Chicago Conference: 1991
Table of Contents
The Race Hebrews 12:1-5
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So easily be set up, and let us run with patience the race of respect before us, looking unto Jesus the author furniture of our faith, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the change, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Or consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.
Lest he be wearied and faint in your minds.
You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and you have forgotten the expectation that speaketh unto you as unto children.
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him, for whom the Lord loveth he chasten it, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If he is your chastening God, healeth with you as with stunts. For what son is he in the Father chasing it not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye ******** and not sons? Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh, has corrected us, and We gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily, for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our prophet, that we might be partakers of His Holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous nevertheless afterward it yielded the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised their lives. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight ties for your feet, lest that which is lain be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men and holiness.
Without which no man shall see the Lord.
Looking diligently, lest any man fail, of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as he saw, proved, for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
For ye are not come unto the mouth that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and Tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice made that heard and treated, that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through the dark.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses did I exceedingly, exceedingly fear, and plain.
But the heart come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.
The General Assembly and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel, see that he refused not him, but speaketh.
Or if they escape not, who refused him that spake on earth. Much more shall not be escaped if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
Voice and then shook the earth. But now we have promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are taken as the things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.
There's a person that's epistle, as we know, is addressed to the Hebrew believers, and they had a form, an order of worship given to them of God. God had picked out that particularly favored nation and had given them a partial revelation of himself. He had given a way of approaching to His presence, but it wasn't perfect. It was only a picture of that which is to come. And now the Lord Jesus had come.
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There was no longer just the partial revelation of God. All the glory of God shines out in the face of Jesus Christ.
A perfect way of access into His presence has been given, and so the characteristic word in Hebrews is better.
Because everything in Christianity is better. Just as to see a person is much better than having a picture of them and saw. The Old Testament was like the picture, The New Testament, the revelation of God in Christianity is the reality. The Lord Jesus the Son has come and saw. God spoke by the prophets, now He's spoken by his Son.
There was a high priest in Israel. Now the Lord Jesus is the great high priest. There were sacrifices. The Lord Jesus is the one perfect sacrifice. There was the holiest of all, a physical thing. But now you and I come right into the very presence of God and all His Holiness. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. And so he outlines all after. And then in the 11Th chapter he shows us.
All through from Abel, downward blessing was always not through ordinances, not through something. They went on in an outward way.
But it was by faith. So it's by faith we understand how the world's are made, not by tracing it out scientifically, but just simply that God has said that things that are made were not made of things that do appear.
Those who walk to please God in the Old Testament, they walk by. Faith wasn't following a system of ordinances, although that was important, and a picture and a shadow. But God valued the faith that was identified with that and not the actual things themselves.
And so when we come to this chapter, he says, we have a great cloud of witnesses. All these Old Testament were these whom God accounted men of faith. They walked by faith and they are a testimony to us that no matter how difficult the day was for it was very difficult in those times to be misunderstood. Making the ark was very difficult, called it and Moses time to be rejected by his own people and to even be the spoke of stoning him. It was difficult to go on was difficult for Joshua.
For those who walk by faith, it was not an easy path. So if we think our pathway is hard, there are others that have walked the path before us that have gone through all the similar difficulties that we might have to go through. But above all, brethren, there's one God's beloved Son who came down into this world, who was the fulfillment of all the types and shadows in whom all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell.
Whom the Father could address and say now it my son today have I begotten thee.
Whom he could say, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. And he came down.
He walked through this world. He passed through everything a righteous man could go through that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest. Finally, he's gone up on high, and he's there. Now see if at the right hand of God, and he's the object for our hearts, and he's brought before us, rather than in this chapter, as the one who is the object, the one who has walked the path others have indeed, And we get cheered as we hear of the faith of others.
But there's only one who did it perfectly. And this chapter, I believe, brings this before us. And perhaps I could just make one more comment. I believe we have two sides of the truth brought before us, but we sometimes call the objective and the subjective. The objective is to have an object for our hearts. The subject is when we have to, at times, look in and judge something in ourselves, That's a hindrance, and God allows things.
Discipline in his ways.
In order to cause us to judge those hindrances, lay aside the weights and hindrances, and press on. Not to Mount Sinai, where there was only condemnation to that glorious home, the Zion above the home that awaits us, where the Church of the first born will be, and all the redeemed. And so, as I say, I believe there's no two sides of the truth brought before us here.
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First, the objective that's always so in the ways of God sets Christ before us.
As our Savior and as our object, our example. And then if we fail, He may have to deal with us so that we look in and judge ourselves, but not to rate ourselves and say we're good Christians, but just to own anything. That's a hindrance to having Christ as our object.
It's interesting that there are two chapters in Hebrews that begin with this word, Wherefore this one, and as you've explained, it goes back and connects with those heroes of faith of the 11Th chapter who in their little measure.
Walked their little course of faith, And so we are to think of them. And then either access to the perfect one the other chapter begins with. Therefore is the third one we might just.
Touch on that because it connects rather well with our third verse of our chapter.
In the third chapter it starts square 4.
Holy Brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, that's where we're called to heaven. Then it says, Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus immediately directs us to that blessed One who is spoken of as the Apostle.
And then the high priest, and that was the order. He came down on earth as an apostle.
A set. One set of the Father. No person has ever had a mission like Christ had. The Father set the Son to be the Savior of the world. He came. He served. He ministered. He He thought.
And then he finished the work on earth, and he's gone up on high, and he is a high priest in heaven. And so we're directed as holy Brethren. We don't have to be afraid of that. That's the work of Christ that has put us in that position as holy brethren. Now think about him.
No higher object can there ever be for us to consider than that one who came down, who finished his work on Earth as.
Shed his precious blood and our him spoke about the cost of it. And I'll just mention in our 12Th chapter that there are eight things beginning with verse.
22.
That faith brings us to and the ultimate one. The last one, the 8th one, is the blood of sprinkling.
It's put there, I suppose, because it's basic. It's supreme importance. May we ever consider and think of the cost of our redemption. So he has bought us. He has come down and finished his work. He's given his life. His blood has been shed to cleanse us.
And now he's gone up on high and he's serving us up there. But our chapter takes up more of his sufferings down here. When we get to the word consider in verse three of our chapter, it's him and his ministry down here, and his suffering and the one that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself so that you and I can look at Christ and no one has ever been tested like he was. He suffered everything that a righteous man can suffer.
From mankind. And then last of all, He suffered for our sins from the hand of a righteous God. So He's the one that put before us in this epistle.
And these few verses at the opening he's particularly brought before us as a pattern. We look unto him as the one who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. Because, as we've been saying, the ones that are mentioned in the chapter before, many of them had difficult paths, but none of them were perfect. If we look at the names that are mentioned there, we can recognize from Old Testament records that they were not perfect, even although those failures are not mentioned here.
They walk by faith, but there was one if you and I get our eyes upon one another.
We may say that's a godly brother or a godly sister, but we can't follow that godly brother or that godly sister in everything, because we'll find that everyone has something in which he or she comes short. The psalmist could say I have seen an end of all perfection, but thy commandment is exceeding broad. So while we can be encouraged by reading and hearing of the faith of others, we need to have one supreme object.
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And that is this Blessed One who is mentioned here as Jesus. In the first chapter we find the glory of his person.
But here that's as man walking through this world, glorifying God.
In every step trotting the path of faith perfectly, and I believe rather than that.
Those are the two things in our lives now. That is God would occupy us with Christ to make us Christ like.
Then if we begin to depart, he has to cause us to almost things that are the hindrance in order to be restored. And so we have chastening brought before us, but first of all the objective side that what she delights. If we always had Christ as our object, as someone has said, a dependent man will not fall, but Satan tries to get us away from the path of dependence, gets us looking perhaps at our brethren instead of at the Lord.
Looking at the ways like Peter when he was walking on the water. Then he began to sing.
Lonely that we have this one brought before us and so we're told. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. I believe there are two things here, weights and sins. There are some things that are not wrong in themselves. They're just weights. If you're going to run a race, a pair of heavy shoes are not wrong, but they would be out of place if you expect to win the race.
They're far too heavy, they're a hindrance and so we often look at things and say are they right or wrong?
But here, first of all, let us lay aside every weight. Is it a hindrance? Is there something I'm not going to say? And the scripture doesn't necessarily say that thing is wrong, but if it's hindering following Christ, it's best to lay it aside. And so we have laying aside every weight.
And then there are positive sins, things that we know are wrong, things that are disobedience, things that are expressions of self will. We need to judge those things because they also hinder in the race. So he says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. I just like to suggest this little thought, the sin which does so easily beset us. I know it's often been spoken of as the sin of unbelief, and that is the root cause of every failure.
But I believe, brethren, we can apply it very practically, that everyone of us have some particular weakness that we have to guard against. Your weakness may be different from mine, and every one of us can say there's one thing that seems to constantly crop up that I have to be so watchful about. And so we ought to be aware of this, because Satan knows our weak points, brethren, and he's going to attack us on that point.
The same which doth.
Easily beset us.
We might notice the way in Psalm 19 sin.
Seems to grow. What you have here weights that might become a sin.
And sometimes they do.
But it's rather interesting. There are five steps, I believe in Psalm 19 about that.
In the 12Th and 13th verses that read this way, who can understand his errors? Well, we don't think of errors as very much.
They probably wouldn't be ready to sin.
And then it says, Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Well, they're there, but they're not known.
Then the next step is keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Now the thing has developed and the will is at work. Presuming to be what it's not going its own way.
Let them not have dominion over me. Now sin gets the mastery and Romans 6 I think it is says sin shall not have dominion over you.
And then it goes on and says, Then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the.
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Great transgression. That's the full development of sins.
Just like a weed, isn't that it starts small. If you pull it out, it won't spoil your garden, but if you allow it, maybe choke out the whole garden. So it's so true, isn't it, that big sins in our lives never come suddenly? They're the result of the neglect of little things, aren't they? We here in Illinois, we have a primary demonstration of what you're saying. It fits with a verse that's farther down, but since you've mentioned it, we have.
A week that's called Johnson grass and before the chemist got to work on it and had.
Herbicides that would control it. It was almost impossible to get it out. And the route would go down and the plant will spring up from the smallest little node that's left in the earth. And so when we get down to that chapter, looking diligently in our chapter, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, there is a sin. That's been there a long time and it hasn't been fully taken out. And it just defiles. So these are very important things we.
We should never sin. There's never any suggestion that a Christian should sin.
And we should not. But when we do, like our brother said, confession is the way.
There's not 100 yard dash race we're on, is it? It's a race of endurance.
Israel was tested for 40 years. They are an example I think.
Of every believer's course down here.
Saved, saved out of Egypt, saved, sheltered by the blood of the lamb and found in the world which is a wilderness. And you might have 80 or 90 years to run, and myself a little less and some maybe just a few years. But it's a whole course for every one of us to be tested and we have the faithful and merciful high priest to go with us the whole course and.
It's a long race.
Kind of glad I don't expect to live as long as Adam, who was a hundred 930 years old.
But still, it's a race of patience and you don't graduate from it until the Lord comes, so we're going to be running this race as long as we're here.
If that word endurance is very important, the word patience here translated endurance. It is really a race of endurance. I sometimes said there's only one of the crowns that are mentioned in the Bible as rewards for believers. There's only one that is mentioned twice and that is the crown of life. And the way it is used in Revelation chapter 2, it says be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.
It is mentioned again in James chapter one and it says, blessed is the man that endureth temptation. For when he is tried he will receive a crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. You know the martyr makes a one time decision. He says I'll not bow down to that image or I'll not deny my Lord. For that he pays his life. He's going to get the martyrs crown, the crown of life.
But life in America is not like that. It's saying no 1000 times in all the dear young people know that too well, that you can refuse something once, but it doesn't stop there. It's a question of endurance, being able to just stand, that continual pressure of somebody pressing you at work or elsewhere or at school saying, oh, why don't you give in, why don't you do it just once? And that is the way the enemy works today.
And it's a race of endurance to be able to look to the Lord and everyone of those have often said, people say I'll try anything. Once Adam did that too. He tried something once. It ruined his whole life. It ruined the human race. Don't try it even once if it's them.
It's a race rather not endurance going on and being able to stand faithfully for the Lord, Well we need that as we have here looking unto Jesus. You cannot do it in your own strength. You just get weary in well doing. As the Bible says, be not weary in well doing for due season we shall reap if we faint. Not every time look to the Lord because our brother's been saying the Lord Jesus who is the object for us is also.
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A merciful and faithful high priest.
Who walked through this world? Every step of His blessed pathway was one of obedience and dependence.
He's marked out that path. Others have failed in it. As we see, these witnesses of the 11Th chapter were not perfect.
But it says looking under Jesus, the author or the beginner and finisher of the path of faith, he began the Path of Faith perfectly. He finished the Path of Faith perfectly. And he is the object that's set before us and the strength is supplied by our great High Priest, whoever lives to make intercession for us. And the reason it says in the 7th chapter that he's a merciful and faithful High Priest. And it says such a high priest became us who is holy, harmless.
Undefiled separate from sinners.
And made higher than the heavens. Why does it say there is such a high priest became us? Because that's exactly the kind of help we need. You might go to a friend and say to a friend, well, there's so much pressure being put on me. And the friend might say, well I don't blame you. Sometimes you have to give him, might be well-intentioned friend that'll say that. But you go to the Lord and he says, I know how difficult it is, but I'll give you all the strength that you need. That's the kind of health.
Your friend may let you down at a point when you need them the most, but this friend, our great High Priest, never will.
He ever lived. So such a high priest became us, whose wholly harmless, undefiled, separate from the from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. And so that's why it goes on here, looking under Jesus. The proper word is the author and finisher, or the beginner and finisher.
That is, he began the path of faith perfectly. It was perfect as a child who was perfect in his manhood. It was perfect in every step to that cross of Calvary. What an example for us was that a sad and unhappy path. So there was a joy that was set before him. And brethren, there is a joy, a joy, as another has said, that's only known in the path of faith and obedience.
Peter has some very good words that go along with what's been said in first Peter 4. Let's read the first Peter 4 verses one and two. Same kind of truth and it puts Christ before us. First Peter, four, one and two.
For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh.
Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, the same mind that Christ had to always do what pleased the Father. For he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that is.
In the example here, when the temptation comes and you or I don't give in to it, the flesh doesn't get what it wants.
But then we don't sin either, that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh.
To the lusts of men, but to the will of God to do his will and sin not is the.
Provision and the expectation for every believer. And then, as you were speaking, about the crown of life.
For those who are going on in life and enduring as James brings it before us, let's look at Romans chapter 12 and verse one where I think a similar truth there that is God is not looking to you and I to get a dead sacrifice from us. No, He wants a living sacrifice and that's that's victory over sin and that's doing the will of God and well.
Clearly put Romans 12/1. I beseech you, therefore.
By the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable under God, which is your reasonable service. So that fits, I believe, is what James says as enduring and getting the crown of life and not sinning.
In the same portion in Peter that you mentioned, Clem going back just two chapters, the second chapter, and we find there that it says Christ who suffered for our sake, leaving us an example.
That he should walk in his steps, who did no sin when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. Well, we've been Speaking of a pattern of a an example of one to follow. Well, Peter says, here's the one to follow. He died for you, and he left you an example to follow. And as our brother Gordon was saying, we certainly can't do it in our own strength.
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There's not one step of the pathway that a Christian can walk for God's glory by himself. It's an impossibility. He must do it in the strength that is only from above, and that's.
Walking with Christ and for Christ, with Him as our guide, there's another thing that comes in. In verse two we didn't say anything on that which is of great importance for us, and it was before the Lord. In the second verse it says looking under Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, and it says for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.
Now that tells us that the Lord was looking beyond the cross as he went up to the cross.
And he had a joy before him, even as he was.
Walking those steps up to Calgary.
He knew everything that was going to come upon him. He set his face in the ravages like a Flint, and he went on and he finished his work, but he was looking beyond it. And the joy here, I think is best explained in Acts 2 in the 28th verse, where you see the Father sent the Son to be the Savior. Christ came out of heaven knowing what he was going to do.
The 88th Psalm in prophecy.
The Lord's words in the 88th Psalm, prophetically, are these. I am afflicted and ready to die for my youth up. They knew why he had come, and when he was left by his parents in the temple at 12 years of age, they came back looking for him.
Mary said, Thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. The Lord turned that around and said, wish me not that I must pray about my Father's business. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. The Son came. He knew what he had to do. He was ready for it from his youth. But he waited till he's a full grown man for various reasons. One of them is so that he could be a faithful and merciful High priest to know the feelings that.
Baby boys, children use, full grown men experience in a world that's completely opposed to us.
But in Acts 2 and the 20, let's begin and read.
Verse 25 is quoted from the Psalms.
For David speaketh concerning him. Now David was a prophet, and he spoke concerning Jesus.
We find out in this section that David was a prophet.
I foresaw the Lord always before my face.
Or he's on my right hand that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh shall rest in hope, because that will not leave my soul in hell. Or Hades, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
Now this 28th verse thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countless. That's the joy of the Lord had before him the joy of seeing the Father on his return after finishing the work he'd been sent to do. He had that before him as he walked through this scene and as he went to Calvary. He never forgot it. He knew he was going back to where he'd come from, and he knew he was going back with a finished work.
And he's going to see his father's countenance. He couldn't rest in that grave. He had power to lay down his life and to take it again. He's raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, quickened by the Spirit. And so his body didn't see corruption, and he did return. So he had that joy before him.
And then he endured the throne. He looked on to the end, and he had gone there. The one who has completed the race now, you and I and our little bit of temptation and trials here, need to look on into the glory and see the man in the glory and know that just as sure as he is there, So we shall be there. I think, if we can see that the temptations, the endurance will be a whole lot easier for us.
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In a practical way, Paul applies that to himself. I believe in Two Corinthians chapter 5.
Where he says, wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of or agreeable to him. And that is Paul was looking on to the judgment seat of Christ when his life would pass into review. And what was his desire as he went on from day-to-day? You've mentioned about the Lord Jesus as he walked that path of obedience, and it cost him far more than it will ever cost us.
He resisted the blood. He went right into death, suffered for our sins, but it doesn't cost us that much. But the Lord Jesus looked beyond that, as you were saying, to the joy of returning as the one who had done his Father's will. Paul applies it in practical way. He said this should be our desire, brethren, as we live from day-to-day, that someday your life and mind is going to pass into review and just as the Father was so greatly satisfied.
And glorified by what is strong has done, the Lord Jesus could say, thou make me full of joy with thy countenance. So there will be a time when your life and mine will pass into review. And rather than we little realize how the Lord values that obedience have devoted us to him. The little hymn puts it some lot along those lines for how we'll recompense his smile the sufferings of this little. While we hold back, we say, oh, it's too difficult, I can't take that. But the Lord Jesus suffered more than we could ever. That's why it goes on to say, consider him.
Who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself? Lest he be worried and faint in your minds, ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. The Lord Jesus would rather die than disobey. It was his joy to do his Father's will, and all the joy of glorifying him about the whole question of sin, in order that the Father's heart might flow out without hindrance. And you and I might be supremely blessed. Oh brethren, it makes it so worthwhile for us as we press on.
With that example.
We do so little in comparison, but I believe if we're going to find out someday.
How much the Lord valued a cup of cold water, or a thought upon his name.
And listen to these wonderful words found in First Corinthians 4 and then.
Shall every man have praise of God when he picks out those things that have been done in our lives? Young people, children, older ones? Why, when he picks those out, it's going to please him so much that it says Then shall every man have praise of God? What an encouragement for the pathway of faith.
In addition to the hope the Lord had of seeing his father's countenance returning.
I fully believe he associates those he's bringing there too. We go back in this book, chapter 2 of of Hebrews and just notice a couple of verses that associate.
The redeemed ones with the Savior, the saved ones with the Savior, brought in as the fruit of His work. He had that joy as well, and it puts us there in association, so we certainly do enjoy it. In the 10th verse of Hebrews 2 it says it became Him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory.
To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifies. And they who are sanctified are all of one that is one in kind, for which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. So he brings it's it's the corner of wheat that fell into the ground and died that it wouldn't buy the loom. He goes in, and he brings in the fruit of his laborers, and he calls them brethren. And then the twelve person says, I will declare thy name unto.
My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
I believe he leaves the singing today in the midst of the assembly, and that praise reaches right to the throne of God. And then he commits the keeping of his own to the Father and says, again, I will put my trust in Him. You'll find this, just hold this place and turn to John 17 and you'll find when the Lord did that, you see He came and made the Father known and particularly in John's Gospel.
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And he's gone on high and he's committed.
The keeping of his own down here to the Father. Not only are is the Christ serving us as our High Priest, but the Father's looking out for his family down here in the world, answering to the prayer of Jesus and John 1711. And now I am no more in the world, But these are in the world. We're still here. John 1711 and I come to these. He's gone there. What does he say next?
The Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. I'm one of them. Don't you think the Father answers that prayer? Of course he does. Now if we go back to Hebrews 2 and get the last quotation.
From the Old Testament, in verse 13 he says, behold I and the children which God hath given me. This seems to be when he brings the family in, He's going to turn to say God and say, hear the children He sent me to bring in what a joy to him, He's there, he's going to bring us there. All this joy the Lord had before him before he went to the cross.
Now, if thoughts like that don't touch our hearts, then he has to use other means, just like he did with Israel. He drew them with cords of a man with cords of love. But they didn't come. And so it tells us he say he hedged their way with thorns. That is, he wanted them to feel their need of him. And sometimes the Lord has to allow things in our lives that teach us our need of Him, sometimes in health and when everything's going well.
Seem to be going very smoothly. We could just go along, not realizing our dependence, not realizing how much we need him every day and every moment. And so first of all, in this chapter is has been brought out. He sets before us the objective side of things that is looking under Jesus the perfect example their brother's just been saying the joy he's going to have in introducing the results of his toil and victory to the Father's house, Paul desiring that.
That were sold, there would be that in his life, which was to praise and honor and glory to the Lord.
But if those thoughts of his love don't constrain us, then he may have to use other means because he loves us too much to let us go our own way. As I believe Mr. Darby said, the worst of all discipline is that the Lord would leave us to our own ways. He checks us up because he knows how prone we are. And so he brings these in here now, giving quite a little talk about the way his dealing ways with us may affect us in different attitudes that we can take toward them.
We can faint under them. We can propify them. We can be. We can despise them. We can take different attitudes when trouble comes into our lives. The attitude he wants us to take is to profit thereby the siege, just as my father had to correct me. Why? Because he loved me and he wanted me to grow up a happy, obedient child. And so it was done in love. Well, parents aren't always perfect, but God. Our Father's correction is always perfect, As for God.
His way is perfect, so he sets this what we've just been talking about in the first.
I believe 4 verses and then reminds us that discipline is necessary in all our lives. There's no child that escapes it, it says. It says if you be without chastisement, we're of all our partakers. Then are ye ******** and not sons. We all need it. Some might need more, some might need less, but we all need it.
And it's always for our good.
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Perhaps the way we despise it is just to think we have more than our share. We can. This sometimes happens in a family. One of the children will think perhaps the father is making a little pick on that child and really the father sees a little more. Perhaps that needs to be corrected in that one child and the other and really loves them. If he's a wise parent, he loves them all and loves them all and desires their very best. But.
Sometimes children despise the correction of their parents. Brethren, It's possible for us, too, to get so occupied with the troubles of the Way that we forget the loving hand that sends them.
I suppose we could say that the Lord is an example in the 1St 4 verses, but it stops there. Jesus is the example in the 1St 4 verses, but not at all in these next ones. It's the family of God. It's the Father with His children.
And we do need correction. He never. It's kind of important to notice that.
And we are not to despise it, nor are we to faint under it. It's like going down the road. We're not to drive off in the ditch on the left side and they're off on the ditch on the right side, But stay right on the course where the Lord has sent us and follow that guiding and.
I get the blessing that the Father who has all this wisdom.
Perfectly deals with his children and I had a wonderful father.
But I learned that he wasn't perfect. But I thank God for him, and he chastised after his own pleasures. It says down here that is as it seemed good to him. And we might just say that we who are fathers ought always.
To do what seems good according to the light that we have, and be guided by the Word of God, as to disciplining in our families.
And be very very thankful that.
The father that we have who is dealing with us as his children. While we're passing through the scene, everything that comes upon us is in perfect love as he and Wisdom knows what is good for us and then we can submit to what he brings versus our hard to fulfill sometimes. Like it says in everything, give thanks and then it says for everything give thanks.
The only way I can contemplate that is turning to a father who is dealing with me.
And it's all things work together for good to those that love. We know that verse so well and can quote it. But just to think of God, the perfect one, who is moving all things in the favor of his children in perfect love and the end of the Lord as we get that in. And James speaking about Job, you've seen the end of the Lord and we go to the 8th of Deuteronomy.
He led them those 40 years to the wilderness to prove them, to know what was in their heart, that he might do them good at their latter end. When we get the latter end before us, then the enduring comes a little easier for us.
I know our time is about gone, but just thinking a little bit on the context of what's going on here with these Hebrew Saints. As we look at some of the previous chapters, we see that they were suffering persecution for their faith, and there was that danger of turning back and going into Judaism that they had to be warned about. And sometimes too, after we suffer a lot of persecution individually in our lives, there can be that tendency to compromise what we know to be the truth of God.
So Paul, we believe, was the author here. By writing, by divine inspiration, I sought to encourage these believers, who would be discouraged because of the trials of their faith that they were going through, to go on for the Lord. And again, as has already been mentioned, he mentions the Lord Jesus as that perfect example. And he says, you have not resisted unto blood striving against sin. Remember a case where a servant of the Lord was very discouraged because of the persecution that he was enduring.
And so he told somebody about it. And the brothers comment back was, well, have they mailed you to a cross? Have they crowned you with thorns? Well, of course, the person hadn't suffered that much. What's good for us to remember these scriptures when we're going to trials? Difficulties, maybe at school, or in the workplace, or perhaps even in the assemblies where we're at when there's problems, remember that the Lord Jesus was faithful even unto death. And when we have him as our object, no matter what persecution, we might say so, even if it's coming from our own brethren.
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And we have the Lord Jesus as our object. We can be encouraged to go on and we can know then as we get past the 1St 4 verses that we.
This discipline that comes only serves to strengthen us in our Christian faith. That that's what James writes about in his his epistle. The proving or the trying of your faith worketh endurance. Same word that we have here run with endurance to the race. And so all discipline is not necessarily because we've done something wrong.
There is different kinds of discipline that we see referred to in Scripture, and so it might be preventative discipline to prevent something, prevent us from going astray if something was going to come up in our life that we don't even know about. You know, even in a case of a football player who would be training to play football or some sporting event, if he didn't go through all that painful process of working out and and being trained for that event, he would find himself.
Not strong enough to meet the task, and so the Lord allows.
Discipline for preventive measures. He allows it for punitive measures, and he allows it for preparatory measures to prepare us for something that we're going to face. And so all of these trials and afflictions that we're going through even now, are preparing us to serve the Lord in a greater and fuller way. There was a brother one time who went out into the Lord's work, and he was getting a bit of criticism, and so some brethren were talking about it, and one brother made the comment. He said, well.
It'll make a better servant out of them. And it's true that as these trials we face, and I know I'll probably get tested on what I'm saying right here. But as we go through these things and we keep the Lord Jesus as our object and accept this discipline from the Lord, then it will yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness and we'll all be the gainers and be blessed for it.
All the suffering the Lord Jesus went through was, of course, in perfect obedience to His Father's will. There was never anything that needed to be corrected in His blessed and holy life. So He endured everything for righteousness, sake, and His pathway for us. As you say, there are things that are otherwise. I believe here the subject is chastening. Paul's thorn in the flesh was preventative because it tells us, lest he should be exalted above measure. And so.
God saw that there was tendency in him, perhaps to be proud because of those.
Many revelations that he had received, And so he gave him some physical affliction that kept him down. That's necessary, and not necessarily because of some failure in our lives, but it is necessary because the flesh is there, because the flesh will always want to be exalted. And then too with what you're Speaking of, is pruning that we're the Lord. May it says in John chapter 15, every brace that beareth fruity purges it that may bring forth more fruit.
Every farmer knows that when he is going to get good fruit, there is a tendency, perhaps a little shoots that don't produce any fruit to grow up a lot of leaves, but not going to have any fruit. He cuts those off. And so there is that tendency with us. So there are those three things in God's ways with us. It could be, it could be preventative, it could be because he sees that we're going on for the Lord. But there's a mixture, there's something of self mixing with it and salt. He prunes us because he wants more fruit.
But that all of us need this positive chastening, this correction, there's something in everyone of us that needs to be corrected. And the Lord is perfect in it, and his ways are always perfect, but our attitudes are often so wrong, and so we don't get the blessing. And I believe these bringing that out here in a very searching way for all of us, and yelled at the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. I've been struck by that, brother, that it doesn't say.
Those who learn the reason why, it just says those who are exercised thereby because sometimes the Lord allows something. Perhaps we don't see the specific reason, but it's drawn us nearer to the Lord. We weren't walking close to Him and it's run us nearer and the result is that there's a closer walk with Him. So I say that because I've heard Christians say, well, I went through a real trial. I don't really know why the Lord allowed it, but if you were exercised by it, there's a result.
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It deals the peaceable fruits of righteousness.
And I've often noticed that in a brother or sister, and perhaps would say, well, I don't know specifically why the Lord allowed it, but others looking on could say He. Certainly walking nearer to the Lord, since that trial has come into his life, he's learned something and so it covers everything, doesn't it? God's ways are always so perfect in all his dealings with us, and I believe that's the reason why it says in the ninth verse the father of Spirits.
The Father of Spirit says is the thought of the difference between the Lord creation and ourselves.
That is, the spirit in man is the intelligent God. Conscious part of our being, an animal doesn't have that. But you and I have. And the spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. And God knows there may be a spirit in me that I don't. I've heard it even said. And perhaps others notice in me. I see a spirit there that I don't like, and they He sees that sometimes our presidents see it. The Lord always sees it.
And he's the father of spirits. He sees that trend. Maybe we're doing something right, but our spirit in it isn't right. I think that's a lovely expression, The father of spirits. We we don't always know how to do that, even with our children. But God, our father's knowledge of us is so perfect, brethren, He knows the very hairs of our head. He counts them. What a father we have. And so it's brought before us in this chapter, as always, for our prophet and that we might be partakers of His Holiness.
Sing. 35 and depended.
Feed my sheep.
Feed my sheep.
Now the word that's used here for sheep in this verse and in the preceding verse.
Where it says feed my sheep at the end of verse 16 is a diminutive form. I have a little note in my margin that says it's a term of tenderness.
And endearment. Not just a small that has nothing to do with size, but a term of affection.
And tenderness and endearment. And the Greek word is PROB.
Ation. I just looked it up before this meeting and I suppose in Greek that's pronounced probation or probation or something like that.
But if you wrote it down and looked at it, you'd say, what, that's probation. That's probation. And so these these people are on probation. And the Lord is saying to John, John, these people are on probation, keep an eye on them so that they don't make any mistakes. Because when someone is on probation, they have to report into the probation officer. And the Lord was, sorry, Peter, I think I said John, Peter here, his probation officer, a probation officer today is a legal man, a man with legal authority.
Hebrews 12:11-22
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11 Well, no chastening, for the president seems to be joyous, but greedy nevertheless. Afterwards it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet. Let that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed.
Follow peace with old men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane curtain. As Esau, who were one morsel of meat, sold his birthright, for you know how that afterward was he would have inherited the blessing. He was rejected, for he found no place of repentance.
Though he thought it carefully with tears.
For ye are not come unto the amount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness, and Tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they'd have heard and treated, that the word should not be spoken to them and.
Anymore, for they cannot endure that was commanded, And it's so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be sown or thrust through the dark. So terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake, but the art come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels to the General Assembly and Church of the first born.
Which are written in heaven.
And to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, Thank you, Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, And to the blood of sprinkler that speaketh better things than that enabled see that he refused, not him that speaketh.
For if they escaped not, who refused him to spake on earth? How much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth? But now he had promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaking, as the things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken, may remain.
Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is the consuming fire.
Yesterday our brother remarked on this verse that.
It ends up saying unto them that are exercised. Thereby. It doesn't say those who understand why the trial came.
And in our experience, we find that to be so quite a few of our.
Chase things.
We don't understand why quite a few of them we do. Personally, I can remember when my Mama spanked me that she would say, now this is going to hurt me more than it does you, and I couldn't understand that. But I see her weeping, and she had chastised me until I was weeping and we could be thankful for it. And then she'd make me sit there and think about what I had done. Now that's an exercise. We can be exercised after many of the chasings that our Father, who is faithful, gives us.
And learn why they have come to us. But in the 77th Psalm I think it is, we find that God's way is in the sanctuary, and a little farther down it's in the sea, and in the sea his footsteps are not known, but in the sanctuary I believe they are. And perhaps most of the chasing we get is in communion with the Lord as children.
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Of a faithful Father, they should come to us as being in fellowship with Him. As to why they have come, but not all of them, well, we know, but we certainly can be exercised about every one of those trials.
I believe that's very important because of the feeling in the minds of some that a Christian could be triumphant in every situation. But there is a time when God does intend us to feel his hand upon us, just like you were saying. Your mother wouldn't have been very pleased when she punished you if you just laughed and pretended you didn't feel what had taken place. She wanted you to feel it, but it was always with ultimate blessing in mind that she did that. And so with God our Father, there are times in our lives when.
Trials come that we can't be at once triumphant.
We are cast down, perhaps, and we realize the Lord is speaking, and that's good. That's proper. No? Chastening. For the present saveth to be joyous but grievous. But afterwards, afterward the blessing comes, and so many of us look back and we're thankful that our parents corrected us. We're thankful, and we trust it has yielded in our lives the peaceable fruits of righteousness. That is a desire to walk in a way that was pleasing to the Lord, for that was their desire for us.
And so I believe this is important. I say this because.
People speak as if in every situation the Christians should be positively triumphant. We should take everything from the Lord, brethren. But there are times he intends us to feel it. And Paul could say cast down, but not destroyed.
And it's the peaceable fruit of righteousness that is the characteristic of the Christian our God is the God of peace, and you want he gives us peace as to the question of our sins and what intends that we should have the peace of God ruling in our hearts too.
And that's characteristic as a Christian life Not to be full of unrest, but rather to see the wisdom and love of all God's ways with us.
There is so much in us that needs correction. It's it's not that It's child training. That's what we're the word discipline means is child training and we all need that. There's so much in us. There's there's self esteem, there's pride, there's.
Wrong thoughts about ourselves, Wrong thoughts about God.
Wrong thoughts about our brethren.
Oftentimes, we will fall into the snare of imputing motives to another when we're told in Scripture not to do that. And so this child training involves all kinds of things more than just outward acts of disobedience.
It has to do with God wants us to be a partaker of His Holiness verse 10.
And he goes on in verse 14 to say, follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. So if one makes a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus, and there is no indication in the persons life that they desire holiness, there's no indication that they abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good, if there's no indication of that.
The strong thought that would follow that is that they've never become a partaker of the divine nature, they've never really been born again, and they don't have eternal life and they're not in dwelt of the spirit there. We know we all fail, that's one thing. But every newborn soul that has divine life has a nature which hates sin and abhors evil. And that's what holiness is. Holiness is.
Delight in what is good.
And abhorrence of evil.
Christ was that holy thing which was born of Mary, called the Son of God. His humanity was holy humanity. Adams before the fall was innocent without sin, but capable of sinning. The Lords was without sin and incapable of sinning. That's the very nature of holiness. Holiness delights in what is good.
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And abhors evil so. And now we are partakers of a fallen humanity, and we have two natures, and he and everything that flows from the old nature in me and in you.
Requires that we judge it and that we do not nurture it and we do not tamper it and give way to it. It needs to be judged and denied and restrained, and there's such a complexity of action in each of us.
And among our brethren, some things that we think and do are from the Spirit working on the new life and then the flesh will come in and there's a mixture. If it was always black and or always white, it would be very simple, wouldn't it? But it isn't that it's 1000 different shades of Gray between the new nature having his way absolutely or the flesh having its way absolutely. There's a there's a mixture. So often times.
And it takes real discernment to see, especially in connection with the problems and troubles that confront us today, what is of God and what is of the flesh? What is of him? And what is of man? Very difficult. And only the Spirit of God can give us that anointed eye, so that we can see things as he sees them. And the greatest hindrance for my doing, that is me. The greatest hindrance for you doing that is you. We get in the way.
And our own reputation, our own self esteem, a word that's so used in psychological circles today. But God never tells me in His word that I should have good thoughts of myself. He tells me that I should abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. That's what Job was led to. And he that thinketh of himself more highly than he ought to think is not thinking God's thoughts.
So we need to think God's thoughts, don't we? We need to have His thoughts filling us, and we need to have all of our thoughts corrected by the word of God. That's the value of a Bible reading, isn't it? That's the value of ministry, is to have my thoughts corrected and say, oh, I had this thought that was wrong, give it up, and then come into God's thoughts. We need that in all our relationships with one another.
It's weird. Exercise has been said to be one of the Brethren's words. And folks that come in and say you folks are always talking about being exercised. What do you mean being exercised?
I think this.
Verse explains it and what we've just heard. We are to think about what God is doing and what his thoughts are, what his ways are, and why he is doing this and that.
And profit by thinking about these things, dwelling on what God has to say in His word as to the truth in a positive form, and then in the corrective form that we're talking about here, get God's thoughts about it and get the profit out of it. That's what the word exercise means, I believe as we use it.
Used in the 5th chapter of Hebrews. Isn't that a fifth chapter of Hebrews that says that in the 14th verse? But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age even by those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. These Hebrew believers had remained babes. They hadn't really gone through an increasing knowledge of the things of God.
That would produce an exercise as to the practical result in their life. And now in this chapter it has to do with God's feelings. With us. Job was constantly defending himself, and what Elijah said to him was very apartment. He said that surely it is meat to be said unto God that which I see not teach thou me. If I have done evil, I will do it no more. His friends had.
Falsely accused him. Thought the discipline was for something different than the purpose God had in it. That sometimes happens.
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We might misjudge a brother going through trial, but Eli, you told him you should be before the Lord for yourself. You should seek the Lord's mind and what he is trying to show you through this that which I see not. He didn't yet see what God had in that trial that he passed through, and it was a deep trial.
But when he got into the presence of God, then he saw that, he discovered that. And then there's the second thing.
It says that which I see not teach thou me. If I have done evil, I will do it no more when the Lord shows it to us then to be willing to own the thing in His presence and not go on with it. So all those two things are necessary. I believe that's really what the exercise is. Just as growing in the knowledge of God's mind, there's an exercise to discern good and evil.
So when we go through trial, there's an exercise as to why we think of various things. We weigh things in the light of the sanctuary, and if there's a willingness, he shows us. And the result was much blessing for Job. It says the God blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning. Where would any of us be if God didn't send that correction in our lives? If we lived our whole lives without that exercise, Without Him and his wisdom and love correcting us, where would we be?
So God wants our latter end to be more blessed than the beginning.
Sometimes a child will say to the Father who is punishing him. If you really love me, you wouldn't punish me like this so severely. And the truth is, I punish you because I love you.
So that's what Scripture teaches, that we need correction. And sometimes, you know, we even make that mistake with God our Father. Sometimes we become bitter. Things have come into our lives.
Hard to take terrible trials and then we think that God doesn't love us or he wouldn't have allowed us to go through such a trial.
No, we don't interpret God or His love for us by our circumstances. We interpret our circumstances by the sure and certain knowledge of His love for us, which was expressed in all its blessed fullness at the cross.
He could not have done more. He could not have given more than he has given in the gift of his Son. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? And all things are ours, beloved, They're all ours. Whether life or death, or angels or principalities or powers, all are ours, and we are Christ, and he is God's.
We have all things in Him, and He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Him.
And what comes upon us down here? How does Paul calculated? We had that before us just recently in 2nd Corinthians 4. He went through such terrible trials, but he says our light affliction, which is but for a moment. Oh, Paul, how could you so calculate?
Your Light Affliction. Read the list of the sufferings through which he went, and he calls it light affliction. Think of all the hours that he suffered for the Lord Jesus.
Filled up the measure of suffering that were the sufferings of Christ, he says. Which are but for a moment work is for us in surpassing measure of far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Oh, when we get home, we're going to look back upon the few things that we suffered for him, and then we'll be able to say just like Paul. But he wants us to say it. Now he wants us to look at all that he passes us through.
And to say, our light affliction, which is but for a moment I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. It's a privilege if we are partaker of his sufferings, A privilege to share a little. This is suffering time things, aren't we? He hasn't promised us a bed of roses down here. This is suffering time.
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But the glory is just right ahead, soon to dawn upon our our souls what a day that will be.
One thing seems to be clear here about the chastening as to why it comes not only for you or I personally who are feeling it, but it's because others around us are affected and.
God, in his faithfulness as a Father, works with us so that we will make straight paths for our feet, and not be one who would lead others astray. No man liveth unto himself, or dieth unto himself.
Our course effects, those around us and those near to us. And if our God chastens us to keep us in the path, to make those straight paths, and then someone follows us, our children for instance, while they're coming in the right way. So we see here at least that one reason that we get some of this chastening is that we will properly set a path for those who are near to us.
Suppose we could apply this 12 to 13 verses in two ways. First, as to ourselves, we can become very discouraged through trial that God sees it to send into our lives. And we we should not be discouraged. We should understand that it is in love for our good and for our blessings. And instead of saying and how often, we tend to say, well, I give up. It's no use. I've tried and everything has broken down. We live. We let our hands hang down.
Our knees become feeble. We say no use trying because I'm overwhelmed by all the trials.
But we need to see that it's in wisdom. We don't want our children to have, so to speak, their spirits broken so that they won't go on and devotedness and in obedience. And so this is an applicable, applicable to ourselves, But also, I believe, brethren, it's applicable on how we could help someone else. And so it says, lift up the hands that hang down if we see someone else who's being discouraged by very often a little word the Bible says.
A word Bentley spoken is like apples of gold and pictures of silver. And I suppose many of us can look back at times in our lives when we felt very discouraged and someone said a little word, a word in season that helped us to lift up our hands and the people knees and that which is lame. Perhaps we were weak, failing things, but instead of being turned out of the way, we were encouraged to go on. I was thinking of Jonathan when he was stirred up to gloat and fight against the Philistines.
Saw the strength of the Philistine army and his father in opposition to him. He apparently turned back because his armor bearer said to him, Turn the I am with thee. There's no mention of the name of that armor bearer, but he turned the whole battle. Just that little word that he said to Jonathan caused Jonathan to turn around and go forward. And the result was a great victory in Israel. And so I believe there's a double application here.
That we apply this to ourselves. That if God has allowed something in your life or mine in the way of chastisement, something he has spoken to us about, we shouldn't be discouraged. It's for our profit, it's for our good. But also, if it's another person, a word that might be spoken could be a great help instead of a hindrance. And so we're encouraged in both directions, I believe, brethren, for ourselves, and also to lift up the hands of another who may be hanging down, just ready to give up.
That's an interesting thought in the end of the 13th verse, but let it rather be healed. I'm sure that many times things have taken place in assemblies where someone may have caused difficulty and problem and the comment might be made well.
Might be well if we could, if he'd leave or.
We'd be happier, but that's not what this scripture says. But let it be rather healed.
This takes grace, doesn't it? Grace from God himself to assist those that are in maybe?
Controversial. Causing difficulty. I'll tell you, brethren, That's something that's happening all over the assemblies throughout the world today.
And we need the grace of God to counteract this kind of thing, not by just saying, well, let's get rid of them. Or maybe it'd be better if they were gone.
00:25:08
We need the grace of God to heal such a situation, the controversy that comes.
A soft answer Turneth away, rat. I believe that each and every one of us myself particularly a soft answer. How gracious to turn to someone that is maybe a difficulty in softness and kindness and in grace rather than in harshness.
The word fitly soaked like apples of gold and pictures of silver.
What a picture we have in that verse. Apples are a wonderful fruit. Our brother Henry over here would agree to that. But what would he do with a golden apple?
What it's telling us is that it's divine fruit in the setting of redemption.
And you and I are in the setting of redemption. We are redeemed people.
And the fruit of our lips ought to be a witness that we belong to God, and so we have to seek for that.
Word fitly spoken to help, to heal, to encourage, to direct in the path that God has chosen for his people down here.
It's the combination of the two things here. Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. So there's the desire for peace. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints. But also holiness becometh thine household God forever. So we see a beautiful combination here, and I believe that's what grace is. It's a combination of God's goodness and holiness. He's made peace by the blood of His cross.
He didn't Passover our sins as though they were nothing. At great cost to himself. Our sins were put away. Think of what it cost the Lord Jesus to bear them. And now He has borne them all. And now we can be brought into His presence on the ground of pure sovereign grace.
Holy and without blame before him in love. How beautiful, the way Scripture puts things, we often become one sided in One Direction or the other. Too strong perhaps, on something in the way of holiness and forgetting grace, or too strong on the way of grace, but.
In the Scripture we see the beautiful combination always of truth and yet of grace too. And we have to be careful in standing for holiness that we don't fail of the grace of God. And I believe that's brought before us here. I believe we can apply it practically in our own lives, no matter how badly I have failed as a believer. There is grace in the heart of God to restore, to bring me back, to give me the enjoyment of himself. The latter end of Job was better than the beginning.
Jacob who is well known in Scripture as a for failing one, and much more crude at the end of his life than he did through his life, whereas some that started out welded Penn so well. So there is always the grace of God first in application to ourselves, also an application to one another in our dealings.
I'd like to make a comment on verse 12 before we get away from.
There where he says, Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down and strengthen, and the people knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather that they be healed.
We can all look back, everyone of us as Christians and remember a time in our life where perhaps we were discouraged and there was somebody else who was going on faithfully for the Lord, and that was an encouragement to us. Sometimes young people say, well, what's the what's a good way to be a help and an encouragement to others? And I believe that this verse is a real key verse. That is one of the best ways to be a help to others is to go on for the Lord faithfully yourself, not necessarily seeking to.
Be an example, but going on for the Lord you will be an example, and so I think of the.
Strengthening the hands, Lifting up the hands, the hands would speak of doing the work of the Lord. Remember in Nehemiah it says they strengthened their hands for the work. If I'm seeking to do the work of the Lord myself and the knees might speak a prayer going on in prayer and the straight paths or the even or level paths. Not an up and down inconsistent Christian life, but an even Christian life. That's one that's following the Lord.
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That will have a a healing effect on others who are discouraged.
But if I give up and I get discouraged, and I let my hands hang down and quit doing the work of the Lord, others who have been doing it might also be discouraged. So I just think of this, these verses 12 and 13 as perhaps a little key or something that should speak to each one of our hearts this morning that we might seek to go on for the Lord ourselves. And that in turn will be have a healing effect on others. It's easy to look at other people and say, well, why don't they come and lift up my feeble hands and encourage me?
Well, the real exhortation here is it could read lift up your hands that hang down. And so it starts individually with each one of us.
In Matthew 5 about 8 it says blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. And over in our next book of James three in the last verse it says the fruit of righteousness is thrown in peace of them that make peace. So we have that.
Privilege and responsibility. To follow the exhortation to follow peace with all men and to seek peace, but never at the expense of righteousness. That's not correct if we go to the millennial scene, just a verse in the 32nd of Isaiah to get what the king brings in in this world in the coming day. A beautiful scene we have before us in Isaiah 32.
About peace and what is produced when that king reigns in righteousness. In Isaiah 32 it says in the first verse, behold, a king shall reign in righteousness and Princess shall rule in judgment. We have immediately the millennial scene before us when you and I are associated with the king as Princess in administration in the Millennium. Now look down at.
Verse 16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness and righteousness remain in the.
Fruit fulfilled, and the work of righteousness shall.
Be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever. So God's peace is never at the expense of righteousness. But righteousness is what we'll bring in that peace. So we go on a righteous course. We have to but follow peace with all men as much as life in you. Live peaceably with all men. Some men we can't live peaceably with, but my responsibility to try to.
I was thinking of how the Corinthians assembly failed in both points. They were going to allow this man who was living in sin to go on in the assembly unjudged, and Paul had to write to them that it was necessary and that discipline should be carried out. But in the second epistle they failed of the grace of God the they evidently were unwilling to receive him back when there was repentance. And so he writes to them and says, contrary, wise you have to comfort him and forgive him.
So we see the two sides brought out very clearly in the scripture in the Corinthian assembly, and both are so necessary as it's been remarked by several here, that character of righteousness, but also that character of grace and that's peace, that's God's peace.
Peace at the assembly when there can't be peace when evil is allowed. It's interesting that the very place where a can was stoned is spoken of in the prophets as a door of hope and a place for the flocks to lie down. Because when things were dealt with according to the mind and will of God, and then there was rest, then there was a place for the flocks to lay down, with the only hope of the assembly that holiness should be maintained there's no hope for.
This world, if they go on in their evil way, there's no hope for us in our individual lives. I'm Speaking of the enjoyment of the things of God if things are allowed unjust in our lives. So the hope of blessing is always founded on dealing with things in God's way.
All that evil being removed by God can come out and all that in his heart. He really wants to bless his people and he wants us to remove every hindrance to blessings.
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Well, I believe, brethren, there are many things in our lives that we can judge a brother.
Clam was venturing to us yesterday in the 19th some it says, cleanse thou be from secret faults, and then it went on to say presumptuous sins and the great transgression. And I believe the point is that if we judge the little things in our lives, they won't grow into great things.
And if every time we came to remember the Lord, there was that self judgment as to anything that would hinder communion with the Lord and enjoyment of His presence by the remembrance of the Lord would bring our hearts back to Calvary, remind us of the cost of our redemption. But if we don't do that, if we don't judge the little things like an illustrated if you don't pull little weeds out of your garden, they'll soon become big ones, and they'll choke out all the things that you really want.
And so I believe, and I think it's very lovely to my own soul, that the Lord suffer as each first day of the week, as though the Lord would call us back to His love and what it cost him to redeem us. And the most clear scriptures about self judgment are in connection with the Lord's Supper, because how can we properly judge what is wrong except in the light of what it cost the Lord to put it away? And there we see it at the Lord's Supper brought before us very powerfully.
His body given and his bloodshed. So we judge ourselves if we don't.
Then things may grow into big things in our lives, which as we learned in First Corinthians 5, called for more than personal action. The man was not called upon, just the judge himself. He needed to, but also the Lords name had to be cleared. So I believe it's very important I say for myself and for assault every time we come to remember the Lord. To be sure, there has been nothing allowed in our lives, unjudged, that would hinder the enjoyment of his love and going to us, going for us to the cross of Calvary.
And looking forward to the time when we will be with and like him.
Wonder if it would help to read verse 1415 and 16 together. It's really one sentence.
Global peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as he saw, who were one morsel of meat, sold his birthright.
Seems to be very instructive that the Holy Spirit in one sentence has put together three thoughts, three different areas that we need to be careful about. We begin with verse 16.
I believe the thought of Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright, might indicate to us something of perhaps a giving up of the truth.
The deposit of truth that has been mentioned here already. June 3, earnestly content for the faith once delivered to the Saints. First Thessalonians, Chapter 2, where the Apostle Paul says that he had preached the gospel of God unto them with much contention, or burning earnestness or earnest striving. Same word used there in First Thessalonians 2 as is used in June 3, the burning earnestness with which we ought to.
Contend for the faith, the deposit of truth that we have if we give it up. That's what he saw, giving up his birthright. And I believe we were. We see that among us in the body of Christ, where we identify that, and with the Lord's help we we deal with that as those gathered to the Lord's name. If we go back to the beginning of verse 16, lest there be any fornicator less moral evil, that's what we have brought before us.
In dealing with it in the assembly in First Corinthians chapter 5. Now when we come back to verse 15.
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The same sentence and the third category of evil that's brought forward by the Holy Spirit here. Not doctrinal evil as he saw giving up his birthright. Not moral evil. That's the fornicator First Corinthians 5. But now in verse 15, something that speaks to our hearts, it's mentioned first in the list, it's mentioned in the same sentence, and it's given more emphasis by the Holy Spirit of God in this particular place.
Because it says thereby many be defiled. What is it? It's lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you We judge the doctrinal evil, and so we should. We judge the moral evil. And so we should In the Assembly, do we judge the root of bitterness, or do we overlook it and say that's something that that brother or that I or that the Assembly has to deal with privately root of bitterness.
The the root word for bitterness is picked.
Pik And it means to prick or to cut. And when there's a root of bitterness in my heart, I know what it's like. I know what it's like to have a root of bitterness. It ****** and it cuts me. It destroys my soul. It shrivels me up in the eyes of God. It it destroys my enjoyment personally of Christ. It destroys my effectivity in the assembly. I can't lift up my hands and hang down. I can't strengthen the people knees, either of myself or anyone else.
When I have a root of bitterness in my own soul, because I'm so shriveled up, I'm so cut, I'm so destroyed within myself that very, very soon, not only does it destroy my effectivity, but it spreads to the assembly, it spreads to the body of Christ, and thereby many be defiled. What's the cause of that? Let's go one step further back in the verse, the sentence verse 15, The beginning, looking diligently lest any man fail.
Of the grace of God. So we have three things here, The bitterness, the moral evil, and the doctrinal evil. The root is a failing of the grace of God. The merchant says full from grace. Well, in in Christendom there's the evil teaching and and this phrase, unfortunately, is used to teach it. Falling from grace used to mean a loss of one's salvation. Obviously that's not the thought here.
It would be contrary to the word of God.
But really the thought of failing of the grace of God is to come short of the grace of God in Romans 3 verse 23. And Speaking of the Sinner, the unbeliever, it says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Exactly the same verb is used there in Romans 323 as is used here in Hebrews 12/15.
As the Sinner comes short of the glory of God, so the Saints may come short of the grace of God. The Spirit of God uses the same word to come short of. And so brother. And I can only look at myself and realize that when I come short of the grace of God, when I am lacking in grace in my own soul, in dealing with my brethren, and in interacting with the fellow members of the body of Christ.
What betterness and what results from that the?
Defilements of the body of Christ.
I think of the example of Hannah in First Samuel chapter one where.
Because of her barrenness.
Her it says her adversary there, and for example one it's really Vanina Alcania's other wife.
Al Qaeda gave Hannah a double portion that says Tanina vexed her, It says in the margin. That's angered her. She angered her. And so Hannah in her soul was angry. It says in the next verse that that continued on year after year. So there was there was anger year after year and then it says she was in bitterness of soul. The vexing led to anger. The anger led to bitterness.
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How to Hannah deal with that bitterness? She got into the presence of the Lord. She got on her knees. She cried about it. And she got into the presence of the high priest Eli, a failing high priest, no doubt he he misinterpreted her, he misjudged her. He accused her of drunkenness. But we have a high priest who never misjudges. We have a high priest who never makes a mistake, never misjudges our motive. He understands at all points, tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
And so we can get into the presence of the Lord on our knees, as Hannah did. We can get into the presence of a high priest, as Hannah did.
And then what happened? It says that better turn to it so that I don't.
As quoted in First Samuel chapter one.
The end of verse 18.
For Samuel, one the end of verse 18 her countenance was number more sad. Verse 19 they rose up in the morning early and worshipped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house to Rhema. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. Verse 20 to conceive. So first of all, in dealing with the bitterness she got into the presence of the Lord, she got into the presence of the high priest. And then what happened?
God changed Hannah. Her countenance was no more said, and then he changed her circumstances. She worshipped before the Lord. Then she returned and came to her house in Rama, which means a high place. And then the relationship with her husband and her family was brought back to normal again. That's God's pattern, I believe, for dealing with bitterness into his presence. Let the high priest deal with it. Then he changes me. My countenance is no more sad. Then he changes my circumstances.
I worship and then my family relationships that may be my own family, it may be the family of God are brought back to normal against Lee. Hannah is a good picture of dealing with that bitterness of soul that is referred to in verse.
10.
I believe it's connected to is what goes before, lest any man fail, of the grace of God? Because what is grace? The undeserved favor of God. What did I deserve? If someone has more than me or something like that, did I deserve anything? All I deserve was the judgment of God and all God's actions toward me. Every blessing I've ever received is undeserved. Usually bitterness is, as you're saying, because somebody got something perhaps a little bit more than me or.
Things like that sometimes come because.
I have problems in my life. Perhaps God's discipline and someone else seems to get by, as they say, and he doesn't have any. But what did I deserve? There's any blessing in my life if I've experienced anything of the goodness of God, it's entirely undeserved. And rather than I feel that's so important that we don't lose the sense of grace if we always walk in the sense, well, I wouldn't have one good thing if I got what I deserve. All the blessings are totally undeserved.
And so if any man fail of the grace of God, when we lose sight of that, then we say, why does that person get more than they? Or why did it happen to me and not to that other person? But it's we need to dwell constantly in the sense of grace. We're saved by grace, we stand in grace, and it's grace that will be brought unto us that the revelation of Jesus Christ. I believe also that God brings before us the end of the path and the end of the path we see in Esau because he was clearly an unbeliever.
He found no place of repentance, so he thought it carefully with tears. That doesn't mean he thought repentance, but he sought the blessing apart from repentance. He would like to have got all the blessing, but there was no sense of what was due to God and his soul at all. And so God often does that. He sets before us where the path ends to find that in the third chapter of Philippians, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things, What's the end of the path of mind? The earthly things.
Look at the world about us. It's finding earthly things. There's a tremendous going after material and earthly things, whereas the end of that path judgment. And if we walk with the world, why we're going to experience something of the way they have to suffer too. But God always sets before us where the path ends. Thank God, he'll never allow one of his own to go to the end. But it's the solemn thing where the path ends and this end of self seeking be unaware of the grace of God.
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This wanting to have everything apart from grace, it ends in judgment on the loss, and we have to be careful that we constantly live rather than in the sense of the grace of God.
I was wondering if with First Timothy chapter one verse 19 it says.
Holding faith in a good conscience, and I was wondering if we would not judge the root of bitterness.
And thus not have a good conscience that that would be the result of making shipwrecks that someone could comment on that.
Well, I believe most of the things that caused different that is, we lose confidence in God. This is First Timothy, one verse 19, holding faith and a good conscience, which some, having put away concerning faith, have made shipwreck. That is, if you and I give up confidence in God and we don't maintain a good conscience, we say I've got to do something, this or that, for my own ends. I've got to have this thing, even if I have to give up a good conscience to get it.
And that leads farther and farther away. A true Christian can never be lost, but we can make shipwreck of faith. We can end up in getting so far away from the Lord that that confidence that we ought to have in him is broken. And we go on.
Jacob did that, I believe. He decided that the best way to plan his life was to scheme everything his own way. He went on. He lost confidence in God, even though when he was starting on that course, the Lord met him and assured him of the blessings that he had for him. But he made a bargain with God, that he would do his part if God would do his. We do that sometimes instead of having confidence and faith in the goodness of God. Why? We decide that we're going to bargain with God. I'll do this, and God will do this for me, and I'm going to seek after something for myself.
He sought a wife and he got decided and got deceived. He thought wealth and he made a lot of bad feelings with Laban and he didn't have it out until he, he wrestled with the Lord. And I don't believe it was fully out until he came to the end of his life. And there he leaned on the top of his staff. He leans on something outside of himself and we see Jacob fully restored. But we can scheme our own lives, brethren. They're young people. We can scheme our own lives and say, I'm going to get it this way or that way. I've got to have it.
I'm not going to have all the problems that others have, but we lose that enjoyment of the Lord. Our faith in him is to practice it. Were every true believer there was a shipwreck in the 27th of Acts. They all got safe to land, but the ship was destroyed and shipwrecked. Faith does not mean a lost soul, it means a person who wrecks his life. If really the Lords, you'll get faith to land. But he didn't follow the wisdom and counsel of God for his pathway.
It was mentioned a while ago about the truth coming in and the doctrine verse 16 and it fits, I believe, this way, coming in the book of Hebrews, the book written through the Hebrew Christians who had had the national blessing of being Jews and the promises of God-given to them. And the Messiah promised. And then the Messiah came and he came to that nation.
Anissa stands here as a picture to the nation of the Jews to whom the Messiah was presented, and they sold him for a few carnal privileges under the Romans. They, the leaders of the people, said about Jesus. If we let him beths alone, the Romans will come and take away our place and nation. So they stole him for 30 pieces of silver. They despised their birthright.
They could have had their kings, he came and they could have had them if they would have received him. They said no. We would rather have a few carnal privileges for a little while under the Romans. Well, that was a catastrophe with a nation at that time and.
The fact that what happened was that, having sold their king, they lost everything just as Esau did.
Esau stole for a mess of cottage his birthright to his twin brother and that sale was confirmed. You can get it in the book of of Exodus in the early chapters the Lord by Moses has let.
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My people go.
It's Israel is talking about. Well, let's read that verse in Exodus chapter three. You think it is?
Because I can't bring it up right, but it shows that the sale went through that Esau sold his birthright and it was found in heaven.
Exodus chapter 4 it is.
And verse 22. And thou shalt stay unto Pharaoh. Thus saith the Lord Israel is my son, even my first born. I say unto thee, Let my son go. That sail was sealed in heaven. And so Jacob got it, because he believed the word of God. And as it's been brought before us, Jacob inherited the promises. But because of his scheming, he had a.
Very many sorrowful and sad experiences which he wouldn't have needed to go through if he would have gone ahead in faith and dependence upon God. But he interjected his own thoughts. But he did believe the word of God, and in the end he was brought to dependency and worship, leaning upon the top of his staff. So Jacob comes in as a picture of believers and failing or falling from the grace of God. We get many, many experiences.
We get the chastening of the Lord, but we get the end of the Lord and in the end this eternal blessing. So how terrible for the Jewish nation to sell their birthright.
And how wonderful it is to believe the word of God and seek the blessings, and depend upon the blessed to carry us through.
This question about bitterness how do we deal with it?
I don't think we do deal with it sometimes, and then it then it grows, and it defiles many, it says, looking diligently. Or Mr. Darby has it watching, lest any lack to the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up humble you. And I think we're being troubled today by unjudged things in the past.
That have lain dormant for years possibly and now have come to the surface and have troubled and are troubling us.
Through a recent experience.
That the Lord was pleased to put us through.
I used to pray every day. Lord, keep me from bitterness.
There was a lot of things that came.
Into our lives that could have produced very deep bitterness.
False accusations, Lack of compassion and understanding.
When we needed it so much. Oh, you can dwell upon those things.
And if you dwell upon those things, you get bitter.
If you dwell upon those things that come from those that are nearest to you, that ought to understand, that ought to show pity, you know, Job said, Miserable comforters, are ye all he felt that he felt it to the very depths of his soul, and God put him through it.
For a good reason.
But how do we deal with bitterness? Well, let me suggest that you pray that prayer every day, Lord.
Keep me from bitterness.
And then I was impressed. Recently at the Lord's table we had read to us.
Matthew 26 and 27 It was a rather long reading the account of the.
Passion, the sufferings of our precious Savior, and what he went through, and what he endured and how he responded, and how he met the affronts of the enemy. And it says all his disciples forsook him and fled those that should have stood by him. Peter who had said, though all deny thee, yet will not die. He denied him three times with oaths and curses and.
He looked for some to take pity, but there was none. And for comforters. But he found none. Did he get bitter? No, not a trace of it. And that blessed one Study him. Feed upon him. This is what really sustains the soul, and brings you through the deepest waters.
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Feed on Christ his precious life, how he met these things that so disturb us. Why do they disturb us? Why do I get bitter because of self?
Because there's that element of self and pride that is there in my own heart that I have to judge.
We all have it, everyone of us has to deal with that. But how do you get delivered from it?
By occupation with him. Feed on him as the manna that came down. See how they trampled upon him, and how they misunderstood him, and misrepresented him, and falsely accused him and slandered him. And all the evils that come upon us in this life. They all came upon him, And how did he meet them?
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. He met it by perfect subjection to the Father. And now we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faith.
And as we do so, we're occupied with that man who's no longer in this scene, but in that scene. And by some miraculous power of the spirit of God working in the soul, we're transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. It's not by trying to be better, it's not by any self effort on our part. It's by occupation with the man who's there, who was once here and passed through it all here.
That's what we have here in the first part of this chapter, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the one who went through the whole path before us, who felt it all perfectly and responded to the evil according to God, the delight of God resting upon him always in the enjoyment of that well, that's the way to be delivered from bitterness. You never get delivered from it by going into your past and bringing it all up and thinking upon it and feeding on it.
And making that the object of your thoughts. You'll never get delivered from evil that way. But think of what he did to me, or think of what he said to me, or how he treated me. You'll never get delivered from bitterness that way. But it's by occupation with the one that went through all these things himself and did it all hand in hand with the Father and received it all from the Father. That's the real source and secret, isn't it?
Of deliverance from these things.
#230.
Hebrews 12:18-29
Reading
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Well, it's a key, Or you are not come unto the mouth that might be touched, and that fire, nor unto blackness, darkness, and Tempest, and the sound of the trumpet, the voice of words, which voice they had heard and treated, that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched the mouth, and it shall be stones, or thrust through the dark.
So terrible was the sight that Moses said.
Placed but ye are coming through Mount Sinai, and unto the city, and the living God the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the General Assembly and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and through God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just man made perfect, and to Jesus mediators of the new television, and to the blood of Springfield, and speaketh better things than that of Abel.
See that you refuse not endless speaking, for if they escape not, or refuse him to spake on earth.
Much more shall not leave escape.
If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more signifies the removing of those things in our shape, as the things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God, acceptably reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.
I believe what we have here, brethren, is the 2 positions that are put in contrast with one another standing at Mount Zion where the law was at Mount Sinai, rather where the law was given, or Maud Zion, which God chose as His center when everything had failed in Israel, then He chose the Mount Zion that he loved. It speaks to us of grace. And so there are the two positions, I believe, that are brought before us. We can deal with situations under the principle of law.
And that condemns everyone of us. Or we can stand, recognizing that our standing is all by grace.
And that we have been brought into this wondrous position by the grace of God, and a view of the coming glory is brought before us.
And then what follows to the revelation that we have, because there is a voice that has spoken from heaven when the law was given, it was given on earth at Mount Sinai. But Christianity is that which was given through the Apostle Paul who was caught up to the 3rd heaven and received the revelation of all these precious and wonderful things that we have in Christianity. And I believe it's all in context with what we have before.
The Lord is dealing with us and how we receive these things. It's not.
Dealing with the situation on the principle of law, I say again, I would condemn us all. But here we stand, blessed by sovereign grace, with a glorious future ahead of us and the full revelation of God for that which has been given to us in Christianity. He's abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will. I just mentioned this because I think it's very beautiful the way this chapter closes.
In bringing us before us as the motivation, so to speak, for our conduct and how we receive all God's dealings and in our attitudes to one another and all. It's not law, but it's grace.
This is quite well explained in Two Corinthians 3.
And justice to refer to the two situations, the two things, the law.
And grace, they are called ministration. There in 2 Corinthians 3.
It's easy to see.
Beginning with verse 5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who has made us able. Ministers of the New Testament none of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Then the law is spoken of this way. But if the administration of debt, that's the law written and engraved in stones, was glorious, and oh, the glory of that, you can read it in Exodus 19 when it was given.
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But there's enough about it here. If the administration of dead written engraving stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses.
For the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away Now the contrast.
Thou shall not the ministration of the Spirit. It is called the ministration of the Spirit, be glorious.
Then it's called.
Another thing.
But we go back in verse 9. For if the administration of condemnation be glory, that's the law.
And it was glory. How much more death, the ministration of righteousness exceeding in glory. So the message the ministry that's committed to the minister today is the ministry.
Of righteousness, and it's the ministry of the Spirit in grace. So that's the two contrasts that we have in both of these chapters. If you follow on in Second Corinthians, you find.
That we have this ministry, this treasury in earthen vessels.
This Ministry of Grace is committed to us right now to carry forth into the world.
My brother spoke of motives. If you look at 2 Corinthians 5, you have motives.
To carry this ministry and three of them are the.
Glory. We are carrying a ministry that's full of glory.
In fact, it brings us right into the glory. And then there is the judgment seat of.
The warning of what's going to happen to people who don't receive grace. And then there's the love of God.
So our chapter these first four verses.
Tell us of the glory and the terrible glory of the law, which was fearful to man in the flesh. They couldn't bear it.
I think we can see that very clearly by the first few words of the 18th verse. We are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and then the 22nd verse, but ye are come and about Zion to the city of the living God. What a glorious future is ahead of us, brethren. The Lord should come while we're sitting here, just to think, transferred from this place into the city of the living God. And we're already fitted for that place.
Grace has met us. The law condemned us. It says the law brought condemnation. But now you and I stand in grace before God, and this is brought before us here as the whole motivation for our conduct.
And indeed, the way we receive the things that God does in our lives, in dealing, I believe it's very precious. But how Solomon was where would any of us be if God were to take us up on the ground of law? Thou shalt and thou shalt not. It would be certain condemnation.
We've had a warning about falling from grace and now we're brought to the wonderful Ministry of Grace and.
Faith is what brings us to these 8 possessions and if we would read the eight of them this way I think it's better to easier to understand we are come verse 22 unto Mount Zion. Now Mount Sinai is always grace as our brothers has explained it.
That's the first thing we're come to grace and under the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly Jerusalem. That's that's the next thing we're brought to in faith, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Then the third thing is to an innumerable company of angels to the General Assembly.
You can see that great company of angels in the 5th chapter.
Of Revelation. And it is going to take place actually, when the administration of the earth is changed over to man. Hebrews 2 brings that in the world to come. Has he not put his subjection to angels? Now the angels are used. We're thankful for them. They're ministering spirit sent forth to minister to those who are heirs of salvation. Your children have an Angel to take care of.
00:10:04
I believe it.
And.
In a coming day, the angels are going to be called in. When faith knows this, that General Assembly, then the next thing we've come to is the Church of the first born, which are written in heaven. This is a heavenly company of the church. For come to that and to God, the judge of all He's there. This is some words, but there's there's gone who deserves and judges all Faith brings us to God.
And to the spirits of just men made perfect.
Well, there are others there. There's the heavenly company that we get in the 11Th chapter. They desired it. Heavenly citizenship.
And to Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant. Jesus is there, and this is written to the Hebrews, and he is the mediator of the New covenant. God's promises haven't failed, they just haven't all been accomplished. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance, and Jesus is the one who is going to bring in that.
Hebrews under the new covenant that we get in the 8th chapter of this book.
But faith brings us to this.
And then the last thing we mentioned this yesterday, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel, it just seems to me that God leaves the.
If I can put it that way rightly, the most important thing, at least for us.
To the last. It's the blood of sprinkling those who have applied the blood. We get in on that basis of redemption and no other way. That's the way God brings all these people in grace to what faith gives us to enjoy right now.
What a contrast between this blood and the blood that's spoken of here. The better things than that of Abel. The Abel's blood cried for vengeance. This blood cries for mercy. That marvelous. How much better. And the person of Christ, the one who shed his blood. What a marvelous thing that we have in the first part of this chapter has been spoken of of a of a pattern, an example, And what an example he really is.
The one who, as the Apostle Paul could say, the one who loved me and gave himself for me. This is the blood that's spoken of here, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When Cain flew his brother, well, then that was judgment, because it was murder that he killed him. But when this world murdered the Son of God, God turned a man's worst act into blessing. This is grace, indeed. Here they took a nail, the Son of God to a CrossFit in his face, and that soldier with a spear pierced his side. But instead of that cross calling for vengeance, all those who will come and receive that precious Savior.
Come under the value of that precious blood that cleanses from all sin. It's so lovely. It's all in contrast present with the law. Under the law. Why, it was condemnation this do and thou shalt live and curse. It is everyone that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them, but here all this blessing brought in on this ground of pure sovereign grace, how wonderful it really is. And this is where we have come.
Will not have a better Standing Brethren when we get home to glory than we have already.
We are already made the righteousness of God in Him. We already stand before him.
In all, the value of the work of Christ and the position is just as sure as though we were already there.
He doesn't say he will come, but ye have come, for this is a believer's standing, and every believer is entitled to be in the good and the enjoyment of this here and now. I think it's so wonderful that this comes in, in the chapter that brings before us his dealings with us in discipline. Because all his dealings with us, even in discipline, are really to do us good, have nothing but ever to do with fitting us for the glory we're already fitted.
But those dealings that he has with us, or so that we might profit, that we might be partakers of His Holiness in a practical way down here?
The cup the Lord has given to us on the Lord's table is called the cup of blessing.
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That's because he bore the curse and it's all gone. So he gives us a cup of blessing. What a savior we have.
This is the thought of the New Covenant too. Under the law, Israel made a covenant. They said that all that the Lord has spoken we will do and be obedient. In other words, they entered into an agreement with God to obtain blessing through their own efforts, And we know how miserably they broke down. But it tells us that the Lord Jesus on the cross for the transgressions under the first covenant, and that is all those who had faith.
Their sins under that covenant, although they had broken God's law, were born by the Lord Jesus.
And so in the nation of Israel are finally brought into blessing. It will not be because they have earned it or because they have kept the law, but it will be because of what the Lord Jesus did. And so it says, when the Lord Supper this is the blood of the covenant that is now the ground of blessing for us. And for Israel is all because of what the Lord Jesus has done. I might say that we as Gentiles.
Are not a part of the new covenant because we were never under law, but we come into the blessing of it even though we're not the subjects of it. I think it's good for us to realize this because the covenant has to do with Israel and is going to be fulfilled in earthly blessings. Because God's promises to Israel had to do with blessings on the earth. They forfeited that, but they are going to be blessed on the earth. There's going to be a millennial earth full of God's blessing on the ground of the new covenant.
We come into the blessing of it, but our blessing is heavenly. Pardon me for using an illustration.
Supposing I had two sons, I make a promise that I'm going to give each one of them a bicycle. Well, back in Genesis God made a promise not just to Israel, He said. In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
But Israel entered into a covenant as a nation to get that blessing through law, keeping just as if one of the boys said, Dad, tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. And then I'll be able to tell my friends that I earned that bicycle. I'll have a lot of feeling of satisfaction that I worked for it. So you say, well, I'll lay down conditions, then there's here's the conditions. What if you don't live up to those conditions?
Well, you forfeit the bicycle, but what about the original promise that I made? It was unconditional.
In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Well Israel broke down under that, and so the Lord Jesus bore the transgressions that were under the first covenant.
So the boy breaks down. He doesn't fulfill the conditions at all. But what about my first promise? But he's guilty. And what about his breaking that second, that covenant that was made with him? Why, Someone takes the punishment for him. I say to him, now, you're going to get the bicycle, but don't ever tell anybody. Earned it. You didn't. You just thanked somebody else who took the punishment for you. Well, the other boy says, well, Dad, give me a chance. Oh, I see. We're not going to go through that again. You're going to get it on the same basis as your brother. That's the position of we who are Gentiles.
And that's why we are never spoken of as being under covenant relationship with God, but in the blessing of the New Covenant, because it's founded upon the work the Lord Jesus did and His Precious Blood. And I believe this is brought before us in this portion.
Because this epistle, as we know, is addressed to the Hebrews, but in the 10th chapter if you notice.
10th chapter and the 15th verse.
Where of the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us.
For after that he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel, with them, after those days that the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
That is, the Holy Spirit is a witness to us of the blessing that comes, and so it follows on. We have boldness to enter into the holiest.
Not by anything that we have done, but by the blood of Jesus.
00:20:22
I believe that there's 12. There's 25th verse really brings us to the revelation of truth that was given to the Apostle Paul when he was caught up to the 3rd heaven. It says see that you refuse not him that speaketh, or if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth that was at Mount Sinai. Much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
And so it's that which was given to the Apostle Paul when he was caught up into the 3rd heaven.
That which Paul speaks of as my gospel, and there were precious revelations given to him.
Many, many dear Christians do not enjoy Paul's doctrine. They don't enjoy the truth, that of the believers standing holy and without blame before him in love. They don't enjoy the truth of the church and what it really is, as a called out people for heavenly glory. They don't enjoy the privilege of gathering, not as members of some human organization, but just members of the body of Christ.
You don't enjoy these precious things, and I believe it's important, brethren.
And that we lay hold of and enjoy Paul's gospel. And he says.
He received it from Christ in glory, He says, I have received of the Lord that which also I have delivered unto you.
This we say unto you, By the word of the Lord there was something special revealed to him.
It's even beyond what we get in John's ministry or in Peter's ministry. It's that truth that associates us with heaven brings before us the full blessedness of the work of Christ that we can enjoy as Christians while we're in this world. And sad to say, many dear Christians don't enjoy these things. They mix Judaism and Christianity together into a system and don't see that.
There is a now a full revelation of all that's in the heart of God consequent upon the work of redemption, and Christ being in glory, and the Holy Spirit sent down to lead us into all truth.
That's what the apostle told the Ephesians when he called for them on his way to Rome, he said.
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
The gospel, as we think of it, preaching that the Lord Jesus was crucified on Calvary's cross for the salvation of sinners, is part of it, but it's not all of it. And as we have an Ephesians 3 particularly that the Apostle Paul had from God in glory a picture of Christ in the church, and all the glory that was reserved for them and for him in that scene to seem to come. And so when he says he shun not to declare the whole misfire, the whole gospel of God it includes.
Not just the preaching of the gospel, but the total picture of being saved totally.
The day when the Lord comes and calls his own to himself, The day when that shout raises from the dead all those that belong to him.
And we're joined together with him. And then comes that scene of glory. And that was Paul's total gospel. He preached everything that God had in mind.
Concerning Christ in the Church.
Bought in the Church of the first born expression, particularly the first born there. Perhaps I missed before we go further.
As you connected with Colossians Chapter one.
Colossians Chapter One.
Perhaps just to get the connection. Might be nice to read from the 12Th verse of chapter one.
00:25:04
Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet, or fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light, who have delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. For by him were all things created, that were in heaven, and that are in earth, that are in heaven, and that are in earth visible and invisible, whether they be.
Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him.
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead.
That in all things he might have the preeminence.
We find 2, shall I say, titles the Lord Jesus has. He's the one who made all things.
And he's the head of the whole creation as the Creator. But he also went into death and rose again. And he is the first born of new creation. There's a beginning of a whole new order of things because the Lord Jesus is risen and he is the head, as the Scripture tells us, of the body, the Church, the first born from the dead. He rises and takes that place. It's very blessed for us to see this place that he occupies. And so in the Old Testament, there was no revelation of the truth of the Church.
It wasn't given, but it tells us in Ephesians chapter three that it was hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest. And so the Lord Jesus goes up on high. Having accomplished redemption, He's the head of new creation. He sent the Holy Spirit of God down here to lead us into all truth and to give us the seed of this new thing that was not revealed in the Old Testament.
All the promises in the Old Testament have to do with earthly blessing, and the millennial age, and all that that will be brought in the coming day. But it tells us in Ephesians one that he's abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto miss us the mystery of his will.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ.
Notice which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him, and so.
It isn't until redemption is accomplished that he goes up there, takes his place. He was the first born of creation. He made everything. But now he's the first born from the dead. He's the head of new creation. And so it's the Church of the first born. We're associated with the risen man, with the truth that was not revealed until he had taken his place there. And a little picture of it in the Old Testament that the bride for Adam was taken from his side.
He was put into a deep sleep and then he was given a bride from his side. The Lord Jesus went into death that he might have a bride associated with him. So when Adam woke from that deep sleep, there was a bride for him. The Lord Jesus went into death and rose, and he is now gathering out a bride for himself for eternal glory. I suggest that's the thought that's brought before us in connection with the Church of the first born.
Certainly is beautiful. It reminds me of what we were saying yesterday about the Lords joy. The joy that was set before him. Brother came up to me and reminded me of Matt, where you have the treasure hid in the field, which when a man has found he hide it, and for joy there goes himself all together by that field. So there is the church as the treasure that the Lord.
Upon and came down and sold all that he had and bought the whole field in order to get the treasure out of it.
Likewise, we were reminded that this is the book of Hebrews, and you go back to Exodus 21 and said if any man by Hebrew servant.
He's disturbed, and there comes a time when he can go out free if he wants to. But the Hebrew servant says, I love my master, I love my wife, I love my children. I will not go out free. He goes to the door post, his ears bored through with an awl, and he becomes a servant forever.
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Well, that's a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus pleasing God and getting the church and bringing a family to heaven. So the Church of the first born is associated with him in the heavenly side of the glory.
Not only is Christ the first born, but that 23rd verse, it's really the expression first born is really in the plural, and it's the first born ones. I was thinking of connecting it with what Danny was bringing before us this morning about Esau in verse 16, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Well, that was the portion of the first born, and we are the first born ones associated with him Who is the first born.
And we have a birthright in connection with that special place of privilege.
We have been blessed with the highest blessings of any company of Saints since Adam, and it's called here the Church of the First Born Ones. I want to to read verses 22 and 23 and punctuated correctly.
But ye are come unto Mount Zion.
And unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
And the ends give the different groups here and to an innumerable company of angels. The General Assembly take the word to out, The General Assembly is the innumerable company of angels. And then it ought to read in verse 23. And to the Church of the first born ones plural, which are written in heaven, which are shows that it's a plurality, it's us who are called the first born ones.
We're the Church of the first born. We're in that special place of privilege associated with the first born one himself, and to give up the privilege privileges to surrender the birthright, as it were Esau, A profane person. He did not put a value upon the the place that he had as the first born.
Special privileges and he sold him. He sold that to Jacob for justice some.
Earthly, temporary satisfaction, well, we're in danger of that.
We have been brought into the highest place of privilege associated with him who is the first born, himself, the Lord, the Risen.
Glorified head of the Church and we the first born ones. So how important that we value.
That which we've been brought into and do not sell it for something just of earthly value.
Why don't you continue your punctuation to the end of chapter 24? I mean end of verse 24. All right, so the Church of the first born ones, which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all. Now from here on the word and separates them, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
The ants there? It's just that one section, the end of verse 22 and 23.
The innumerable company of angels is the General Assembly, and then it should read and to the Church of the First Born, another group, it It's not clear in our King James translation here because it connects the innumerable company of angels.
No, it connects the General Assembly with Church of the First Born. That's not really the thought. So if you read it in Mr. Darby's translation, the Anne's there.
Gives it very clearly as it is in the original.
These two verses 22 and 23, are they not a picture of the?
Administration and what is going to take place here on Earth in the Millennium?
We're involved.
God. It's interesting that God is the height of these two verses, the core things before and three things after.
Comes to the height of God himself, goes up as a pyramid and back down. And then the last part of the chapter, from the 26th time in particular, we have the closing scenes of God's actions here on earth. But these two verses are the Millennium, and we're there. We're going to be there, we're going to be with Christ. We're going to be part of that group.
00:35:08
Revelation 19. The king, the great one that rides out of heaven on a White Horse, and his Saints with him.
We're going to be with him. We're going to be there. We're going to be there not only during the tribulation period when judgment is executed, but we're going to be part and parcel of that scene of 1000 years, the reign of Christ. We're going to reign with him. And that's pictured in these two verses.
This was very important to a godly Israelite because all their promises were connected with the earth. The prophecies had to do with the bringing in of the Kingdom on earth. And now to be identified with heaven was something new for them. And that's why he says see that you refuse, not him that speaketh instead of looking for this earthly. Once they were saved and brought into the church, their hopes were entirely changed. Not that God will not set things right in the millennial day, but their hopes were changed to a heavenly hope instead of an earthly.
Just as we have in the third chapter partakers of the heavenly calling, it isn't that God will not set things right in this earth. He will.
But the church's place has nothing to do with setting things right in the earth. Our place is heavenly. And so it's good for us to remember that we have nothing to do as the church. We're setting things right here. The Lord will do that what we see, and it's beginning to take place. The shaking of everything, everything that depends upon man is going to be shaken. It doesn't matter what it is says here. But now what he had promised yet once more.
I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made.
That those things which cannot be shaken may remain, isn't that blessed for us.
Be very disturbing for us to lookout and see the breakdown of everything. Even the Church is a Candlestick. How much failure there is. Look at the condition of the Church, the one body of Christ, all with one accord on the day of Pentecost. Look what we see today. What would be very discouraged if we didn't know that everything here is going to be shaken, but we have a Kingdom that cannot be moved. The church is going to be presented A glorious church without having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
All the promises that God has made in connection with Millennial blessing are all going to be fulfilled.
And a believer, one is often said, is the only person who has an intelligent outlook and what is going on in the world.
He sees things taking place and all heading up to the final time when all God's counsels will be fulfilled. Only it's very important. And it was important for these Jewish believers who had you read in the Psalms. They looked for the earthly thing, was important for them to see that now they were called to a heavenly scene. They were called to that heavenly Jerusalem, not to the earthly, but that God is going to fulfill all the promises in connection with the earth. He is.
But we're going to be in the heavenly part. There will be that promised blessing, and Israel will be the center.
Of the whole earthly scene and others will be blessed in here in them, But there's no use for us to try and change the world or make it a better place or bring in a new social order.
We have nothing to do with that. Everything is going to be shaken, but we have a Kingdom which cannot be moved, and all is secured to us through what Christ has done. And so the exhortation for us is how we should live. As we see all this great town taking place, there is a path for us, a path of faith. And I think here in this chapter we see this brought before us, looking unto Jesus who walked the path of faith, learning through all the difficulties and chastisement the Lord sees fit to pass us through, but always brethren, having a proper perspective.
In our souls and of looking out intelligently as to what lies before, whether it be as to this earth or our blessed heavenly portion. I think it's lovely the way it's developed here, ending with the exhortation about how we are to walk in this world as we look on to what is going to be accomplished in and through Christ.
Very likely when this epistle was written, it was sent to the assembly at Jerusalem, and we know the history, and that it was written probably 6364. And the Hebrew Christians were suffering intensely in their own city from their own countrymen. They were a gazing stock, and they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had in heaven a better than during substance.
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And according to history, the persecution got so severe.
That most of them were driven out of Jerusalem.
And then when the armies of Titus came about five or six years later.
Those who had spoiled the Hebrew Christians in Jerusalem and fiercely treated them so they were driven out. They lost everything they had stolen, and the city was destroyed and the temple was destroyed. But God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and he proved it with his people He wrote to And so they weren't looking for the earthly Jerusalem and that temple.
And we're not looking for earthly things either. We're not looked upon as to try to make the world a better place. We know that judgment's coming.
And we are to lay up treasures in heaven and knowing that Christ is coming and everything we have there.
Concerning His Kingdom is absolute, and nothing can touch that. So it seemed to me that faith brought them through, and that faith brings us to these things so that we can enjoy these eight things right now by faith. And I think we ought to I know the accomplishment of the heavenly things awaits until really after we're called out. And then the judgments clear the scene.
And the shaking is going to not only clear earth, but heaven. The heavens are not even clean in His sight. So that iniquity is going to be shaken out of heaven. And we have a Kingdom that can't be touched.
Your comments concerning Titus coming and destroying Jerusalem, and as you say, this was written about 64.
Hey, Dean, Titus struck in 70, Not very long. How much time do we have left in this world? That same number of years, maybe or less, before the Kingdom? Or less before the Kingdom?
They those that in the 6th chapter of the Apostle Paul, tell them get out. That's really what he's telling him in the 6th chapter, get out of Jerusalem. But God's told us to get out of this world spiritually and where do we stand? Because this world is soon going to find the judgment of God, rained out on it and we will be taken out before that takes place. Thank God for that. And so our looking forward is a glory. We're looking forward to the shout that calls us out of this scene to himself as we were saying 64 AD to 70, a very short period of time but.
We don't have that much time. The Lord's coming is right now, right now. He could welcome before this meeting has ended.
Tells us in Colossians one who has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us to the Kingdom of the Son of His love. So that's already where we stand, the Kingdom of the Son of His love. Not something that's established here about Earth, but it's a relationship with the One, as we often sing in one of our hymns, Christ of God, our souls confess the Kingdom's sovereign, even though, or as it says in the second chapter of Hebrews, that he's exalted there already.
But we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who has made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, prowled with glory and honor. So this is the view that we have. We've received the Kingdom that cannot be moved. It's all ours. We're heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
And it already belongs to us. The time is going to come when he'll take it. But now we, as it says here, let us have grace, or by we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. I believe this is important. It's the same God who thundered out the law at Mount Sinai that we know now, revealed in grace. His character hasn't changed at all. The one who was a consuming fire there is still wholly untrue.
Will not allow state in his presence, but he brought us into a place where we stand embraced.
But he always should remember that his holy character is unchangeable. And so we have to, we're told here, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. I believe that's important because there's perhaps a tendency that God has now been revealed in praise to lower the standard of its holiness by has changed at all. But we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Final Words - Instructions
Address—D. Hayhoe
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Look this afternoon, with God's help.
At a number of passages in the Word of God.
Where we have final instructions.
Final instructions.
The last words of those who have left this earth.
And they're gone. We'll never hear their voice on this earth again.
Those words are recorded for us in this precious book, the Word of God.
And they're written there for our instruction. Those things that happened before time were written for our learning.
Our learning. And so we're going to look at the lives of several of the Lord's people, Old and New Testament.
And we're going to see what their last words were, their final instructions, surely. Surely in a family, if a loved one passes away.
We will go through our minds, we will go through letters, perhaps recorded things that they have written down to find out what their final instructions were.
So that we can do what that loved one wanted us to do. Surely that's so in our natural lives. Even an unbeliever can understand that. Even one who has never known Christ has no new nature and no Holy Spirit indwelling him. Even he or she understands that concept and seeks in their own strength to abide by that and to follow the last final instructions of those who have left the scene.
Surely those of us who know Christ should desire to do the same thing.
As we look into the pages of the inspired word of God and find the.
Final instructions of those who have gone before. The final instructions of men like Joseph, the type of Christ.
The last words of men like the Apostle Paul, who lifted us up into the heavenly places in Christ in his ministry.
And the final instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. If our hearts cannot be moved by that today, we're hard.
We're cold. We've dropped further than we thought.
May we not only listen, but may we hear. May we hear in the African sense of the word, which means to understand, to take it to heart.
To fully comprehend what is being said and then to act upon it, let's look back at the life of Joseph to begin with.
And in each of these men that we're going to look at.
By number means will we attempt to speak of their entire life, but simply of a few closing words, either at the end of their pathway or at the end of a particular phase in their life, will look first at Genesis chapter 3341.
Genesis 41.
We'll just read 3 verses to begin with Genesis 41 verses 5051 and 52.
And unto Joseph were born two sons, before the years of famine came.
Verse 51 and Joseph called the name of the first born Manasseh.
Which means forgetting, for God said, he hath made me to forget all my toil.
And all my father's house.
And the name of the 2nd called he Ephraim, that is fruitful for God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Look down at verse.
54 The seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said.
And the dearth was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said Unto all the Egyptians, go.
Unto Joseph.
What he says to you do, go unto Joseph. What he says to you do.
Well, here's Joseph, the type of Christ and a beautiful type to us, I believe, of progress in the Christian pathway. As I mentioned, we cannot possibly trace through his life, but let's just pick up on this one little incident, the naming of his children, and let's take it to heart as a basis for what we're going to find then at the end of the life of Joseph.
00:05:02
The end of his life in Egypt, but by faith he looked on to the Promised land.
And the glory that was before.
Let's look at this one incident now with respect to the naming of his two sons, Manasseh.
And Ephraim Manasseh meaning forgetting and Ephraim fruitful. And I know this has been commented on before.
But he says at the end of verse 51, not only did he forget all his toil, but all his father's house, all his father's house. There had been misunderstandings, there had been false accusations, there had been mistreatment. There had been false judgment. There had been callousness. There had been wickedness on the part of his brethren. There had been a complete division within the family and the selling of Joseph into Egypt. And Joseph says, I'm willing to forget all that. I'm willing to leave all that behind. I'm willing to leave that with God.
Leave that entirely to the judge of all the earth. And as a result of that, he's able to call his next son, Ephraim. Fruitfulness And young people, I want to tell you, and I know this is true in my own life as well, there will never be fruitfulness in my life until I am able to forget those things that I perceive rightly or wrongly, rightly or wrongly, as being the injustices or the misjudgment or the mistreatment of my brethren, either in my natural family or in the family of God.
There cannot be fruitfulness until I set aside any thought of bitterness or malice or revenge or standing for my own rights.
God cannot and will not bless me as far as the outward evidence in my life.
Until I'm willing to set that aside. And so Joseph is able to do that with his first born, Manasseh. And so there's blessing in Ephraim. We read in verse 54 and 55 that we've already mentioned that there was bread where Joseph was. There was bread there. That's what it was that brought the prodigal son back to the father's house in Luke chapter 15. When he's there among the swine, he fain would have filled his belly with the host of the swine, did he?
And what was it that brought him back to the Father's house? The thought that came before him, that there in the Father's host, that was bread enough and despair.
And young people, I know this has been mentioned before, but I must dress it again at the beginning of this meeting.
There is bread, there is refreshment, there is strength, there is food.
Where the Lord Jesus Christ is, there is bread in God's house here on earth.
They're certainly bread in the Father's house, but there is bread here in the Father's house on earth, God's house, his testimony on earth, and that bread is the Lord Jesus Christ. We read about that in John's Gospel, chapter 6. Will we read not only of the imparting of life through Christ, but the sustenance and the strength for the daily pathway. He that eateth me shall live by me, the strength for the daily pathway that we get from feeding on Christ. That's the bread where Joseph was. These are his instructions now as he goes on to his life.
And as we approach in a few chapters, the end of his life, this is the pattern that we have before us. Let's go over to Chapter 40.
5.
Genesis 45, verse 2.
He wept aloud. Verse 3. Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph.
Verse 4 Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me.
I pray you. And they came near, and he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom he sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that she sold me. Hit her, for God did send me before you to preserve life.
The key here to Joseph accepting his brethren and dealing with them is the fact that he saw the hand of God.
He recognized that God's hand was in all his circumstances. He recognized that in all the dealings of his brethren with him.
That was the hand of God in his life, right or wrong though his brethren may have been, and indeed they were wrong. In this case they were wrong and Joseph has a type of Christ had to deal with them according to that. They had to be brought to a state of repentance and recognition of their sin. And yet now Joseph can weep and reveal himself and say I am Joseph and what's the next step? Come near unto me, I pray you. The final words, the final instructions of Joseph to his brethren is that he wanted them close to himself and young people. That's God's instruction to you.
00:10:06
This is the voice of Jesus Christ speaking to you this afternoon and saying, Come near unto me, I pray you. It goes beyond Matthew 1128 where the call is to the Sinner. All ye that we are weary and are heavy laden, come unto me and I will give you rest. It goes on to verse 29 where we find the rest of the believers in linking in yoking with Christ and walking together with the Lord Jesus Christ in nearness and fellowship. That's what Joseph wanted for his brethren and that's what the Lord Jesus Christ wants for you young people.
He doesn't want you just to come and sit in a conference and absorb some of the meetings and then go on with your life as though nothing had happened.
That's happened for too many years. It's been on too long amongst us. It's going on too long in my own life.
It's gone on for decades, we said in these meetings, and we hear the truth of the word of God ministered faithfully to our souls from meeting to meeting, and we go home and nothing changes. Young people, it must change. It must. We're almost finished in this life.
Our time is almost gone. Everything, everything points to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon.
Tells us in James chapter 5 verse eight and Mr. Darby's translation. The coming of the Lord is drawn nigh. It has drawn close already. That was written 2000 years ago. The Lord Jesus Christ may come today. We've heard that often we've heard it many times and yet I want young people for you to listen to that, to hear it, to believe it and to act on it. The final instructions of Joseph, the type of Christ come close to me, draw near to me. He wants to have fellowship with you and what's the result? Let's go down in the chapter to verse 9 Hasty go up to my father and say unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph. God hath made me Lord of all Egypt. Verse 10.
And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish thee. For yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty. For 13YE shall tell of all my glory. Verse 18. End of the verse. Ye shall eat the fact of the land. Verse 19. The end of the verse.
Your little ones, your wives bring your father and come Verse 20 also regard not your stuff.
For the good of all, the land of Egypt is yours.
Verse 24. End of the verse.
See that you fall not out, by the way.
Young people, we have failed.
You look at me, You look at my generation, we have failed. You look at my father's generation.
Failure. You look anywhere you wish to look in the body of Christ, and you'll see failure in these very principles.
But I want you to hear the voice of Christ speaking through Joseph by the Holy Spirit of God to your soul.
And I want you to realize that there is blessing where Christ is, and by God's grace there is a gathering center.
Yes there is, and that center is Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ does have his table.
On this earth, and there is a privilege still today of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ at his table.
The Lord's table, there is blessing, there is refreshment, there is fruitfulness, there is power in connection with that, both individually in your life and corporately in the body of Christ. And we have failed so terribly in that. It's so obvious to us. It's so evident. And yet here are the instructions of Joseph as he pours out his heart. He says the good of all the land is yours. Regard, not your stuff. Young people, that's where we have failed. Don't repeat our mistake. We have regarded our stuff.
We have looked at the things of this earth that should have grown dim in the in the view of the glory.
And we have regarded them as being too worthwhile, and so we have missed much of the spiritual blessing.
That should have been manifest in our lives.
Young people, do not repeat that mistake. Let's go back to verse 10. Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, still in Egypt. We know that Egypt is a type of the world not yet gone through the wilderness into the promised land. But here we find Joseph and his brother in Egypt. That's your position still in this world, though not of it. What is the blessing to be? Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen. Goshen has three meanings. That means a code of mail.
00:15:02
It means drawing near and it means rain. And you say how could there be such 3 diverse?
Meanings to one word. It means a coat of mail. What does that speak to us all? It speaks to us of the protection that the Lord Jesus Christ offers to his people here in this earth. A coat of mail that would protect us and insulate us and keep us from the harm, the evil, the wickedness, the sin of the world around us. It also means drawing near. That's just what we've been speaking about, isn't it? The privilege of being near to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And thirdly, it means rain.
That is blessing that which comes down from heaven to bring refreshment and growth.
And fruitfulness, that's the position that we can and should occupy, even though we're still in Egypt, the world. And yet in Goshen, within Egypt, that is the place of protection, a place of nearness and a place of blessing. All three of those things incorporated in the thought of the land of Goshen. The end of verse 10. Thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, thy children's children, and thy flocks and thy herds.
And all that thou hast.
You know there's a contrast here.
With what we have in the book of Numbers, These words are repeated in a very similar fashion in the book of Exodus where Moses is speaking to Pharaoh.
With respect to the leaving of the children of Israel from Egypt to go into the wilderness to worship the Lord.
And Moses says to Pharaoh, We will go with our wives and with our children, with our flocks and our herds, with all that we have not on who shall be left behind. And one brother mentioned in his prayer this morning that there is a path. There is a path of plainness, a path of faithfulness, a path of blessing for us and for our families and for all that we have in this earth. But when we come over to the Book of Numbers, what do we find there? We find that the 2 1/2 tribes who refuse to cross the river Jordan.
And would not enter the land. What did they say? The language is strikingly similar. Strikingly similar, except that they say we will not go in, we will not enter the land, we will remain here. It says our wives and our children will remain on this side of the Jordan.
And it is because of the cattle, because we have seen good pasture land for our cattle, we will not go in to the promised land. Young people, those of you perhaps who are a little bit older, those of you who are contemplating marriage, those of you perhaps who are just recently married, those of you who perhaps have little ones, go in and possess the inheritance that is truly yours. It is yours. You have it. You have been blessed already in spiritual.
In all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ lay hold of that. What was it that caused the fighting and the struggling and the armed struggle of the land? It was when they crossed Jordan and entered into that land that the fighting began. Let's think of that in connection with Ephesians chapter 6, where it tells us they're very clearly we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places or in the heavenlies.
How is it? How is it that there is so little of that spiritual struggle?
That wrestling in our lives, how is it that we see so little of that struggle to possess that which is really ours because we have not entered into the land?
That's where the struggle begins. Many believers, many of you, dear young people, many of us are content to be delivered from Egypt, the world, sheltered under the blood of Christ, in the wilderness with Christ, but with no desire, no desire to enter in to all the glories and the blessings of our heavenly position in Christ. Young people, what does that mean? Is that just empty theology? Is that just something that we see in the Word of God? But it has no practical bearing in our lives. It has every practical bearing.
Because as we realize that we are a heavenly people, when we realize that we walk on earth in conscious association with arisen, glorified Christ in heaven, it changes everything. It changes our attitude towards work, towards family, towards politics, towards associations in this world, towards the thought of changing this world, towards the thought of involvement in this world. It changes thoughts with respect to outreach in the gospel. It changes everything when we realize that we are a heavenly people.
And that's where the struggle begins.
Let's just meditate for a moment on verse 24.
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See that she fall not out, by the way.
See that ye fall not out by the way. Final instructions. The last words of Joseph to his brethren before they left Egypt to go and collect their father and return. Final instructions. Not only did he lay out for them their possession of nearness and blessing, not only did he lay out for them all his desire to feed them and nourish them, and bless them, and give them a possession, but he says, See that ye fall not out by the way, brethren, we have failed.
In that we have failed. In that I'm not Speaking of action which is necessary for the Lord's honor and glory in dealing with moral evil or doctrinal evil amongst the Lord's people. That's clearly laid out in the Word of God. There is no question about that whatsoever. Brethren, young people, I'm talking about falling out, by the way, I'm talking about difficulties in families, and I'm talking about difficulties between husbands and wives, and I'm talking about difficulties between brethren and the assembly.
What should have been dealt with years, if not decades ago. And they have been allowed to go on and on and on. And young people, I'm going to speak very plainly.
If any of those things are true in your life.
They must be dealt with, They must be judged in the eyes of God. They must be eliminated from your life.
Or it will bring a cancer among the people of God. It tells us in Hebrews chapter 12 of any man fail of the grace of God, any root of bitterness.
Springing up trouble him and thereby many be defiled young people as a defiling influence in God's house, in God's people, in God's church.
Whereby many are defiled. Bitterness of falling out.
Brethren in the body of Christ, who will not speak to one another, Who will not shake hands with one another?
Husbands and wives who go on with all outward appearances of being in happy relationship one with another, when the absolute opposite is true in private.
And that's true of many in the body of Christ.
And if we deny it?
Then we are not being honest and truthful with ourselves. It is so. It is so, It is so between brethren and sisters in the body of Christ. See that ye fall, not out, by the way. It's the instruction of the Word of God. Be at peace among yourselves. Let all anger and wrath and mountain malice, bitterness be put away from among you young people. I'm stressing to you because you are the ones that I look to for encouragement.
In the very last days before the Lord Jesus Christ returns to take us home.
That these things not be true of you, that you deal with them in the eyes of God. Let's turn over to Genesis chapter.
50.
The very end of Joseph's life now.
Genesis chapter 50.
The last words, final instructions of Joseph.
Genesis chapter 50 verse 25 and Joseph took an oath as the children of Israel saying God will surely visit you.
And you shall carry my bones from hence.
Ye shall carry my bones from hence.
So Joseph died being in 110 years old, and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
The last final instructions of Joseph, if we turned over to Hebrews 11, we won't take the time to do that, but we'll see it by faith. Joseph, when he was dying, gave instruction concerning his bones. It was by faith how he looked beyond Egypt, he looked beyond this present world, and he saw the hope before him. He saw the promised land, and he said, I want my bones, I want my body to be carried into that promised land.
And if you turned over to the book of Exodus, you would find there, and I believe it's about Exodus chapter 15.
That or maybe even in chapter 13 that Moses.
Took the bones of Joseph and took them with him. You turn over to the book of Joshua that you will find there that.
For all of those 40 years, for 40 years, the bones of Joseph were carried through the wilderness.
And finally laid to rest in Shechem in the promised land. What does that tell us? The final instructions of Joseph were that he recognized, if we're going to make the application, his heavenly calling. He looked ahead not to the present world, but he looked on to the glory that lay before. And he appropriated for himself. Again, if we draw the parallel, he appropriated for himself all the service of Christ.
00:25:22
And carrying him through that wilderness pathway again, I know we've mentioned this before.
But this is really the 4th arc in the Word of God. If you have Mr. Darby's translation and you look at the word coffin at the very end of verse 26 of Genesis 50, you'll find there that it is an arc. It's the exact same word that is used for the Ark of the Covenant. And so we have 4 arcs in the Word of God. We have the Ark of the Covenant that we read about in the book of Exodus and elsewhere, speaking to us of the Lord Jesus Christ in all His divine glory overlaid with gold that would correlate to John's Gospel, Christ in his deity. Then we have Moses, Arthur, that little ark of bulrushes.
In which Moses was placed by his parents, by his mother. The ark of bulrushes among the bulrushes.
That's Christ in his humanity, as we would find brought before us in Luke's gospel.
And then we have Noah's ark carrying in type the children of Israel through the tribulation. And what's that? That's Christ in his character as Messiah King to Israel, carrying him through the tribulation. That's what we have in Matthew's Gospel. But in Mark's Gospel, we have Christ as the perfect servant. And that's this ark, Genesis 50, verse 26, the ark that carried Joseph's bones through the wilderness. That is Christ's service, his high priestly work, his advocacy, which carries us through the wilderness.
Journey, the last instructions of Joseph and young people lay them to heart.
Lay them to heart, appropriating the value of the Person of Christ for Himself.
Realizing the service of Christ for him in its high priestly and advocacy character. No young people. What does that mean?
What does that mean? You've heard all of this before and you say, what effect does it have on my life? When you realize all that the Lord Jesus Christ is for you, and what He has done for you, and what He is doing now in the glory for you, it will bring you into a path of dependence on Him, dependence on Him, and with the path of obedience and dependence comes happiness, and only in a path of obedience and dependence.
Will there be happiness? Never outside of it.
Those are the final instructions of Joseph.
Think on them His instructions with respect to Manasseh and Ephraim, His instructions with respect to his brethren.
All the blessing in the nearness, but then the seeing that they fall not out by the way, and finally the instruction with respect to his own body, his own self, if you will, dependence on Christ through the wilderness pathway. Let's turn over now to the end of first Samuel.
The last chapter of First Samuel, and we'll find here the final instructions.
Of another First Samuel 31. The final instructions of Saul.
Saw now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. In the Philistines followed heart upon Saul and upon his sons. In the Philistines slew Jonathan and a Benedeb and Malcolm Schewe sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and The Archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of The Archers. Then said Saul unto his armor bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith.
Lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me, or mock me. But his armor bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it.
Verse 10 They put his armor in the House of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body.
To the wall of Basha.
The end of the life of Saul, a leader of God's people, a leader of God's people, and yet his life characterized by self will, disobedience, deceit, anger, all of those things which should not characterize the Lord's people, and yet he was a leader of them. And if we were to trace through his life, young people listen well to this.
Find there a decline from beginning to the end of his life.
00:30:02
He begins his life in First Samuel Chapter 9, with himself being head and shoulders above all the rest, perhaps lifted up in intelligence, perhaps lifted up in leadership ability. And yet he ends his life this way. We turned over to Chronicles. We'd find his head ended up in the Temple of Dagen, the Fishguard. That's where that head finished its course, which began its course lifted up above everyone else. But that's not what we're going to speak about today. We're going to speak about his final words, his final instructions. How does he end his life?
He ends his life with the people of God scattered, it says the children, the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines.
And fell down, slain or wounded in Mount Gilboa. He loses his family. The Philistines followed her upon Saul and upon his sons. And the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab, and Malcolm Shuwa, Saul's sons.
Here's a man who leads God's people.
And yet his own life is out of line with his public testimony. And young people. I stand here, and I know that in the eyes of God He searches my heart. As I say these things, I know it. He is greater than our hearts. He knoweth all things. I look at my own heart. I think I have judged some of these things. And then as I get into the presence of God and He shows me, He reveals to me my own heart. I realize the depravity and the awfulness of my own old nature, which is still the same as it was before I was saved, and never will be any better.
The seeds of every sin ever committed by mankind upon the face of this earth.
Still exist in the nature, the old nature of every believer sitting in this room.
I don't know my own heart.
I don't know the depth to which my own old nature can take me. God is greater than my heart. He knows all things. And there's a day coming when I will stand and I will give an account of myself for every word that I've spoken here this afternoon. But young people, young people, I want to challenge you not to be like so.
Not to aspire to a place of leadership among the young people when your own life is going in the opposite direction. Not to aspire to a position of prominence among the Lord's people when your own life gives a lie to that. And where God eventually will have to deal with you and with me, if it's so in my life. Here we find the people of God scattered his own family, lost his own family, lost young people. Please listen to me. We have failed in these things.
We have failed in maintaining our own holiness in our lives and in our families privately, in accordance with what we stand to be publicly. If we say we have not failed. And that's one further sin of lying in the eyes of God, because we have failed. Let it not be so in your life. Let it not be so in your life.
Let there be no difference between what you are publicly before the eyes of your brethren.
And what you are in your own soul when you're alone with God. He lost his family. Young men, I want to talk to you for a minute and I want you to listen. We spoke a while ago of those 2 1/2 tribes who because of their cattle, refused to go into the promised land. The cattle would speak of business. It would speak of your effort in this life, perhaps even to support your family. And yet if that gets out of proportion to the point where that becomes more to you than your wife and your family.
And even worse when it becomes more important.
More time consuming to you than your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God who loved you and gave himself for you. Then your life is badly, badly, badly out of line.
You know it's been.
Shown in medical circles that men.
Suffer.
Far deeper and longer periods of depression when they lose their job than when they lose a child.
That's a fact.
That's a fact. That's not something that I dreamed up myself. That's a medical fact.
That that is the case amongst men and why am I saying such a thing in a young people's address this afternoon? Because we have been infected by that.
That has become a major difficulty among us in the body of Christ. Where your job?
And the number of hours you spend at it, and the amount of time and energy and intelligence and the passion of your soul that you pour into that far exceeds what you spend over the Word of God in the presence of Christ and nourishing and cherishing your wife and your family.
00:35:04
Saul saw the dispersion of God's people before his eyes. He saw the loss of his own sons, murdered before his eyes.
And what's his response? What's his final request? Is he concerned for God's people? No. Is he concerned for his family? No. He says, kill me lest the Philistines mock me. He was concerned about his own reputation.
Young people, I hope I'm hitting hard because this is an area where we have failed. We are so concerned about my reputation.
What my brethren think of Maine, what those in the local assembly think of Maine. And yes, young people, I'm concerned about what you think about me. I like you to like me. I like to think that I'm your friend. I like to pass among you and joke a little bit and think that I'm kind of like one of you. Yes, I admit that, and I admit that that's a problem for me. It's very, very difficult for me to speak a word of faithfulness to you when you need it, and often you do, because I love you so much and I feel that maybe you love me.
And my wife and we want to help you and we want to be one of you, and we want to live with you and what we want to work with you and what we want to spend time with you.
But I know that my own reputation comes into it. I know that.
I know that.
And it's a problem, it's something I should judge, it's something I need to get before God about. Because Saul's reputation became so much in his own eyes that he wasn't concerned with God's people. He wasn't concerned with the loss of his own family. How could it be? But young people, I see that in the body of Christ and I see that among those gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's evident to me, it's very evident. Men, I'm talking to you in particular, that you put your own reputation and your own job and your own career.
Ahead of those other things.
And it shows. It shows.
He didn't want to lose his reputation, his final command.
Final instructions were draw thy sword and thrust me through, and when his servant failed to do it, he committed suicide.
He committed suicide. The final instructions of soul. What a contrast to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who, though he was in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. He made himself of no reputation, Not only taking on the form of a servant, not only made in the likeness of men, not only being found in fashion as a man, but making himself of no reputation. Not just allowing his reputation to be stripped from him, but making himself of no reputation. That's John 13. That's where he lays aside his garments.
Takes a toll and girds himself and kneels down at the feet of his brethren to Washington.
Those feet.
And young people, we need that. We need that.
Attitude, that mind in our lives that Christ had.
Let's go over to Second Samuel.
We'll find the final instructions.
Of David.
We've seen Joseph's final instructions.
We've seen souls final instructions in selfishness and self will.
Considering his own reputation more than the good of the people of God.
Now let's see, David.
Second Samuel 23, verse one. Now these be the last words.
Of David.
Second Samuel 23 verse one. Now these be the last words of David, David the son of Jesse, said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob.
And the sweets almost of Israel said, the spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said the rock of Israel spoke to me.
He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God, and he shall be as the light of the morning.
When the sun rises up even in morning without clouds, as the tender grass spring us out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
Although my house be not so with God.
Although my house be not so with God, yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although He maketh not to grow.
00:40:10
What a contrast to the last words of soul.
David recognized the failure in his own house, he says. Although my house be not so with God.
He recognized this failure and young people, we need to do that. You need to identify the sin, the weakness, the failure in your life.
Not only identify it, but own it, confess it. That's what David here did. He open his mouth and he confessed it. That's the source. That's the beginning of blessing, not only to identify the failure, but to recognize it and confess it before God. Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, for this is all my salvation and all my desire. Everything in the final words of David, wrapped up and summarized in the person.
Of Jehovah and Jehovah's faithfulness, Jehovah's loving kindness. It's like Lamentation chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, where it tells us that thy compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Let's turn over the page to chapter 24.
And verse 17.
The very close of his life. David, you might say, makes another mistake. He numbers the people.
But in verse 17 of the last chapter of Two Samuel.
It says, David spake unto the Lord when he saw the Angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned.
And I have done wickedly. But these sheep.
What have they done? The exact opposite of Saul, Young people. I would love to see this attitude in your life.
I have sinned, but spare God's people.
Not the other way around. We so often see the other way around. I haven't done anything wrong. But those amongst the Lord's people, we need to see judgment there. We need to see judgment there. The Lord will deal with that. I mentioned before in the assembly where we gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the necessity for care. The wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable. There is the necessity for purity. There is the necessity for putting away that which is evil. But that's not what we're Speaking of today.
We're Speaking of your own personal life before God, David.
At the end of his life, his final words recognizing the failure in his own house, saying I have sinned. But these sheep, what have they done and interceding for God's people. All those millions of the children of Israel who are coming under the judgment of God says, let thine hand, I pray thee be against me and against my father's house.
And the plague was.
David interceded for the people of God.
The only sin recorded in the New Testament is when Elijah interceded against the people of God. David interceded for them.
And took the sin upon himself. We've spoken of Joseph. We've spoken of Saul. We've spoken of David. Let's look very briefly at the apostle Paul.
The final instructions of the apostle Paul, we'll look at them in Two Timothy, the last epistle he wrote. But before we do that, turn to Two Corinthians.
His final instructions, his last words to the believers.
At Corinth.
Two Corinthians 13, verse 11.
Finally, brethren, farewell.
Be perfect.
Finally, brethren, farewell be perfect the last.
Instructions The final instructions of the Apostle Paul to the Saints at Corinth.
He had to write 2 epistles to them, correcting so much evil doctrine.
A failure to lay hold of the truth of the resurrection. Bad practice at the Lord's table. Misuse and abuse of gifts. Failure to judge moral evil in the assembly division amongst them. I am a Paul, I am of Apollo, I'm of Cephas, I am of Christ. A failure to restore when restoration was needed. Chapter after chapter after chapter. He brings before them things that he needed to correct. With many tears. It says in this second epistle. He wrote to them, and now his last.
00:45:08
Final instruction is be perfect, and this word really is be perfectly.
Joined together, it's not Speaking of perfection. It's not speaking as in some other places of a state of maturity, even in the Christian life.
Speaking of being perfectly joined together, it's the same word that's used in the first chapter of the First Epistle and the 10th verse.
You don't need to turn to it, I'll just read that verse to you.
First Corinthians chapter one and verse 10, he says be perfectly joined together. Be perfectly joined together, exactly, exactly the same expression. I like to think of First and 2nd Corinthians like a set of books on your bookshelf and the two bookends that hold up. That set of books, book on your bookshelves, on your bookshelf. Those two bookends, Our First Corinthians 110 and 2nd Corinthians 13, verse 11, the opening.
And the closing instructions of the apostle by the Spirit be perfectly joined together. That's the desire of the Holy Spirit of God for the assembly at Corinth. Did they need to correct the disorder amongst them? Yes. Did they need to be careful as to doctrine and practice? Indeed they did, and the Spirit of God brought it forcefully and plainly before them. But the opening and closing instructions have to do with being perfectly joined together without turning to it.
I'll mention that in Galatians chapter 6 and verse one, for it says that brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness. That word restore is exactly the same word.
Be perfectly joined together. If you turn to Matthew chapter 4, verse 21, where it says they were mending their Nets, it's exactly the same word again. The mending of the Nets, the taking of a small tear, a rent in that net and mending it with patience and skill and understanding and time and gentleness and mending it back together again. Matthew 421. That's Galatians 6 and one. Restore section one in the spirit of meekness.
The evangelist who cast the net into the sea and perhaps draws in 153 fish.
All we say there's a man of God doing the work of God, and it may well be so, but what about the pastor who sits on the shore and mends the neck so that the evangelist can do the work of God?
Young people, these are the final instructions of the apostle Paul de Corinth. Be perfectly joined together, be mended, be restored. The same word. Trace it through. That's the desire for God's people to overlook evil. Never. But the final instruction is that we be perfectly joined together. And if the result of our attitudes is that we are driven apart rather than being mended together, then it's not according to the mind of God.
Let's turn over to Second Timothy, the last epistle that Paul.
Wrote.
In the last chapter and the last verse.
Paul's writing the 2nd Epistle to Timothy from prison.
Very shortly after he closed this epistle.
He died, he went to be with Christ, which is far better.
But here is his last words.
And this is written to a young man. Young people, take these as the last words of the apostle Paul to you. Hear him speaking to you. By the power of the Holy Spirit of God, take these words to your soul as a young person, the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. That's what Paul wanted for Timothy, that the Lord Jesus Christ would be with his Spirit.
Grace, be with you.
Let your speech be always with grace or filled up with grace. Is the thought season with salt. Do we need the salt? Yes. Do we need this preserving power of the Holy Spirit of God? Yes. Do we need that which cleanses from evil and sin? Yes, that's the salt. But let your speech be filled up with grace, with a sprinkling of salt to preserve and purify the wound faithful of the wounds of a friend. But let it be done with grace. Young people, let's deal with one another in grace.
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And if I can't even deal with my wife and family in grace, how can I ever behave in the body of Christ?
How can I ever function effectively in the local assembly if my family?
Is not based on the principle of grace. We have failed, brethren.
We have failed in our families. We have failed as those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And young people, I want you to see these things. Not that we wish to raise criticisms, but rather that we want to focus.
On the final instruction of Paul, the beloved apostle to this young man Timothy, whom he loved as a son in the faith.
He opens his epistle by saying stir up, rekindle fan into flame. The gift that's in you young people. I'd like to get hold of you sometime and just stir you right up, put you in the fire and just shake you together and poke you around until you burst into flames. That's what I'd like to do. I've had brethren that did that to me, and then a while later they had to come back and poke me around a little more until I flared up again, flamed up. Hope I didn't flare up.
But that's how he opens his epistle now at the end of the epistle.
He says grace, grace, grace. Young people, what is it that's going to preserve you until you're home with Christ? It's grace. We sing Amazing Grace, and then we sing tis grace that brought us safe thus far, and grace will lead us home. Let's deal with one another in grace.
I've left myself one minute.
To speak of the final words of the Lord Jesus Christ and I'm ashamed of myself.
I know I always do the same thing, but I'm particularly the same today because it's Christ.
That I've left so short.
As is often the case in my life, his final words to us volumes have been written on it. We traced through from John 13 to 17 the mystery that he gave there. Get Hamilton Smith's book in the book room and read it. Young people, all of you. Go and buy it today.
Hamilton Smith. They probably won't have enough putting in order.
Put in an order the last words of Jesus Christ by that book today and read it. The final instructions. Let's go back.
To John 13.
And I'm just going to have to mention these things briefly and let you go through them yourself.
John 13 We have brought before us the foot washing, the foot washing, young people practice. It says in John 13 verse 14 he also ought to wash one another's feet. Do you do that? You should be doing that.
In its spiritual application, John 14 verse one the second of the Lord Jesus last words.
I'm not going to mention all of them, but the ones that really highlight themselves to me. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. Connect that with the 27th verse of the same chapter.
An instruction, a final instruction. Let's not your herpes troubled neither. Let it be afraid. The word here is the word for cowardice. It's the word for timidity. It's the same root word that we would find if we turned over to Revelation chapter 21 where at least those that are cast into the lake of fire. It says the fearful and the unbelieving, that cowardice, that timidity, that shrinking back from following a wholeheartedly after Christ in the shrinking back from service for Christ.
That we so often see in our own lives. It's the same word that's used to Timothy.
When Paul wrote to Timothy and said I don't want you to have the spirit of fear, that's not the spirit that I want you to have. It's cowardice, it's timidity. Young people, this is the final instruction of Christ. Let not your heart be troubled and don't be a coward. Don't be timid. Don't draw back because of fear. Wholeheartedly follow after the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to chapter 18 and verse 11.
For the third one that I want to mention of the last instructions of Christ.
Peter has just drawn his sword and smitten off the High Priest servant's ear.
The servant's name was Melchizedek, which means a king by the way, the King's hardest in the hand of the Lord.
But his ear is in our hand, let's be sure we don't cut it off. Verse 11 Says. Then said Jesus unto Peter.
Put up thy sword into thy sheep, young people. There's a practical instruction for you.
There's a lot of young people around today that like to draw their swords, and so do I, and I have to continually remind myself to put my sword back into my sheath. Prior to this, the disciples had come to the Lord and say, Lord, here are two swords. And the Lord says it's enough. It's enough. Somebody else had a sword that day and they didn't draw it. There were two. Only Peter drew his. And the Lord had to say to Peter, put thy sword back up into thy sheep.
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We can't fight the flesh with the flesh, even though there may need something that needs to be corrected, even though we may believe we're acting in defense of Christ for the Lord's honor and glory. I'm sure Peter did. He was defending his Lord. He was defending his master, the one whom he loved, and yet he did it in the flesh and it was a wrong action and he cut off a man's ear. I believe that's the same thought in a way that we have in First Corinthians chapter one where it says, I am appalled. I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas, and I of Christ, Those of us that might include myself in this, who would say we are a party to Christ. We defend Christ's honor and glory at all costs. And so we draw our swords and we begin to cut off ears because we're defending what we think is Christ's honor and glory. And really it is a party to Christ.
And the Lord has to say, Put up thy sword into thy sheep. The flesh will only bring out the flesh in others, and it will never act for the Lord's honor and glory. Chapter 19.
Verse 26 and 27.
Another of the final instructions of Christ. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother.
Woman, behold thy son.
Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. Now we often read John 19 on Lord's Day morning with our family the whole chapter. But when we come to this particular portion with respect to remembering the Lord on Lord's Day morning, sometimes it almost jars. I'm speaking honestly, perhaps I'm wrong, but it almost jars that this would come in. At this point we're occupied with the suffering of Christ. We're occupied with His death, we're occupying with what He is for us and what He has done for us. And then this little two verse section comes in that seems to be such a digression.
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe my thoughts are totally wrong. I'm wondering if other brethren ever feel that. It almost jars me that here's a here's a completely what seems to be a natural thought that comes in in the middle.
That's why I've selected it today to speak about.
Because it shows the importance that the Lord Jesus Christ placed on the family, on the family.
Family relations today among the Lord's people are badly out of order. Marriages are badly out of order, and the Lord Jesus Christ, in one of his final instructions, took care that his mother after his death was taken care of. He wanted that family to continue on in a way which was for the honor and the glory of God. Does it come as a jar, that it comes right in the middle of John 19?
Let it jar you, then let it jar you into realizing the importance that Christ placed on the family. The final instruction in John 21.
And verse.
17.
Feed my sheep.
Feed my sheep.
Now the word that's used here for seep in this verse and in the preceding verse where it says feed my sheep at the end of verse 16 is a diminutive form. I have a little note in my margin that says it's a term of tenderness and endearment. Not just a small that has nothing to do with size, but a term of affection and tenderness and endearment. And the Greek word is PROBATIONI just looked it up before this meeting.
And I suppose in Greek that's pronounced probation or probation or something like that. But if you wrote it down and looked at it, you'd say what? That's probation. That's probation.
And so these people are on probation and the Lord is saying to John, John, these people are on probation, keep an eye on them so that they don't make any mistakes, because when someone is on probation, they have to report into the probation officer. And the Lord was sorry, Peter, I think I said John, Peter here, his probation officer, a probation officer today is a legal man, a man with legal authority that if you make a step out of line, Wham, you have contravened the orders for your probation. You have not.
Stayed by the letter of the law, and consequently you're going to have to put you back in jail again. That's probation.
Worship
Address—C. Buchanan
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
The 45th Psalm 1St 11 verses We will read Psalm.
45.
Is indicting a good matter?
I speak of the things which I have made touching.
The King.
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
That worked fairer than the children of men. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Therefore God hath blessed thee forever.
Gerdes soared upon thy thy O that most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty, and in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth.
And meekness. And righteousness.
And thy right hand shall teach the terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies.
Whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of thy Kingdom is a right scepter, thou.
Lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness.
Above thy fellows.
O thy garment smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made the glad.
Kings daughters were among thy honorable women.
Upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold over hearken, O daughter, and consider.
An inclined thine ear forget also thine own people.
And thy father's house, so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty, for he is.
Thy Lord, and worship thou him.
This word worship.
Has come to us in the English language.
In this way.
That first it was called.
Worthy ship.
And then it was contracted to be called Worth Ship. Then it was contracted to be worshipped. A beautiful history.
Thou art worthy, we heard this morning read to us from Revelation 5. We know who the King is.
We're going to find words that state who he is when we leave this passage.
But there is here an application to make.
Concerning.
The two Psalms that precede this one and.
This one.
Notice in Psalm 43 there is a plea, there is a prayer in the middle of the Psalm. It says, oh, send out thy light and.
Thy truth.
Let them lead me, let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Now the application is this.
Now, 160 years ago, this plea went out.
It was of God raising up an interest.
In the word of God and a desire for light and truth.
God answered that plea. He set the light.
The opening up of the revealed mind of God, which was not understood in the Bible.
Before 160 years ago, perhaps ever.
For even when the Bible was completed.
About 100 AD.
Few had it.
Very few had the written word, very few could read it if they had have had it. But God in his goodness.
It raised up an interest in the light and the truth.
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And he gave it.
And it has been largely written down as ministry giving the sense.
As our brother spoke here about the reading, reading and giving the sense.
Of the meaning of the Word of God.
So ably was a sense given the teaching.
That I believe.
It hasn't been improved upon in this century in which we live.
Now we come to the next Psalm.
44 and says we have heard with our ears.
Oh God, our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their days.
In the times of old.
We're not going to read anymore here.
You can read this 44th Psalm in your leisure.
But what it brings before is typically.
Is what the children?
Who heard the truth and the light?
Given to them have done with it.
And it's like a graph that just goes up and down and up and down and up and down.
Right across.
To the end of.
Psalm 44.
And there are those who do not forget.
Notice verse 20 if we have forgotten the name of our God.
Back further, it says in verse 17, All this has come upon us, yet have we not forgotten the forgotten thee?
Brethren, we can say that we remembered.
The Lord this morning.
And it was on the basis of the light of the truth.
That was given to us by our fathers.
But although the history is up and down.
And.
At the end of the Psalm.
There's this cry, verse 23 awake. Why sleepest thou? Oh Lord, arise, cast us not off forever. These are words that you and I need to feel.
Because of our state.
Verse 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
Now God doesn't really do that.
But what are we brought to? I hope it's this.
Our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly cleaveth under the earth.
And then the prayer Arise for our help. Redeem us for thy mercy's sake.
And then?
We get the tremendous change in the next Psalm.
The writer quits talking about Israel and her history. We.
Are quitting to refer to ourselves as brethren in our history, and we turn to the King and all is bright and beautiful in the 45th Psalm, so that the psalmist can say, my heart is indicting a good matter. The good person that we have and the good ministry about him that we have to consider.
Lovely, we had that this morning. Oh what a person we have to be occupied with.
And it affects the heart. The heart enjoys it. I speak of the things made touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
In the 15th of Romans we have this wonderful verse that says.
That he may with all that he may, with one mind and one mouth, glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God works.
And his people to get this expression out of praise.
And worship to his beloved Son. And it's so easy.
So beautiful, so lovely, in contrast to thinking about ourselves.
And so it goes on here. Thou art fairer than the children of men, none like him.
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That beautiful section of the Song of Solomon we heard this morning. None like him, the fairest of the myriads, the 10 thousands our fairer than the children of men.
Grace is poured in thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee forever.
When the Lord Jesus.
Came.
We're going to get to that.
But when he's reported in Luke's gospel and enters on his.
Ministry.
He goes into the synagogue.
Nazareth, where he'd been brought up.
And he reads a section out of the Bible. He found it.
And I'll read it to you.
It's in Isaiah, but I'm going to read from Luke 4 verse 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, says Jesus. Oh yes, everything he did was in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and stopped right in the middle of a verse. And he closed the book.
And gave it again to the minister and sat down. What a beautiful situation to contemplate, that Blessed one.
Who is the Creator and trainer of all things standing up before congregation reading out of Isaiah?
And stopping before he comes to judgment.
Because he couldn't have said what he says then.
He began to say unto them. Their eyes were all fastened on him this day.
Is this scripture fulfilled in your ears? And all bear him witness. And wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. Grace is poured into thy lips. He came in grace. What a wonderful message we had about grace yesterday.
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, and grace upon grace.
So the words he spoke were first grace, then.
Verse three it changes to warfare.
He is the king.
He's the king who came and was rejected.
But he's going to finish his work. He is the Lamb of God to taketh away the sin of the world. He's taken away my sins and your sins who have believed on Him.
He's going to enter into judgment and cleanse the earth.
Even the heavens, as we had in our chapter 12 of Hebrews, are not clean in His sight. He's going to clear them.
He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
But then we come down to verse 10.
To hasten on harken, O daughter, and consider and inclined thine ear. Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house.
So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord and worship.
Thou Him, we want to take up something about worship this afternoon.
But how beautiful it is to come down to this and see what, at least for one dear sister that I knew turned out to be a personal verse to guide her to come to the Lord's table and break bread.
Lewis Beckwith who wrote the poems? Some of you have read her poems.
She was a double cousin of mine.
He's been gone now for 20 or 30 years.
But she got under exercise as to the truth.
She came to the gathering in Saint Louis. She lived in east Saint Louis.
And she knew her place, she saw it, she wanted it. But her parents?
Weren't ready. They came part of the time.
And she didn't know what to do. She picked up her Bible and read this verse. Hearken, O daughter.
And consider and incline thine ear. Forget also thine own people in thy Father's house. So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty, For he is thy Lord, and worship thou him. She asked for placement, was received at the Lord's table there in Saint Louis, and a few months later her parents came along. Well, that's beautiful to contemplate, but worship, oh, what a wonderful thing it is. Now we'll go to the book that tells us about the King in Matthew.
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Of the New Testament.
Matthew.
Is the first book in the New Testament.
And the subject?
Or privilege of most importance is taken up.
In Matthew, and that is worship.
He comes as king.
It's the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the lineage.
The legal lineage of the King through Joseph up to David and on back to Abraham here.
And so he is conceived in Mary's room of the Holy Ghost, verse 21.
And she brought, and she shall bring forth a son. Thou shall call his name Jesus.
There is a name we love to hear.
That precious name of Jesus, for he shall save his people.
From their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.
Which being interpreted, is God with us.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. We've had wonderful ministry on that.
God manifest in the flesh, God with us. That's Jesus.
Then Joseph being raised from sleep, did as the Angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him and his wife, and knew her not, till she had brought forth her first born son, and he called his name Jesus.
Chapter 2.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King.
Behold, there came wise men from the east, saying, Where is he that is?
Born King of the Jews, this is the king.
That the psalmist writes about.
That the one that's fairer than the children of men, That one in whose lips was poured grace, the one who stopped reading the prophet when he got to judgment before he came in grace. And so here were men that wanted to.
Find out where he was that was born king of the Jews, and they're wise men, and I'll say wise men still seek Jesus.
We have found them. We see Jesus by faith.
Well, they came.
And going down to verse 11.
When they were come into the house.
Notice they came into the house, they saw the young child.
With Mary's mother and fell down and worshiped him.
Now we've got the subject of worship.
In Matthew in chapter 2 by wise men who sought the king and came where he was.
And they worshipped him, and then what did they do when they had opened their treasures? They presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
We have done that, I believe in a measure this morning.
Run out of the storehouse what we have treasured, Brethren, we didn't come empty this morning.
What a wonderful meeting we have enjoyed to sing those hymns of worship and praise, to express it, to read from the scripture.
And in the place where the Lord has put his name, we want to come to that.
See that none of you appear before me. Empty comes twice in the Old Testament as a reminder to us that we should fill up our treasures.
Our minds, our hearts. My heart is indicting a good matter with one mind. Get the word in here, let it get down into your heart, and then open your mouth and present to Him.
00:20:14
Go now to Chapter 7.
Verse Chapter 7.
We're going to take up another thought.
But it's going to connect with what we'll have to say a little bit later.
The Lord came, He went out in his ministry and his teaching.
And we want to notice how it.
Had an effect upon people. The last verse of Chapter 7.
He came as a prophet, He came as an apostle sent one.
To bring the teaching.
Bring it personally.
The last verse says the last two verses. It came to pass verse 28.
When Jesus had entered these sayings that people were astonished at his doctrine.
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Turn over now to the 21St chapter.
And we find a little bit more about what an effect the Lord's ministry had upon those.
Who heard him?
The 23rd verse of Matthew 21.
When he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders and the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things, and who gave thee this authority?
Now we in our intelligence and I would say fear of God.
Would sink that these people were.
Dumb, ignorant, or audacious to question.
Him.
And say, by what authority dost thou these things, and who gave thee this authority? Begins Matthew.
But Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us.
Power belongs to God.
He was the creator and sustainer of the whole universe, ministering. And they didn't.
Understand where he got his authority.
We do.
Now let's go back to.
Chapter 14 and run through a series of things that.
Will have an interest to us. We're going to find something about worship here in chapter 14 of Matthew.
We're not going to read the whole passage.
It begins with verse 22 when Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and go to the other side.
Possibly in that voyage across that lake at sea.
We have a picture.
Of the time when Jesus followers are down here and he's not.
With them personally?
And they're in the ship and a storm comes up.
But first of all.
There is no storm.
They're in the ship, and the Lord comes.
In about the 4th watch of the night Jesus went unto them, verse 25 walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were trouble saying it's a spirit.
And they cried out for fear.
You know we see Jesus by faith.
In a spiritual sense, we see him very clearly. Perhaps that's the reason it comes in there. He thought it was a spirit.
You know, faith actually makes things more certain to us.
Than what we see with our eyes, because everything we see with our eyes is going to pass away, but what we see with the eye of the faith is eternal and abides forever.
00:25:10
Well, Peter.
Is interested.
And.
Straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, verse 27, Be of good cheer it is I be not afraid. What a comfort it is when the Lord speaks to us and assures us of His presence. Did you enjoy His presence this morning?
Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bidden me, come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come.
One word to step out of the visible things that man had made, and to walk with the Lord.
Peter is the type of the little remnant that.
Has.
Done that in the vast visible things of a Judaized Christianity, when there's all this looking to men and mansions and ceremonies and rituals and creeds and doctrines.
Well, what a wonderful thing it is to see the Lord and to have the confidence to walk with Him.
With the little remnant gathered to his name, well, the storm comes, and Peter begins to sink, and he says, Lord save means. The Lord says, Oh thou little faith, why did wherefore didst thou doubt?
Verse 32 When they were come into the ship, the wind ceased, and then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth, Thou art the Son of God.
Well, here's worship again.
First it was in the house, now it's in the ship.
What a wonderful picture it is.
Of a little group of people.
We read in this 45th Psalm, that anointed him with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
We have fellowship as brethren.
But we have fellowship.
With the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
But here it's really a picture of fellowship together as brethren. And they worshiped him and and knew that Jesus was the Son of God.
Now let's go to chapter 15, the next one.
Chapter 15.
Verse 8.
The Lord.
Talking.
To those.
Pharisees, Scribes says to them.
This people 15-8 This people who draw it nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines, the commandments of men.
There's only one way of worship, and that's God's way.
There's only one assembly, and it's not a voluntary assembly. There's no such thing as voluntary association in the things of God.
In the last chapter of this book they found him at the place where he had appointed them.
Where will thou that we prepare? The Lord chooses the place.
We have no rights in this whatsoever.
It's of God.
Men have set up.
Hundreds.
Thousands of voluntary associations and call them churches.
It's not of God.
Well, how are we going to learn verse 10? He called the multitude and said to them, hear and understand.
Now let's go to verse 13. It's quite important, He answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. The Lord becomes a planter.
In this gospel on the breakdown came in Israel that vine.
That fig tree. That olive tree.
That was cut down and withered.
The Lord begins a new thing.
00:30:00
Many souls in the 13th chapter and you have the Kingdom of heaven and he shows the good seed.
And the enemy comes along shows the bad seed.
Every plant.
Which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
It's only that of the Lord's planting that goes through, that endures and brings fruit.
Now we go to the 16th chapter.
And we find that the Lord begins another thing.
The 16th chapter In the 16th verse Simon Peter answered and said thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Oh what a foundation this is. That was the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Peter, you got that by hearing and understanding what God has taught you. That's the way we get it too.
Then he says in verse 18, I say unto thee, that thou art Peter. A little stone, just a Little Rock, a little Pebble, like the boys throat.
And upon this rock, which is Christ, 1St Corinthians 10.
They drank of that rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ. Upon this rock the confessions downward to Christ the Son of the living God, I will build my church.
That's the only church there is in God's sight. It's what Christ builds.
It is all reality because it goes on and says the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The gates of hell got into the first creation.
We're part of the first creation, we had to be redeemed, we're a part of the new creation, and we have eternal life that will go on and on when we get into that city of the living God.
That heavenly Jerusalem.
Sin will never enter it.
He read of the wall of that city in the 21St of Revelation Exceeding High.
God is telling us that sin will never get in there.
How firm is our foundation?
Now this is what Christ does. Now we'll go to chapter 18 and give a little resume of it.
Because the next time we have the church mentioned is in this 18th chapter.
And it surrounds the 20th verse where you have where two or three are gathered together in my name. There am I, in the midst of them, the promise of the Lord Jesus.
This is a very important verse.
And we see that it's not a voluntary association.
There is a power to gather here.
Men have nothing to do with it in effect.
The Lord is building His church using the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. He's gone up on high and serving as our faithful and merciful high priest. He sent the Spirit down here to get the bride, and He's getting them.
Living stoned by living stones in the house.
And.
So.
It's where two or three are gathered together in my name. There am I in the midst of them.
He is there in that group that the Spirit of God has gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then in effect, he's telling us in this chapter that.
I'm going to turn responsibility over to you as men.
To maintain this position.
And it's going to take seven things. We'll just list them.
The 1St 5 verses take up humility.
You know, a person can be proud that he's humble, a voluntary humility that we're warned about in Colossians.
A truly humble person is a wonderful person to be with, and it's wonderful that God points us to little children about that. Then the next thing is self judgment. These things are necessary to maintain a people in association with Him as gathered through the Lord's name. And these qualities are found in that company, not as brightly as they ought to be, but they are there.
00:35:11
Humility and then self judgment.
And then caring for the sheep. How blessed a work that is.
That little Sunday school this morning, he cares for the sheep and he permits us to enter into that, to have that privilege.
As under shepherds to care for the sheep, then you know little things come up.
Like between aureus and synteke.
And they were besought to be of the same mind as wonderful. It could just stop there. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Oh, that humble person, that meek and lowly person. If we can have the mind of Christ, offenses won't go. They just won't even come.
But there's a way to take care of them.
And it gets real serious because of our.
Selfishness.
Our hard hearts.
Our independence, our wanting our own way.
And others have to be brought in and help gotten from others, the two or three.
Seeking to bring into reconciliation to have the offenses taken care of.
And then last of all, the church comes in.
I think this is the most humbling thing you can think about.
That were so bad at times that the local assembly has to get involved in it.
And so there's power to take care of it.
Oh, the power that's there.
Where two or three are gathered together under my name, in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
And so authority is put here in verse 18. I say on you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, Whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Sealed just like that sail of Esau who despised his birth rate.
Sold it to his brother and God recognized it.
Let Israel go, my first born.
You know, if I give up the truth, God is going to have somebody else to take it in.
That's the reason it says.
To Philadelphia, pull that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown. If I don't get my crown, God's going to give it to somebody else, yours too, just to hold fast. That's what you have to go on for God.
And whether it's power to regulate things.
And then there comes in prayer.
This is another characteristic of those gathered the Lord's name.
And then we have the divine center, the Lord, in the midst of those who are gathered to His name.
So the Lord has made a provision.
And it looks on down to the age in which you and I live.
It wasn't quite so necessary.
Even in the days of currents, it was necessary. Then of course it was.
But it wasn't as necessary It is now.
They're talking about dissension and they were ready to come, but they were still all together.
And when the exercise, discipline and the power of the Lord in the midst when he was there.
In one Corinthians 5, four brethren, power is there in the name of the Lord, because the Lord is there.
And when he puts a decision, it stands.
It's a dreadful thing to fight against.
What comes out of an assembly?
No matter.
How we may think some have misbehaved in that assembly.
Even Gamaliel had more sense than to do that. If this worked, be of God you cannot.
Fight against it. Let's happily be found even to fight against God. Now God is in the midst of the person of the Lord Jesus.
And by the Spirit and when they put a decision.
In Acts 15 there were bad doctrine. It had to go back up where it originated in Jerusalem and had to be taken care of by the apostles and elders.
God uses the older brothers.
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The apostles and elders and the decision began to come out of that.
Meeting of the brothers, the apostles and elders.
By Peter himself.
We are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.
We don't have apostles in it now, but we do have elders.
And so.
They worked it out very well, but they had to pronounce a decision which was contrary to their Jewish way of thinking, and they did it in the power of the Holy Spirit. When they got done with it, they say it seemed too good unto us and the Holy Spirit to put upon the Gentiles none of the burden, and so on.
Well, the power is there to take care of these things, because the Lord is there.
And at the present time.
There are those that are telling us that Matthew 18.
Doesn't apply that this is not the church.
It is. It is the church.
If somebody jumps off the foundation, don't let them drag you off.
This is foundation truth built upon Christ the Rock.
This is not voluntary association. This is what God has.
Been able to maintain because of our failure in great weakness. We have gotten down to twos and threes literally in many places.
But like Paul's evident used to say to us.
Said I'm a 0.
EUR 0.
And the other person says zero. That's three zeros, but you put a big one in front of it, you've got 1000.
Now that's the Lord in the midst. He's everything.
Until there's no lack of power.
But we do get.
Trouble.
And there is a danger of a root of bitterness springing up and thereby many be defiled. We've had that.
So the last part of the chapter takes up forgiveness.
Let's read it personally because we haven't time to go into it.
And so.
The Lord is in the midst in verse 20.
And forgiveness is provided for brotherly forgiveness.
Let's be ready to forgive, to bear and the forebear.
Then we'll go on to the last chapter.
And conclude with worship as we find it.
In the end of Matthew's Gospel.
Think it's choice, but Matthew's Gospel begins with worship. It has worship in the middle and has worship at the end. May we spend our life that way, beginning and going right on through and ending up as worshippers in the place where the Lord has put his name. And brethren, there aren't two places like that.
I'll give you 2 verses. I want you to look at them.
First Corinthians.
Chapter One.
These are conclusive verses for me.
To agree with what we have heard in these meetings that.
Christ presents himself.
Only in one place.
And that's where, by the Spirit of God.
Those people are gathered.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the question arises in verse 13. Which is enough for me? Is Christ divided? Impossible. Impossible. Our God is one. He's the living God. Christ is God indivisible.
Now go to Second Timothy, chapter 2.
There is a Way Out
Gospel—S. Bambauer
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So it's the Word, so it's the word of God we hold in our hand that we hold in our hands here in this country, thankfully so unhindered that gives off, that gives us the direction that God has given for the salvation of our soul.
The obstruction. The obstruction comes from God.
And a person might be running and a person might be running down the hall with the hotel on fire and he might say, I think we ought to go this way.
Another person might be another person might be running the other way and he says, I think we ought to go that way.
But the person, but the person who designed this hotel knew exactly the way out. And we wouldn't want to and we wouldn't want to enter our own thoughts, our own opinions about that. We want to follow the, we want to follow the direction. We want to accept. We want to accept what he has said. And so we hold in our hands the word of the Creator, our God. And I'm looking at the 4th and I'm looking at the 14th chapter of Acts, Acts chapter 14.
And here we see the, and here we see the Apostle Paul in his in his early journeys, as he went to a town, as he went to a town named Lystra.
And met there one in his need. God had sent him there.
And perhaps this evening there is a rendezvous with a soul here and God's message, God's Word.
So in Acts chapter 14 and verse 8.
And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked. That was the condition of this man whom Paul found there in Lystra when he came there with Barnabas preaching the Gospel.
As sent out of God.
And that's a picture of each one impotent who never had walked. We have never taken in our natural condition a step toward God, a step for God, have never walked in a way pleasing to God, but went on in our own ways, in our own self will in opposition to God. The plowing of the wicked is sin. Whatever we've ever done in our life without Christ has been with the thought that this is what I will do.
In order to gain what I determined to be my objective in life.
And we never brought God in. That was the state of our soul.
Number of years ago. I live on the Sacramento River in Northern California. It's.
Navigable stream. There were two families that thought that they would build a raft. It was the summertime and it was time for vacation for them. They had come up from the city and they went to great lengths to build a raft.
Tied them together and there were these two families on the raft, about about six people. So it was quite some time ago. I don't remember just exactly how many, but I think there were about six people, two parents, two sets of parents and some children.
And they were going to Tom Sawyer it down the Sacramento River for about a 20 mile stretch and that would be their vacation.
And they got about two miles above where I live there.
And they had a pole, and they were pulling themselves along with this pole, just like the old times.
And they came into some snags and they couldn't seem the current took them right into the snags and they couldn't pull their raft away from the snags. The current was fairly swift and that point of the river they had gotten down probably from where they had launched about 7 miles and they were having a a real nice time.
And that seems to be often the way it is in our life as we.
Wander through life. We think that things are going pretty well.
And then an issue or a circumstance comes up. Well, they had hit this pile of snags there and the raft overturned.
And they had lost their sleeping bag in their camp stove, and one man had lost his wallet. And they were out in the middle of the river. And those folks were from the city area, and they didn't know how to swim very well. And besides that, they had their young children there.
And they were in distress outright in the middle of the river, and they were just a little afraid to try to swim to shore. And there were two young fellas that came down to the river that day, and they saw them about from here to that wall out there in the middle of the river. And they said, well, that's a funny thing for those people to be all perched out there in that pile of snags like that. And they said, do you folks need any help over there? And they were sure glad to hear from these two young boys. They were about 10 and 12 years old.
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The neighbor boys that lived up the river from where I live and, and so they called and said, yes, we would sure like to have some help. And these two boys swam right out to where they were. And that was a little of a comfort to them. You know, these boys, they, they weren't very big and they could swim out to where they were, but they sure couldn't pack them off of that log. Who would know where they could pack them off of that log? They were stuck there for their families too.
And they said, well, we'll go and get some help.
I know a guy with a boat and maybe he'll come out and, and we'll go see if we can get some help. Well, a little while later my telephone rang and one of the boys, he, he said, you know, there's some people up there on this pile of snags and their raft is tipped over. Could you help them out? Well, I had the boat in the water. It was a kind of a bigger boat, an inboard boat. And so I got in the boat and I went up there to see what I could do.
There sat a certain man, at least impotent in his feet. While they couldn't swim off of that log, they couldn't get off of that log, and those boys couldn't get them off of that log, and there was no way they were going to get off of that log on their own.
He was a cripple from his mother's womb who had never walked. They were in a desperate situation and there was number hope for them unless somebody helped them. So what I did is I took the boat and I was a little anxious and the water was going by the snag and I came around from upstream and came down and thought maybe if I cruised by they could jump in as I went by and the nose of the boat hit the snag and this Jarred the snag and pretty soon I was by and they were still on the snag there.
Well, it may be that someone has come up to you someday. They gave you the gospel in kind of an abrupt way.
And perhaps it didn't set well with you, but that hasn't changed. Your condition has implanted on both feet and never having taken a step toward God hasn't changed the position of a man who is in his sins and without Christ and desperate, who is like those who are out there in the middle of the river. So the next time I decided to come up from downstream and I put the boat right next to the snag, right where it was, right up against the raft that was partially submerged and in the water.
I came to write where they were, and that's what God has done for us and the person of His Son. He has come right to where we are.
He came down from the glory. God's beloved Son became a man and walked here on this earth right where we are. He came to where we are. He didn't stand back and give U.S. law and say if you do the best you can. He didn't stand back and give us even the Sermon on the Mount for our salvation. The Sermon of the Mount only slays us. I remember being an exercise when I was a youngster. I just started reading in the book of Matthew and I came to the Sermon on the Mountain and said, I can't come up to this.
And I knew that I wasn't good enough to come into the presence of God.
But God came right to where we are, and so I came right up to where these folks were and I actually grabbed hold of them and I helped them into the boat.
The law won't save us, only Christ. He has come right to where we are in our sins in this world. And I help those folks into the boat and I couldn't get them all in at once. I had to make several trips.
Now here were two sets of parents there, and there were some children.
What do you think the parents did? You think they said I'm first and they jumped into the boat? No, they were concerned for their children. They wanted those children in the boat. If all else failed, they wanted those children in the boat. You know a parent's heart. We know what a parent's heart is. Oh, how we would love to see each of you young people, your children, safe in Christ.
He has come right to where you are and He is knocking at your heart's door right now. He is accessible and He loves you.
Well, we took those people off and then I didn't take them out into the middle of the river and say, I've got you off the log and now the rest of the way is yours. There was a man once who had heard the gospel and he said, you know, I just don't think I I could endure if I ever believed. And the gospel preacher said, if I could make this pen stand up on its point, would you believe? He says, well, you can't do that. And he took it and he just put it there like that. And the fellow said, well, you're hanging on to it. And the man says, well, I never said I was going to let go.
And the Lord is not going to just pick us up to let us go.
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Do you think God takes delight in just picking us up and watching us fall? He has given us an all the way home Savior, a Savior to the uttermost. I took those folks all the way back to solid land and dropped them off and went back and got the rest and I wasn't satisfied until I got them all off the log.
And God would like to save. He is not willing that any should perish. So here is this man.
And He's in this condition. And I give that illustration that it might make simply and plainly the truth of this eighth verse as to what our condition is. Sometimes as man, we think our thoughts are not God's thoughts. His thoughts are not our thoughts. We think that we can provide something. We think that we can alter the plan. We think that we can make it suit our need in some way of our own doing.
But salvation is of the Lord.
And so this same man heard the same, heard Paul speak.
Who? Steadfastly beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed. This man was in earnest. That's all he meant. Business. There he was, and he recognized his need. Repentance.
Recognizing the need to be saved.
The person who is not sick is not going to go to the doctor. It's expensive there, and the shots may be painful and the medicine may not taste good. And so if he's well, he's not going. But a person who is sick will go, and a person who realizes his desperate need before God will come and receive the Savior that God has provided. And that's what the apostle Paul saw in this man.
We look at Jeremiah 29th chapter.
God wants reality. There isn't very much reality today.
People are sweet, talked and.
People believe this and that, and they say this and that, and sometimes they're weird and their deeds don't match, but God is looking for reality.
And so it says.
In verse 12 of Jeremiah 29 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you, and ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Do you mean business with God? Are you satisfied sitting out there on that snag like those folks were when I got to that snag? Do you think they said I'll wait for another boat?
Or I like it just fine out here with the children. I think I'll stay here a few more days and I'll think about it a few days down the road.
They meant business, that's all. And God wants you to mean business with Him. Do you want to be saved?
Or do you want to be lost? You can ask yourself that question. God has come to where you are and He has provided for you fully and freely. Salvation is complete in Christ, but He wants you to mean business.
Ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed. That's all.
The man meant business. Saul with a loud voice.
Said said with a loud voice stand upright on lifebeat and he leaped, then walked.
Stand upright on my feet. And he leaped and walked, you know.
The man had never done that before in his life.
We read in the Gospels how the Lord Jesus came and told the man with the withered hand to stretch forth his hand. He told him another man received by sight.
And I suppose the person could stand there and consider and think about that and say I've never done this before in my life. It's a good idea. I'd sure like to see. I'd like to receive strength in my legs. I'd like to be able to walk, but I've never been able to do that before.
I remember when I was young, I thought I would sure like to be saved. I don't want to be lost. Nobody wants to go to the lake of fire. Nobody wants to be lost. I wonder how you'd be saved. I wonder what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. I wonder if I could just find that switch somewhere that would give me to believe what I'm supposed to believe and know what I'm believing so that I could be saved. I didn't understand these things very well.
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But God says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. You know, in natural things you, you go to the physics class and the the teacher explains these things and you understand them and then you enjoy them. But in the things of God, it's the obedience of faith.
We believe these things and act upon them, and then we enjoy them. The enjoyment and the entering into the truth of God.
Is not by the intellect. You don't have to join Mensa. You don't have to have a certain IQ. You don't have to have a certain amount of money to be able to understand. You don't have to have letters after your name. You don't have to have a degree to understand the truth of God. That's why it says whosoever will. If it were only true for those who could understand these things and wrestle with them intellectually and sort them out.
Most of us would miss out.
It's for whosoever will, and so that the truth of God comes down as he presents salvation.
The gospel in ways simple that anyone with a conscience exercise before God and desiring to be saved can be saved as to whosoever will, and it can be to anybody in this whole world. It can be anybody in this room.
And so the man in response to what command was given him.
And God sends that forth as a command. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
There are no options here. This is not negotiable.
If you reject the command of God, you perish. If you receive the command of God in what he has provided, you're saved. This man responded to what was told him. Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. He made that statement in the obedience of faith in every single one of us in this room.
In our lives is making a statement. This man, in the obedience to what he was told, obeyed. And his statement was that he leaped and he walked. And everyone of us makes a statement in this life as to what we think life is all about. And that statement is made not so much by the words that we speak, but by the way that we walk and the things that we do and everybody's statement.
Is a statement of the inner workings of their soul, of what they're thinking, of what they believe life to be all about. He leaped and he walked.
In Matthew Chapter 9.
In verse 5.
The Lord Jesus said for weather is easier to say thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say arise and walk.
How could the Lord Jesus say to this man, thy sins be forgiven thee? Here is a man that they had brought in four people brought him in on a cot and he couldn't walk another man all his life, sick of the palsy, and the Lord Jesus said thy sins be forgiven thee. What did it cost the Lord Jesus to make that statement? He had to go to Calvary's cross. He could see that man sins, every one of them. He died there and bore the sins of all that would believe upon him.
He bore them in his own body on those three hours of judgment at gallery's tree. The soldier came after those hours of judgment were passed, and he had said, it is finished. And he pierced that soldier, pierced his side, and the blood flowed forth for the remission of our sins, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission.
There He made atonement toward God for our sins. He covered our sins. He bore the judgment that we deserved. He, the sinless One, took them upon himself at Calvary Tree. He knew that ahead of time he could see that coming, and he could say to this man, Thy sins be forgiven thee. But then he also said, Arise and walk. He had to take out this bed and everything that ever held him down.
Every passion and self will and rebellion toward God had to be judged and brought into submission. The apostle Paul preached to Felix righteousness, temperance and judgment to come. Temperance is self possession. A man in this world is totally possessed by the things of this world. He scratches and claws and goes after these things and he thinks that's life and they possess him and they motivate him. Pleasures and wealth and fame and power, all these things.
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Motivate man and possess him and occupy him. And here this man takes up his bed, and now all the things of this life are possessed by him. He is a man in Christ. He is a Newman. He has the Spirit of God. He has all things that pertain to life and godliness, everything that is needed, the new nature, the Spirit of God that God gives, the object and the glory, the hope before us to be home with Christ in glory, Everything that is needed.
But he is there too, as our High priest.
That we not fall. He's with us every day of our lives. We look up and we see him there as our high priest.
Has our advocate, Has the one who is yet accessible. He's the man in the glory.
Never was a man there before, but now there's a man just like we are in the glory, who represents us there, who takes up our cause and to whom we can come at the throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help in time of need. And it's a time of need. Every step that we take in our life is a time of need. And we need to call upon the name of the Lord. We need to bring the Lord Jesus into every decision that whoever we make. And that's the only way that we'll ever walk in temperance. That's the only way that we'll ever have power over those things.
That would subdue us and bring us right back down. He could say to that man, take up thy bed and walk. And that's no easy thing to say either. That is a difficult thing to say. Which is easier to say? I don't know. But the Lord Jesus as Savior and as high priest accomplishes both for us. He brings us all the way home. But this is very practical.
And it involves a walk with the Lord Jesus to be with him, to bring him into all our thoughts, you know, and natural things. We can understand this. A young man takes a wife and he doesn't put her out of his thoughts. His thoughts are toward her. And it's not a duty on his part to continually be thinking of his wife and in ways that he might please his wife. And as he gets to know her more and more, the better he knows how to please his wife. And we understand these things in the natural sphere.
We are glad to please one whom we love.
And so it is in that relationship that we have with our Lord Jesus Christ to walk with Him, to take up our bed and walk, to leap and walk as we have in our chapter, to go with Him throughout our whole life, calling upon Him.
It's a life of profit. It's not a vain thing.
Godliness is profitable not only for that which is to come, but for the life that now is. You may well read the stories of men who.
In their lives made the statement.
That they were an infidel, and all their life their energies were spent to discredit the word of God, to ridicule the Scriptures, to try to disprove these things. But every single man has a conscience and none are exempt from that. And the conscience is a very delicate and sensitive instrument. We all know that.
You take a man like Voltaire who when he came to the end of his life, God gave him space for reflection.
Rather than a sudden death.
And he weighed these things and he considered these things, and he was at his wit's end. But there was number repentance and salvation. The man finished his course as he had lived it, an infidelity and his intellect he may have lived by, but he could not die by. And the nurse that attended him there in his final days said I would not attend the deathbed of another dying infidel. For all the gold in Europe as she saw the waves of darkness flow across that man's mind as he realized.
What was just before him?
So he made that statement, but God gave him space to make his final sentence just before he died. You will never find a person who goes on with the Lord and calls upon the name of the Lord daily for his sustenance, come to the end of his life and say it was a mistake I lived and I die in regret. He will never say that. You will never find such a one as that. What kind of a statement are we all making?
God wants reality with us, but he has given us provision for every step that we take. And here this man leaped and he walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Laconia, the gods are come down to us in the likeness of man.
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And they called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurious because he was the chief speaker. This area of Laconia was in Asia.
Which was very near to Greece.
And these people were highly influenced by Greek thought and philosophy, Greek culture.
And the first thing.
That the enemy would do.
In view of a work of God here on this earth.
Was to bring in some kind of a religious corruption and spoil it.
When the gospel of God in Christ went to the Greeks, it became a philosophy, when it went to Rome, it became an institution. When it went to Europe, it became a culture. And when it came to the United States or Western civilization as we know it, it became a great enterprise.
Big business.
And the enemy will come in and try to confuse and cloud the truth and simplicity of the Gospel of God, and so immediately enters in here this religious corruption. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
Here was Paul and Barnabas chance they could build a great enterprise.
They could have people flocking after them. They could have people casting their wealth at their feet. They could have made a lot of money. They could have set up a big business. Here we see it all around us, but the gospel hasn't changed. The gospel is still the same. And God will have reality even in the midst of the day that we live in, in 20th century Western civilization. He will have souls saved in simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
The apostle was faithful.
Which when the apostles Barnabas and Saul heard of, they rent their clothes and ran in amongst the people crying out.
And saying, sirs, why do you these things?
What is? What is your motive anyway?
Maybe I could ask you that question about the things that you do in your life, everything that you do in your life. Why do you get up in the morning? Why do ye these things? Why do you do the things that you do and what is your motive behind them?
Only that which is done for Christ will last. Only that which is done for Christ.
Is apart from all vanity and vexation and emptiness has substance only that which is done for Christ. Oh, if we could just really sincerely and honestly ask ourselves that question, why do ye these things? Why do we do the things that we do?
Why is it that we lose our temper sometimes?
Why is it that the passions go on unchecked in our bosom? Why is it? What is our motive in these things?
The man of the world is sustained by them. He moves by them, he is motivated by them.
We have the privilege of self judgment before the Lord to examine these things and call them what they are.
And to go on with the Lord, put him in the place, and leave him in the place of judgment. But not so if you're lost.
If your affections aren't toward the Lord Jesus and you have no use for him, these are the very things that move you along in this life. We also are men of like passions with you. You know God save sinners.
And preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God. This is conversion.
Good old fashioned conversion which is the result of reality in the soul. A turning to God from idols, A recognition that we are ripe.
And do for judgment that we deserve it, that we take sides with God against ourselves, and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one that can save.
Vanities is what the vanities is, what the Word of God calls the things of this world, the motives of the self willed vanities.
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The living God which made heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are therein. He has rights over every single one of us. He is the creator of everything. God created all things.
Man again with letters after his name.
Takes a position in places of instruction.
And he asked all these questions as to what is life and what is origin and what is destiny.
And where did we come from and where are we going?
Him and all the dust settles. He comes up with some kind of a free fall.
Through an infinite vacuum.
He has no answers.
He spends his lifetime asking these questions.
In all different ways that he might ask them and never comes up with an answer.
God made heaven. We begin with God in the beginning, God.
He is the creator of all things.
And as our Creator, we have responsibility to Him.
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways?
And God was long-suffering, and people come and ask, well, why?
Are all these sorrows in this world? And why does God allow the tears and the sorrows of this world?
And the only way that God will rid this world of those things is in judgment. But God and mercy now waits.
That sinners might come in repentance toward human faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When time passed, suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, and men are still doing that today. But a day is coming when judgment will come, and He will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained, in that He hath given assurance to all men, and that He hath raised him from the dead. Christ has been raised from the dead. The One to whom all creation is committed is raised from the dead, and as Son of man, all judgment is also committed.
Nevertheless, He left not himself without witness in that He did good and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling our hearts with food and gladness. You know, it's the goodness of God that leads man to repentance. Sometimes we think that God is a hard taskmaster and He has come and He is there to collect. But God has come to give. He has come to provide and we come receiving.
Even in natural things we can understand this as the fields produce the fruit and the food and the raiment that we have need of it all comes from God.
And with these things scarcely strained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city. Supposing he had been dead, albeit as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and came into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derby. And when they had preached the Gospel to that city.
And had taught many. They returned again to Libra and to Iconium and to Antioch. And so the disciples, the apostles, they came back. They were gone for a bit, but they came back.
And they confirmed the souls of the disciples in exhorting them that you continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation, enter into the Kingdom of God.
God has not promised us anything but food and raiment and tribulation, and it's with much tribulation that they entered into the Kingdom of God.
There was a man named Dieter Dangler during the Vietnam conflict who was flying.
In AF1 fighter and he went down theater was a German fellow, but he got into the US military and he was over there and was shot down and he has he evaded for a time, but then he was captured and the path that law had captured him and held him in a prison camp with about five or six other young soldiers and aviators that they had captured in that particular area of operation. They didn't have very much food the past that Lau didn't have enough food to feed themselves.
And these men with data, they began to lose weight and lose weight.
Pretty soon they realized that with the lack of sustenance that was available there, they were going to perish. They were surely going to perish.
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And so they decided they would try to make an escape. Anything was better than dying there. And when they saw the opportunity, they ran. When the guards had diverted their attention, they ran. They got into the forest, they all split different directions. Peter never knew what happened to the others, except for the fellow that was with him. The two of them went and they journeyed as far as they could. They were exhausted.
They'd gotten away from the guard. They went for days that way. They tried eating what they could. They found a little plant. They were desperate, desperately hungry. He took the plan. He wondered if it was good to eat. He put it in his mouth and he chewed, and it just turned his mouth inside out. It was so stringent he couldn't eat it.
People are feeding on things of the world, you know, and that's the taste it leaves and that's the nourishment it gives. Nothing, he went on. And he went on.
They went to a village. There was a village they thought, the only hope that we have.
Is to go up and ask them if they would in mercy give them something to eat. This was a path that Lao village. They had no sympathy with an American soldier. Their village had been bombed. They had lost loved ones. They had no sympathy with an American soldier. They ran out from the village with machetes. The two soldiers saw what was about to happen. Dieter found more energy than he ever thought that he had. And he made a run for it back into the jungle. The other man was slain by the villagers. Now Dieter is alone.
Sometimes we think that we can appeal to this world for help and solace and comfort.
They have no desire for the things of God, no desire to sympathize with a child of God. Dida ran back into the jungle, and he went for a few more days, and he was down to his last calorie. He knew he was about to die. He crawled up on the side of a mountain. He took some weeds and formed them in the shape of an SOS, and he lay down to what he was sure to be.
An American Flyer came by and looked down and recognized him. They weren't anxious to get into a situation like that.
Sometimes they were trapped. He saw Dieter there and he says that's not an Oriental. I recognize that man as being Western.
They called in help, they rescued Dieter, they got him out of there and restored him to hell.
And he was. He was recovered. It is through much tribulation entering into the Kingdom of God. We are not here in a friendly world. I cannot promise you that. Taking a stand for Christ will put you in good stead with your neighbor if you are faithful.
It is with much tribulation they entered into the Kingdom of God, the Saints in this day.
Many of them lost their possessions, some of them lost their lives, but they meant business with God. They pressed themselves into the Kingdom of God. There was reality. They saw what was before them. They saw that behind them was death and that before them was life. And there was no turning back in spite of the tribulation.
And so it is even today, entering in with tribulation to the Kingdom of God. But God makes provision.
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord.
On whom they believed. It's on the Lord that they believed. It wasn't in the Apostle Paul, it wasn't in Barnabas, it wasn't in the disciples, and it wasn't in the elders that were ordained at these churches.
There were local assemblies there that these men could be brought into. The man that we read about in verse eight who was leaping and walking, who was restored to his feet, who could now walk for the Lord and make that statement that Christ is everything. As Paul could say for me to live is Christ. He is brought into a place. There is a place for Him. We are not only brought out of our sins and desperate situation, we are brought in to a place of blessing.
In Ephesians chapter 2.
And verse 19, it says now, therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners. That's the place that we've been brought out from.
That's where we were, a stranger toward God and foreign in all our thoughts toward God.
But fellow citizens, with the Saints and of the household of God.
They had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting. They commended them to the Lord on whom they believed.
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That's the place they're brought into the assembly.
Place where there's encouragement, where there's instruction. I can't commend you to the Church of your choice.
I can't tell you to go down there and make this choice or that choice. There is a place where God has placed His name on this earth and it's a place of refuge. It's the end. It's the place of instruction, it's the place of comfort. It's a place where there you will find others also.
Who would desire to go on in brotherly love?
Commanded them to the Lord on whom they believed, And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Purga, they went down into Atalaya, and then sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And now what did they do At the end of their journey, when they were come and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done.
With them and how he had opened the door of faith under the Gentiles. They rehearsed there with each other what God had done.
Our employment in heaven, one of the things as the eternal ages role, one of the things that we will enjoy is what God has done and how in sovereign grace he has brought us along through the journey here and brought us all the way home and there they abode long time with the disciples long time ages role eternity's role time has passed new heaven.
Newer still gone in glory with Christ, there with him the bride, all the redeemed, gathered around him in the enjoyment of his person.
You can enjoy a person for time. You know what it is in relationships as brothers and sisters naturally in your families, as husbands and wives, as children and fathers, fathers and sons. We understand these things naturally and we enjoy them and rightly so because God has given us these institutions in relationships that we might enter into some concept of what God has in mind has the eternal ages role to be in the enjoyment of Himself as our Father.
To be able to look up and see God in the face of Jesus Christ and to know Him forever and ever.
Well, the dust will settle on this world.
And everything will come to a conclusion and there will be those two classes, there will be those that opposed.
And there will be those.
Who had faith to be healed? Who desired? Who had that desire to believe? Who meant business with God?
Who received what God had provided in the person of His Son, and had been saved fully.
There will be those who have rebelled.
And all the opinions of man at that time.
Won't do him a whit of God. He may entertain and tickle his mind with them now, but then only weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Those two positions are held on to us now.
And the words ring down the halls of time. Choose life.
Don't choose death.
Choose Life.
All that we have, our life, our salvation, our hope, our object, our eternal position is found in Christ alone. The one whom God has set forth, the one who is his whole delight, and He wants us to come now and to be blessed. God wants to bless us and He will do it in Christ. Those are the directions that He has given, just like the sign down the room.
There is no alternative. All of God's blessings for us are found in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our life. Choose life.
Shall we sing #5?
What?
Gospel—De. Rule
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To read has to say.
Is very, very important because when you hear something that I say, it's just the words of another person. But when you hear what this book has to say and you know what the book is, it's the Bible, it's God's Word. It makes it totally different than something I might have to say.
There's many books printed in this world. I think if if they're still there in the shopping center across the street, there's a bookstore, a very large bookstore, and it's filled with many different kinds of books. If you go out the front door of this building and you go down to the corner to the stop light and you turn right, just on a little hill on the left side, there's a bookstore that has two stories. Fascinating places for me. I like to go see books, but there's one and read books and that sort of thing.
It's hard sort of to pass up a bookstore sometimes because of things that are there that are interesting to learn. But those books, most of them in those bookstores are written by people.
And the thoughts came, and a lot of them have very correct thoughts, many things and everything else, but they came out of the mind of some person. But this book right here didn't come out of the mind of some person on this earth. It came from God.
It makes a difference than any other book. It's one of the best sellers in the world today.
That's not true of any other book that was completed almost 2000 years ago. If you go into a place where they sell books, you're going to see something that says new arrivals or new titles. And people are always walking in and trying to find out, well, what's new? What can I find out? Something that's different, something that's new. Tonight, we don't have anything new to tell you.
Maybe it's some news to someone here if you haven't read this book and that's why a friend invited you. But we're not here to try to say anything new tonight. We're here to tell you about something that happened a long time ago.
Knowing the need that you have and knowing the need that I have.
And the main subject of this book.
Is.
Someone or a being who's both God and man at the same time, but just like to read a verse in Matthew chapter 8. And if you don't have a Bible or you're not comfortable with looking up the verses, that's okay. If there's someone near you who has one and they you can share with them.
That would be nice because it's good to read it for yourself, but in Matthew chapter 8.
Matthew, Chapter 8.
Verse 26.
The one who's talking here is the Lord Jesus. They were on a boat and on this boat they were being carried, I'm sure, up and down on the waves. It probably wasn't a big, I'm sure it wasn't a big ocean liner like people would ride on today, but it was a small boat and the waves were constantly coming over the boat. The people inside the boat were afraid. Got a question tonight for you.
Are you afraid about anything?
Let me list a few things that you might be afraid of. Are you afraid?
To that you might lose your job.
We all have bills to pay, and so it's important that there's money that comes in to pay those bills.
Are you afraid you might lose your job? There's people that if you were going to ask them what are you afraid of, they would say, well, I'm afraid of getting cancer.
I could look and I could say, well, I know that my father and some of my uncles have died of heart attacks. And I could say, well, you know, if I think about it and I look at it and I realize that those things can be passed from one person to the next, I could say, well, you know, naturally I might be afraid of a heart attack.
You might be afraid of dying.
I don't know what fear you might have.
But the Lord Jesus understood perfectly that you might be afraid of things. Is there something you're afraid of tonight?
Perhaps you're afraid where you live of walking on the street because some streets are dangerous. There's people that might jump out of a corner with a knife and threaten you or take your money or threaten your life.
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If you're afraid.
The Lord Jesus is the one that can help you.
He may not take away the circumstances. He may not take away whatever it is that would cause you to be afraid.
I'm not afraid that someday I might die of a heart attack, but I realize it might happen. Why? Because the Lord Jesus has taken that fear away. What does he say here? It says, Why are you fearful? Oh, ye of little faith. Then he arose and rebuked the winds in the sea, and there was a great calm, but the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds?
And the sea obey him.
Think about that statement for a minute.
Think about even the winds and the sea obey him.
Some people here work with computers and in their in their job, they've seen that people have been able to make smaller and smaller computer chips that can work faster and faster and faster and do things.
God has given man the capability to do that. There are other people that work in hospitals or in medical type of things and God has allowed us, God has allowed men to develop many different kinds of medicines and we benefit from those things.
But the two things that God named here that the Lord Jesus named here are the winds and the seas. Why do the winds blow?
The winds blow because the sun is shining on the Earth, and if you're at the poles, that sun gets that same amount of light, gets spread out over a broad area. But we know that if you're at the equator, that sunlight is concentrated and comes in directly to that area and doesn't get spread out. So the Earth doesn't get heated very evenly. That's why it's cold in some places and hot in others. The sun doesn't shine the same way in every place.
And so the winds blow and we feel the winds. The water gets heated differently. And so the water moves as time goes, and it moves in currents, and people can predict pretty well what it's going to do. Could you and I ever do anything to turn the sun off or to control the sun?
There's no way.
But who made the sun? Who made the moon? Who made the stars? Who made this earth where you and I live? The Lord Jesus Christ, he made it. And he's the one who keeps the sun shining. He's the one who makes the winds blow. He's the one who makes the current move in the ocean. Man can do many things, but he can't turn the sun off or turn the sun on to stop the winds or to start the winds.
We're in here in a room and some of us have been here for three days and we've benefited by the fact that in a small area they could turn on the air conditioner and take away some of the water out of the air and cool the temperature down.
But would it be possible for the people at the Marriott Hotel to do that for all of Oak Brook?
And you control the sky up above? No way. Impossible.
But my Savior can the one who loves me and the one who loves you can do that. It's in His hand. He made it and He controls it. But it's not someone who's far off and distant and doesn't care about me and doesn't care about you. He loves you and He loves me just. If you've got your Bible open, if you could turn over to the page before.
Depending upon which Bible it is.
Chapter 8 and verse earlier in the chapter.
It says in verse five of chapter 8. And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy previously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him.
I will come and heal him. The Lord Jesus didn't say, well, don't you understand? I'm the one who made the sky. I'm the one who made the sun, the earth, and everything else.
I don't have time for things like that. Is that what he said?
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No, I said. I'll come and heal him.
Friend, tonight, if you don't know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you've got a sickness inside. I understand that sickness because it's a sickness we've all shared.
The thickness and it's caused by one thing, not some amoeba or not some other kind of microorganism or some sort of virus. That sickness is caused by sin.
We've got that inside. But the Lord Jesus didn't just go from one place.
In the town of Capernaum to another to do to heal that sickness. He's gone perfect in everything, and he came all the way from heaven down to this earth.
He came all the way from heaven down to this earth. Why? Because you have a need and I have a need, and He wants to heal that need. He wants to give you and me a new life.
In all the history of this world, there's never been anyone else who's come from heaven to earth.
A lot of us became more aware during the Persian Gulf War of the Middle East. We became more aware of.
One who claimed to be a Prophet Muhammad became more aware of one who.
Many talk about Allah who is worshipped as God by many.
There's something that's very striking.
If Allah really existed, or really exists, why doesn't He come down to this earth? That's what my Savior did. My Savior came all the way from heaven down to this earth. Why? Because He loves me. Is there anything in me to love? Absolutely not.
I'm here, it's nothing more than a beggar, and I deserve. I deserve because of what I've done, to spend forever not in heaven, but in the lake of fire.
But the Lord Jesus loves me, and he came down.
I want you, if you would like to, to turn over or not to listen.
In First Samuel chapter 20.
A lot of these verses that we're going to read tonight are going to have a simple word. What simple word? What in front of them?
When you have little children, you realize that they come a lot of times and say Daddy, what is this, her daddy, what happened? And they like to ask a lot of questions.
Some here tonight are.
Past the stage of being a little child, you've reached the stage of being a young person or an adult, and perhaps you've come to the point of stop. You don't ask as many questions, But the Bible is a book that's full of questions, and I'm very happy to say it's also book that's full of the answers to those questions. There's a question in First Samuel chapter 20.
Verse one what Fred won't read the first part of the verse to not have to give the time to give the background, but it says what have I done? What is my iniquity in what is my sin?
And I want you, if you wouldn't mind, to turn over to verse 3.
Near the end of the verse verse that was quoted last night, it says truly as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. August 10th I was driving to the school where I worked for the last day of some special exams for students who needed to make up some exams and as I was driving along from the main highway I went to turn into the neighborhood where the school is located.
And as I looked across, there was a bus parked. That's all I could see at the beginning. There was a bus parked there. And it was a bus I had on a bus line, at least I don't know if that particular bus that I've ridden on many times. I walked, I didn't walk. I drove by and I started to look. And it wasn't just that the bus was there, but behind it there was a police car parked.
And ringing around the bus was a large crowd of people.
More curious?
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I stopped at the corner before I turned in. The bus was coming out the other way. I stopped at the corner before I turned in and I looked over.
And I saw a sight.
That really affected me.
There's a big crowd of people.
But under that bus was a man who had taken one.
Step too many toward the bus.
That man was lying there, and I'm sorry that this is gruesome, but I want you to think about it because what if it had been you? Or what if it had been me? That man was lying on the street.
His feet were still on the curb, looked like he had tripped and fallen, and on the right side of the bus, the side along the curb between the front wheels of the bus and the back wheels of the bus.
The man was there, one part of his body, his head, which was reduced to a height.
Like that, a man who had started out, perhaps he was jumping to try to get to the bus. Perhaps he was crossing the street thinking about what he was going to do that day.
But he fell down and So what was it? It was just the the body that was left there of a man who started out. I went into the to classes and I went into the office and they could tell it was very upset. He was a man. He didn't start out that day planning to have that happen to him, David said. There's but a step between me and death.
If you're just one step away from death, I have a question are.
You ready to die? Someone said a long time ago. When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do is die because there's no time to do anything else. That man started out and he tripped and he was reduced.
His head was just flattened by the weight of a bus with 40 or 50 passengers.
Was there any use taking him to a hospital? Was there any use anyone trying to give him artificial respiration? No, Immediately he was into eternity. There is but a step between me and death.
Just stop for a minute please, and say that to yourself. There is but a step between me and death.
If you say that to yourself, then I want you to ask a question to yourself.
Am I ready to die? Am I ready to die?
I wanted to get out of the pickup truck we have. I wanted to run over. I couldn't talk to the man. It's a frustrating thing because it was too late, but it's not too late for you tonight.
Are you ready to die?
Why do I say ready? Let's go back to that first verse.
This man David asked a question. He said what have I done? What have I done? Said what is my iniquity? Iniquity just means wicked things that you can do.
I've done horrible things and I've thought horrible things, says what is my sin? Sin, as we've heard before today, is when we decide in our own inside to do something. Why? Because we want to do it.
Just leave God at one side.
We're all guilty. There's not a single person in this room that can say they're not guilty. A lot of us have probably heard about a man who.
People from this very area, Chicago and people in Wisconsin and perhaps Germany, was just discovered to have killed a number of people, 17 people, in a very brutal way, done brutal things and we won't repeat them here.
But I want to tell you something. My heart, apart from the Lord Jesus, is not one bit better than that man. I'm not a bit better. I deserve exactly the same punishment that he deserves. He deserves death, and so do I.
And if you've done even one sin, and everyone here has done a lot more than that.
But I want you to stop, and I'm going to give you just a few seconds to think. Can you think of something in your life that you've done that you wouldn't want to come up and have everyone hear about? Stop a minute and think about that.
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If you or someone here had the record.
Of my life.
And they could start on this board behind and start writing what I've done.
And what I thought I would want to be out that door as quick as possible.
Because my heart apart from the Lord Jesus.
Is very sinful.
I'm guilty.
You're guilty. Everyone of us deserves to spend forever.
In the Lake of Fire, it wasn't a place that was prepared for us. The Lake of Fire was prepared.
For Satan and his angels. But there's going to be a lot of people there because they weren't ready. Well, the Gospel meeting stopped here.
If we had to stop and justice, talk about what we, what our need is, what our problem is.
If someone said do you want to get up and talk, give the gospel, I'd say no.
But it doesn't stop here. It doesn't stop here.
I hope you realize your knee, I can't make you realize that I can't make you make any decision. I wouldn't even try tonight. We're not going to have a time at the end where we say, well, would you please raise your hand or will you come up here? The decisions that you're going to make tonight are decisions between you and God, between you and the Lord Jesus Christ, not between you and the person next to you, not between you and me, but between you and God.
And so I hope first you realize that you have a need, you have a problem, and that problem is sin. Every one of us understands that because we have the same problem.
But many of us, thankfully, because God loves us as He loves you, have found the answer to that problem.
If we could turn over in our Bibles to Matthew.
Matthew, Chapter 27.
Matthew, Chapter 27.
And.
Verse 22.
I'm going to read about a man who most know. Perhaps you've read the Bible. I don't know where you've heard many, I do, but some I don't, where you've heard about the Lord Jesus. I wish we had a lot of hours together sitting down at a table or with some chairs together to just open this book up and find out about the life of that man, the Lord Jesus.
If you haven't done it, when you leave here tonight. If you don't have a New Testament, one was offered. It's a very important part of the Bible because it's the part that tells us more directly about the life of the Lord Jesus if you don't know about him.
I really ask you to find out more about him, to take that book and to read it.
But we know his life. We're not living in a country where it's a strange thing. We know that he was born not in a fancy hotel or in a fancy hospital or even a poor one who was born in a place that was basically usually reserved for animals. He was.
With a mother, Mary. But his father was God. The Spirit wasn't the one who functioned as the father in the home where he was Joseph, but perhaps as a boy, if he did the things his father did. He spent time as a Carpenter and that sort of thing.
But the Lord Jesus went through his life and sometimes there were great crowds of people around him. They were listening. They wanted to find out what he had to say. And sometimes he was alone, sometimes he was alone talking with God. And I hope tonight that you can forget those who are around you, forget me, and be able at any time to just simply talk to God.
You have to know something special. Do you have to I have to read a prayer that you have to memorize, No.
Remember when one of our daughters one one day said.
I want to ask the Lord Jesus to be my savior, to wash my sins away. She said, I don't want to pray. I just want to talk to God. And so she, she took her eyes and she, she looked up toward the ceiling because she knew that God was in heaven and, and she said, well, she was sure he would hear and he did. And she asked him.
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You don't have to close your eyes to ask to talk to God. You don't have to close your eyes to tell Him you understand that you have a need from right where you are. No one else has to know.
Have you told him that you have a need, that you have a problem inside, but you know he can do something about it? He's listening. He's listening. How many of us have had children or young people that work in a school? And sometimes there's a crowd of five or six students around and they're all trying to talk at once. And I say, I'm sorry, but I'm capable of only talking to one person at a time or listening to one question at a time.
But everyone in this room could be talking to God at the same time, and he could hear and understand and have a much deeper a complete perfect understanding.
Of what's coming from inside and what you're feeling. And it isn't even something that has to be very eloquent. It isn't something that requires that, that you even be able to very well explain the need a child sometimes can't. A little baby can can sometimes do no more than cry.
Can God listen to a cry from your heart?
Or my heart, he can.
He's got an ear that can hear a cry from inside the heart that's absolutely inaudible to anyone else.
What happened here, Pilot? We come to the end of his life here.
There's a man on this earth at that time. Verse 22 of chapter 27.
Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ?
They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why? What evil hath he done? If that question had been asked about me, there's plenty of people that could have given a list.
They didn't answer the question because they couldn't. They couldn't answer the question if it had been you or if it was me. When someone said why? What evil has he done? What has he done? They could have come up with a list, but it wouldn't. When it was the Lord Jesus, all they could say is let him be crucified. We don't want him. We don't want him, Friend tonight. Is that what you're saying to the Lord Jesus? I don't want you. Maybe you're saying I don't want you now.
Or maybe you're saying I don't ever want you children young people.
Many of you, most of you tonight I recognize.
And the Lord Jesus loves you, and he loves you just the same as he loves every bigger person in this room.
And His heart is just the same for you and He.
Wants to be your Savior right now. He wants to take care of that need of sin that's inside.
Because there's no guarantee that little people become young people and that young people become big people. No guarantee.
No guarantee. And so the question comes back to this, Are you ready?
If I was in this group many years ago, almost 2000 years ago when they were talking what should I do with the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm afraid that I would have been among the loudest to yell, Let him be crucified.
Because that's what my heart is like.
But the Lord Jesus was looking out at that group of people there.
And he cared about each one. How much did he care about each one? Every one of them would not have arrived to the next breath if he didn't care about them, because he held their breath in his hand. You're sitting here tonight, standing here. I'm breathing. I'm in this body, still alive. And so are you. And what is it that's making you stay alive so that you can hear the gospel? It's the Lord Jesus Christ.
He passed.
Three hours on the cross when men and women.
Taunted him.
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Men and women.
Said what they had to say.
To turn the lights, as it were, off, turn the lights and this world off for three hours, and in those three hours, God, a righteous, holy God.
Punished.
The Lord Jesus, perfect holy man.
For something he had done.
No, not for something he had done. Because he's perfect. He cannot sin. He never did. He never will forever.
Why did he punish him? Because I am a Sinner and because you are a Sinner. Because you've done things. Because there are things I'm sure in your life that you wouldn't want written up here and everyone to identify those is what you've done. It's the same thing for me.
So the Lord Jesus could go there instead of Maine, and he could suffer in three hours what I would have to suffer forever.
You and I.
Can think about that. You and I will be thinking about that. Those of us who know the Lord Jesus forever in heaven. But we'll never understand. We'll never understand. We'll understand perhaps better, but we'll never understand what it was like. But I want you to think for a few minutes of what it would be like.
To say, Lord Jesus, no, I don't want you as my Savior. If you say that to the Lord Jesus and your heart tonight, or you say I've got things to do tomorrow's Monday, I'll think about it again some other time if you say that.
You're not guaranteed of another time, but I want you to stop and think about it. Where the Lord Jesus is in heaven and where he's coming back to this earth and take many of us to be with him in heaven is a wonderful place. The Bible, compared with some other subjects, doesn't talk a lot about it. It doesn't talk a lot about it because perhaps our minds are too puny to be able to understand. But the most important thing is that the Lord Jesus is there and that it's God the Father's house and that He wants to share it with you.
He wants to share it with you.
When that beggar came to the door and rang the bell, my wife opened the door and gave him food. When he came back and rang the bell again, my wife opened the door and gave him something to drink, but we didn't invite him to the house to live.
God's different.
He's knocking.
Tonight, every time the gospel is preached, he is. But it's at a heart.
When the door is open, he doesn't just give food and water, He gives an invitation. And he can because his son died on the cross. He gives an invitation to go to his house and live there forever. A house where there's no sorrow, no crying, wherever he need is taken care of, where everyone has joy that lasts forever, where everyone has something that's going to satisfy their heart completely, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a place where we're going to be able to see.
Prince.
Wounds in the hands.
And in the side of the Lord Jesus from when he suffered on the cross.
Have you ever seen a person that was missing a leg? Have you ever seen a person that was missing an arm? You have. It's wonderful to be able to say to that person, if the Lord Jesus is your savior, you're going to have a new one.
You're going to have a body that's complete. Perhaps you've suffered from some sickness or something like that. In heaven, there won't be any of that. There won't be any need for doctors or medicine or hospitals or anything like that. There won't be any need for any of those things because God is going to take every one of those things away. There's no place for Him in heaven because they're here on earth because of sin, they won't be in heaven. So understand that. That's what heaven a little bit is like. But let's go to the other side. What is it like?
To be in the Lake of Fire, if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, you still have friends, you still have people that love you, you still have people that you talk with. You still enjoy food, you still enjoy water when you're thirsty. You can still enjoy the comfort of air conditioning compared with being out when the weather is very hot and muggy. But in the Lake of Fire, it's not going to be like that. It's a place from which no one will ever escape. That's an important thing to understand. Had a friend when I was in the university. His name was Barry, and Barry said to me.
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Dean I've been able to take care of everything each day in my life when I come up to it. And so when I die, I'm not worried I'm going to be able to take care of that, too. When I die, I don't have to worry about it.
Too late, too late. It's not ready. If that situation, that question isn't taken care of ahead of time, it's too late. When the Lord Jesus comes, you can't turn back the clock, You can't regain the day, that last day of life, and it might be this one for you. The Lord Jesus is coming. And so even if you continue to live, if you don't know the Lord Jesus, you will.
It's too late. You're left behind, though I'm sure a lot of people are here and I'm sure that there were parents that got in the car today.
Or Van or whatever. And they looked around and they went through each of their children. They said I don't want to leave a single one behind.
Don't leave a single one behind. That's what God's heart is like. He doesn't want to leave a single one who's in this room behind.
Our hearts are so puny, those of us who know the Lord Jesus is our Savior. It doesn't affect us very much sometimes to think about people being left behind when the Lord Jesus comes. But he doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants you to be with him in heaven. God understands far better than you or I do what it's going to be like for someone to have to spend an eternity in the lake of fire, in a fire that never goes out, in burning and weeping. People are going to be crying, but there's nothing forever that's going to be able to satisfy a single one.
Of their desires.
Separate forever from the Lord Jesus, separate forever from friends, separate forever from comfort and just in a continual never ending judgment of their sins.
So Lord Jesus doesn't want that for you tonight. That's why He came all the way from heaven to this earth. He who is Creator of all of it walked on this earth. And as we've been reminded, but I'm going to say it again, he didn't have a bed to go home to at night. He didn't have one He could call His own. We all have that. Lord Jesus didn't have that. The Creator gave up all of those things because He loves you. He loves me so much.
That he can't think of us spending an eternity in the lake of fire. He wants us forever with him in heaven. And so we're just going to read two more watts before we finish.
The next one in the book of Acts.
Acts Chapter 17.
Next chapter 17 and verse 18.
Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him. This is a man named Paul. And some said, What will this babbler say? Other some he seemed to be a setter forth of strange gods, because he preached, preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.
OK.
An Epicurean.
In your life.
Are you acting, are you thinking that you're just like an animal that has more capability than the other animals that are around? People judge animals on the basis of their intelligence. And people say, well, a dog is an intelligent animal, but some other animal is much less intelligent than than a dog. And they look at the the ones in the sea and they say, well, if the animals in the sea, a dolphin is more intelligent than the others. And that of all the animals, man is just the most intelligent, the most developed in his mind, and he can do the greatest number of things. That's what an Epicurean said.
If that's true, you don't have to worry about anything we said tonight because when it's all over, when it comes time for you to die, you're just like a dog. If that's really true, then you could forget everything we said tonight because an Epicurean said we're just like an animal. And if we're just like an animal, we might as well just go do what we want to do. They might as well go out and go where we want to go. And if we see something that we want to do, doesn't matter what other people think about it, but if it's going to give us some pleasure because sin does for a time.
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Doesn't last.
But that's not what the Bible says. And the Bible is the only book that has the authority to, to state what's the truth on this? The Bible says, we're not just like a dog. And a stoic says, well, somehow with my mind, you know, we're going to, I'm going to come up to be like a God that I, my mind is going to keep growing and I'm going to develop it. And, and I, I'm, I'm proud of what I can do and look at what man has done. And, and somehow that's what's important.
Neither one is the truth. Neither one is the truth. The Lord Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. An Epicurean, I'm afraid, was completely wrong. I'm not afraid. I'm thankful he was wrong and a stoic was completely wrong. But perhaps you're in one of those two groups tonight. What Paul came along and he had a different message for the city of Athens. His message was Jesus.
And the resurrection.
His message was Jesus in the resurrection.
One of the concerns, if we go back to it in the Persian Gulf War, was that certain things finish in time so that people could go visit a cemetery.
To be honest, I don't have any particular desire to try to go. It would be interesting to see the country, but I don't have any particular desire to go see where people say the Lord Jesus was buried. Why? Because it's empty. He's not there.
I have a desire to go to be where the Lord Jesus is now, not where they put His body. My Savior is in heaven.
He wants to have me there with Him. I can't understand that, but that's love in the greatest way that love could ever be shown in the Lord. Jesus is not in a graze that you can go visit him, that you could go outside that and bow down and pray and do something. No, He's in heaven and He wants you to be there with Him. He wants you to be there with Him. Let's go over on the other side of the page in some Bibles or another page perhaps, but to verse 29.
For as much as we are the offspring of God, we're different. An animal can't, couldn't say that we ought not to think that the Godhead is like under gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art in man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. By that man hath ordained, wherefore he hath given assurance unto all men, and that he hath raised him from the dead.
Some people thought.
When the Lord Jesus was crucified, that they could take his body, they could put him in, put the body in a cave and roll a big stone and put soldiers in front of that door and that they could keep him there. Impossible. Impossible because God the Father and God the Holy Spirit and God the Son all participated together. That he's raised from the dead. That tomb is empty. That tomb is empty, and I'm looking forward to seeing him.
Not here, but in the clouds. I'm looking forward because He's coming soon to take those who know Him as their Savior to heaven. He's coming. Are you ready or Can you imagine what this room would be like?
With the doors shut.
The door is locked.
No one going out that way, but to have the person next to you suddenly disappear.
To have the person next to you suddenly be where you you might reach out and say what happened is they're not there. And then to look around the room and to find that the room was almost empty, but you were still there.
When I was a child, that was something that was a real fear for me.
I didn't want to be in a room where other people were. If I wanted to make sure, I wanted to be absolutely sure. And children or young people, if you're afraid.
God wants you to be sure.
If you've asked the Lord Jesus to wash your sins away, He wants you to be sure. But Can you imagine what it would be like?
What would you do? Perhaps you live in some other part of the city of Chicago and and the person you came with has disappeared because the Lord Jesus has come.
What are you going to do? I can't imagine what a person would do in that circumstance.
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What would it be like to be left behind? Some of you have heard the gospel from the time you were a child, a young baby.
The parent often doesn't wait until the child can understand to start telling them about the Lord Jesus. They start telling them when they're very small because you don't know when they're first going to be able to understand. Start telling them about the Lord Jesus. Well, maybe you've heard that and maybe your ears are just like an ear that has a lot of wax in it. You can't hear very well.
I want you to go back and think tonight, where are you headed? These people, their time, were ignorant, but God commanded them to repent. They had to change their mind. They had to think about everything in a new way. They had to realize that sin wasn't just something that perhaps hurt their parents or or their brother or their sister, but it was something that affected their relationship with God. They had to realize that God loves them. And that's what you have to realize tonight, that He hates your sins.
He hates them so much that he, his son, came to this earth to take those sins on him and die. So just one last verse in the chapter before to finish the last what we'll talk about in Acts.
Chapter 16.
The end of verse 30.
A man who was afraid he realized his need. The end of verse 30. It says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house.
We've talked a little bit about hell, about the lake of fire. God wants you to save you.
Out of ever going there and save you to take you home to heaven. He wants to do that tonight.
How can he do it? His son died. Three things I want you to think about. You have a need. You're a Sinner.
You need to repent of those sins. You need to think about them in a different way. Realize that they're so serious that the only way for you to go to heaven was that God is so good that his beloved Son came to this earth to die. You need to repent of those sins. You need to change your mind and think about him in a new way and just simply turn to the Lord Jesus and say, Lord Jesus, will you save me? Is he going to say no, He never has and He never will until the doors shut and then it's too late. The door is going to be shut, but there's still time right now.
So while we close our eyes and we pray together, you can close your eyes or whatever and just simply talk to God if you haven't already.
Blessed God, our Father.
We've read a lot of what's.
But we're thankful that the answer is my beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.
We don't have to walk out of here with questions or doubts.
But if there is someone who's not ready.
Perhaps a step from death that they would be before it's too late. We just ask that thy spirit might work in the hearts to convict of sin.
And to convince of what the Lord Jesus has done, and His worthy and precious name, we pray. Amen.
Open Mtg.
Open—H. Walker, R. Jaeger
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.
So ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Well, I believe this little chap, this little portion that's been read from this chapter is important.
In the sense, at least in one sense, that brings before us some of God's thoughts through the apostle on the subject of grace. You know, the Apostle Paul knew absolutely nothing of grace until after he became a Christian. As a Jew, he was raised a as a Pharisee, he was raised in the tradition of the elders. He was a, we might say, a exemplary Jew in every.
Way circumcised the 8th day of the tribe of Israel and so on. He gives his credentials to us clearly that he was a man who stood out in the Jewish community and was recognized in the Jewish community as a.
Proper due, but there was nothing of grace in that experience. The other night I was watching a in a motel, a documentary on Jerusalem and there was a godly, so-called godly rabbi and he was in the city of Jerusalem. And you know, it was mentioned this afternoon how the Titus in about AD 70 came and destroyed that city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the dwelling place of the temple and it was the place that God had focused his attention on.
And there were many privileges associated with Jerusalem, many blessings associated with Jerusalem, but it had all been rejected because man had failed in his responsibility, as was mentioned in our in the beginning prayer. Well, here was Jerusalem and it was a beautiful city, but it was devastated by the Gentiles and about AD 70 and about all that survived the years, passing years has been one wall there in Jerusalem that is survived intact.
Become a symbol to Jews today of the past glory of that city and the future expectation that they have in unbelief for that city. And it showed pictures of the 1967 war of liberation. And it showed the dedication, a drive, the determination that was manifested by those Jews to retake from the Arabs the city and particularly the area where the Temple once stood. How important that was well.
About all that they've been able to maintain in its original form has been this particular fall. And this rabbi came to this wall and he came with little satchels and little baskets and so on. And he began a performance that amazed me. He he began his morning devotions.
Sitting at a table and he took out of one basket.
Kind of like that might say a little knapsack. You cut this little knapsack, a shawl. And he began to, he removed his suit coat and he put the shawl over his head and then he began to organize it over his shoulders and explain all of the ritual that he was going through. He took out another little packet of the and it contained some of the scriptures of the Talmud and so on in a little leather packet. They had leather straps and he began to arrange these straps around his waist so that the packet stood on his wrist.
And he arranged the leather straps in such a way that they made a symbol.
For the one of the names of Jehovah that was manifested on his wrist, he took another one out.
And he put the little packet up on his forehead, shoved his shawl back, back as far as the hairline in a precise location on his forehead. He attached another packet. And this, this ritual continued on. He approached the wall, he kissed it. And all of these ritualistic.
Exercises had significance to him, characterized by their past relationship with God under the law.
But he was, he was doing this because he felt that he was still under the law. And then it showed the wall, the the wall outside the city of the old city of Jerusalem. And there's one gate there where the Jewish people feel that their Messiah is going to come and enter the city triumphantly and rebuild the temple and restore power on earth to the Jews. I believe it was the lions gate. Well, the lions gate has been sealed with many stones and they have the.
00:05:07
The Muslims have taken the lions gate. The temp.
Site and they building the Dome of the Rock mosque there and they have sealed.
The lions gate, solid with stone cemented them in and then they placed a cemetery outside of the gates. You see a Jewish According to Jewish law, a Jewish priest could not walk amongst the dead. He would be defiled by the dead if he walked amongst the dead. Well it went on to say how that their Messiah came from the tribe of Judah, not from the tribe of Levi. So they have made a mistake in placing the cemetery here. It will be no hindrance to their Messiah to come and walk through the.
To the gate and destroy these stones and enter the gate and rebuild the temple. While it's all based on a system of law and ritualism.
And you know our last reading meeting brought us to a new calling that we have a heavenly calling. I thought what liberty there is there and what a freedom there is there and it's all been through the work of Christ on the cross that we've been brought into this grace. So then we have two legitimate questions raised here that sounds somewhat similar, but I believe have significantly different meanings. The first one is in verse one. It says what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that.
Grace may abound. The second question is in verse 15. What then shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? The answer to both of them that the apostle gives is God forbid, far be the thought far be the thought, God forbid. In either case, well, I believe that grace is such a liberating.
Activity grace is such a liberating event in our lives to recognize and to realize the grace of God as.
Mentioned The Apostle Paul was raised as one of those strict observers of the law.
And what a change came into his life when he was introduced to grace. And what a change, he no longer went through all those rituals. He no longer saw any value in all those rituals that once occupied his time, his energies, and his devotions. And he became a liberated man in Christ, a new creature in Christ. And So what happens then when we experience such marvelous grace? Well, I believe that there are certain risks that the apostle could identify with.
And he wanted the other new Christians in his time and his generation to be aware of the possible risks.
That are associated with grace.
And he says, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? That was a legitimate question that could be asked when Paul went about from no longer preaching Judaism, no longer dictating strict observance to the law, but telling his Jewish people whom he loved so dearly that by grace alone they could be brought into blessing by grace alone. And God had provided a way that they might have their sins forgiven. No longer were they required.
To submit to all of the structure of the law, but they were to be free.
In Christ. And so he says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin?
That grace may abound, there might be those who would not value the cost to God of providing such free grace. Grace is free to us, but there was such a tremendous cost to God associated with it. And so he says, no, God forbid that we should continue in sin, that grace may abound. Because to do so is not to recognize, I believe what he was saying here in the remaining number of verses is not to recognize the tremendous.
Cost to God to provide you and I with a freedom, a liberty, a freedom from ******* and a liberty in Christ. And it was at tremendous cost. Speaks of the death of Christ, speaks of the death in the remaining verses there of the type of baptism that Christ went into the baptism of death. And he says we are associated with Him in that baptism and we are associated with him in that death.
And that the body of sin is to be looked upon as having been destroyed in the death of Christ. And you know, beloved young people, important verse that perhaps we have all learned is first John 19. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I enjoyed this thought this summer. Another important one that perhaps we haven't stressed as much as first is Romans 6 and 13.
God has not programmed us to continue in sin. Grace is not.
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Given to us in order that we might continue sinning. Grace has been given to us, made known to us.
To bring before us, I believe, the thought that that body of sin is to be put and reckoned as dead, and we're not to be thinking of ourselves as going on in sin, but alive as new creatures in Christ Jesus. So Romans 613 we read neither yield ye or members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. How if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, but looking at what grace, the liberty that grace has brought us into brings us, I believe to realize that God has really.
Positioned us God has really.
Brought us to a place.
Given us a nature like very nature of Christ so that we can reconcile the body of sin to be dead and we can live as new creatures in Christ and that's I believe what this hymn would speak to herself of grace. Then let us sing a joyful wondrous theme. It lifts us it raises us up. It gives us it transforms us into new creatures no longer subject to sin when we sin. We have that advocate, but it gives us a new objective to live for Christ's honor and glory as new creatures in Christ recognizing God's grace.
That has been given to us. It keeps us humble. It ought to keep make us humble to recognize that the life that we can live as believers is a life of joy and happiness, but it is not a life that is dependent upon our own efforts to make it that way. God, in His grace has given us a nature that can be happy. We can enjoy the things of the Lord together.
And so we have that first question. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin? Let's remember always the cost.
Of God that was God's to bear to make us his own, to give us that grace, that grace. Then the second question, I don't want to take up a lot of time. Here is the 15th verse. What then shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace. And this perhaps question sounds similar, but I believe it. It's more the thought of the abusing of grace. Grace can be abused and we can we can abuse that which God has given to us and saw the apostle warns of that too, but he gives the same strong emphatic no, no.
We will not continue in sin that grace may abound, because he says.
Verse 16 know ye not that to whom you yield yourself servants to obey his servants, ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. And so we are given to realize that perhaps grace I believe that perhaps grace hasn't been emphasized somewhat equally to the truth, possibly for the reason that there is a certain amount of risk associated with grace, certain amount of risk associated with it we.
See the Apostle Paul recognizing that in these two questions that that are raised here.
In this chapter, but I just like to close my thoughts with saying that.
It's interesting to me, and it's instructive to me, to notice that in most of Paul's epistles he begins and ends with exhortations concerning grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to be with you. And I believe that if we put the proper emphasis on grace, the truth will have a more.
Personal meaning, a more spiritual meaning to us, a greater effect upon our lives. He doesn't say the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, be with you and be with all the Saints and son. He says the grace and I believe as we enter into a little bit, and I've only scratched the surface in my own personal life of what grace is and how it can free us from our feelings, our animosities.
Our roots of bitterness, whatever it is, God has given us grace also grace has this thought in connection with it that I've enjoyed that he giveth more grace when when we're a little shy on this.
Possession. God can give us more of it. He give us more grace. Isn't that isn't that wonderful? Our God loves to give us a little bit more grace. In fact, it's something that even children can grow in. Grow what Peter tells us to grow in grace and in the knowledge grace comes first.
Grace comes first to grow in grace and grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know Mephibosheth is an example. I believe in the Old Testament of David acting in grace is our brother. Henry mentioned it shocked me said that David hated loathed. I believe it was or hated the lame and the blind. Well I've been trying to find that verse. Henry tried to help me with it but I missed the the chapter so I'll speak to you Henry a little later on that please but.
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I was surprised to hear that that first referred to. I hadn't just ever noticed it before. Because here's David, a man who has taken power in a Eastern dynasty. And in those days I understand that when one took over from another, the first thing he did was rid himself of all of the past. Rulers, family power, symbols of power, his servants, even that he cut them off.
Rid of the mall as fast as he could. Mephibosheth was one of Jonathan's sons and his nurse. When things started to go wrong in Saul's dynasty, the fibrous nurse grabbed Mephibosheth and ran. And in running he fell and became lame on both his feet. Lame on both his feet. Well, he was living in this place of deprivation, I believe. Loaded bar not just exactly sure of the meaning of it. And David?
Perhaps one day reflecting in his power at a time of power and peace had come to the, you know, subdued his enemies. He said, wonder if I remember Jonathan and our love. I wonder if there's anyone in Jonathan's family that I can show kindness to. Jonathan and David had a great affection for each other. And he called Zyba. And Zyba brings before him this man Mephibosheth. But he says he's lame on both his feet. Lame on both his feet. Well, I just thought of when Henry mentioned that.
David hated the lame and the blind. Here was one that David could have said, well, that's not what I'm looking for. That's not what I really want. I want somebody that's that's, that looks like Jonathan, somebody that reminds me of the glories of Jonathan, his strength and so on. The fibrous won't do that, so I'll cut him off too. No, David acted in grace and I'm not going to cut him off. I want him to come. He calls him by name and Mephibosheth comes and he speaks of himself, I believe, in terms of being a dead dog and no value and so on. David just takes him graciously into his presence.
And sets him at his table. And as another one has said, every day at the table. Perhaps one of David's sons, strong sons, comes in, sits down at the table. One of his beautiful daughters comes in, sits down at the table, his armor general in his arm. He comes in and he sits down at David's table. Must have been a large feast each day at David's table, and then perhaps on crutches out of one side of the palace.
The thump, thump, thump of the crutches is heard. Here comes Mephibosheth. What's he do? Is he shaking and trembling now? Now a beloved, he's experienced Davidde grace. And he comes in with all of those glorious men of David and he sits down at David's table. That touched my heart. When I read that, I thought what grace that that was displayed there on the part of David to bring Mephibosheth day after day after day. Did he have any value to David?
None whatsoever. He couldn't go out and fight for him. He couldn't even act. Perhaps in the.
Domestic capacity around the palace. But every day in grace he sits down. Fear without fear.
In the presence of David and our Lord would like us to feel that liberty of grace. I believe in his presence too. Have we personal value? No, the Lord can do without any one of us. There's none of us that the Lord can't replace, but he delights to see us come in on Lord's Day morning and sit at his table. And he has done it all for us, beloved in grace. Well, I just thought how this little hymn, it's not often sung in our own local assembly. I hope it's sung a lot in a lot of assemblies because.
Grace is the sweetest sound that ever reached our ears.
To continue with the thought of grace and share with you.
My limited thoughts and researches into the.
Worried Grace. And I'll tell you what it was that started me. It was the verse our brother just referred to, the last verse of.
Peter.
Two Peter 318 he quoted it.
But the verse says, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
And what stirred me was the thought, here is a directive in Scripture to grow in grace.
Now when it says to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
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I can understand growing in knowledge. At least that to me is something where I can look into the Word and I can read good ministry. I can learn about our Savior. So that's growing in knowledge. Of course, we know there's another dimension to that too, because the apostle Paul wrote that I may know him.
So it's more than just head knowledge. You might say there's an experimental aspect to that knowledge of our Savior. But grace was the thing that intrigued me because how do I grow in grace, to grow in grace? And I think that's an interesting question because I'm to do that. And so then I thought, well, how do we define grace? Now it's interesting in what our brother Hughes has brought before us. He didn't find grace. He just assumed that we all knew what grace was.
But how would you define grace?
We use that word in other connections. Someone is gracious. Someone is graceful.
Grace is a lovely word. It just flows off your tongue and we talk about the various graces and so we love that word. It's a beautiful word in English, but what is it to grow in grace?
Well, of course, oftentimes the best way to define the word is to look at its uses and find it in context. And so that's what I did, and I'm just going to share what I found and what I found much, you might say, to my own satisfaction. So the 1St place I'd like to look is in the first epistle of Timothy to Timothy, because there the apostle Paul speaks of his own experience and he uses grace, and we often think of grace.
In contrast to mercy and we have the what I consider to be a very simplistic definition.
Mercy is not receiving what we deserve.
And grace is oh, I'm now I've drawn a blank. I forget how we say that. Maybe someone can help me.
But grace is receiving what we didn't deserve. That's God's goodness to us. The example is that mercy may be that God would spare us from a certain punishment, but grace would be to.
But I think we'll see a little bit of that here in the first chapter of First Timothy. Now Paul is speaking about what he was before he was saved.
And we can start with verse 12, First Timothy 112 And I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who hath enabled me for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, But I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And now we have grace, and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundance with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
So there I think we have the very essence of grace. And you might say how?
Grace is connected with faith and he states it here so plainly he says in the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. And notice the contrast with mercy in the 13th verse. I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief, that is acting contrary to the believers and persecuting them. So very simply what I concluded and we'll look at some other scriptures that I hope will.
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Is that mercy is connected with unbelief. Mercy is God's sovereign decision to act towards someone whether they believe or not. And that surely was true with the Apostle Paul. He was on the road to Damascus. He was seeking those who were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to capture them and bring them back to Jerusalem. And so he had no thought of the Lord Jesus. He.
In the sense of recognizing him as the Messiah and as his Lord. And of course we know God.
In mercy struck him down on a road of bright lines, Light shone from heaven.
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And he recognizes divine power. And he said, Lord, what helped me to do?
Then we read here in this portion.
He obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly, in unbelief. That his ignorance means not stupidity, it means a lack of knowledge.
So he didn't understand about the Lord Jesus or the wonderful things that God revealed to him later.
So he was acting ignorantly and unbelief.
And then he says in verse 14, And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundance with faith.
So what I concluded, and I'll save time and tell you right now, is that grace is God's power for us.
Based on our faith.
In other words, as much as we walk in faith, we draw upon the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of God. We do it because we believe, because we have faith. Now we'll look at some other verses which I think may illustrate that if we turn to Romans in chapter 4.
Verse 4.
And this is speaking again. This whole portion is on justification by faith.
It says in verse 4 Now to him that worketh is a reward, not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
So you can see right there that works. We know that's not faith. This is one doing in order to please God. And so the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But it's even clearer in verse 16 in the same chapter.
It says therefore it is of faith. Well, we really have to go back to get the connection.
The Promise, verse 13.
For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed.
Through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of non effect, because the law work a threat. For whether where no law is, there is no transgression, therefore it is of faith that it may might be by grace.
So there it's plainly stated that grace is connected with faith.
And if we look in chapter 5, just a few more verses, verse 2.
Speaking of our Lord Jesus, by whom also we have access by faith.
Into this grace wherein we stand. And we had those lovely verses read from John One.
About our Lord Jesus Christ being full of grace and truth. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by our Savior.
And we as Christians are Christians, are Christians because we have faith in Christ. Grace came with him. My brother rightly said that there was no grace before the Lord. Jesus came truly for man. Although we'll find that if we read in Genesis about Noah, it says he found grace in the eyes of God. And it's nice to think about that. Why did he find grace? Because when God told him to build the ark on the top of the mountain, he had the faith to act on it.
That certainly wasn't based on anything other than faith, as we well know, to build that arc.
And so grace wonderfully connects with faith, and I'm sure now many of you have already thought.
Of that lovely verse which we use so often in the gospel, and I'll close with that, and that's in Ephesians chapter 2.
But you'll see there that which we always stress when we present the gospel.
And it's so wonderfully simple.
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God and we all know that without that expression through faith.
The power of that verse would be lacking. So Grace, and I'll conclude with this, as I found for myself, and I would suggest by the way, as you run across that lovely verse, what you do so often.
In reading the New Testament, grace is a very frequent word. It's such a lovely word.
Now you always think of it in connection with faith.
And so if I'm to grow in grace, I am to walk more by faith.
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To believe the wonderful promises in this book, everything that God has for me, for my blessing. We've spoken in these meetings about the heart of God and His love for us. And even with chastening, the chastening is because we need it. It's His heart of love toward us.
And we can have confidence in that. So if I'm to grow in grace, I believe I have to walk by faith. And we have. In fact, I want to read this verse. It's in John one.
But it's another verse about Grace Air, which our brother didn't read.
And I want to read it carefully.
Well, he did quote verse 17. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
And verse 16 and of His fullness have we all received.
And grace for grace. And we know that should be grace upon grace. But this means the more I walk by faith, the more the power of God is for me, the more I can draw upon it. So for me, the growing grace is to walk by faith.
And I believe that the grace of our God for us is vast and endless. It's just a challenge to us to draw upon that grace by walking by faith. A very familiar scripture to all of us, I'm sure.
Verse 11.
Luke 17 verse 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off, And they lifted up their voice, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priest. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
Jesus answered Jesus answering said were there not ten cleansed? But where are the 9? There are not found that return to give glory to God save this stranger. He was a Samaritan. We're all Samaritans.
With everyone in this room that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ has been cleansed by the precious blood.
We're all Samaritans. We're all, we were all sinners.
Were there not ten cleansed? How many of the 10 are sitting in this room tonight? This afternoon?
How many of the 10 are sitting in this room this afternoon?
All cleanse. All cleanse because they didn't come back and give God glory and fall down at the feet of the Lord Jesus didn't change their cleansing. They still went on their way, cleansed.
But only one returned.
It gives.
Joy and rejoicing to the heart of God and to the heart of the Lord Jesus, to see those that are cleansed gathered around Himself.
He rejoices it this morning. There were about 1000 people in this room. I don't know how many of them.
Remembered the Lord and his death.
Now isn't that praise and worship didn't go up from all the hearts and souls present?
But how many remembered the Lord in his death? How many broke the bread together?
You know, that's what he asked this do in remembrance of Maine.
Beloved young people.
You've heard in the last three days many precious truths. You've heard much about the person of Christ.
You've heard the truth as to the place of gathering. I know there's some in this room that despise that thought, but that doesn't change facts, not one bit. There is a place.
The Lord Jesus gathers to himself. How could he do otherwise? He gathers.
To himself.
If you know him. If you know him.
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Do you remember him?
The man that Joseph the Butler. It was two years before he remembered Joseph.
What about you?
How long have you been saved? How long have you known the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal saving? I don't talk to the others. You know, if you're lost in this room this afternoon, what I say about breaking bread and about the Lord, except you become as a little child and believe it is of no value to you. You must know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior before you can enjoy him. You must, you must. The Lord Jesus could say himself, ye must be born again. You must be saved to enjoy him.
But if you are, if you are, do you remember him?
Has your heart been touched to the point where you've come as this Samaritan and he fell at his feet and worshiped him?
Think about it, it's important.
The other thought that I wanted to speak about.
Is in the book of Ephesians, and it's just this. It's very simple. I'll be very brief.
You can read the book yourself, the book of Ephesians, the highest truth that's in the Word of God. And again I say there's all kinds of thoughts and representations as to how we ought to walk. There's one thing that's necessary, and that is to know Him.
The apostle Paul could say that I might know him, that I might know him, And how do we know him? How do we get to know him?
By considering him, as we had in the 12Th of Hebrews for consider him.
Or consider him in the book of Ephesians gives us the highest truth, the place that God has raised us to.
In the portion of his beloved son and if we want to know something about him.
There are three things I think that are important.
The books, The four books of the Gospels which tell about him and his life.
The epistles that tell about all that he's done for us.
The mystery of God in Ephesians three in the third chapter that's spoken of.
Christ in the Church.
All these things.
We don't need to learn anything that's bad to know the good.
Those behind the counter that handle money in the banks don't know anything about the bad money because they would spend all the rest of their life trying to learn it because they're changing the presses every day. But they learn the good.
And they know the good when they see it. And so that's what we need, is to know Christ.
To know him. And how do we get to know him? Consider him, read about him, contemplate on him?
It says of in the first chapter of John's Gospel of John the Baptist says and as he looked upon Jesus as he walked.
As he looked upon Jesus as he walked.
And that we can do in our hearts. And when he did, it says.
He said behold the Lamb of God. That's for our contemplation. The first time in the 29th verse was for our sins.
Who taketh away the sins of the world? But in the 36th verse, it's for our contemplation.
That we might behold him and walk with him.
I'm not going to read this, but read the book of Ephesians and consider that the exhortations there are like no exhortations given in any other book.
They're not like the exhortations given in Romans and Galatians and other places.
And the simple reason is this, because in the book of Ephesians we're given our rightful possession, which is the glory.
And it's in regard to and in respect to that glory that these exhortations are given.
And then in the 6th chapter we're given the whole armor of God.
To put on.
And the armor of God is supplied. It's true that we need the armor of God for our life, but the armor of God in this chapter is given so that we can take hold.
Of the possession that's really ours. That's heaven.
The Israelite when they came across the wilderness, they ran into a few combats just before they got to the.
River of Jordan, but they never fought a real battle.
Until they got into the land. The warfare started after they got into the land.
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Don't stay in the wilderness. Cross the Jordan, Take possession of that which is yours, which is in heaven, in heavenly places. And to do that you need the armor of the 6th chapter.
Again, I say I'm not going to read it, but please read it for yourself and consider what it says. Consider that the whole book of Ephesians is Christ and what He's done and where he's gone and where He has seen to take us. He's going to. But God sees us there with him now. God sees each one in this room that belongs to Christ in heaven, not here on earth, in heaven, seated in the heavenly places. Will anything take our hearts out of this scene like that?
To realize that that's where we are in the sight of God and that's where we're going to be for eternity.
That will keep us. That will keep us.
John's Gospel chapter 13. I'll read the 1St 15 verses.
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, and that He should depart out of this world unto His Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them, and to the end, or as the margin says, to the uttermost.
And supper being ended, and the devil having now put into the heart of Judith Iscariot.
Simon's son to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands.
And that he was come from the Father, and went to God. He rises from supper.
And laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself.
After that he had poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, And Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not only my, not my feet only.
And also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed nearest, not saved to wash, not save to wash. His feet was clean. Every wit and ye are clean, but not all. For he know, For He knew who should betray Him. Therefore he said, Therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken up his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them.
Know ye what I've said, Know ye what I have done unto you. Ye call me Master and Lord, and you say, Well, so I am.
If I, then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, he also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.
Yesterday as I was going through the cafeteria area and I had my plate in my hand.
And I came up to the lady who was serving out chicken. She looked at me and said, would you like a second piece of chicken? I said sure, sure, I'll have a second piece of chicken. It looked really good. And by the time I gotten through the line and had my chicken and my salad, a bun, and I sat down, I quit a meal in front of me. I started into eating that meal and I really enjoyed it. It was a good meal.
And after I had finished the meal, I was leaning back on my chair and a nice man came along and said, would you like a coffee? Sure, I wanted to have a coffee. I enjoyed that coffee. You know the very last thing that will cross my mind.
After having finished a meal like that would be to get down and watch somebody's seat.
Lord Jesus verse two, supper being ended.
Verse four. He riseth from supper, laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself.
Poured water, began to wash his disciples feet.
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It's an amazing thing. Lord Jesus, after having eaten a meal, didn't stay at the table, got up and watched his disciples feet. And Brother Imbo has just been talking about all the wonderful food that we've been getting here at the conference.
We've been sitting in the meetings and we've been taking in a lot of food. Maybe for a lot of us, it's not digested yet. I know for myself, I still have a taste of grace and truth in my mouth. I have a little bit of Brother Short's message still caught between my teeth and I'm still chewing on it. It may take a little while to chew through it all, but we've eaten our meal. We have our stomachs full.
With natural food, if we sit back.
And have our coffee like I did. Those calories that we've taken in will turn into fat. Let's not let that happen to what we've eaten here. Let's take the food that we've eaten and put it into constructive energy.
Let's take it home to our home assemblies. Let's take it home to our brothers and sisters in Christ and let's wash their feet with it. Let's use what we have taken here constructively. Let's get up and wash our brethren's feet. I was thinking about foot washing and actually over the last year I've been thinking a lot about foot washing.
For the last year my wife and I have been living in in West Africa and it makes a lot of sense there. Foot washing, most people wear sandals and after walking along some of The Dirty dusty roads.
You can understand foot washing and you come home not only your feet dirty, but they're sore.
And the tired and there's nothing nicer to sit than to sit down. Maybe put your feet up for a while and then to take some cold water and a cloth and wash your feet.
And I often do that. I often wash my own feet. I don't believe I've ever had anyone offer to wash my feet. Neither have I asked anyone to wash my feet.
But it's a thoroughly enjoyable thing to have your feet washed.
And I was thinking about that foot washing. There's two sides to it. There's a person who washes the feet and there's a person who has their feet washed. And often we're exhorted to wash one anothers feet. And I think that's good in a spiritual sense. I think it's very important. There's another side to it that we often overlook is allowing yourself to have your feet washed. Very important thing. And in a natural sense, if you think about it, would you like someone to come up to you?
And wash your feet.
There's two elements of it that sort of repulse me when I think about it. First of all, my feet are very ticklish. If someone were to come up and start washing my feet, at first it would feel a little bit funny and I might twitch a little bit. It's not a regular thing, and that's sort of a sad thing. If we put it into a spiritual realm, there's not a lot of foot washing.
And so when it happens, when some brother comes to share a scripture, when someone comes to say I enjoyed what you said, when somebody comes to encourage, sometimes it feels a little bit funny. It tickles us in the wrong way, sort of when we pull back, we had more foot washing and gentle caressing of each other. We wouldn't feel that tickly feeling when some brother or sister comes to wash our feet. The second part of it.
My feet aren't the prettiest feet. One toe is shorter than the other. Have a little wart on one of my feet. I've been ashamed of my feet and if someone come to wash my feet I'd sort of be a little bit embarrassed about the condition my feet are in.
That's sort of the way some of us are spiritually sometimes. And someone comes to wash our feet, to feed us, to give us a little bit of comfort, and we're in such bad spiritual state that we pull back, we're a little bit ashamed. And when someone comes to share a verse with us.
We're not quite on their level.
And so we pulled back. But I would encourage everybody to take that time to wash each other's feet. And so our Lord Jesus gets down and washes his disciples feet. A remarkable thing here.
He didn't just wash 11 disciples feet, He washed 12 disciples feet. The Lord Jesus knew.
That Judas would betray him.
It might be easy for me to get down and wash my wife's feet, but it might be a more difficult thing for me to wash the feet of somebody I knew didn't get along with me. They didn't agree with something that I said to get down and wash their feet. It might be difficult for me to allow myself to have my feet washed by someone I didn't get along with.
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Should think about these things.
I'm not going to go into this and I don't know if I understand it in some of the deep ways that some may be the some of the older brother may.
Peter says.
Lord, you shouldn't wash my feet.
The Lord explains to him that if he doesn't wash him, then he has no part with him, Peter being the energetic man that he was. Well, he said, Well, in that case not only my feet, but my hands and my head.
The Lord Jesus explains in a simple way here, eternal security. Once you're washed, once you've been saved by Jesus Christ, you don't need to be saved again. The brothers and sisters, we need to have our feet washed. We're constantly in contact with the world. It's a very vivid example here. We can see it. Our feet, as we walk, touch the ground in a spiritual way. When we're walking through the world, we're in contact with the world. We need to come apart like we have and have our feet washed.
It's a wonderful thing. I think Peter understood that.
And so then the Lord, after he has done this, puts his rose back on.
And sits down and tells them verse 15 or verse 14 and 15. If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, He also ought to wash one another seat. For I have given you an example that you should do as I've done to you.
Now this first part is the primary application of this scripture, but just recently I started to understand a secondary application and the scripture is so deep and so wonderful and when I first saw this I was so excited about it.
To look at it, verse four, he rises from supper, laid aside his garment and took a towel and girded himself. I believe through these verses here we can see the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can see his life and we can see his resurrection.
He rises from supper, laid aside his garment, took a towel, and girded himself. Let's look at Philippians 2, verse seven and eight.
Philippians 2, verse 7.
But made himself as Jesus Christ of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ laid aside His garments. I believe somebody has written or said He veiled His glory.
I like that expression. I like that expression because as I was sitting in the room here, I was thinking about it. There are many ladies in the room today who are wearing veils on their heads. A woman has hair through glory and it's veiled. But as I stand from up here, I can see some hair poking out from sides of these veils. John one verse 14, we beheld his glory.
Some of Jesus glory was being able to be seen through. No man can see God and live and Jesus had to veil his glory or else he could not have come as man.
He laid aside his towels. He laid aside his garments. He came from heaven. God became man and dwelt among us. He laid aside his garments.
Verse five. And after he poured the water into a basin, began to wash his disciples feet. Matthew 20. Verse 28.
The Son of Man came not to minister, not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.
The Lord of glory, the Son of God became man, dwelt among us. He didn't come to be ministered unto, but to give his life a ransom for many. And for the Lord here is displaying perfect servant, getting down, washing his disciples feet. Jesus has done that so much, so much the more should we.
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Continuing on with the secondary application, Peter says to him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Oh.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Peter was one of his own, couldn't understand him. He came under the Jewish people. They didn't receive him. They crucified him, Crucified the Lord of glory, came unto his own.
And finally, after he washed their feet and taken up his guard, taken his garments and was set down again. I'll stop there. He took off his garments and was set down again. Oh, that sounds like Hebrews. One Look at Hebrews one. Just quickly there.
Hebrews One, verse 3.
Who, being the brightness of His glory and express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, our Lord Jesus Christ set aside His garments, came down, became the perfect servant.
Not received by his own. Crucified on a cross.
Took back his garments and ascended back into heaven where he is at God's right hand. May God bless his word.
Well, as we come to the close of these meetings, I can't help but think of that verse. No man yet hated his own flesh.
The chairs at it. And I think of the Lord's love for the body. Haven't we felt that the Lord has cherished us in these last couple of days, that the Lord has been tender and good to us? And yet we've had Hebrews 12 before us and as one brother remarked, there's quite a range of truth in that book. And we see there an individual pathway and the Lord, he chastens us as individuals, but collectively as the body of Christ, he cherishes. And so I'd like to, with the Lord's help to.
Draw a circle as it is, where the Lord's pathway started and where it ended, and in a practical way, try to bring some help before us in connection with the days in which we're living.
The Lord's pathway began in the glory, and I think that we see that in John's ministry is we see from heaven God's judgment of things on earth.
And I enjoyed, and I've often enjoyed what our brother Danny brought before us in the young people's address at the beginning of these meetings in connection with John's ministry. John was found mending the Nets when the Lord called him.
And perhaps we feel ourselves in a.
Straight pathway, so to speak, where the Lord has cast us into circumstances that we cannot but look to himself in these circumstances. That perhaps often we've had human remedies and human resources that we've vainly turned to, but we find ourselves now in circumstances and decisions to make where we cannot turn to anything but the Lord. I'd like to turn to the third Epistle of John to start there.
And read 2 verses because I believe that it gives God's judgment from heaven as the Lord's judgment from heaven as to what he sees on earth. I just make these comments in connection with John is that John doesn't tell us what to do, he just gives us God's judgment as to it.
In Revelation, you read, John is taken up to heaven and he sees the things that are.
And he says, here, let him that hath an ear to hear what? And so he tells us to hear.
But in a practical way, we don't find in John's ministry what we ought to hear. But I just first of all like to hear what the Lord is saying and what his assessment is. And 1St I want to warn you that there's some very startling statements made in John's epistles, because as you know that he writes with a very simple vocabulary, I'm told in Greek with less than 600 words, and yet he's at the very end. He's mending the Nets.
He's strengthening the things that remain, and he here now says in the third epistle of John.
The 11 first, beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. Is that not our desire? Follow that which not which that which is evil, but that which is good.
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He that doeth evil, he that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. John makes very abstract statements, and they seem very bold and very striking to us. If you read his first epistle, and it's not so much practical, but it's abstract statements. As to the things that are you say, what do I mean by that word abstract? May I use an illustration that was used with me that I think helped me understand what it meant?
Is that you look at chairs and you think of all the chairs that you've seen in your life.
And then you abstract from all of those and you say chair is a movable seat with a back.
You say Yes, that can be said of every chair that I've ever seen.
This third epistle to John and the first epistle we have, let's start in John's gospel. In John's gospel we find eternal life come down from heaven and manifest. Jesus Christ manifested eternal life. He was eternal life and we sought, John said our hands have handled it and our eyes have seen it. And this we saw as we read the Gospel of John. We see eternal life manifest in the Son of God in John's epistles. We find in the first epistle that it's manifest in the family of God.
In the second epistle it's manifest.
Open Mtg.
Open—D. Imbeau, J. Watts, N. Whatmough
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A very familiar scripture to all of us, I'm sure.
Verse 11.
Luke 17 verse 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off, And they lifted up their voice, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves under the priest. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
Jesus answered Jesus answering said were there not ten cleansed? But where are the 9? There are not found that return to give glory to God save this stranger. He was a Samaritan. We're all Samaritans.
With everyone in this room that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ has been cleansed by the precious blood.
We're all Samaritans. We're all, we were all sinners.
Were there not ten cleansed? How many of the 10 are sitting in this room tonight? This afternoon?
How many of the 10 are sitting in this room this afternoon?
All cleansed, all cleanse, because they didn't come back and give God glory and fall down at the feet of the Lord Jesus.
Didn't change their cleansing. They still went on their way cleansed.
But only one returned.
It gives.
Joy and rejoicing to the heart of God and to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
To see those that are cleansed gathered around himself.
He rejoices in This Morning. There were about 1000 people in this room. I don't know how many of them remembered the Lord and his death.
Now isn't that praise and worship didn't go up from all the hearts and souls present?
But how many remembered the Lord in his death? How many broke the bread together?
You know, that's what he asked this do in remembrance of Maine.
All beloved young people.
You've heard in the last three days many precious truths. You've heard much about the person of Christ.
You've heard the truth as to the place of gathering. I know there's some in this room that despise that thought, but that doesn't change facts, not one bit. There is a place.
The Lord Jesus gathers to himself. How could he do otherwise? He gathers.
To himself.
If you know him. If you know him.
Do you remember him?
The man that Joseph the Butler. It was two years before he remembered Joseph.
What about you?
How long have you been saved? How long have you known the Lord Jesus Christ as your own?
Personal saving. I don't talk to the others. You know, if you're lost in this room this afternoon, what I say about breaking bread and about the Lord.
Except you become as a little child and believe it is of no value to you. You must know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior before you can enjoy Him. You must, you must. The Lord Jesus could say himself, ye must be born again. You must be saved to enjoy Him. But if you are, if you are, do you remember Him?
Has your heart been touched to the point where you have come as this Samaritan and he fell at his feet and worshipped him?
Think about it, it's important.
The other thought that I wanted to speak about.
Is in the book of Ephesians, and it's just this, it's very simple. I'll be very brief. You can read the book yourself, the book of Ephesians, the highest truth that's in the Word of God. And again I say there's all kinds of thoughts and representations as to how we ought to walk. There's one thing that's necessary and that is to know him.
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The apostle Paul could say that I might know him, that I might know him, And how do we know him? How do we get to know him?
By considering him, as we had in the 12Th of Hebrews for consider him.
Or consider him in the book of Ephesians gives us the highest truth, the place that God has raised us to.
In the person of his beloved son, and if we want to know something about him.
There are three things I think that are important.
The books, The four books of the Gospels which tell about him and his life.
The epistles that tell about all that he's done for us.
The mystery of God in Ephesians three in the third chapter that's spoken of.
Christ in the Church.
All these things.
We don't need to learn anything that's bad to know the good.
Those behind the counter that handle money in the banks don't know anything about the bad money because they would spend all the rest of their life trying to learn it because they're changing the presses every day. But they learn the good.
And they know the good when they see it. And so that's what we need, is to know Christ.
To know him.
And how do we get to know him, consider him, read about him, contemplate on him?
It says of in the first chapter of John's Gospel of John the Baptist says and as he looked upon Jesus as he walked.
As he looked upon Jesus as he walked.
And that we can do in our hearts. And when he did, it says.
He said behold the Lamb of God. That's for our contemplation. The first time in the 29th verse was for our sins.
Who taketh away the sins of the world? But in the 36th verse, it's for our contemplation that we might be hold him and walk with him.
I'm not going to read this, but read the book of Ephesians and consider that the exhortations there are like no exhortations given in any other book.
They're not like the exhortations given in Romans and Galatians and other places.
And the simple reason is this, because in the book of Ephesians we're given our rightful possession, which is the glory.
And it's in regard to and in respect to that glory that these exhortations are given.
And then in the 6th chapter we're given the whole armor of God.
To put on.
And the armor of God is supplied. It's true that we need the armor of God for our life, but the armor of God in this chapter is given so that we can take hold of the possession that's really ours. That's heaven.
The Israelite, when they came across the wilderness, they ran into a few combats just before they got to the river of Jordan, but they never fought a real battle until they got into the land. The warfare started after they got into the land.
Don't stay in the wilderness. Cross the Jordan, take possession of that which is yours.
Which is in heaven, in heavenly places. And to do that you need the.
Armor of the 6th chapter.
Again, I say I'm not going to read it, but please read it for yourself and consider what it says.
Consider that the whole book of Ephesians is Christ and what he's done and where he's gone.
And where he has seen to take us, He's going to. But God sees us there with him now. God sees each one in this room that belongs to Christ in heaven, not here on earth, in heaven, seated in the heavenly places. Will anything take our hearts out of this scene like that?
To realize that that's where we are in the sight of God and that's where we're going to be for eternity.
That will keep us. That will keep us.
John's Gospel chapter 13. I'll read the 1St 15 verses.
Now, now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, and that He should depart out of this world unto His Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them until the end, or as the margin says, to the uttermost.
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And supper being ended, and the devil having now put into the heart of Judith Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from the Father, and went to God, he rises from supper and laid aside his garment, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he had poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet.
And wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I watch thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not only my, not my feet only.
And also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed nearest, not saved to wash, not save to wash. His feet was clean. Every whip and ye are clean, but not all. For he know, For he knew who should betray Him. Therefore he said, Therefore said he, ye are not all clean.
So after he had washed their feet, had taken up his garment, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I've said, Know ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am. If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, he also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.
Yesterday as I was going through the cafeteria area, I had my plate in my hand.
And I came up to the lady who was serving out chicken.
She looked at me and said would you like a second piece of chicken? I said sure, sure, I'll have a second piece of chicken. It looked really good and by the time I gotten through the line.
And had my chicken and my salad, a bun. And I sat down. I quit a meal in front of me. I started eating that meal and I really enjoyed it. It was a good meal. And after I'd finished the meal, I was leaning back on my chair. A nice man came along and said, would you like a coffee? Sure. I wanted to have a coffee. I enjoyed that coffee. You know, the very last thing that will cross my mind after having finished a meal like that would be to get down and watch somebody's feet.
Lord Jesus verse two, supper being ended.
Verse four. He riseth from supper, laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself.
Poured water, began to wash his disciples feet.
It's an amazing thing Lord Jesus, after having eaten a meal, didn't stay at the table, got up and watched his disciples feet. My brother Imbo has just been talking about all the wonderful food that we've been getting here at the conference.
We've been sitting in the meetings and we've been taking in a lot of food. Maybe for a lot of us, it's not digested yet. I know for myself, I still have the taste of grace and truth in my mouth. I have a little bit of rather short message still caught between my teeth and I'm still chewing on it. It may take a little while to chew through it all, but we've eaten our meal. We have our stomachs full.
With natural food, if we sit back.
And have our coffee like I did. Those calories that we've taken in will turn into fat. Let's not let that happen to what we've eaten here. Let's take the food that we've eaten and put it into constructive energy.
Let's take it home to our home assemblies. Let's take it home to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let's wash their feet with it. Let's use what we have taken here constructively. Let's get up and wash our brethren's feet. I was thinking about foot washing and actually over the last year I've been thinking a lot about foot washing.
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For the last year my wife and I have been living in West Africa and it makes a lot of sense there. Foot washing, most people wear sandals and after walking along some of The Dirty dusty.
You can understand foot washing and you come home not only your feet dirty, but they're sore.
And the tired and it's nothing nicer to sit than to sit down and maybe put your feet up for a while and then to take some cold water and a cloth and wash your feet.
And I often do that. I often wash my own feet. I don't believe I've ever had anyone offer to wash my feet. Neither have I asked anyone to wash my feet.
But it's a thoroughly enjoyable thing to have your feet washed.
And I was thinking about that foot washing. There's two sides to it. There's the person who washes the feet and there's a person who has their feet washed. And often we're exhorted to wash one anothers feet. And I think that's good in a spiritual sense. I think it's very important. There's another side to it that we often overlook is allowing yourself to have your feet washed. Very important thing. And in a natural sense, if you think about it, would you?
Like someone to come up to you and wash your feet.
There's two elements of it that sort of repulse me when I think about it.
First of all, my feet are very ticklish. If someone were to come up and start washing my feet at first it would feel a little bit funny.
And I might twitch a little bit. It's not a regular thing. And that's sort of a sad thing if we put it into a spiritual realm.
There's not a lot of foot washing.
And so when it happens when some brother comes to share a scripture, when someone comes to say I enjoyed what you said, when somebody.
Comes to encourage. Sometimes it feels a little bit funny that tickles us in the wrong way, sort of. When we pull back. We had more foot washing and gentle caressing of each other. We wouldn't feel that tickly feeling when some brother or sister comes to wash our feet.
The second part of it.
My feet aren't the prettiest feet. One toe is shorter than the other. Have a little wart on one of my feet. I've been ashamed of my feet and someone come to wash my feet. I'd sort of sort of be a little bit embarrassed about the condition my feet are in.
That's sort of the way some of us are spiritually sometimes, and someone comes to Washington, our feet to feed us, to give us a little bit of comfort, and we're in such bad spiritual state that we pull back, we're a little bit ashamed. And when someone comes to share a verse with us.
We're not quite on their level.
And so we pulled back. But I would encourage everybody to take that time to wash each other's feet. And so our Lord Jesus gets down and washes his disciples feet. A remarkable thing here.
He didn't just wash 11 disciples feet, He washed 12 disciples feet. The Lord Jesus knew.
That Judas would betray him.
It might be easy for me to get down and wash my wife's feet, but it might be a more difficult thing for me to wash the feet than somebody I knew didn't get along with me. They didn't agree with something that I said to get down and wash their feet. It might be difficult for me to allow myself to have my feet washed by someone I didn't get along with.
Should think about these things.
I'm not going to go into this and I don't know if I understand it in some of the deep ways that some may be the some of the older brother may.
Says.
Lord, you shouldn't wash my feet.
The Lord explains to him that if he doesn't wash him, then he has no part with him, Peter being the energetic man that he was. Well, he said, Well, in that case not only my feet, but my hands and my head.
The Lord Jesus explains in a simple way here, eternal security. Once you're washed, once you've been saved by Jesus Christ, you don't need to be saved again. The brothers and sisters, we need to have our feet washed. We're constantly in contact with the world. It's a very vivid example here. We can see it. Our feet, as we walk, touch the ground in a spiritual way. When we're walking through the world, we're in contact with the world. We need to come apart like we have and have our feet washed.
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It's a wonderful thing. I think Peter understood that.
And so then the Lord, after he has done this, puts his rose back on.
And sits down and tells them verse 15, verse 14 and 15. If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, he also ought to wash one anothers feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I've done to you.
Now this first part is the primary application of this scripture, but just recently I started to understand a secondary application and the scripture is so deep, it's so wonderful and when I first saw this I was so excited about it.
To look at it, verse four, he rises from supper, laid aside his garment and took a towel and girded himself. I believe through these verses here we can see the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can see his life and we can see his resurrection.
He rises from supper, laid aside his garment, took a towel, and girded himself. Let's look at Philippians 2, verse seven and eight.
Philippians 2, verse 7.
But made himself as Jesus Christ of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Our Lord Jesus Christ laid aside his garments. I believe somebody has.
Written or said, He veiled his glory. I like that expression.
I like that expression because as I was sitting in the room here, I was thinking about it. There are many ladies in the room today who are wearing veils on their heads. A woman has hair through glory and it's veiled. But as I stand from up here, I can see some hair poking out from sides of these veils. John one, verse 14, we beheld his glory.
Some of Jesus glory with being able to be seen through. No man can see God and live and Jesus had to veil his glory or else he could not have come as man.
He laid aside his towels. He laid aside his garments. He came from heaven. God became man and dwelt among us. He laid aside his garments.
Verse five. And after he poured the water into a basin, began to wash his disciples feet. Matthew 20. Verse 28.
The Son of Man came not to minister, not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.
The Lord of glory, the Son of God became man, dwelt among us. He didn't come to be ministered unto, but to give his life a ransom for many, until the Lord here is displaying.
Perfect servant getting down, washing his disciples feet. Jesus has done that.
So much, so much the more should we.
Continuing on with the secondary application, Peter says to him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Oh.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Peter was one of his own, couldn't understand him. He came under the Jewish people. They didn't receive him. They crucified him, crucified the Lord of glory.
Him onto his own.
And finally, after he washed their feet and taken up his taken his garment and was set down again. I'll stop there. He took off his garments and was set down again. Oh, that sounds like Hebrews. One look at Hebrews one just quickly there.
Hebrews One, verse 3.
Who being the brightness of His glory.
An express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power.
When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down.
On the right hand of the majesty on high, our Lord Jesus Christ set aside His garments, came down, became the perfect servant.
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Not received by his own. Crucified on a cross.
Took back his garments and ascended back into heaven where he is at God's right hand. May God bless his word.
Well, as we come to the close of these meetings, I can't help but think of that verse. No man yet hated his own flesh.
The chairs of it and I think of the Lord's love for the body. Haven't we felt that the Lord has cherished us in these last couple of days, that the Lord has been tender and good to us and yet we've had Hebrews 12 before us and as one brother remarked, there's quite a range of truth in that book. And we see there an individual pathway and the Lord, he chastens us as individuals, but collectively as the body of Christ, he cherishes. And so I'd like to, with the Lord's help to.
Draw a circle as it is, where the Lord's pathway started and where it ended, and in a practical way, try to bring some help before us in connection with the days in which we're living.
The Lord's pathway began in the glory, and I think that we see that in John's ministry.
As we see from heaven God's judgment of things on earth.
And I enjoyed, and I've often enjoyed what our brother Danny brought before us in the young people's address at the beginning of these meetings in connection with John's ministry. John was found mending the Nets when the Lord called him.
And perhaps we feel ourselves in a.
Straight pathway, so to speak, where the Lord has cast us into circumstances that we cannot but look to Himself in these circumstances.
That perhaps often we've had human remedies and human resources that we've vainly turned to, but we find ourselves now in circumstances and decisions to make where we cannot turn to anything but the Lord. I'd like to turn to the third Epistle of John to start there.
And read 2 verses because I believe that it gives.
God's judgment from heaven as the Lord's judgment from heaven as to what he sees on earth.
I just make these comments in connection with John is that John doesn't tell us what to do, he just gives us God's judgment as to it.
In Revelation, you read, John is taken up to heaven and he sees the things that are.
And he says, here, let him that hath an ear to hear what? And so he tells us to hear.
But in a practical way, we don't find in John's ministry what we ought to hear. But I just first of all like to hear.
What the Lord is saying and what His assessment is. And 1St I want to warn you that there's some very startling statements made in John's epistles because as you know that he writes with a very simple vocabulary, I'm told in Greek with less than 600 words, and yet he's at the very end. He's mending the Nets.
Strengthening the things that remain. And he here now says in the third epistle of John.
The 11Th 1St beloved follow not that which is evil, but that which is good.
Is that not our desire follow that which not that which is evil, but that which is good?
He that doeth evil, he that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
Makes very abstract statements and they seem very bold and very striking to us. If you read his first epistle, and it's not so much practical, but it's abstract statements as to the things that are to say. What do I mean by that word abstract? May I use an illustration that was used with me that I think helped me understand what it meant is that you look at chairs and you think of all the chairs that you've seen in your life.
And then you abstract from all of those and you say chair is a movable seat with a back. You say, yes, that can be said of every chair that I've ever seen.
This third epistle to John and the first epistle we have.
Let's start in John's Gospel. And John's Gospel we find eternal life, come down from heaven and manifest.
Jesus Christ manifested eternal life. He was eternal life and we sought, John said our hands have handled it and our eyes have seen it. And this we saw as we read the Gospel of John. We see eternal life manifest in the Son of God in John's epistles. We find in the first epistle that it's manifest in the family of God. In the second epistle, it's manifest in the third epistle in the assembly. Don't we want to manifest that life of Christ?
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And so he gets right to the heart of the problem, so to speak, of all the problems that we may face and we're going to face and we will face in the past way. For we've been reading in Hebrews 12 about that pathway. He's the author and finisher of faith. He's the beginner of the pathway and he's the end of the pathway and He's marked it out for us. It's not a new pathway. It's one that he has marked out. It's starting in glory and it ends in glory. It proceeded from the heart of God. And that's where it brings us is right into the Father's house.
And he resolves all problems down to one thing. He says, He that doeth evil hath not seen God.
And whether it is with me as an individual or with my children or in the assembly, we can resolve everything down in a simple statement to that he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Our brother was referring to Peter. And you think, you know, we're so much like Peter. Peter was a man of action, and Peter was always telling the Lord what he shouldn't do. And don't we do that? Don't we do that? We tell the Lord what he shouldn't do. And so it was that Peter didn't have a proper sense of who the Lord Jesus was, that he was God.
And when I realized when I'm open the word of God and I realized who God is, I put my hand on my mouth as it were, and I bow the knee and I say, God ever blessed we bow the knee. All fullness dwells in thee is that we just have to bow into worship and as we take up the word of God.
That we realize who God is. It will govern the way we take up the Word of God, the version of the Bible that we take up. It'll take up the way that we interpret the Bible. It'll govern everything if we realize who God is, that God is God and we are men.
And so he says, he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Perhaps you say, well, a brother once said to me concerning Austin, he said, you called that evil. That's a pretty strong statement, warned you. And we see John uses very strong statements because he calls things, he doesn't mince words.
Is the expression of my own will. And so whenever my own will is an activity, and whenever our own will is an activity, as brethren or as man, natural man, it's sin and so.
He says it's very simply he that doeth evil hath not seen God. I'm not talking about a specific problem right now any more than I'm looking at a specific when you use the illustration of a chair that you're thinking of a specific chair. But in general, we can categorize all things into that category. And especially in the assembly, we need to look at how it affects Christ and his glory and his authority. And if we start from there, we're going to be kept them equally guide in judgment.
And if we take a lowly place before the Lord, and we look to the Lord and see how things don't affect me or my brother, as important as that is to the Lord, but how they affect the Lorde glory, the Lorde authority, and what the Lord desires. We've had. Brethren, bring before us what the Lord's desire is, what desire I have desired. Eat this Passover with you till I suffer. He said this, Do in remembrance till I come. How do our actions affect? And how does the course that I'm about to take, how does it affect the Lord's desires? Not mine, not my mother's, not my brother's.
But the Lords am I to come to the place not where I can get something? And we're thankful that we can come where the Lord can, where we can get something. And we've all received something. But I think a brother prayed in the first prayer and he said, we've received much from thee, and we're here to give you. We're here to give thee something. And so we have a clean place where we can come and bring something to the Lord. Well, let's just look now. We've looked at God's judgment from heaven, so to speak.
As to what he sees on Earth, and I'd like to in Hebrews we read of him that spake on Earth and I'd like to turn back to Matthew chapter 18 in connection with him that speaks on Earth.
And then we'll go, and we'll look with the Lord's help at him that speaks from heaven.
Because we want to see what the Lord's desire is for us here on earth. Our brother read First Kings chapter 10 and this morning and it's very lovely to see the order of God's house. And I think in his prayer he referred to that as being there in heaven and to behold that order. But God has a house here on earth. And we read that we don't have time, nor do I have the ability to develop all these things.
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But God has a house, a dwelling place here on earth, and it includes all those that name the name of the Lord.
And he, his son over his own house, just as there are many fathers in this room tonight, have a right to decide what comes into their home and what should characterize their house. His son over his own house, and he has rights in connection with that house. I'm not talking now about what brethren want, younger brethren or older brethren. I'm talking about what the Lord desires his son over his own house. And he has rights that his house be kept clean and there not be that which is brought into his house that defiled that house.
So God is a dwelling place here on earth, the House of God, and he has a body, a living body.
And that living body is made of living members.
But then how do we give expression to that truth? We find ourselves in the house. Second Timothy likens it to a great house, but it's still the House of God. It's still a House of God. But now we find how do we give expression to that? Well, he assembles us. And our brother spoke of that yesterday afternoon about being gathered to the Lord's name of giving expression to the truth. And perhaps there are many frustrated souls here today, and I've sensed it.
If you allow me a personal reference that I felt it for many years. His frustration of knowing the truth, knowing that the Lord desires that we remember him in death, knowing that he desires that his house is to be kept clean. Knowing all of these things. But how do we give expression to those truths?
But we're going to have to turn to Paul's doctrine to see that. And without going into all of that, I first want us to see the Lord's words here on earth so we might know what His desire is. Because I just want to read again those verses that our brother Clem read before we look at this and take this up is in Second Timothy chapter 2.
And verse 13. I'll read only verse 13.
If we believe not yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself.
He wanted a bride, he wanted a body, flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. He wanted that, and he went to the cross to get that and just out of Adam's pierced inside.
There was a wounded side, the bride Eve came that the 2nd man from his pierced side, that precious blood flowed forth to save. And so now He has a body here on earth, and He desired that, and He cannot deny himself. And so here in Matthew 18, we have something that He's desired and that He wants until we get plain statements of fact that our brother brought out. And I'd like to just reiterate them, but I'd like to end this show.
What was brought out yesterday that it is by grace, It is only by grace. And what our brother said is that it's grace is connected with faith. That we believe the statements of God that we cease from man and that we see the Lord and have simple confidence in the Word of God to go on trusting the Lord, that the Lord will provide a pathway for us to walk in.
Let's just look at this in Matthew 18.
I'm going to read this all again without commenting on it, but in verse 15.
Moreover, if thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. And if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if you neglect to hear them, tell it under the church. But if you neglect to hear the church, tell it, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and republican.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
And again I say, if two or three, if two of you shall agree on earth is touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
I'm going to read the 21St verse as well. Then came Peter, and said and said, Lord, how OFT shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him till seven times. And Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 * 7.
Well I'd like to show two things here. And I think that our brother is well established what the Lords desire is, and my desire in reading these is that it is by grace, it is by simple confidence in the Word of God that God maintains a pathway for faith.
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And that in these very verses are the seeds and the proof of that fact that it is not on responsibility. We're going to come to that question of responsibility, but it is in sovereign grace that God has marked out a pathway for faith.
We have much doctrine in connection with the truth.
And I'd like to.
Come to that a little bit, but.
The Lord said, Where two or three are gathered together unto my name. Do you know that?
According to that statement that you cannot fully carry out all that the Lord has said in these verses.
With two or three.
And you say, why am I saying that? Am I trying to be difficult?
We're living in difficult days and weakness. The church at ACT started with two or three thousand in a testimony of power, but now we find ourselves in the days of twos and threes. Does that mean that we can no longer count on the Lord's presence? Is it numbers that count with the chloride or is it grace? Is the Lord going to maintain us in a pathway by grace or is it by numbers and majorities and so on? I just want to show you this is that you cannot carry this all out.
With just two or three, you can quickly see, without me even pointing it out to you, that it takes three or four.
I want to ask you a question here. We turn to 1St Corinthians 14 and you'll find out there's a reading meeting, there's an open meeting there described or and we find the exercise of gift in the assembly. What if that two or three consists of a brother and a sister?
You say, well, I can't, I can't carry that out. Do I give up the pathway and say, well, I'm going to give up now, I'm going to pack it in. I'm going to go somewhere else where there's 150 or 200. I'm going to leave the pathway of the truth because I can't carry that out. The Lord's still there.
Where two or three are gathered together under my name, there am I in the midst. And that's what we want to desire above all.
And in all is to see the Lord, and so it's not a question of being able to exercise the privileges and exercise the.
All of the things that we find in the word of God, but it's a question of going on in faith. So it's a little strength that was kept my word and that's not denied my name. That was a little strength. And so perhaps you may find yourself in a small assembly with two or three.
But does that mean you have to give up because you can't have let the prophet speak two or three? Perhaps it's two sisters and a brother. And does that mean that that you have to cease to function? No, the Lord still has blessedly promised by His grace His presence in the midst. And so we find, as we find ourselves in the very last days of weakness, that we find that the Lord Himself presents Himself to us and makes himself very near.
I hope I'm making my point clear that it is not a question of power and great things, but it is a question of seeing God, seeing the Lord in the midst.
And it's a very pernicious and wicked thing that our brother was saying, this notion that the Lord is not in the midst, and this is not the Church of God.
He that doeth evil hath not seen God. And if I don't see the Lord in the midst, what is going to keep me or restrain me?
My respect for other brethren, I ought to have it, but if I don't see the Lord in the midst, what is to keep me or to restrain me? What's to keep me there? My brother asked me, where do you go? I say I go wherever I believe the Lord is in the midst. I don't want to be misunderstood by that statement is that I go where I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the mids, and where they are gathered to the Lord's name, and where they submit to the Lord's authority. I don't go to independent places where they submit to the authority of the Pope in Rome, or the submit to a group of brethren or they submit to.
The will of the congregation. I don't go to those places. I go to where the Lord's authority is submitted to.
And so authority is connected with the Lord's name and so.
I just may make this as an aside. I don't want to speak about myself, but I was among open brethren and.
Their whole premise is that the assembly is independent, and this is the very proof that that cannot be.
This is the very proof that it cannot be because we see that we need each other and there may be a weak testimony, but we need each other to practice what we find in 18 and 20. And so we find people say, well, it's not practical anymore. That's not so. And there's a testimony and maybe in weakness, but there is a testimony that we can walk in this pathway. And the only way we can do it is in lowliness and humility and in grace is simply believing what God has said and going on in the truth of God.
00:45:28
The question our brother mentioned of the question of bitterness also came up and we see this here that because I believe before the Holy Ghost was given that the question of personal offenses was come up. And I'd like to mention that because again, it touches us to the question of grace.
There was a verse that troubled me a great deal, and my older brethren will vouch for this is it is the glory of man to Passover sin.
What does that mean?
If my brother offends me.
That I can overlook that.
A brother once lent some money to somebody and he didn't repay him.
And he phoned him back a little while later and asked him to borrow some more.
And the brother felt constrained of the Lord to tell him, He said, I can't lend you anymore. You've been irresponsible. You've not kept the conditions of my first love. And then he sat down and he wrote him a check for $500 and he said this is a gift.
Now why do I say that it is the glory of man to Passover sin is that he sought to reach that man's conscience.
But he passed over the question of the personal debt, and we can do that.
Now I don't want to take anyway take aside the seriousness of the carelessness of not paying our debts, but just to show on the part of the one who forgave and went on. And nor am I making it a pattern. But the question is, as brethren, we can go on. We do not need to make every friction between ourselves an issue.
But now let's come to the question. I'm speaking now of man between men. But let's see, as we said in John's brother, beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. How then do we act when there are things that touch the Lord's glory?
I have to admit that often we get very touchy when people.
Hurt us, But how do we? How are we affected when people take up and corrupt the Word of God?
The Lord is absent in heaven and we are left here as a testimony. Do we earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints? Are we careful? Are we moved? We may not always act rightly, and we often blame Peter for taking up the sword of the sword of the flesh and cutting off the high priest's servant's ear. But he had a right motive. He was moved. He's had to stand up and act and said you've taken him with wicked hands and he was moved by that. Are we unmoved when God's given His word and man corrupts it?
Are we unmoved when people teach?
Denying the eternal sonship of Christ and denying doctrines, denying the Lord's desire, He went to the cross to have Him for Himself, a bride, a body, bone of his bone, and flesh of His flesh. And that we might be gathered together as one here on earth. And when men teach, well, you can go wherever you want. The Lord is in the midst everywhere. Are we unmoved by that? I'm not talking about how we feel between each other, but how does it touch the Lord's desires towards us? Are we willing to offer anything back to the Lord to fulfill the Lord's desire that the Lord desires that we should be one and that we should go on in submission to His Word.
And so you see, it's not as how it affects me or affects my family or affects somebody that I like, but how does it affect and touch the Lord. And we need to be moved by that. And I don't say this to be contentious, but I believe that if we really look at this question and we really examine in our hearts as to how does these things touch the Lord's glory, the Lord's desire, the Lord's authority, then will be kept.
But as to those personal things, we can forgive 70 * 7 And I don't believe we should forgive unless there's confession. But we can Passover things, and we can leave them and let the Lord take care of them. And Mr. Darby once said, and I believe that it's correct, that in a day of weakness much is made about the way in which a thing is done rather than what is done. And I think that if we examine the what is done as touching the Lord's glory and the Lord's authority and the Lord's desire that His people to be together in one place.
That our judgments will be formed to write.
Well, I've strayed now into I believe and I realized that I'm not perfectly clear when I speak, but into what Pauls doctrine is. Because we have the Lorde desire and I believe that we see that it can only be maintained in grace and in a day of weakness. Whether two or three sisters in a place alone, or whether a brother and two sisters, or whether 200 or whether 400 is only by simply believing the word of God as her brother said yesterday.
00:50:22
Grace and faith are connected, but for by grace are you saved through faith.
And so it was grace that saved us, and it's grace that will keep us. And faith.
He that has received this testimony is set to a seal that God is true, but God be true in every man a liar.
But then we come back in the full circle in Hebrews chapter 12. If they refuse not him that's fake on earth is that now we have the Lord speaking from heaven and this is Pauls ministry and I don't have an opportunity to develop obviously all of Paul's ministry this afternoon and I.
Don't want to simply give an exhortation empty without any instruction. We can often encourage people to cling on to the truth and they don't know what they're supposed to cling on to. But we need to get into the word of God and to see what the instruction of Paul's ministry, which is the Lord speaking from heaven is as to what to do, how to carry out now, how to practically carry on with what he said, Follow that which is good.
Don't do what's evil. We need Paul's doctrine.
And it's not just a bunch of secondary things. They're important because that is how.
God maintains order in His house.
And it's not a question, I trust that, of love. If there's no love, then really there's not much. But you know, there can be all the love in the world in a home, but if there's no order, it's confusion. You ever been in a home like that? Mine is like that. Sometimes I love my children. Disorder. It's confusion. And the same is true in the assembly. Brethren may love each other, but if there's not godly order, then it's just confusion. And there's no way to give expression to the love. You see a brother and a schism or a heresy has come in and the brother kind of turns the other way. There's feelings, there's bitterness, and there's love there, but there's no way to give expression to it because there's not godly order. We've not followed out. What?
Paul's ministry takes us back up to heaven to tell us what is the fellowship of the mystery and to know what the height. Let's look at that in Ephesians chapter 2 because I.
Want to bind these thoughts together?
Or Ephesians chapter 3.
Without commenting on all of them, but just to bring us here is Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 7, whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God-given unto me by the effectual working of his power 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 known, and to make all men see. What is the fellowship of the mystery.
From the beginning of the world that he hath hidden God with created all things by Jesus Christ, and then just coming down here.
To verse 18.
Verse 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the bread, and the length, and the depth and the height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge that.
Ye may be filled with all the fullness of God. So he wants us to know what is the height and the breadth and the depth of the love of God. And so it is in Paul's ministry that he's going to bring us in to see the fullness of this and how to practically give expression to this wonderful truth that we find.
And to practically carry out, even in a question of judgment as to what John appraises to be the last state of the church in Revelation are there in John's epistle.
Do you understand what we're getting at? I just trust that we do. Is that.
The pathway can only be a question of grace. It's not simply a question of keeping upon the Saints of God the responsibilities. You should remember the Lord in his death.
00:55:03
You should do this and you should do that. That's true.
And we all realize that. And it's not just us here that realizes that. The Baptist friend that I go to work with, he realizes that there's one body, but he can't give expression to that truth.
The open brethren place where I left, they believed that that there's one body, but they can't give expression to that truth. And I don't want to name names to to embarrass any, but they're dear people of God. But you can't give expression to that. And so now we need the truths of Paul's ministry and all of Paul's ministry to maintain us in that truth so that within this House of God, the dwelling place of God that includes everyone that names the name of the Lord that there might be a company that.
Might be gathered to the Lord, and there might be a clean place where the Lord can enjoy his own desires.
Now where there is not that, and I might just conclude by that coming back to Hebrews chapter 12, is that there is chastening with us as individuals, and the Lord brings us into a narrow spot so that we have to look back to Himself.
And I think we've had that very clearly before us in these meetings that we pick up the.
Hands that hang down, so to speak, and we get the word of God open. We look into the Word of God.
We look to the truth of God to keep us, and we look most of all to the Lord.
So we might be directed in a right pathway.
Sanctify them through Thy.
Truth by word is true, and that is what's going to bind us together, and that's what's going to cause us to go on together.
But beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good and let us in everything look and see how matters touch the Lords glory. And then we have to go and we have to look in Paul's doctrine to see how that's carried out. And many of us who are younger and I my little talk here this afternoon is very much evidence of the fact is that we've been neglectful of really getting into Paul's doctrine that we might be able to set it forth as clearly as we ought to.
And that is why that God has given, as our brother spoke of, guides and elders in the assembly, that they might keep the charge.
And that there might be security and safety, and that the testimony might go on, but let us just look to the Lord very much to go on for Himself to follow that which is good, and may we go on together for Himself until He comes for us.
"Endure to the End, Matthew 24"