, but we have the same truth there when we're gathered to his name and we ask corporately. It's lovely, isn't it? And of course it depends on the abiding.
Having thoughts in common with him and his word according to his word. And I was thinking we have that that help that we we so need. I believe in Romans 8 we bring it brings that point out. So nice in Romans 826.
The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we are. We have to often admit that individually and as an assembly. But the Spirit itself maketh intersection for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, And he that searches the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intersection for the sake according to the will of God.
Wasn't it lovely that when we're together, you know, the Spirit does that? We're failing creatures. We sometimes don't know what we should pray about even, and we come to the prayer meeting and that's no reason not to commence Praying, brethren, there's things we can pray about, we know, and many of the things are just thanking him for what he's already undertaken. As there is all the past prayer. That's a good thing to do. And while you're praying, the Spirit brings things.
00:10:09
To your heart that you should have thought of yourself. I think it's sort of nice, isn't it, that we have the whole thing, But it's predicated upon abiding in Christ and His words in you. That's it.
The matter of confidence in prayer, I believe, is important too. And confidence in prayer is according to communion with the Lord, but God's answers to prayer according to his own heart. If you turn to 1St John again and the 4th chapter, I think there's something there that is helpful to notice.
First John chapter 3. I should say 1 John chapter 3 and verse 20.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God, and whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Notice there are two conditions that are brought before us here in the 20th verse if our heart condemn us.
And in the 21St verse, if our heart condemn us not.
And when the heart condemns one, there isn't confidence in prayer. But when there is really the heart not condemning, that would be when we're in communion with him, then there is that confidence that he gives. It's very lovely to see that God answers prayer according to his own perfect wisdom and love. We find, for instance, that they were gathered together in the Book of the Acts, praying for Peter, who was in prison.
Well, there wasn't a great deal of faith in that prayer meeting. But did that limit God? No. God came in and answered.
Even the law there wasn't that faith that there ought to have been, And Peter came and stood before the gate.
And so I just like to say in connection with this passage there in first John chapter three, that these two conditions are brought before us.
Of sometimes illustrated it. Like supposing a father has two sons, One walks real close to him, one enters into his mind and will, the other itself will. The time comes that these boys want to make a request of their father, the boy who isn't walking close to his father who's self willed.
He comes and he makes a request from his father. Well, maybe his father keeps him waiting a little while. The boy doesn't have confidence, he said. I'm going to coax my dad. He doesn't have confidence because he hasn't been walking close. But the father is above all that.
And after a while, he says, what I'm going to do it for him. He'll he'll know I love him. And so he comes in and he answers what the boy requested. But the boy didn't have confidence. I believe, brethren, that's the force of that expression. God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things. And isn't it lovely that even when our faith is weak, that if we're willing to commit ourselves to his will, that he comes in in spite of it?
Now in the other case, the boy comes who is obedient. Now he has confidence. He knows his father. He knows he's asking for something that his father would be pleased to give him. He knows the heart of his father a lot better because he's close to him. Both the boys get their request.
But one of them had confidence and the other didn't. Why did they get the request? Because their father's heart was greater. He was above all situations like that. And that's a wonderful thing, brethren, that God, if we commit things to him, will come in, and if we leave things and just seek only his will, he'll come in. But there is a special joy in being near to him, being confident in his love and in his care.
In communion with Him. And I believe that's what's set before us in our passage. But I just mentioned the other because often we find I find perhaps others do too. There's a lack of confidence and yet we see that we were asking for something. We're almost surprised, like they were when Peter stood before the gate. Why? Well, because God's heart is so large and he delights to bless. Let's never lose sight of that brethren. His love is a continuing love as we go on in this chapter.
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Father hath loved me. So have I loved you. We need to have the confidence of that love. But we also need to keep close to him, acquaint ourselves with His word that so that what we asked for is pleasing in His sight. That's very important, isn't it? His word. We know that if we're going according to His word, we're going to have an answer to our prayer. It's a wonderful thought, isn't it? And we can know His word. And I was thinking of Nehemiah when he prayed in the first chapter of Nehemiah.
He had a great burden on his heart. He didn't really ask for the answer. He just claimed his word. I know, Nehemiah said in chapter one, verse 8. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commanded thy servant most. He leaned on that, and he depended on it. And brethren, you know all the all the all the promises of God are in Christ. Yeah, And in him. Amen. We can claim them and we can claim them in prayer.
That's confidence, isn't it? Oh, there's sometimes we're not quite sure. But thank God for the Holy Spirit indwelling us individually.
And corporately, we have everything we need. We ought not to hesitate in prayer. I I don't know. I I know there's a godly pause, but I think it's a very healthy situation in a prayer meeting when a brother continues right after a brother. I I don't. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a pause, but it's a shame when there's a long pause and some don't get to pray. We have too much to pray about, brethren, that we should not take advantage of an hour.
That verse, if you abide in me.
That's communion, and my words abide in you. That's intelligence.
In the mind of God, the only way that we can have intelligence in his thoughts is through His word. And so now we can pray intelligently according to the word of God. If we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us. And we if we know that he hear us, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. In the 14th chapter, verse 12, the Lord says, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
He that believeth on me, the works that I do, shall he do also.
And greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.
The Lord was about to take up a new position on high back, with the Father having accomplished redemption and sent down the Holy Spirit, which he talks about in the following verses in John 14 and so the disciples in the book of Acts under the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
Did greater works than the Lord Jesus did. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached and 3000 were converted to Christ. That never happened.
During the life of the Lord. But it did happen once the Spirit of God was given greater works.
And then he says in verse 13, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name.
That will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son in my name.
Is an expression that implies his absence here and his session at the right hand of God. We ask in His name. We're gathered to His name. He's not here, He's in in the glory. So we're gathered to His name. When he comes for us, we will be gathered unto Himself, which is different. Then we will be actually with him. But when we're gathered to His name, he says, There am I in the midst of them.
Not visibly, as it will be so in the glory. But he himself is there in a spiritual sense. But here it's prayer in his name, that is the name of the one that the world has rejected here and sent back with a message. We will not have this man to to reign over us. We now present our petitions in that name, the name which he has exalted above every name, that at that name of Jesus every knee should bow heavenly, earthly and infernal beings.
And every tongue confessed that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And now we present our petitions.
In that name. Now to just say at the end of a prayer that might be selfish, that might just have my own interests, I ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus that not it's not a prayer in his name. His name implies all that is according to his will, all that is of himself. And that's what we have in chapter 15. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what she will and it shall be done.
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Unto you. So to ask in his name is to ask according to all that that name means to the Father. And James says he asked and received not, because he asked, amiss that she may consume it upon your lusts. Well, that's not asking in his name, is it? So if his word abides in us, we will ask intelligently according to the word of God that's asking in his name.
There's a whole movement afoot in Christendom, and it's based upon a verse in Mark. If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believe it, and they deify belief or faith and make that a God, so to speak, it's not the strength of our believing, it's the object of our faith that counts. It's believing God. It's believing His word, and it's asking in accordance with that.
That's where the power is, and not in something that resides within me. If I've asked and haven't received, it's because I'm so weak in my faith. While the Lord says, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, the very littlest thing ye shall ask and it shall be granted you. It's not the strength of our faith. It's nothing in us that produces results. It's the word of God and the soul being moved by the Spirit of God to ask according to His word.
There is also the thought of asking according to his will we find in the Psalms that says He gave them their desire, He sent leanness into their souls. And brethren, there is a danger in prayer of wanting something, whether it's the will of God or not. Just thinking that we can't live without it and asking God to give it to us and not really desiring to have His will in the matter. Now that's a dangerous thing.
Because when the children of Israel got what was not for their good, had only made them sick, as you remember, He reigned those quails upon them, and then they were sick because they had their desire, but it wasn't according to his will. So I believe it's good for us, when we pray, to always qualify it with that that if it be thy will, that's very as it says in James, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this.
Or that I believe, too, that there is the matter of submission to the will of God.
Turn over to First Peter, because I believe this is an important thing in our lives, and as our brother's been saying, there is an emphasis being put on what they call prevailing prayer in Christendom, and it's good for us to see the way the scripture presents it. First Peter, Chapter 5.
Verse 6.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him. For he careth for you be sober. Be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
One of sometimes said, we are very fond of that verse. The seventh verse place it on our walls, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. But I believe, brethren, it's good to remember the verse before as part of the sentence. Notice what it says. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.
I think we've all had the experience of having some care pressing upon us.
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We brought it to the Lord and we just couldn't seem to leave it there. We couldn't commit it into His hands. But I believe if I can speak of my own heart, it's usually because we haven't submitted to His hand in the circumstance that he might have allowed to take place in our lives.
We haven't humbled ourselves. I found even that sometimes when you have a car, you can't seem to leave it with the Lord. That you really get before the Lord and humble yourself that he has allowed that circumstance sometimes thought of it in this way. Supposing the Lord came to me at that time and said, Gordon, you're not very happy with the way I've ordered things in your life. I could change them and make them just the way you like them, because I have all power.
Would you like me to change them and make them the way you'd like? Or would I have the grace to say, Oh, please, Lord, just give me the grace to accept it, to take the humble place, to acknowledge that this has been allowed of thee and brethren, I have found that when you do that, you can leave your care with the Lord. But what if we don't leave our care with the Lord? That's when the enemy comes in. And as it tells us here he comes in like a roaring lion.
And many a dear Christian, he's prayed and prayed about something. And the Lord hasn't come in. He hasn't been able to leave the care with the Lord. And he he gets very discouraged because he really can't see why God didn't order things the way he'd like to have them. And perhaps the Lord's answer was like it was with Job. But Job, I wanted to humble yourself. I want you to take the true place before me, and when we have done that.
Then we can just peacefully commit it to the Lord and say, Lord, please just give me grace to accept it. And so as he goes on to say, we resist this attack of the enemy and confidence in God and recognize that every good thing that comes is on the ground of pure grace. Is there one blessing that I've ever received, whether it's salvation or anything else that I can say, I deserve that now it's all grace.
And so he passes us through in his ways, in wisdom and love of Kyle in our lives.
As it goes on to say after that you have suffered a while, he sees that process is necessary for our good and for our blessing. Well, I just mentioned this because I think many have a problem. Well, I have tried to commit this to the Lord. I just can't seem to leave it with him. I don't seem to have peace in my soul. Well, brethren, let's not forget the first part of the verse. Humble yourselves, take it from him, submit to his hand and just.
Tell him that you want to have that spirit of submission and recognize that all his dealings with us are in grace, and I believe many of the problems would cease. I don't say the trial would be immediately removed after that. She has suffered a while. Maybe God sees that I need that little time of suffering, that little time of waiting, that it's good for my soul and for his glory. But it is a wonderful scene ahead me, ahead of me. He's called us to his eternal glory.
By Christ Jesus, they're all the hard questions will be answered there. Everything will be perfect. But down here, we're just on the way, brethren.
In Matthew 11 The Lord Jesus is the rejected 1.
And he pronounces woe upon the cities where his mighty works were done. Woe to the curse, and woe to thee, Bethsaida. Or if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyron Sidon, they would have repented. And thou Capernaum the city where he was raised, where he spent much of his time anyway.
The mighty works were which were done, indeed had been done, in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have continued.
And then he lifts up his eyes to heaven, and says, I thank thee, Father, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes, Even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And there's the submission on the part of the blessed Lord to the will of the Father, as Gordon has just been saying, submitting. And then he invites at the end of that chapter us to come to him. Come unto me.
The home to home to the subject, the lowly one, the one who found his delight in submitting to the Father. And even in the face of the bitterest disappointment that his own rejected him, and he felt it keenly, deeply in his soul, he wept over Jerusalem, Oh, Jerusalem, How often would I have gathered as a chicken her as a hen, her chicks, And he would not.
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And then he invites us. Come unto me, all you that labor, and our heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me what was his yoke? It was the yoke of submission, the yoke of obedience, the yoke of subjection to the will of another. He could say, I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. That was his delight.
And he invites us to take that same place in lowly submission to the perfect, the good, the acceptable, and the perfect will of God. He always wants the best for those.
Who are his own and he always gives the best to those who leave the choice with him.
I'd like to ask a question about the 11Th chapter of Luke in connection with importunity in our prayers. We've been speaking about communion and intelligence and I I've enjoyed a few thoughts, but I just wanted to hear my brethren. I think this has to do with.
A subject that is near to the hearts of all the parents that are here.
In the 11Th of Luke and the ninth verse, the Lord Jesus says.
And I say unto you, Ask, And it shall be given, you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh find it, and to him the knocketh that shall be opened.
And then we get a remarkable analogy to a Father. It says, If a son shall ask bread of any of you, that is a Father. And this presents a remarkable picture, because our ninth verse of our chapter is such a foundational blessed truth. The Lord Jesus says, as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue, ye.
In my love.
The love of the Father is brought out here in a way that has been a comfort to the Lord's people for all these many centuries.
I can think of many times in my own case where I would want to encourage myself.
In trial and difficulty. And this verse would come to mind. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. And then it says, continue, ye and my love. But you know, some of us are fathers, we had children, and we tried to raise them for the Lord, and many of us have failed in many ways in this.
Responsibility. And so the Lord Jesus and speaking here, he speaks about a circumstance of a son asking bread of any of you that is a father. And he says, will he give him a stone? And how many of us have maybe to make an application here? We've had the Stony spirit, the hard, you know, they got an expression in the world. They call it stonewalling. And we think that because we're in a place of authority or.
Oversight that we we forget about the compassions of God as fathers. And so it says will he give him a stone And then it says if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent. Well with our children there are needs that come along that that might that might portray in some way.
Like a little boy's daddy take me fishing. I just use that for an illustration.
We could apply it to a little child, maybe drawing a picture. That's a knee. They have interests, and these interests need to be tended to instead of giving them, denying the interest. Well, if they the interest of our children is denied, what can be taken up? Well, the enemy, the serpent is right handy with all of the other availabilities of our generation. I just mentioned this, and I hope that it's not too much of an aside from what we've been, what we had before us.
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But how to bring these things down to our family's brethren? I wish that someone had brought this before me. When my family was younger, I might have done things a little different. But then the next one, it says about the.
The egg. Or if it shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? Well, the egg would speak of fruitfulness, wouldn't it? And it would speak of those things that have to do with reproduction and how the enemy would come in and spoil all of that.
The opposite, the scorpion would be in the 7th chapter of Proverbs about that, that woman there, and the evil that's connected with the turning, aside from what God intended to be fruitful.
But then it ends up and it says, if he then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children. And some of us, we missed the queue. I have to confess, brother. And I missed much of this when my family was younger. But I just bring them out. I just mentioned them for our consideration. But then it says that ye, them being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children. And here's where it ties in with what we have in our 15th chapter. How much more shall your heavenly Father?
Notice it's fall. It's falling. The Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. And so on the day of Pentecost this came about. You did not well, I just mentioned these things in view of this wonderful verse in the ninth, this wonderful ninth verse. As the Father hath loved me, there's a measure and I go back to the third chapter in the 16th verse.
And the Lord Jesus says there for God.
So loved. So loved. So love. How much does that entail? What is that word soul take in brethren? Or could we ever measure it? But here he says, as I have loved you.
Have I loved you? Continue, ye and my love. Well, these are things that have to come down to where we can demonstrate them and we should demonstrate them. I think that's the burden of what the Lord's ministry is about, that you and I would be as disciples. That would very much fruit. We would display these things. But where does it start? Well, as fathers, as parents, it goes right back to the home, doesn't it, with our children. And I just mentioned these things. I hope that it's not too far, aside from what our subject is in the chapter.
But perhaps an application that would be considered?
When you think of that verse that Bob you've brought before us, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Is it possible to receive a greater gift? No.
The greatest gift, I think, of Romans 80, that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely?
Give us all things and there they were in Acts 1.
Praying for the Holy Spirit. He has come and formed the one body, and we're members of that one body. The Spirit has been given that prayer has been answered, the greatest gift characterizing the day of grace in which we live.
He's given us all that he could give in the way of blessing. Can we doubt his love?
I was thinking of the case of Joseph in dealing with his brethren, Speaking of importunity and prayer. Why? His brethren came, and Joseph let them feel that there was a distance between he and them, and he dealt roughly with them. But it wasn't that he felt that way toward them, turned aside and left. Yet he wanted to bring repentance in their hearts.
It wasn't until he had really broken them down that his heart could blow out and give them far more than they had come, for they had just come for enough provision to take care of them in the Famine. But he brought them right there to share all the good of the land and his company above all. And so that's what the Lord desires to do for us. But this matter of importunity is, I believe, to teach us that very often there is a distance between ourselves and Him that we need to recognize, that we need to judge so that we would be closer to Him.
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And in its application there in Luke, I believe it has to do with the godly Remnant and what we have in the Psalms. Their prayers asking for God to come in really are the answer to this. And so they continue through those seven years of tribulation, asking God to come in. And finally, when they're broken down and like Joseph, they see the Lord, the wounds in his hands, then he brings them into a far larger blessing than they had ever expected.
Deliverance from their enemies was wonderful, but to be brought into that Kingdom blessing.
Far beyond their best expectations. Well, I believe there are more or lessons in this. So I'm saying this because some might think, well, should I keep on praying? Well, sometimes the Lord lets us do that. And we discover as we continue in prayer that perhaps we're not quite as near to the Lord as we should be, and that there's something that He is trying to produce in us. But let us never doubt his heart. It's full of love. It's full of desire for our blessing.
He'll not be satisfied until everyone of his own is supremely Blessed Brethren. But down here we're still in school, we still have lessons to learn and who teacheth like him. So he sees what is best, and I think it's connected, as our brethren have been saying, with what follows.
Herein is my Father glorified that she bear much fruit. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. What He is seeking to produce in US is that likeness to Christ, the life of Jesus manifested in it in US. And this can only be as we walk in the sunshine of this love. And so we need to often repeat to ourselves that verse. As the Father hath loved me, could we think of any limit to the law of the Father has to His Son?
Well, he says, so have I loved you. And so, in a day of apostasy, we find that thought brought in in Jude. Keep yourselves in the love of God. We can't keep ourselves from stumbling. The Lord alone can do that. But we can, as it were, keeping the sunshine of His love. Get up each morning and think of how much He loves us. Kneel in his prayer and not only make requests, but think of His love and think of what He has done for us.
So there's a connection here. I believe in what is brought before us in regard to prayer, and now fruit bearing and abiding in His love. It all is bound up together, so to speak.
Nice to see how that is tied in with the fruit bearing we've been considering.
Because the prayer coming in and then the purpose or the result in the eighth verse.
That my Father may be glorified, you know, when fruit is born.
Of a child of God. It's because it exalts his Son. Either we reflect him or we show him. Or that love of Christ comes out, which constrains us and goes on. But it does say at the end of verse 5 without me you can do nothing. And so that brings in verse 7 prayer. And the basis of prayer being answered to it is lovely to see that. And brethren, when we have anything that we desire to do for the Lord, let's be sure we tap into the power.
Let's be sure we not only get His will according to His word, but that we get the power. Let the Lord Himself and God our Father is with us in this. Then they'll be fruit. That's the real thought, isn't it, that we look to Him in prayer. The least little thing can quickly be connected with the power and not only his mind, but the power that virtue is so important that comes from Him in prayer.
I think we need to be careful that we don't get the attitude of being just haphazard in our prayer and well if it's God's will, no answer and if not he won't. And give a quick prayer about a certain matter and say, well, I don't want to to knock too hard because I don't want to go against his will. But if we do know something that is his will, we have the principal in James where it says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much and he lied to us used there as the example.
If you think about Elijah, he he knew that he had the will of God.
When he prayed for the famine, and it says that he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. Now we don't read about that earnest prayer that he prayed that it might not rain. But we do read where he prayed that it would rain again. And when he prayed, then we read how he was down on his knees with his head to the ground and earnest prayer. And he sends the servant. He says, go look and the servant goes and looks and well, I don't see anything. He says go look a second time. This goes on till the 7th time. And finally he says, well, I see a little cloud that size of a man's hand.
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Just that little cloud was enough and he knew that God was going to answer his prayer. And we see Abraham where he interceded with God down to if there were 10 righteous souls in Sodom. And so I think these are are examples like the Lord too, where he prayed all night before choosing his disciples, and also in the Garden of Gethsemane and the agony where he sweated it were great drops of blood.
I think we see in that that if we do know that, it's God's will.
Whether we're praying for a loved one that's not saved. Whether we're praying for somebody who has missed the path and and we we can know that we can pray intelligently that there should be that earnest prayer and God will reward it. We may not see the answer right away. It's been pointed out that Abraham may have died believing that Lot had perished or not knowing whether Lot had perished or not in the flames of Sodom and Gomorrah because he left off talking to God when they were at can righteous souls and God left off speaking to him and then the next thing you know Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed. And we don't read that Abraham and lots of paths ever crossed after that.
And so perhaps they never met again in this life. And yet Abraham gets to the glory, and there you'll see the fruit of his prayers in being answered. Remember a story about a mother who was praying? I think there's a track written about this for her son who is had gone away from the Lord, rejected the scriptures, the gospel, and he'd been out on a ship and a wave had come and watched him overboard.
And the mother was at home. And one day one of the sailors, a comrade of this man, came to tell her of the death of her son. And he knocked on the door, and he said, And he told her what had happened. She said, well, tell me something. You knew him? Had he accepted the Lord before he died? She said. Well, he said, Well, he went over the rail, cursing. God, she said. Well, then he got saved beneath the wave. Well, the way the story ended was his son had not died but had washed up on the beach.
Come to a cottage of a Christian man who had led him to the Lord. One day that man was able to come home and see his mother, who thought he was dead, and her faith was answered. So I think it's important to emphasize that side of it, too, that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, and that we shouldn't be haphazard in our prayer if we want to see souls saved, if we want to see our assemblies strengthen, we can look at the problems in the meeting where we're at, and we can either be a part of the problem or we can be a part of the solution.
And I believe being a part of the solution comes when we begin in earnest prayer for the Lord to come in and meet the need and he will.
In Isaiah 64 there's a nice verse that relates to that.
I've often enjoyed it's verse 7, Isaiah 64 and 7.
Says There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. For thou hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities.
Just that expression. There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. In what way can we take hold of the Lord? It's through His precious word, and they're just thinking. And I'd like to give a verse that the Lord has encouraged me as a parent to other parents here in connection with our children in Matthew chapter 18 that we can use to lay hold on the Lord for our children.
Matthew chapter 18 and verse.
The Lord Jesus is Speaking of the little ones. And he says in verse 12, How think ye if a man have 100 sheep, and one of them be gone astray, that they not leave the 90 and 9 And goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which has gone astray, that so be that he find it. Verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep than of the 90 And 9 went not astray.
Verse 14 Now Even so, it is not the will of your father.
Which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish? There's a very definite pronouncement on what the will of the Lord is, Brethren, We as parents have to confess we fail, and that's why failure comes in with our children too. And we have to admit that if they're going to receive the Lord's blessing, it's not going to be on the ground of our faithfulness.
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Not to excuse our unfaithfulness, but it's got to be on the ground of His sovereign grace, not on the ground of our faithfulness. And so there's a very definite word that we can go to the Lord. We can say in effect, Lord, it's not my word, it's not my thought. It's your thought here. It says it right here in the word, and I'm here. And in that sense we lay hold of Him.
For those little ones that can be applied in many other areas too. And we have definite verses from the word of God as to what His will is in our lives.
Nice to see, as we've been considering the fruit as a result of abiding in himself and His word and praying. Well now there's joy too, and it's lovely to see that, but it comes in with love 1St and it's remembering how much we're loved.
As the Father loved me, so have I loved you. Continue in my love. I believe that word continue would be the same as abide again the same thought abide. It's living in the good of it always. And then he says, if you keep my words, my commandment, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abiding His love. And now there's another resolve. The 1St is, of course fruit, which is?
Outward and it's observing much.
Father, and delightful to our Father, but he's always so faithful to us, and there's joy that we have. And I think it's so beautiful to see that my joy might remain in you and your joy might be full. This is the result of it, a result of dependence and obedience and prayer. Well, fruit is wonderful. But, brethren, what about that joy, that joy that the world knows nothing about and can't know? It's something that's very precious.
What is his joy? His joy is obedience doing His Father's will. Rather simple, but that's it. We get it so nicely, do we Not in Hebrews 12, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame He had joy in that he had a sense that he knew he was doing the Father's will. Isn't that lovely? Even so, Father, not my will, but thy will be done.
And brethren, there's a special joy that comes. It's nice if there's fruit that's grace, but I like the love that brings in that joy that you can have no matter what the circumstance that will result in fruit also.
Notice in the 14th chapter, verse 15, the Lord says if he loved me, keep my commandments.
So the proof of love is obedience. If you love me, keep my commandments. Little child will come to his mommy or daddy and say I love you. But they're not obedient. That is not the way to demonstrate love.
The way to demonstrate it is in obedience. And notice chapter 15, verse 10 is, you might say, the reciprocal way of saying that He says, if he keep my commandments, if you are obedient, ye shall abide in my love. If you love Me keep my commandments, and if you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love His path.
Was a path of subjection and obedience to the Father.
In every step he took he never from the point in time when he became a man, he never got out of the place of subjection. So he was always, always, always abiding in the Father's love, demonstrating His love for the Father.
By obedience the 14th chapter, verse 31. But that the world may know that I love the Father. He wants the world to know that he loved the Father. As the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do. That is his obedience to the Father's word, His commandment. His will was proven by his pathway. His love for the Father was proven by his pathway of obedience.
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And so it is with us. If you keep my commandments, you should abide in my love.
Trust and obey. Bob was just telling us, going on to the next verse, Trust and obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. So obedience results in abiding in His love and in having his joy fulfilled in US.
Would you say that the spring of desire in our hearts is really that love, The love of God shed a broad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost? And this is what gives us the spring of desire to be obedient. If someone came along and said, Thou shalt be obedient, that gets back to the Lord as that this too, and thou shalt live. But when I look at the wonderful work of Calvary, and I see the one that died for me on the cross, and I hear these words of love, as a Father hath loved me so, if I loved you.
This should be the spring of desire. It's the it's the wind up in my heart that gives me to for my feet to follow in obedience. Wouldn't you say that, Brandon? And sometimes we get the cart before the horse. We try to put what we do, what we've done, or what we're trying to do as as a measure of response or obedience. But really the spring of our desires all comes from His love to us, and it says we love him because.
He first loved us. That's where it starts with it. The law commands obedience to the first man who does not have the divine nature. So it forbids the very things that the old nature desires. And so it's a it's a *******. But the command of Christ is addressed to to the new nature, to the new man, and it delights to run in the way of his commandments. So it's a law of liberty and blessing.
The Lord Jesus never obeyed out of compulsion. He didn't obey, as we often do. Well, I don't like it.
But I'll do it because you told me to. Oftentimes we hear that from our children. That's not the way the Lord obeyed. We're sanctified to the obedience of Christ. His obedience was I delight to do thy will, oh God, I delight to do thy will. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. That was his delight. No having to resist a nature that was contrary to it, We have to deal with that.
But he never had that nature, and it was his delight to do it. So if we hold the old nature in the place of death, and nurture the new, and live in communion, we will delight as he did in His blessed will. The whole spring is on love, isn't it? It's really that I was thinking in Deuteronomy 7 when the Lord was reminding them now of His love. He said, Thou art the holy people under the Lord thy God.
The Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth. What was the basis of it? Because the Lord loved you. That's lovely, isn't it? It's no other divine love. There was no other reason that they were His people. Earthly, there's no other reason where his people heavenly. It's that spring and it's that source. And then you know the very last thing he said to them in Malachi.
Renders your heart when he realized he had to say it. I have loved you, says the Lord. He had to say it. He had to say it. And they they questioned it. They questioned it. And you know, brethren, that's the only springboard for us to be fruitful and happy and joyful is to be occupied with how much he loves us. You know, that was the that was the fault of the Ephesians. They left that first love. They didn't lose it. You can't lose it.
You can leave it. You can forget it. You could be cold about it. But, brethren, we got to get back to that. We love because he first loved us. That's the source of everything. It's good to remember always that his love is unconditional. He loves because he is love. He loves the Sinner. It's like a love that's in the heart of God, that is toward us, toward the center, not because of anything in him.
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God commandeth his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let's all remember this, brethren. God loves us because he is love, but our enjoyment of that depends upon obedience. We see this in a practical way, often in a family. I'm sure everyone has heard a child that's rebellious say, oh, my dad loves my brother better than he loves me, But why does that child not enjoy his father's love? Play his father's heart's yearning over him? He feels terrible that the boy feels that way.
But if that child would be more submissive and obedient, he would just experience something of the laws that was there. He wouldn't bring a love into his father's heart. It was there all the time. And so that's, I believe, what we have in these two verses, Brethren. First of all, the unconditional love. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. There's no if in that verse. It's just because God is love. But now there is an infant, the next verse. If you keep my commandments, he shall abide in my love.
And if there's anything allowed in your life or mine that is not according to the mind and will of God, it's going to hinder our enjoyment of His love. But I like that little hymn that we sometimes sing. Still sweet is to discover if clouds have dimmed by sight. When past eternal lover toward me as heir, thou art bright. Let's get that firmly in our souls that love is unconditional, always given.
In the times when it was perhaps least deserved, but because God is love. But let's learn more of walking in the past that is according to his words and will abide in his love. And that was our brethren have been saying the pathway of the Lord Jesus. He always walked in the consciousness of His Father's love because he always walked in a way that was pleasing to him. And that's the pattern that he's left for us. And since we have his life.
Since we have the Holy Spirit, we have the power to walk in the enjoyment of that here.
Let's just turn to him and say, Lord, give me grace to walk in that path that's marked out and it'll be a happy and blessing path. Could we sing the last two verses of 142?
John 15:11-17
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These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
This is my commandment, that he loved one another, as I have loved you. Great Allah has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you, and for I call you not servants. For the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. And I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father.
I may know unto you, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hates you, you know that hated me before it hated you.
If you are the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have killed you out of the world. Therefore the world hateth you. Remember the words that I said unto you. The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my sin, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake.
Because they know not innocent me if I had not come and spoken unto them.
They had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. He then hateth me, hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works with none of the men did, They had not had sin, But now they both seemed and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, as the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will stand unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth.
Which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of he, and ye also shall bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Good to notice these three things that are given to us in the 14th chapter and the 27th verse. My peace I give unto you. And then in the end of the ninth verse continue ye and my love, And now in this verse where he began.
That my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Characteristically, the Lord Jesus was the man of sorrows here. But there's only one occasion. I believe it was mentioned this morning where we have.
The Lord Jesus rejoicing and that is in the 10th chapter of Luke.
I believe it's the 10th chapter where he takes everything as from his father.
And it says perhaps we could look at it.
Yes, Luke 10 and verse 21.
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank the old Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Here we find the Lord Jesus rejoicing. How could he rejoice when those whom he had come together, As we read in Isaiah? Though Israel be not gathered yet, will I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah?
And my God shall be my my life. So we find the Lord accepting this rejection of the nation as from his Father. And since he had come to do his Father's will, he could rejoice even at such a time as that. In that hour he rejoiced in spirit. If you and I had a disappointment, a real disappointment of something that we had looked for, that would be a time when we would feel normally depressed.
But here where the Lord Jesus, the perfect one, took everything from his Father, then out there at that very point he rejoiced in spirit. What made him the man of sorrows was the fact that man was rejecting the goodness that was in the heart of God. He had come for the blessing of the nation of Israel, and indeed for the blessing of mankind. And what grieved his heart, what made him weep over Jerusalem, was because they wouldn't accept the good that he wanted to bestow, if thou, even Thou only, has known the things that belong to thy peace.
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But now they are hid from thine eyes. That was when the Lord wept. We often weep over our own problems, but the Lord?
When those whom he wanted to bless didn't receive the blessing that he longed to bestow. But here we find him rejoicing because of perfect submission to his Father's will. And I believe it's possible, brethren, that I believe that's what the Lord means here. When something comes in your life and mine, it is perhaps a keen disappointment. When received as from the Father, we can rejoice in spirit.
That we have.
Been given the grace to accept it as his will, and he has drawn near, He has proved himself more precious, perhaps, than he ever did before.
So I think this is lovely. And so he said that.
My my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full, and there's nothing sweeter in our lives than just submit to the will of God. There is the blessing, of course, in knowing what he does bestow upon us, and this brings joy. But I believe there are times when submission to his will can be perhaps the happiest moments.
I might just say this. I've often thought that we're going to talk to one another in heaven, and I would like to say to Chez Rakmechek and the Bendigo. When would you say was the most wonderful experience that you had while you were down here in this earth? And I wouldn't be surprised to hear them say when we were in the fiery furnace, And you might say, well, why? Well, because the Lord walked with them in the fiery furnace, and so his joy can come to us at times of disappointment and keen sorrow.
When in simplicity and in obedience we just bow to His will, knowing that the will of God is the source of our blessing.
Certainly when Paul and Silas were imprisoned there and acts like they had a sense of joy because they could sing at midnight the worst possible time, and I was thinking about that prison epistle of Paul's and and Philippians, and he takes everything here as from the Lord.
In the first chapter in the fourth verse, he finds his joy.
In praying for his own his brethren, that's sort of a nice thought. He could find joy in that I make requests with joy for all of you. And then he mentions himself starting in verse 12. But I should, I would. You should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds he was a prisoner.
In Christ, which is lovely to see, are manifest in all the palace and in other places.
Then he described what's happening as the result of his imprisonment and some were preaching.
Christ of contention, not sincerely to add affliction to His bonds and so on. But he said, What then will notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth? If it's the word they're preaching, Christ is priest. I rejoice.
Yeah, I will rejoice. It's a wonderful spirit to see, isn't it? And he was in prison. He wasn't asking that their prayers get him out quickly. He was saying, this is where the Lord placed me. I'm a prisoner of Christ, and what he wants me to do here, I'll do it happily. And so many of Caesar's household were saved. Wonderful thought, isn't it? Well, we got to remember that, brethren, that joy has nothing to do with circumstances or happiness.
Our prison. It has to do with your state of soul, how much you're occupied with Christ and realize this is His will for you, and if it's his will for you, that ought to bring his source of joy to you.
What comes through to me most clearly in some of these scriptures, and in fact all through the Lords pathway, is to see that here was one whose first and foremost thought was for the glory of his Father, and then for the blessing of man, but never for himself. And then he says, I want you to have that same joy fulfilled in yourself. What was his joy? To do the will of the Father, to see the blessing of you and me?
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Well, was it a happy pathway? Indeed it was. Was it a pathway of many sorrows? Indeed it was. But it was the happiest pathway through this world that there ever was. And someone has remarked that the Lord Jesus was the man of sorrows. But there was never a happier man that passed through this world because of the sense of everything being taken from God and then taking every difficulty and problem as a man to God. Well, that's a remarkable thing that we see all through the Lord's pathway, isn't it?
And it's nice what follows there in the 12Th verse. This is my commandment that she loved one another as I have loved you. That is, as we contemplate his love toward us, and as we experience that nearness where we can enter into this joy in our souls, what is the result? Well, we can't contain it. It blows out in love to others. It is the IT isn't possible for us to really be enjoying.
His love to us totally undeserved and walking in the sense of this joy in our souls without there being an overflow, the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. So divine love will never make us selfish, it will never make us self-centered. Divine love will act as it acted in the Lord Jesus. The spring of love in his heart could not be restricted.
It did we think of what the Lord said that he said, I have a baptism to be baptized with.
And how am I straightened that word straight? There is not a straight line, it's restricted Strait. How am I restricted until it be accomplished? There was a hindrance to the outflow of all that was in the heart of God until a question of sin was settled. And as soon as that was settled then it could flow out without hindrance. And so this is, this is important. First, we give a lot of exhortations about loving one another. But I believe, brethren, if we bask in the sunshine of his love and know something of his joy.
A joy that was in the pathway that was difficult. In trying. There can't help but be an overflow. And every one of us in in our ways have experienced something of this. Perhaps some of the most precious times we have had have been with someone who was enjoying the love of Christ, perhaps in trial, and it so touched our hearts, it just overflowed to us. And I believe that's why that next verse comes in.
And so he says, This is my commandment. Well, His commandments are.
Turned to the end of the 12Th chapter and I think we have the force of this.
In the last verse. But I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak his commandment. His life everlasting means the the law made commands, but it didn't impart life. But God never will ask you or me as a Christian to do anything that He hasn't given us a life and nature that delights in doing.
And that is Christianity. His commandments are not grievous. There's a very joy and pleasure of the new life that he has given to us.
John 13 He does say in verse 34 a new commandment. I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you have love one to another, I think I sort of beautiful that that's a testimony that we belong to him. It's a testimony to this world. It ought to be a testimony to one who visits in our assembly.
That we love one another. It isn't put on, it's just there. It's the Spirit of Christ coming out of us and it's a new commandment. But in in the first epistle of John, second chapter, I believe he says it's not a new commandment, it's the same commandment you had from the beginning.
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But they weren't able to do it before. It's new in the sense we now have that love in US, divine love by the spirit of God, indwelling. And so it's a new commandment. It's in a sense like the song we're going to sing when we get home is a new song of Revelations 5. But we've been rehearsing it all along. We're not going to sing a different tune or song. It's the same one.
Unto him who loved us and watch this from our sins and his own blood. That's the theme. But it's new because first time there's been singing, they'll be singing up there.
We're going to sing same thing. And so here love we can do it. And I think in that sense it's a commandment. We ought to do it if he's given us the power and it's a testimony to the world and it's what let's an assembly or a gathering function properly.
I was thinking of what it says in first John rather second John, third John verse 4. The apostle says I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth. And if there's that love for Christ going out to him, it will affect our walk on it. And that's how we prove that we do love him by our walking waste.
Think of our brother you used to be fond of saying.
If the word of God controls our heart, it will control our feet and we will be walking on the truth. And I believe in the measure we walk in the truth. There's no special joy to be compared to it than that.
Bring joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
Takes up the subject of love in First John Chapter 4. Also in the I'd just like to call attention to this nineteenth verse. I think most of us know that in the original, the word him, we love him is not there. It's not in Mr. Darby's translation. We love because he first loved us because we're very likely to be controlled by natural love, and natural love sees something in the object of love.
But God didn't see anything in me to love. He loved because of what he is in himself. And every time we think of loving another brother or sister in Christ, we should think of that. We love well because he's a nice brother, because he's been awfully kind to me. Well, that would be natural love. But we love life because he first loved us. What? What did he see in me to love? He just loved because of what he is in himself.
I've often thought that his love is like a stream coming down the mountainside, and as long as there's plenty of water in the source, every time you try to damn it up, all you do is just make it flow over a wider area. The dam might hold it back for a while, but when it does flow over the top, why, It's going to go over a lighter part. And that's what this world has been doing. They've been, as it were, putting obstructions in the way of the display of the love of God.
And at the cross they put the greatest one of all when they put the Son of God upon the cross. But what did it do? It only caused his love to go out as a little hymn says, the river of thy grace, through righteousness supplied, is flowing over the barren place where Jesus died. So let's think of it in this way, brethren, that when obstacles are put in the way to hinder our love, and they often are, you know, it hurts sometimes things that are said and done.
It's an occasion for the stream to rise higher. We love because he first loved us, not because the person was nice to me or something. And so this is a very practical for us. On the other hand, of course, our love might be restricted in a sense that by this we know that we love the children of God because we love God and keep his commandments. You're not showing love to my child if you encourage him in a path of disobedience to me.
You're really hindering him. You may say you're loving him, but you're hindering him if you're really encouraging him in a path of disobedience. And whenever we think divine love is being shown and encouraging somebody to go on in the path of disobedience to the word of God, that's not divine love. Divine love loves the children of God that we love. And by this we know that we love the children of God because we love God and keep His commandments, You'll show love to me by encouraging me in the path of obedience.
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And devotedness to Christ.
That's what the Lord meant, the 14th of John and the 15th 1St.
If ye love me, keep my commandments my words, That's how we prove that we love him when he keep His word.
What is the thought then in verse 13 here you mentioned how the Lord's love was displayed at Calvary when we had nothing but enmity and hatred in our hearts. Here he talks about the love of a man for his friend and tells them that they are his friends if they do whatever he commands.
Unless as far as human love can go, that is, a man who loved a person very much might lay down his life for his friends. The Lord loved us and laid down His life for us when we were His enemies. But now He has given us a divine life. So the 14th verse views us as those which who have this new divine life and of course as such.
We are in that position, and you are my friends. If you do whatsoever I command you, I think of a friend as a person to whom you can really pour out your heart, you can talk to them and feel that that person understands and loves you. And I think this is the most marvelous thing to think that the Lord has brought us into this position. And he He says, All things that I have received of my father, I've made known unto you.
So he's counted us now as his friends. He speaks of the limit of natural love. But then he speaks of something perhaps a little different in this 14th verse, that we have been brought into a new position for takers of the divine nature. And so as such, why we are His friends. He can pour out His heart, so to speak to us, just as He did to the disciples, and tell them all that they were able to bear at that time.
In Proverbs 17 he carries that thought, verse 13 and the 15th chapter of John a little further. And he said in the in John greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. But we've heard a lot of stories of this kind of natural affection and love that goes a long way, especially in the wartime. You get those stories. But notice the 17th, 1717 Proverbs a friend loveth at all times.
Then he brings something else in. A brother is born for adversity.
Now in the 18th at the end of the 18th chapter, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Real adversity.
All, even when he had to say, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? That's the one he's bringing out there is closer than even a brother. Our friends isn't always for adversity. He'll love, but a brother sticks by an adversity. But there's one that that's closer than a brother and that's the Lord Jesus. I believe he's bringing out that type of love here in our portion. Then I do breathe in the 14th verse. We're getting into a little different thought.
Where his children?
And we always, as brethren, should address him that way. You know, we have a father, and he's our Lord, and we are children of God by grace. But how wonderful, the condescending grace that he would call us friends so that he can reveal all these precious foods we're enjoying today. He can let us know these things. He wants us to know what's going to happen on this earth after we're gone. I marvel that he has chosen to tell me something like that.
Isn't that a wonderful thought? And we have the unction of the Spirit. We know all things.
Is because this. He's called us friends. We don't ever look to him in that sense. I think we should never forget when we're talking about ourselves, we're bond men of Christ. We've been bought with a price. Let's don't ever take us out of that realm because that's the love that manifested them. But he has the right to call us friends. We can tell us all these things.
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I think that's wonderful. I really believe that's a marvelous thing. We sing what a friend we have in Jesus, but he says you're my friend. We can speak of having a friend in Jesus, but when he says ye are my friends. We all know this. In natural life, there's some things we would never feel free to discuss with certain people. They don't have that community of thought. Our brother was talking to us in the young people's meeting about fellowship, which means common thoughts.
And what a marvelous thing that now we have been brought into the family, God can't open up and tell us all the things that are in his heart. His purpose is for us what he's going to do in this world, even bringing us into the secrets of his ways, perhaps even difficulties and trials that arise in our lives and in the assembly. And he says, I can share my thoughts with you. I think it's so marvelous. But that's only in the path of obedience.
There are many dear Christians that can't enter into these things because if we're not walking in obedience, there's a breach, there's a lack of fellowship. And as our brother brought before us, there needs to be restoration because the Lord is willing and wants to tell these things to us. But something has come in so that that bond of friendship is not enjoyed. But I think it's lovely here that he calls us his friends and he says in the end of that fifteenth verse.
All things that I have heard of my father, I have made known unto you what is often said, Brethren, The Christian is the only person who has an intelligent outlook in what's going on in the world. Look at the great statesman of the world. They don't know what's going on or why things are happening the way they are. But here in this blessed book, God has opened up his bind to us, he said. I want you to be so close to me that I can tell you all my purposes from the past eternity.
Right on. During our coming eternity, I want you to know I'm in control of everything in your life and in the world, and I want you to know when these things happen. You're my friend, so I'm telling you, that's why Abraham was called his friend, because Lot didn't know that was coming on Sodom. But Abraham did, and he took the place of an intercessor for Lot and Sodom. I think it's a marvelous thing, Brethren, let's live more in the enjoyment of this, that God wants us to have these common thoughts with him and to not get upset by the things that happened by, but rather know that we are his friends and he wants to tell us.
His hand and everything. So love does manifest itself differently depending on the spiritual state and condition of the object of love. And we live in a day where generally and even among the people of God, there are work ideas about love. And I believe none of us can read such a chapter as First Corinthians 13.
Without being deeply exercised and realizing the lack in us so many times of manifesting what love is described to be like, but what we have to remember in the middle of all of these things.
We have this statement in verse 6. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. How important that is. Love it even as to disciplining children. They are appearing things even in Christian publication, undermining disciplinary measures clearly taught in the word of God, and implying that those who believe in those disciplinary measures do not have laws.
And concerns for their children. Beware, beloved. Now I don't want to buy this in any way take away from the importance that we need to be exercised, that we do manifest what we have in verse 4.
Cared he loved suffereth long time charity enrieth none, and so on, for all these things that should deeply exercise us. And I don't think there's anyone here that reads these things that doesn't realize that I need to be admonished by the scripture in this. But let us remember, beloved, the day we're living in is not characterized by extreme measures in.
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Discipline is characterized by laxity.
And going along in spite of how a person behaves and then expecting that we should be kind and loving towards that person. That's not Christianity, beloved. It's not loving the truth.
The love is there, the love is there, but there's a hindrance to the display of it. So that the Lords heart was full of love toward Israel and it grieved him that he had to announce judgment should always grieve us when we have to discipline our children. It should grieve us deeply when discipline is necessary in the assembly and it should be carried out in that right spirit. But it's necessary but should be done in the right spirit, which is most important.
What pleases him is when his father he can tell us some of his purposes, and they're all in Christ. I think that next verse is so beautiful. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what is Lord Doeth. I've called your friends for all things that I've heard of my father I have made known unto you. I think that is so beautiful. And that's the grace that pours out in love to us.
And if we look at the 14th chapter and the 26th verse.
He says when the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things. I think that's beautiful. And then in the 16th chapter it says in verse 13, I'll be it. When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all Truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear.
That he shall speak and he will show you things to come. And so it's so beautiful to see what's in in in wonderful love as calling us friends he can do. And I think it's mostly magnified in First Corinthians 2. I just want to read the verse 9 and 10.
First Corinthians 29 But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man.
The things which God has prepared for them and love him What? God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things. Yeah, the deep things of God. This is what he's saying here before the Spirit was sent.
This is what He's telling them is going to happen as the result of his death and resurrection for them and the Spirit coming and indwelling them. And then He can bring all these things to our remembrance. And today it's just as good, almost 2000 years later, I'm sure, and just as thrilling as it was the apostles and disciples after the Lord arose, or how fresh and how precious those truths that were coming to their hearts.
They're they're written for us now, just before the Lord comes again. We ought to be just as excited and just as thrilled that He's letting us into these things.
I think it's important that we don't go beyond what He has told us too. There's a great deal of speculation in connection with prophecy that goes beyond what He has told us. His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And if there are details in prophecy that God has not been pleased to fill in, let's not go beyond His word. Many have had to take back things that they have said because they went beyond.
If it was for our good brother and he would have told us.
But the principle that we have is very important. There in the 19th of Revelation, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. God never intended just to occupy us with world events, but just to give us a general outline so that we would see how that as things moved in that particular direction, it was for the glory of his Son, Because that's what we're looking forward to, the time when Christ has his rightful place. And that is the point in prophecy.
If we try to get taken up with world events, we can actually get out of communion and getting occupied with all those details. Let's remember the outlines of prophecy are clear. The details are intentionally not given to us because God wants us to be occupied with his son and just a little outline about him getting his rightful place.
00:35:17
As my brother have been talking, I can't help but.
Thank God that the Lord Jesus refers to us as a sense of Friends, calling us into the councils of God. Having given us the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to present to sinners, He's called us into this place of blessing, motivated as we see in John's Gospel Here as a Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
They all like to have the feeling of being chosen too. And there's another thing. In this 16th verse, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. Often you hear a young person say, well, I was chosen out of a class of 30 or something to do this particular thing.
And feel quite pleased that they were the one who was chosen. Isn't it a lovely thing, brethren, as we go in the crowds of this world and perhaps go down a busy street or in a busy airport or something? Just to think, here in this great crowd of people, I'm a person that the Lord chose out. I was chosen before the foundation of the world. I was chosen to occupy this wonderful place of blessing.
No credit to myself, because I would never have chosen him, but he chose me and picked me out. This really is a marvelous thing. It'll free us forever from this, what it's called.
Inferiority complex, the feeling that were rejected were not for the most wonderful people in the world that God should have picked us up. Maybe your friends don't pick you up, but the Lord picked you out and He calls you one of the excellent of the earth and he's going to joy over you with singing in another day.
And then shall, and I think this is a marvelous verse. Then shall every man have praise of God. I can see every good reason why I should praise him, but he's actually going to pick out of our poor lives things that he can reward in that day. We ought to get over this feeling. Well, nobody likes me. Nobody wants me to think that we're chosen. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you.
Or ordained people think it's marvelous to be an ordained preacher or something, but every believer is ordained to bear fruit in this world and to do something for the Lord. We've been enjoying his love, and that's the source of it all. And now being chosen. And you know, if he just loved us, and we are chosen before the foundation of the world, so we're not an afterthought. This was in his purposes in the past eternity to beautiful things.
What if that was all, and when we died, we'd go and then we'd find out. But he not only loved us and chose us, he called us and let us know. And I think those three things are so beautifully brought out in the second Thessalonians. And it's a beautiful way it is.
It's after Speaking of those who reject and who are not of the the truth, but in verse 13 of Second Thessalonians chapter 2. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, the love of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Where until he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father, which have loved us, has given us an everlasting consolation and Good Hope through grace. Well, you've got all three there. Sort of nice to see you. It's all of him.
It's all sovereign, but we're the recipient of it and it's beautiful to see these brought out here too, and then of course for days.
That's a marvelous thought, isn't it? Ordained. I remember I missed my car, broke down in Nebraska and I had to go to the nearest city. And I was there, got there by midnight on his hiking, and I was waiting in the Greyhound bus station for the bus out to Kansas City because I had to be there the next day with breaking the bread.
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It was crowded and I was sitting there with my Bible case on my lap because it wasn't any room in my little satchel.
Some You're a black lady over there, kept looking at my Bible case. Finally she got up the nerve and she said you'll preacher man. And I said, I love to speak about the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes. Next question. You ordained. Well, I gave her the answer right from our scripture. Yeah. Some ordained God ordained me to preach the Lord Jesus Christ. So it seems a nice opportunity. At midnight till that trust pulled in. It was a crowded station.
But you never know what and brethren were all ordained. Isn't that wonderful?
There is the very important point in connection with.
Being chosen and that comes out verse 19. Now what our brother Hill has been saying is that we have classroom to do a particular thing but here we have a site brought out that is good for us to take notice and that is the emphasis is on our of the world.
The Lord Jesus, when he calls us to himself, he called us out of the world, of which Satan is God and Prince. That's why the world hates us and that's why they hated the Lord Jesus. He wasn't part of his system.
Apart from God, let us remember it, beloved, that the Ecclesia, the Church is called out, separated out of the world, set aside for God. We need to remember that in order that we know what is proper conduct for such and God is a sovereign grip, has called out.
It's nice how prayer comes in in the end of the 60th verse Again, isn't it Whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name. He may give it to you. I think that's it. Nice, the way this comes in here, because we like our children to feel their need of us at times and come and ask for something that we're pleased to give. And so this is introduced into the chapter more than once because I believe God delights us to have us feel our need of Him.
A child that says, oh, I got my own money. Now I don't have to ask my dad friend. I got my own car and I can buy my own clothes. The parent loses something. The child loses something too. Rather than the Lord delights to have us dependent, says about the bride and the Song of Solomon. She comes up out of the wilderness leaning on her beloved, and I think the Lord wants us to oh, he's cultivate this, that we never come to the time in our Christian life where we're not dependents, but we don't need him. Need him for every step, every decision.
Just because we brought older, we might think, well, I I know I have a lot of experience in that, but we need him. And as I remember a comment in Mr. Darby that struck me, he said too often we tend to lean on experience, but in difficulties it's the Lord we need. Experience may be a help, but it's the Lord we need in every situation that comes up. And so after bringing before us these different things about his love and about his.
With joy, and about being his friends and about having chosen us, he comes back to this. I always want you to feel your need of me. I'm not making an independent person now. I've given you all these things. I want you always to be dependent. Let's remember that president, the path of blessing in our Christian life. We ever come to it, Even as we get older. We're going to have a fall. We're going to find out that we need him every hour.
This is the only fruit that doesn't spoil. It says in verse 16. I have ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain only one life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, and only the fruit that the Spirit of God produces, which is Christ, will last.
00:45:06
For all eternity, all everything else.
Will pass away, but this fruit will remain.
Then his exhortation comes in again about loving one another. I connected a little with what we have in first Peter.
Chapter One.
And verse 22.
Seeing me have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit, unto unfeigned or unpretended love of the brethren, now the exhortation see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.
I believe that God has put this love into our hearts and immediately we're brought into the family of God. Immediately we feel that love, our hearts go out to those who are the Lord.
But as we become better appointed, and perhaps our president see the flesh in US, and things like this come in, then there's a tendency for the fire to go down. So he says he's We're given that love. He says unto unfeigned love of the brethren. That isn't a pretended thing, but now the exhortation. See that you love one another just like a fire. You light it, and it goes on fine for a while.
But begins to die down and what do we do? Well, we stalk it, we poke it, and we get the.
Pieces together. And then it goes again. And so this is, I believe, the exhortation. That's why it's repeated, because we have to watch, you know, little things come in that tend to cool off that divine love. And so we need this fresh, fresh exhortation that there needs to be a poke up sometimes that we don't let this get cold. It's true, it should be in the path of obedience. But even in the path of obedience, brethren, we can get cold to the Lord and toward one another.
There is a clear break between verse 17 and 18. Verse 17 ends that section that speaks of our relationships with one another and that's to be loved, love to one another. But then we have the world brought in in verse 17 to the end and the hatred that we will experience from the world because it would not have him. And if we bear fruit, if we are Christ like.
We will be We will experience that same hatred that was meted out to that Blessed One. It will be meted out to us so we can measure, I believe, our faithfulness to the Lord and our proper representation of Him and being hurt bearers by the treatment that we receive from the world. Does it smile upon us? Are we friends with it? Can we clasp hands with it and walk with it in fellowship?
And joining its programs. And so on. A world that hated him and cast him out. No, now we're to walk as Christ, Walk for the glory of God. And when we do that, the world will have no use for us, and we will experience its hatred even as he did so. The attitude of the world towards us is one of hatred and the attitude that prevails amongst the Saints. His love. Quite a contrast between these two passages.
93130.
Fellowship with the Father & Son
Address—R. Thonney
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'll read the whole chapter. It's only 10 verses.
First John, chapter one.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes.
Which we have looked upon in our hands, have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it. And bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us, that which we have seen and heard. Declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us.
And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things right we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all, if we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness.
We lie and do not the truth, but if we walk in the light as He is in the light.
We have fellowship, one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ.
His Son cleanses us from all sin. We say that we have no sin. We deceive ourselves.
And the truth is not in us if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We say that we have not sinned. We make Him a liar, and His word is not in US.
A good part of You'll remember that last conference last year we had this chapter in the readings.
It's always a chapter that I enjoy so thoroughly.
And since we were in the readings this year on John chapter 15.
And speaking about abiding in Christ, I'd just like to go over this chapter briefly.
Perhaps in a little different context that we may have heard it before.
But I just the burden of my soul is this afternoon is.
That although we speak of abiding in Christ, although we speak of fellowship or communion, that I really wonder of times how much there really is in the in our souls individually with the Lord. Sometimes it seems that fellowship one with another is what is so tremendously emphasized, and it is important to have fellowship one with another.
But if you'll notice in this chapter of the four times that fellowship is mentioned.
Only the last time it mentions it as fellowship one with another, it comes last of the four times that it is mentioned. The first time it is mentioned in verse three, it is fellowship with the apostles, and that fellowship is fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. To me this is the extremely vital part of Christian life.
Dear young person, and I speak to myself as well.
And this, what I say this afternoon would be applicable to everyone of us that you and I have been made in such a fashion.
That it is impossible for that life of yours to be completely satisfied.
Apart from that intimate fellowship with God as Father, with the Lord Jesus Christ, that is what you were made for. It seemed to be that way when God made Adam in the 1St and put him in the garden. He came down in the cool of the day, and it seemed to be that God the Creator and man, the creature walked side by side in happy intimate.
Fellowship.
You are made that way and I was made that way.
And you and I cannot be satisfied fully without having that fellowship.
With the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, Adam sinned. He lost it all.
And when God restores something, he never restores it just the way it was before.
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He always restores it in the fuller measure. And so now we can know fellowship.
Not only with God as Creator, but with God as Father.
Something far more intimate, something far more intelligent as well.
But to me, dear brother and sister and the Lord Jesus, we're going to understand.
What this means it is an individual matter.
And sometimes the collective fellowship, one with another, is so emphasized.
I really and truly believe that our ways, our walk, our talk, our manifesting, that we don't know what it is to have that fellowship with the Father and with His Son, and we maintain an outward conformity to certain things that are necessary to be accepted amongst those we know as brethren and learn fellowship with. But we are not walking in fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And little by little, the enemy of our souls gets us away. Sure, we maintain fellowship with some of our fellow young people, fellow brethren, for a time. But the time comes when the test is going to lay at our door and we're going to fall down. Dear young person, my desire this afternoon is to encourage you to cultivate that fellowship with God as Father.
With the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in this chapter, this is what John is Speaking of, the beginning of the readings, our brother mentioned that John, his ministry is with the family of God. It's not so much the Church of God, it's the family of God and the family life. What is normal and family life is fellowship, especially what should be normal as fellowship with the Father.
With his son sometimes in our family lives that fellowship is broken, but it's not normal for that thing to be that fellowship to be always broken. It's normal for there to be that link of fellowship between the father and individual, each one with each one of his children. And so in this chapter we begin that first verse. He says that which was.
From the beginning, I just like to point out that expression because it occurs.
Again and again in this epistle. Notice in the second chapter and the.
Seventh Verse. For example, brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye have had from the beginning. The word, the old commandment, is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. It is an expression that occurs time and again in this epistle.
And if you'll each time you notice that little expression that which was from the beginning.
You can come right back to the first verse of the first chapter. It will help you to understand what it means.
Speaking here, John of divine life, eternal life, manifested in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so the apostle says that which we have.
Heard that which we have seen with our eyes.
Which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of light. You notice these little phrases. There's a progressive nearness to hear something, and maybe at the other end of the building you'll hear it, but you didn't see it. To see it, perhaps you need to be a little closer to look on it or contemplate it. You have to be a little bit closer yet and to touch it to handle it.
You have to be right there. So there's a progressive nearness. And I like to thank the apostle John saying in effect here.
That God and his desire to share fellowship with us that have been now born into God's family. And I'm speaking to those who have been born into God's family this afternoon.
Dear young person, you're not a believer in the Lord Jesus. What we're saying this afternoon doesn't apply to you.
But if you would like to know what it means to be born into God's family.
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John 112 Says to all that received him to them.
Gave you power to become the sons of God to them that believe on his name.
And if you would want to know what it means to be part of God's family?
You must receive him, you must believe on his name. It's as simple as that.
Then you become part of God's family and.
Even though you may be tending toward the world, you are still part of God's family. And what we're Speaking of this afternoon applies to you, dear young person. It applies to you. So this life that was manifested in John's gospel and the person of the Lord Jesus, that eternal life that was with the Father is now manifested in John's epistle in the children.
Of God.
And he says here that which we have heard.
Dear young person, are you cultivating fellowship?
With the Lord Jesus in your life individually this morning before you came down to breakfast or to meeting.
Did you have a quiet time for Lord Jesus to speak to Him in prayer?
To open His precious word and to read it. Was there time for that in your life? Is that a practice daily in your life? I say without that you cannot maintain fellowship. It doesn't seem so important to open the Bible and read four or five verses in the morning.
What's the difference if you miss it for a day or two and go off to work without doing it?
Oh, dear young person, it is extremely important because it is through this means that you and I can maintain that fellowship with the Father and with His Son. I really and truly fear that there are many perhaps present this afternoon who are going on in an outward way, conforming themselves to what their brethren might require them to act like.
But who are not maintaining fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
I just want to say to you, if that's the case in your life, you're missing the greatest joy possible on the face of the earth to walk through this world and fellowship with the Lord of glory, with God as your Father, intimate fellowship with him. May the Lord stir your heart, your young person, It's going to take energy, spiritual energy.
Exercise is what makes us grow, but exercise takes time and it takes energy.
Whether it's in the physical level or the spiritual level, and if you're going to know what it means to grow.
Spiritually, it's going to take you some time. I suggest if you have a hard time getting up in the morning.
Set your clock a little earlier. Set your alarm clock.
I know it's hard and that thing rings just to not reach out and shut it off and go back to sleep. Discipline yourself.
Get up out of that bed, put some water over your face so that you're awake, and then get down to some fellowship with the One who bought you with His precious blood. He wants to walk in your company through this world. He wants to share every detail of your life with you. Do you know what it means? That intimate fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Well, the apostle says here that which we have heard. Have you heard him?
That which we have seen, Have you seen the Lord Jesus?
That which we have looked upon are contemplated. Have you contemplated him? You say, How can we do that?
That's why we have the four Gospels. Dear young person, dear young brother and sister, when I go through the four Gospels, I contemplate him. I see him, I hear him.
And it can become so close to a person that we can actually say with the apostles as well.
That which our hands have handled of the word.
Of life, oh, may it burn in your heart and mind though reality.
00:15:06
Of this fellowship with a Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
May the Lord stir you not to be satisfied with mere outward fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you don't know what it means to have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
It's an empty thing if you don't know what that is. In fact, I like to think of verse 7, where you have fellowship with the Father and fellowship one with another as the result.
Have you been in fellowship with the Father? And I being in fellowship with the Father?
The automatic result is that there's fellowship.
Between ourselves as well, but it only comes second.
It only comes last in the mention of fellowship in this chapter. Remember that, dear young person.
It's important that only secondarily important.
First of all.
Primary in this question of fellowship.
Is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ? Or to go back to the Gospels.
To read through those gospels and even to read of him in the epistles.
To read of Christ in the Old Testament as well all those figures that we have to see him, to contemplate him.
I marvel at that person.
As I contemplating walking through this world of perfection, never.
Any imbalance in his character, as there so often is in mind, and as there so often is in our brothers and sisters in Christ. Never any imbalance there.
As he stood before those Pharisees and the doctors of the law.
I've often thought the most fearful person to stand before is a lawyer.
It can twist your words around to mean what you are to.
Interpret what you didn't mean at all.
And as the Lord Jesus stood in the midst of those doctors of the law.
And they tried to trip him up time and again. They had to go away marveling at the perfection. They couldn't catch him. They tried to lay hold on his words. They couldn't do it because there was absolute perfection. That's your life, young person. That's my life now. That's the life you and I possess by being born into God's family.
But are you cultivating fellowship in that lifestyle?
Dear young person, I'd like to ask you. I'd like to stir your minds.
To examine yourselves in the Lord's presence. You know what it means to have fellowship with God in that way as Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ just like to come down to verse three. Now me there's something extremely important here that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.
That ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship.
Is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
You'll notice that the first fellowship here mentioned is with us.
And John the Apostle speaks not only for himself.
But he speaks in the plural, including with him those other apostles who were witnesses of all that Jesus did and taught.
They declared those things that they saw and heard.
So that we might have fellowship with them.
And then he goes on to say that this fellowship is truly with the Father.
And with his son, Jesus Christ. Now where have they declared those things to me? Here's the touchstone, dear young person. It's in the Word of God.
In Acts chapter 2 and verse 42, a verse that we often quote, it says they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers.
00:20:05
The adjective apostles modifies both doctrine and fellowship. It was the apostles doctrine. It was the apostles fellowship. You and I cannot lay down the conditions of this fellowship. There are many different fellowships in this world, many different religious congregations that have their fellowship, and if you want to belong to one of those religious denominations, you have to subject yourself to the conditions that they lay down.
Therefore, in that way you will become part of their fellowship.
But when we're Speaking of the Apostles fellowship, dear young person.
It is on the ground of the Apostles doctrine and there is a constant.
Need I find in my own soul, and I want to stir your minds as well this afternoon, dear young person.
To livingly be in the word.
Not just to read it as a habitual form, but to let it become something that lives in our lives. Fellowship is a living thing. You can't enjoy fellowship while you're asleep.
And spiritual sleep has overtaken a large part of God's people.
Has it overtaken you? I know at times.
Has overtaken me.
And you know, sometimes sleep is so subtle a thing.
You don't even realize that you're just about to go to sleep.
And you're there.
Does that happen to you? It's happened to me on the road quite a number of times.
But I say, dear young person, my desire is to wake you up this afternoon.
We're living right at the end. At any moment, the Lord Jesus is going to come from heaven and give that shout. We're going to be raptured into his presence.
To meet him face to face, It's a reality. We're not just talking about doctrine.
It's something that's a reality, but it's not showing in our lives as a reality.
Yes, I know everyone would.
Accept that as the doctrine that we hold.
But I don't not satisfied with that. Merely, dear young person, my desire is for you.
That you might know it in a living, real way. The doctrine of the apostles is therefore the basis of the fellowship of the apostles. If you want to know what this fellowship is, you want to experience it, you must be into the doctrine, the teaching of the apostles. And that's what we have.
Especially in the New Testament, we can't divorce it from the old, but the apostles.
Are spoken of in Ephesians chapter two, I think it's verse 19 or 20 of the foundation build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
So I cannot lay down the rules and regulations here.
If I could put it in that way, I cannot lay down the conditions. I cannot lay down the ground.
The ground has already been laid. The apostles have given us.
What they saw, what they heard, and on that ground.
I must know what is fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
That's the touchstone. That's the way I can live and fellowship.
With God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Sometimes we use those terms and I really believe we kind of give the impression that it's something so high and exalted that we just don't know where to touch here.
In a practical way. But I say here's the touch, here's the place you can touch this.
In reality, it's in the Scriptures, in the Word of God.
There is where you can hear. There is where you can see.
There's where you can look upon that eternal life, that which was with the Father.
And there is where you can handle it as well, if we can speak it in that way.
Spiritual and so he says.
00:25:00
He that they have given us this doctrine, that.
We might have fellowship with them, and that fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Now, since Paul or John here speaks in the plural, I'd like just to touch on a few points.
To me, a supremely important doctrine of the apostles.
In the New Testament.
I just want to say sometimes practical ministry is emphasized.
Dear young person, you cannot get practical ministry in its right context except you understand the doctrine.
And that's why it's so important.
To listen, to learn.
The doctrine of the Apostles, because upon that doctrine.
Upon that, teaching doctrine means teaching is based.
The fellowship and so.
I'd like to just mention five points I've just jotted them down that I feel are supremely important.
And that we really need to focus in on from time to time.
Perhaps I sound repetitive. I'm not going to apologize for it. I'm sorry. I cannot apologize for being repetitive on this. I find in my own Christian experience that I'm forgetful.
I'm forgetful and we need to have these things refreshed, brought newly on our.
Memory to enjoy them in in our souls. The first thing I'd like to speak of is the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, his present position in glory. Never before this dispensation was it true that there was a.
Living, resurrected man of flesh and bones in the glory of God.
That is one of the cardinal truths of this dispensation.
And even though he sits there at God's right hand, a real living man, Dear young person, let the truth lay hold of you as I would desire in my own life, that we are intimately, eternally united to Him as a head to the body. When there are problems in your life, what is your immediate reaction?
Go to some brother or some sister.
Or to your mother or your father. Well, God may use those people and not saying he won't.
But as we would grow in our Christian lives, what is desirable is to grow up into Him in all things, to have him livingly in view. Somebody say something to hurt you during this conference.
Did he feel it too?
He sure did.
He felt it. Did you take it to him?
That's the 1St place we should run.
You know these things are practical.
But the way we react, brethren, shows that off times we are being caught.
In the current of this world's thinking.
What I mean that here in the United States of America, we're told to be self-sufficient to have confidence in yourself. You can do it.
Have enough confidence in yourself. There's nothing that you can't do.
That's what's instilled in our minds right from our Utah.
In the schools of the United States and Canada.
That's not Christianity.
That's this world.
Remember down in Bolivia one time, just to give a practical illustration. Perhaps I've told this before.
When?
In the winter time in the Santa Cruz area, which is the tropical area of the country, we get strong S winds that are very cold that sweep into there and.
There was a brother in Montero that we that was while we were living there and he used to get bad asthma attacks when these winds would come in. One day his little boy came into the house and said, my father's calling for you. Come quick, he's sick.
And I ran over to the house where he was, and there he was sitting up in bed gasping for breath and said, oh, brother, what can I do for you? I'll run and get my Jeep and we'll take you to the hospital right away.
00:30:11
Get down on your knees, Pray, please.
That's why he called for me. It was a rebuke to me. Why is it that's so instilled into us to run to human aid, first of all, instead of going to the one whose head, not only of his church, that head over all things, to the body?
It was a lesson to me. I trust I won't forget it. But I say, dear young person, we learn these things and then we begin to forget.
This is why I want to challenge you, not only individually as he had, but in a collective sense as well when there's problems.
In our meetings, do we get together to discuss it?
Without going and humbling ourselves in the presence of Him who is head over all things to His church.
Would there be so much haste? Would there be so much hurry, so much forcing of things, Dear brethren, if we would go to Him and let in His presence first of all.
May the Lord give us to know what it means to hold the head.
It's one of the cardinal truths of this dispensation #2.
But I'd like to speak about is the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in this world.
So another cardinal truth of this dispensation is here as a person.
To indwell believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to unite them.
Together in one body in Christ.
That mean anything to you dear young person? The fact the Holy Spirit of God indwells your body as a believer in the Lord Jesus and unites you to every other believer in the Lord Jesus Christ on the face of this earth.
Well, it's a wonderful truth, and it is characteristic of this dispensation too, the presence of the Spirit of God.
Here in this world.
You seek to be led by the Spirit.
Do you seek to as scripture exhorts us in Galatians chapter 5?
To walk in the Spirit so that you won't fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Spirit of God is here as the power of that new life.
That we have in Christ.
3rd like to speak on what we speak of so much as the assembly. The body of Christ is the assembly or the church. The word is the same in the original. There's no difference between the word church and assembly.
Found in several areas that there's the understanding that church is the universal thing and assembly is the local thing. I don't think Scripture will bear that out. There is in Scripture.
What is the local assembly? The Church of God, which is at Corinth. He speaks of the local expression of the whole. So when the Church of God met, they met as the expression of the body of Christ in the whole world. That is the assembly. Just want to challenge a bit our expressions here, dear young person, your young brother and sister, the way we use that word.
Assembly.
Sometimes we're getting away from the true spiritual connotation of that word, but in Scripture, when I see it used, it includes every true believer in the Lord Jesus. And if you're going to specify it by saying a certain locality.
Like the assembly of Addison, you would have to vision in your mind's eye every true believer in the Lord Jesus.
That resides in Addison.
That is the assembly in Addison.
Sometimes we use that, and I'm afraid what our vision is, is only those gathered to the Lord's name.
I remember in years gone by that it seems to me that.
Older brethren used the word gathering more.
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Is relating to those gathered to the Lords name. I remember Ch Brown making a comment one of his.
Addresses that if the Apostle Paul were to send a letter to the assembly at Des Moines, the postmaster wouldn't be able to deliver it.
Because the assembly is divided and scattered in so many areas.
I'm not saying that there's not a local expression of the assembly, that's another matter.
The testimony, the local expression. But when we use the word assembly.
Dear young person, remember that it includes every true believer.
In that locality, even though they may not meet together with us.
They are part of God's assembly and so these are things we need to.
Perhaps challenge our vocabulary. It gives wrong impressions to people sometimes when we use that freely.
And relate it to merely those who were gathered to the Lord's name.
The Lord give us not to embrace a smaller circle than what scripture?
Embraces when it uses that word assembly.
The fourth thing that I would like to speak of justice briefly is the matter of Christ as the center of gathering. And I'd just like to say, dear young person, may the Lord give you in the the grace to.
Not focus in on ourselves. I'm afraid this is what is coming across so often to people.
That we speak of the divine center and the way we speak of it. We speak of it as if this is it.
I remember an older brother when the meeting was in Oak Park who was talking to some of us younger brothers about.
The divine center and he said to me, he said to us, he said.
I cannot tell you that it is here. I cannot tell you that.
If I believed it was elsewhere, I would be somewhere else, he said.
But if I would tell you that it is here, there would be danger that you would go on what I say and not on scripture.
And you must go on scripture entirely.
Because faith is always based on the word of God and not based.
On anything outward and visible.
It results in a visible outward expression perhaps, but.
To speak of the divine center, dear young person, let's always refer to Christ, attract to him. The disciples in the Lords day said that they saw one casting out devils, and they rebuked him. For he follows, not us.
You see the focus.
US. And if you get eyes on us, brethren, we're going to be turned away.
From the divine center.
We must keep our eyes on the center, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
One last thing.
That has concerned me a bit in recent times.
Is the truth of the priesthood of all believers.
Every true believer in the Lord Jesus.
Born into God's family is also born into the priestly family.
In the Old Testament, to be born to be a priest, you had to be born into Aaron's family.
The New Testament to be born a priest. To be a priest, you have to be born into God's family.
But it seems to me.
As I travel about a bit.
That in different little meetings there's long silences in the breaking of bread.
In the prayer meeting.
Doesn't seem to be a sense of liberty.
For those who are younger.
And I want to exhort you, dear young person.
To make use of your priesthood.
Scripture speaks of liberty to enter the holiest.
With boldness.
Oh, that gives me joy in my soul. You make use of that liberty, you say I might stumble around and mistaken my expressions. Yeah, you might. I did that myself quite a number of times and still do.
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But I want to encourage you to keep, to go ahead and do it. That's why the Lord Jesus.
Is at the right hand of God as our great High Priest to help us in that weakness?
Do it. Exercise your priesthood, dear young person. Sometimes it's painful to see, even at these conferences, in a prayer meeting, that we seem to wait on those only who are so-called in the work.
I don't like to use that word.
But we kind of wait and wait and wait. There's a lot of brothers. There doesn't seem to be liberty to get up and to pray.
The Lord encouraged us to exercise our priesthood for going to not exercise it. We're going to gradually fall back and I fear this is what is happening in many areas into what we know as the camp where there was only a certain ones who took the part and all the rest didn't.
May the Lord exercise us as to these things. Dear brethren, I'd just like to say before closing now, just touch on the end of this chapter.
These are all things that we've spoken of that are included in the doctrine of the Apostles.
And dear young person, if you and I don't livingly hold these precious, precious truths in our souls, we're going to lose out what is known as the Apostles fellowship. And therefore we will not know what it means to be in fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ either. I fear we are maintaining an outward position there, but we don't know the inward reality. And that's what I want to exhort you about this afternoon.
To stir you up about because this is the greatest thing in the world.
Notice verse four. It says these things right we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Get that?
Not half full.
Is your joyful right now young person?
Young brother, young sister and the Lord Jesus is a full.
If you know what it means to walk in fellowship with God as Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your joy is going to be full, but it's on that ground that we've spoken of. The Lord stir us to get into the Word, to search out these precious truths, to know them for ourselves, not just because somebody else has said it. To know it for ourselves, to lay hold on it, to let it sing down deep into our hearts.
There's something that impedes fellowship.
It's what is called here in this chapter sin.
Sad to have to mention that word in this chapter.
But it's a reality in our lives, too. It happens all the time.
What about it?
In the last three verses of this chapter, I'd just like to briefly point out.
The way to restoration when sin has come in and broken fellowship.
In your life and mine, so often there are those who perhaps maintain an outward.
Position of being in fellowship so-called.
But who are not in fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And my desire is that you would know how to get back if that has happened in your case. It happens in my case many times.
That's why we need to practice what is known as self judgment continually, dear young person.
And in verse eight it says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in US.
Notice verse 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in US.
It seems that those two verses are just about the same, but if you look closely, I think you'll see that.
Verse 8 treats of sin, the root, that old nature that I have.
For Madam and verse 10 speaks of those individual.
Acts that that evil nature produces. It's not only the act.
That we need to recognize, but we need to recognize that why I did that bad thing was because of an evil root that was within my own breast. I see so many people that don't seem to be able to get over their problem because they recognize, yeah, they did the wrong thing, but they point the finger in the other direction. Those folks out there, they're the responsible ones. They're the ones that are guilty and causing that problem in my life. I say if sin is entered your life to your young person.
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You are responsible, and there's not going to be full restoration in your case until that accusing finger comes right back to your own breast.
You recognize it. That's the first step toward restoration.
Not only what we've done, but I've done it because.
Of this evil nature inside here.
Second verse nine, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Notice this verse closely please. It doesn't say if you clean up your life and then get back to the Lord. No, it doesn't say anything of that sort says if we confess.
Then the rest of the verse is what he does. He is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse.
So often I find that souls don't go back, don't get back to the Lord, because they think they've got to clean up the act.
They've got to clean up their lives. You can't do it.
The Lord is the one that does that. Your part is to confess it.
Sometimes we recognize we do wrong, but we try to excuse it. That's just the way I am.
I encourage you, instead of doing that, to get into the Lord's presence to layout that problem that you may have in your life.
Before the Lord and say Lord I know it's wrong, confess it.
Not excuse it, confess it. And if we confess our sins?
He is faithful and justice to forgive us our sins.
And that cleanses from all unrighteousness.
For their young person, my desire this afternoon has been that to stir your minds and your hearts, that you would know in a deeper, fuller measure what it means to have fellowship with a Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Remember, that's the way you're made, and it is impossible that you're going to be satisfied apart from fellowship with God.
As Father and with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Shall we pray?
What Saith the Scripture Psalm 1&2
Gospel—S. Allan
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Who has come to the gospel meeting this evening? And we want to say at the beginning that we desire to speak from the Word of God, the Bible that I here have in my hand. It's not our desire to fill your mind with the thoughts and opinions of a certain group of people, but we simply desire to present to you this the Word of God. And I was wondering tonight if perhaps you could turn with me to the book of the Psalms.
I was thinking of chapter one and chapter 2 or Psalm 1. Psalm 2.
Psalm One and Psalm 2.
Blessed is the man.
That walketh not or has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly.
Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but I like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and castaway their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.
The Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord has said unto me, and thou art my son, and this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.
Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a Potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the sun, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him well.
I have often enjoyed these two little psalms that we have at the beginning of this book.
And the reason for me turning to the first Psalm is to bring before you.
That we have here two men brought before us. We have first of all the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. And then we have another man brought before us in verse 4.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chap which the wind driveth away. Well, you know, when we take a look at this first man that is brought before us in Psalm one, I wonder who it could be Speaking of. You know, I suppose your thought might be, well, it's the man that lives a good life. It's the man who tries to do the best that he can. But I understand that the proper Hebrew rendering.
Would read it this way. Blessed is the man that has not walked in the counsel, the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful. Is there any one here tonight who could truly say that he has never walked in the council of the ungodly? Is there anyone here that could say he has never stood in the way of sinners? Oh, I'm afraid we would all have to hang our heads in shame and say that some time or other, no matter what our life has been.
We would have to say that we have failed. We have not lived up to what we find here of this first man. And I believe that we have brought before us in the most beautiful way the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know, it is our desire tonight, dear friend, to bring before you God's man, the Lord Jesus Christ, that one that was sent here into this world to die for sinners.
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I want to say that he was different than everyone who is in this room.
You know the word of God has to say of all of us, all have sinned.
And come short of the glory of God, and it doesn't matter who you are.
No matter how good a life you have lived, it says that you have come short of God's divine standard. All have sinned, but all we have brought before us here the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who was perfect, that one who never did his own will.
Who could say, As it says here in the second verse, his delight is in the law of the Lord.
And in His law doth he meditate day and night. I ask you, dear friend, is it your delight to do the will of God? Is it your delight to meditate in His Word? You know, this book that I hold in my hand is different than any other book. Why? Because it is the inspired Word of God. It tells us that in Second Timothy chapter 3 that all scripture is given by inspiration.
Of God and is profitable. And it goes on. But I want to say that this is the inspired word of God, always the delight of the Lord Jesus to meditate in that law day and night, as it says here.
But I want to ask you, has there been your delight? Oh, I'm afraid, as I said before, we fall far short.
And who is the Lord Jesus? All. He was God's Son, manifest in the flesh.
He's the one that we have brought before us in Hebrews who upholds all things by the word of His power. Just imagine the solar system that we see in the sky, the universe, the Milky Way, the billions of stars that we see at night, they're all upheld by the word of His power. And yet, marvel of marvels, almost 2000 years ago He came and was born a babe in Bethlehem's Manger.
You know, I've enjoyed this little illustration. God's desire was to make himself known to man. And you know, this illustration has been given. Supposing I see in my backyard a few sparrows, and there they are chirping away. And supposing I wanted to somehow communicate to those sparrows, supposing I just walked out there as a natural human being and tried to communicate to them what would happen? Those sparrows would just simply fly away.
They would be frightened by My presence, but supposing I had all power and could become a little Sparrow, then I could go down there and communicate with them. And you know the Lord Jesus, when He came down to this world, He laid His glory by. He came down here, He walked this world as a man. He was perfect God, and He was perfect man. He ever delighted to do the will of God. He always did that which was pleasing to His Father.
And what happened all we find that it says.
The light came into the world, and the darkness comprehended it not. No, the very ones of the Lord Jesus had come to bless.
They did not know who this one was that was walking in their midst, and yet we find here it says of them two.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth His fruit in his season. You know we were talking this afternoon about fruit bearing, but you know, I was thinking of that verse in John that says, Accept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die yet a bindeth alone. But if it die, it bring us forth much fruit. And all I want to say that glorious one that came into this world, He went to Calvary's cross, He shed his precious blood. Why?
That he might have the company of me and many, many millions of others who would put their trust in him.
In the glory someday, I ask you, dear friend, tonight, are you going to be in his company for eternity?
I ask you, have you ever considered your latter and have you ever considered where you are going?
After you leave this world, you know there's a verse that says the wages of sin of is death.
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But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, I tell you, dear friend, the wages of sin is death. Another verse tells us that after death comes the judgment, after death the judgment. Have you thought about what it is to pass eternally ruined into sinner's hell? Well, tonight is our desire to proclaim to you the gospel.
Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, but you know in the end of this chapter and the end of this Psalm, one we have another person brought before us, the ungodly. And as I said before, really every one of us here can certainly fall into this class. It is our nature to be sinners. We're told all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
It tells us here of written verse five. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Oh, I want to ask you tonight, dear friend, there's a day coming when you are going to stand in the presence of God.
There is a day coming when you are going to have to give an account of everything that you have done.
Here in the flesh I ask you, will you stand? You know, I enjoy a verse that says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. Oh, I ask you tonight, are you standing by grace? Are you standing in the presence of God, knowing that your sins are washed away in the precious blood of Jesus Christ?
Have you ever gone into His presence and acknowledged yourself as a Sinner?
All I want to say what a thing it is when you realize that you are a Sinner.
And that God is holy, that is he, that he is of any of two pure eyes, than to behold iniquity.
All I ask, have you ever gotten his presence and acknowledged that you are a Sinner?
Have you ever said the prayer of the publican God be merciful to me the Sinner, You know that publican, he said, says he smote himself on his breast. Yes, the very place, that heart of his that was evil, he smote it and he said, God be merciful to me the Sinner. Have you ever prayed that prayer? Or are you like the Pharisee who liked to justify himself? He liked to say, I thank God that I am not like other men are.
And he went on to recount all the good things that he had done. Oh, I want to say tonight.
Don't try to justify yourself. No, no flesh shall glory in God's presence.
We have to acknowledge that we are sinners, and so it says here in the sixth verse.
The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. Now you know the question I want to ask at the beginning of this gospel meeting.
Is how can a man be righteous before God? Is it a matter of doing the best you can?
You know, there's a lot of people that think, well, you've got to keep the God, you've got to keep the 10 commandments.
You have to try and get the church every Sunday. You've got to pray, and they make a list of a lot of things that have to be done. I ask you, is that the way to become righteous in God's eyes?
Well, let's take a look at a verse Romans chapter 4.
Romans, chapter 4.
And I want to read verse three, but what saith the scripture?
All this is so important, is it not? It's not what I say, it's not what you think.
It's what the scripture says. It says Abraham believed God.
And it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now notice that there's nothing about keeping the law. It says that him that believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
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Oh dear friend, I want to say tonight, are you willing to believe God?
When God says that you are a Sinner, when God says that the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin, do you believe it?
All I want to say tonight, if you will, simply believe what the word of God says and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
It will be accounted unto you for righteousness. Well, you know, you might have a question in your mind. You might say, well, what about the 10 commandments? Weren't the children of Israel asked to keep those 10 commandments? Yes, they were, but what was the purpose of it? Take a look at Galatians for a moment. Galatians chapter.
Three, I think it is.
Galatians chapter.
Three notice verse 24.
Well, we read verse 11 first of all.
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evidence. Now notice that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. It is evident, for the just shall live by faith.
Verse 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us, for it is written cursed as every one that hangeth on a tree. Verse 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now notice there it says that the law was a schoolmaster. You know a schoolmaster is to teach us something. And you know what does the law teach us? The law teaches me that I cannot possibly.
Keep God's standard. What was God's standard? God's standard was Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and thy neighbor as thyself.
I ask you, can you do that? Can you love your neighbors as yourself? I remember reading from a Doctor Wilson. I enjoyed the illustration. He said, just supposing that you are walking home one day and someone came running and said there's a terrible fire on your street. Well, you know, the very first thought that would come into your mind would be this. I wonder if it's my house. And you know, you would go to that man, you'd say, is it my house? And the man would say, no, it's not your house. It's down the street, a couple of doors.
What would happen? Oh, you breathe a sigh of relief and you'd say, oh, I'm so thankful it's not my house.
But I ask you, dear friend, is that loving your neighbor as yourself?
The law says Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and thy neighbor as thyself.
You know something none of us can keep the law. None of us. But the law was our schoolmaster.
It gave me to see my helpless condition before a thrice holy God.
But wonder of wonders, God has provided a salvation that is not on the basis of law, but it's on the basis of grace. He offers tonight to you, dear friend, a free gift, a free gift. He offers you salvation through the death of His Son and his shed blood on Calvary's cross. And I want to say tonight, dear friend, that I'm going to heaven someday, not because I have kept the 10 commandments, because the Lord Jesus, God's Son.
Has taken the penalty for sin that I deserve. I deserve to be crucified on that cross I deserved and to be to come under the judgment of God. But oh thank God, the Lord Jesus took that penalty. He bore my punishment in those three hours of darkness on Calvary.
Well, we're digressing a little bit, but I believe it's very important. We come now to this second Psalm.
And this was the one that was particularly before me tonight. You know, I've enjoyed noticing that this Psalm can be divided up into four parts.
We have, as it were, four speakers brought before us.
And there are three verses to each little section.
Notice the 1St 3 verses. Why do the heathen rage?
And the people imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against.
Via his anointed saying let us break their bands asunder and castaway their cords from us. Here we have I believe.
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The the voice of the world speaking.
And you know, we don't have to leave it to our imagination to know what this verse is referring to, at least in part. Turn to Acts 4 for a moment, where it is mentioned again.
Acts Chapter 4.
The disciples here they quote from Psalm 2.
And notice verse 25.
Who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.
Forever truth against thy holy Child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both Herod.
Now I might just say that Herod was the king of the Jews.
And Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together.
For to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done. In other words, dear friend, in Psalm 2 we have verses that would prophetically impart, speak of those rulers, those chief priests, and those Roman soldiers, and the Roman governors who gathered themselves together for what purpose? To crucify the Lord of glory.
Oh, I want to ask you, did those men really know who was standing before them?
Did they realize that that one who was standing before them was the one who sustains all things by the word of his power?
Did they realize that that one was the creator of the universe?
Oh, I don't believe they really knew who that one was, but there they were.
And was one united voice. What did they say? They said, crucify him. Crucify him. We will not have this man to reign over us. And they took him, and they spit in his blessed face. They put a crown of thorns on his head. They sat away with him. Crucify him. An old dear friend. Tonight I want to say this, that this world in 1990 is saying the exact same thing.
They don't want Jesus Christ. They don't want the Word of God. They don't want to hear that they are sinners. And they say, as we have here in this second Psalm, let us break away their bands asunder. In other words, this world does not want the restraints that are found in the Word of God. We know that in 1990 that men today are throwing overboard.
The very Christian principles on which this country was founded. They want to take prayer out of the schools.
They want to get rid of the reading of the word of God. They want to take in God we trust off the money. They want to do their own will. They say, let us break their bands asunder. Whose bands? God's bands. They don't want to be restrained. They want to do what is right in their own eyes. A dear friend, that is your heart by nature, and that's my heart. It says, here, let us castaway their cords from us.
But you know, something, I was just thinking, what chords were they? You know, there's a verse in Hosea. We don't have to turn to it. It says I drew them with the cords of a man.
I'm sorry, I'll just have to read it to get it correct. It's found in Hosea. There's no need to turn to it.
Hosea 11 and says I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love. Just imagine this world is guilty of the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And yet God has lingered for almost 2000 years.
Why? Because he loves you, dear friend, For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe that him should not perish.
But have everlasting life. Why has God not brought judgment on this guilty world?
Oh, it's because he loves me and he loves you. Oh, I thank God that he waited and saved my soul. And I thank God that he has waited to save many here in this room. And oh, tonight, dear friend, I ask you, will you not accept his offer of a full and free salvation tonight? Or are you going to say, as we have here, let us break their bands asunder. All people today, they want to turn to the false religions of man.
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They want to turn away from the Word of God. They don't want to be under the control of their Creator.
Well, we have the voice of the world in these first three verses. Now let's go on to the next three.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them.
In derision then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vets them in his sword as pleasure.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Oh, now we have a different voice. This time it's the voice of God.
Speaking and he says, I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I want to say this world is guilty of the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ. But thank God tonight we're not preaching a dead Christmas, a Savior. We're presenting to you tonight a living Savior, one who rose from the dead triumphantly and is now at God's right hand. And I just want to say that God says to this world in 1990.
I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. Yes, the day is coming.
When every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess.
That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. All you say I don't believe that stuff. Dear friend, I want to tell you, whether you believe it or not, the day is coming, you are going to bow the knee. I've often thought when the Lord Jesus was there in the garden, in his humility, those soldiers came and he said, whom seek ye? And they said Jesus of Nazareth. And he said, I am. And you know something, I am was a name was his name.
I am and what happened? They fell forward on their faces instantly.
Should thou not have spoken to them as to who they were standing before?
They fell on their faces and they got up. And he said, again, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And again the Lord Jesus said, I am. Oh, I want to tell you tonight, dear friend, that one is standing tonight with arms outstretched, and he's offering you salvation in July of 1990. But I want to tell you if you will continue to reject the offer of a full and free salvation.
I want to say that you might find one of these days that it is too late.
All we believe as we have here. He that sitteth in the heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in his in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath. Oh, I tell you, judgment is hanging over this world. Why? Because this world has rejected Jesus Christ.
But tonight, we're not offering you. We're not presenting the Lord Jesus to you as the judge.
We're presenting him to you as the Savior of sinners, one who has his arms outstretched, saying, Come unto me, all you that labor nor heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Yes, I want to say that that one who had despised, despised here in this city of Oakbrook, despised here in this country of the United States, is one day going to be King of kings and Lord of Lords. As we said, every knee will bow.
And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Well, we come now to the next three verses, and now we have someone else speaking. It says, I will declare the decree the Lord has sent unto me. Thou art my Son. This day have I begotten thee.
Ask them, give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a Potters vessel. Well we have here the Lord has said unto me, thou art my son this day have I begotten they Oh now we have the Son speaking, the Lord Jesus himself. And you know it's referring here in this seventh verse to the time when Jesus was born here into this world. He says thou art my son this day, have I begotten thee.
And you know, I think it's very important for us to realize that when that Holy One was born to this world, he was born of a virgin. Yes, his mother was Mary. But I want to say that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Yes, he was perfectly God and he was also perfectly man. He was born into this world. And he says, here ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.
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All we said before that God desires that his Son.
Be glorified, He desires that every knee will bow, and so he says, ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. Yes, the day is coming when all the Gentile nations of the world will come up to Jerusalem and they will acknowledge the Lord Jesus as their as the Messiah. Israel, that nation that has rejected their Messiah for so long is going to realize that that one that they crucified to that tree.
Is none other than their Messiah. And so he says, ask of Maine.
And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.
Oh, I want to say that prophetically, this is Speaking of that day of judgment that is coming.
But I want to say tonight that what God desires is that you be broken.
You know, there's a verse in Psalm and I'm just going to read it to get it correct. I think it's Psalm 30.
I'm sorry, it's Psalm 50.
Psalm 51.
And verse 17.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.
Are broken and a contrite heart. Oh God, thou wilt not despise. Oh, I want to ask you, have you ever gotten the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with a broken spirit acknowledging your sinfulness? You know, it says in Jeremiah the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And I want to say that as your heart, dear friend, that is my heart desperately wicked.
You know, sometimes you can take a look at an egg and it might look beautifully white on the outside.
It might smell nice, it might look nice, and yet inside it's just full of.
Rottenness and corruption smashing on the ground and a stench comes out.
And you know, you can go down the street and you can be recognized as a wonderful person by so and so and so and so. But bring the right circumstances along, and out will come that stench of what is really inside. Yes, God looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. And so He sees that my heart, and your heart naturally is nothing but desperately wicked.
Well, have you ever gotten in the presence of God and acknowledged your sinfulness? Oh, tonight, dear friend, don't try to justify yourself. Don't try to think that you're not as bad as your neighbor. Don't try to say, well, I'm not a drunkard. I don't curse. I don't go and do all the things that are gross things in this world. Oh, I want to tell you, God says there is no difference.
All have sinned. I've used the illustration. It might be a rather foolish 1.
But just supposing there was a nuclear bomb explosion here in North America and destroyed the population.
And you found yourself on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. You were surviving, along with three or four others.
There were no airplanes, no boats, nothing, and the only escape was to get to Europe.
Supposing you jumped in the water and said I'm going to swim there, it doesn't matter how good a swimmer you are. Some of you might be able to get out half a mile, some of you might be able to get 5 miles. There might even be some of them get out 30 miles. But I want to tell you what would be your chances of getting to Europe by swimming? Absolutely hopeless.
There is no difference. All have sinned and come short.
Of the glory of God.
Well, we come now to these last three verses.
And I like these. Perhaps we could apply this to the Holy Spirit speaking. He says here now in verse 10, Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Oh, this isn't the fear of.
Being afraid that God is going to do something terrible to you. But it's really to have that godly fear, that reverence.
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To realize that you are in the presence of God, that race, holy God, that cannot.
Look upon sin that cannot have sin in his presence. All it says here serve the Lord with fear. Be wise. Oh, tonight we would say to you, dear friend, be wise. You know there's a verse that says in the book of Proverbs, it says the beginning of.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, is what I'm trying to say. The fear of the Lord.
Is the beginning of wisdom all I ask you? Do you fear Him? Do you not realize that one day you're going to have to stand in His presence?
Have you thought about where you are going to spend eternity?
Oh, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And so it says here too in verse 12, kiss the Son. Oh, I want to say, have you ever felt his love? Have you ever gone in His presence? Have you ever come to the Lord Jesus in all your need and asked Him to save you?
You know, the bride could say in the Song of Solomon, let him kiss me.
With the kisses of his mouth. Oh, I want to say, do you fear to come into his presence?
Or you desire tonight to respond to His love and accept Him as your personal Savior.
All it says here, kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way. Oh, the Lord does not desire to be angry with you. He wants you to come to Him. We quoted that verse before. Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Oh dear boy and girl, here tonight, you children, have you come to Jesus? Do you know that one day very soon Jesus is going to come?
He is going to take out of this world all those that have put their trust in him.
I ask you, boys and girls, will you be left behind, or will you be caught up with your mothers and your fathers to be with the Lord Jesus and the glory? Oh, I want to say boys and girls, just because your mother and father is a Christian is no guarantee that you are a Christian. No, you must make that decision yourself. Have you ever bowed your knee and asked the Lord Jesus to?
Put away those sins.
Have you? Well, He desires that tonight it says, kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Oh, I thank God for everyone here in this room of whom it can be said that they have put their trust in Him. I thank God that when I was a child I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. Dear teenager.
Perhaps some of you have come to the gospel meetings. You've come to conferences like this many, many times.
And yet you have never, ever gone into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
And asked for his salvation. I ask you tonight, do it now before you leave this room. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. We have no guarantee that we're going to be here tomorrow. We know that life can change so rapidly.
Things can come in and change our life. Perhaps we won't even be here.
Oh, I ask you, why not be prepared? Why not take him as your personal savior tonight?
Dear adults, perhaps you have been invited by some friend to come to this gospel meeting.
Perhaps you have responded to an invitation we would desire. Not that you join some new group, no, but all that you would join a company of believers that are on their way to the glory, not because of what they are, but because of who he is, because of their trusting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead. You shall be saved.
I want to ask, dear friend tonight, are you willing to confess him as your savior?
Would you be willing to say to someone in this room tonight I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord?
Oh how it would thrill our hearts tonight if you would just simply come and say to the speaker or someone here in this room tonight I have accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
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We're going to pray now if you've never asked him to save you.
Do it now.
Blessed God.
Jesus Wept
Gospel—L. LaBenne
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It's worth much joy tonight.
That we present the gospel.
Of the grace of God here, but it's also with soberness tonight.
For one thing, this is the last invitation, the last meeting of the conference.
And so the gospel will not be going forth after tonight here.
And perhaps.
You will hear the gospel tonight for the very last time. Perhaps tonight will be your last opportunity to know what it means to pass from darkness unto life and from the power of Satan unto God. I pray that every one of us will take seriously and listen carefully.
To what the Lord Jesus would have to say to us tonight from His precious word.
I see these dear children sitting here. He knows you all by name.
He knows all about you. He knows your sin. He knows your need.
And He wants to wash you in his blood, clean every wet, and make you fit for His holy presence.
But before we read, open our Bibles and look into God's precious Word.
I'd like to sing another little hymn here.
#17 And we have an appeal brought before us here in this little hymn as well. A question is asked, and oh, may we look at this in a very solemn and serious way. Have you any room for Jesus? He who bore the load of sin as he knocks and asks, Admission, Sinner, will you let him in room for Jesus?
Lord of glory, hasten now his word, obey, swing the hearts door widely open, bid him enter while you may room for pleasure, room for business, but for Christ the crucified, not a place that he can enter in the heart for which He died. Have you any time for Jesus as in grace, He calls again, Oh, today is time accepted tomorrow.
You may call in vain #17.
John's Gospel Chapter 11 and verse 35.
This little verse.
Is probably the first verse that many of you sitting here ever learned. I know of many children who.
When they were learning to say their verse for the first time. Not able to speak even too well. Little toddlers.
They had learned this verse, these two little words. Jesus.
Wept and how many times I have read this verse and said it and thought well.
It's an easy verse to say, easy to learn. I'm sure we've all learned it already. Just two little words. Jesus wept.
But you know, I was thinking about this verse as to what it really means.
I was thinking of who we're Speaking of tonight and who it is that tonight is looking down.
Into this audience, into the heart of each one of us. He knows what you're thinking about.
He knows whether or not you are on your way to glory, or whether you're on your way to that place of eternal judgment and eternal doom. He looks down and He yearns over your heart, over your soul. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Who is this Blessed One of whom we speak?
He is the one who upholds all things by the word of His power.
He is the one who created you and me and all things.
He is the one who has all power and all wisdom.
There's nothing that he does not know.
This blessed One, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Has never made a mistake.
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His love could not be more infinite.
Than it is.
He cares about each and everyone of you tonight.
He knows all the suffering and the pain and the disappointment. We were singing tonight.
Of Satan's delusion.
And all how our hearts are burdened as we think of what has happened in this world.
Are you being deceived tonight? Are you hearing?
Are you listening to the Father of Lies? Who would tell you that there's other things that are important?
There's other things that you should be seeking after pleasure money.
Power and fame all. Beloved tonight, this blessed person.
Of whom we are speaking with all these glories, this one of whom Peter could say, depart from me, oh Lord, for I am a sinful man. Oh, why did he say that? A glimpse of this blessed, glorious man. Oh, you know, earlier today I was visiting with a brother, and we were talking about that moment, as one used to say, the moment for which every other moment is made.
That moment when we're going to stand and gaze face to face.
Into the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There to look at this blessed one.
And to know that his love and his precious work.
On the cross.
Has brought me there to know that every word that he speaks.
Is correct.
There's many voices tonight, beloved, that are going for. There's many opinions. We Friday night, our brother spoke about the Council of the Ungodly and the danger of listening to those voices. Oh, you know, I think of a time when I was working there in California, out in Palm Springs, and it was a very hot day. And so we went into a little restaurant inside of the mall.
And it happened to be just at lunchtime when a lot of the young people were pouring.
Out of the high school, they were coming over there to eat, and I was sitting there among them and my heart was so burdened. I thought about the one who ponders the heart as he was listening to these precious young people, some of them making a lot of foolish remarks, so many of them that seemed to be without any purpose, without any goal, without any hope.
And I can't think of anything more awful.
Tonight than to be without hope and without God.
In this world.
All I remember standing one day.
Beside a young man who was taken out of a car after an accident.
And I was there when the doctor came and pronounced that there is.
No hope he is not going to make it. I remember another time. How many?
Incidents there are because we're living beloved among the tombs. It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.
And so Christ came to bear the sin of many all. May I ask you?
Each one personally tonight, where will you spend?
Eternity, eternity. This night may be the last night that God will ever give you the opportunity. The appeal may be going forth, as we've said already, for the last time.
But I was driving along in Huntington Beach, CA and I stopped at a stoplight.
And a placement was next door and I could hear his radio and.
I heard the message that there is a drowning down at the water and at that time I thought, well.
I had a little time on my hand, it was about a mile away and so I drove down.
And kind of followed the message of what I had heard on his radio and I thought I'd stand away and perhaps it would be an opportunity, opportunity to hand out a gospel tract or two. Because, you know, death is a very real and solemn speaker.
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I got to this very sober scene.
And there on the beach was a group of people standing and waiting. There was one young man who was crying uncontrollably, probably about 18 years of age.
And I watched the swimmers out there, the lifeguards, as they were looking for this person who was under the water.
Under the water, probably for about 1/2 an hour.
Finally, they brought him to shore.
And they laid him down there, and again there was a doctor there.
I looked at that young man who looked so healthy. He had such a strong build.
He looked like the kind of person that was having a lot of fun in life.
He was having a good time.
But it was over.
Tonight you may be called as the rich man.
You may be called into the presence of the Lord.
I pray that tonight you will say, Lord Jesus, I am a Sinner and I want to be saved. I want to know thee. Tonight is my own personal savior. Oh, you know, I've talked to so many who have said, oh, if you knew how bad I am. I just feel like it's no use.
Oh, don't let Satan's lies deceive you in a way like that.
Perhaps I can just tell one more story. Not just a story.
This is something that happened about 4546 years ago.
Years ago.
Back in Detroit, MI, I was working at a grocery store.
And there was a young lady of probably about 12 years of age that used to come in.
She had real pretty blonde hair and she was one of these happy little girls that was just enjoying life so much. But I got the message that she had been in an accident in a car and I thought, oh, how awful that is. I can't believe that this girl is dead. And so on my own, I knew where the Funeral Home they had said. I walked over to that Funeral Home and there were very few people around at the dime.
But there is a young man. I walked up to that.
To that little girl's body. And I looked at it.
And I stood there in absolute disbelief.
She's really gone. She's gone into eternity. And where all again I say, where will you spend eternity?
Now to get back to this very solemn verse.
We've been speaking about the Lord Jesus as to who he is. We've been speaking about his power.
And his love and his wisdom.
This one who delighted the heart of the Father, all he could say, this is my beloved son.
In whom I have found all my delight.
And it's our privilege tonight to find our delight in him.
1St as Savior and then as Lord.
What a scene we have before us here, dear ones, tonight, Jesus.
Wept.
Perhaps we could turn to another verse in Luke. Luke 19.
Where we find the Savior weeping again.
He was at a funeral here where he was weeping.
Even though he knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
He was weeping. I would like to go into that in just a moment. Why was the Savior weeping?
But here in Luke 19.
Let's read first verse 28. And when he had thus spoken, he went before.
Ascending up into Jerusalem and verse 41.
And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it.
If we would turn to Matthew 23, we would find there that the Lord Jesus is weeping.
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We might say, and he's saying all Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets.
How OFT would I have gathered thee as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings?
But ye would not, Ye would not.
Oh, is there anyone here tonight that is listening to the Father of Lies?
And therefore we must say of them.
You would not. You would not.
All as I look into this audience tonight, I think of how the blessed Savior had compassion on the multitude.
And there I think of those solemn words in lamentation. Is it nothing to you?
All ye that pass by, can it be that with anyone here?
That we find a precious soul who is not sobered with the fact.
God is speaking.
God who now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. A God who so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him.
Should not perish, but have everlasting life all.
Do any of you have trouble tonight? Is there sorrow in anybody's life?
Sitting here tonight, I dare say that if I would take each family here tonight.
That it would make me weep, The hair of the suffering and the sorrow.
And the pain that you've gone through.
Is there anybody that is exempt? I was talking to a young lady.
Not too long ago.
Whose mother had committed suicide and she was on the verge of taking her life and she said there's no reason for me to live, she said. I'm ugly.
And nobody likes me. She was about 25 years of age.
And my husband is leaving me.
And I don't have any reason to live.
Oh, what a privilege it was.
That God allowed.
The speaker.
To bring the gospel before her.
Today, that young lady has heard the word of God.
Her name is Becky and we're going to see her in glory all What a precious thing it is to realize.
That's a night we need to get our eyes off of the speaker.
And have them on the Lord Jesus Christ. God is working tonight. He can work with or without us.
But all he is working. He has something to say to everyone of you, say or Sinner. He has something to say to us, and that sometimes it's through suffering. We had referred earlier in the reading meeting to the time when Joseph's brethren.
When Joseph spoke in Genesis 42, he spoke roughly to his, to his brethren. When they came, he had disguised himself. But then if you go over another chapter, you'll find that he has to get away from them. And you find that this, this type of Christ, Joseph is weeping because he yearned over his brethren. Perhaps we should turn to that for a moment. Genesis 43.
And the 30th verse.
And Joseph made haste for his bowels. His heart did yearn.
Upon his brother, and he sought where to weep, and entered into his chamber.
And wept there, all you know, I think of the blessed Lord Jesus as he sat weary on that well of Sikar.
He had walked all night and now he was he had a.
Precious woman on his heart, all you might say, she was the kind of woman that.
Who would want to talk to her?
All beloved, tonight I hope that we can so get into the presence of God that we can feel his presence here, the presence of the Lord Jesus here with us tonight and find ourselves like Job of old. Who could say mine? I see a Thee and I abhor myself in dust and ashes. Have you seen him tonight? By faith, beloved friend.
00:20:17
Have you seen the Savior in all of his loveliness?
Have you seen the nail prints in his hands? Have you heard his precious words?
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Oh the Lord Jesus himself, beloved, tonight is speaking to your heart. He is yearning over you. He's yearning over this poor Christ rejecting world. He is not welling that you should be lost. These shall go away into everlasting punishment where there is weeping.
And wailing and gnashing of teeth. All little poems as.
What horror shall roll, or the godless soul as it awakes of all hope bereft? There is a day coming when the last call will go out, and perhaps it's tonight for you. And then to wake up and to realize that solemn that, to hear those solemn words depart from me. I never knew you all, beloved tonight.
If you knew the Savior.
If you knew the love that led him to the cross to become the willing victim.
And there to go to that cross, and cry those solemn, solemn words, all were words more solemn ever uttered in this world than the words of the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, as he hung upon that cross and cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from hearing me and the words of my roaring?
These words are so solemn.
At best, we enter into it so feebly what it meant for Jesus.
That blessed perfect one to be made sin.
What it meant for him to have the stroke upon stroke of God's holy wrath.
To fall upon him, and there to bear my sin.
In his own body, on the tree all what a savior he is.
And so we do find that sometimes God speaks in a way.
That we feel a lot of pain.
Perhaps I can illustrate.
This precious truth in this way.
And I would pardon a personal illustration here.
But when my youngest son was five years of age, we had gone to a little.
Restaurant to eat and we were visiting with some of our brethren who were with us.
And he got away from us and he ran across the street.
And then he was going to run back and justice, as he was about to run back, I noticed.
A car who was going way too fast. The car, the driver was wrong.
He was wrong, but if my son had run out in front of that car, he'd probably been dead.
And so I said, Jeffrey, stop.
Jeffrey was not used to hearing me talk that way to him.
I spoke rather roughly to him.
But can I tell you that it came from a father's heart?
That's what I want to illustrate.
Oh, do you realize that he is not? He does not willingly afflict the children of men.
But all you know, I've enjoyed this thought lately, and this is for both St. and Sinner alike.
Adversity and suffering gives opportunity.
Someone used to say, and I've enjoyed it so much, what was it that brought out the loveliness of Christ?
Oh, it was the suffering and the reproach that he bore.
All what a savior he is how do you act how do I act when somebody.
Says something bad about you behind your back.
00:25:03
Or when somebody hurts you.
Always think of that blessed Savior, that perfect One, whoever delighted the heart of the Father.
We find him saying there on the cross, Father, forgive them.
For they know not what they do.
All what a heart and tonight the Lord Jesus is looking down into your heart.
Oh, what will you do with Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be. Someday your soul will be asking what will he do with me? What will he do with me?
I remember hearing a little poem and I don't know the story real well, but maybe just enough of it to illustrate a point here.
The name of it is a shattered wreck, and I understand there was a young, healthy man who was rejecting the Savior.
And one day on his horse, he had a very serious accident.
And he became Maine and saw this little poem was written by him.
Go something like this. A shattered wreck am I? Oh, I see so many dear young people here tonight. I hope everyone of you know the Savior.
And you're healthy.
A shattered Rakamai enjoined now.
A chair and full of life, I sit and sing to him.
Who placed me there? Contempt. A shattered wreck to be.
Because my God, it pleasantly he caught and clipped my once strong wings.
And now he Stoops to hear me, and it is good for me to.
Soar these palsy limbs above to Him whose purpose I adore, whose every act is love. And so I say tonight, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Every breath of air that you breathe, every step that you take, every joy that you have experienced, all I think of the goodness of God that has given us so much to enjoy.
The food that he's given us.
The weather, the beautiful scenery and all these natural things that we enjoy. How we could go on and on with this.
But He's given us many things to enjoy, and yet a man will go on. And you know God has to say to a young man remembered now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not are the years drawn nigh, when in which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. One thing that is very striking to me as I get older, two things I might say. One of them isn't that time goes by so quickly.
So quickly.
Oh, what a what a solemn thing it is. Time is going by and all of a sudden this feeling that young people so often have that I just, there's nothing that could happen to me. I'm healthy. I'm going to plan for the future. I'm going to tear down my barns and I'm going to build greater.
And so we go on thinking that nothing can happen.
And then we get sick, something happens and we find out.
That word know that we are vulnerable all as I said, I'll say again, we're dwelling among the tunes and when I see the focus that Satan would have the father of lies that would have us the things of this scene that soon must pass away.
Oh, how solemn it is. You remember that little track? Many of us have read it, perhaps entitled Misdirected the story, as I remember, it's been a number of years ago that I read it, but.
I believe it was a mother and her son were directed by the conductor of the train to get off at the wrong place on a very, very cold and snowy day, and after he had told them to get off the plane, had made the train, had made a quick stop and was on its way, he realized that he had made an awful mistake. He let them off in the middle of the wilderness.
And when they were able to get back to these people, this mother and her son.
They were found frozen to death, an awful mistake because they were misdirected.
And you know, I thought about those dear young people sitting there at those tables in Palm Springs.
00:30:05
And listening to some of their conversation and this thought burdened by heart so much that they were so many of them were misdirected. They knew nothing about the Savior. Perhaps many of them had never heard the gospel before. But in that same city there is a dentist that I know who one day invited me into his office and said, I would like to introduce you.
And what he wanted to introduce me to was a false religion, a cult.
And he wanted me to become part of this. And as we talked together, the opportunity was there to present to him the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners. And he said all I believe the Bible. I believe the Bible, but I also believe that he had a couple other books there.
He had a book by a man who said he had had a vision.
In New York and he had these special spectacles that he would wear that would help him to understand. I mentioned this because Satan is sitting and laughing, the father of lies.
And finally, we were able to turn to Isaiah 10 and verses 43. Perhaps we can turn to it for a moment.
Yes, verses 10 and 11 of Isaiah 43. And we read these two verses to him. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord and my servant, whom I have chosen, that ye may know, that ye may believe.
That ye may understand.
Know, believe and understand. Understand what? That I am He.
And before me there was number God formed, neither shall there be after me.
I even I am the Lord and beside me.
There is no savior.
This poor misdirected dentist.
Looked at those verses.
And he said there must be some mistake. There must be some mistake.
Let's look at it.
More carefully. So we read it again.
He believed in many gods. He said that he was going to become God someday.
All beloved here tonight. I hope that no one will be misdirected by.
The father of lies. And you know, it's a very solemn thing tonight to know that all the powers of Satan.
Are opposed to one word being said tonight that would give honor and glory.
To that worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This man right now said I have to write and get more information that will help me because I don't have an answer.
For this verse, Oh I pray for him. And what is it that keeps a man?
From coming to Christ. What is it that is keeping you tonight if you're not saved?
Or perhaps some friend that you know at school. All you know, I think of what it will mean when the Lord Jesus comes.
There are so many sad cases where some have disobeyed the precious principles of the Word of God.
And there is an unequal yoke in marriage. One is taken and one is left.
All to leave your partner for all eternity or to leave your child for all eternity. All you know, I remember hearing about a dear young lady who knew the Lord Jesus as Savior. And she went to the hospital and she went to her father's side. He was dying. And she said, oh daddy, please come to the Lord Jesus. I don't want to say goodbye to you.
For all eternity, never see you again. How many there would be. You know one of the saddest things, beloved brethren.
That, I know is for any of us to have a child who does not know Jesus as Savior.
And I know of cases where some have died and there are feeble little remarks that are made such as, you know, I think maybe maybe he was a Christian because on his deathbed he said this or that all I pray that like the little hymn says tonight that you will decide for Christ tonight and God's salvation free thy sins deserve eternal death, but Jesus.
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Died for thee.
And tonight the cry is going out that whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life. Really all what a message we have to tell, what a story we have to give. And God delights, You know, we sang in our first little hymn that we sang hymn #2 Those very solemn words. And I think of what a scene is before us here. Come for Angel hosts are musing or this site.
So strangely sad.
Oh, it is a sight that is most unbelievable that God is beseeching.
The God in whose hand thy breath is the God who set his Son into the world.
To save sinners, the God who this very night, and in this very room.
At this very hour is speaking to your precious never dying soul.
He is beseeching.
Yet man is refusing.
Oh, and then I think, what is it that he's refusing, refusing to be made forever glad. Oh, you know, during these days of these meetings, is there any feast? Is there any blessedness like what we enjoy as the children of God as we open up his precious word?
As we think about Christ.
As we listen to those precious principles of His word, you know, I was thinking of some of the things that we're saying in connection with that. And what is it that keeps a man from coming to Christ, as we started to say?
It's his own rebellion of heart. It's his lack of submission. Oh, do you know that?
This book that we hold in our hands. Oh, it struck me one day.
So often I've said this is the word of God. One day I thought.
This is the word of who?
Or may it be impressed upon our minds that it's the word of God?
Oh, it's the words from our precious savior.
There's not one error in it, you can't pick up another book.
Like this?
This book will give you, as someone has said, light amid the darkness, truth amid error, error wherever you look. Oh, how much there is, how much I hear daily as I go to work and as I visit with people that I meet their opinions. I recently got out my dictionary and I, I looked up that word opinion, and here's what it said. An opinion is a judgment.
Or belief based upon insufficient evidence to produce.
Certainty.
It's quite a contrast with what we have, isn't it? We have that of which we are.
We have convictions about I know the apostle Paul could say whom I have believed.
And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
There is no doubt. There is no guesswork here.
We have his precious word all when I see the instability all around.
On the part of man, I love to think of that one in whom I can rest.
And you can rest a night in Him as your savior.
The one who we read of is the same. All he is the same.
Perfect evenness in him. The same yesterday, today and forever.
And all before I close. I cannot close without just saying this.
Perhaps I'll read it, and perhaps we can turn to it. John 14.
John's Gospel, chapter 14.
You know that after the Second World War, MacArthur had.
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He had been in the Philippines.
And it was after Pearl Harbor he made a promise to all the Orient.
These people were.
You might say we're just hanging upon the words that he said, He said I will come again.
I will come again. Well, let's just read John 14 and verse 3.
Let's read from verse one. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.
I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am.
There ye may be also. Yes, I did not want to close without bringing before us that glorious hope.
That moment for which we wait, when we're going to gaze into the face of our precious Savior.
Even so, come Lord Jesus. Oh, Are you ready?
Is there someone here tonight?
Who is still lost and in their sins?
I'd like to do something very, very solemn to me tonight in closing.
Like to sing hymn #27 But I'd like to make a special request as we stand and sing this hymn.
But if you are not saved, that you will be honest about not singing these words because you Can't Sing them truly and as you're singing, beloved.
Will sing and weep.
And then we're going to ask the Lord.
To pray for your precious, never dying soul.
These things are real.
These things are all important.
More important than anything else.
My God, I have found the thrice blessed ground where life and where joy and true comfort are found. Hallelujah.
Thus that word is the same in every language. It means praise the Lord, Hallelujah, thine the glory.
Hallelujah, Amen, Hallelujah, thine the glory, Amen and Amen. May we stand and sing this hymn together. Only those who know the Savior. And I would just say this, if there's someone here who is troubled about their sins, all I would encourage you.
To talk to someone tonight, let's get this most important matter settled. No for all eternity.
My God.
Open Mtg.
Open—E. Pilkington, H. Brinkmann, D. Martin
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First Epistle to John, chapter 2.
And we might begin from verse 12.
I write unto you, little children.
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him, that is from the beginning.
I reigned unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.
I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him.
That is from the beginning I have written unto you young men.
Because ye are strong, and the word of God applied us in you.
And ye have overcome the wicked man. One love, not the world.
Neither the things are in the world if any man love the world.
The love of the Father is not in Him, for all that is in the world. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world, and the world passes away, and the lusts thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
I'm sure there is.
A little letter for each one of us here this afternoon.
There's a little letter for children.
There's a letter for young people.
There's a letter for for parents and for older people. It isn't wonderful that the Word of God contains all that which God knows you and I will need while we await for our Savior to come.
And sometimes we get a little troubled perhaps.
By our lowest state, perhaps we feel that the Spirit of God is grieved.
In our meetings, I'm sure we have all felt that at sometimes or other.
Here the verse says Is there not A cause?
And I believe that what we have here in this chapter would bring before us A cause.
And as we think of what it says here.
In verse 15.
Love not the world, neither things are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him when we speak of the world.
We don't speak of the beautiful scenery around us in the countryside or the lakes.
The world and the Word of God is that system of things.
In this world that is opposed to God and His grace.
That is the world and that is the enemy that we face too.
Because Satan is the God of this world.
And so.
It says love not the world and neither the things that are in the world.
This is searching for one's heart and as Satan is a God of this world.
How does he tempt you and I?
It speaks about.
The lust of the flesh, and each one of us here have the flesh in US.
And Romans 8:00 and 8:00, as it says later in the flesh, cannot please God.
And if you and I want to please God, then we must walk in the Spirit.
Is that Galatians 5 that tells us if we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh?
And so I do believe today that the God of this world is working in a special way.
Present before each one of us, and we have.
I believe the eyes how he uses our eyes.
It speaks about the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.
All how important it is that we pray as we had brought before this afternoon. So lovely.
You know what we looked at will affect our hearts.
And I say, brethren.
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I feel as Satan has those devices.
Today, everywhere, no matter where you go.
You'll see those inventions, I believe, inspired by Satan.
To attract our eyes.
And you know, Psalmist says, my eye effecteth my heart.
And if your heart and mind is affected by what we see?
Then there's something wrong.
We need to get before the Lord and pray of us all. I would seek to warn each one of us.
Be careful what we look at. Be careful what we listen to.
Because.
What you see and what you hear.
What you read is all stored up there in your mind.
And the God of this world can bring those things before our minds in such a way that will rob us of.
Of enjoying the Lord in reading His Word, and so how important it is.
If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
That is very searching. And then we have not only the lusts of the eyes, but the pride of life.
You know the middle word. The middle letter of that word is I.
Yes, pride.
I and the Word of God says only by pride contention. Do we have contentions among us sometimes. Well, how we need to search our own hearts and not look at our brethren.
Right, the middle letter is I, oh, we need to search our eye, search our hearts.
And if we feel that somebody else, then we ought to pray for them.
And so here the world passes away, and the lesser of but he that doeth, the will of God abideth.
Or ever. Well, these thoughts have been in my heart.
And I'd like to turn back for justice a few moments to the 12Th chapter of Romans.
Romans, chapter 12.
Verse one.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God.
As you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy.
Acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
That you may prove what is that good and acceptable.
And perfect will of God. And so it says here.
Be not conformed to this world. Well, let's remember again.
The Satan is the God of this world.
He not conformed to this world.
How easy it is to get conformed to something down here.
But I want to warn us all if we get conformed to any one thing.
You're going to find it a lot harder to get straightened out on that thing.
Years ago, as a woodworker, if we wanted to bend the piece of wood to conform it to a pattern, we used to take that wood and we would put it in hot water. We would wrap it up in sacks and let it soak.
And then the next day we could take that piece of wood and we could bend it.
To the form, we could conform it to a pattern that we had in mind.
Once that piece of wood is conformed to the pattern.
And it dries out after a day or two. You cannot straighten that.
Piece of wood. It's conformed to a pattern. You cannot straighten it. If you try, you would only break it and ruin the piece of wood. And so how important it is, beloved.
To have this warning be not conformed to this world.
Let's remember, we don't realize it, but Satan is the God of this world. And I say he knows my weak points. He knows your weak points. He knows what will track your eyes and your ears as well as mine. And Satan will always, as the end of our souls, attack us at our weak points. And we all have weak points and that's why we need to get into the presence of the Lord.
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And to have our strength renewed, Yes, the Lord is our strength.
Unlike the 46th Psalm where David says God is our refuge and strength, a very present health and time of need. Do you feel need you need, need help? Oh, there's one above is looking down. He knows you need, but he would like you to ask for his help. Oh, how often he comes in and helps us even when we don't ask them. He's a God of love. But I say this, He has given us this word and we have instructions, his words.
And I want to emphasize there is one word do.
And there's another little phrase. Do not.
Now I believe what we have in some of these verses, we have some do not.
Do not.
That is the lust of the flesh. We're not to fulfill them and.
We need to pray, turn our eyes away from beholden vanity, because it affects.
Our heart. And so in Romans it says, be transformed by the reign in of your mind.
As you may prove, what is that good and perfect and acceptable will of God?
But I had especially for me was 2 words do.
And do not.
And this morning, many of us had the privilege.
Of doing what the Lord asked us to do.
We were reminded this morning in a special way of the sufferings of our precious Savior.
What it cost him to redeem us to God, that we might be with Him in glory.
That we might be a part of his bride, He caused him to go into Calvary's cross.
And I say in the language of the one who wrote Lamentation.
Is that nothing unto you all yet have passed by? Behold, see if there be any sorrow.
Like under my sorrow, where the Lord afflict me in the day of his anger.
No sorrow in this world like the sorrow Lord Blessed Savior went through.
In order to redeem you and I out of this present evil world, to be with himself.
Is he asked in two months of you and I to remember him?
Oh no, he's not.
And I say this if you and I get a fresh glimpse of Calvary and what it costs our precious Savior to redeem us to Himself, I'm sure.
We wouldn't be negative in remembering him.
I often repeat and if you have heard me tell this story.
Pardon me, but I love to think of somebody that was very dear to me.
He saved my life when I was drowning.
And the Lord hadn't sent him. I wouldn't be here today. He saved my life from drowning.
You think for one moment that I've ever forgot his name. Oh no, I know his name.
I still remember his name.
His name was Bernard Runsteader. I'll never forget that name.
He's in eternity now, and I hope he's with the Lord.
But I have no assurance, only by confession, of his lips.
That yes, he was stressing the Lord.
And there are many today say that, but it doesn't come from the heart.
And I want to emphasize this to everyone here.
Oh, how good it is to know whom we belong to. And I want to emphasize.
Romans 10:00 and 9:00 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And believe in thine heart that God has raised from the death. Thou shalt be saved. And once we believe that and are saved, then oh, His Spirit comes to dwell within us. And I say to those of us who are saved, how careful we need to be not to grieve the Spirit that dwells within us. We can aggrieve Him so easily.
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And may the Lord help us then to remember Him. Oh, I don't think there's any substitute.
To preserve us than remembering who we belong to.
The one who died for us, He purchased us with his precious blood.
And so that is what we are to do. If we love him, we're to remember him.
And do those things that pleased him. And if you and I want to know what will please him?
His word tells us what to do.
And how to live to please him?
And so there are those things that we have in epistles that are.
As a warning, those things were not to do.
May you and I be before the Lord.
To seek His help that we may not do those things that the God of this world wants us to do.
That we may not allow our bodies to be conformed to anything that the God of this world.
Is use them to attract. May the Lord ever keep us dependent on Him. May the prayer of our left be preserve thee, O Lord, for Thee do I put my trust in.
I have a few verses on my heart. First Corinthians.
Chapter 6.
And also First Corinthians chapter 3.
First Corinthians chapter 6, verse 18.
Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he had committed fornication sinneth against his own body. What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price.
Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit. Which are Gods? Chapter 3.
Verse 16.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?
And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defiled a temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy. Which temple ye are. We heard already yesterday about this wonderful truth of the indwelling of the Spirit of God. This is Christianity.
We have more than new birth. Many speak of themselves as born again Christians, not recognizing that even the Old Testament Saints were born again if they were Saints, but you could never refer to them as Christians. We do have indeed new birth, but we have much more. Beloved, what makes you and me a Christian is the fact that the Holy Spirit himself.
Indwells these bodies of ours. That is what constitutes you and me a Christian, and what a tremendous, wonderful truth that is.
He that has not the Spirit of Christ is none of his.
By this spirit we are linked.
To a living head in heaven, and to every member of the body of Christ.
On Earth. And that person is not just given to us as a resident.
But to be president, to control and direct everything connected with our life in this scene, whether that is in connection with our individual everyday life, whether it is in connection with our family life or whether it is in connection with our assembly life. And isn't it true, beloved?
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This is one of the main causes, if not the cause for any trouble.
That we get ourselves into because we don't allow this divine guest to take control.
And that this divine guest is going to use these members of ours, with which we once served thin, to now serve God.
It's a tremendous truth, a man in the glory, but the Spirit of God indwelling these bodies of ours now.
And to put within us the assurance and the realization that we are the children of God, His Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. And He has sent forth the Spirit of His Son. Since we are sons, He has given us by this indwelling Spirit the feelings of sons, so that we can draw nigh and can call.
ABBA Father.
What a tremendous truth.
And this spirit is given to you and to me as the spirit of truth.
We have them as such in John 1415 and 16.
And he is the one, and He is the power that you and I have to open up.
This book, which is a mystery to us unless that Spirit of God dwells within and gives us spiritual understanding, spiritual insight, appreciation for all of these things, make them good to our hearts. Not to only enter into these things intellectually, but let their truth form us, our very being, and direct our life through this scene.
What a truth that is, beloved. The Spirit of God dwelt in us, but He does not just dwell in me and in you individually. That's what we had in the 6th chapter. Yes, if you are a Christian, you are endowed by that Spirit of God, but He also indwells the church collectively.
He resides there and just like he should be in control in your individual life, in my individual life, so he should be in control in the assembly.
He should be there to be free to bring Christ before us and glorify Christ in our collective, going on together for His glory. And just a mansion. Beloved, the angels of God looked down, and they learned in the Church of God the manifold wisdom of God.
These angelic beings must stand in amazement.
And see the transformation that has taken place in your and in my life.
That once we served sin, these very ones now are enabled by the grace of God to live pleasing to God.
How serious fornication is is brought out in the sixth chapter because it is committed with a body in which God the Holy Spirit dwells.
Remember that. And that's not only a warning for the younger ones, It's a warning for me. It's a warning for the eldest brother in this room. You know, I said to brother Jimmy Smith one time when he was visiting, when he was visiting in our house. I suppose when brethren get to be older, some of the dangers that are more dangerous for us younger ones are not so prominent anymore. Oh, he said, brother, don't say that.
There is no fool like an old fool.
We are all in danger.
Of falling into that sin.
And if you do not allow the Spirit of God to control our lives.
We're in danger. Grieve not. The Holy Spirit, our brother referred already to that scripture in Thessalonians. Because if we do allow evil thoughts, evil desires, meditate on it in our minds, he's grieved. If he lied, he's grieved. He's hindered in that which he loves to do in you, in my heart. And that is to bring the things of Christ before us.
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He has to labor with us and to restore us and to bring us into a suitable state so that we can again enjoy the things of God and the things that the Spirit of God is here. He's here to reveal to us. You know, we need him for any part of the word of God, whether it be the Old Testament or the New Testament. He is the spirit of truth. And it's wonderful in that passage that our brother.
Has read in second John.
You know, much is said there to the young men, very little is said to the fathers, those who are spiritually mature and advanced in the things of God, and more is said to the young men, but much is said to the babes, to the little ones. And it is such a wonderful fact that even in that passage he says that they have the unction of the Holy One that know all things.
They have the capacity to appreciate any truth that the Spirit of God brings before them.
Because they have the Spirit of God. What a wonderful truth that is.
So we have to be exercised that there be nothing in our lives.
That would hinder our usefulness, and that hinders the Spirit of God to direct and guide us for the blessing of man and for the glory of the Lord Jesus. Remember, in the fourth of John, the Spirit is given as the power for worship, springing up into eternal life. That's how eternal life manifests itself in you and in me, that we're entering as worshippers into the presence of God.
And by the Spirit worship the Father in spirit and in truth, In spirit, according to the nature of God, because God is a spirit. And in truth according to the revelation that God has given of Himself. And then in the 7th chapter, that out of our bellies would flow rivers of living water in service to men.
Don't you want to be?
Directed by the Spirit of God in these two most wonderful activities as a worshipper to enter into the holiest of all as we did this morning. And there to pour out your heart in worship and adoration and to rejoice in the Lord Jesus and in rejoice in the position into which you have been brought by grace, and feel that nearness and closeness.
The position into which you have been brought and then to be a source of blessing, you can't fear in your own strength. You can only be it as directed by the Holy Spirit. And now some of us might be directed into one area of service and another into another area of service.
And how wonderful if it is the Spirit of God that directs each one into their sphere of service. There is not going to be competition, there is not going to be belittling someone entered the service, but there is going to be harmony. Because if it is the Spirit that guides and directs in all of these activities of everyone, he will seek to glorify the Lord Jesus.
As a matter of fact, I believe.
We would make more out of the line of ministry and service committed to somebody else than the one that is committed to us.
If the Spirit of Christ directs us.
Well, a brother also read these verses in Romans chapter 12. You know we have the wonderful truth of the body of Christ brought out.
In Romans 12.
But these two verses that our brother has read, I like to speak of them as.
A necessary condition and state in you and me in order to be functioning.
As a member in that place which God has given us.
And I don't believe it is at all possible to really be a source of blessing and encouragement, edification and comfort to the Saints of God, if there is not that state of soul in the individual as described in the 1St 2 verses.
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And he emphasizes the point.
The point in Romans 12.
The main point is serve the Lord in whatever sphere of servant entrusted to you.
Don't go beyond it. Don't think higher up yourself than you ought to say.
And in Philippians 2, he says we should not only think on our own things, we should also think and to think of others. But in First Corinthians chapter 12, we have the local assembly. The local assembly is functioning there as directed by the Spirit of God.
And some of the gifts or manifestations mentioned there.
Are not permanent gifts bestowed but at one time the Lord might use this brother to give a word of wisdom the next time another brother to give a word of wisdom and it might even at times be a young brother brethren you know I enjoyed so much recently when in Cairo we looked at.
2nd.
Kings Four and here is Gehezi.
And the Prophet, he's a servant to the prophet and the woman who had prepared a room for the prophet.
The prophet culture to himself and he says.
Is there anything that can be done for you? Do you want me to talk to the king? Or she says I dwell in the midst of my people? She was content and happy, but the hazard discerned something that the prophet had not discerned, and he made it known to the prophet. She had no child to me. It's beautiful, isn't it, that this old prophet listens to his servant, and the Lord uses that servant to reveal to the prophet.
What was the real longing of the woman's heart? And the need is met then the next time.
When that woman comes after the child dies.
And falls at his feet.
The Hazi wants to push her away. He does not deserve the condition of the woman, but the prophet does. It's beautiful to see how we can work together. And isn't it wonderful that in the assembly we can function as a body?
That we don't have to be chief cook and bottle washer. That we have to do everything.
That there are those that the Lord has raised up who can do things much better than you and I can do.
In some other areas of service, you know sometimes read enough force.
To do something for which they're really not that well qualified because there's nobody else there to do it. And, you know, we might even have to speak and try to encourage and edify and instruct the Saints of God. And we realize we're really not gifted as a teacher, but we can take comfort in the word of God. Speaking of those who were apartment to teach, who had a measure of ability to pass on what they had personally come to enjoy.
Let's not expect brethren of a brother to do something that he is not capable of doing, and let us be humble enough to admit.
That we cannot do everything, that there are some aspects of the Lord's work that He has entrusted to others, and that you we should rejoice even in the local assembly. Rejoice when there are those who can do things better than we can. I've mentioned before, and I believe it's worth repeating, that we can learn such a wonderful lesson from Barnabas.
You know, we always think of Barnabas as a man that argued with Paul. He had no discernment when it came to his nephew who had forsaken them. John Mark.
But we don't hear very often mentioned a very commendable character trade and that is when they go on their missionary journey.
That was Barnabas.
And solve.
Barnabas was in the lead.
But then they meet this man who opposes the truth, the magician.
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Called smites him with blindness and his name becomes Paul.
And he takes over the lead. There is a change of leadership in Acts Chapter 13 and we do not see that Barnabas puts up any fuss. He wasn't hurt in his pride that there was now a change.
That was obviously of the Lord.
And he accepted.
And it's wonderful. It's a commendable character trait that we might well be exercised about.
Imitating.
You know, isn't that wonderful if somebody is brought into?
The assembly are brought to the Lord Jesus and brought into the assembly, and he grows and perhaps grows in his usefulness for the Lord Jesus. Beyond our own usefulness, we should rejoice. If we're really concerned about the glory of the Lord Jesus and the blessing of the Saints, we should rejoice and be thankful for anyone that the Lord raises up. And I was certainly happy this morning to see that two young brothers took liberty to read some of the Scripture verses.
And they fit in. Did we not all feel it? You know, it was certainly an encouragement to my heart. Apparently they had listened to what our brother had said about the meetings. Sometimes long pauses, painful pauses, Well, I trust.
The young brothers won't get big headed by what I say, but I'm thankful that the Spirit.
Was able to use them to read scriptures to us which fit in and contributed to the praise and worship of God's people this morning.
Well, beloved, this is so important in our lives that the Spirit of God indwells our bodies, that He is there to not only, as I have said, to be resident, but to be president.
You know, we had yesterday also.
Some things as to the oversight.
And assembly authority and so on.
Let us be very careful, beloved, whether it's a family.
Or whether it is the Assembly that we do not undermine.
That we do not overthrow or weaken God.
Given authority.
Beware.
Because.
We will do great harm and another warning that might fit in is let us remember that family responsibility is in the family.
The head of the house.
Is responsible to set the standard for his house.
For his family, you and I have no right to interfere with that. I would even go so far as to say dear simply has no right to interfere with that. Don't allow the assembly to interfere with it.
Let us not try to set up the assembly against the family.
Or the family against the assembly. These are dangers, beloved, that exist.
You know whether it is an individual that presumptuously takes it upon himself to direct.
A child or a daughter contrary to the will of her parents or whether it is the assembly.
God has invested authority in the assembly.
And our parents disciplined us as it seemed good to them.
They have to answer to God. We have to answer to God how we.
Conduct ourselves in our God-given responsibility and God has his own way to deal with the abuse of authority. I certainly feel if there is one area in which perhaps I have failed more than any other in my own family is that I have overemphasized authority. But.
Let's not set aside authority, You know, we look at the Old Testament.
And we see in the life of Abraham's family an example.
Of the abuse of authority.
You know this Egyptian maid had no power to decide matters.
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Her mistress gives her to her husband.
She reaps the abuse of authority.
And she wants to get rid of that woman and she's So I'll treat her that she runs away and God finds her there at the well with that child. What does he say?
He says go back to your mistress.
She had not yet.
Read enough.
Of the fruit of what she herself had sown.
She had to put up with this conflict within the family for some more time, until the time came that Isaac was to be established as the heir and she had the mind of the Lord that he should be sent away.
And Isaac be established, you see it even in the history in the Middle East. What's this trouble going on there? The result of the abuse?
Of the Authority.
Of Sarah.
And Abraham went along with it. Abraham.
Went along with it again, this woman in Second Kings Four. What a wonderful example she is for any sister in this room that is married to day. She was evidently the spiritual leader in that household.
She was spiritually exercised. She invited the prophet in and she had this wonderful thought. God-given thought to make a room for the prophet, but she did not act without her husbands approval. She did not act without the husbands approval. She brings it up to him.
And many a Christian home had the woman to be the spiritual leader of that home. And it certainly is better if the woman is a spiritual leader. If the husband isn't, it's better to have a woman as a spiritual leader. No spiritual leader. But remember, sisters.
If you have a husband that is not taking his responsibility, remember he is still your husband. He is still your husband. Learn from that godly, great wealthy woman there in Second Kings 4. But there came a time when she did not even inform her husband. Remember when the child died.
The child was dead.
The chart was six and realized I can't do much for this child.
Send it to the mother, and the mother had him on his on her lap until he died, and then she put him on the prophet's bed, and she.
Goes to the prophet and her husband interferes or wants to find out what she was doing. She doesn't even tell him the child is dead. She says all is well. All is well and she goes to the prophet and brings this sad news to the prophet and the prophet.
Doesn't know until the woman is close to him. What state of mind.
And what her soul was passing through until she was close to him. What a lesson, he said. The Lord has not revealed it to me.
I believe there's a reason why God had not revealed it to the prophet, because we should have learned a lesson from it. And I believe the lesson is if we really want to come to know the state of an individual spiritual state and the state of their heart, we have to get close to that person. We have to get close to him. There are too many cases where people try to diagnose by the telephone.
And form a judgment and form an opinion. Remember a doctor when he wants to get to know the state of his patient, he has to get close to the patient so that he can feel the patient's pulse.
We have to realize that if we really want to come to know.
What a person is passing through their state of soul? We have to get close to them.
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And then hopefully we will be able to help another wonderful lesson.
That we can learn from this and that lesson can be applied. I'm meaning the story in Second Kings four can be applied to the family and can be applied to the assembly when the prophet hears that.
The boy is dead. He sends Gaza ahead and he has put the stand.
Has put he has to put the staff over the head of this boy.
But Geheza comes back and he says he's not awakened. He's not awakened. Why is that?
Authority will not restore. Let me repeat that. Authority will not restore. I believe the staff speaks of authority. We know that from Moses with his death, you know what? When he was before Pharaoh, and we know when he opened up the say and.
Authority is necessary in our individual lives, in our family lives, in our assembly lives, but it takes more than authority to revive and to restore and would be to God that there are those who are able to restore. Maybe I can't serve very well in that capacity. Maybe you cannot serve in that capacity very well either.
But let's pray to God that there might be those who can, like the prophet, get close to that person.
As it were laid on top of him and warm him up, and then to revive him.
Oh, how important that his beloved authority does not restore.
And we see that even in the wilderness. Journey of the people of God through the wilderness.
What was necessary for their survival in the wilderness was not Moses authority.
That was the intercession of Aaron, and Moses himself feels that when he sends Aaron into the camp so that they would be spared.
Oh, it's so much easier to see these things in the Scriptures, beloved, and it's so much more difficult to carry them out. But it's a wonderful fact, beloved, that we don't have to do it all by ourselves.
And that we be in such a state that we recognize our.
Limitations and that we joyfully accept whatever somebody else can contribute to the blessing of God's people and to the glory and honor of the Lord Jesus. But another joyful fact as to the Spirit of God is that the Lord Jesus says he will abide with you forever. He will abide with you forever. The Lord Jesus was going away, but the Spirit would never.
Go away, you know in the Old Testament the Spirit of God would come upon.
An individual and sometimes even upon an unbeliever and forcing an unbeliever to reveal most wonderful truth, even as to the condition of the people of God and how God sees them. I'm thinking of Balaam. I see no iniquity in Jacob.
How could he make such a statement? And then in the book of Numbers where you see them all fail, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, they all fail and Balaam is by the Spirit of God told. I see no iniquity in Jacob. Why is that? Because he is made to see these people the way God sees him in value of that perfect sacrifice. I see no iniquity in Jacob. The Spirit could come upon someone and could leave and even.
David, when he had sinned all, and entered his awful sin of fornication.
And murder to try to cover it up. Praise. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me, but beloved.
The Spirit of God will never leave us. Once He has taken His abode in us, He will remain there forever and He will not rest. If you and I sin until we're brought back into the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus, into the enjoyment of our salvation and that which we have in Christ, we will never leave us. He shall be with you. He shall be in you. I like to think of the with you collectively.
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And in US individually, beloved, I trust we have seen from these scriptures.
Read and referred to the importance of walking in communion and fellowship with the Lord Jesus in the power of an unreal spirit. And let not, let not, let us not quench the Spirit. What is it to quench the Spirit? If these two young men this morning would not have heard these scriptures that I trust the Spirit of God was putting on their heart, they would have quenched the Holy Spirit.
If the Lord Jesus would want you to do something for him, be it in gospel work, be it among the people of God, and you don't do it, you're quenching the Holy Spirit. You know my one of my children related this story that.
She knew of a man who was very well taught.
And he would hardly ever open his mouth.
In the assembly and he was asked why he didn't do it since he had so much to offer. He understood so much of the truth of God, he said. My mother has told me if you want to stay out of trouble, keep your mouth shut.
The mother was very responsible for giving that advice because she contributed to this man.
To be unuseful and to quench the Spirit of God.
Well, I trust what we have had at these meetings was indeed of the Spirit of God.
And that it wasn't just for our passing enjoyment.
Let it be something that will go with us.
And that we will meditate on it and prayerfully meditate upon it.
And ask the Lord to help us to live in the good of it.
You know, dear young people.
You might attend many conferences like this.
And maybe even in your own assembly, be exposed to much wonderful truth and excellent ministry. But if you do not individually become exercised about the truth of God, if you're not becoming exercised at the Spirit of God leads you into all truth, how can you ever be a channel of blessing for others, led by the Spirit of God to bring the truth of God before souls?
And if you do not individually have an exercise to enter into these things.
You will make very little progress, although you have the privilege of sitting under the best ministry.
Let's ask the Lord to help us to give us an appetite for these things and if there's anything in our lives that.
Is a hindrance to the Spirit of God to present to us the glorious things of the Lord Jesus and the things that we have in Him.
Let's get rid of them. Let's get rid of them so that we ourselves come into the enjoyment.
And that we can be a joy to the heart of God as worshippers drawing nigh. And what can we really bring to Him?
Other than that which the Spirit of God has made good to our hearts and souls about the Lord Jesus and His work. And then we also can be a source of blessing to the unsaved, a source of blessing amongst God's people.
They help us.
Luke, chapter 21.
And verse 28.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up.
Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.
It's not my intention to speak on this verse in particular.
But.
We've heard those two words.
So often, perhaps, there are brothers that come to mind.
Whose signature is something along the lines of lookup. I can think of one in particular in my own life.
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And this expression.
Is particular in the sense that every time we say it.
It's newer. It renews itself to our hearts every time we receive.
From the Lord, or from another brother, that exhortation to look up.
It's perhaps like driving to Chicago. We look at the mileage signs and it's 300 miles and it's 275 miles, and we think we'll never get there. And then our minds are distracted and the next time we look, it's only 100 miles and we say we're almost there. But when we consider that sometimes our head does hang down, sometimes we do get discouraged and somebody comes to us and says look up. And we look up. And not only we do we give mental assent as though we just raised our eyes, but we lift up our heads.
We let it adjust our thinking, renew our thinking in such a way that we.
Say it's real, it's true, our redemption is drawing nigh, then our hearts are refreshed and we realize how near the Lorde coming is. But I would like to look at Ephesians.
To bring out a principle that we're very familiar with in Ephesians chapter 2.
And verse four it says God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us.
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
And now over to Revelation.
Chapter 5.
The principle that we consider in Ephesians chapter 2.
Is that we're already there physically. We're not physically. We sit here this afternoon, but as God sees us and he paid the price of his Son in order to bring us there, we sit there already in Christ. And as we sit there, I would like to add another expression. I would like to encourage us to look around. We sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Let's look around.
In Revelation chapter 5.
And verse six it says, And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain. As we sit there in the very presence of God, we look around, and who do we see? We see the lamb that was slain. And in verse 11 and I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels.
Round about the throne and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 * 10,000 and thousands of thousands. As we sit there, we also see each other.
I don't think it diminishes the principle at all to close my eyes and I can easily, very easily picture myself.
Seated there with him, and I can also picture each one of us seated around him. And don't we need to look at each other in that light? Don't we need to consider that spiritually that's where we are, the physical that we experience and the limitations?
That limit us so much, our only temporary and only secondary in nature. It's the spiritual principle that refreshes our hearts and lifts us above all its physical and temporal. And so we can have our vision filled with Him and we can see each other in that light tube. Now let's turn back to Ephesians.
Chapter 3.
And verse 8 Paul says unto me, Who am less than the least of All Saints.
Is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery? From the beginning of the world has been hidden God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God.
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According to the eternal purpose.
Which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, and now.
We can look down, we look up when we're up there, we look around, and then we can look down and see things as God sees them, see things from an eternal heavenly perspective. And as was already mentioned, God instructs the principalities and powers of his wisdom using the Church as a model, as an example, and it applies primarily to the assembly.
To the whole group of believers that form that one body, but I believe we can apply it to the recognition of the desire that a group of those believers might have to put that principle into practice. Paul could say that it was his responsibility to make all seat and we realized that that has failed and our responsibility is a similar one, but that has failed too on a on a horizontal basis as we consider it looking out and see so much division.
But if we see it as God sees it, if we can take that heavenly seat and look down.
We can see, and I again don't believe I can. I'm diminishing it to say that the Lord is able to save from heaven. That is what I want. That gives me joy, that satisfies my heart. And if I'm seated there beside Him, if I take that position beside Him, it gives me that same satisfaction, that same joy. So it applies to the large circle. It applies of all believers. It applies to the circle that would desire to put that principle into practice.
It applies to my relationship with my brothers and sisters, and it applies to things in my personal life as well.
Time doesn't allow to develop that, but we can look at it in those four ways, I believe.
But ultimately, the 21St verse is what it's all about.
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen. So let's look up, let's look around, and let's look down. And unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen. Shall we just close the meeting by prayer?
Open Mtg.
Open—R. Bauman, C. Hendricks
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Abide in you.
We have that this morning. It really struck my heart because it was emphasized so beautifully that it's Christ who becomes all in your heart and your thoughts, and that's fellowship with the Father. But then further his words abide in you. That's obedience to his precious word. And I believe that's the key to the whole thing. And I wanted to just consider a little point along that Old Testament Jeremiah.
In Jeremiah.
Chapter 35 of Jeremiah.
Verse one.
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord.
In the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah.
Saying, Go under the House of the Rekha bites, and speak unto them.
And bring them into the House of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
It's rather strange thing to tell Jeremiah to do.
You know the Lord has to work in various ways. His ways are past. Find the output always wonderful.
In teaching is a very situation in Israel that demanded strong measures and strong words. Sometimes he brings a famine on to get their attention, but here he's using something very different. This was just the opposite of the Nazarite, who didn't touch the wine, who didn't touch any of the grape, any part of it, from the skin to the seed.
This said, bring them into the House of the Lord and.
Set wine before them and give them to drink.
I want to turn to see why the condition and why this was earlier in Jeremiah Chapter 2 Chapter 2.
Verse 13 of chapter 2.
For my people have committed to evils. They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and you them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water, water, typically the word of God. And they have forsaken, they have not listened to, they have not hearkened to the living waters.
Jehovah Himself, the word, the commandments that were given to them.
But rather they sought out their own ways and they couldn't hold water.
No truth. No truth at all. You know, that was brought out in Deuteronomy 30. We won't turn to these places.
But there the Lord set before them blessing or cursing. He loved to bless.
But what was the basis of their blessing?
The word of God. The word of God, that she may hear it and do it in Deuteronomy 30.
In Matthew 23 the Lord said to those who sent Moses seat the religious leaders of that day about them. Rather they say, but they do not. They did not keep, or were not obedient to the word of God. Now turn to chapter 22.
Of Jeremiah chapter 22, verse 21.
I spake unto thee and thy prosperity, But thou said, I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obey us not my voice.
Now chapter 25 and chapter 25 verse 7.
Yet you have not hearkened unto me, says the Lord.
Verse 8 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, because you have not heard my words.
See down at the end of verse Umm.
11 The whole verse 11 This whole land shall be a desolation.
And astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70.
70 years, 70 years captivity. Why?
They would not hear and obey the word.
It's a solemn thing, you know. I want to go on to get to the .26, chapter 26, verse 2.
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Thus saith the Lord, stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the Lords House. All the words that I command thee to speak unto them diminish not a word, if so be they will hearken.
But you know, they still wouldn't hearken.
They went into captivity.
Chaldeans, Nebuchadnezzar, We know the story, 70 years of it. It wouldn't hearken his word. Now you know when he brought them back in grace, a remnant that is to Jerusalem, the Holy city, Holy Land. In Nehemiah's day, when there was restoration and when he was restoring the walls so they could have a separation and could enjoy the things that God and worship again.
There was restoration in chapter three of the Gates as well as the Wall.
There are 10 gates. However, in New Jerusalem there will be 12. In the temple there was 12/10/12 is the number of administrative responsibility. But in Nehemiah's day they were coming back individually. It was an individual exercise, a remnant testimony here. 10 gates. What was the most important gate? Well, I'm not going to say this dogmatically. I do believe that cheap gate was very significant where they began.
And of course the 7th gate, the Watergate is so necessary. But I think because of their state of soul, because of they would not heed his word. I think that third gate was very important to Nehemiah state. What was it called? The old gate? The old gate, it was so important then. Typically it's so important now. I believe in essence it's Philadelphia.
Let's go on.
Revelations 38. We don't have to turn to it kept my word at first, not denied my name. The old gate.
You know, we say, and we love it, that we take no other name. We're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and how wonderful it is by grace that is true.
But that's not enough. What about his word?
Kept my word and not denied my name.
I believe that is so important. That's what we had there in John 15 seven, it's so important.
In Psalm 138. I'm going to turn to it quickly and just read the verse in Psalm 138 verse 2.
I will worship and praise Thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth, for thou hast magnified thy word.
Above all thy name you notice that thy word above all thy name.
This is what's so important.
Jesus is the word. John 11 Jesus is the Word.
And when that tooth gets into your heart.
True worship results as a result of it in a godly walk tomb.
Obedience to His words.
Thus the third date I think is so important.
Who was in charge of that third gate to restore it in Nehemiah's day? Jehoiada. It means Jehovah knows according to the word of God. That's what it is. Everything has to be in accordance with His word.
All failure, I believe, among believers and Christians stems from departing from that word.
Or sliding that word and God forbid, despising it. All failures come from that. How important is that to God, his word?
First Samuel. Just read a verse. First Samuel and chapter 15. You know Where I'm going. And verse 22.
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fatal Rams.
Obeying his word, brethren, it's not enough just to say you're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I hear that out in Christendom often.
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Are we keeping His word? Are we in obedience to His word?
That's the real test.
Now turn to Jeremiah 6, Chapter 6, Jeremiah 6.
And verse 16.
Thus says the Lord.
Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old path. That's the third gate. Where is the good way? And walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.
The old pass.
The old ways speak of his never changing word.
In Deuteronomy 32. We're going to read the verse there because I think it's so important.
32 of Deuteronomy verse seven part of it and 9:00.
Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations.
Ask thy father. He will show thee thy elders. They will tell thee.
The most High Set bounds for the people or of the people, for the Lord's portion is His people. That's why His word His commandment.
In Proverbs 22, proverbs 23.
We have removed, not the ancient landmark which the fathers have set.
And enter not in the fields of the fatherless. You know, I thought about that expression, the field of the fatherless, and I'm not sure this is the thought, but it commends itself.
I believe the fields of the fatherless that were not to enter into is those areas today in Chrysanthemum of course they had of them.
Where they know not.
God is Father.
They know not Jesus as Lord. That's that fellowship we've been hearing about.
It's wonderful, isn't it? According to his word.
You have the same truth in the New Testament. I'm just going to read two places before I get into what I want. Jude in Jude chapter verse three of Jude. Jude verse 3.
And Jude, verse three says this. Beloved, going to read part of 17. Two, it was needful for me to write unto you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered under the Saints. Remember ye the words which were spoken of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the third gate. That's the old ways. That's the old path. That's what we need, His word.
And then one other place in the New Testament, Timothy in Timothy 2 Timothy.
Chapter 4.
Two Timothy, Chapter 4.
And verse 35.
I'm sorry.
Two Timothy 4.
Sorry Second Timothy 4, verse 3, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.
But after their own loss shall they heap up to themselves. Teachers have they get your ears, and they shall turn their ears from the truth, and they shall be turned under fables. But watch thou. I believe that's the truth of the third gate, the old ways. Now I want to turn to where we just began in Jeremiah, because I think that background is necessary. 35 Jeremiah, chapter 35.
The word.
Which came under Jeremiah from the Lord verse 2GO unto the House of the reqabites.
And speak unto them.
At the end, give them wine to drink.
Then I took Jeyesh Adaya, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazi Anaya, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole House of the recobytes, and I brought them into the House of the Lord, Verse 5 And I set before the sons of the House of the Rekha bites pots full of wine and cupped. And I said unto them.
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Drink ye wine.
The strong measures for the Lord to take, He was going to teach.
This way.
It's really a wonderful message when we see it. Who are these rectified? Well, they weren't originally of Israel. I believe they were Kenites, a tribe whose origin is really not known. So they're not that important as far as Israel and Judah was concerned. Maybe they were Midianites too. We don't know by extraction, But at any rate, we just hear of a couple places of the recombites. This is the one.
And in the first chronicles, 255, the Rekha bites were numbered with the children of Judah. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the House of Reqab, and so on. So we get just a very few references of these people. They were with God's people. They were men and women of faith. It's lovely to see God now holding them up in Jerusalem. And so he tells them to give them wine and tell them to drink.
Verse 6.
What they said We will drink no wine for Jonadab, the son of Raqqab, our father.
Commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye nor your sons forever.
Neither shall you build houses, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any but all your Daisy shall dwell in tents, that she may live many days in the land where you'd be strangers.
Something beautiful about this.
You know, it's like the Nazarite who's dedicated only to the Lord.
It's like the children of Israel when they went in the wilderness too. I just want to read a verse in Numbers on this because it's reminiscent of this. Numbers chapter 20 and I'll read it rather quickly. Numbers, chapter 20.
And verse 17 I believe numbers 2017. Notice how similar.
Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country. We will not pass through the fields.
Or through the vineyards. Neither will we drink of the water of the wells. We will go by the King's Highway.
We will not turn to the right hand or to the left until we pass thy borders. They're going through as strangers and as pilgrims and as people of God, and with no seeking of any joy, the vineyards of the wine, nor any sustenance from this world. It's rather beautiful. But the other place is Hebrews 11. It same thought that we have of these Greco bytes here, Hebrews 11.
And verse 13.
Hebrews 11/13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly they seek a country. And truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned, but now they desire a better country.
That is, in heavenly, I believe we have that here in the rechabites.
The Lord knew when he suggested this to.
Jeremiah, that they would refuse. He knew that.
Why would they refuse? Well, because of the word.
Of this godly man 3 centuries before. That's astounding, isn't it?
They've been keeping this word for all that time.
But they might live well, intense as sojourners, as pilgrims in a land that they were so journalism pilgrims.
And they continue that way.
They were obedient to this man who they never met.
To his word, you know, but the presence of Nebuchadnezzar's troops, the invading troops, the presence of the Chaldeans as they were coming in, made it impossible for these record bites to continue there that way.
So they entered Jerusalem.
But still they kept this word.
Of their ancestor not to drink wine, as well as the other things. Verse 8. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rekhab, our father, and all that he had charged us to drink. No wine all our days. We are wives, our sons, nor our daughters, nor to build houses for us to dwell in. Neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed, but we dwell in tents. We have obeyed and done according to all the Jonadab.
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Our father commanded us.
And then they explain, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came, it was impossible to continue out there, so they came into Jerusalem to dwell there. Verse 11.
But as long as they were in Jerusalem, they continued obedience to that word.
I think it's marvelous what the Lord has done here. This reverence, this obedience to that great ancestors word is so outstanding.
When you take it in the light of Israel and Judah, God's chosen earthly people here, they will not hear His word.
So we'll go on here. Then. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah verse 12. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? Says the Lord. The words of Jonah Zab the son of Rickab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed, for under this day they drink none, but they obey their father's commandments.
Notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, but jihad could not under me. I have sent also under you all my servants the prophets, rising up early, and sending them saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them. And ye shall dwell in the land which I have given you, and to your Father's, what you have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened under me.
Because the sons of John adab, the sons of Reqab, have performed the commandment of their fathers.
Which he commanded them. But this people have not hearkened unto me.
Therefore thus says the Lord God of owes the God of Israel. Behold, I will bring upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the evil that I pronounced against them, Because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard, I have called unto them, but they have not answered.
He is holding up these retro bites and their obedience.
To the word of their ancient father as a living servant.
Because of the strong contrast between those in Jerusalem and Judah at that time.
They would not obey his word. That's the highest thing. I want to turn to Isaiah 1 just for a verse on this to show you how bad it was. Isaiah chapter one.
Verse 2 Here, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knows His owner, the *** his masters crib, but Israel does not know my people, does not consider what his word His people.
Just would not obey prophet after prophet was sent.
They would not argue.
In Luke 7, it says they're like the children sitting in a marketplace. Some called under them and they said we pipe, but you won't dance. And then they said we've mourned and you will not weep. In other words, absolutely no response, no matter how the prophet spoke to them. Things that should have brought tears to their eyes and real repentance they wouldn't. Things that should have brought joy for what God would do if they obey His word, they wouldn't, and so it didn't matter.
He had warned them time and time again. Now their awful punishment it comes. But As for the House of the rechabites, it's lovely to see this. The Lord said because of their faithfulness, they should not want a man to stand before Jehovah forever. How much does he value keeping his word? How much does he value obedience to his word? Here it is.
You know, perhaps the Wreck of Bites, and I think they are lost. A man's history now. But man's history is always shortcoming. It's a puny thing in the least what there are rectified. God said so. And I believe descendants of the Rekha Bites will stand in the Millennium, and they will then drink wine. They'll have full joy then the real joy, How precious. That is true joy because they were obedient.
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That's what we're looking for, isn't it? A fullness of joy. And that's the thought of Revelation 3, is that not?
Where it says you've kept my word and not denied my name.
I want to just mention I'm not going to take any more time.
But we have record bites now today.
In character, just as we can have Nazarites in character today, I think it's lovely. We don't make a vow like a Nazarite, but we can have the character. You could have the character. I don't want to get into that aspect, but I believe there's Rekha bites who not only keep his word and are gathered to his name, but they're so obedient.
Not as a matter of law, as a matter of love, you know, as I travel around, I find these.
Recombines. I call them Recombites.
There's some there in Houston, in New Orleans and over there in Sydney, Australia, and in Loulay, Portugal and up in Munich, Germany. I call them recommend.
You know, it's not hard to be a Christian in this land. Aren't we all you here?
Say you're a Christian. It's not hard. You could take that position.
It's not hard to be a brother either, or a sister.
In an assembly, when it's a large assembly, you know if you don't really feel quite like it.
Well, you let the rest take over.
But that's not what a record bite is, you know? It's something else. And I see these going on.
Where they realize the importance of, not just.
Being gathered to his name, but keeping his word. Over in Mansfield, England there's reqabites, and over in Exeter there's rekobites. Isle of Wight, I call them rekobites. I went to pool last year. It was a day after an all day meeting at Billericay, England.
And when there's two brothers at Poole, two brothers, I hear there's one interest that I don't know if he's gathered two brothers. And when this one brother who I'm staying with drove me and my wife or my wife and I to the meeting.
There's a new place for them and I got out of the car and I looked and it said reckon Fight Hall. And I said, oh how wonderful. They didn't put that name there, God put that name there, but God put them there.
You know one brother who brought me, We went in and sat down. It was prayer and reading meetings the night after this all day meeting at Billericay.
The other brother, we found out.
Drove all night to get to Billericay. Was there all day with his family, wife and children.
And drove all night, not purposely all night.
To get back that day. The next day his car broke down right outside of where he was coming and no one opened and it took him until 5:00 to get it running again and he got home about 5:15. At 6:00 he went to work, had to work overtime. He worked, and came right from work to the Rockabye hall.
I thought about this. He knew. He didn't know we were going to be there. He knew that there can't be a prayer meeting if there's one brother, and he knew one brother would be there.
You got to think about that schedule I'm describing. He walked, smiles, rejoicing, and he prayed beautifully. I call him a recovite. I call him a rekha bite. He keeps God's word not as a matter of commandment. He just loves to know this is the will of God.
Brethren, he held up the rechabites. God knew they would not drink their wine.
He says that Jeremiah take him into the House of God, put pots of wine before him, give him the cups and say drink wine.
We will not drink wine.
We have obeyed the word of our father and you know, God said then through Jeremiah. Look at the legend bites. They're a living sermon.
And I just love to look at the record bikes throughout this whole world living sermon brethren. Pray for them.
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And it really humiliates me. I love the large meeting. I know because I got so many brethren. I love the conferences, but there are those that keep going on obedient to his word, not denying his name.
Revelation 3/8.
I believe that's what we had before us in in John 15 seven.
James, Chapter 5.
This was read.
Referred to in our readings.
Verse 16 Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that she may be healed.
The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Elias.
Was a man subject to like passions as we are?
And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain.
And it rained not on the earth.
By the space of three years and six months, and he prayed again in the heaven gave rain.
And the earth brought forth her fruit. It was pointed out that in the Old Testament turned back to first Kings. 17 Please. In the Old Testament, Elijah comes on the scene.
Just no word about him prior to this.
And what you read?
First Kings 17 one and Elijah the Tishbite, the first mention of this prophet.
Who was of the inhabitants of Gilead said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand, there shall not be due nor reign these years. But according to my word, now we don't read that of his prayer. It says in James that he prayed earnestly that it might not rain.
Now what led him to that prayer?
If you read the previous chapter.
It says in verse 30 of chapter 16 and 1St Kings, Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethel, king of the Zidonians. And when and served Baal and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the House of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
And Ahab made a Grove, and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
And then in the midst of this general apostasy.
Of the nation, the 10 tribes in particular for Elijah and Elijah were sent to the 10 tribes, not to Judah. They were prophets of the 10 tribes.
And if you'd have been in Israel in that day, you would have said.
Bail Reigns.
There was number apparent worship outwardly of the true God.
And so Elijah appears and says to Ahab verse one again of chapter 17. As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand. As Jehovah the God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be do nor reign these years, but according to my word. Now in order to understand why Elijah prayed this prayer, it says in James he prayed.
And that it rained not for 3 1/2 years.
Imagine a prayer like that that would bring the people of God who had so far departed from the true God.
That there was visibly no sign of the worship of the true God left.
And it was so bad that Elijah said that he was alone. He was the only one left.
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God had to tell him that there were 7000 that had not bowed the need to bail.
But they were so hidden.
They didn't come out.
In a bright witness for the true God, hardly known. And they don't. They're not seen standing with Elijah.
When he presented this message to Ahab.
But back in Deuteronomy Chapter 11, we have the key.
To Why Elijah so pray in Deuteronomy 11.
Verse 16 Take heed to yourselves that your heart be not deceived.
And you turn aside and serve other gods, and worship them. And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up to heaven that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit, unless ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Elijah prayed according to the mind of God.
He looked around. He saw the departure that had come in.
And he knew the scripture that we've just read in Deuteronomy.
That when the people of God would be set in their wills to depart from the Lord.
And to make for themselves other gods, that God said, I will withhold the rain.
And Elijah prayed in fellowship with that scripture.
That, you might say, that awful prayer.
Lord.
Withhold the dew and the rain.
Think of the untold sorrow and the hardship.
The difficulties, the trial that would follow.
No rain.
Or 3 1/2 years. How would they survive?
Would this discipline, this judgment from the Lord which Elijah prayed for, would it produce the results that he so earnestly desired would be produced?
We're not told about his prayer, his praying earnestly, James tells us.
But he did that with great conviction, an exercise before the Lord.
He prays that the Lord will withhold the dew and the rain.
In order to bring them back to himself.
That was Elijah's desire.
You know, we, we like to say when we're through with a conference like this.
Well, we had a happy time.
I remember when I was at work.
One of.
By inspectors and I were talking to one another and.
I had often spoke to her about the Lord and she said, well, I was at a meeting last night and we got happy.
And I said, you got happy. And she said, yes, we got happy. Haven't you ever been happy? And I said, yes, I've been happy and I'm happy in the Lord, but not the kind of happiness that you're talking about. She was talking about a religious, emotional.
Exhilaration that is experienced in many groups in Christendom they call that happiness and I said to her.
What did you learn in that meeting?
That was profitable from the word of God.
Were you edified? What did you take away from that meeting?
That was of profit to your soul. What instruction did you receive from the Spirit of God, of the precious truth of God?
And she said nothing. I just got happy.
The point I'm making in reciting this is that.
That isn't the important thing.
Is that we just have happy meetings.
The important thing is that we get in the presence of the Lord.
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As has been so stressed before us in these meetings.
That we lay aside.
Everything that will hinder that fellowship.
Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us.
Elijah prayed one of the most dreadful prayers recorded in all of scripture.
But it was according to the word of God, because the people of God needed the discipline.
And I believe that that might be the answer to.
Why do we have such problems?
Why does it come into our families and into our assemblies?
Into our personal lives. Why is there such departure?
Such lack of going on for him.
Why is there such a dead weight in our meetings And long, as our brother was saying this afternoon, long periods of silence.
Almost to the point of being painful.
When the heart should come into his presence with overflowing and joy. And I'm not talking about the.
Charismatic type, which I was referring to a moment ago.
That's just fleshly exhilaration. And we're not talking about that, but we're talking about the Word, the Spirit of God leading us and leading us out to adore him, to worship and praise him.
One sister said to some brothers at the end of a meeting that was like the one just described, and as she went by them, she said, You brothers make good sisters.
What did she mean?
The brothers are the mouthpiece of the assembly. They're the ones that ought to give the praise and the expression of it. Sisters do it silently.
But they weren't doing that and nowadays we have the pulpits being filled by women.
Nowadays we have the churches characterized by women with uncovered heads.
Women out of their place of subjection. Why?
Because we have failed as brethren, as men.
In our responsibility before the Lord.
Sometimes we'll find that an assembly gets.
Taken over by.
The younger Brethren.
And the word of God tells us very clearly that the younger are to be subject to the elder, and yeah, all of you be subject 1 to another.
There's something wrong there.
Something wrong in a family if you go in and the wife is the ruler.
Or the children are the ones that set the the order of things. Something wrong there, that's not God's order.
Something wrong in a country when the citizens rebel against God-given authority and.
Take things into their own hands.
Something wrong when the order that God has laid down in His Word.
Is being violated and not followed. And that's the way it was in Israel in these days. Everything was wrong.
And God had been displaced.
And the Spirit of God was grieved.
And so he led Elijah to pray this prayer.
Well, beloved.
The important thing is not.
A good feeling that we might have when we go away from such meetings as these.
But has he spoken to my soul?
As he's spoken to of my soul, that in such a way that it's going to have an effect in my life.
A change in my life. A change in your life.
So that there is a commitment to the Lord to follow him with purpose of heart.
There's never been a day when this was more needed.
Her brother was talking about the old paths the good way.
But they said we won't walk therein.
Well, maybe the masses are saying that, but that's no reason for you to say it. That's no reason for me to say it. Let us encourage ourselves, strengthen ourselves, and that they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and a book of remembrance was written for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name. We need to encourage one another in the truth and standing for the truth of God, not the opinions of men. Everything is wrong out there in the religious world. It's all upside down. It's not according to the pattern.
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That has been told us in the word of God, we have to get back to Scripture.
Wives have to get back to being subject to their husbands. Husbands have to be get back to being exercising their authority over their wives in love. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Children obey your parents. This is right.
This is God's word.
And until we get back to the foundation truths of Scripture.
We won't.
We won't be in the fit state of soul for the Lord to really bless. If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?
The foundation of the family, if I undermine that in any way.
If I'm doing God's service, This was stated this afternoon in the Reading meeting.
I really love my young brethren. I would do everything in my power to encourage them.
To walk in subjection to their parents first of all.
And then in subjection to their older brethren, and to go on in.
In the subjection 1 to another, yeah, all of you be subject 1 to another, for we all need one another.
Truth of the one body.
But there is an order in Scripture. Obey your leaders, for they watch over your souls as those that shall give account.
There's an order in Scripture, and there is submission and subjection to godly authority, But those who are in the place of authority must be exercised before God to exercise it independence on the one to whom they are subject.
As the Church is subject unto Christ.
So let the wise be to their husbands in everything.
As the Church is subject to Christ, that verse ought to be always.
Thought of whenever an assembly is about to take an action, its action must be done as being subject to Christ.
When a church, when a local assembly takes the position, we have acted and everyone must bow, regardless of whether the action is of God or not, or directed by the Spirit of God or not. That's not the church being subject to Christ.
What if an assembly acts wrongly? We are to be subject. We are to submit.
Why, as a father exercise my authority over my children, wrongly, I have to answer to Christ, who is my head.
For that. But that doesn't entitle my child to disobey me.
Subjection to godly authority is the order for everyone of us.
And everyone of us is under another The order is God.
Is the head of Christ, who is the head of man? Who is the head of the woman?
And when we depart from that order.
We depart from that state that the Lord can bless.
So we need to be called back to the word of God.
Elijah prayed a prayer that meant untold hardship for the people of God whom he loved. And then he prayed again, and the Lord gave reign and brought in blessing. Well, that whole story is beautiful to read. Just these few thoughts. May the Lord bless his word.
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