Chicago Conference: 2005
Table of Contents
2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Reading
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172.
Will teach us more of thy blessed ways thou holy.
Of God 172.
Oh, Gee, oh.
Praise God.
Could we also sing the last two verses of number two, 25225 versus 4 and five? What air thou deniest? Oh, give us thy grace.
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Read a few verses.
In verse and Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 45.
Verse 5.
And seekest thou great things for thyself?
Seek them not.
In the book of Psalms.
Psalm 34.
And verse 3.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name. Together I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
And invert and Chapter 27, Psalm 27.
Verse 4.
One thing if I desire to the Lord, that will I seek out.
That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord is too quiet in this temple.
Prayer Meeting two different portions out of Second Corinthians, Chapter 4.
Were read in.
One we have.
God having a message for us and Satan opposing it.
To keep us from entering into that which God has for us. And in the end we of that same chapter we have a contrast between temporal things or present things and eternal things. And I would suggest that perhaps would be the mind of the Lord for us to consider that chapter.
That's very good, brother Dawn. I had exactly the same thought. You took the words practically out of my mouth, so.
I would just add an Amen to that.
Chops together.
2nd Corinthians chapter 4 beginning at verse one.
Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commanding ourselves to every man's conscience.
In the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves.
But Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants, for Jesus sake, for God who commanded the light to shine our darkness.
Hath shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
That the Excellency of the Power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair.
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Persecuted but not forsaken.
Cast down but not destroyed, always the bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.
That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body, for we which live are always delivered unto death, for Jesus sake. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal plush. So then.
Death worketh in US, but life in you.
We have the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believe, and therefore have I spoken. We also believe, and therefore speak, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up also us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you for all things.
Are for your sakes.
That the abundant grace might through the Thanksgiving of many redone to the glory of God, for which us we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us.
Are far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not for the things which are for the things which are seen, but are the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
What's being brought before us in this chapter begins in the previous chapter, and I just like to make a connection for us back in chapter 3.
We won't dwell on it, but.
In verse 14 of chapter three, we have some words that are spoken about the Jewish people.
The children of Abraham and it says in verse 14 but their minds were blinded.
For until this day remain at the same veil, untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ.
Even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, but we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord.
Are changed unto the same image from glory to glory.
Even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Verse 14 where we started it says their minds were blinded. In the chapter we just read, we have the same thought expressed in verse 4, the God of this world that blinded the minds.
And I just want to emphasize that point as we begin and that is.
It is very possible probable that there are people sitting in this room who are blind.
And if you are, you are blind, because you have not yet seen in your heart the Lord Jesus and who he is and what God has provided for you through him.
The Jewish person who read the Old Testament scriptures, it says his mind was blinded because he didn't see Christ, God's son, in those words, those scriptures and when the Lord Jesus came.
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The only way the blindness or the veil over the eyes could be removed.
Was when it said the veil is done away in Christ, as it were. God opened the veil. God opened the curtains, so that in seeing the Lord Jesus Christ the blindness might be turned to sight and they might see. And in our chapter Satan is working. He would work with every soul in this room to blind your eyes and mine.
To seeing God's beloved Son.
And God, on the other hand, is working in this room to open the eyes of our hearts, if they aren't already.
To see the Lord Jesus Christ and who he is and what he means to God and what God means him, wants him to mean to us. And we trust that by the power of the Spirit of God this morning, whether we're young or old.
God would enable us to look upon the glory of the person of the Lord Jesus, and if we do as it says in the last verse of the previous chapter, God will work in us to change us.
To actually change what we are, that we might enter into the fellowship with God and all that God desires for our good.
Christian ministry is to look up into heaven and see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's our position here on earth. We look up into heaven and that's where we get our ministry from. All blessing comes from that that source. There's a comparison here.
In this, in this chapter with the previous chapter of the Way, Moses went up and saw the glory of God.
When he at the time he received the 10 commandments, and when Moses had been up there 40 days, when he came down the second time, his face shone. His face shone because he'd been with God. It shone so bright. He had to put a veil over his face because the people couldn't contemplate it. It was a glory that could not be beheld.
At that point of time. But now the glory can come out in the openness and fullness in the Christian ministry. And so Paul was one who was caught up, saw the Lord in heaven, and he commenced to us that ministry. And so it is what gives us power to be the function is to.
Get into God's presence to behold the glory of the Lord.
And then from that position we are able to go out and minister, that's the Christian ministry.
It's quite interesting. Here we see we are reminded about the mind. In this case, these people of all the minds were blinded. And then we see here in the first verse of our chapter we see the word we faint not. I like to connect that with the verse we know very well in Hebrews chapter 12. He's turned to Hebrews chapter 12. This will read movement.
Chapter 12 What I'm going to do is I'm going to read the latter part of verse three, and then I'm going to read verse two and three together, the latter part of Hebrews 12, verse three, he says. Lest ye be we read and faint in your minds. It's kind of interesting how scripture here talk about fainting in our minds.
We know that when once, from the physical sense of painting, we know when someone is weary, we can see it on the faces. We know when someone is so weary that they're ready to faint, we need to help them. In fact, often in a case when when when we are weary and ready to fade, we find that we not at our own strength.
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To deliver ourselves, we know one of this illusion often is to get food and water to help ones who's weary. And if you ever been weary, you'll find that you don't feel like eating, which is what you need the most. But here it says that lest he be weary and things in your mind. How many here perhaps we can see that are weary.
Physical weariness we can see.
But whatever the weariness in our mind, I share that with a brother one time and he look at me and he said, you're talking about me. I said no, I was just sharing this portion. He said for years. And I was weary, but nobody knows that. And then not just weary, but stained, or how we need to be careful and help. 11 Another there, perhaps some here who are weary.
Why do you think we have problems in our lives? Why do you think that? There seems to be no way out of our difficulties. We become weary and faint. Now let's go back to the beginning of these two verses and see perhaps the solution is already there. Let's read verses verses two and three together with a portion that we just read verse two, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher.
Our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endure such contradiction of sinners against himself.
Lest he be weary.
And fade in your minds. Our brother just finished expressing that the help we have is from above what we need help. We look up to where our help is here, I believe. Please express it even a little bit better than we can with our words. Look unto Jesus, oh why are we fainting? Why are we weary? Is it not because often we forget to look up from where our true resource is?
Have we forgotten to look here, Look unto Jesus, Oh the author and finisher of our faith are your faith. Are you really and doubting in your faith? Here's one who is the author and finisher. We have the previous chapter in Hebrew here, Hebrews here that talked about all these faithful men of all and the example of it all. It's not our topic here to go into it this this morning, but here, the one who would give the little measure of faith.
That we have. We know faith, Thomas, by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Here's the one who is the Word himself. He is the author and finisher of that. And what did he do? We have to look and be remembered by the joy that he had before him, that he paid the great price to redeem us, to draw us, to bring us into the family of God.
And when we consider him, brethren, we are to consider him, and when we do, the contrary happen, lest he be weary and think in your mind.
Well, the word. Here in 2nd Corinthians 4, we get the same word, and anyone can look this up if you have a mind to. But it's the same word in the original, at both the beginning and the end of the chapter, and it has the thought of becoming discouraged or losing heart.
And the apostle recognized the tendency to that. And as our brother Dawn has brought out, it's mentioned twice in the chapter because there are reasons why we can faint and why we shouldn't faint, And that's why I believe this chapter is particularly important for us today.
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There are different ways of looking at Corinthians, but I would suggest something that I have enjoyed and that is in the first epistle the apostle has to address many different problems, and one by one he goes through those difficulties in Corinth and exercises their hearts, in some cases having to tell them the remedy for it. But finally at the end of the chapter he uses one final.
Piece of bad teaching.
To bring out, I believe, what was really on his heart, and that is a risen Christ in glory, the resurrection of Christ, and all of the wonderful results of that going right on into the eternal state.
But then when he writes the 2nd Epistle, I would suggest this thought, not the only thought, but a way of looking at it, That in the second Epistle of Corinthians you have all the power of a risen Christ in glory brought to bear on the circumstances and difficulties of life down here. The problems haven't gone away.
Just because we are looking to a risen Christ in glory doesn't mean that the pathway is necessarily smooth.
And so he has to start in the second epistle by talking about sorrow. He has to address the question of the one that had to be put away from the Lord's table. And now they needed to restore him. Later on in this epistle he has to talk about those that evidently had not repented of serious sin in the past, and there was an ongoing hindrance in their lives on that account.
But that doesn't alter the fact that the epistle generally brings before us all the power of a risen Christ in glory, brought to bear on the difficulties of life down here. Well, I suggest this chapter brings that before us. And the one thing that is so necessary here that we have already mentioned is that.
There be the looking up by faith and seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The appreciation that his spirit is here to change us, as we have in the last verse of the third chapter, from glory to glory, and that everything down here that God allows in your life and mind is ultimately directed toward that end.
The way Moses and Israel handled the inability of God to come out in fullness was they put a veil over Moses face so the glory couldn't be totally seen. But the way it's handled in the New Testament is there's no the veil's taken away, but the change goes on in US brethren. We're the ones that got to change, and the way is open for change.
And to make us in such a way that we can behold the glory of the Lord the New. This is New Testament doctrine. We can we can be brought into the presence of God.
In in all God's holiness is still shines bright.
But there there is a need for change practically in US and then when that change takes place.
Why our lives become a demonstration or a light that shines out as it describes a little later in our chapter.
IS300 men.
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To defeat an enemy that was over 1,000,000 people.
They had lights in a picture and I believe that's what we have in the seventh verse.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
That the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. And I'm afraid that too many of us feel that the Excellency of the powers in us, but that earthen vessel had to be broken before that light could shine out. And I believe that's true right today, as it was in that day.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels, and what this means is that we don't have any power in ourselves, that that earthen vessel has to be broken, that the Excellency of the power may be of God. You've been talking about the power that's given to us in the second epistle, and that's true. However, it's all of God and not of us. The moment we think we've got any power in ourselves is when we're going to fail.
And when we're going to deny?
The glory that's in Christ. The thing is, the earthen vessels must be broken.
And the Lord Jesus was tempted on earth.
One of the temptations that he faced was Satan presented to him all the glories of this world.
And said, these can be yours, I'll give them to you if you will bow down to me.
And it's that same temptation in a perhaps.
Is faced every young person and every adult here in this room that satans effort is to present the glories of this world to the heart and said, do you want it?
I'm here to give it to you.
And so from the time we go to school, we have all that this world has to offer us, presented to us as as that which is the natural thing for us to see for our happiness in this life here on earth.
And it's presented to us for me.
It's for me my happiness.
My joy, my pleasure, is the focus of that which is presented, because there is in us that natural desire to have for ourselves.
And what's the result? We're blind or blind?
If we follow it.
In contrast to that.
God steps in and he presents himself to us and his glory in the person of the Son, the Lord Jesus.
I'll just make a comment that helped me many years ago. Glory is not a word that we use too often, but glory means the display of excellence.
God displays himself in all the Excellency of what he is, man. In the same way, if he has a Kingdom, if he has something that's wonderful, he wants us to see and enjoy and appreciate something. He has the Excellency maybe of his automobile or his house or something else that he has.
God presents to us the Excellency of the Lord Jesus.
And it's such an important thing because it shifts the focus of our lives from ourselves and our own glory.
To being occupied with someone who is outside of us and his glory.
And until that, you might say, our eyes are opened to see and be occupied with, not ourselves, not something for our own glory.
Which keeps us blinded in Satans.
Play pin if you will, but it opens it out that we have. We're changed because we no longer have to live a self-centered life, The scope of our interest being only this world, but we have opened to us by God to enjoy, to focus on, to follow after.
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A person that satisfies God and God says if you occupy yourself with him.
You'll find the happiness your soul deserves desires for now and forever.
And your life will no longer be for yourself, but it'll be a life lived for me, for God, for my son, and for his pleasure.
Because it can't be seen with the natural eye, there's a constant pressure.
In us that causes us to faint. If we're not sustained by the mercy of God. There's a constant pull in us in all of our lives to go back to the things which can be seen with the natural eye and not continue to focus on the eternal things that God is opened up to the eyes of our hearts.
In that connection, Don could, and I don't mean to single you out, but maybe we could have something on the practical side of this, the last verse of the third chapter says. But we all will open face beholding. And those words, as in a glass, really shouldn't be there. It could simply read we all with open face beholding the glory of the Lord.
And then in our chapter it says in verse 6 the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
You mentioned that it couldn't be seen with the natural eye. What does this mean practically to us?
Not that just the young people need it, we all need it. But seeing there is a large proportion of young people here, what do those expressions mean in a practical way in our lives?
How do we behold the glory of the Lord?
In the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord was not revealed. It could not be seen. It was hidden.
There were types and pictures and shadows as we see in the New Testament, and now we can because the veil is lifted from us. We can go back to the Old Testament and see the glory of the Lord there, but it could not be seen.
Until Christ came.
But God has revealed himself to man in all the Excellency that he is.
And the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and when we read the word of God.
And occupy our hearts with that person as presented to us in the word of God. We see a display of glory, a display of excellence.
That.
Can totally, completely captivate our hearts.
I just want to say it. I've said it many times.
Because not to make a point about television.
I remember a brother when I was a teenager and I went to a conference one time, and at the conference this brother said something that has been the most helpful and profound for my own soul, at least statement about it that I've ever heard, he said. Brethren, in my room where I'm staying, there's a television set.
I have. When I go home to that room tonight, I have absolutely no desire to turn it on.
As a teenager, that caught my attention, he said.
I have in the word of God and in my occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ something that has so.
Satisfied my heart.
That I have no interest in.
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What that machine, if you will, has to offer to me?
I simply presented as there is.
There can be in our practical lives.
And enjoyment and an appreciation of the Lord Jesus Christ that so captivates, so takes hold of the heart that all the things that may attract the natural eye in this world.
Don't compare.
Do not compare, but if our eyes are blinded, if we only see the natural, then the Lord Jesus might seem dull, uninteresting.
OK, to get out, not go to hell and someday go to heaven and so on.
But if God's delight is to practically occupy the heart which governs our practical lives, whatever's got your heart is what's controlling your life in an everyday sense. It's a practical thing. Sometimes we say I got problems with the day, you know, tell me something how to get through today if the Lord Jesus.
Is the enjoyment of the heart. When you get up in the morning, it's going to control the practical activities of that day.
And now God says, I took my son from the earth, and I brought him into the heavens, and I've given him the place of honor at my right hand. And my plans are that his honor, his glory, is going to.
Eventually be that which rules the world, and it will rule heaven.
And he's God is at where? Says Let me show him to you.
And I say, Bill, it's practical. You know, it's practical. It's that enjoyment of the Lord Jesus in the heart that is the most practical thing that controls my daily life.
Two, it's the occupation with him that changes my life. I cannot change my life by myself.
I need a person, I need a power to change me. And God says look at my son, the occupied with him, and I will change you.
This world in the world we lived in, Satan used many tools to distract us from the enjoyment of Christ. We were just enjoying our brother telling us how we need to enjoy Christ and be filled with it. But on the other hand, especially for many of us who are younger here, you'll find a Satan's tool is to keep you occupied. The best way for Satan to keep you occupied is.
Keep you busy.
And if we are not consciously praying and asking the Lord for help, you will find that we will get occupied more and more repairs of this world. You may say I'm only going to school well to find out when you're going to school.
That the school work can keep you occupied. You have to study in the morning before you go. You go to school. You spend a day at school.
Then you come back, you have to study some more and do some more homework, and by the time that's done is laid and you're tired. So another day go on, another cycle comes on and we forget that we have to spend time with the Lord. Then you may say, well, I only have four years left of college. When I get through with this college education, then it will be better.
When I start to work. And then you'll find when you go to work the world demands more and more of your time and you'll find a cycle repeats again And some might say, well, wait till I have a family and then you'll find a Satan. Use that you with a family that there's time demanded more and more and we're often so tired that we're weary physically and we forget.
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To set the time aside to be with the Lord. Oh, young people, look at your schedule. Is there any room you know? Sometimes in the gospel we sing that Emma room for business, room for pleasure than we sing Have you any room for Jesus? Or we know how how important it is when it comes to the gospel of his grace. Now your Christian walk.
Your Christian life.
Look in your your calendar schedule, How much time out of that 24 hours of a day have we set aside so that the Lord would have time with you to reveal more of His word, His love, and the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ? We need to be conscious of this and enjoy Him while we can otherwise.
Who would become weary, as we talked about here, from his word?
The folks that I heard in a tape from I think 1958 from our late Brother AG Hayhoe, and it may be similar to the comment that Brother Don mentioned.
On the cake, our brother HEA Ho was visiting in a large city and someone asked him, have you seen the picture show that was there last night? Have you seen the picture show? And he replied, if you could see the pictures show that was before my soul, you wouldn't ask me that question.
Or perhaps few of us feel like we can really enter into that. But he had something, an object before his soul.
And I was thinking of two verses book. In the book of Proverbs it says keep thy heart without all diligence, for out of it there are the issues of life. And in the book of Matthew it's the light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be singled, thy whole body shall be full of light.
And these are two areas where we can easily fail. We need to guard our hearts more than anything that is guarded, to keep our hearts with all diligence. And we need to have a single eye. And if we fail to have a single eye, we'll fail. The light of the body is the eye. If, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. So the Lord would desire to open our eyes, to remove the blindness and to occupy ourselves.
With the person of his beloved Son.
How do we occupy ourselves with the portion of Christ?
In Romans chapter 12 and the second verse that tells us about the renewing of your mind and the way you renew your mind is by reading the word of God, no other way.
You may have all kinds of thoughts, and being what we are, we do have, But to put those thoughts in the right order and in the right category, you must read the word of God. Do you want to learn about the person of Christ? Read about him in the Gospels.
All the way through the character, the kindness, the honesty, all of those attributes that are godly attributes that are God are there. You want to renew your mind. You want to get your occupation with Christ and read about him. Don't do it just by thinking. Read about him. Get the truth as it is in the word of God.
It's a good example. If we were to take a very brief outline of the book of Philippians, it would tell us that in the very first chapter, the apostle outlined to us that the Lord Jesus Christ is our life. We have to have that before us, that he is our life. The second chapter of the book of Philippians tell us that he is our example of our pattern, so we follow after that perfect one.
In the third chapter of the book of Philippians.
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He made it that the Lord Jesus Christ is our object, or when we have the object we often follow that. So we follow after Christ Jesus as our object. And then in the 4th chapter, as many of us already know, that he speaks of the Lord Jesus as our strength. So when we know that and realize that we have no strength of our own we depended on His, then it would be a lot easier to follow Him.
I believe our brother read before the meeting the verse in Psalms chapter 27. David of oh, the psalmist of all would say he said one thing have I desire of the Lord. Do we want to occupy our hearts with him, learn that one thing? And what was that one thing that he desire of he desired to dwell in the house?
Of the Lord, He would like to inquire in His temple. Can we say that for our hearts? You know, we we mentioned here about Moses, there's something interesting we find Moses, as we mentioned when they came down his face, shone. Well, I believe too, when we occupy our hearts, our thoughts, when we spend our time with our blessed Savior.
The evidence would be there, just like Moses did, that the light of his face shone. So we know that the fruit that we are to exhibit, the characteristics of our blessed Savior, will shine as we spend more time with them so others can be encouraged by.
Could we suggest to in a practical way that there are two sides to that?
On the one hand.
Every true believer has new life in Christ, a life that wants to enjoy the things of Christ, a life that delights to learn more about him. Every true believer has the Spirit of God indwelling him today, that Spirit which as the Lord Jesus himself said, is here to testify of him to teach us more of himself.
He shall not speak of himself. No, but he occupies our hearts with Christ, and so in that sense it is not a matter of exerting effort in order.
To be changed from glory to glory.
As we get here, it's simply a matter of removing the hindrances. Our brethren brought that out once, he said. I do not have to exert effort on an apple tree in order to get it to produce its fruit.
All it needs is reasonable soil in which to grow and a reasonable amount of rainfall, a reasonable amount of sunlight and good weather, and there they are. But he said I can hinder that tree in various ways and so there are hindrances that we need to remove.
On the other hand, and this is going back to my late father-in-law, Albert Hayhoe.
He once remarked, and I remember well as a young brother really taking it to heart, I trust he said, Remember that it takes effort on your part to learn more of Christ and to know him better, because the Lord knows that we value something much more if we have had to put a bit of effort into it than if it's always handed to us.
Without any effort. Every parent here knows that we know very well that our children value things if they have worked a little for them, and the Lord knows that too. And so I can remember, and this indeed goes back a long way, reading about how late Brother JB Dunlop of Canada many years ago in the 1860s was exercised and he said the verse that exercised him as a young man was.
The soul of the diligent shall be made fact. And he said, I determined that if I were I would be diligent in the things of God in order to learn more, and his life bore fruit. To that, as we know well, I suggest there are those two things. On the one hand, everything of Christ that you and I know and enjoy and walk in is of the power of the Spirit of God.
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Energizing that new life in US.
To learn more of him and walk in the good of it. But there is effort on our part that God encourages and likes to see. So it takes effort, as their brother Dave Imbo was saying, To read the word of God to get up a little earlier in the morning. To spend time in prayer, To set my mind, as it says in Colossians chapter 3 on him and on all that he is.
Rather than allowing it just to wander onto anything in this world. And I believe both of those things have a practical application in our lives, don't they?
Add little to that.
Of diligence. And put another word in here, Opportunity. I was thinking of Zacchaeus, the story of Zacchaeus. He wanted to see Jesus, and he was diligent about it. He made a little effort. He went and climbed a tree.
But before he did that, he was looking for the opportunity. And if God, if we have a heart to seek the Lord, God will give the opportunities. And so the Lord provided the opportunity. Jesus was coming that way and Zacchaeus made the effort. He took advantage of the opportunity and climbed a tree. What was the result?
The Lord had far more interest in Zacchaeus than Zacchaeus had in him. And the Lord said to Zacchaeus, today I'm going to abide to your house. Now we've talked about taking time.
Are trying to find time to spend with the Lord. If we look for opportunities and make the effort, he will help us find the time. Zacchaeus spent time with the Lord that day in his house because he looked for the opportunity and made the effort. God is not only interested in spending time with us.
He's interested in spending eternity with us.
The other day we were looking at Romans. It's really striking. At the end of Romans 11, there's a great doxology where Lord Paul says, who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who has first given to him? And it should be recognized unto him again. For of him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. And that's of course the end. That's the conclusion of the whole first half, so to speak, of the book of Romans. For everything is on God's sight. He does everything. The only thing we do is sin and mess things up.
But then right after that, after Paul makes it clear everything is on God's side, then he goes on. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, and present your bodies. We would think there's only the one side. If God's already done everything, we don't need to do anything. But right after that Paul says we need to present and and looking through the the whole last two chapters of Romans is very striking. Everything's imperative. Do this, do this. You know. It has a bunch of different things he's describing. Don't don't think we highly themselves. And you ought to think.
Love one another. So many imperatives. Things we're supposed to do.
So if you really have to be balanced on the one side, we recognize everything is of God, it's all his responsibility. But on the other hand, that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility. But if we're going to gain price, if we're going to enjoy him, it really depends on our labor, our diligence, our exercise to pursue him in an aggressive way.
Question regarding a little bit of what we've been talking about. We've kind of thrown around a cliche.
To be occupied with Christ.
And when I think about that word, or when I hear that cliche, I I think about sitting down and contemplatively meditating on this person on who he is.
And I was wondering, you know, when I'm at work and I'm doing the shipping at ET, if I'm sitting around and just meditating on who he is and I'm not going to get too much work done?
01:00:07
And I was wondering.
What does it really mean to be occupied with Christ? Is it something that we can do throughout the day, not just when we have the Bible open before us?
Well, I think that's a very good question. And I have thought of that same thing of course for some years and I think on the one hand.
Yes.
When we are concentrating on our work, perhaps at that very time our concentration cannot immediately be on something to do with the word of God. But I would suggest that the great thing is to have nothing between my soul and the Lord, and that is to have.
No one judged thought, no unjudged word, no unjudged action that comes between me and the Lord.
Then if my mind for the moment has to be on whatever piece of work has been in my line, I can concentrate on that and if somebody, and I'll use an example, perhaps that would have to do with myself if I were doing surgery.
My concentration had to be 100% on that surgery and if somebody started to ask me a question, which they didn't.
Excuse me?
They didn't usually, but if someone asks me a question.
About something on Scripture in the middle of a complicated operation, I would have to say I'm sorry I can't do two things at the same time. That is very true, and I believe the Lord recognizes that.
But the great thing is, when my mind is free, where does it go? Where do I allow it to go? And what fills my heart? There are times when I am away from home and my concentration of necessity has to be on something that I'm involved in.
The work of the Lord, but when my mind is suddenly free after a meeting.
Where does my heart go? You know where it goes. If my wife isn't with me, it goes back home to where she is. It doesn't take an effort. It doesn't. I don't have to say, oh, Bill, don't look at this or don't look at that, because my heart is there.
And I suggest the great thing is not to allow that which comes between US and the Lord, so that immediately when our hearts and minds can be free from what is necessary in this world.
There is no hindrance, no difficulty with the Spirit of God immediately giving me the enjoyment of Christ.
You've been on the road longer than some of us, Brother Dave. Would you agree with that?
I do indeed.
A scripture speaks about a manner of life, a conversation.
Let your conversation be thus and thus. Conversation really means manner of life. What is our manner of life if our manner of life is occupied with what Christ is? That's what I believe is the thought. And it isn't that our thoughts can be wrapped up entirely at all times as.
Bill has just said, but what happens when it is free? What happens when your mind is free? You know, the early, early brethren says being let go, They were prisoners. Being let go, they went to their own company.
And if you take a cork and put it in a bottle and push it to the bottom of a bottle of water and you'd let it go, it pops to the top. Well, that's a Christian's manner of life.
01:05:02
This world around us.
None of us, I don't believe, are ignorant as to the character of this world.
At our work, at our school, or wherever it is, we're constantly being bombarded with it. You know, the Apostle Paul said that if you had to get away from all these things, then ye needs must be out of this world. So we are amongst the wickedness of this world, but our minds don't need to be occupied with it, Old Brother Hayhoe used to say, you know, the birds can fly over your head, but they don't need to build a nest in your hair.
And so that's the character.
If your occupation is with Christ.
Your minds are going to be renewed. That's Romans chapter 12.
Let's get back to our chapter we're about through with this morning. But you know that second verse. That second verse, I believe, is very important.
The Apostle Paul said he had a ministry and he did, and everyone that picks up the word of God and wants to help his brethren has a ministry.
But the second verse is important that the character in which we have our manner of life is in comportment with that second verse. Just read it and think about it.
Everyone that has anything to do with helping your brother, it's very important.
When Satan offered to the Lord in the temptation of the Kingdom of the world and the glory of them, he was using dishonesty, craftiness, and so forth.
And presenting that to the Lord, the Lord could not and would not accept it on those terms. And so Christianity doesn't need to use those things. That's the way of the world.
But our ministry?
Is in holiness and in in righteousness. And we were speaking about, well, how do you show forth the glories of the Lord in your daily work? And so on. How do you you have to have your mind on on the Lord? I believe that when Moses came down from the mount the second time.
I don't know that he was. I think his mind was probably occupied with the problems he saw around them because it was a bad situation in Israel when he came down.
But he had been on the mount, and they had seen the Lord and the glory, and his face shone. His face didn't shine because he was actively thinking necessarily about the Lord, but he'd been there, and it had its effect on him and how he behaved. And so it shown out by how he be reacted to the situations he came into contact with when he was with Israel.
And so in our daily life, if we've been with the Lord, it will show out in our job and how we do it. Even though we're not actively thinking necessarily about the Lord we have, we must think about our daily duties of life. But if our hearts have been filled with Christ, it will shine out in how we do our job. And we will do our job for the purpose of glorifying the Lord.
And people will see it.
That way we can join the two thoughts, occupation with Christ and living.
For Christ.
And if my heart is occupied with him, then you might say in the practical responsibilities of daily life, it's an opportunity to live that which I've been occupied with we see in the Lord Jesus.
In his personal life he could say, I do always those things which please the Father, and consequently every detail of his daily life was lived in such a way that it was in fellowship with the heart and will of God.
01:10:03
And if we're occupied with the Lord Jesus, we can go through the daily occupation of life.
In fellowship with him, even if it's not in our minds consciously thinking of him at that moment. Nonetheless there's a sense in our souls that we're what we're doing is for him, heartily is unto him according to his will.
And if a need arises like it did when?
Nehemiah, I guess it was came before the king and and the king asked him a question and immediately he prays and answers the king. Pretty short prayer I'm sure. But his occupation, his fellowship with God was such that in a moment of need if Bill's operating on somebody and suddenly he doesn't know what to do, he can say, Lord help me.
And keep on going with that which is occupied, these occupied with, and consequently there is the practical sense in which even when it comes, you might say to the end of the day, there can be a shared enjoyment that this day was spent.
According to his will, that which was done was done as unto himself. And you might say, one can put one's head down on the pillow and go to rest.
But if the day has been lived for self, and then it comes to put one's head on the pillow, oftentimes the rest is not there.
And I don't know if I have it exactly right, but it's been a practical help and I'll just share it. And I believe it goes like this. There was a farmer that was out in his field and he was concerned about his service for the Lord as he was working in his field and he was before the Lord about it. And he looked up and he saw in the clouds the shape of APC.
In the clouds. And he felt for sure that God was telling him preach Christ. And so he went and shared that with someone that he felt that God was telling him. Preach Christ, his brother said to him. Well, maybe he was telling you plow corn.
So it is that we can go through our day-to-day life with whatever responsibilities God has laid out before us, still in the enjoyment of the Lord and in His service.
Time is gone, but just one more little comment too, and that is that it brings before us further down in the chapter, always bearing about in the body.
What the dying of the Lord Jesus?
If I am going to enjoy Christ and all that he is, my affections must be engaged. And if my affections are engaged, then I will want to know more of Him, God's purposes in Him, and everything that concerns him. And that is, I believe, what Paul is bringing before us here.
246.
Open Mtg. 3
Open—B. Prost, L. Renaud, D. So
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Saying #3 out of 30.
What raised the wondrous thoughts? Or who did it suggest we the Church to glory brought? Should with the Son be blessed?
Oh God, the thought was signed thine. Only it could be #330.
Could we turn together to the book of Second Timothy and and read 2 verses?
Second Timothy, Chapter one, first of all.
Second Timothy. Chapter One.
And verse 15.
This thou knowest.
That all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
Of whom are for jealous and homogeneous.
And then going down to the second chapter and justice the first verse.
Thou therefore, my son.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
00:05:06
We could read many other verses, but these will do to bring before us what I have on my heart.
Something that has exercised me greatly over the last while.
And that is that in these last days the Lord would bring before us on the one hand.
The greatness of the ruin that has come into the Church of God as to its outward testimony.
But on the other hand, the greatness of the faithfulness of God in spite of that.
I would suggest that those are two truths which need to be very deeply understood and taken into our souls.
But on the other hand that need to be kept in balance.
First of all, let's talk about the first verse we read. All they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
Trying to imagine, if you can, the feelings of the beloved Apostle Paul as he wrote those words here he was, toward the end of his life, an old man. As he says later on in the epistle, he calls himself Paul the Aged.
And he had devoted his life ever since he had been struck down there on the road to Damascus.
I say again, he had devoted his life to the entire in service of the Lord. I suppose none in the history of the Church was more diligent than he, both in preaching the gospel and in presenting the truth. None was more energetic than he in seeking to do what we have had before us in our readings. And that is to exemplify in himself as an earthen vessel, that light, that treasure.
Which God had put in it.
And here he is at the end of his life.
Shut up in prison.
Probably this was not the hired house that is mentioned at the end of the book of the Acts, where he spent two full years under what we would call house arrest. Probably this was a real prison with all of the discomforts that went with it. And he knows that he is not going to be released. And he says in the later part of the latter part of this epistle, I am now ready to be offered up.
And yet here he has to write to his beloved son in the faith, and say, all they which are in Asia be turned away from me. What a difference to what he had written to the Corinthians when he could say, The churches, the assemblies of Asia salute you.
But now he has to say they're all turned away from me.
We all know what he meant, I trust. It wasn't that they had given up Christianity, it wasn't that they had gone back to paganism or something like that. No, rather I believe it was that.
They still call themselves Christians, but the precious truth that Paul had preached to them, they were turning away from.
And we know where it all ended.
I will remember many years ago our brother Clifford Brown of Des Moines ministering.
Along something of these same lines.
And he used the analogy of a company that is going to try and sell stock.
On the stock market and how that there is always a prospectus which goes with that stock that a wise buyer will look very carefully into before he buys that stock.
I don't own stock, so I don't know much about that, but those who know and understand such things say that you are an absolute fool to buy any stock unless you have carefully read the prospectus.
And he went on to say, would you invest in a company? Would you buy the stock in a company where the prospectus guarantee that the company was going to be a failure? Oh, of course not. And yet, what does Paul say, even as far back as the 20th chapter of Acts, when speaking to the Ephesian elders, those who perhaps had received the highest truth?
00:10:24
That God ever gave to man. Maybe not at that point in that sense, because it was later that he wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians, but I don't doubt but what he had communicated it to them orally.
And again I say, what does he say to those elders? He says I know that after my departure grievous wolves shall come in, not sparing the flock.
And then worst of all, he says also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things, seeking to draw away disciples after them. And then he warned them. And he said, I've been warning you for three years, night and day, because I know this is going to happen. We all know that it did happen.
We all know that very shortly after the apostles had gone to be with the Lord, there was a giving up of the precious truth that He had given them. Very quickly a hierarchy developed among believers, and we all know how that that historically eventually led to Christianity being the recognized religion of the Roman Empire and Christians being in places of prominence and authority and responsibility.
And then eventually that hierarchy developed into a system that not only worked with the world, but literally ruled the world.
And the world passed into what are known today even as the Dark Ages.
We are thankful to be at the end of that dispensation of grace and God to have granted some recovery.
What a privilege that is.
How thankful we should be that right at the end, God was pleased by His Spirit to work in the hearts of His own, some of His own, to bring back that precious truth which, at least in a large extent, had been lost for all of those centuries.
I do not say that there were not those who appreciated. I have no doubt that there were.
And some of you perhaps have heard me say this before, but it bears repeating.
That is far back. I believe this took place in 1546.
Where there was a man in Saint Andrews, Scotland by the name of George Wishart, who was condemned to be burned at the stake for his faith in Christ. He was a good friend of John Knox, whose name is somewhat better known, and they were in the forefront of the Reformation.
And he was condemned there.
By a high authority in the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Beaton, to be burned at the state for his faith.
The soldiers that were compelled to carry out that sentence could hardly bring themselves to do it.
And the captain of those soldiers was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, but he had to obey orders.
But he went to George Wishart the morning of.
And said to him in prison, he said, have you got any last request, anything I can do for you within reason, within my power?
Tell me.
And I'll see what I can do.
I can hardly believe George Wishart's answer and yet I can. He thought for a few moments and he said.
If you can manage it, he said. Get a few of the believers together in this town that are well known to you and to me.
And give us the privilege of breaking bread for one last time.
An eyewitness.
Said it was the most wonderful experience he had ever had. How much did George Wishart understand the truth of the one body? I don't know.
How much did he understand the truth that so many here in this room are familiar with? I don't know.
00:15:01
But an eyewitness who was present there said to break bread with a man who was going to be in with Christ in a few hours was the most moving experience they had ever been at, so that God had his testimony.
But let's not forget the greatness of the rule. And does that mean?
That we can forget about the rule? No, the ruling has taken place and it is a principle in the ways of God that when man fails in something that God has committed to him, God never restores it in the same character as it was at the beginning. I should rephrase that.
I shouldn't say he doesn't restore it in the same character, although I guess that would be an accurate word after all. But he doesn't restore it in the same power as it was at the beginning.
The ruin is there and we have to recognize it.
Well, remember a few years ago a dear brother in Christ using an illustration to me that I thought was a good one.
He said, suppose that I and my wife are both Christians.
And we have a number of children, and with the Lord's help we want to bring them up for him. But sad to say, we get away from the Lord.
Both of us get into the world as a result our marriage.
Goes what is conventionally on the rocks and we divorce.
And as a result, our children are exposed to all kinds of worldly influences and things that are not of God.
They spend some time with me and some time with my wife and the situation is not good at all.
But he said, suppose that the Lord works in my heart, there's real repentance. I turn back to him, I confess my sin. I really am thoroughly and completely restored in my soul.
But my wife doesn't see it that way, and she has no interest either in getting back to the Lord or in getting back together with me. So the divorce remains, and as a result the children spend time both with me and my wife. But now there is an added difficulty.
He said when they are with me.
I expect a certain conduct, a certain separation from this world, a certain character of things while they are under my care that is in keeping with the Word of God. But when they are with her, they are allowed to do many things that I would not like them to do. But when they are with her, they are for that time out of my control, and I have to allow her to do what she wills.
When they are spending time with her.
I thought his analogy was a good one because he went on to say when they were with me.
When they are with me, would I lower my standards? Would I lower what the word of God said? Would I let them do things under my care that I felt clearly the Lord would be dishonored by or were contrary to His Word? He said no, I wouldn't.
But he said there would be an attitude and a spirit as I sought to bring them up as far as I was able in that way that was different than when my wife.
And I were still together. Why? Oh, he said, Because there would always be, no matter how hard I tried to push it out of my mind, there would always be the constant reminder. You are partly responsible for this. You got away from the Lord. You were part of the trouble in your marriage, of the worldliness that led to this. And now that the divorce has taken place.
You have to live with the consequences.
He said there would be a totally different attitude and spirit in the way that I sought to bring the Lord before those children, because there would be in my soul a very strong sense of my failure.
May I say, brethren, that attitude becomes you and me.
Does that mean that we compromise on the truth? Not one bit. Does that mean that we?
Mix with that which is not according to the word of God and say, well, what can you do? No, we don't.
00:20:00
Does that mean that I lower the precious truth that is given in the Word of God? No, it doesn't. We are told clearly when there is a giving up, that we are earnestly content to contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints.
But may there always be the solemn remembrance, the realization, the humbling in our souls that says I contributed to this.
Ruined to this disorderly condition of things, and that as such.
I must take my place in humility and say Lord.
I am part of it.
But then, let's go on.
To me, that first verse of the second chapter is most wonderful after detailing the way things have gone wrong and even having, sad to say, to mention names of some who had been prominent in the giving up and the departure.
Here is a young man who has a heart for the Lord's things, who has spent time with Paul, who has taken hold of the things that Paul taught, and now Paul at the end of his life and facing execution by the Roman Empire.
Encourages a young man to go on, and he says, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Oh brethren, isn't that wonderful?
If I had been writing it, I think I would have written be strong in the truth, that is in Christ Jesus. And no doubt Paul could have very well said such words, but that is not what he said. He said be strong in the grace and we don't want to spend the time laboring and belaboring that point, but only to say this, that when he says be strong in the grace, I believe Paul knew that when things were being given up.
And when there were difficulties coming in, that there might be a tendency to resort to legal means and human energy.
In order to try and keep things together. And Paul says be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We have said this before and you will pardon me if you've heard me say it, but the strongest force to keep you and me from sin is a sense of grace in our souls. And we had that this morning in connection with our chapter. Always bearing about in the body that what?
The dying of the Lord Jesus doesn't say always bearing a boat in the body. A sense of the government of God in my life. Yes, there is government in the House of God, and if we are willful and disobedient in the House of God, we will come under that government. We may be very sure of that. But is that God's preferred way of dealing with his children?
Is there any parent here who says yes? That's the way I keep my kids in line. Boy, that rod is right there and I don't hesitate to use it.
Yes, we do. I trust in obedience to Scripture, use that rod on occasion. But is it not so much better if there is that loving obedience as a result of godly care and godly concern and that mutual love between the parent and child? Of course you say that is much to be preferred.
And grace, I say again, is the strongest force, if there is a real sense of it in our souls, because true grace awakens in my heart a motive not of fear but of love, a motive not of legality, but a motive of wanting to please my blessed Savior.
And the faithfulness of God is a wonderful thing.
Is it a day when the ruin has been so great as to be irreparable? In that sense, yes, it is. And I am not suggesting for a moment that God's power is not sufficient to repair the ruin. But I do say that it is unintelligent to expect that to happen in a large way, because God does not act that way. He did not do it in the Old Testament with his people when they failed as a nation. He never restored them to the power and glory.
That they had had before He restored a few, a small handful, but then he encouraged them in every possible way. And I say that the faithfulness of God is the most wonderful thing to have a grip on our souls. Because when that comes before me, I will not be discouraged.
00:25:19
We said that there's a need for balance in these things. What do we mean by that?
I mean simply this.
There are some who take to heart very clearly and very definitely the greatness of the ruin.
But if that occupies such a large part in my soul.
And I lose sight of the faithfulness of God.
What will it do? It will cause me to give up.
Is this anything new?
Brethren, it's not new.
Yesterday evening I pulled a book off the shelf which I had read before at Brother Don Rules Home.
I hadn't read it for some time.
Some may know the book well The Days of My Pilgrimage by Mrs. Willis.
Very interesting because she lived for many years of her life in Ontario, Canada, where I live, and she mentions a lot of names that go back a long way in some of the assemblies up there.
But what I couldn't help but noticing, if I may mention.
Something that she said.
She mentioned a division amongst the people of God that was looming under the on the horizon.
In 1889 and 1890.
And she talks about coming to the meeting after the difficulties came to a head.
And saying how that so many of her dearest friends.
Went in a different direction.
But then she went on to say, and she named a family.
And she says they went back to the Church of England, which in the United States you would know as the Episcopal Church.
And another family went in another direction and someone else went in another direction. And she said during the breaking of bread, she shed tears through the whole time because there were so many empty seats.
She felt the ruin.
But there can be such an overwhelming sense of the rule.
That I give up, I say I don't. There's nowhere I can go and really have a sense of the Lord's presence anymore.
There's nowhere I can go where I can have a sense.
That the Lord is gathering there on the ground of the one body.
You just have to go wherever you can, wherever you can feel comfortable.
And some are doing that.
They lose sight of the faithfulness of God and brethren in understanding and appreciating the greatness of the rule.
We also need to remember the faithfulness of God, because the faithfulness of God will give me to say.
Whatever the ruin, Christ is the same, whatever others may do.
He calls upon me to act in obedience to His Word.
Dear Mr. Woodrow made a remark, and by the way, he was the author of the hymn that our brother gave out. What raised the wondrous thought, or who did it suggest wonderful him. He made a remark which I have never forgotten. He said if every other believer on the face of this earth were living in a careless way, he said that would be no reason for me to go along with them.
But I don't believe the Lord will ever bring us to that. There will always be the with them of the second chapter here in verse 22 That call on the Lord out of a Pure heart. And by God's grace, I believe the Lord will preserve that opportunity.
Is it going to take spiritual energy to be there? Yes, it is. Is it going to mean perhaps going on since some rough water sometimes? Yes, it may. But the faithfulness of God is a wonderful thing.
Suppose, on the other hand, though, that I really do understand and appreciate the faithfulness of God.
00:30:08
And it has such a grip on my soul.
That perhaps I lose sight of the greatness of the ruin that will have a bad effect in the other direction.
We would all admit that the House of Christendom, according to this same second chapter of Second Timothy, has become a great house.
It's a great house because it is full of a mixture of empty profession.
And reality.
It is also full of those who are going on well, but those who are guilty of bad practices and sinful lives.
It is full of those who teach good doctrine, sad to say.
It is full, too, with those who teach bad doctrine.
It has vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor.
But there can arise the thought, if I lose sight of the greatness of the ruin.
That yes, the Great House is indeed like that.
But thank God there's one little corner where everything is done right. And by implication, thank God that's where I am.
Old Brethren.
We perhaps wouldn't stand up and say it, but do we think it sometimes?
The faithfulness of God we can lay hold of the faithfulness of God.
And use it.
In the very way that was being condemned this morning to lend credit and distinction to ourselves.
And if that happens, God is going to have to remind us in a very forcible way of the greatness of the ruin and that we are part of it. Now, again, I don't want to be misunderstood. Does that mean that we compromise on the truth of God? Not by any means. Does that mean that we pretend that it doesn't much matter where we go or what we do? Within certain limits, we would say no, it does not. The Scripture does not say that.
If God has set before us His precious Word, oh how much need there is for faithfulness in it.
But let us remember.
I can't put it any other way than someone did many, many years ago. And some will recognize the source of this. I'm not going to say where it came from.
But he made this remark.
And I can't quote it word for word, but at the substance of it was this, he said. Wherever in these last days there is an attempt to set up and display the position and the unity, there will be nothing but a mess and a failure.
He went on to say, God will not take that place with us. In order to have his strength, we must be in the place of his mind, and that is in the recognition of the ruin of the church. Now he went on to say that when that ruin is recognized, and when we humble ourselves before God and take that place, oh, then we find that his Spirit is still here.
Then we find that all of the precious truths that Paul taught and others are still applicable. Then we find, as we have emphasized, that the faithfulness of God.
Is there and that the Lord says be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Then we find that there is literally no limit to the blessing that God can give.
As long as we are admitting where we are.
And he gets the glory for it.
But as was remarked this morning, He will not give His glory to another. And if there is any thought in our souls, look at the great things that we have done, look at the wonderful testimony that has been raised up.
The Lord is not going to allow that thought. He's not going to allow that attitude and spirit.
00:35:06
And so I say again.
May we remember both of these things and keep them both before our souls. On the one hand, let us not forget and gloss over the greatness of the ruin that has come in, otherwise the Lord may have to remind us of it in a forcible way. But on the other hand.
Let us never lose sight of the faithfulness of God in the midst of that ruin.
In the midst of the failure that has come in and the wonderful privilege that you and I.
Can have and any believer can have in these last days of answering.
To what the Lord has given in His word, and seeking by grace to keep His word and not deny His name.
With the Lord's help, I'd like to say a few words, about four words.
Believing.
Remembering.
Baptism.
And growing.
For the two first 2 words, I'd like to read a few verses in Acts 16.
This story.
Was brought before me when we were talking a little earlier this afternoon about how important believing is and how solemn unbelief is.
Perhaps the greatest sin is that sin of unbelief.
And so here at midnight.
In Acts 16.
And verse.
31.
Well, let's go back to 28. But Paul cried with a loud voice saying, Do thyself no harm.
For we are all here.
Then he called for a light.
And sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said.
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized, He and all his straightway.
Well, what a wonderful thing it is.
To believe.
To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to know our sins forgiven.
Never to be lost again.
Eternal life through Jesus Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. So they believe.
And isn't it something?
That.
Before the night was over.
The same hour of the night.
Wash their stripes and was baptized.
What a wonderful thing.
We were often told that to be baptized was like putting on the uniform.
I well remember when we from Haskell County left for the service and and we went into Des Moines and.
We were sworn in the Army and we got a uniform and put it on.
Well, you know, a few days later I was flying to Fort Sam Houston and somebody said you must be newly in the Army.
And I was kind of struck by that, but it kind of spoke to me because I noticed that there were sharper guys who had worn that Armory uniform longer than I had, and it spoke to my heart.
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Yeah. And that's why I want to speak a little bit about growing later, but.
Put on that uniform, go into death.
The identified into death with our Lord. What a privilege in this scene for you and I. I say it to young people. I say it to everyone. This was the whole house. They were baptized. Now I'd like to go to Genesis chapter 40.
These are not new things, dear ones, but I just wanted to share these things with you.
Our brother said that the breaking of bread was not a big meeting. Sometimes it isn't, is it? But what a privilege you and I can have, and Lord willing, we will have if He tarry on the Morrow to gather around our Savior.
And to think on him, remember him.
When it as well with us.
I looked out on the audience and he really looked nice.
It's a privilege to be here together, isn't it, in fellowship?
So it is well with us today. Indeed it is.
Let's look at Genesis 40.
And see what.
The deliverer Joseph said there.
Genesis 40 and verse 14.
But think on me when it shall be well with thee.
But think or the margin says, Remember Me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh.
And bring me out of this house.
Little farther in the chapter.
Verse 23.
Yet did not the chief Butler remember Joseph, but forgot him?
Isn't it something the Lord knew our hearts?
And so he has given us a remembrance feast.
And he's asked us to do this in remembrance of me. Remember Me when it is well with thee. What a privilege, dear ones, we have. Do we avail ourselves? And I ask myself, is this like a new experience each Lord's Day morning, or is it a habit? A wonderful habit, but may it be a fresh experience.
On the Lord's Day morning when we gather around himself.
To think on him, to remember him.
When it is well with us.
Now a verse in the last of Peter, our brother read about fall exhorting Timothy to be strong. Peter has a little different word, but it's much the same thought, isn't it, in the last of the book of Peter?
Second Peter 3 and verse 18 But grow in grace, be strong, be grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Grow in grace. I don't know very much of what that is.
But I'm thankful to know that.
He remains faithful.
And he would desire that Peter's message would be our message to you and me.
00:45:05
Grow in grace that undeserving favor that you and I have, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aside from His mercies, we would be consumed.
So mercy and grace are wonderful words, and Peter exhorts us to.
Grow in grace. I heard recently about a little boy and this little boy fell out of bed.
And his mother heard him fall on the floor and she rushed into his room and says.
Son, whatever happened to you anyway that you fell out of bed? We don't want that to happen. I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself, but.
You could hurt yourself if you'd fall out of bed like that. What do you think happened?
You know what he said.
He said mother.
I guess I was sleeping too close to where I came in.
And I thought, what a thing?
Now, we're never going to lose our salvation. That's not the thought at all. But the thought I want to convey to you and me is.
To grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
With a few minutes left, I'd like to share with you.
What I have in my heart, we have before us.
These precious chapters of how?
We can live a life.
That we can glorify our blessed Savior.
And then?
So look around and we were reminded there are many young people here. I thought perhaps.
I'd like to share with you, especially to the young people.
That is not how we want to live a life.
For our Lord, for that our blessed Lord actually wants.
To live a life and sharing his with us.
A note, what I'm going to talk about seems to be a long topic and you would have to bear with me and you may if you want to take some note. It's OK, it's not a common topic. What I thought of taking up in about 10 to 15 minutes or so.
Of the different temples that the word of God mentioned and we would only touch on it briefly.
I already see eyes looking funny about the temple. How many temples?
Do we know of?
Well, perhaps I'll tell you this.
There are seven that we're going to talk about South. We have only about a minute or so for each. Some we probably won't go into any detail.
The very first one is not really a temple. Let's turn to Exodus chapter.
25.
Exodus chapter 25. I'm just going to read 3 verses to get the thoughts here. Verse one, verse 8 and verse 22.
Verse one And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying.
Verse 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Verse 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the true cherry abims, which are upon the ark of the testimony of all things, which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Well, it's not really a temple, but is a dwelling place.
We find that God wants to dwell with his people.
I picked 3 verses. The thought is this. It's the Lord himself, the very first a verse and the Lord.
How precious that the Lord, not his angels, but the Lord himself wants to dwell with you. And there is a place that he chose to dwell with his people. Verse eight. He specifically asked them to make that sanctuary. And then he defined a way of communion with his people back in this day, the the day of the Tabernacle of old. He said he would do well above the mercy seat.
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And between the chair rear bones inside that place got a wholly of holies. His communion with men was limited, but yet he wants to dwell with his people.
Man could not come in to see God. The high priest can come in once a year and not without blood. We know that Oh God from the very beginning wanted to do well with me.
He's seeking the dual with you.
He has to provide himself a place.
And then we find perhaps for lack of time here, the second tempo that we know of is probably the first physical temple we know of the Solomon had it build for our blessed for our God himself there that place of splendor. He can go through that. And we even find the Jewish nation took pride of the temple and they looked at that as the national pride.
In fact, like to turn to a verse in Jeremiah Chapter 7, God wanted you out with man, man took God's place and Jeremiah have to say to them a Jeremiah Chapter 7.
Verse 3. Thus saith the Lord, Oppose the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words saying, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.
They were using that instead of a place where God can be in communion with them. They were using that as the national pride. And you may say how silly these people were, but then have we not find ourselves sometimes in situation as such that we are holding onto something that we think is holy?
Do we catch ourselves doing that, trusting in the lying words, the temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord?
Oh deal. Wentz is the Lord himself.
It's not the building.
So here we find because of the unfaithfulness, because man refused to serve and to obey. We know, Jeremiah said. My people have committed 2 evils.
Says they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters. That's the first problem they have been. They have forsaken God. And then he says they went out to heal our cisterns. But what did they find? Broken cisterns that holds no water. We find that man. You know, we said we learn from history. No, we don't. Are we in the same situation today that we are forsaken? There is a God.
There is a Lord that we ought to serve, the one who seeks to dwell with us.
But no, we want to find our ways, so we go and heal our cisterns, and to find that it is nothing, the broken cisterns that holds no water, and the Lord at the same man like Nebuchadnezzar.
The year 587 BC.
Known as the Third captivity of the Captivity of destruction.
The temple was number longer.
How sad.
That's the second temple, first physical temple that was built, and all the pride of man went with it when Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed that.
Then the third temple, we won't turn to that neither. You can find that in Ezra. After the 70 years of captivity were over, they came back. They were able to build that temple at about 516 BC.
We really don't know much of that temple. We know that when the foundation was rebuilt, they set up that burnt offering. We know that when we read off the older one, remember the former day and the glorious time, they raised questions. Some were crying because they missed the glory and splendor of a temple. The younger ones were able to rejoice. I'd like to turn to Haggy Eyes.
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Hegei chapter 2. This is here, the portion where Haggai was used to stir the people up into building the House of the Lord. This is before this temple was built here. This is about 520 year BC, about four years or so before the temple was built. I'd like to read one verse to stir our own hearts. Haggai chapter 2, verse 3.
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory, and how do you see it now?
Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
Notice three questions were raised. Our brother just exalted us earlier on.
And the conditions of the rooms, but yet God is able here perhaps the same three questions we should challenge ourselves.
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?
Are we dwelling in the past?
And how do you see it now?
Is it not in your eyes in comparison?
Of it as nothing. Oh, the Lord has to bring it down to nothing, does He not? As we have that theme of that earthen vessel before we leave these thoughts like to go down to verse 4. The latter part of this verse. The Lord even though hears a temple that has not been rebuilt yet he gave them three assurance.
To what latter part of verse four he said, I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. Verse five, According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you.
Fear ye not.
All three powerful resources he gave us.
He said I am with you, are you still looking and say to yourself it is as nothing.
Oh, the Lord said, don't we are to look upon this, our blessed Lord? He said, I am with you.
How much more do we need?
Then he said his spirit, his word is with us and his spirit is also among us. I got to speed up a little bit. I'm sorry, on this here. That's the third, the 4th temple.
If you recall Herod, let's turn to John's Gospel.
John's Gospel, chapter 2.
Verse.
19.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then set the Jews 40 and six years was this temple in building, and will thou rear it up in three days.
We know that at the time of our blessed Savior Herod, not a man of God by number means.
Build a temple. I don't think we find that anywhere reference to God's temple, but nevertheless it is the temple. Herod 46 years he spent in building this temple of splendor. In fact, because of this verse we can determine the time frame of when this happened. History tells us that Herod started building the temple at 18 BC if you add 46 years to that.
You'll find that it would take you to the juncture at this chapter AT29AD, which is very useful if you want to trace when the death of our Lord Jesus Christ was.
01:00:13
This temple, the Lord went in and find out this temple was the place of thieves of merchants. They used that for merchandising rather than for God's service. God wants to dwell with man. Man turned it around into if you an enterprising place.
So this too was destroyed by Titus at 7080.
A couple more temples.
Going to 1St Corinthians.
And we have to bear with me for a couple of minutes over the hour. First Corinthians.
Chapter 6.
Verse 19.
What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?
Which is in you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own.
You young people, have you ever thought of it that way, that the word of God has told you that now it's not a physical temple that we see with stones?
You are.
Temple of the Holy Ghost.
God wants to dwell with you.
And if you have been redeemed by the precious blood of our blessed Savior.
You're indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
Uh, and you are that living stone that the word of God speaks of.
So here it tells us to glorify God in the body and in your spirit, which are gods.
So now when you walk around.
When you talk to others, when you do things, now you realize the importance.
Of preserving your body.
Before God and that would exalt you to read the verses before that. When you get, when you get, when you get home.
There is two more temples.
The next one is a terrible one.
Man, perhaps some Christians are afraid of.
We know that there's going to be that man of sin.
He's going to be sitting in the temple of God.
A so-called.
And that day is almost here is enough. Brethren, we know that the Jew is going to build this temple for this Antichrist.
We should rejoice.
Rather than be afraid because we know that the end is so ever near and that we know we shall be with our Savior. What glorious thoughts. Instead of dwelling on that problem, we can dwell on that. And the 7th temple. Oh, this one is a beautiful one to study. If you have time, and I shouldn't say yeah, you should set time aside.
From the 40th chapter of Ezekiel on it mentioned the temple that future temple the God is going to raise up for himself and if you will find specific measurements and what I one thing one of the many things I enjoy in that and we won't have time to turn to it. You'll find repeatedly it mentioned there are many chambers.
Built for the priests. The chambers. Whenever I read the chambers.
I thought of that verse that's well known to us in John chapter 14. Let's turn to that very quickly. John chapter 14 says let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If I were not, if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.
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And receive you unto myself, that way I am there, ye may be also.
What a wonderful thought to think and link this place with a chambers. Oh wow, blessed Lord have God.
God, but He has left to prepare the place. Oh, what promising word it is that He will return for us. We have that blessed hope, young people, awaiting for His soon return.
How do we walk? The question was raised and I'm glad a young person was able to raise that. How much do we occupy with the Lord? Oh, I'm glad. A brother mentioned earlier on violence, violence. There are time that we need to spend time because as the brother said, do I think about the Lord when I'm working? I don't think you should. You're being paid to work. I think you'll be defrauding your employer.
The Word of God has that violence, doesn't it? But for every moment, and let me answer that briefly on there for young men, you would appreciate this. Some of you drive your car with a standard transmission. And I'm sure when you drive a standard transmission, you like that little round gauge on that core tacrometer and on there if you look at it carefully, you will see it says RPM.
You know what I'm going to say now, don't you?
What is your RPM while we're waiting for our blessed Lord?
RPM reading, praying and meditating.
You know, just like the car.
When it's too low, you're going to stall.
When it's too high, you're going to burnout. It's nice to remember the Lord. In fact, I saw one young people grew of Gus as far as every time they'll pull out a piece of candy, they gave thanks for it. Is it wrong? Well, I can't say so, but I don't think we need to give give praise to the Lord every time we take a breath. But yet we can go to the other extreme and forget. Oh look unto Jesus the author.
And finisher of our faith.
And him it is ordained to raise the temples that Jehovah's prayed, but most adore his precious gains, his glory, and his grace proclaims #99.
No.
Gospel 4
Gospel—B. Imbeau
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So we started our gospel meeting this evening by singing #7 that's on your hymn sheet and someone start that, please.
The world.
Can you turn with me please to a verse in a book called Micah? It comes right after Jonah towards the end of the Old Testament.
I have a very simple subject before me tonight that will become obvious as we read these verses.
Starting here and quite a few other verses and the subject is worms.
Micah, Chapter 7.
And verse 16.
The nation shall see and be confounded at all their might. They shall lay their hand upon their mouth. Their ears shall be death.
They shall lick the dust like a serpent, They shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.
Have you ever looked around this world? Have you ever seen the things that happen? Have you ever been afraid of God?
Have you ever been afraid of God?
Perhaps tonight you're like one of these worms.
And you know, in this verse a worm is a little creepy crawly thing.
And it sticks its head out of the earth, and it looks all around, and it goes. I wonder what's going on out there. I wonder who this God is that has come in to help his people. I wonder who this God is that's made himself shown through his power and through his might.
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And perhaps you feel just like that tonight. Just a little creepy crawly thing.
Feeling small in the presence of God, and you say God, really, Who are you?
And I hope that the next verses are somewhat what might be presented in the gospel.
And they go like this, who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage. He retaineth not his anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us, He will subdue our iniquities, and that will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. That will perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Do you want to know a God of mercy?
Do you want tonight to know someone who pardons iniquity?
One who passes by transgression.
The one who will cast sins into the depths of the sea.
Well, let me tell you if you feel like a little worm sticking your head up a little creepy crawly thing.
Then keep your head up.
Let's see what follows.
You know, when we think of worms, you might think about all kinds of things.
But I'm going to turn first to a verse.
That will give us some real encouragement. If you feel like that little, little worm sticking your head out of the earth and wondering who is God, here's what he can do for you. Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 41.
And the verse we're going to come back to actually a little later in the gospel hour. The Lord hasn't come yet.
Isaiah 41.
And verse 13.
Fry, the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.
Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will help thee, Seth, the Lord and thy Redeemer.
The Holy One of Israel, the very God who has created.
The very God who has brought life to you. The very God who has put breath into your mouth. As a matter of fact, the very God that holds your breath in the palm of his hand.
The one that wants to hold your hand.
He's the one that wants to help you. He is the one that wants to be your Redeemer.
To bring you out of darkness into His glorious light.
The one who wants to bring you from just this sphere of this world.
And this earth and raise you up into heavenly places.
That's the one.
And he speaks to you as if you're a worm.
But you know what? You're a lot more than that, aren't you?
But let's start on the negative side of things, because.
Because worms often speak to us of things that corrupt.
Things that.
Eat at other things.
A nice warm summer day and in your garbage can there's maybe been some grease or some junk at the bottom of the garbage can. And you know what? You emptied out your garbage can and sometimes what you find in the bottom.
And those and that's what we're going to look at.
Right now is those worms of corruption, the worms of corruption, and many of those verses are found in the Book of Job. So let's turn to the Book of Job.
Job Chapter 7.
I.
Job Chapter 7 and verse 4.
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When I learn, I say, when shall I arise and the night be gone? I am full of tossings to and fro into the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust. My skin is broken and become loathsome. My days are swifter than us. Weaver Shuttle.
And are spent without hope.
While most of us know a bit about job, he really had his problems but.
He did realize that his life, that his existence, was surrounded by corruption and that corruption had taken hold of him.
And he felt it. He felt it. My flesh is clothed with worms, those maggots.
Things that seem to come out of nothing. There was once a theory of spontaneous generation, and that's pretty much.
What gave root to it was these maggots that would hang on to flesh, and they seemed to just come out of nothing.
And it puzzled people. They were just associated with corruption, these little things, wormy things, lots of them. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them.
And they were gross.
And Job felt that.
And you tonight feel your sin.
Total depravity.
Total depravity.
If there's nothing that is going to help you, if you can't escape it, it's like those maggots that just seem to just spontaneously arise in in this stinky stuff and and there they are, and you feel the weight of sin.
The total depravity of man, there is no hope, all of sin and come short of the glory of God.
Thankfully, there's other things than the total depravity. Someone set out a little system and went something like this. There's also unconditional election.
And there's atonement even though it's unto all, but it's only upon those that believe limited atonement.
There's an irresistible grace that is calling at your heart tonight that is tugging at you.
An irresistible grace, and there's the preservation, or some say the perseverance of the Saints. But God will preserve his own all the way home.
Is the total depravity of man the end of the story? No, it's not. Sometimes it feels like it, doesn't it? And Job felt that. He felt like maybe it was the end of the story for him. And so it comes up again in chapter 17 of Job, Chapter 17 and verse 13. If I wait, the grave is mine house. I've made my bed in the darkness. I've said to corruption, Thou art my father.
Into the worm thou art my mother and my sister. He was surrounded by it. He felt that's where he came from. Not only that the worms that attacked him, but that the worms were his origin.
He was down low, he was feeling bad.
Do you feel bad tonight about your sins?
You feel that there's something that you can't shake off.
Something that has consumed you.
And you read all these signs around here that say say no to this and say no to that.
You find you can't say no to anything.
And you go. I need help.
21St chapter of Job.
And verse 26. And here Job is given some thoughts about evil people.
And some of them seem to get along just fine in this world, and some of them don't do so well. But he says that they all go to the same place.
And in verse 26 they shall lie down alike in the dust.
And the worms shall cover them.
And so he had this idea. He knew that if they died in their sins, they were lost and they were gone.
00:15:07
Are you worried? Are you concerned? Where would you go tonight?
If you died, would you lie alike in the darkness and in the dust, and with the worms of corruption cover you forever?
Would they?
Are you without God and without hope in this world?
Where is it all going to lead?
Into Darkness.
And justice a couple more in Job in case you haven't gotten the idea yet, chap.
In verse 20.
The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him.
He shall be no more remembered, and wickedness shall be broken.
As a tree.
And again, wondering about the wicked.
Some seem to get away with things. They seem to prosper in this world. They seem to be the best folks on the block.
And other wicked people, they seem to get caught and they seem to end up in trouble.
But Job looks to the end and he says.
The worm is going to get them all.
They'll all come under judgment.
Which category are you in? Are you in the good guys who are evil or in the bad guys that are evil?
The point is, is that it's evil. Are you without Christ?
Do you live on good side of the tracks or the bad side of the tracks? It doesn't make any difference.
But I can weigh out my good things. I'm balance them out. I'm doing all right. I can hang in there. I can stand the presence of God and I can say look what I've done. No, you can't.
You'll all lie down alike.
In the corruption of sin, it will always catch up with you, and if it catches up with you finally at death, it will still catch up with you.
You cannot escape.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
And the next one is said by someone else beside Job, and it's just in the very next chapter.
And it goes like this, starting in verse four. How then can man be justified with God?
Or how can he be clean? That is born of a woman. Behold, even to the moon it shineth not. Yeah, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less, man, that is a worm.
Not only have we sinned, not only have we had thoughts and intentions in our minds that are wrong.
But we are sinners.
Our very make up.
If we are outside of Christ, if we are without God.
Our very make up.
Is as a Sinner.
It fills us, it permeates us, it is our being.
And we can't shake it off.
People have tried.
Why do you think we have names of places where we lock up people that are sometimes called reformatories? Well, it's a place where you will reform.
Right.
How about places that we call penitentiaries? A place where you will repent, where you will be penitent for what you've done. That's why they're called penitentiaries. How many penitent people do you see calling out to God in our penitentiaries?
I'll add a little bit to that through God's grace and through the gospel that goes out.
The jails, the prisons and penitentiaries where the light of the Gospel is shown.
There's a tremendous gospel effort.
And a lot of folks in glory, when the Lord comes are going to go straight out of those penitentiaries into the presence of Christ, because they have heard the gospel and have believed.
But naturally speaking, the system doesn't work in terms of reforming or bringing about penitence.
00:20:01
Or repentance does it?
And so we have a character, we have a nature, we have the results of our actions, and it's all corruption and it tends one way and it's downhill.
To death.
And to an eternal corruption.
We're going to speak of another worm now.
I'm going to call it the worm of Potential.
And we're going to speak of lost potential.
And we're going to speak of potential that's been.
Put into use.
And then we're going to speak of.
Something that's a bit more than just potential.
We're going to speak of a solution.
And it all comes up in this next little worm.
That the Bible talks about.
And it's a worm that apparently had a particular dye or a particular color to it.
And when it was crushed.
It was used as a dye to dye cloth scarlet red, a royal color.
As a matter of fact, in most cases that word for worm.
Is translated scarlet.
The one that's the potential we've already and used we've already read in Isaiah chapter 41 and I'd be interested in just turning there again.
Not that I'm going to say much more about it.
But listen to it again after we've read about the worm of corruption.
Read about what God can do with the worm of potential.
If I can find it, Isaiah chapter 41.
Verse 14. Fear not.
Thou worm Jacob.
Perhaps you do feel small. Perhaps you do feel the weight of your sins.
Is there hope?
Yes, there is. Are you going to reach out and are you going to take the gift of God?
Which is eternal life.
Do it.
Do it.
Oh, thou fear not, thou worm Jacob.
You know God has not left us alone. He has not left us the fend just for ourselves.
He's not left us to somehow work our way up or to get ourselves out of trouble.
He's given away.
And that way tonight is through the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and he says I am the way.
The truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
But that's just the point. It's by him and he wants you.
Do you feel a tug on your heart?
You say I'm tired of being a worm.
I'm tired of having a very little view of really the whole world that's around me.
I feel awful tired of being boxed in like that woman at the well.
And it seems like the older she got, the more boxed in she got, to the point where she wasn't even interacting with certain people. She went and took and went out to the to the well when other people did not. And her life was imploding in honor.
Do you feel like that the Lord Jesus says something better for you?
Fear not, O worm Jacob.
What about potential that is lost?
Have you heard the Gospel before?
Are you hearing it again?
00:25:03
And again saying no.
Let's add a couple verses.
Another one in Isaiah chapter 14.
Isaiah chapter 14.
And verse 10.
All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we?
Art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy veils.
Or violins.
The worm, which is the worm of corruption, is spread under the.
And the worms. This is the worm of potential.
Cover thee how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which tis weaken the nations?
You know there is going to arise a person in this world.
And we have lots of names for him, and so does the Bible.
And you know he's going to be the cream of the crop of humanity.
You'll probably be eloquent, charismatic, intelligent.
Witty. Knowledgeable.
You'll probably have.
Oratorial powers being able to sway the masses.
Convincing.
He will bring proofs to what he has to say, not only through his speech, but.
Apparently supernatural powers.
A man that has tremendous potential.
But it's all going to be lost.
It's all going to be surrendered to his master, Satan, who, by the way, loves to take the name Lucifer for himself.
Which is interesting. An Angel of light.
And he claims this name.
Even though it's really one of his servants names.
And he submits himself instead to Satan.
And so the worms of corruption will be underneath of him.
But when he is brought down into death.
The worms, The other worms will cover him.
A Scarlet.
Robe that never really came to him by right, never really came to him through the power that runs this universe, namely God himself, but in death.
Satan says this is all you got.
And he'll be lost.
And he'll be cast into hell.
In his body way before you will be.
You might say someone who will have had everything.
And he's brought down into death.
Tonight.
You don't have the powers that that person will have.
But you might think that you're pretty good.
And that you can make your way through and that you've always talked your way out of things and you've always talked your way into things.
That you have money.
You have prestige and you have position.
And if you don't make use of the gospel, which is the real potential that we have.
You'll simply be covered by worms.
It will all be gone.
It'll all disappear and you'll be laid in the earth as a lost soul.
Forever gone and away from the presence of God.
00:30:03
Let's turn to the end of Isaiah.
The very end, the last chapter.
And verse 23.
As you come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
And they should go forth and look upon the carcasses.
Of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm.
Shall not die.
Neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
There will be a day.
That those who will rise up against God and against God's people.
Will be put down in death. That's not the way that things are nowadays. This is a day of grace.
The grace of God.
Is manifests all men.
Will you make use of it? Otherwise you might possibly find yourself in this group.
Those that will rise up physically against the Lord and his Christ.
And be strewn out on the face of this earth as dead carcasses.
And that worm.
Of potential.
Will never die.
You say How so?
Before we answer that, let's turn to the New Testament.
1St in Acts.
Chapter 12.
Acts chapter 12 and verse 20.
Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon, but they came with one accord to him, and having made Blastus, the King's Chamberlain, their friend, they desired peace, because their country was nourished by the King's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne and made an oration unto them.
And the people gave a shout, saying it is the voice of a God and not a man. And immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost.
This man is built a bit like the fellow in.
Isaiah chapter 14, isn't he? And there's others like him, like a man named Haman.
In the book of Esther, they're all like their master, Satan. They're servants of his, and they rise up and they proclaim themselves to be mighty. They proclaim themselves to be like God.
We even have a little word in our language that's God like.
Wow, that was God like.
Oh.
And so there's those hearts that would rise up in this world against God and in this case.
These worms came and ate him while he was still alive.
Didn't wait till death.
He had taken all that he could have surrendered at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he showered himself with the accolades of this world, with the praise from this world, and he ate it up.
And he was eaten up.
By that worm.
That, you say, could have been for blessing. He could have surrendered all to Christ while he was alive.
But he didn't.
And he was struck with those worms.
00:35:02
And then if you turn to Mark Chapter 9.
Because there's the rest of the story.
And let's start Mark Chapter 9 and verse 43.
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off.
It is better for these to enter into life main than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
In the middle of verse 45.
Nope.
Verse 46.
Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
And verse 48 where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
And so death is not the end of the story.
And going back to Isaiah.
Chapter 66, where these verses are actually quoted from.
There are the dead carcasses of those that have raised themselves up against God.
And people are going to go out and look at him and go wow.
Look at the results.
Look at the results. But the results are far worse than that.
The results carry on into hell.
As Herod of in the book of Acts.
He got it in this world, but it didn't stop.
That same worm.
Is eating at him right now.
Right now.
Right now.
There's an expression that's used at least three times in the Bible and it goes like this.
Why will ye die?
Why?
Will he die?
Don't die in your sins.
Don't die in your sins. There is a place called hell. There is a place where the worm dieth not.
The worm dieth not the worm of potential, and you will forever be conscious in that place.
And forever you'll remember that someone stood up one night and talked to you about worms.
And it will forever gnaw on your conscience.
The worm of conscience, and of memory, and of recollection of every time that Christ dealt with your soul.
Of every time that the Lord pressed his love upon you, and you said no.
And you said no again. And that worm, that which was a worm of potential, will forever be there.
That you had turned down the Lord of glory, the Christ of God.
The one who loved you. The one who came into this world to give you an eternal life.
And forever that worm of conscience and what could have been.
What could have been?
And that in the foolishness of your sins, you turned it aside.
There's another verse in the Old Testament that I'm sure there's many of you who figured I'll be turning to sooner or later, and that is in Psalm 22.
Because this goes far beyond potential, though it's the same worm.
And this is really a solution.
In Psalm 22, verse one begins.
There's something that we read in the New Testament, isn't it?
00:40:00
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not. And in the night season I'm not silent, but thou art holy. Oh, thou that inhabiteth the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee.
They trusted, and now it's delivered them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered. They trusted in thee, and were not confounded, but I.
Am a worm.
I am a worm, and no man a reproach of men.
Despised of the people.
A worm.
That was crushed.
This is about the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus, the very Son of God, who came from heaven to come into this world.
To be just like you and justice like me.
He probably stood about 5 foot 10 and he would have gotten lost in a crowd.
He just melted in.
He didn't have any particular features that were real distinguishing. In fact, scripture says that he had features that weren't necessarily even desired.
He was just a common person.
Was he just a common person?
This man.
Was God himself?
He came into this world for a reason.
A reason that is totally different than the reason why you came into this world.
You came into this world to live.
The Lord Jesus came into this world to die.
And die he did.
At about 30, three years old.
They finally got tired.
Of someone who.
Fed them.
Someone who?
Healed them.
Someone who even raised the debt.
Someone who gave comfort.
Someone who would say.
Has any man condemned thee?
Neither do I.
Go thou and sin no more.
Someone who said I am the resurrection and the light.
Someone who said I am the door.
But he also said I am the light of the world.
And he also told the truth.
And so this world called out to him.
Away with this man, we will not have him to reign over us.
We don't care if he could go to the hospitals and.
Help Grandma.
And fix the broken legs.
They don't care. We will not have this man to reign over us.
And what are you saying tonight? Yeah, it sounds good.
But I don't really want somebody that's going to like, challenge me a little bit about my sins, you know?
You just don't understand. I kind of like the way I am and.
I'm getting along.
Would you be like that man in Acts and set yourself above God?
Would you say after hearing that God has a program of salvation for you, that you say, yeah, I've really got a better way, you know?
Maybe God just kind of missed a little piece of logic here and there and there's really, you know, I can make it myself and.
But here's one that not only took the animosity of man against God.
00:45:02
One who established a way of salvation.
One who you need to believe on. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Set aside your own thinking that's only going to lead to death and the corruption of worms and the conscience and the forever gnawing of worms. Lay all that aside and come to one who says that he made himself a worm. I am a worm.
One who humbled himself and became obedient unto death.
And that the death of the cross.
The one who came under the punishment of God for sin.
The one who in three hours of darkness at Calvary's Hill, he hung there between heaven and earth, and there God punished him for my sins, and for your sins too, if you will accept him and come from darkness into light.
Ah, this is more than potential, isn't it?
This is the answer.
Are you going to accept the answer tonight?
This is a gospel meeting.
You say, well, yeah, but this is also a Bible conference.
And like, the only folks that show up here are like Christians.
This has been said by someone else.
But you know the Lord Jesus had 12.
Apostles, didn't he?
And of that twelve, one of them was lost.
And he's even called the son of Perdition.
And he went to his own place.
There was a place.
Of a lost eternity that awaited him.
Let me ask.
If we numbered some of these chairs and I started and I counted all the way up to 12.
Would you be sitting in that 12Th chair?
One out of 12.
Can we fake Christianity? Oh yes.
You know, remarkably easy.
Remarkably easy.
Can we pretend to be saved? Oh yes.
Can you come on the Lord's Day morning, tomorrow morning and break bread? Oh yes, and be lost and on your way to hell? Yes, you can do it.
God is not mocked.
You might want to keep that in mind.
But he came for you.
And this is a gospel meeting.
If you have not opened your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ yet, do it tonight.
Christ Jesus.
Came into the world.
To save sinners.
Are you eligible? If you're a Sinner, you're eligible.
And the Lord Jesus Christ stands tonight, and he will say to you, Come unto me.
All ye that labor and are heavy laden I.
Will give you rest.
Saying #12.
Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me.
And that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
I.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
When you walk out of this room tonight.
Will you be lost potential?
Or will you be potential that's been fulfilled?
In Jesus Christ.
Who came down?
And was as a worm.
And yielded his life. Gave up his life for you.
Personally for you.
Christ Has Forgiven You; Be Kind One to Another
Children—M. Breman
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.
Well good morning, looks like it's about time to start our Sunday school this morning. So who has the first song? OK, what number would you like #43?
One door and only one. And yes.
What? What door is this song talking about? It means something to us, doesn't it? What door is it? The door to heaven? And last night in the gospel meeting, the brother that was standing up.
And speaking, he mentioned some names of the Lord Jesus and who he said he was.
And he told men and women and boys and girls, he said, I am the door.
I am the door. The Lord Jesus is the only way for boys and girls and men and women.
To, as this young man says, enter heaven. It's only through the Lord Jesus and what he did for us on Calvary's cross. The Lord Jesus is the door. And then this song asks a little question.
It's about these two sides of the door. On which side are you now? Is that talking about the one sitting next to you, or who's that talking about?
Is it meant for you just to ask the one next to her you, Or do you ask your own heart that too?
You want when he cometh, okay? It's when we ask where to ask ourselves, aren't we? Are we on the inside of that door, the Lord Jesus? That's the important question, isn't it? On which side are you okay this young? Like when he cometh and that is number 47.
When he comes, when he comes.
Krona.
How many of you boys and girls have seen the stars of the morning?
You have. You might have. You know what? I see the stars of the morning.
00:05:00
Almost every morning, except for when it's cloudy out, because I get up around 3:30 in the morning to go to work. And outside, sometimes it is just beautiful. All the stars from one side of the heavens to the other side. It is just beautiful if there is no clouds. And sometimes I think of this song when I see that.
That you know something? It says here that they are jewels, precious jewels, Speaking of little children in the crown of the Lord Jesus.
Now I just wonder.
You know the Lord Jesus.
Has each one of you children in mind, and I just wonder if each one of you have put your faith and your trust in the Lord Jesus. There's a reason why you ended up at Sunday school here this morning. I don't think it's just because your mom and your dad brought you to Sunday school, although that's really nice. But you know, there's a reason why you're sitting in your chair here this morning. Things just don't happen by chance.
And the Lord Jesus has each one of you boys and girls in mind.
Now what I wonder is, are you all saying yes to the Lord Jesus when he says, come unto me?
Suffer the little children to come into me and forbid them not, and older ones do. The Lord Jesus wants us all to come to Him and own our need of a Savior, that we might be like these stars of the morning in His crown. OK, who else has one? Yes Sir.
Which one number 44?
Into a tent where a gypsy boy lay flying alone at the close of the day.
Live of salvation may carry savvy. Nobody ever has sold it to me.
Again.
Salvation Story.
Of the children of men, nobody ever has told me before.
This is all of me, a poor little boy.
Send them to me.
I not perish, my hand will be hold nobody ever. The story has sold so it again.
So it all.
And.
Tell it again, salvation story.
Of the children of men, nobody ever has told me before.
Well, I'm sure that all you boys and girls have heard this story told before of this gypsy boy and how he was dying and somebody came along and they told him a story.
You all like stories. I know boys and girls like stories and this little boy was told a story about the Lord Jesus.
00:10:05
And you know, we sing Tell Me the old, old story of Jesus and his love, and we talk a lot about that old, old story.
You know, stories you can't see with your eyes.
We can't. They're not tangible. You can't reach out and grab them with your hands.
Why isn't it something you can see with your eyes and and feel with your hands and.
Here or taste with your mouth and these kind of things.
You know, I have something in my pocket that I saw on a countertop one time, and you could put money in the box and then you could buy one of these little bags. And I bought some of these little bags.
A little bag, it looks like that. Who can read? You know how to read? What does it say on that bag?
Roasted peanuts to save our children.
Save our children roasted peanuts.
And I want to see what these peanuts were all about, so I bought a couple of bags and boy, these are pretty neat peanuts. Save our children.
So I opened one up and I ate them and I'll tell you, they were just like any other peanuts I had ever eaten.
And I put them in the drawer by my bed and some other kids found out that they were just like any other peanuts that they had eaten.
Save our kids roasted peanuts.
You know, we could give you some peanuts if you were hungry or something, but what the money was going to go to where these peanuts came from was to help children.
But you know, Sunday school is a time when we're here to talk about the Lord Jesus because boys and girls have a need and they need to be saved.
And I was thinking when I read that save our children, that's just what our children need. And I wanted to find out what was so special about these.
And you know, there's nothing that you can eat, there's nothing that you can taste and reach out and touch and anything like that.
It's by faith, it's the Lord Jesus in your heart when that old, old story is told of the Lord Jesus and His love. And I know that most all you boys and girls have heard how the Lord Jesus had you in mind when He came down from the heights of glory into this world.
And willingly laid down his life that you might live. He went to Calvary's cross to bear our sins. And for every boy and girl who will put their faith and trust in him and say, Lord Jesus, I am a Sinner and I need a Savior. He will save you now. Well, let's just close our eyes and ask the Lord for his help this morning.
There was a Sunday school verse that some kids learned and I'm wondering if if you kids learned it too?
I believe it was Ephesians chapter 4. Is that right?
Do we have anybody that would like to say the verse for us?
Any volunteers?
No volunteers. Oh, here's a volunteer.
Be kind, be kind.
One to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another.
Even as God, Even as God.
For Christ sake.
Hath forget, hath forgiven you.
Ephesians.
432 OK Anybody else want to say it?
Be kind one to another, tender hearted and forgiving one another, even even as God.
For Christ sake has forgiven you. Ephesians 432.
00:15:04
How about this boy giving one another?
Here's God for Christ sake has forgiven you, Ephesians.
432.
Go right on down the road here. Would you like to say it?
Be kind one to another.
Tender hearted.
Forgiving one another.
Even as God.
Crazy.
It's forgiving you.
Ephesians 4.
32.
Be kind one to another, tender for giving one another, even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you.
Ephesians 432. Thank you very much. Would you like to say it? No. Would you?
Speak kind one to another, tender hearted.
Forgiving.
On another.
For even as God.
God. Christ.
Has forgiven you.
For.
Very good. Would you like to say it?
Be kind.
On to another tender hearted.
Forgiving.
A forgiving one another.
God, even as God has his.
For Christ sake, have forgiven me.
Ephesians.
4th.
32 very good. That's a long verse to say. Would would you like to say it? She doesn't. Would you like to OK.
Be kind, be kind.
Wasn't to another.
Forgiving one another, Forgiving one another.
Even this guy.
Six has been given you. It's been giving you Ephesians Four Seasons 432. Thank you.
Be kind.
To one another, tender hearted.
Forgiving.
One another, one another.
Even as God.
As for Christ sake.
Has forgiven you Ephesians 432.
And be kind to one another, tender hearted for one another, even as God for Christ sake have forgiven you. Ephesians 432, Thank you. Would you like to say it?
No, Somebody else, somebody back here.
Be kind one to another, tender hearted.
Forgiving one another, even as God procrastinate has forgiving us, forgiving you. Ephesians 432. Thank you. Would you like to?
Be kind one to another I.
And tender hearted.
Even as God forgiving one another, even as God hath done for Christ sake.
Hartford given you.
Ephesians 431.
Very good. Anybody else? I think that's everybody on the front rows. Probably if you wanted to say it, you would have come up here. And there are still a few more chairs up here. And if anybody does want to come up here, they are sure welcome to come on up and even say the verse later on if they would like to. But you all did a very good job saying the verse this morning and maybe we should talk about it a little bit here. It says be kind one to another.
00:20:09
Tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. And we're going to start by talking about the last part of the verse first, and then we're going to talk a little bit about the first part of the verse. It says even as God.
For Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
You know, we might say even though God has the power for anything, it could have said He even has God hath forgiven you, but there's a reason that God forgave you.
And that cannot be left out of the verse. It says for Christ's sake, the Lord Jesus went to the cross.
To bear our sins.
He went to the cross to redeem us.
And God has forgiven us because of what the Lord Jesus has done.
Now in order to get that forgiveness for ourselves, we have to come to the Lord Jesus and own that we need it and ask for it. Then we can be saved.
I'd like to turn to First Peter chapter 4 just for a verse.
Speaks along the same line of being kind and so on a little bit and we'll see what it says here in first Peter chapter 4 and verse nine it says use hospitality 1 to another without grudging, as every man hath received the gift. Even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. You know God and His grace sent the Lord Jesus.
Down into this world to be our Savior and it says every man have three sieves. The gift if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior this morning arverse talks about being tender hearted, kind and loving one another. And even here it talks about hospitality and kindness to one another without grudging. And I have here 2 jars.
Up here, I suppose you all saw these jars and exactly the same thing is in each one of those jars.
Exactly the same ingredients as in in one of the each of those jars. There's water in those jars and I would like to do something this morning.
This little verse here says speaks of the manifold grace of God, and grace comes from God.
And God is in heaven. And so I have some blue which reminds us of heaven. And for those of you who have studied the Tabernacle a little bit and seen some of those beautiful types, and I would like to take one drop of blue and put it in each one of these jars, okay?
So let's see what happens here. Just one drop of blue, OK? And this, this is going to remind us of how God has given us each one.
Just exactly what we need. So we're going to put one drop.
Of blue.
There's one drop of blue in there and you can see what is happening to that drop of blue. Now I'm going to drop one drop of blue in this one also.
And from the same dropper brownie thing of blue.
And watch what happens there.
And see if there's a little difference between what happens inside those jars.
One of those jars.
It fell really slow and it's collecting in the bottom.
Over here and this one here.
It fell a little faster. It's a little darker in the bottom.
00:25:02
There's something different about these jars if you come up and feel them. One is really cold and one is fairly warm. I couldn't get boiling hot water, but if we would have used boiling hot water, I thought it would have worked a little bit better.
Than that this morning, but this one here.
The water is already.
A little different color than this one over here, but I would like to read a couple of verses.
Connection with this.
Matthew's Gospel.
I.
I think this jar here isn't quite as hot as I wish it was. I brought water in a thermos.
And I wish it was hotter because this one here.
Would have if it was hot enough, would have turned blue real fast, faster than the cold.
This year, some of it is still falling, you can see, but generally the hot would turn blue really fast, and evidently it's not hot enough. I didn't have a way to really boil water real hot and keep it hot. On my way here this morning. I had a thermos. But that's all right. You can try it at home and see for yourselves a little more, a little more efficient than we're showing here this morning.
But this one here should have turned blue really fast if that water was, it was hot, really hot. And I'm sorry that it's not quite as hot as we could get it here this morning.
But I'd like to read from Matthews Gospel chapter 24.
In view of the verse that we had this morning, sometimes it is hard for us to be kind to one another, isn't it? Sometimes it is hard for us to forgive one another.
And why is that? Let's read this verse 12 of Matthew 24. It says because iniquity shall abound. This is the expression I was looking for, the love of many.
Shall wax cold and that coldness here. And of course this is just an application. The coldness here is linked to the iniquity. And you know, if we have things in our life that are not right, it is hard for us to show love because of coldness. And if this if this was hot or we would have seen how that would have turned blue right away, but we can still see.
That some of this blue is still slowly, slowly falling down down, and it's not even to the bottom yet.
This blue over here has come to the bottom pretty much in his rising back up through this, the water this way so when we are cold.
In our souls and it was the same drop from the same bottle that went into each one the same amount and there was water in each one. The only difference was the temperature.
And if we are cold, it is hard for us to show the love and the grace.
God would have us show to those around us.
Tender hearted, forgiving one another, and let us remember that it's only as we are.
In the enjoyment of even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
That we have that ability to forgive.
And to be kind and tender hearted. 1 to another. And now I'd like to look at math or Luke's Gospel chapter 24.
Speaking up the warmer jar.
And I'm not sure.
How I could have got warmer water here this morning? I mean it's I shouldn't be able to hold it with my bare hand.
00:30:02
Should be.
Pretty hot to get it to work right, but if I would have dropped that in into near boiling water.
Bangs fast. That water would have all turned blue and you can try it.
It works.
Luke chapter 24 and verse 32.
It says and they said.
Is that in the father? Well, we'll try it. I think it's, I don't know if that's warm enough yet, but thank you very much. OK, well, thank you. We'll give it a try here.
Generally, regular tap water isn't quite hot enough to bring it to boil on the on the stove, but we'll see. We'll see what happens here.
I think it's a little warmer.
We'll get our blue back out here.
Put a drop of blue in there. Just one drop.
Thank you, Dawn.
There we go.
And that blue.
Should turn that whole jar blue without seeing any swirls in there pretty quick.
Thank you, that looks much better. That's more how it ought to look.
Luke's Gospel chapter 24 and verse 32.
It says didn't they said one to another? Did not our heart burn within us while we talked with while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures there. Now you can see the jar is pretty much all blue inside. No swirls at all in there, hardly. It's all blue. And this one here, it still has the long streak going down on the cold one and it's just basically settled in the bottom.
Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us, by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?
Boys and girls, it is association with the Lord Jesus.
And talking with him.
And opening the scriptures and having the Lord Jesus speak to us through the scriptures, that makes our heart burn within us.
Do you know the Lord Jesus this morning? Do you have that kind of a relationship with the Lord Jesus like these two had on the way to Emmaus, where the Lord Jesus himself drew near and went with them? It's a wonderful thing when we have that feeling in our hearts that the Lord Jesus can go with us in something and to have that fellowship with him in our heart and in our conscience.
Then like our verse says, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you, it says we're in the enjoyment of that, that we can be kind to one another.
Tender hearted.
Forgiving one another.
So I would like you to remember this morning that.
Even with cold and with hot in these jars, you put the same drop, the same amount of coloring inside. And as we can see, this one here is completely dissipated into the water already. There's no streaks, no swirls or anything. The same amount. If we look at the cold one, we can still see there are there's a long streak.
Still from when I first put that first drop in and when we started talking about this maybe 15 minutes ago.
That streak reminds us of a grudge, doesn't it?
Yeah. So may the Lord help us with these things. First of all, that we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior come into the appreciation for ourselves of what the Lord Jesus did for us on Calvary's cross.
And he's provided the way, and he has given us the grace. And you know, when this conference was opened up, there was a brother who stood up and he read a verse about Noah finding grace in the eyes of the Lord.
00:35:15
In Genesis chapter 8, I believe it's verse 6.
And you know.
We sometimes apply that in the gospel, that.
In a message of grace. But you know Noah found in God the strength and the power.
To carry out what God had asked him to do.
He found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Sometimes it might be hard for us. You say, well, I loaned him my pencil and he broke the lead and then he just kind of tossed it back at me. You don't understand why I would feel hard towards him.
Or you might say.
I let him pet my cat and he just pulled its tail. You don't understand why I'm upset with him.
But you know.
It's when we understand how we have offended God ourselves and God has forgiven us that we can show that forgiveness and kindness to others.
Have you found that in your own life, boys and girls, that as you enjoy the Lord Jesus and walk with Him like these two on the way to a Mass and have fellowship with Him, that it is He that enables you to forgive and to have tender heartedness and kindness 1 to another?
I remember a story of some kids that were together at this house. It was loud in the country. I was one of the kids.
And they were playing and this one girl said to another girl, hey, get off that bike. I want to ride that bike.
And the girl said, well, OK, but I haven't. I just got here not very long ago and, and I just thought I'd try and ride it. And the girl said, but it's my bike. You get off my bike.
And so the girl got off the bike and gave it to the owner. And the owner got on her bike and she rode down the dirt Rd. a little ways. And while she was down the dirt Rd. the grandma came to the house and said, hey kids, you want to go over to grandma's house.
And so those kids all piled into Grandma's car and off they went to Grandma's house.
And this girl was out on her bike on the dirt road and she missed out on going to grandma's house. And I was at the house when she got back from her bike ride and it was not very happy. She was crying. He was upset because she got left behind to grandma's house.
Some feel.
If we haven't shown kindness 1 to another.
And have been tender hearted and forgiving to one another. And let's not do. Or will we be cold like this one that still has a streak in it?
I'll be 20 minutes now since I put that drop in there. There's still a streak going down to the bottom.
That's like a grudge, isn't it?
That's like harboring hard, cold feelings in our hearts.
And that's like what that verse says, the coldness of heart.
The coldness of their love is in association with the iniquity. So there's unjudged things in our life, a Harvard feelings and so on. It'll be like this one here. But how nice if we can stay near the Lord Jesus like those two that were on their way to Emmaus.
Who said did not our heart burn within us and then?
When the same amount of grace is offered to one as the other.
To show that grace can permeate our actions.
And our ways with one another to show the blue.
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The color of the Lord Jesus, the man from heaven so.
We need His help, don't we? First of all, we need to make sure that we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, and then He can help us to stay near to Him, that we might show this kindness, forgiving one another.
That is in our verse. Well, let's just close with prayer.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—D. Imbeau, R. VandeKrol, D. DeGraaf
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153.
I.
I'd like to continue a little bit of our.
Contemplation this morning.
A person.
And the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Just before the meeting.
A couple of us were speaking.
About some things concerning him.
Just this won't be long. This will be something that will be very terse.
47th chapter of Ezekiel.
I'm sure most of us are quite familiar with this. We'll read a few verses here and then we're going to compare them.
Associate them.
With what we have in the 17th of John's Gospel.
Ezekiel 47.
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house, and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward. For the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house at the South side of the altar.
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The altar then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and LED me about the way without unto the other gate by the way that looks eastward. And behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward and measured 1000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters, The waters were to the ankles.
Beginning measured the South and brought me through the waters. The waters were to the knees.
Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters. Words of the loins.
Afterward he measured 1000, and it was a river that I could not Passover, for the waters were risen.
Waters to swim in a river that could not.
Be passed over.
I know there's many things in that little portion and I'm going to go into that this afternoon. But turn to John 17 and let's just compare the two.
John 17.
Verse 4.
I have glorified Thee on the earth, I have finished the work which Thou gave us me to do. And now, all Father, glorify Thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
A river that cannot be passed over.
The glory that was his.
Timothy.
Chapter.
16 That intrinsic glory that was his throughout eternity, the eternal Son of God, God Himself, the Creator, the Sustainer, the upholder of the universe, a glory that can never be passed over.
We can never reach the other side of that glory. We'll never see that glory. We see what it is.
One Timothy 16 a glory that cannot be penetrated.
No man has seen God at any time, nor can see.
That's the glory of these two verses we just read.
Matchless, marvelous glory, Father and Son. Now then, go to the 22nd verse.
And the glory which thou gave us, me I have given them, that they may be one.
Even as we are one.
Water to the thighs.
Water to the ankles, to the knees. We can contemplate this for all we want. A glory that the Lord received for His work of Calvary.
Can you stop and consider that he's going to share that with us?
That's that river.
A glory that's his.
A glory that he acquired.
From the cross.
You can share it with us.
Amazing. Think about it now, the 24th verse. Father, I will that they also whom thou has given me, be with me where I am.
That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for the lovest me before the foundation of the world.
Father, I will.
That they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. We can just sink into that. We can swim in it.
To be forever.
With him, like him.
Amazing Colossians Three In the first couple of verses it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when we shall see him, we shall be like him, for we shall see him.
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As he is, consider that for a moment. There's another scripture that says as he is, so are we in this world as he is. Right at this very, very moment, He's in the very light.
The presence basking in the love of his father.
Oh, I know. I've heard the depression that he's passed. That means he's beyond judgment. Oh, that's true. But it goes so much further.
As he is sure we in this world we are just loved, as He is loved, As my father has loved me, so I loved you.
Continue ye in my love.
Rivers to swim in.
In the first chapter of the book of Leviticus we have.
3 offerings. It starts out with the greatest and it ends up with the least, but in every situation and in every case it ends up this way.
A sweet savour unto the Lord.
We walk into that river and maybe some of us never get beyond our ankles.
But that's a sweet savor.
Unto the Lord.
We walk into it to our knees.
That's another one of the three offerings in Leviticus 1A. Sweet savour unto the Lord, we walk in it to our thighs.
The first offering a Bullock.
We recognize who that person is, the greatness of his person, the glory of who he is.
The matchless work that he did.
A sweet savour unto the Lord. But then we come to this 24th verse.
A river to swim in.
Have we ever done it?
Well, I believe we did this morning.
We contemplated this morning.
The work, the grandeur of it.
The person.
The greatness of him.
Amazing.
It's amazing that in Ezekiel that this portion is given to us.
River and where does it come from?
The side of the altar. What's the altar?
Were the sacrifice.
Was named.
Or it's true.
The sacrifices of the Old Testament, and they all speak of Christ.
But consider a moment the third chapter of the book of Romans in the 25th verse.
It says there that God in righteousness forgave the sins that were passed.
You know in every case when an offering was offered, you take the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, the Day of Atonement, and other instances.
In every case that God passed over the sins that were there, it was only for one reason.
And it only could be for one reason.
That those sins were going to be paid for.
And so in Romans 325 it says that.
The penalty of guilt, the penalty of sin.
The tremendous debt that was owed was paid.
That Kelvin. So God overlooked all those things in the bath.
But here.
Here in the 24th verse.
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Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
If we would stop there, that's beyond our comprehension. If we would stop there and just consider that the Lord Jesus wants us where He is.
To be associated with him.
To be a partner.
You know, in Ephesians 6 and verse 25, the end of that verse says even as Christ who loved the church and gave himself for it, and that church is his body, his bride. And the next verse says that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And everyone in this room this afternoon that knows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
Is part of that.
The bride. And it's true. He wants us to walk according to His word.
He wants us to walk pleasing to him, but that 26th verse of Ephesians says I'm going to and speaking there of himself, that is going to present it to himself.
A glorious church.
A glorious bride.
That's this 24th 1St that I might have them with me, that they might also be with me.
Where I am, that they might behold my glory that thou hast given me, we're not going to be associated as.
The 22nd version, this one. But we're going to see that glory. That's going to be the greatest glory that our eyes have ever beheld or ever will behold.
We're not going to see the glory of verse four and five.
But we're going to see the glory that he attained, that he won at Calvary's cross.
That works.
We had it this morning.
As we were gathered around him.
Marvelous how thankful we can be.
I'm going to leave you with one thought.
In the 15th chapter of First Corinthians, starting with the portion that he must reign.
For he must reign, it says. But then after he's reigned, after that whole millennial scene is done.
He turns that whole thing over to the father.
That God may be all and in all.
And it doesn't say what else, but I'll tell you what else.
Eternity after the Millennium is over. That picture, that scene in First Pensions 15. The Lord Jesus turns it all over to the Father, and he spends eternity.
With his bride.
That's what that means.
And a little picture of it is given in Revelation 21.
The New Jerusalem coming out of heaven.
Adorned as a bride for husband in Revelation 21, the 1St 8 verses the eternity.
The millennial scene passed.
And the new Jerusalem a bride.
A bride for eternity.
Love it.
Contemplate.
Person of the Lord Jesus.
Every waking moment.
You'll be rewarded. You'll be rewarded multiple.
I'm just going to speak a few minutes. I was in a conference.
Probably 6-8 years ago in Lowering, Minnesota, there's a question that I see there's still quite a few young people here yet.
I've got a few verses I'd like to look at an eighth of acts.
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And the story of Philip and the eunuch are not going to read the whole story. The 35th verse, Acts 8 and verse 3535.
And Philip opened his mouth, and began to the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. He preached unto eunuch as he went on their way. They came to a certain water in the evening, said, See if sure if water. What has hindered me to be baptized?
Philip said that thou believest with all thine heart.
If thou believe us with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
In the commander assured to stand still, and went both down into the water, both Philip and the Munich, and he baptized him, and they were caught out of the water. The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.
Is there a dear young soul?
In this room this morning that has had this.
Made this statement. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and this took him as their savior and has not been baptized yet this afternoon.
Here we see the eunuch had just freshly believed in the Lord, and he says, what does hinder me? And he was baptized.
And what happened after you baptized?
The Lord caught away, Philip and the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.
There is many dorsal in this room this afternoon and is much older than I am.
Rejoicing in the Lord this morning when would rather run our blessed Savior, when there was, when they were saved.
Baptized and where they were gathered to the vested name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now in First Corinthians.
11Th chapter.
There is one little phrase in here that I want to read to you, dear ones.
If you've been saved, If you've been baptized.
And you set in this room this morning when we gather on our beloved Savior.
I didn't look around.
To see who protect of emblems this morning. But God and mercy looked down to you, dear loved one.
He asked us here. A blessed Savior did.
24th verse of First Corinthians 11 and verse 24. The last little phrase this do in remembrance of me.
I'll never forget as long as I live if your brother stay left in Larry, Minnesota and he says, dear young folks, have you asked me to that dying request this.
Do the remembrance of me.
And if you have not, why not?
We love young one. It is a blessing. To be saved is a blessing.
To be baptized with the Lord really wants you to remember Him in his death.
For each one of us that are pretty trusting from you that are sat back this morning and didn't remember the Lord, the Lord asked you now I don't ask you the Lord ask you now why did you not Remember Me this morning? This do in remembrance of me.
We loved, dear, loved young ones.
You believe, hope you've been baptized, and you didn't remember the Lord this morning. The Lord says. Why did you not remember the Lord this morning?
Return to the book of Exodus.
Chapter 33.
Exodus.
Chapter 33.
Verse 18.
These are the words of Moses.
And as I read a few verses from this chapter and from another chapter.
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I like each one of us.
First and foremost, the speaker to contemplate. Are these the desires?
Of our heart.
We've been very privileged this weekend.
To sit in the presence.
Of the Lord of glory.
We've been privileged to contemplate the glories.
Of God's beloved Son.
We've been privileged to contemplate one day soon being with him.
In the Glory, Exodus 33 in the 18th verse.
Moses speaking.
And he said, I beseech thee.
Show me.
Thy glory.
Is that the desire?
Of our hearts show me.
Thy glory.
Verse 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee.
And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.
And will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.
And will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
The Lord has been gracious to us.
The Lord has been merciful to us.
Each one of us that knows the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we've been brought into the family of God.
Where his children purchased with the precious blood of Christ.
We have a home that we can look forward to in His presence in heaven.
We have exceeding great and precious promises.
We can even be seen as seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
What a wonderful privilege we have. But you know, Moses didn't come to this point all at once. There was a process.
There's actually a portion I'd like to turn to in a few minutes, but I'd like to briefly touch on a few verses in this chapter.
Exodus 33 and verse one.
In verse.
The Lord said unto Moses, Depart and go offense, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I swear unto Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, unto thy seed will I give it.
Verse 3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
For I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff necked people, lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and no man did put on him.
His ornaments.
I don't feel myself capable to reflect too much on some of these verses, but I believe they're important to read and to consider each one of us. There was a morning.
That went on, they mourned, and no man did put on him as ornaments.
Verse six. The children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the Mount Forum.
Even when Peter and James and John went up to the Mount of Transfiguration, what did they say?
They say let's build a Tabernacle for Moses and for Elijah.
And then a cloud.
Let me just read it Matthew chapter 17.
Matthew, Chapter 17.
In verse four then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here, if thou wilt, let us make here 3 tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. And while he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved son.
In whom I am well pleased.
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Hear Yem.
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and they were sore afraid.
And Jesus came and touched them.
It arise be not afraid.
And when they lifted up their eyes.
They saw no man.
Save Jesus only.
There was that which was wrong in their hearts.
It was out of sorts, it was wrong. And so they spoke impulsively in the Lord had to point to the one to whom we can look. This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. And when they had lifted up their eyes.
We need to lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes, we find in this chapter in the 10th verse.
And all the people saw the cloudy pillars stand at the Tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshipped.
Every man.
In his tent door.
Is there worship in our hearts not just on Lord's Day in John chapter 4?
We find.
That they filled the pots with water.
John, Chapter 4.
Actually, it's chapter 2.
John, Chapter 2.
Verse six and they were set there. 6 water pots of stone.
And Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots with water, and they filled them up to the brim.
And he said, Draw out now, and bear to the governor of the feast, and they bear it, when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made to wine, and knew not whence it was.
But the servants which drew the water knew the governor of the feast called the bridegroom.
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning does set forth good wine, which men have well drunk, when that which is worse.
But thou has kept the good wine until now.
Jesus turned the water into wine.
But they had to pour out into those water pots the water.
And Jesus turned it to wine.
Is there joy in our hearts? Is there joy in our lives?
Joy should come only from him, their earthly joys.
But our true joy comes from Him. He turned the water into wine. We can pour those water.
Into our water pots we can read the word of God. We can take it in.
We can worship.
Every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses, face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
The Lord Jesus as he are near, and dear friend.
Do we fellowship with them daily? Hourly.
In our workplace.
In our school, in our neighborhood and our family.
Moses could speak face to face. The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
In verse 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way. There was a desire, there was mourning, there was worshipping, there was a desire to know God's way, that I may know Thee, that I might find grace in thy sight.
Is there a desire? Daniel had a purpose of heart that he would not defile himself. There was a desire to please God.
There was a desire, and he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not a pence.
Verse 17 The Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also, that thou hast spoken.
For thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Possible. We live in a wicked world, in a wicked day.
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Her brother read earlier in the conference the verse in Genesis.
Genesis chapter 6 and verse 8. Noah found grace.
In the eyes of the Lord.
God gave them commandments and he obeyed. He preached for 120 years. And who was converted?
His three sons and their wives.
Not numbers.
It's not success.
We're called to faithfulness.
To him.
So through this process that they went through, there was mourning, there was worshipping, there was a desire.
To know his way. Then Moses says, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
We are able, as we have enjoyed yesterday in our meetings with unveiled faith, to behold the glory of the Lord. But what did the Lord say to Moses in verse 21? And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand.
Upon a rock.
Christ the living Stone.
Christ is the rock of our salvation. He's the one we can turn to, and it shall come to pass. Will my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in the cleft of the rock.
And we'll cover thee with my hand while I pass by.
The Lord can put you and I in the cleft of the rock.
I'd like to briefly also look at Second Kings chapter 6.
2 Kings, Chapter 6.
The culmination.
Is in verse 17 and I'm going to touch on part of from verse 8 to verse 23. Few thoughts.
Verse 17 And Elijah prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes.
That he may see.
And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man.
And he saw.
And behold, the mountain was full of horses and Chariots of fire.
Round about.
Dear young one, Dear older one, speaking to myself even.
We need this.
We need this.
Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.
The Lord would desire to.
Shine through our hearts to shine through our lives.
The Lord doesn't put all the lights on the same St. and.
The Lord would have His glory known in all the earth.
In all places.
So the Lord has given each one of us, young and old, and each family and each workplace in each situation, an opportunity to shine.
To shine brightly for him.
But we have to be in a way that pleases him. Just some thoughts from this passage.
There was a war going on. The king of Syria warred against Israel and took counsel with his servants.
First word I thought of is conflict. We each have conflict.
Conflict.
Says yeah, all that earn godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Apostle Paul could say that I may know him.
And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.
Oh, I think most of us would desire to know Him in the power of His resurrection, but how much shall we share it in the fellowship of His sufferings?
That I may know him.
The Lord would have us to identify with Him.
And be willing to face persecutions, conflict, suffering. The king of Syria took counsel against his servants.
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There's conflict and there's discernment. The man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place, for thither the Syrians are come down.
And the king of Israel sent to the place where the man of God told him, and warned him of, and saved himself there not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing. And he called his servants and said unto them, Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? There's a spy, he's thinking.
And one of his servants said, None, my Lord the king, but Elijah the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel.
The words that thou speakest.
And I bed chamber.
This world would have you to go to university to learn, to be educated in the ways of this world.
There's nothing wrong with it if it's used for the glory of God.
But the knowledge of man isn't going to benefit us. Our brother mentioned the other day about the used car salesman who discovered how to make much of himself.
As believers, we ought to make much of Christ.
Much of Christ there is conflict and there is discernment. God gave to Elijah discernment not once nor twice.
God can give discernment even in the little things of our life. Sometimes we worry about a job or about marriage.
It's more than that.
The little things.
The little foxes that spoil the vines.
He that is faithful in that which is least.
Is faithful also in much the little things.
Not once nor twice He gave him wisdom and all these things, divine wisdom.
God's wisdom is totally contrary to the wisdom of this world.
I was working in a city and a brother said to me, read the book of Proverbs every day of the month. There's 31 Chapters every day of the month.
He had done it for years.
To dear young people, do it every day.
31 days every month, year after year after year, the wisdom of God. Read it in this book. Genesis, the Revelation.
Read the book of Proverbs. There's wisdom there.
There is wisdom in all of God's Word.
Thy words were found, and I did eat them. Thy word was unto me the joy and the rejoicing of mine heart. Is that true of us? And it ought to be.
There's conflict.
There's discernment and there's fear.
There's fear.
Verse 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, He is in Dothan. Therefore he sent thither horses and Chariots, and a great host, and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, behold a host come at the city, both with horses and Chariots. And his servants said unto him, Alas.
My master.
How shall we do?
Isn't that where we are sometimes?
There was a previous servant to Elisha, and he had wanted some of the goods that Naman, the captain of the host of Syria, would offer.
And as a judgment, he had leprosy.
What a solemn thing. And so there's a new servant with a light shove.
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, he was early in the morning. He was up early in the morning. Maybe you're up early every morning to read God's word. Maybe you feel like it doesn't connect.
There was a hindrance. There was a hindrance.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Sometimes there's a hindrance.
And the hindrance has to be brought before us before we can see clearly.
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Alas, my master.
How shall we do fear? God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power.
And of love.
And of a sound mind.
The fear of man bringeth a snare, but he that trusteth in the Lord shall be safe. How many times it was it written? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of man bringeth a snare, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Conflict, discernment, Fear.
And God's point of view.
God's point of view.
I had a Sunday school teacher for more than four years.
He's now 94 years old.
And many times he would say to me, God has a point of view.
God has a point of view.
It's not my way, it's not my choice.
God is a point of view.
Are we seeking his point of view, his way?
Moses could say, Show me now thy way, dear young one.
Are you seeking his way? You'll never regret it. Never regret it.
94 years old, do you think he's going to say all the time I spent for the Lord, was it wasted? Was any moment of it wasted?
Ever.
No, I was touched when I heard the story of those in 1546 who break bread with the one who was so close to the glory. So close to the glory. I believe we're very close to the glory. The road leads home to the Father's house. That's our home.
In my father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go, I will come again to receive you unto myself.
God was perfect and always, except He needed an object upon which to bestow His affections.
Each one of us has things that are near and dear to our hearts, and we bestow our affections on those things that are precious to us.
You and I are precious to God, and He would desire that you know His heart.
Show me now.
By glory. Show me now thy glory.
Alas, my master, how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not, for they that be with us.
Or more than they that be with them.
Verse from Romans, chapter 8.
Romans, chapter 8.
Verse 8.
What do we know? What do we know?
We know that all things.
Some things.
Few things.
No, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
God's desire for you and I is that we be just like His Son, who shall change our vile bodies, that they may be transformed like unto His glorious body.
Philippians 3. What a wonderful thing God would desire that we be just like His Son, to be conformed to the image of His son. Then He might be the first born among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate them he also called, in whom he called them he also justified.
In whom he justified them he also glorified.
What shall we say to these things?
Too much, we almost can't take it in.
What should we say to these things if God before us?
Who can be against us?
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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, all things, fear not, for they which be with us are more than they would be with them.
And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes.
That he may see.
May God open our eyes to see beauty in His Son.
We're going to spend all eternity in his presence.
Beholding him.
We shall see his face.
And his name shall be in our foreheads.
The Lamb is going to be the light thereof. They had no need of the sun or the moon, the Lamb thereof.
The Lamb is all the glory.
What an object and the Lord opened the eyes of the young man.
And he saw John Chapter 9 when the blind man was cured.
They said what happened to you and he said this. I know that once I was blind and now I see.
And he worshipped the Savior.
What was his response? He worshipped the Savior, and he saw and behold, the mountain was full of horses and Chariots of fire round about Elijah.
You know the enemy had horses and Chariots, and verse 15 the host comfort the city both with horses and Chariots.
There the mountain was full of horses and Chariots of fire round about.
There's a text I saw and I can't quote all the verses.
But if you ever find it, pay close attention to it. I saw it and Ralph and Janie's house and push Lynch.
And you know, the Lord is above us, below us, around us. And then there's the verse, the wonderful verse. And underneath.
Are the everlasting arms.
Have we, are we going to pass through trials in this scene? Yes. Are we going to have difficulties? Yes.
But the Lord is above us and below us and around us. We cannot flee from His presence and underneath.
Are the everlasting arms.
How precious, how wonderful.
You know, there's three other things. I'll just mention the points there's.
Protection, provision, and testimony. And these ones came, and the Lord provided protection, provision and testimony.
Verse 23 And He prepared great provision for them, And when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
There was a blessing there. The Lord brought these people into Samaria, the city on a hill, as it were.
They weren't even Israelites, but the Lord brought them into that city of Samaria and their eyes were opened and they were fed and cared for. God's desire is for all of His own. God so loved the world that He gave.
Someone has said that word there in John 316 could be said to be the longest verse in scripture. God so.
Love the world.
So loved the world.
He wants us to see beauty in his son.
He wants us to know his son.
There is that.
If I have but Jesus, only Jesus. Nothing else in all the world besides.
Oh, then everything.
Is mine in Jesus?
For my sins, for my needs and more. He will provide just a verse or two from I believe it's 16 in the back. I'll read it.
Oh Jesus, friend, and failing, how dear art thou to me our cares or feels assailing, I find my strength in me. Why should my feet grow weary of this my Pilgrim way?
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Rough though the path and dreary it ends.
In perfect day.
What fills my heart with gladness is thine abounding grace. Where can I look in sadness but Jesus on thy face?
My all is thy providing, Thy love can air grow cold, And thee my refuge Hiding no good wilt thou withhold.
All minds are going, so must it be the glory. All belongs to God.
Oh love divine that did decrease. We should be part through Jesus blood.
#331.
Go there thy.
John 17:1-26
Reading
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336.
Behold.
By the Lord's grace, considerable amount of opportunity this weekend to enjoy.
The glory.
And.
What makes the glory the glory, the Father and the Son?
I would suggest that.
For our encouragement that we take up this afternoon and a reading format.
The Lord's Last Prayer in John 17.
What's before me in it is the thought that.
The Lord Jesus is there in the glory.
So honored God and his This prayer is his own request of the Father to bring us there.
And that's the thought of it before my soul that here we are, we're still on earth, and yet the Father and the sons intent and this prayer of the Lord Jesus that might encourage us to to know that what's our future. I know in the difficulties of the way there was a brother walking along the road with another and he said to him, thinking of the problems among the people of God, he said, where's it all going to end?
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And the answer he was given in the glory.
What a wonderful thing to realize that for each one of us in this room, here we have the Lord Jesus who prayed for us.
To the end that this glory we have spoken about, which we are to share with them, will be realized, and can I say we have the confidence this afternoon that this prayer, as we meditate upon it, is one that is going to be answered to our eternal blessing.
I would suggest we read the chapter. I was thinking particularly of starting with verse 9 as a place of meditation.
John, Chapter 17. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come, Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God. And Jesus Christ, whom thou has sinned, I have glorified thee on the earth. I finished the work which thou gave us me to do. And now, O Father, and glorified thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Dying they were, and thou gavest thou me.
And they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me. And they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee. And they have believed that thou did send me. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou has given me. For they are thine, and all mine are thine, and all thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thy own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in my name. Those that thou gave us me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the Son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joyful filled in themselves.
I have given them thy word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou should us take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, Even so have I also sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word, that they may all be one, that they all may be one, As thou father art in me, and I and thee that they also may be one in US, that the world may be believed. That thou has sent me, and the glory which thou gave us to me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one.
I and them, and thou and me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that Thou has sent me, and has loved them as thou has loved me.
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. I've declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, That the love where with thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Back before us this weekend in the enjoyment of that which is spoken of in the of the Lord Jesus, and this prayer to the Father in the first few verses of the chapter.
And he tells the Father, I finished the work which?
Gave me to do.
We know that work was finished on the cross.
But He is a divine person, could speak of it is already accomplished.
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We know that the Lord Jesus spoke these words to the Father, perhaps in the presence of the disciples the night before.
He went to the cross.
To accomplish the work in actuality.
And his apostles are with him.
And he has been instructing them.
In view of the fact that he was going to leave them, he was going back to the glory, but they were going to remain here on earth, in this world.
And so they are given, and it's recorded for us to have these, this last communication between the Son and the Father concerning those who were going to, as in one sense will say, remain behind.
And so when he says in verse nine, I pray for them, it's specifically the apostles. There are those present that were mentioned there. But the prayer in spirit, and in fact later down in the prayer, includes you and I in this room this afternoon. He says in verse 20, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word, well.
We in this room are in that company. We have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ through the Word passed down through the word of the Apostles is given to us in the word of God. And so the Lord was in his heart thinking about us, gathered here in Crystal Lake, and realizing that there would be that day when he would be in the glory.
You might say safe in that sense and waiting.
To have with himself.
Those that have been given to him as a gift.
By the Father.
And so we have a little ahead in the chapter, the fact that you and I.
Are a gift of the Father to the Son. What an immense thing it is to think that God gave us to his Son as a gift, and the Son loves us as He appreciates this gift that the Father has given to him.
And so he says, I pray for them. And so here we have just to enjoy this afternoon the words, the thoughts we expressed, the requests that he makes to the Father on our behalf.
You mentioned that were given to him by the person of the father, and that's mentioned several times in this chapter.
What a marvelous thing it is.
That we've been given to the Lord Jesus.
While I was in the world.
I kept them through thy name.
Those that thou gave us me.
I have kept.
And none of them was lost, but the son of perdition.
And now come I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy.
Fulfilled in themselves, we have a song. We sing We joy in our God, and we sing of that love. 135 I believe it is so sovereign and free. Which did His heart move? We join our God. Well, that's the joy that the Lord Jesus is Speaking of here. That my joy He joined in His Father, and He wants us to joy too.
That my joy be fulfilled in themselves. What a marvelous thing that we can have the the same joy as the portion of the sun.
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We joy in our God.
Be more specific as to what is the nature of that joy, the cause of that joy. We have that same expression in Chapter 15.
It says.
Verse 11 These things I've spoken to you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. When he says my joy, what specifically is the nature and source of that joy?
I think the key to it is the previous verse to what you read, John.
John 15 verse 10.
If you keep my commandments, you shall.
You shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may remain in you.
The Lord Jesus himself.
Found his joy in this world.
In complete and perfect submission and obedience to the will of the Father.
And the joy that we will experience as we go on home toward the glory.
In a practical way, depends upon.
The same basis that his joy was, he says. My joy.
And his joy was to do the will of the Father.
In complete obedience.
And the only happy Christian is the Obedience 1.
You'll never find a Christian who is truly happy, who is walking in self will.
If I think I'm going to discover my own path of happiness in this world, and then because I've trusted in the Lord Jesus as my savior when I have to leave it, then I'll depend on God to make me happy in heaven.
I'm going to have a very unhappy life.
But if I find my joy in the same way, the source, the basis in which he found his, then I can go through this world with joy, and coupled with it just to make a comment about it. In the the Lord Jesus on the day of his resurrection said went into the room where the disciples were, and he said my peace.
I give unto you, not only is joy, but he was also saying to them my peace I give unto you. And that peace is not the peace of sins forgiven. He didn't need such a peace. He didn't have any sins of his own to forgive. So when he speaks about my peace, he's not speaking about something like the peace of with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
That is we what the what we find in Romans 5.
But his peace was the peace of circumstances in passing through this world, in perfect, unbroken communion with the Father.
And that's the same piece that he desires that we enjoy in our lives.
The peace that flows from an unbroken walk in fellowship with God our Father. Why is that a peace? Because God sits upon a throne today, and nothing that happened today disturbed him.
Nothing was a surprise to God today. Nothing happened in the world today that suddenly makes him change his plans for tomorrow.
Or disturbs the peace of God on his throne in his glory. And the reasons as a man walk through the world in the enjoyment of that fellowship with God, you might say, at the throne of peace.
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And stability. And He wanted the disciples. When He was with the disciples, they could, as it were, turn to Him, because He was physically present with them, and enjoy His comfort and His taking care of every circumstance. And so on.
But he realized that when he was away from them, they were going to face trial and rejection for his namesake, and so on. And so, in addition to his joy, something else that he desires for us as we go on home to himself is his peace.
I think that's excellent, and I would add another reference that I have enjoyed in that same connection. And we don't need to turn to it. We all know the verse in Hebrews 12. It says who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. I suggest there that it is as an example for us and the joy there as well.
Was the joy of doing the Father's will. And so the Lord wants to bring us into that same enjoyment, that same joy, that he had, the joy every moment of his life, of having the conscious sense that He was doing the Father's will.
I do always those things that please my father.
So there's a.
This is an interesting culmination of of God's thoughts and purposes.
The Trinity was.
In unison and in fellowship, and in.
We shall say in a completion or an eternity what we commonly call eternity past.
And there was has already been mentioned there was something that that was wanted as the object of affection and creation came in.
God created, but the creation was external to himself. It was apart from.
This this communion that was enjoyed, Father the Son of the Holy Spirit.
And one proof that it's external to God is, of course that the creation failed.
But there was interest purpose of God to to bring something close to himself in a way that that could not fail in a way that was not or the Godhead, but that could have a free fellowship and discourse with.
On an eternal scale.
And of course.
That's through redemption. And he finished that work and he's going to be bringing that that redeemed those redeemed ones to himself. And we have some some remarkable verses about that one that I thought was quite interesting Revelation 21 That we referenced to earlier today about the city and the city, It comes from God and yet the city is a dwelling place.
And so, even though it's from God, it is also the dwelling place of of Christ.
And so, yes, it's produced through God's purposes. And yet it is of such a nature that the Lord can dwell there and have that that fellowship that that was, that he was interested in. We go back to the.
Of verse, and again it's in.
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John 14.
At that day ye shall know in verse 20 that I am in my father, and ye in me, and I in you.
I in you the the joy of of of accomplishing this.
Impossible feat.
Of those members of the Godhead having.
Of fellowship which was, which was going to end up being eternal with other than.
Themselves.
And we get that not only hinted at the rather.
Startlingly placed or put, in my opinion, in Ephesians chapter one. At the end it says.
And as good all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church which is his body.
The fullness of him that filleth all things. How can you add more to somebody that fills everything already?
And yet that is what redemption has accomplished, is that now there is the church. There's God's people.
There will apparently be others in relation with them, but the Church in particular, that is the fullness of him that filleth all things, and filleth All in all, and So what?
What a prayer where where all these things are are committed in a way back to the Father and and with the glory and view that those people, the church were going to be there in the glory and.
Humanly would say this isn't something that God would say, but humanly we'd say it worked.
And there is a tremendous joy that forever, and this was also brought out earlier, Christ is going to have that opportunity of spending with His bride forever something that.
That would be almost unthinkable from our point of view, that God has done it, and through the Lord Jesus Christ, through his work and the joy.
Of that fulfillment of God's purposes must be immense the.
If a man is a great architect.
And he builds or designs a beautiful structure among men.
Others look at that structure and it.
You might say displays the glory of the architect.
The man accomplishes in this world a great work.
The result of that work is to his honor.
Is credit.
And here the Lord Jesus in verse 10, when he says, Father, you've given them to me.
They're mine. They're yours.
You might say in one sense we share them together because everything that's mine is yours. And then he goes on to come and he says I'm glorified in them.
Been speaking about the glory and when we see what the Lord Jesus has done at the cross and as a work result of that work is able to take a bride to himself. And then when he gets into the glory to have that bride there with himself. And when he is honored in the whole creation in the millennial glory.
Then she is right there with him as his bride at his side, and that work of his.
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Is to his glory what a wonderful thing that we are in that way.
Enhance or bring out the glory of the one that has redeemed us.
It's not of ourselves, it's not something we have done, but what a joy to be in heaven.
Just because.
It brings glory to him.
It takes us out of ourselves and what's in it for me? I'm going to heaven. I'm going to have this, I'm going to have that. That's all right to a point, as long as it's not selfish. But it's kind of 2nd.
To the 1St and primary thing is.
The arjoy is in his glory and that which he accomplishes and displays for himself to his glory. And so the Lord Jesus you might say, having thought about that and against, expressed that thought to his Father, He then says in verse 11, Holy Father.
Remember the character of the one with whom we have been brought into relationship.
Through salvation through New Bern, through eternal life is holy.
And consequently, part of this prayer is Holy Father. This is the plan. This is the program. But my own are still on earth.
Keep them in the character that is honoring to us.
And so it's an important prayer of the Lord Jesus, and it ought to be a real exercise and desire of His practically as we leave this room today.
And go forth, awaiting the Lord Jesus. That we would have a sense that the Lord is praying and has prayed for us and is working. That we might hear on earth as we await the moments of what this prayer ends, to end the glory, to have a life that's holy, a life that honors.
The dignity and the place to which we have been brought.
And so he says, Holy Father, keep him through my name.
Father, their name, My name is identified with them.
Were when you and I go out of this room and we go back to our work, in our classrooms and so on.
In a certain way, you might say right on your back you see a lot of sweatshirts and T-shirts that say this and that, identifying somebody with a particular school and so on. But in a moral way, it's like on your shoulders as you walk to work, there's going to be the name Jesus.
Written on you because you and I are identified with him.
And so he is thinking about that, you might say, and talking to the Father about it for us. And he says Holy Father.
Key.
Keep them.
And.
You've given them to me. Now we need to keep them.
What an encouragement to to us to realize that not only did the father give us to the son as a gift, but now he comes to the father and he says father keep him, keep him.
We don't want to lose anyone of them.
Made us an encouragement that I can go out of this room and go home and whatever is before us and say the Lord Jesus has asked God the Father to keep me.
In his name.
Interesting, isn't it along that line that Peter could say that kept?
By the power of God. And that's the only thing really, that takes the Christian through this world.
We walk by faith, that's true, but it's only the power of God that keeps us.
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And the Lord knew how difficult the path would be.
He knew that we would need keeping.
I have appreciated. I know others have too, that in this chapter it brings before us specifically that we are in the world but not of the world.
And the Lord knew how difficult that pathway would be. Of course, none but He.
Walked it perfectly.
But it was very quick after the apostles had passed away, had gone to be with the Lord, that that precious truth was corrupted.
In two different ways.
On the one hand.
Those who were in the world.
Tended practically more and more to become of the world.
At first it was with the honest and true desire to try and straighten things out in this world.
And we know, of course, that that tendency eventually brought itself to the point where, as we said the other day, Christianity was proclaimed as the official religion of the Roman Empire, and believers consequently placed in positions of responsibility and authority.
But it was a loss to the loss of their testimony.
And of course, being of the world, it wasn't long before they were taking part in not only seeking to better the world, but being drawn down to its level.
But then on the other hand, there were those that said this is no good, this is bad, We have to do something against this. And so they began to squirrel themselves away in monasteries and convents, and men started to become hermits, going and living away from all contact with society, even to the point in some cases. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but.
Building platforms on the top of poles where they lived for months and sometimes years at a time with people coming with.
Packages of food and other necessities, and it being.
Taken up to them by a rope or something like that. What were they doing? Oh, they weren't of the world, but for all practical purposes, they weren't in the world. And so they went to the other extreme.
And both can be done without much exercise, without much commitment, without much godliness before the Lord. Both would minister to man's natural self, whether to indulging himself or to his pride. But when the Lord says you and I are to be in the world but not of the world, that involves, as Dawn was saying, a moral character that answers to those who have been the gift from the Father to the Son.
And yet.
It is a testimony to this world. It is mixing with this world in our work and in our education and in our.
Relationships with them in such a way that there is a testimony rendered to the fact that we have been saved out of this world, but sent back into it as a testimony. And that requires a keeping power outside of ourselves, doesn't it?
I can't walk that path in my own strength. I can't walk it without dependence on the Lord and with His help.
Well, the Lord said in verse 12, he says.
I was with them in the world.
And while I was here in the world, I kept them.
Day by day, week by week, month by month, the Lord Jesus was keeping these apostles, these followers, disciples that were there present. He was watching over them and preserving them from the world.
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Now he was going to leave them and so he was concerned or?
I can use the word concern.
That they be kept and just add a word or two to what Bill just said. Important maybe for someone who's a little younger to understand that the world doesn't mean the earth that we're living on. He wasn't just saying keep him on this earth, but the world as he's presenting it to us is that whole system of things that man has built up for himself to live on the earth.
All his systems of entertainment and commerce and all driven by what's in himself, his own moral state with God. And so man at the time of Cain left God's presence and went out to build a world for himself, which left God out.
And God looks at it and he says it's dark. The world is a dark place as far as God's view is concerned. And in John chapter one when the Lord Jesus came into this Dark World.
He came as light. He was in the world. He passed through this world.
As bright light, and every person that his life came into contact with, that light shined on that person. That light exposed what they were before God. If it was a state of evil, the light revealed that if the heart wasn't right with God.
Then, because he was the word God manifest in the flesh, their reaction to him was the same as it was to God. We don't like you. We don't want you.
We just assumed murder you if we could.
Get out and so on. And then he goes back to heaven and.
And we're told in Ephesians chapter 6, you're the light of the world, he was saying to the Ephesian believers, the Lord is not here, but to us the responsibility is. We're one with the Father and the Son. We have the same life, we have the same character.
Given to us, imparted to us by eternal life. And so as you go to school, as you work, as I do.
We shine. Our responsibility is to be the light.
Of the world for the Lord Jesus.
There our lives should reflect or should display the glory of God that we have in our hearts that we had in 2nd Corinthians 4 yesterday. It should shine out.
To those about us.
And if it is shining, the response is not always going to be proper. Say it may be painful rejection, or envy or other things against a true shining out of the light, but the Lord was concerned for these believers just.
As he says in verse 15, Father keep them from the evil.
That's what overcomes so easily in us, because they're still flesh that is attracted to this world, and that flesh if allowed to work in us, then we are easily overcome with the evil that operates in this world. And the Lord hears coming to the Father for us and saying keep them from that evil.
I suppose the.
Practical picture that would demonstrate this would be an ambassadorship limit.
A great country sends an ambassador to another country and he.
Absolutely has no part in that country.
He doesn't do anything there that would disrupt what goes on in that country.
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He's responsible to whoever the country is or the leader of the country that said it, and that's you and me.
We don't. The Lord Jesus could say I came not into this world. Who made? Who made me a divider amongst you? The one that came to him and said speak to my relative that we divide the inheritance. I didn't come for that.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. He was not of this world, and he could say to Pilate, if my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight?
But he was not of this world.
You and I are not of this world.
We don't take any.
I better rephrase that we shouldn't take any part in it. It's politics.
Its activities. Now there's another part to this and that is the Apostle Paul told those.
There's very great wickedness in this world. There's a lot of it.
And.
If you were to completely divorce yourself from everything, then you need must go to this world. So what he was saying was this, You have to go to work, you have to go to school, but you don't have to be part and parcel of the activities that this world operates under. And we had it the 1St morning of the reading, The God of this world. Our brother was just saying what this world is. It's man's world and who's behind it.
The God of this world, he runs the whole scene. Now it's true that God is behind the scenes and he moves them, but Satan is the God of this world. You join what this world is and you've joined Satan system of things.
The Apostle Paul was very clear. If he needs to get totally out of this thing, you need, must be out of this world. But we're not out of this world. And so that's why we find this, keep them, keep them in this world.
Listening to the Lord saying that the Lord had kept them and none of them was lost. And then just an hour or two later an angry mob comes at them with swords and torches. And then we read they all for soak them and fled. She wondered, Well, why would they flee? They just heard the Lord say that. Well, they forgot. I think that the Lord said that he had kept them, and we can do that too. We can become fearful about circumstances of life, but if we can just remember who it is.
That has us. We belong to the Lord of glory and thought it be a comfort to us to know we don't need to be fearful.
In reality, the world is a great big lie.
And it's good for us to know that.
The God of this world is the Father of lies and that which he has developed as a world system.
He takes on his own character. It's.
One great big lie. It says I can make you happy. No, it can't. It says I can give you what you want.
Yes, at the cost of your soul.
Satan.
Takes the world as his greatest tool.
To drag souls to hell.
And consequently.
Because we have sinful nature still in us, there is that in the world which attracts us. The law of Satan can gain interest in into. Inter can't find an entrance into our hearts and lives.
If we are not kept and one of the things, the keys to our preservation, the Lord Jesus speaks of when he asks the Father in verse 17, He says sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.
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Sanctified, it means set apart.
Set them apart, Father, by Thy word. Thy word is truth. We hold in our hands the preserver of preservation of our souls in a world that is a big lie, because in our hands we have something that positively gives us what is true.
What is the truth? And if we believe it, we're preserved from the lie of the world or the many lies that are presented to us of the world.
And the Lord Jesus prays that we might be set apart by that truth in our lives, and so may the Lord help us, may the Father.
As it were the prayer be fulfilled in us in our daily lives, that we would recognize the supreme importance of the book in our hands.
And always, always trust it. Believe it. Whenever something is presented to us, test it by the truth.
The Lord Jesus gave this word to the disciples, and they have given it to us. And you go to school, you, you hear something on the radio, and it doesn't agree with the word of God then.
There's only one thing to do. Don't accept it as true.
It seems to me that one of the most wonderful things.
And it isn't stated so much explicitly in the chapter, but it is here implicitly, and it's already been alluded to. And that is that in recording this prayer for us in His word.
God directs our hearts to that which is outside of ourselves.
If what is written here has its moral effect on my heart.
Then I realize that here is one who came into the world and who finished the work the Father gave him to do, and the cost was beyond human understanding.
And here is one who in consequence of that work.
Can take you and me to himself as the Father's gift.
Associate us with himself.
Bring us into the same relationship with the father as he has.
Point on the coming glory and tell us that we are going to share that glory with him.
We don't have to wait till then. The glory which thou hast given me, I have given them. We can bear that glory in one sense already down here.
Makes US1 with himself.
Says we that we might be one, that there might be the display of that oneness which we know exists in fact.
I say again, it takes me outside of myself. How could I ever say?
Well, what's the harm in it? Or but I want to do it.
But that is what is going to make me happy.
But I don't want to do that or that doesn't suit me or whatever it might come to.
I speak to my own heart how many times those questions arise in our lives when we face difficulties.
Whereas if my heart really had gotten hold of what is here.
Then my reaction would rather be I'm not here to please myself, and even if the pathway were so completely difficult that there wasn't one bright spot in it.
00:55:04
I would say to myself it's well worth it in view of having the privilege of walking with my Savior and of being identified with Him.
So that it's his joy, not mine, that is before me. It's his interests, not mine, that are uppermost in my mind.
It's fellowship with him and all that he is that is important to me rather than some short term enjoyment of something down here.
Again, I say it's not expressed explicitly in this chapter, but I would suggest that it's here implicitly and this chapter, properly taken to heart, would have that effect on us, would it not?
I think in one sense that at least the truth of it is explicitly given to us.
In verse 19.
Bills just spoken about. For their sakes, I sanctify myself.
But they also might be sanctified through the truth.
He not only takes us outside of ourselves, but it takes the object of our hearts outside the world completely.
What a wonderful thing. That's when it says I sanctify myself. What's that verse means is I separate myself completely, literally, from the world to take a place in heaven.
That's what it means when he says I sanctify myself. He's saying I take my place out of this world for their sakes, and I put myself outside of the world in in the glory and the heaven. And what's implicit in that is.
He knew that the disciples hearts affections were centered in himself. That's what's assumed or implied in it. And so by taking himself out of the world he was taking their affections out of the world as well because they were centered in himself. And So what takes my heart, my heart out of the world is the if the object of my heart isn't in the world anyways.
If it's in the glory.
And so he says, I sanctify myself and sets us apart for himself because.
Our heart is already there where he is.
Because it's centered, the object of it is himself.
Tremendous power to preserve our souls, and it's his present work for us for their sakes, he says. I sanctify myself. And so the Lord Jesus, for our hearts sake, sanctifies himself, takes that place today with us for us, and then the Spirit of God would develop in our hearts that affection for himself.
That would take our hearts too out of the world, so that we might walk in the world to His glory, but truly in our hearts be outside.
Feeble illustration of it but.
Suppose.
A young man and a young woman court.
And maybe they're in the same city the time they're courting, but.
The young man perhaps has to go to another place to work for some time.
If her heart is really taken up in him, then her interest in her heart now belong to a different place. It's where he is.
And she longs to that day when perhaps they're going to be married and she's going to go to the place where he is. And that's the way it is to be with our hearts as well. Yes, we live here. We we are to be lights here. But where's our heart?
Hopefully not in the life safety, but in that which is really life, and though our Lord Jesus with the long true longing of our hearts to be where he is.
Lord Jesus when he was teaching could say that where your heart is.
01:00:06
Where your treasure is, excuse me, there shall your heart be also.
Is the Lord Jesus our treasure?
Well, if he is, that's where her will be here.
We can be very thankful for that 20th, 1St can we not?
Either Pray for thee is alone. You've already mentioned it done.
But for them, all she would show believe on me through their words, so that will go right down to the very moment.
That the shout is given.
That will cover every single St. that woman.
I remember being at a conference in Lawrenceville, IL. I suppose it was 10 years ago or thereabouts.
And this chapter was being taken up.
And we came to verse 22.
That was ministered on.
And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them that they may be one, even as we are one.
And it was pointed out, and I believe properly by more than one brother, that wasn't it a wonderful thing that we would share that glory in a coming day and that the Lord Jesus.
Was pleased to give us the glory that had been given to him.
As was properly brought out, there is a glory that we behold, and that is in the next verse.
But it was brought out that we would share that glory.
I well remember at the end Brother Clem Buchanan making the comment, he said.
But we have that glory now.
It says here I have given them, he said. I suggest there's more here.
Than simply what we will share in the coming day.
But the meeting was at an end and he didn't develop it.
I'd like to suggest a thought on that.
Because I enjoyed the comments that were made concerning coming glory, and I believe they're true.
But I would suggest that within the, shall I say, the meaning of this chapter, there is a sense in which you and I in walking through this world.
On the one hand, as sons of God.
With the absolute conviction and assurance of the position we have been brought into.
And on the other hand, walking through it.
In a volunteer, In a voluntary humility.
And.
We might say as those who are rejected and bear the reproach of Christ.
There is a glory.
That you and I have been given. In that sense, we have the privilege.
And it is a privilege of following the Lord in his pathway through this world. Was there a glory that shone out from him in every step of the pathway? Indeed there was.
And even those who were not saved could see it. Even those who didn't have any interest in them were forced to see that moral glory displayed in him.
You and I can bear that same glory down here. It's not a glory connected with pride, because all is of grace, But at the same time there is a special privilege in walking through this world, on the one hand, as reproached, as rejected, as hated. And we will be persecuted and disliked by this world if we follow Christ, but on the other hand, in all the conscious dignity of whose we are.
And where we're going and whom we represent, and the glory that we'll share in the coming day.
01:05:01
I suggest there is a glory that can be displayed and that can only be displayed down here. It won't be able to be displayed in that same way up there. And I suggest that 22nd verse can be applied that way.
There is something that is expressed. People know that we're Christians.
And there's some.
Some.
It's not purposeful, but there is some influence that we.
Impose on our circumstances around us and it just seems to have come naturally, perhaps.
Or comes automatically, I guess the word and perhaps.
Not really connected, but perhaps it might have to do a little bit, that glory that is somehow manifest through us to simply being in this world.
Getting on towards the end of our time, I'd just like to comment one more thought in verse 24.
He says father.
I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me.
Thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
I find this verse very touching to my soul and very humbling.
I think what's in the verse.
At least a little bit of what's in it.
Is the thought that?
The Lord Jesus.
Was conscious.
That there was a response in the heart of his own, there was an affection for himself.
In those that loved him.
That is, he could say, yeah, Peter, I know.
What's in your heart? And there is something in your heart, Peter. There is an attachment to me.
And it's based on that.
That, he says to the Father. I want them to be here in the glory.
Because.
They have that love and they will find an unselfish joy.
In seeing what you have done for me.
Isn't that wonderful for us to think that?
He counts upon our love that we would be there just so we could see his glory.
Because it would bring joy to our hearts.
Totally.
Unselfish, if you will, on our part.
And that's what he counts on.
It's not what's in heaven for me and how wonderful it's going to be for me. And I'm going to walk the streets of gold and I'm not going to be sick and I'm not going to be this and I'm not going to be that. Yes, that's all true. That's not what the Lord is talking about here. He's talking about an affection for himself. And so he says, Father, I want him to be here to see my glory.
And you might say, I know it'll make them happy.
You'll rejoice for my sake.
Not, you might say, for their own.
What is what? A confidence of love?
Has in US in that way.
And is it so? I shall be like thy son 18 in the appendix.
Is this the great key for me? Has won?
Father Glory thought beyond all thought.
In glory to his own blessed likeness, brought 18 in the appendix.
Gospel 8
Gospel—D. Imbeau
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No more story.
Dreams.
Again.
Close and.
Two days we've been here. It says that the last day, the great day of the feast of Jesus, stood and cried.
Merkel comment.
I don't know how great the crowds were. In many instances there were a great multitude.
And he said if anyone thirst.
Are there any thirsty in this room tonight?
There's according to scripture, there's three groups of people in this world.
There's the Jew and the Gentile and the Church of God.
But also according to scripture, there are two kinds of people in this world.
00:05:03
There's those that are saved and those that are lost.
As I look around tonight.
I know most of you.
And I know you've accepted the Lord as your savior.
But I don't really know your heart.
God does.
When God spoke to Samuel and asked him to go and anoint.
One of the sons of Jesse. He didn't tell him what son. He just said to go and have a little feast and invite Jesse and his family, his sons.
And one of Jesse's sons stood up.
A big man bigger than I am.
And Samuel about to rise to anoint him, and the Lord says no, I've not chosen him.
Man looketh at the outward appearance, but God looketh at the heart. So as I say tonight, I don't see your heart.
I don't know what's in your heart, and you don't know what's in mind, but God does.
Apostle Paul could say the Lord knoweth them that are his.
But let everyone that name with the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Tonight I'd like to speak a little bit about.
Books.
And names.
Each one in this room has a name.
There's something in the early part of Scripture.
Tells us that God wrote down your name.
I don't know when.
It may have been before the foundation of this world, I don't know. But he did write down your name.
And everyone in this room's name is in a book.
Every single one.
There's many books in scripture. I'm not going to speak about all of them. I'm only going to speak about a few.
But there's one book that's extremely important.
It is most important, and that's the book of life.
Now, as I said, there's two classes of people saved and lost. Those two classes of people are written in one of these two books.
In the book of life.
Or the book that's going to be opened at the judgment of the Great White Throne. And it says there, and I will come to that later, the books were opened.
And everyone was judged according to the things written in the books.
The name was listed and in their deeds.
Oh my.
Oh my judge, according to the works.
According to their deeds.
This afternoon.
And this morning.
That was brought before us the glories of the person.
The beauties of the scene that awaits those that belong to Christ.
And there's only those whose name.
Is written.
In the Lamb's Book of Life.
Or the book of life is going to be there.
Let's turn first.
But before we do, there's two other places in Scripture that names are written.
In Jeremiah 17 it says their names are written in the earth.
Isn't that something?
If you write your name in the Earth, that's exactly where it's going to stay.
You're never going to be in heaven.
Scripture speaks of the earth dwellers, Earth dwellers.
00:10:02
It's true that you and I live here on Earth, but we are not Earth dwellers.
We are destined for heaven.
There's a scripture in Luke 10 that says goes something like this, Rejoice. Not that the spirits obey thee, but rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.
Written in heaven.
So your name is written in the book of judgment, or your name is written in the book of life, your name is written in the earth, or your name is written in heaven. It's that simple. And tonight in this room, there's only two places your name is going to be written or is written one or the other.
Now to the book of Exodus in the 32nd chapter.
Now we know this story. I'm not going to read it.
Excuse me, will I take off my coat?
I'm going to read one verse.
Before I do.
I'm going to speak a little bit about the man that spoke these words.
Moses and he was interceding for Israel.
Picture of Christ, no doubt.
But listen to what he says 30 second verse.
32nd chapter and 32nd verse of Exodus. Yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin.
And if not?
Block me, I pray thee out of thy book.
Which thou has written?
The Lord said no, I'm not going to do that.
And he accepted Moses intercession.
But what I want to emphasize is out of.
Thy book.
God's book.
Go to the 62nd Psalm and you'll see another expression.
Similar.
But not quite exactly the same. However, I believe the two books probably are somewhat the same.
6669 Psalm.
And I'd like you very much. And I'm not going to read them, but I'd like you very much at your leisure to read from about the 18th and 19th 1St on down.
To get the connection of what this verse is speaking about the 28th verse.
Let them be blotted out of the Book of the Living.
And not be written with the righteous.
This is speaking about those who were at the cross.
Who were against the portion of Christ.
Who did everything in their power to.
Ridicule.
Hurt.
You know what? The cross.
Two very major things were displayed.
The wicked.
Incorrigible heart of man.
And the unfathomable.
Grace of God.
But here?
You know, there's something about that scene of Calvary.
That's amazing.
You know, we use that word rather loosely oftentimes.
And there are several words in the English language that have great meaning which are used very loosely. Amazing is one of them.
00:15:03
There was a man at that cross.
Though he doesn't say anything about.
His thoughts regarding the Lord Jesus.
But he was a commander.
It says he was the centurion and that's the captain. Over 100 men.
And when the Lord died.
He makes a comment in Mark's Gospel and he makes a comment in Luke's Gospel.
Excuse me, Matthews. Gospel. And one of them is this.
Truly, this was the Son of God.
Now this 1St, 28th verse I don't believe is speaking about him.
Is speaking about those that were in total animosity.
The first of Christ.
The Book of the Living. Let me just give you a little thought on the Book of the Living. The Book of the Living is the book I said that your name was written in.
The book of every living person that ever lived on this earth, or ever will live on this earth, is written in the Book of the Living.
Now God can wipe.
The name out of that.
And it says he does, because he will.
Book of the Living On the 40th Psalm, there's another expression.
And this, again, is God's book.
This book is a little different than the other two we've just looked at.
And it's quoted. This very verse is quoted in Hebrews 40th Psalm.
And the seventh verse then said, I, Lo, I come.
In the volume of the book that is written of me.
It's quoted in Hebrews chapter.
Speaking, of course, of the person of Christ and the book, the volume of the book, the this book is God's total plan.
For this world total plan I believe for eternity.
And that book is where the name is written, where the Lord Jesus says in the volume of the book it's written of Maine. Lo, I come to thy will, O God.
Your name is not in this book, I don't believe.
This book has to do accepting that it's in God's plan for his overall picture.
That's this book.
Now in Daniel 12, we get another book.
And that's a little different and.
Definitely your name and my name is not in that book.
Daniel 12.
And the first verse.
In this picture is yet to come. This picture has not happened yet.
It may not be very far off.
At time that's this coming time which hasn't arrived yet, shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people, And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was, since there was a nation even to that same time. And at that time thy people shall be delivered.
Everyone that shall be found written in the book.
This is another book is God's book again, only it's a book of those that are faithful to Him during the Tribulation.
They're going to be delivered.
They're going to be delivered.
Now let's look at.
A book that speaks about you.
Let's go to Philippians.
00:20:08
Luke pins 4.
Oh, how important if your name is not written in this book.
Start with the 1St.
3.
And I entreat thee also true yoke, fellow, help those women which labor with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers.
Whose names are in the book of life.
The Book of Life.
This book is so important.
That when the Millennium is all over.
And the throne is set up, that great white throne where the judge of all the earth is going to sit the person of Christ himself.
This book is brought up.
The Book of Life.
So let's go there, to the 20th chapter of Revelation.
Man has many ideas.
He's got many ideas about how to get to heaven.
He's got many ideas about his good works.
But Scripture says that when they stand every. You know, I've had it said to me, and I'm sure you had to. We'll wait till I stand before God. I'll tell him what I think. Oh, no, you won't.
Oh, no, you will not.
Every mouth will be stopped and all the world will become guilty before God.
What an amazing thing.
Some of us in this room that.
A little bit old.
We've seen a lot of things.
We've seen a lot of things that have happened in the past.
We've seen a lot of people that have come and gone. Hitler, Stalin.
Mussolini, Tojo, others. But you know, in their lifetime and when they were Hart and Haley.
There was nothing that they thought they couldn't do. There was nothing that they put their hand to that they wouldn't finish. They thought, they thought.
God didn't enter into their thoughts at all, excepting maybe from a blasphemous standpoint.
Everyone I've mentioned.
He is now in the lake of fire.
They now know.
We have a gentleman in our assembly that's a postman. He was a school teacher at one time and he got tired of trying to teach kids that didn't listen and so he went to work for the post office.
And he gives the gospel to everybody he meets.
And in his office, there's a man he speaks to quite often.
And one day the man just got quite angry with him. And so.
This young man said to him, Look, all I want to tell you is this, what I've been telling you is the straight facts, truth of God. And within 10 seconds after you're dead, you'll know it's true.
True.
Mussolini, Hitler, Bojo.
Stolen.
When they died, they realized.
Who God was?
And if there's any in this room.
That doesn't know. Christ, you too.
Will realize who God is.
00:25:00
Let's go to the 20th chapter of Revelation.
And this is a very interesting commencement to this, the 12Th verse. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God.
And the books were open.
And the books were opened.
Before we read the rest of it, let's go to 13 first.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.
And they were judged, every man according to their works.
And they were judged, every man according to their works.
You've had it said to you, and I have to.
I've done good. I've never done anything bad.
Everything I've done has been good.
And if I did do anything bad, I've done so many good things that they're gonna outweigh the bad.
No, that's not the way God looks at it.
Pilate could say at the cross, What shall I do then with Jesus?
What shall I do then with Jesus?
If this were true, if man by his good works could have gotten into heaven, why, Why would God have sent his Son?
Oh no.
No, though there was a penalty to be paid.
You know the Lord when he was here, he spoke in many parables.
And one of them was about.
Person who owed a great debt.
And it says he owed 10,000.
Felons.
Nobody in this room was ever, ever, ever owned $10,000 and never, never, never will.
Multi Millions of dollars.
Never able to pay. Never able to pay.
And his master, his Lord, says he frankly forgave him the debt.
He frankly forgave him.
The bit.
The debt that was owed.
At Calvary's Cross.
Will show great.
We've never been told what it was because we couldn't understand it.
My devil alone.
Beyond payment.
Your debt beyond payment.
Couldn't pay it.
But it was paid.
It is interesting situation in the Gospels and I don't believe you'll ever find that.
It says the Lord gave forgave them their sin and is true, and the one that owed the 10th he frankly forgave him his debt.
But you know, it doesn't say that.
The debt was paid there.
Because no debt that was ever owed in regard to the judgment of God against sin was ever paid until Calvary. And that's why we have Romans chapter 3, verse 25.
In the 10th chapter of Hebrews and the fourth verse it says for it is not possible.
That the blood of bulls or goats could ever take away sin Not possible.
That load of sin every.
Day of Atonement.
The debt just kept piling up.
Higher, higher and higher.
00:30:03
God covered them.
Because they would be paid for.
But not by man.
Put by his son.
You know when it says in the 13th chapter of Matthew.
That he found a treasure in the field.
And it says that he went and sold all that he had and bought the field.
He went and sold all that he had and bought the field.
The payment.
Was made at Calvary.
That's one side of the coin.
He searched and found a Pearl of great price.
And he went and sold all that he had.
And he bought the Pearl. Again, That was Calgary.
When he sold all that he had.
But the world when he bought, the world he bought. That's what we have in Peter when it says they denied the one that bought them.
They denied the one that bought him because he bought the world. He paid for it.
It doesn't mean that when he bought the world.
That he paid the penalty that the whole world owed. He paid the penalty that the Treasurer in that field.
And when he bought the Pearl, he paid the price to buy that Pearl. That's. And who was the Pearl?
Is pride.
Pride.
So let's go back now to the 12Th verse and finish reading the verse.
And another book.
Was opened.
Which is the book of life?
And another book was opened.
God knows everything.
Why was the Book of life opened?
The books. The books were opened, and those were the books of judgment.
You know, I think it's just pure, unadulterated grace that we have here.
Is it possible?
That there's one out there that's in the book of life? No, there wasn't.
But that's for you and me.
If you're not in the book of life.
Remember this?
At that scene.
That's just been read.
Your name is going to be in the books of judgment.
And then the search could be made.
It's not fair.
Your name is only in one place, not in the book of life.
What a terrible thing.
Now I can't imagine, and I don't think any of us can.
And what that scene is going to be like.
Nor can we imagine.
What the scene of?
Destruction is going to be like.
To be cast in the Lake of Fire.
You know a lake is a confined body of water.
A river is not.
The lake has no way to get out. That's why it's called the lake.
And the lake of fire is confined.
There's no way out.
It isn't that after a multitude of years.
But you're going to get out, no?
00:35:00
It's so horrible.
It's almost beyond. It is beyond our comprehension.
And this scene.
Think of it at the.
Flood.
There could have been. The mathematicians have calculated it could be anywhere from 5 to 15 billion people on Earth.
Easily. So let's put a figure of five.
5 billion people.
No, I'm not saying that.
5 billion people all went from the lake of fire, because that's not true. But there were 5 billion people.
And from then till.
Now.
How many right now? Today there's about 7.4 billion people on Earth.
About 7.4.
And since the flood.
Now how many?
Billions.
Literally billions of people. Now I'm not saying that all of them are going to be like a fire, because that wouldn't be true.
But when we consider the horribleness of eternity.
In the Lake of Florida.
It's expressed in a number of ways in Scripture.
But this is the close.
This is the clothes.
Just before the eternal state.
The Millennium is all over.
The Lord has come for his Saints.
Are you going to be here after he comes?
Let me tell you this.
If you're here.
After he comes, you're going to go through the tribulation.
If you think that simple, just read the Book of Revelation from the 6th chapter until now.
Till we are here.
You're going to go through that?
You're going to experience what it says there, and that in itself is horrible.
If your name.
Is not written.
In the book of life now.
It can be.
It can be.
The Lord Jesus.
In Matthew 11.
28.
Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That's just as good right now as it was when he spoke it just as good.
You still can come.
I know a young lady that whose grandfather.
He's passed away now.
But he he he resisted the truth, He resisted the thought of salvation. And his comment always was this I have never sinned. I've never sinned.
So one day.
His granddaughter says to him, You know, Grandpa, if you've never sinned, how come you raised so many sinners?
How true that was.
Revolves in.
I'm not a Sinner.
And you're not a Sinner if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as savior. And I'm there's scripture for that. God will not never call you a Sinner. But before you're saved, that's all you are. That's all you were. And that's all you could be, was a Sinner.
And if you're not written in the Lamb's book of life right now?
00:40:01
You know it.
But you can be.
So simple.
God has made salvation simple otherwise.
There have been no saved ones at all.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, and a heavy laden, and I'll give you a how simple that is.
The 13th verse of Romans 10. Whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's the simplest thing I can possibly think of.
Peter said, Lord, save me and that was it.
The woman.
That said, if I may but touch the hem of his garment.
And she comes up behind the Lord Jesus and she does touch his car.
And immediately it says that she was healed.
It's that simple.
You know what? The Great White Throne.
There may be a lot of thoughts, and I don't have us an inkling of how many billions are going to be standing there. Not an inkling.
But of everyone, everyone will have, I believe, the same thought.
Because they'll see.
The one who they rejected.
He'll see him.
They'll look right on his face.
They'll realize.
It could have been different.
It could have been different.
It's amazing.
To me it's amazing and I'm sure it's amazing to the Lord.
We sing him, man, God.
Offering God, giving forth, and man refusing.
God be teaching, man refusing.
To be made forever. Glad it's amazing.
So let's get back to this scene of the Great White Throne, the.
As I said earlier, CN the Millennium has ended.
The 1000 years is over.
This world.
I've had it said to me, and I know you have too, that.
And if man had an environment that was the right kind of environment, he'd be a good man.
Well, the Millennium is going to be the most perfect environment that man has ever seen on this earth up to that time.
No, we're not talking about the next chapter.
Perfect environment.
There's not going to be any sickness.
Not going to be any poverty. There's not going to be any hunger. There's not going to be any death except for sin.
It's going to be a perfect government.
Absolutely perfect government. We've never this world has never seen that.
And for 1000 years, man is going to have the most perfect environment that could possibly be on this earth.
And what happens?
Let's read it.
This the seventh verse.
And when the 1000 years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. That's not the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. It means the conglomerate of peoples.
To gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and culpers the camp of the Saints about and the beloved city. And the fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Now that's that was man's result. That was man's answer to a perfect environment.
That was man's answer to God, to the perfection of which they experienced for 1000 years. Think of like 1000 years.
00:45:05
They never went hungry.
There was number disease.
Actually.
You know when the Millennium first starts.
Man is still going to exercise some of his wicked thoughts and his wicked ways, but it won't last very long because the minute that that happens every morning, he'll be judged. There'll be no trial, there'll be no no judge and jury, there won't be any crooked judges or any crooked juries. It'll be an instantaneous judgment.
And so after about two or three weeks.
There won't be any sin demonstrated. Man's got a brain. He's going to say wait a minute, it doesn't pay to do this.
And four times, and possibly a fifth time in Scripture, it says they feign obedience.
They go through the Millennium and they obey what God has said. The king that is ruling in Jerusalem, they'll obey. They might think a lot of thoughts, but as long as they don't go out and steal or kill or.
Any of those things.
As long as they don't put their thoughts into action, they feign obedience. They bow to the rule, it says, because of the fear of the greatness of that king.
And so at the end of the Millennium, all of these thoughts, all of these things that have collected, that they have decided they don't like what's been going on.
And when Satan is released, I just read it.
But they'll be.
Destroyed. Now I believe this, all of those people will be standing at that great white throne.
Everyone of them.
Because it doesn't say that they're cast into the lake of fire like the the beast and the false prophet.
Which were there for over for a good thousand years before the others went there.
But this is the end.
This is the last picture of the scene of the old world, because the next chapter is a new heaven and a new earth eternity.
But let's read this again.
And the books were opened.
And another book was opened, which is the book of life, And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.
According to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead that were in them, And they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Now this last verse and whosoever was not found.
Written in the book of Life.
Was cast into the lake of fire. Now there's another scripture, and I'll just quote it, and it's in the.
Book of Revelation, the Lamb's Book of Life. Now the Book of Life and the Lamb's Book of Life, I believe are synonymous. Excepting this, the Lamb's Book of Life indicates that those that are written and there belong to the Lamb.
They're his.
He said he shared his precious blood to save him.
Tonight I'm going to close now.
I want to ask you.
Where is your name written?
It can only be written in two places.
It either can be written in the Earth.
Or in heaven.
In the book of judgment that we've just read about for the Lamb of Life.
Now which is it?
You know you have to answer that question. You don't have to answer to me. I'm nobody.
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But you do have to answer that question to God. And you will. You will.
You will answer that question.
What shall I do then?
With Jesus, who is called the Christ.
You know, Pilate answered that question.
Pilot answered it.
He says take he him out and crucify him. That was his answer. I want to tell you a little bit about Pilot. Some of you may know, some of you may not. About three years after pilots order to crucify the person of the Lord Jesus, he had a controversy with the people down in Samaria.
And the Samaritans went to Caesar and said, Pilate has done thus, thus and thus.
And Caesar's called Pilot back to Rome, and they made an inquiry into the accusation that was made. And they found out that it was true that Pilot had done exactly what the Samaritan said he had done.
And Caesar says, You know.
Can't allow them.
You've been banned from the Empire.
You've been banned from the Empire? Get out.
Investment pilot, yes.
And when he got out, he committed suicide.
You know you don't trifle.
With God.
We had it last night.
Herod, Herod mocked the Lord Jesus.
You don't do that.
And get away with it.
That same heritage, you know, Pilot sent the Lord Jesus to her.
And Herod mocked him and sent him back to Pilate.
Those two men, one eaten of worms and the other committed suicide.
Tom, trifle.
Don't pray for.
Don't trifle with your soul.
Is your name written in the Lambs book of life?
Is it? If it's not.
Terrible if it's not.
And the Lord comes tonight.
You will go through the tribulation.
Oh yes, you will, I guarantee it on the word of God.
You'll see every bit of that horribleness.
And the end thereof is going to be the Lake of Fire. Horrible great.
Some Critical Decisions We Have to Make
YP Sing Address—R. Hiebert
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Now Brother Ross Siebert has something for us, so.
Anybody have any capacity left for listening?
I know it's been a long day and I feel.
Really sincerely honored and appreciative of the opportunity to speak.
To you tonight, and I just want to take this opportunity to tell you how thoroughly.
Is the word excited or just thrilled? I was when I saw some of you, many of you today during the meetings. And I saw so many of the, the young men just from my vantage point sitting forward on the chairs listening. I saw some of the ladies taking notes and as I walked by, I, I heard some people just.
Talking in their conversation, I heard the Lord being talked about and, and I had some opportunities to talk to people and it was so encouraging to see a group of young people. And I know that there's always exceptions in a group, but generally speaking that really seemed to want to go on for the Lord And that was just so encouraging to my heart. And so we won't take a a whole lot of time tonight.
But maybe it's just a good way to close off the day to look at a quick word from the from the Bible that hopefully will be an encouragement to all of us. But maybe let's just start off with a word of prayer and we'll ask for the Lords help.
I wonder if anybody.
Tonight would like to just share in a couple of words, something that they've enjoyed. Oh, I didn't know I would be involved in having to say anything tonight. I thought I could be an audience, truthfully. Does anybody just wanted to say something quickly that you've enjoyed? Anyone.
The gospel, it was very interesting. I've never heard of defended this way. That's great. It's encouraging to hear the message of the gospel and it's it's it's wonderful to be able to hear that, even if even if you do belong to the Lord Jesus. Anyone else? Thank you for that. Anyone else want to share something that you've enjoyed?
He'll be shot. Various descriptions of the temple. Good. Thank you for that. Anything else?
The picture was given the aunt.
That's great.
So thanks for those things and, you know, have those conversations with each other. It's it's great to talk about all the things that we're doing, school and sports and all those kinds of things. But just wonderful thing to just over dinner or breakfast or whatever, just to talk about something that you've enjoyed or ask for an opinion from, from one of your peers. It's a great thing to be able to do, you know.
I was talking to somebody just before this this.
Sing tonight and we were talking a little bit about work and, and things like that and the busyness of life and the tough decisions that have to be made. And I want to talk a little bit about decisions because I, I believe with all my heart that not only are you at a crossroads in life, many of you, some of you trying to struggle with decisions related to school or maybe related to an employment or maybe related to family situations or maybe related to a relationship.
Not only do you have those decisions to make at this particular time in your life, but the decisions that you are making have will have many of them an impact on your life for the rest of your life. And it is so critically important at these crossroads to have the tools to make the right decisions. And you know, I believe that we do. I believe that those of us that truly belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have the Holy Spirit within us able to direct us into the right decisions. And I believe that the Lord is speaking to us and saying this is the way walkie in it. But sometimes for some reason we have a real hard time, and I relate to this really directly in hearing what the Lord would have us to do. So I thought if it's OK with you, we'd just take a few minutes and talk about some of those critical decisions we have to make.
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And in doing so, I'd like to look at acts.
Chapter 27 maybe an unlikely place to go to look at this, but I'd like to look at a point in time in the life of a young professional.
A man that was in charge, a man that was number doubt respected, a man that was going places, and a man that at the setting of this story is on a mission, and that man's mission is to get what he believed was a criminal to Rome.
The man was a centurion means he was over 100 men and as you probably guessed this was the the the man, I think his name was Julius, that was tasked with transporting the Apostle Paul from Caesarea to Rome.
And we don't have time to really go into the story in depth, but let me just give a little bit of background. They had left from Caesarea and they'd had a tough, tough voyage, and they had come to an island. Does anybody know what the name of the island was? Don't say Melita.
I know you were going to. Do you know what island it was that they had come to?
They had a tough time getting there and it starts with AC.
No.
Great. That's right. Whoever said Crete, that's right. They had come to Crete and I take it they were off schedule. They were behind. And like most young professionals that have a mission and they want to get somewhere and they don't want to be held up. He was under the gun and he wanted to get going and he wanted to get moving. Do you relate? I think we can all relate to that. We have a place we want to go. We have a young people's weekend we want to get to. We have a career we want to achieve. We have.
Academic goals or maybe athletic goals that we want to achieve and it's of utmost importance and when something slows us down, in this case it was just plain bad weather. We want to get going, be careful.
Be careful because it's at those points in our lives where we feel under pressure to make a decision, under pressure to get going, under pressure to make a move that we can make unwise decisions. Let's just look.
At verse.
10.
9.
Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous because the fast was now already passed, Paul admonished them and said.
Unto them, sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the leading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless, the centurion believe the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul, and because the haven was not commodious to winter.
In the more part advised to depart fence also if by any means they might attain to finish and there to winter, which is an haven of Crete and lieth toward the southwest and northwest.
So the Centurion made a decision, and I would like to ask. It appears to me that there's at least three reasons why he made his decision.
His decision was to try to leave Fair Havens, which apparently was not very fair because it wasn't a great place to spend winter, and to head for a place called Finice or Phoenix.
Who can tell me one reason, one thing that made his mind up?
One thing that influenced his decision?
Anybody.
The the helmsman, the the the person that actually was the captain of the ship. True. And anything else or anyone else.
Soldiers of Rome still to carry out their weather is very promptly all right. The the the need for speed, the need for you know, we're already late. Let's get this show on the road. True. Anything else?
00:10:01
Reg.
The South wind did blow softly and I think that that's probably that could very well. It looked nice. It looked like the right thing to do. I've always wondered whether the South wind was blowing softly when he made the decision or after you made the decision. But true, it looked like a smart thing to do. Conditions looked all right, yes. Anything else?
Anybody from over there?
What else? What does it say?
I think everyone's grown used to being an audience today.
I can wait, anyone else?
Rather listen to somebody else other than the desire to listen to somebody else other than the Apostle Paul. Yeah. Yeah. I support. Like, who is this guy? I mean, like, it's not. She's not like he's not a helmsman. He's not a captain. And yet I do. It's so true. And yet I do believe he had a respect for Paul. So let me just say it looks like there was several people. Let's look at the verse. What does it say here? Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master.
So I take it the captain and the owner. So I take it the guy who owned the ship was on the ship more than the things of Paul. So those are two people. And what does it say? Verse 12? And because the haven was not commodious to winter, in other words, this isn't comfortable here. It's not convenient. I don't like my current situation. I want something different. That's another reason. And listen to this last thing. The more part advised to depart. What does that mean? The more part advised.
The majority, the majority said let's get the show on the road, it looks nice, we have a place to go.
And then men of experience, namely the captain and men of means, I think in those days you didn't own a boat unless you had a bit of cash, right? So men of means and men of influence and the majority and the uncomfortableness, if that's a word of the current of the status quo, those things converge together for him to say. I hear what you're saying, Paul, but I got my own. I got my own plans here and to do something different.
Now, do you know where they were headed? If you have a map in your Bible and you don't need to do this, but it's kind of neat to look at it, and you were to look at Crete. They were on the South side of Crete and they were sort of centered to to the east side. And they had a desire to get to a harbor. And that harbor was on the West side. It was on the West side of Crete.
You know how far away it was? It's about 40 miles. It was just a blip on your map. It was nothing. It was a very small decision to make, or so it would seem. It was just a little decision. It was just a small departure from what the apostle had said. It was such a little, little thing. You know where I'm going with this? It was a small thing. And you know, I guess here's what I'm trying to say to you tonight.
You're faced with decisions, decisions that will affect you for a very long time, quite possibly for the rest of your lives down here. And the Clarion, clear voice.
Of the apostles, doctrine and I and the voice of scripture. And the things you know to be right are there, but there are men and women in your life.
Who are men and women of influence and men and women of means?
And it is very, very, very easy to be influenced by them in a wrong path. Who are you listening to?
Who are you listening to? Who has the ability to change your mind? I coach young executives sometimes, and I work with people that are making their way up the corporate ladder. And they have a lot of pressure from people that have a very strong ability to make them wealthy or to make their careers go somewhere. And it influences them tremendously. You know, we're saying just before this meeting is talking to somebody, the workforce is getting smaller and smaller and smaller over the next 12 years. And the amount of things that need to be done is getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And so your generation is going to be stuck in the middle and you will have to make a decision.
You will have to make a decision as to who is Lord of your time and who is Lord of your life. That's a decision you will have to make. And if you don't make it, it's already made for you. Because men and women of influence and men and women of means that have little care or little interest in what the Lord has to say will make decisions for your time if you don't in the fear of the Lord. And then there's always the majority, right? What's everybody else doing? You know, it's just great, like.
00:15:29
What if you were to say tonight, well, let's let's, I probably shouldn't say this, but let's go for pizza. You know, probably at two or three people would make that decision. Then everybody would go where the majority, where the majority is going, right? We're sort of built that way. We like to sort of do what everybody else is doing.
And so if we let ourselves get pulled by the majority, rather than making decisions in the fear of the Lord, we're going to make decisions that can affect us for a very, very long time.
But then, you know, there's the biggest thing and I think it's something that more than any of these other things, effects our ability to make good and right decisions. And you know what it is, it has to do with that reason, that main reason they left, which was because it wasn't comfortable. It just wasn't comfortable. You know, we live in a in a time and we live in a generation and we live in a country.
That is very affluent and life is all about me and it's all about you and it's what do you want and what do you need and luxury and and living life to its fullest. Vacation, the vacation industry is going crazy. The automobile industry and the options and the homes and things like that. It's all about me and it's you and it's what you want and it's what you deserve and and what you can strive for and advertising multi multi billion dollar industries all very much focused on making you discontent and dissatisfied with what you have.
So that you will want something different.
And.
If we haven't been spending time on our knees.
In the presence of the Lord.
Enjoying the love flowing from his heart.
To us.
And realizing that in him, that one who is altogether lovely, every need, every desire, every hope, every dream of my heart is realized.
You haven't come to that. It's so easy to be carried away.
In the winds of what my preference and my needs, I think one of our biggest problems is that we read the Scripture sometimes from a perspective of what do I want? Have you ever gone to Scripture and tried to look for a verse that supports what you want to do?
You know, we need to read the scriptures and let them say what they say. Somebody said, I heard somebody say not too long ago, and maybe I'll explain what they meant by this. They said, you know, we Satan knew that you and I wouldn't buy liberal theology. So he sold us liberal hermeneutics and we ended up in the same place.
Hermeneutics is the way that we interpret scripture, and what he meant by that is.
Satan knew we wouldn't wholesale turn aside from sound doctrine, so he caused us to look at Scripture from a perspective of what I want.
And as soon as I look at scripture from a perspective of me and my needs and what I want.
Then I'll end up eventually throwing overboard.
The apostles doctrine. And that's exactly what happened on this journey. That's exactly what happened. Remember how far they were going to go? 40 miles. You know where they ended up. Look at it on your map some way, someday. Many, many hundreds of miles off course.
Shipwrecked without a ship and without anything.
Left and with the mission of the trip really destroyed.
Because they made decisions based on the majority. Because they made decisions based on men and women of influence and means. Because they made decisions based on preference and what I personally want for myself.
And that's where you and I can find ourselves.
But you know.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations.
That are not our own making sometimes other people's sins.
Sometimes other people's bad decisions put us in an uncomfortable situation.
And what then here was the apostle and he was on this ship and he was weathering the storm just with the rest of them. Had he made a bad decision? There was no doubt sailors there that maybe hadn't agreed with that decision, but they found themselves in the same situation. And you know something, You may be in a situation tonight.
00:20:12
A difficult situation, a bad situation, through no sin of your own and through no decisions of your own. What then?
You know, Reg told us that they made the decision to go when the South winds were blowing. How much were they willing to listen to the apostle when the South winds were blowing? But you know, what do you know, right. But when Euro Clyde and this big hurricane came, they were willing to listen to the apostle. And sometimes the Lord may allow you, young person, to go through a difficult time.
So that His love and his wisdom flowing through you and His peace will be seen by others, and they will be willing to see it.
There are young people I know that go to high schools and they have Bible studies in their high school.
And I'm so thankful for it. And sometimes they say, but, you know, so few people show up and people think we're crazy and they make fun of us and stuff like that. But, you know, there's going to come a day, there's going to come a time in the lives of young people, your friends and your peers, where they're going to have a crisis and they're going to know who to go to. They're going to know who has answers. And so when the South winds are blowing softly, nobody listens to you.
But when the Lord allows circumstances into their lives, suddenly they're going to be willing to hear. Well, you know, there's so much more that could be said about this chapter, but I want to respect your time. It's getting, it's getting late. My encouragement to you though tonight is this.
I read a book many years ago. It was called the Spanish Brothers and it was if you, if you like novels, it's a it's a great book. It's kind of an old book, but one of the IT happened during the time of the, of the, the what they call the holy Inquisition, where people were tortured for their faith. And I remember so distinctly one quote from this book. It was from a person that was facing.
Being imprisoned in the dungeon, torture and ultimately death for their faith. And he makes this quote. He makes this comment.
The love of the Lord Jesus Christ felt enjoyed walked in is absolutely enough. It would be enough if I had to spend the rest of my nut life in a dungeon.
Now that may be an easy thing for us to say sitting here tonight, but you know, one of the things that was said in the meetings today and it spoke to me so much is that.
The answer to all of our difficulties, the answer to all of our uncertainties, the answer to all those tough decisions and those discouraging moments is for you and for me to enjoy a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, to know His love to.
Be able to lay our heads on our pillows at night and say maybe I was rejected by the majority. Maybe I was snubbed by other people of means and influence. Maybe I missed out on an opportunity. Maybe I missed out on a relationship. Maybe I had to break off a relationship with somebody that's not a believer, but but.
I'm enjoying the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. His love will find you in that place and His love.
Will be an encouragement to you. Just one quick story and then we'll be done. There was a young lady who was in college and she was a very talented musician. She played the piano and sang beautifully. And while she was there she heard an evangelist speak and she was saved and she was so excited. She called her parents and she said I've come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Her father was livid.
And he came that weekend to the university and he said we got to talk her out of this nonsense. And so he spoke with her very firmly, but she was quite taken aback, but quite decided. She had decided to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and that was it. And he said, if that's your decision, then I'm not paying for any more college. You're going to leave this place and you're going to come home. And it was a tremendous cost because she had great talents and great abilities. Well.
00:25:08
She made a decision. If that's the way it's going to be, then that's the way it's going to be before she left.
She sat down at the piano. Don't remember all the details. She sat down at the piano and she played this song and the words to it were this Jesus, I, my cross have taken all to leave and follow thee. Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou henceforth my all must be. She didn't know it, but her father was standing within earshot and he heard her playing this song and singing with a breaking heart about her love and her devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he was so overcome. He was so overcome that he came to his daughter and he said, I'm so sorry. Anything that could mean that much to you, I want to know more about.
The answer The answer is a coming to know the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spending time with him, just spending time not attacking his word to find answers to tough questions.
Not rigorously reading because I'm on a schedule and I must do this and get through the Bible in a year as great as a thing that might be. But just to sit there in the presence of the Lord and like David, just to say what am I and what is my family that you have brought me to this and just to be excited and to enter into with joy the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for you. That's what he wants for you. That's what he wants for me that will keep us. Let's just bow our heads and and commend ourselves tonight.
To the Lord.