Chicago Conference: 2011
Table of Contents
Satan's Devices
Address—T. Roach
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.
Good morning.
Let's sing hymn #333.
We're thankful to be here today so you can sing a song, a song of thanks and praise.
#333.
Someone start that please.
To feel good, our hearts we racing.
So.
Their philosophy is very much towards good works.
To maintain a good world and if you don't live up.
To the good standards you will lose.
Salvation.
If you backslide into sin, Satan tells you you will lose your salvation and Satan uses these tactics good, well meaning people. He uses these tactics to destroy your assurance of your salvation. Satan wants to make you doubt your salvation, however, even if your sins are more than the hairs on your head.
The power of the death and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is more than enough to cover your sin.
Romans 325.
We'll read 24 as well-being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God.
Propitiation through faith in his blood.
It is faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus that will give you assurance of your salvation.
You can trust the work and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus to have taken away all your sin, to have covered your sin. The Lord Jesus took that punishment for you on the cross. You will never come in to condemnation.
00:05:07
We can learn to answer Satan the same way when he comes up to us with these temptations, we can answer Satan the same way the Lord answered Satan, the Lord the Lord, Jesus said when he was tempted. He said it is written as you memorize verses of scripture at Sunday school.
Hold on to them. As we are older, we tend not to memorize the verses, but we need to be familiar with them because it is the Scripture that will turn Satan aside and protect you in the temptations that he uses against you.
We can answer the temptations and the doubts that Satan presents to us with verses of Scripture.
When Satan tries to make you doubt your salvation, there are verses that you can use.
Jesus promises in John 28. He says you will never perish in John 5/24.
Says Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me half everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. When you believe in the Lord Jesus you have it's a present possession, you have eternal life.
You will never lose it. You will not come into condemnation. You have been passed from death unto life, and that's very.
Freeing for you to realize that you can never lose your salvation. You don't have to live in fear that you might backslide and lose your salvation, and it gives you freedom and liberty to live for Christ and not to worry about what he has done for you.
You will never perish. Let's go to Romans 12.
The next device of Satan that we want to talk about is pride and selfishness.
Pride and selfishness This mindset of pride and selfishness begins as children.
I choose first. I want to have the biggest cookie. I remember when I was I was young, we were always taught that if you chose first, you were supposed to take the small cookie and let the next for your friend have the big cookie well.
My mom, she offered two cookies. One was big and one was small. And my brother and I I was going to be very generous as hell. You go first. You choose first. And he did. And he took the big cookie. And I said, what? That's not right. You're supposed to take the small one if you choose first.
And so he says, well, which one would you have chose? I said I would have chosen the small one.
He said. Well, that's what you got, so just be happy with it.
We are selfish by nature.
That is my toy. Don't you touch that. Give that to me.
And then we send our children to public school and the government has an agenda that they want to present to the children, to formulate them so they can be a part of the future society.
And we send our children into that arena where there's people, children of the world, children of disobedience living there going to the same school and our kids, they learn all these same things that are being.
Acted out and taught in the schools.
As parents, we are told as a father.
I am told to bring my children up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.
I'm not told to send my children out to learn the ways of the world. I'm told to bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.
That's a big responsibility.
If I don't choose to homeschool my children, I had better sit down with my children.
00:10:06
And impart to them the ways of God, bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. Because when they go out into the world, there's going to be all sorts of things that are going to come against them. Satan doesn't want them to grow up.
To serve the Lord. He doesn't want them to grow up to bring glory.
To the Lord Jesus.
We don't need to teach our children how to be selfish and proud. That's part of our nature. We're born with the pride and the selfishness in US. Let's read Romans 12 and verse three parts of it.
For I say to every man not to think of himself more highly.
Then he ought to think.
It is true.
Satan will tempt you to look down on your brethren. He wants to make you think that you are more holy than they are, and he will make you proud of your spiritual level.
And when you get to that point where you're proud of your spirituality, then you start making demands of everyone else, trying to make them live up to your extra biblical standards of what you think righteousness is.
And if the and if and if you don't live up to those standards.
I won't have anything to do with you.
This is not from the Spirit of God.
It can only be from the devil himself. Let's go to first Peter 5.
In Proverbs 16 it says pride goes before destruction and the haughty spirit before it fall.
If we get too proud, God may need to send to us a humbling situation.
And allow Satan to tempt us.
And it may be that we will fall into a grievous sin.
First Peter, Chapter 5.
And verse 5, the end of the verse.
God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
To prevent spiritual pride and selfishness, we need to remember that it is only by the grace of God that he chose us. We did not choose God.
We have nothing that has not been given to us.
But yet if we were left.
To our own deceitfulness.
The deceitfulness of our hearts and our own wisdom. I believe we would quickly become weak.
And act wickedly, just like the unsaved.
Do you know that the wrath of God is going to come down on the children of disobedience?
That's not a believer.
Children of disobedience are the unsaved. They're going to The wrath of God in hell is going to come down on these people.
But yet.
We find that Christians are doing some of the same things.
Some of these things should not be named among us.
We should be humble.
And always consider others to be better than ourselves.
God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Let's go to Psalm 42.
00:15:08
This next device of the devil.
It is confusion and doubt when our prayers go unanswered.
Do you ever pray and find that your prayers seem to go unanswered and then we have doubts about who God is? Let's read Psalm 42 and verse 3.
My tears have been my meat day and night while they continually say to me, where is thy God?
Where is Saigon?
At the refugee camp.
Nearly long way in Malawi.
You hear a lot of sad stories, people being chased out of their country by war.
This one man had some unexplainable and inexplicable pains going up and down his back and his neck, and he couldn't live. He couldn't sleep. So he went to the missionary Dr. that was there and the doctor examined him and he could find no reason.
For these pains this man was experiencing in this discomfort.
Two weeks later, someone else from the refugee camp talked to this missionary Dr.
And he told him that this man back in his country, in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, in that area.
This man and his wife were taken and tied up to a tree.
And then, one by one, his seven children came before him, and the rebels murdered his children before his very eyes as he stood there helpless.
When we experience disaster, it can shake our faith to the core.
And we think that God does not answer prayer.
Lamentations 3. It says when I cry aloud when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
Oh, the prophet, he felt that.
He felt that the prayers were not answering and he was suffering and weeping.
Maybe you're unemployed and you can't find a job and you don't know how to provide for your family.
Maybe you have a disease for which there is no cure.
And you continue to regress.
Maybe there's a loved one that's died.
And you're filled with despair and you're dealing with loneliness.
There is a driver of a minibus in Malawi.
Who had a sign on the side of his van?
And it said capital letters. Why, God, why?
That was his business slogan. Why, God, why?
The injustices that we see in this world make it seem like God doesn't care about our personal lives.
Yet the Lord himself, he understands those feelings.
As a man on the cross.
The Lord Jesus felt deserted.
He felt alone.
And he cried out. My God.
My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why? Why art thou so far from helping me?
Oh my God, I cry in the daytime and now here's not.
We might be like Mary.
In the garden.
After the Lord rose from the dead and her soul was empty.
And her heart was full of grief.
Jesus was there in the garden with her.
00:20:00
But it was as if there was a curtain in front of her and he was hidden from her.
When you get into a condition of despair.
Or depression and loneliness.
We need to be like a Bartimaeus.
Who cried out? Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
The Lord Jesus promises you.
He says I will not leave you comfortless.
I will not leave you comfortless.
And so we know that the Lord will make himself known to us again in some way.
Back in the garden, the Lord Jesus said one word. He said. Mary.
She turned around and said master.
Oh, the relief that came over her heart in that moment when she recognized that the presence of the Lord was with her there in the garden of her distress.
Let's go to Luke chapter 4.
I.
Satan has many devices by which.
He tries to trick us, try to discourage us.
But in this device of the devil he will leave you alone.
And he won't tempt you at all.
And I believe that this device is just as dangerous as the rest.
When things are going well.
And we become rich.
We become rich in this world and we're chasing success and we consume it upon our lusts.
And then we lie to the Spirit of God by giving him a giving a pittance to the Lord, while some poor afflicted soul is casting in all their two mites.
Satan becomes successful in his Wiles.
We find that when the Lord after the Lord was tempted in the wilderness.
Let's read Luke 4 verse 13.
And when the devil had ended all the temptation.
He departed from him for a season.
After the devil got finished tempting the Lord, he left him for a season. He left him alone for a season.
But then it was that he came back in full fury at the cross.
Satan will leave us alone, and he'll let us make, and he'll let us think that things are going well.
For a season.
For a time.
We may think that we're pretty good Christians because we don't do any any vile works, any wickedness.
But we become distracted by life.
We get busy in this world.
And we become in danger of becoming lazy Christians.
And it's that at that time when Satan will get in there and he is successful and he'll catch us off guard.
In Malawi we, especially this time of year, there's been a lot of hunger and it's made worse because there's a lot of hunger and famine throughout Africa. And so they come down, all these other countries come down and buy food wherever they can find it and take it back.
And so that makes the prices go even higher. And so when we give food to the assemblies there in Malawi, we leave it to the judgment of the brothers there in the assemblies as to how they're going to distribute that food to the Saints.
00:25:06
And it's interesting to see how they determine how much each one gets.
And they tell me that.
The faithful, they call them strong Christians. The ones who are always at the meetings and always being there to help one another. They call them strong Christians.
Then the Christians who they don't come out to all the meetings.
Sometimes they're there on Sunday, but they have other priorities in their life and they they put a low priority on their Christianity, and they call those ones, they call them lazy Christians. And so when they're distributing the food, they give a double portion to the faithful and they give 1/2 portion.
To the lazy Christians.
Let me ask you.
What size portion would you get if you were hungry and had no food?
Would you be considered a lazy Christian because you missed a lot of the meetings? Maybe you only come out Sunday morning?
You don't come to the prayer meeting.
You don't come to the reading meeting.
And you wonder why there's no food for the Christian?
Let's go to first Timothy chapter 6.
First Timothy chapter 6.
In verse 17.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who give us, giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
I want you to think.
But maybe you want to serve the Lord. Maybe you don't want to be a lazy Christian and you want to do something to serve the Lord.
Many of us, if we were asked.
What can you do to serve the Lord?
We might respond.
I don't know. I don't have a clue.
But what could you do? Others may say, well, oh, I'll just. I'm going to go out and tell everybody about the Lord.
That's good, but how are you going to implement that plan?
How are we going to tell others about the Lord Jesus? You don't have to go to India or to Africa or some foreign country to be able to share Jesus Christ with other people. You can do it at work. You can talk to your neighbors. You can do it at school. Share Christ with those that the Lord puts in your pathway.
It takes a little bit of thought to serve the Lord.
It takes a little bit of initiative.
To serve the Lord, it takes a little bit of faith, perhaps the size of the grain of a mustard seed, a little bit of faith to serve the Lord.
And it takes a little bit of spiritual energy.
It also takes a little bit of love. You need to love the people you're talking to.
We're also told by Love, serve one another.
But now, if you have that desire to serve the Lord, and perhaps you are serving the Lord, and you're faithful, don't be discouraged if it seems like no one else seems to be sharing the gospel. Nobody else is preaching the Word. Nobody else is living the truth. I just want to encourage you.
Be faithful yourself.
The verse in Roman says Do you have faith?
00:30:03
Have it to yourself.
Each person needs to be exercised on their own as to what they are going to do, how they are going to serve the Lord. You can't have jurisdiction over someone else's faith and tell them how they are going to serve the Lord. I am responsible for me.
To those of you who may be.
Lazy Christians or in a spiritual slumber?
I ask you.
Why are you sleeping?
Mark 14 reminds us to watch.
And pray so that we don't fall into temptation.
Watch and pray.
So you don't fall for the devices of the devil. Let's go to Mark, chapter 10.
This will be our last device of the devil that we'll look at in Mark chapter 10 and this device that Satan uses.
His carnal friends and relatives.
Many times Satan attacks us himself or through his demons.
But with this device, it's different. Satan attacks us.
With other people whom we trust because Satan does not want you.
To serve the Lord.
And he'll use any means he can to take away glory from the Lord Jesus.
Satan uses other people whom we trust, like a friend or a relative.
To tempt us, for example.
Adam and Eve were in the garden.
And Eve was deceived, and she took the fruit, and she went over, and she tempted Adam with that fruit.
Eve was deceived, but Adam disobeyed.
He was. He was stumbled.
By a carnal relative, his wife.
Jo.
We know the story of Jove and how all the great much affliction and troubles that he went through Indiana his life.
And when it got to such a point, his wife said to him, Joel, curse God and die.
The Lord Jesus himself. He had a circle of very close friends and one of his closest friends was Peter.
And Peter tempted the Lord Jesus to turn away from going to the death of the cross.
The Lord Jesus had to say to him, Get thee behind me, Satan.
Let's look at Mark chapter 10, verse 28.
Then Peter began to say unto the Lord Jesus, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake.
And the Gospels.
There's a whole list here of friends and relatives and possessions.
All of these things can become distractions for us. If you want to serve the Lord, you have to be willing to be able to leave your family and your friends and not give them a first place in your life. And to follow the Lord Jesus, we need to have our priorities in a proper perspective.
And to have Christ to be first in our lives. But it is our friends and relatives, our carnal friends and relatives who are going to better the closest to us, that will have the most effect on us. And I remember that 10 years ago when I was preparing to move to Malawi.
And to live there, a carnal friend who was gathered to the Lord's name came up to me. And he said, I think you are a fool for going over there to preach the gospel.
00:35:01
Let me tell you, that hurt.
About the same time.
A carnal relative talked to me and he said it's a waste of time for you to go over there and try to change those people.
Let me tell you, it was a waste of time for me to try to change those people. When you try to change a culture that's 1000 plus years old, you can't change the culture. But the Lord Jesus Christ can come into their hearts and he can change them.
It's the closest people to you who are going to be the biggest discouragement when you sit out to serve the Lord.
Tonight, Saturday night.
You haven't seen your friends for a long time.
You want to enjoy their friendship, but as you enjoy your friendship, don't let Satan tempt you. Don't allow your closest carnal friends to tempt you, because it is your closest carnal friends who will tempt you to go out and drink with them.
Or to play poker with them.
Or to go to the movies.
Or to have sex with them.
And it is your closest friends and relatives.
Who will tempt you to leave the Lord's table?
So you need to be aware of these things.
And have a verse of scripture ready.
To present.
To the devices of the devil.
If you are determined to serve the Lord.
I want you to be prepared to experience all of these different types.
Of Satan's Wiles, and the and of these temptations.
But even though there's a lot of people and friends and relatives who will discourage you.
There are many, many. Let me say there are many people who will encourage you and be thankful for your desire to serve the Lord.
Today it's difficult to practice. Mark chapter 10, verse 28 to 30.
Because carnal friends, they don't want us. They influence us in a way that makes it difficult for us to preach the Gospel. And so, as our verses are saying, you may need to forsake your family and your friends to be able to worship the Lord in holiness, and to be able to do it according to the knowledge of the truth and to be able to go out and serve the Lord.
But if you are willing to give up the comforts of carnality.
God promises you 100 times the amount that you have given up in suffering for the Lord's sake and for the word of the truth of the gospel. Look what it says in verse 30.
But he shall receive in hundredfold now in this time Houses and Brethren, and Sisters, and Mothers, and Children, and Lands with persecution.
And the world took and and in the world to come, eternal life. The Lord Jesus promises you, if you're willing to give up some of the pleasures of this world to take, to have your family and your possessions take a second place in your life and give Christ the 1St place and go out and serve him.
He will bless you, He promises you blessing, but he does not promise you an easy life, he says. These things will come with persecutions.
If you want to serve the Lord.
You need to think about how you're going to do it. You need to take some initiative to go out and serve the Lord, and then you need faith to step out.
In spiritual energy.
And then by love you can serve one another.
Let's end by singing hymn #181.
00:40:06
Times about up, so I'll just read a couple of the verses. When Satan appears to stop up our path and fill us with fears, we triumph by faith he cannot take from us, though OFT he has tried the heart cheering promise the Lord will provide. He tells us we're weak, our hopes is in vain. The good that we seek we never shall obtain. But when such suggestions are spirits have tried, this answers all questions the Lord will provide.
What are we seeing the last two verses of #188 of 181?
No strength.
Colossians 1:24-2:5
Reading
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.
Like to suggest that we take up the end of Colossians chapter one and Colossians chapter 2.
The verse that's particularly on my heart is found in chapter 2 in the early in the chapter.
00:05:11
Colossians 2 and verse six. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.
Exercises the importance of our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, as well as all that the Lord Jesus is for us in our relationship with God.
Suggest, perhaps, if we are comfortable to take it up, that we begin in chapter one and verse 24.
Colossians, Chapter One.
24.
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church, whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God.
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now has made manifest to His Saints.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles? Which is in Christ, in you the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Where unto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Chapter 2.
For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love. And to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, joy, and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith as He had been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men.
After the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands.
In putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you being dead in your sins, and uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them, openly triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of and holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come. But the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen.
Mainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the head, from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if he be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, touch not, taste not, handle not, which are all to the which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and the doctrines of men.
00:10:03
Which things have indeed a show of wisdom and will, worship and humility and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
This letter was written to Gentiles. Gentiles were that class of people that had no direct relationship with God, as had the Jew. The Jew had been brought into a relationship, at least outwardly, with God. That was the true, proper one that God had established. And yet after the Lord Jesus died.
Then the message was all men for all men, and it goes out to all men. And these in this city of Colossi had accepted the message. And the apostle Paul is now writing to them, and he's encouraging them to go on in that which they had learned from the beginning and not get away from it. All of us are subject to the idea of starting out and saying well.
I've accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and being happy in that for a while. And then other things come in and it's very easy for our lives to get away from the beginning of that which God has done for us and in US. And so he's encouraging them to give in their hearts and in their lives the Lord Jesus Christ to have.
That place that he should have in every Christian life.
Paul was, as he says, where we started in the verse we started. Paul was giving out his whole life to make truth known to others that God had given to him. And there were some things that he was given to share that had never been known in the history of man. God had never made them known before. Nobody knew them, but now that the work of Christ had been accomplished.
God was opening out His heart and making known to mankind, that is, those who had faith in the Lord Jesus, some wonderful things that concern their relationship with God and with His Son.
Wow.
So he speaks of it in the next verse, 26. He says it's been given to me to fill up the word of God.
That is, he wasn't the last one to write the last words of the Bible. Apostle John did that. But he was going to bring out something anew, truth or line of truth that had never been known before, to bring out things that God wanted us to know for our enjoyment, for our blessing that we had never known before. And so in the 26th verse, he speaks about the mystery.
He said it's been hid, it hasn't been known before and the world still doesn't know it. But for those who trust in the Lord Jesus to us, it's not a mystery anymore. It's something that we have come to know and enjoy and it it has to do with the truth of the church.
That God, through his Son, was going to bring people into a personal, collective relationship with the Lord Jesus, to be part of what we call his body, the Church. But the particular aspect of that mystery?
That is emphasized here is.
Explain to us in verse 27 that mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
00:15:56
Most of us know that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We became part of something we hadn't been part of before. Or maybe we don't know that immediately, but after a while, perhaps the first thing that's on our mind is our sins and whether we're going to heaven or we're going to hell. And so the gospel message is presented to us, and if we accept it, we come into the enjoyment of the fact that we're saved.
We're not going to go to hell. We're going to go someday to heaven. And God has loved us so much that he has done this wonderful work for us. But then after a while, we get to learn something else. We learn that we belong to something called the church, and we learned that the church.
Is made-up in one sense of a whole bunch of different individuals, but because those different individuals have been.
Each one individually and on the Day of Pentecost collectively, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God is come to dwell in each one of us. Then it's not just an organization of individuals, but we are all part of what we call one body.
And we are it's a living collection unity formed by the Spirit of God into a living relationship with the Lord Jesus. But here in Colossians that something else is that truth is not set aside. It's enjoyed in the first chapter, but he says Christ in you the hope of glory.
And when it says Christ in us, it's a wonderful thing, as we see in chapter 3, that we have.
A life that is new and different. We weren't born with this life, but we have a life that God has given to us. We call it eternal life, but where is that? Where is that life? What does it come from? It says in chapter 3, Christ is our life. This is a tremendous truth, brethren, that is easy to speak doctrinally about, but it needs to be enjoyed.
Personally and individually with us, because what it is saying to us is, yes, you have a life now, a new life, but it's my life, it's my life.
There's only one eternal life is life. There's only one. Every one of us. There's a couple of 100 or so individual personal lives in this room, but there's only one eternal life here. It's the life of Christ. It's a life that is imparted to us to enjoy, not separate from himself. That's impossible.
But he imparts it to us, but it's still his own.
It's our life for eternity. Is that a good life?
It's a perfect life.
It's as perfect as he is. It says Christ in you the hope of glory. Well.
Why is it the hope of glory? Well, if it's his life, where does he live physically? He lives in glory. And so our expectation of glory is as secure as the life that we have. And Paul is presenting these thoughts to his brethren to attach their hearts to the one who is their life. And it's the desire, I believe, of the Spirit of God to each day attach our hearts more.
00:20:11
To the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, our life.
History is pretty much found just in the epistles, and I was thinking of a passage in Ephesians 3 to supplement what we've read there in Colossians. So we don't have this too much outside of the earth at all outside of the epistles.
And Paul introduces it in Ephesians 3 and verse two. If you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which has given me to you word how that by revelation. So this is new. It's not something he was able to bring from the Old Testament.
It's by Revelation.
He made known unto me the mystery as I wrote a four and a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge, and the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known.
Under the sons of men that is this mystery, They expected a Messiah.
As it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. And this is a big portion of this mystery, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ. By the Gospel whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of grace of God-given unto me by the effectual working of his power wasn't even given.
That much to the other apostles, but primarily to Paul. It's Paul's doctrine.
It's found in the epistles.
Of Paul.
Before you turn back to Colossians 2, let's keep going a little bit there in Chapter 3.
Paul's praise in the first chapter of Ephesians that the Saints might know the working of the power of God for them.
Here he prays again in the third chapter and his the emphasis of his prayer is that the Saints might know the working of God in them. And so he repeats something that we have in our chapter in his prayer for them that they might know it. He says as in like verse 14, I bow my knees.
Verse 16 that he.
Would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in your inner man. And now this connects with our chapter, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend. We always like to know more. We like to comprehend more.
Every No one likes to be particularly ignorant.
And Paul is saying that his desire in his prayer for his brethren was that they might enter more into the truth that Christ was dwelling in their hearts. Christ was dwelling in their hearts. He came into their hearts by faith and.
In that if the law, if the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, was found in their hearts by faith.
Would there be love there?
Well.
Think of the truth of it.
You didn't say their love.
But if Christ was dwelling in their hearts by faith, it was his love.
That was in their hearts, and if his love is in the heart, then there's a capacity to comprehend that hadn't been there before.
Knowing God isn't a set of statements that he's all knowing and all powerful and all this and all that. That's all true about God.
But you don't know God if you don't know His heart.
And when Christ dwells in the heart by faith, then there is a capacity to know God as he can't be known in any other way, because for God to dwell in the heart by faith.
00:25:07
Then that's the heart of God.
You can't separate the heart of God in the heart of the sun and say it's a different kind of love, it's the one, it's perfect unity. And so when Christ truly is.
Dwelling in the heart by faith, then dwelling in the heart is that very as John says as he presents some of these things that Christ is in us than our love is made perfect because it's really his love in us that is being enjoyed and is to be manifested to our fellow man.
Hello.
Well, he speaks in verse 28 that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Man in responsibility to a God.
Is responsible for himself to God. Adam was a man in relationship to God. Eve was in relationship to God. And they were in responsibility. They were God's creatures. And God set down some a rule as to their lives and said you can do this, this and this, but this is one thing that you may not do. And God put that rule there to keep them in their place, if you will, as his creatures.
And they were in responsibility to keep it. And we know the story they felt.
They disobeyed and brought the consequence of death upon themselves. God, when He later on with the children of Israel, put man under law. It was a repetition of the same kind of relationship on a more formal way, and it was a relationship that God put man under. And he said, you do this, this, and this, and you live.
But if you don't do it.
The responsibility, the consequence to you as you die.
And the outcome of it is there's nobody living.
That hasn't failed it, and in that way died.
The introduction, particularly to us in the New Testament of grace, turns it around. And grace is God saying I'm going to do something for you.
You couldn't do it for yourself. You didn't have the power to do it or the desire to do it. And in fact.
The consequence of you being under the law was our relationship was really you were dead toward me, but in grace.
God has turned it around and he said I love you. So because I love you, I'm going to undertake the responsibility of making our relationship work and making it a permanent one and making you happy with me. And to accomplish that work, God introduces his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:30:06
And the Lord Jesus comes to earth, and he does the work of the cross.
Which accomplishes redemption. It takes care of our guilt.
But that it doesn't go all the way. It takes care of our guilt, and in that way it keeps us from hell. But.
God says no, I have more. My grace is more than that. I am going to present you to myself through my son. I'm going to do some more work so that you before my eye are going to be before me as my son is.
And justification is part of that which brings us into that position into which now when God looks at you and I, he doesn't look at us only as a safe Sinner. He looks at us through the eyes of what the Lord Jesus is to Him. And having brought us into a place before him where he looks at us that way, and he sees us in all the perfection in which he sees His Son.
He sees us in all the righteousness in which his own righteousness has been satisfied, in the work that he's done. And so he can say this persons righteous before my eyes and their righteous before me in a way that it'll never be lost, it'll never be taken away. And this is what Paul is bringing out to the brethren here in colossi as part of what Christ is in them.
The hope of glory, because, as it says, that he might present every man perfect.
In Christ, in the word of God. When it's Christ that is brought before us in the epistles, it is generally the thought of what he is.
For us before God and what we are in Him.
Before God. And So what am I to God? Well, I'm in Christ.
And in Christ, I'm in it. And you are an absolutely incredible position.
That I suppose, and I might be a little bit facetious, but if we all were in collective full enjoyment of it, we probably wouldn't be sitting in our seats. We'd probably be standing up and dancing for joy. Or however else we express the truth in our own hearts of what we are to God in Christ. And that's grace.
Expression at the beginning of verse 28 that we should pay attention to, I should say a sequence of expressions that says warning every man and teaching every man because we need to have our consciences aroused before we can appreciate truth.
And we have the this, the meeting previous to this was a meeting of warning and.
It's good for us to take these things to heart because it's only as we recognize our need.
That we can really appreciate God's provision.
How does truth get from the head to the heart?
Is there a conscience in between?
I've heard it said that the conscience is the door to the heart, so to state that.
And then, once this truth gets to the heart, be followed. Yes, the feet follow the heart.
00:35:08
In verse 25 where Paul is saying here that he was made a minister, that means a preacher according to the dispensation of God. That must be the new dispensation which we live in now.
And I was given to Paul for us. It was in the mind of God to fulfill the word of God.
And then he says something more about the ministry, the mystery which has been hid from the ages and from generations. So this ministry that Paul is now bringing before us, that is for thousands of years back.
And from hundreds of years back, talking about ages and generations.
But now it is being made manifest to His Saints. Now they would mean to those who have received the gospel.
Who have understood the gospel and received it, and repented of their sins, and come to the Lord Jesus Christ, Because only who have come to the Lord Jesus Christ can be called Saints.
And to them it is now manifested. That would mean to us, if we are Saints, if we have received the gospel, we have believed it.
When we come out from the Gentiles.
At least I know I came from out from the Gentiles, which we have in verse 27.
And these gentiles, now to them these mysteries are being made known.
And they are really riches of the glory.
Which the Gentiles are now going to receive from God.
Because having received the Lord Jesus Christ, though, they will partake of the glory that the Lord Jesus has in heaven now.
And that is Christ in you, in US. Christ is now in US.
And that's the hope of glory, because only when Christ is within us.
We can believe that we will be glorified with the Lord Jesus in heaven.
That's a sense of the preaching of all here, he says. Whom we preach.
And then the warning also comes in. We have heard about.
And then the labor comes in, and verse 29.
He is laboring now. We are still laboring too.
It worked in him mightily.
Indeed it was. We know the life of Paul, what all he suffered.
But all he did when we reached through it in the Acts.
But it should be working in US too.
Should be in our heart to work for the Lord strife.
For the righteousness which is in God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Which we have received.
Yeah.
All speaks about it. Verse one is for him a great conflict.
It was a real combat use, Mr. Darby translates it. It was a tremendous battle.
Because the truth of God is opposed.
00:40:02
Sometimes it's supposed because it's fear. It's supposed by Satan.
As we had this morning, Satan opposes the truth of God. He's a liar. That's his nature, and he can't present God's truth. He can try to corrupt it, he can try to imitate it, and so on in an outward way, but when it comes right down to it, it's a lie. He's created a world. The world's a lie. It's a device of Satan against man, but that truth is opposed.
And because it's supposed, Sometimes it's opposed through fear, sometimes it's opposed through indifference. Sometimes it's opposed because people feel their consciences are reached when truth is presented to them, and so they turn against the source of the testimony to their conscience. It's at. Sometimes it's envied, and so on. But I want to.
Speak of an aspect of it that's a little more subtle, because Satans work is often subtle, and that is there is such a thing as a line of truth from God becoming, for a time at least, publicly acceptable.
We all in this country and Canada and so on, think of ourselves as living in a country which has had a history based on and its laws based on the truth of God and so on, and for some period of time certain things that are truth or true become acceptable to men.
But.
Very often when they do, it's only outward.
And there isn't an inward motive to support the outward act, and God is never satisfied. It's not really truth according to the truth of God, unless the inward motivation is that which is consistent with God's own heart. It's not really the truth as it is in Christ Jesus if it is not.
Have the inward motivation, that's why.
In Ephesus, in Revelation 2, thou has left thy first love. The difficulty there was if you don't represent my heart to your fellow man, then you are no longer my light to the world. And if the heart of God was not being displayed through His people, then he says, I'll have to remove you because my light has to be consistent with what I am.
And my heart has to be presented as as my heart. But the the failing was outwardly all the activity was still good.
And he could commend it as things they did, but the motivation was getting lost in them. And it's somewhat easy to go along and think we're living a life of truth if it is publicly acceptable truth.
But the test of God that brings conflict is when the public activity turns against it, and then the question of as Paul brings its conflict. And in fact, we know the conflict cost him his life.
It cost him his life.
The conflict of the two Saints that were prayed for this morning.
In the prayer meeting, one was a young man in a family who put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was put to death less than two weeks after his salvation by his brothers. The other one that took place a few weeks earlier than that in the same place was a young sister.
Whose husband?
Put her to death for the same reasons, and that's combat for truth.
It cost them their lives, and the test often comes. Maybe it won't cost you or I our lives, but do we fear to tell the neighbor lest the good reputation of ourselves is put at risk? Sometimes it's nothing about martyrdom that's before us, but it's consciously What will they think of me?
That may keep us from.
Presenting the Lord Jesus and the truth to them.
00:45:09
We may go back to verse 28.
That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Is that?
Now.
Rather than future.
The end of what the ministry sought.
Will be accepted in Christ eternal life.
It's ours by possession immediately. But there's also a striving, isn't there? Because we live in a land that opposes, in the world that opposes.
I agree with those comments. I would say Amen it. There's two aspects to it. Positionally before the eye of God there is no iniquity. The work that was done on the cross puts us in a position before God which is perfect and perfect it's not.
Going to be ever any better.
Our position before God can't be improved, can't be made more perfect than it already is, but the work of God is to in our lives, bring us into conformity and practice with that which we were in are in position.
And so the apostle Paul was laboring with his brethren that the actual living of it out in practice would be consistent with what it was going to be at the end of the road. So in some places, when it's talking another line, but the same idea some places, we presently have eternal life.
John's epistles, that's the view we have it. It's a present possession. But in Peters officials, for example, it's seen as that which comes at the end of the road when we're in glory. And so we have both lines of consistent aspects of it. But some things in Scripture are presented to us as a position into which we have been brought before God, but at the same time we have other lines presented to us that.
It's the working of it out in our lives that every day we become more consistent with what we have, that which is the end result of it, as John says in his epistle.
I'm going to have to turn to it, but it it gives that thought in first John.
First John, chapter 3.
And verse two, beloved now, are we the sons of God? That isn't, We're going to someday be the sons of God. We are the sons of God. I'll never be more of the Son of God than I am now.
It's what God has made me to be. But it says, and it does not yet appear, what we shall be. We don't have a full understanding yet of that.
Comprehension of what a Son of God is in its full character.
But he says, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We know that when we appear in glory, we will be morally just like the Lord Jesus Christ, perfectly like him morally. His brother Clem Buchanan often used to say, God is so pleased with his Son and what he is that he wants heaven to be full of people that are just like him. And that's our destiny.
We will be just like him in a moral way. We'll never be him. He's uniquely the Son of God. But then he goes on to say.
Verse 3. Every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. That is, if that is the true expectation of the heart, then the desire of the heart is every day to become more and more like.
00:50:05
What is going to be perfect in practice as it may already be in position?
Portion and Ephesians regarding the perfecting, and that's the practical perfecting of the Saints. It's in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. So we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man.
Unto the measure of the stature and the fullness of Christ.
Might be encouraging for some of you to know that.
Because you came to the conference today and you're enjoying the benefits of the gifts that the Lord Jesus has placed, God has placed in the body of Christ. You're in the process of being perfected right now.
And so I think we might have both thoughts of perfection in that chapter, because there is that day in which it's all headed up to until we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Is that more perfection in the coming day?
Yes, and also we tend to think the word perfect means and when we think that word perfect, we think without defect. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. Actually sometimes in our Bible and and.
Those verses in Ephesians and also in Philippians if you'd be perfect.
Speaks about being perfect. There it has the sense not of perfection without a blemish, but the sense of being full grown.
And we should all be growing. And if we are truly growing spiritually in Christ, we will become morally each day more like Him. And when the process is complete, we will be fully and perfectly like Him. And.
But the Rapture will change us physically, and we won't have the flesh in us to hinder us.
But we won't have a new life. We are going to change in the life that we have. We already have it. It's just the hindrances to the enjoyment of it and the living of it will be removed from us. But if we.
Learn to walk with God. We grow up. And so he's wanted all his brethren to grow up. You feel bad when you see somebody and you say.
They aren't growing.
They just seem to stay in the same place. The the desire, the heart of God for His people and His work with us is that we grow.
We learn to know our God better, we know the Lord Jesus better. We we become more like Him and put away those things that belong to childhood and become more that which is suited to being.
Sons.
Mind if I bring us back to that verse that started this conversation and asked again, because I'm not clear, is this a positional perfecting in verse 28?
I think it's.
Now, if it was positional, he wouldn't have to labor.
There wouldn't be any labor in it and so he was laboring so that the Saints in colossi would grow up into the enjoyment of that that the Lord Jesus was for them. So it was to grow into the to the place where.
Their walk was equivalent to the position, the perfect position in which they've been brought.
So I don't think you want to totally separate them.
But it's not simply positional because there was labor in it.
00:55:07
He was driving according to his working. That would be the working.
Of the Person of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of man.
He is the only one who can work with us.
We cannot say which works in me mightily. I wish he would.
But he does work within us. But here he could say he was working with in him mightily.
And when we come to the next verse in chapter two, he speaks about.
Great conflict.
And here it's looking forward to Loudisha. Well, we know Laurie Shea being the last of the churches or assemblies mentioned.
They had given up the Lord Jesus. He was on the outside there that he had to knock on the door to let the man.
So we asked ourselves, well, how could that be?
They hadn't given up Christianity, but their heart was away from them.
He's talking about.
That those that had not seen his face in the flesh, there might have been, someone said, Well, who was Father? We've never seen him.
But the important thing is what Paul is teaching.
He is telling them how to stay close to the Lord Jesus.
Yeah.
And then he speaks in the second word, about to being knit together in love.
It has to do a lot with love. We know that if there's no love, we got nothing.
Love is of God, the love of the Lord Jesus in our hearts.
That is what is important and that will also bring about to the love to each other in the Lord Jesus. If we don't have that, we have nothing.
There were things that.
We're missing in colossi that the apostle Paul saw, and he brings them out later in chapter 2.
But he lays the groundwork for it in chapter one. And what he's saying to them here is this is the my laborers for the Lord with you, brethren, are to this end what I want, what I desire for you as a result of what I'm going to tell you later in this chapter. I do it with the desire that your hearts might be knit together in love.
That's what he wanted to see as an outcome. He wanted to see them grow.
But he also saw there were things there that they hadn't laid hold of or they weren't following that were hindering them. And.
Let's try when someone brings something before us that speaks to our conscience.
Not immediately sort of turn them off or turn it off or turn against the messenger. Sometimes they may not be able to present to us exactly what it is that they're seeking as an outcome. But if it's a God.
They're seeking our good. God is seeking our good. Even if He's he's using a vessel or an instrument that's imperfect in trying to do it. But God does allow us to say and do things with respect to each other that has a right in desire.
Built into it, and Paul wanted them to, as a result of his teaching and of his exhortations. To be knit or united together in love and understanding of the truth of God brings assurance to the soul. It brings peace to the heart as nothing else can. And to know fully the mystery of God is tremendously liberating to the soul.
01:00:21
And it gives someone.
Things to enjoy that are totally outside the world and anything it could ever offer. And Paul wanted to bring them into the enjoyment of those things that, as he was going to show later, the world and its thoughts were hindering them from entering into them.
He also mentions here the.
Fact that this brings us into relationship with God.
As our Father.
And he mentions of Jesus Christ of Christ Messiah. They were waiting for the Messiahs, but only He is the one.
Who could bring anybody that is them and us.
Into relationship with God as the Father before knew. Nobody knew that God was their father.
In the sense as we understand the relationship of father and son.
Because he brought.
That is, power brought us into the understanding that we can have a relationship.
With God as our Father that we have a relationship with our natural sons, we can be real close to Him.
And only Christ could bring better about.
Because he thought it, he revealed that.
Nice to see.
Apostle Paul says verse one of the second chapter, I would that you knew what great conflict I have for you. Darby's translation says for I would have you know what combat I have for you and you know, it's it's nice to know if you have those who are doing spiritual combat for you.
If they're, if they're warring on their knees, you know, we a lot of set parents, we have grandparents and they spend their time on their knees doing battle for us.
Sometimes in the assembly matters come up in the enemy gets.
You might say a stronghold and there's a need to do battle for the Saints.
Sometimes.
We fail.
To battle the enemy in the right way.
We have to learn lessons.
Regarding that warfare.
Maybe we need to be a little bit patient with each other to learn a few lessons in in in the warfare and in the battle so that the enemy might be resisted.
He might be held at Bay.
So that there can be spiritual growth, but just think of those in your life that care about how you get along spiritually.
They're battling for you.
Well, he tells us here in verse, in the Father and in Christ, in the revelation or the mystery that God is making known, are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
01:05:10
Said it many times, probably in this room multiple times, but there's only two ways we know anything.
There's only two ways to know anything.
The 1St way is by personal experience.
Everyone has been told probably at one point in their life that fire is hot and you didn't fully believe it, and you found out by personal experience that fire is hot.
And so there are things that we all know.
By our own the experiences of our own lives. But other than that, the only other way we know things is somebody else tells us.
Somebody else tells us. Nobody in this room, my personal experience, knows that Abraham Lincoln ever lived.
We probably all believe she did, and the only way we know it is because we've been told by others.
Who have said so?
There are things that only God knows and could tell us. There are treasures in the heart of God for us that no one could tell us. No one could discover them by personal experience.
But God has chosen to make things known to us, not only to the mind, but to the heart about Himself that will satisfy us for eternity. And so we need to be on guard whenever we have thoughts, to have some sense in ourselves of where they came from.
Where did that idea, where did that thought, where did that stated supposed truth come from?
The only ultimately.
Safe source is from God Himself if it has to do with things moral or spiritual. And so God has chosen to reveal Himself and to tell us. And not only that, but if our hearts are open to Him, He says, not only will I tell you, but I will confirm it to your own spirit and soul by my spirit which dwells in you.
And so the Spirit of God confirms the truth of what's being said to us.
If it's really the truth.
And so we have a double power of God at work, not only to give us a pure source of knowledge, but also to make it good in us in a way that it doesn't matter who said it.
As far as the instrument to which it came to us, if it's the truth of God, the Spirit of God makes it good in us, then we may be thankful for whomever said it, but we're not dependent on that source anymore for it. We say God says it. And so I'm happy. I'm going to live. I'm going to.
Walk by that which comes from God himself. But the Satan has put a innumerable.
Sets of thoughts into the world that have no source of truth connected with them at all, and they're so freely available and so publicly. Everyone promoted.
And so on. And it's ever increasingly easy to get your own thoughts out there for everybody else. But be sure the danger here in Colossi was they were listening to some of those voices and it was pulling them away from that which was coming from God.
Was so closely knit together with his brethren.
That when he was absent in the flesh, he was with them in spirit.
And that's encouraging for us.
When I'm absent, when I'm someplace else, I think of my brother and come together.
01:10:03
And the rating meeting at such and such a time, and in the prayer meeting of such and such a time.
In spirit.
And enjoying and beholding the order.
And the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
There is still.
A certain order, even though it might not be perfect and it never will be.
But there is an order in the coming together.
It should be more punctual in the start.
Sometimes, oftentimes, maybe all the time, but there is an order, and that can only be in Christ.
It has to do with your faith in Christ. That's the only reason we come together.
Because we are in Christ and He draws us together.
Freeze you read earlier in Colossians chapter one.
The end of verse 26.
His Saints, the word St. means holy one, His holy ones, His Saints, to whom God would make known. What is the richest of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles?
Is Christ in you the hope and glory? Let's thanks.
What's up with Grace to?
Hold on.
I'm going to go.
And watch the Game of Thrones.
Open Mtg. 3
Open—L. Smith, D. Rule
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.
Father.
Turn with me, please, to Second Chronicles.
Chapter 20.
Thank you.
In the previous chapters.
Jehoshaphat had.
Gone to battle?
Together.
With Israel.
Ahab had lost his life. Chapter 1833.
Jehoshaphat is rebuked for that there had been a division.
And the first few verses, chapter 19.
I'll try.
In Second Chronicles now it's working.
Is anybody scared? No.
Jehoshaphat had wrongly gone to battle together with he had the king of Israel and Ahab had lost his life. In chapter 19, Jehoshaphat is rebuked by the prophet Jehu verse 2.
It says in verse 2, Shouldst thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.
Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the Groves out of the land, and has prepared thine heart to seek God.
00:05:06
He sets up in that chapter.
Judges verse five, and he warns them, verse six. Take heed what you do for you, judge, not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in judgment.
Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Take heed and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.
Well, they said some things in order there, but in chapter 20.
It came to pass after this also that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon with them others beside of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
And there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria. And behold they be in Hazazon Tamar, which is in Getty.
And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaim the fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord. Even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the House of the Lord before the new court, and set, Oh Lord.
God of our fathers.
Art not thou God in heaven rule? Is not thou over the kingdoms of the heathen?
And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Art not thou art God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people is real, and gave us it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend forever?
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary, thee, and for thy name saying.
If when evil cometh upon us as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and invite presence where thy name is in this house, and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
And now behold the children of Ammon and Moab, and Mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt. But they turned from them and destroyed them. Not behold, I say.
How they reward us to come to cast us out of thy possession which thou hast given us.
To inherit. Oh our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us. Neither know we what to do. Let our eyes are upon thee. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
I would just bring before our hearts.
That here is a king.
Who?
Has failed as a leader.
And went out into battle together.
With Israel.
But he's commended in verse three of the 19th chapter that he has taken away the Groves out of the land and prepared his heart to seek God. I hope all of us here today.
Came here with a purpose of setting our hearts.
To seek the Lord.
We get Mob and Ammon mentioned here. What's their origin?
Their origin was incestuous. What an enemy.
What an enemy is coming against.
This.
Week Testimony.
That was at Jerusalem.
In.
Verse 10 it mentions.
Mount Seir. Those are Esau's descendants.
He was a man born with a birthright.
That he despised.
Sorry to say, there are precious souls.
00:10:06
But have been born into families.
Where they have the privilege of being brought up.
Where there's truth surrounding them.
And then there.
For some, the course changes.
Where they despise.
Their birthright, so to speak.
How awful. But these are enemies coming against.
Something that's of God, though it exists in weakness.
In verse 3, Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord.
And he proclaimed it fast. What is a fast?
I have a hard time fasting physically. I love to eat, I like good food.
But you know when something's on your heart.
So heavy you can't eat.
Is that where we are today, brethren?
Can we see the enemy seeking to destroy?
He proclaimed it fast. Verse 4 Judah gathers.
Verse 5. Jehoshaphat.
Praise verse six. And what does he how does he pray?
He casts himself.
On the God of his Father's.
The Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven?
You know, today we have so much technologically there's.
Just almost infinite possibilities of communication.
Is our communication with God.
Decreasing because of it.
They didn't have that distraction in Jehoshaphat's day, but they did have distraction.
Of Groves in the land.
Idols, things that had to be put away.
So he cast God on his own character.
Verse 6.
And his own power.
And.
His omnipotence.
And in verse 7.
His promises.
How he had driven out the inhabitants of the land. He had given it to Abraham. How far back does this go? This is about 900 BC, 896, my Bible margin says.
If we go clear back to Abraham.
Isn't that amazing, brother?
That you have the privilege of approaching the throne of grace with holy boldness by the blood of Jesus.
As do I and every other believer on the face of the earth.
And by the blood of Jesus, we can go back to the earliest things you can find by divine revelation.
To the Church of God, we've had a lot of that being brought before us today.
But he had given it to the seed of Abraham.
Verse seven. Thy friend.
And you've given it forever.
Merced and they brought there in and a guilty of sanctuary therein for thy name.
Then he takes up Solomon's prayer, verse 9.
You could have numerous things if you go back to Solomon's prayer.
He even takes it down to little caterpillars.
Invading the land.
00:15:06
Verse nine. We stand before thee, this House, and in thy presence, and cry unto thee in our affliction.
And they'll adhere and help.
Now behold the children of Ammon and Moab, and Monsieur, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt. But they turned from them and destroyed them. Destroyed them not. Behold, I say, how they reward us.
To come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou has given us to inherit.
The Lord has given us.
Wonderful things positionally, we've had some ministry today that Paul's doctrine would bring us into practically let each one of us might be a joy to the Lord's own heart personally.
And a wonderful that we can look back to the things that are given us.
In Christ.
But these enemies that seek to destroy seek to not just destroy.
To cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. He doesn't say our possession.
The church.
It consists of those souls.
That the father gave to the son.
It's his possession.
Oh, I know, I need grace.
To as each of you.
That we might cry to the Lord in our affliction.
Pour out our hearts before him as we see different ways the enemy comes in. We look at our this nation and all of the abortion. Yet the word of God says children are an inheritance from the Lord. We have to be careful to not be.
Affected.
By the world's thinking.
It's reasoning.
And so they cry, verse 13, and they're all standing there.
Families too.
Little ones, wives and children. Why? Because they know that they've got to have the Lord come into the situation, to stop the situation. It's more than they can handle.
Verse 14.
Then.
To Hazel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Bennya, the son of Jihad, the son of Matania, the a Levite of the sons of Asif, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation. And he said, Hearken ye all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou, King Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you. Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, where the battle is not yours, but God's.
Tomorrow go ye out against them. Behold, they come up by the Cliff of Ziz, and you shall find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jeru.
Shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, stand you still and see the salvation of the Lord with you. O Judah and Jerusalem, fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you.
What a revelation. It's worth fasting.
It's worth interceding.
It's worth crying to the Lord.
The battle is his.
It reminds us dozens of exodus as they stood there on the shore of the Red Sea.
Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
What's the effect?
Verse 18 Joseph had bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.
And the Levites of the children of the Coethites and of the children of the Chorites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on I.
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tico. And as they went forth, Joseph stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, believe in the Lord your God. So shall you be established. Believe his prophets, so shall you prosper.
00:20:12
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, that they should praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army, and say, Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord, set ambushments against the children of Ammon and Moab and Monsieur, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten.
I would like to leave time for others.
You can pursue the rest. It was a great victory.
It was great spoil.
But they had been told you don't need to fight.
But there was a great need. They needed to intercede.
They needed to cry to the Lord, be before them, be Him with their hearts.
And the result was in verse.
27.
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Benjamin and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy. For the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to Jerusalem with sulfuries and harps and trumpets under the House of the Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.
Well.
Is good to meditate and perfectly consider these portions.
Thank you.
Turn with me to Romans chapter 8.
Romans chapter 8 and verse 17.
And if children, then heirs, heirs of God join heirs with Christ.
If so, be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us.
This is not primarily what's on my heart, but I want to make a passing remark because this is a day of suffering for.
Some, perhaps some in this room, but particularly some that were mentioned in the prayer meeting this morning, and I want to make a remark in reference to that suffering.
Notice in verse 17 we suffer with him.
The Lord Jesus.
Suffers today.
The Lord Jesus enters into a suffering.
Connected with those who are suffering.
Because he has a perfect human heart.
Because He has participated with us in flesh and blood.
He has entered into that condition of being.
That, and its measure is like us.
And when the Lord Jesus sees a soul suffering.
It produces in his own heart.
Suffering.
It's well for us to remember that.
We tend to put the Lord Jesus in a way out there condition.
And fail in doing so to participate, to get to know him as he is.
Yes. I don't personally, in my own sense with the Lord, see him suffering with respect to Cherry, Tony or Miriam Whitaker.
Because He has brought them into a place of joy.
And I believe in measure, and great measure in the family there is the joy of her having the better part, and that satisfies and puts behind them, if you will, the sorrow.
00:25:08
But there are others, when taken in what we would think an untimely point of life, enter into a pain, an intensity of pain that anyone who's experienced it knows what it is. And I just want to say here, he suffers. And in our own measure, as it says here, we suffer with him. That is, there is an opportunity for us.
To enter in with the Lord Jesus into that in which today.
October.
Eight, 2011. They're suffering in the heart of the Lord Jesus, and we have a privilege to enter into it with Him.
And to the full extent in which we feel the suffering of the world and our own souls, however limited it may be, we enter with Him, and more specifically into the individual lives where they're suffering. Here it's a privilege given to the Saint of God to suffer. Doesn't say for him we may suffer for him in service, we may be put to death and His name's sake, and so on that suffering for him.
But that's not the thought here. It's suffering with him. It is entering in as he enters in and feeling things with him as he feels them.
Turn with me now to what's more, primarily on my heart, to Galatians Chapter 2.
Galatians chapter 2 and the well known verse 20.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
I want to emphasize those words, the life which I now live.
Person that wrote these words to us didn't always have the life that he's referring to.
Yet another life, He lived another life, and the Scriptures present that life to us in more detail than many.
But he speaking to us in spirit this afternoon and he would say to us the life which I now live.
And each one of us can apply that to our own selves. What life do I now live?
What is my life? What life do I live?
He says the life which I now live and to me it's a challenge.
What is the life which I now live?
I believe God has given this man to us.
As the pattern of Christian life.
And so when he says, the life which I now live, he, the Spirit of God, would say to you and to me, this is the life you want to live.
If you're not living it, you want to start living it. You want to be able to say with him the life which I now live.
Not some life I once lived, not some life I want to live in the future. But, he says. The life which right now I live and we need.
We want if we have.
The Spirit of God in us, as we're children of God, we want to live the life he wants us to live. And he's put before us as a pattern, a model of someone who lives the life that God wants us to live. And so he says here, the life which I now live.
I live by the faith of the Son of God. I'll briefly comment on this, but we'll look at it and the time we have in a little more detail.
I live by the faith of the Son of God.
00:30:04
He says the life which I now live is that life which has an object before it.
The Son of God.
We all have a life. We all live. We all have objects in our lives.
And each one of us can talk about our lives. If you were to explain your life in detail to the person next to you, it could be discovered perhaps.
To the extent that you're aware of it, what you're living for.
The life which I now live, this man presents to us a life which has an object that formed his life. Whatever your object in life is, that's what forms it.
Maybe somebody next to you wouldn't have to ask you what your life is, they just have to observe it.
And by observation, perhaps would be able to discover what your life is.
Because they would seek to see what your object in life was, what you live for. This man, he says, the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God.
He lived by that life which had the Son of God as its object.
He says elsewhere for me to live is Christ. Another way he expresses himself about his life for me to live as Christ, he says.
It was everything.
To him.
Everything.
That person formed his life.
And everything that he lived for found its center in one thing, one person.
Sometimes our lives get unnecessarily complicated because we try to live multiple types of lives. We try to live certain aspects of our life this way, and certain things this way, and certain things the other, and after a while we're totally confused.
By ourselves, because they don't all fit together very well and they get unnecessarily complicated and we lose our focus and with this and we that. But this man, he says the life which I now live, he lives by the faith of the Son of God, that faith which has the Son of God as its object.
And he goes on, perhaps to tell us what motivated him to have such a desire to live such a way. He says, who is that person? The Son of God? He loved me.
He loved me.
You love me.
His life was a reflection of what was in his heart toward the person that he says loves him.
Nice, isn't it?
He he was captivated. His life was controlled by a person who he knew loved him.
We say everybody likes to be loved.
He wanted to be loved, he was loved.
But the wonderful thing about his life was.
It controlled it.
Sometimes we might say I want to be loved.
Because of what it brings to me, the feelings that it brings to me.
True love.
It finds its pleasure.
In what it brings to somebody else.
Not to self.
You stop and think about it. That character of God's love that excels and exceeds is is that which he finds His pleasure and your joy.
Not first what he gets, although all things are done for His glory. His love finds its pleasure in what He brings to you and to me. And the apostle Paul appreciated that, and it turned around in him and he.
00:35:14
Wanted to do to live.
For that person.
How much did he love him? He says He died. He gave himself for me, and he gave himself for me goes beyond even his death. That was one tremendous, incredible event. But the Lord, he says of this person.
He gave his life, he gave his death, he gave everything for me.
And that's the person, my life that I now live. But I want to go and look for a little bit. At the first part of the verse, it says I'm crucified with Christ.
Please, we'll start looking at some thoughts connected with that don't at first seem connected, but go back to Romans chapter 5.
Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Wherefore is by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all of sinned.
Umm, verse 15. But not as the offense, so also as the free gift, for if through the offense of one many be dead.
Much more the grace of God, and the gift of grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded to many.
Verse 17. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more, they which have received abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by 1 Jesus Christ.
The life that this man previously lived was a life of slavery.
Not a very good life.
We don't, naturally.
Choose that kind of a life, do we? If we had a choice?
But this man prior to his salvation.
Prior to his deliverance.
Lived a life of slavery.
His life was controlled by something in him called sin.
And that's something in him called sin.
Was easily temptable because that sin in him.
Lusted.
And those lusts?
Had control over him.
Not a nice life.
If you're in the room this afternoon and you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, you may not understand this statement, but you're a slave to something inside you called sin it controlling your life.
It controls you.
You can't overcome it.
You The more you recognize the wrongness of some of the things that it produces in you, the more you may be unhappy about it.
But you really can't. You don't have the power in yourself because it's not going to change.
And it has dominion or control.
That over.
God.
Put man in responsibility and man in responsibility.
Doesn't live up to it. He comes short.
Because of what he is, because of what's in him, and he comes short.
But.
What we have in these verses we read without looking at them in detail is that God says as we had something this morning, he said. But I love.
And because I love and because I have the right to, I'm going to exercise my love and something that's he says called grace.
00:40:02
I'm going to come and do something that will deliver man from his slavery.
So he can live a different life.
And so he sends as the starting point of his work, he sends his son, the Son of God, into the world to do the work that's necessary for man to be liberated.
And be changed.
Lord Jesus dies.
And through his death.
He pays for sins.
So that people's sins might be taken care of because those sins separate man from God, and so he dies to put away sins to pay for them. He does the work that the Bible calls redemption, the payment for those sins. The when it says atonement, it's to remove them from God's sight in a holy way.
And he does that.
But.
That's not all the problem.
There's not only what we've done, but something has to be done about, but there's what we are.
Sometimes when we're first saved, we think about what we've done and we're so thankful, and we should be because we're forgiven our sins and we have a joy for a while, but the joy sometimes goes away from us because there's a problem still in us that controls us.
Or we think it does.
And So what is being presented to us here is in the these chapters that follow here starting with chapter this part of chapter 5 is the first part of Romans is to take care of your sins.
The next part of Romans is to take care of you, what you are and what is needed, so that you can live like Paul lived the life which I now live.
So he says in verse 19 For by one man disobedience many were made sinners. So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
So it says in verse 21, sin reigned. That's that awful thing in US called sin. It rained, it was in control, it ran the show. But then he says, so my grace reign. God says I'm going to come in and I'm going to do something so that instead of sin running the life, grace is going to take care and run the life.
Sin when it rains, the end is death.
Grace when it rains.
Does so in a righteous way. In the end, is eternal life through or by Jesus Christ our Lord?
So notice chapter 6 and verse three. Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Verse seven For he that is dead is free from sin.
Now we if we be dead with Christ, we believe we shall also live with Him.
That is.
The only way to take care of you.
In the need where you need to be taken care of as you've got to die.
You've got to die. Are you dead yet?
We're not talking about your physical life, but your spiritual life.
Have you died? Paul had died.
I am crucified with Christ.
God.
Had to put or allow the Lord Jesus to dismiss his own life. But the Lord Jesus had to die to put away our sins. He also had to die to put us away.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5, the end of the chapter. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's God dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ as to what we were in the flesh. It's not about our sins there. It's not about the individual acts of disobedience.
00:45:15
It's God dealing with his Son who's taken our place and responsibility on that cross before God to deal with what we, what we were before God. That is creatures with that awful thing in them called sin. And so it says he had made him to be sin for us, that he took and stood before God on that cross to be judged and to die.
To sin.
So he says in verse seven, he that is dead is free from sin. In other words, a person that's dead, that's it. That thing has no whatever it is, it's, it's taken care of, it's dealt with, it's dead. That's the ultimate punishment, if you will, in the United States.
That man has the responsibility of God to hand out. It's to end it all as to this life through death.
And so one is delivered from that thing if he's dead.
And God wants us to understand that when he put.
That's not a really good expression, but when the Lord Jesus died.
In responsibility before God, not only were our sins taken care of, but we were taken care of too.
And So what does he say in verse 11?
Likewise, he also.
Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ?
It doesn't say feel it, think it as, it as or do I feel dead or don't I? Do I feel live or don't I? No.
God says it, and Paul believed God.
And he says, I consider, I reckon myself to be dead to that thing called sin that controlled my life.
But don't want to encourage you. Don't stop the verse there or the sentence there.
Reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. Many in this room have heard this, these statements, and say, OK, I'm going to reckon myself dead.
That doesn't seem to work for me. It doesn't have worked very well in practice in my life, but at least I'm going to try to do that. But notice the last part of the verse.
But alive unto God, that's the other half of this truth.
It's an essential half of this truth. I'm not only to reckon myself dead, I am to reckon myself alive.
To my God, I am to enjoy life.
With God.
Before I was dead in trespasses and sins. Before I was controlled by sin.
That is within me and its loss and the power that it has over a person.
We know what that is.
I suspect that every half grown up person in this room has gone through the experience of saying I'll never do that again.
But you did.
And you said to yourself, I'll never do that again. But you did. We've all experienced that.
Because there's no power in the flesh.
There's no deliverance by saying I'll never do that again in the power of the human nature.
That's not the grace of God delivering, but the starting point of it is.
Alive. Reckon yourself alive to God.
00:50:01
I am crucified with Christ.
Apostle Paul recognized it in that particular epistle. He not only was dead with him, but the character of the death was by crucifixion. But the point is, he was dead with Christ.
But nevertheless, I live.
He says nevertheless I live, but then what else does he say? Yet not I.
But Christ liveth in me.
Eternal life is not a life simply that keeps going and and and won't end.
As we had It's the very life of Christ.
Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
God has in grace put in me the life of Christ.
Not a life independent of him. It's his life. But I live not not I.
But Christ liveth in me, and so I'm alive to God.
I'm not dead in my trespasses and sins.
So then he says.
So that we're not.
Under law anymore, we're under a new power and a new principle and we it's a little time we have want to look at it in Chapter 8.
We'll read just the end of Chapter 7, verse 24. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? It's called the body of this death because in if you read that chapter carefully, in that body is that thing called sin.
Sin that we've referred to is always connected with the body in Scripture, and so he says I've got this thing in me called sin, so it's a body of death.
Until that thing is gone.
It's no hope for it as far as pleasing God. And so it made them that condition with right desires but no way to control them, he said. I'm wretched.
Who's going to deliver me? I can't deliver myself. Who's going to deliver me from the control of this body of death in which sin resides?
Well, he gets an answer in verse 25. I thank God God will do it.
God will do it through the Lord Jesus Christ.
How does he do it? Chapter 8 verse one? There is therefore now no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus.
Verse 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free.
From the law of sin and death we've talked about the law of sin and death. That's the life Paul used to live. It was a law of sin. That is the law, the principle of work in him Law here means not a written law, not the 10 commandments law, but that which.
Rule that which like the laws of nature, we call them, like the laws of gravity, the principle of the working of that thing called sin in Him produced in the end death.
But in contrast to that, he said, there's another.
Law.
Another principle at work by the grace of God, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
God, the life that he I now live, Paul could say, is that life which is lived.
By the Spirit of God.
Living and guiding and giving power.
Through the life of Christ that is in me.
That life is untouchable.
The life of Christ. Well, it's not. It can be tempted from without, but it won't respond to temptation from within.
00:55:01
That's a perfect life.
Satan with all his Wiles. Satan can't touch that life.
He can't attract that life, he can't tempt that lifeout of the path of obedience.
But it is a life of obedience.
It's really.
A life of there is no such thing. Grace doesn't introduce man into a state of self chosen liberties.
Man is only in one of two categories. He is either a slave of sin or he is a slave really, but in the right way of obedience to God. There is no other alternative. There is no such thing as trying to want to get into a state and use grace as an idea that I'm free to kind of choose it, do it, think it will it.
And leave it No, that kind of liberty is only slavery.
To sin.
The Lord Jesus life was a life of perfect obedience to the will of God.
By pleasure in doing it.
That's the life that Paul could say I now live. I live a life that finds its pleasure in obedience to the will of God.
And the power of my life is the Spirit of God to direct it.
To make it overcome even that thing inside called sin.
It's called a body of death, but he says sin doesn't have to rule in the mortal body. Changes the words in this chapter from.
Body of death to mortal body because we can live the life that we Live Today without being controlled by our Dom.
Controlled in our everyday behavior by lust.
By passion.
By sin and its temptation, because we are alive to God, we can live.
A fellowship with God.
That sin has no.
Control over.
And as he says, it is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. It was the Lord Jesus. Every action of every day was actions controlled and obedience to God by the leading and power of the Spirit of God in him.
Power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Later in verse six he says to be carnally minded is death.
That is.
To be fleshly.
To be in the condition before God that he once lived in was called in flesh, and there was no hope for that.
To be carnal is to have life, but allow the flesh to have a place in the life.
And that's what Scripture calls carnal. And Tim, when he was speaking this morning was, I would say very carefully, perhaps and wisely saying Colonel Christian, because that's a Christian who is allowing the flesh to have a place in their life. And if you're really real, then you can be carnal, but you're not in a state of being in flesh before God. Uranus. God says, no, that's not your condition before me.
Notice it says verse eight, they that are in flesh cannot please God. Verse 9 But you're not in flesh, but in the Spirit. If so, be the Spirit of God dwell in you.
If the Spirit of God dwells in US.
Then the very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in US. Is that a sufficient power to live by?
I'm going to repeat that.
If the Spirit of God lives in us, then the very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in US.
01:00:07
Is that sufficient provision of God to live above?
The flesh.
I think we all.
That was the answer. It is, isn't it?
If God says the life I now live has the Lord Jesus Christ as its object, will that ever lead me into sin? Will that ever lead me to activities and occupation with anything that would dishonor God?
I say not impossible really, that God puts before us a perfect.
Pure, holy, wholesome.
Person to be occupied with.
Is the center and the controlling object of life God puts in US.
To dwell in us the Spirit of God.
The power of God to direct that life.
With a power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
So it says, greater is he than is in you, than he lives in the world. Satan's tremendous power, smarter than any of us, thousands of years of of practice.
And observation of human nature were no match for him.
But the Spirit of God and the life of Christ are more than a match.
And just to go back to connect and closing.
With what Tim was talking about in these remarks, turn to 1St John.
First John chapter 5 and verse 19.
Or verse 18, We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. He has a life that can't sin.
But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself. There's still sin in us, so we have to be careful.
And that wicked one toucheth him, not Satans. Wiles can't draw a soul away who is living the life.
We can easily draw the soul away the moment the flesh is allowed. It's to have a place.
And we know that the Son of God is common, have given us an understanding that we may know Him as true and we are in Him as that is true even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal life. This is the life.
Leave it.
John would say.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Keep yourself from any other object that replaces the Lord Jesus as the one and only object of life, any other object to life.
Is that which produces idolatry an idol in your heart and destroys the the enjoyment of the life that God has given?
Gospel 4
Gospel—S. Bambaur
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.
Will your anchor hold in the floods of death, When the waters cold, show your latest breath on the rising tide? You can never fail while your anchor holds within the veil. Hymn #11 Will someone please start that?
Will your?
Father go.
I parked something on that table on the way up, which most of you can't see, but some can, and maybe you can peer over the head and see it. And I'll have to explain a little bit about what that is and you can take a look at it later. It's the object lesson for tonight.
So I'll read the first verse and maybe you'll understand why.
You know what the first verse is. All of you probably know where it is. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
This is probably one of the things that is under attack today, what I have there. On our trip out here from the east, we went through somewhere in the deepest, darkest Massachusetts on Hwy. 2 and stopped for dinner along the way. And then the table next to us, there was a couple there that we started to kind of engage in conversation. They seemed pretty friendly.
And.
The man and his wife and she began to talk about.
00:05:03
Clear Lake, which is a region down by Houston where patties brother lives near there and she's Patty said oh, I have a brother that lives in near there in Alvin and they knew where that was in the conversation pursued.
And she had worked at the Space Center there and was an astronaut. Katie Coleman was her name and her husband, Josh Simpson and.
So one of the fellows in the astronaut program had gone to the same Presbyterian Church that Patty's brother goes to. And so Patty had met this person at A at a function that was for her nephew there when we were there.
And they were there, Dave Hillmer and his wife. So she dropped that name. And of course, she, Katie knew them. And as the conversation began to die down, we, we asked them, we were eating dinner that we didn't see a hotel and we were ready to hold up for the night. And, and they said didn't they didn't know of any in the areas of small town, but we happen to have a guest cottage and it's all made-up. The sheets are fresh and you would be welcome to use it.
This was an unusual situation, but we went ahead on over there and found that his job as an artist. So Patty connected with that as an artist, but his job is as a glass blower and he would make these.
Art artifacts out of glass. And he had bought a barn there. It was a large barn and he went to work there probably 30 years ago.
In his trade, he's probably in his late 50s and he makes these. You've probably seen them at the gift shop.
They're about, some are about the size of a bowling ball and they're made out of glass and that you can set them on the table. They have a flat bottom and you can look at them and be amazed and your friends will come and visitors and they will look at them and be amazed and you've got conversation piece they're going for you. So he sells these at a pretty good clip. He's probably #3 or 4 glass maker in the world.
So as we stayed there, we had the opportunity the next day. He was being interviewed by a magazine name I forgot, but the reporters were there, four of them, and they were taking pictures of him in his activity there, making these ornaments. This is a little one that he gave us as a souvenir. But as I say, some of them are the size of a bowling ball, weigh about 90 lbs.
And.
They're very ornamental. And the way he does this, he has this long rod, a little bigger around than this, about six or seven feet long, and it's made out of metal. And he has these furnaces there that go all the time, huge furnaces, doors on them, and they're fed by propane gas. He has a 3000 gallon propane tank buried out in his lawn. He fills it three or four times a year.
For his business.
So he's got these four or five large furnaces going, and you open the door and you stick that stick in there and you twirl around a little bit and now it comes a little BLOB of molten glass on the end of it.
And so they take that over to a stand and put this stick on on some props. And one guy is turning it and he's standing there with a cup made out of oak that's dipped in water. And he takes the cup and puts it up under the this molten glass while the guy is spinning it so that it takes a round form. Otherwise it kind of melts on him and and falls over. So he he's able to form it this way. There's a lot that goes into this.
There's a reason why I'm telling you all this, so don't go away yet.
He does this about four or five times. He doesn't put it in there and, and bring out a BLOB of glass. It's the size of a bowling ball. He works up to it layer upon layer upon layer. So as he brings a layer, this this project out of the kiln and I asked him about that. The kiln is about as wide open as the top of this podium and it has a door that slides shut. So one of the helpers opens it and he sticks the hole in there.
Into this molten glass and he gets his supply of glass and he starts to take it out and they close it back up and then they go to work on it. I asked him, do you what happens when you hit the side of that kiln? Does it shatter? He says no, it sticks to the door. Whatever you hit so tight you can't get it off and you lose your project. So it's a delicate operation. It's a very technical operation. It's a detailed operation. And he's doing this four or five times to get one the size of a bowling ball. And then when he brings this thing out.
00:10:24
S3 has a few layers there. The thing is maybe this big and he'll take from this table where he has a tray there with different colored glass that stretched out to about the size a little bigger than a pencil lead, a large pencil lead, a small pencil, a large pencil lead, you know, right about in that area.
And the glasses, the little pieces of glass that he had, there are different colors. So it picks up his tweezers in the glass. It's hot. He has them probably at 500°.
And he picks it up and he pokes it on that thing and it sticks there.
And he'll take a little score a razor and he'll he'll streak it like this at different places and gets different designs on it and these different things that he can put in there. And you will see that as you look at that close up. Only this had a bowling ball size is largely magnified over what we have there. But you'll get the idea. Now what I'm saying in all of this is there is a lot of detail and forethought that goes into making one of these things.
It is not the result of an explosion in a volcano that it just pops out and lands this way. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This first statement that God gives us is primarily under attack.
First of all, they used to think that the universe was eternal and it went all the way back. That's what they taught me in College in the 60s. That was before The Big Bang idea, when everything started from a point of singularity and all the laws of nature breakdown and there's no particles and there's no law, there's no nothing. And then you had this big explosion and the universe pops out of that. And they sat there scratching their head wondering what they're going to do about that. Because that requires some kind of a prime mover to make this happen. They can't count on particles and laws of nature going all the way back anymore.
Talking about these people who will turn off on you, especially college students, these ideas of metaphysical naturalism that is metaphysical. The broad idea of how everything is naturalism, how we get what we've got. How did this come about? And they're going to try to explain it on a purely naturalistic basis.
So that they do not allow God to get his foot in the door. Now, I've been to college and I've heard this, so I know this happens. I remember in the geography class in the night about 1964 when I was taking a geography class at Chico State in Northern California, this professor stood there, leaned on his podium with all this hubris he could muster. And he says God is an idea. In the mind of man, evolution is a fact.
And you said it with such hubris. And I wasn't saved and I didn't challenge him. And I thought, my, I wonder if that's so.
I didn't know any better at that time.
And I didn't know how to challenge the concept.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
If the universe goes all the way back through cause and effect, you have what is called an infinite regress, because it takes energy to have cause and effect, and you're going to run out of energy. So what is supplying the energy in this infinite regress? All the way back of cause and effect, all the way back, all the way back into eternity? Never stop it. Where do you get the energy to support that?
Now, with The Big Bang idea, where do you get the matter to work with? Where do you get the material to work with? We have the answer to that in this singular, succinct statement.
But a lot comes with it. In the beginning, God created the heavens. How far does that go? The heavens, plural. How far out does it go? How old? Takes a look out there and looks as far as it can. Can't find the end of it.
But what it does find is things banging into each other in flames and explosions. It's hard to imagine the effect that sin has had on the whole creation.
And you can read about that in the 8th chapter of Romans that the whole show groans and travails.
Under this weight of sin.
00:15:00
He has sent his son.
To restore that which He took not away, He has delegated to the Son the whole process of creation. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
And the word was gone and all things were created by him and not anything that was made was not created.
In any other way than by him.
The earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. God has a project going here in.
This concept of creating something or making something, as we look at this as a man, perhaps I want to build a house. Perhaps Henry Ford wanted to build a car.
Perhaps somebody wanted to build an airplane. This begins as an idea in an intelligent being. We'll call that the formal cause, because the Greeks called it that.
It's an initial consideration by an omnipotent being able to bring about what he has in mind.
God had this in mind in eternity past. This is no.
Second guess or makeup project?
He is the formal cause.
To get something in operation that is in the thoughts, there are several things that you need. You need a material cause. So if the Greeks are going to build a tribe to go out and fight the Medes and Persians, they've got to have some wood and they have to have enough of it to make their triream that they can put 70 or 80 soldiers on so that they can go up and drop the plank on the Persian boats and storm the boat and win the battle. It got this all thought out.
But more than a formal 'cause they have to have a material, 'cause they have to have the material for this thing to do it. So they go out and cut down a bunch of trees and go at it. Then they need an efficient cause. Somebody has to put this together. You can't leave the the pile of wood out there and expect it to do its thing. Somebody has to give it a hand.
So the Carpenter comes and he hacks and all these people that the navigators and the sailors, they come and they put this thing together.
That's the efficient cause, the final 'cause there are four reasons, formal, material, efficient and final cause to get something from out of the mind into existence. The final cause is that for which they have intended.
And the final cause is to put this thing to work, to defeat the needs in Persians, in the Greeks and the Median Persians. Henry Ford's idea was to get something go down the road and and give us transport. Somebody built an airplane to get us there faster. That's how it works without exemption. So it won't do to say that the whole universe just came out of nothing. It never works that way. Nothing ever works that way.
Another case for the creation. Why am I going into this so long? I know that you young people going to college are facing these issues just as I was 50 years ago. They haven't changed.
In this world that we live in, there are the what is called anthropic principles that.
Are in play in order for life as we know it to exist here.
All the details that we observe in the universe where our earth is.
My very energetic mother.
Earth is the third guy out, third one out in the solar system. That's important. Not too hot, not too cold. The Earth is tilted 23 1/2° on an axis. Important. Gives us seasons.
It spins at a certain rate.
So that one side doesn't get baked and the other side get frozen. So we have night and day. It goes around the sun.
At a consistent and predictable way. So again, that we have seasons.
All of these things.
00:20:01
Its position in the universe, the moon that we have, the two planets that are outside of us that are out there running interference, running into asteroids so that we don't. The whole show is in a convulsion, but God preserves by His own loving hand a situation here upon which He puts those that are created in His likeness and His image.
Likeness to commune, image to represent.
Ask yourself right now, how are you doing? When's the last time you spoke to God and how did you do it?
Throw me a bone, Get Me Out of this so I can go on and do something else, and if I get in trouble again, I'll give you a call.
This is the flipping attitude of the unbelievers. Never bowed the knee in repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.
And they go on that way all the way through their lives.
In a mockery and a hypocrisy.
In this said likeness and image likeness to commune, we can do that.
Image to represent in this communion.
When you pray, it's intelligent, using words. Jesus is known in John chapter one as the Word, the expression of God. Have you ever thought about how language plays out?
In language in order for this communicating opposable digit upright, standing, morally conscious, God conscious being, we call man different than every other creature that God made likeness and image. You can't attribute that to a chimpanzee or a monkey or a gorilla. This thing about.
Language.
There are three things that are necessary for us to have this conversation that we're having right now. For you to have a conversation with your brother or sister or mother or father or friend at school.
In language there are three necessary things, complexity, a selectivity and an aperiodic.
A material to work with in the complexity in our language. We have 26 little things that you see written on your page there and we call it an alphabet. This is the complexity. Just two letters won't do. What if we had just a B and an A? We would sound like the Babylonians, Bah Bah, Bah Bah and he confused the language and called it Babylon and we still use the word today. We need more than just two or three.
In this complexity we have 26 in our language.
That we use in different forms, and each one has an assigned sound to it. This is complex. Well, there they are, 26 letters. Do we reach down and grab a handful and throw them on the page? Will that make any sense? No, it won't. It gets worse. We have to have a selective process so that the author of a book, War and Peace, Tolstoy, takes down and grabs them, and he puts them here, just the right ones. And he forms words which form sentences, which form paragraphs, which form chapters, which forms the grand story.
And only the human being is capable of this process. This is so intricate, so intricate that it could not have worked its way up through the evolutionary process. The third one is it has to be a periodic. You just again, cannot.
In your selection and complexity, you select the ones you want out of the complexity you have at hand, and then in a periodic way you put them together. A periodic means that it's not just a standard repetitious way, like I said to be a Babylon idea.
So if we look at our first statement in INVTHE, this didn't get there by accident. It's a very complex thing. And the fellow named Noam Chomsky, who's the hero of language studies in the scientific field, looked at that as he came up with this. He said, I just don't see. And he's he, he's not a believer, he says, I don't see how this could have worked its way up through the evolutionary system.
This is too intricate.
Think of what we're doing here. I'm making these statements, I'm finishing these sentences and you're taking them in and you're hearing this is not Polly wants a cracker. You can train a parrot to say that, but that's not communication. And Folly doesn't even know what she's saying. But she can be trained to say that. And that is a unique critter anyway. And all she can get out of it is Holly wants a cracker and doesn't know what she said.
00:25:17
She's saying it by rope. What we're doing is so far beyond that that it almost defies description, especially in the slow.
Process the slow, slow, slow process and the billions of years that is needed to get from zero to where we are. And they used to figure that the universe was about 22 billion years old and the Earth may be 12.
And now the universe is about 12 billion years old and the Earth about 6 billion years old, and most of those fellows are scratching their head thinking we cannot go from zero to upright articulating man in 6 billion years. We need more time than that. The process doesn't work that fast.
The whole trick to it is to hide it behind so much time you can't comprehend it.
OK, we've got in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and it's the first statement that he made. And I've spent a bit of time on that, almost half of our time, because that is the thing under challenge in today's culture, especially in Western and educated civilizations, European.
In America and Russia.
Let's go to the end of Genesis.
Chapter 50.
We had in the beginning rather than go through each chapter and give the salient points of each one, you know.
That he created man in his likeness and image, and it didn't take him very long to fall from both.
To violate both.
We call it sin. It's disobedience. They did what God told them not to do.
And they didn't have a very wide range of opportunities to do what God told them not to do.
But they did it anyway.
Because Satan was more subtle than any beast of the field.
There are consequences.
Now we've got quite a few people on the earth when we get to the end of Genesis.
Chapter 50 and we read that Joseph died. This is Genesis 5026. He died.
You go back, I think it's a chapter 5. It's the obituary column and everyone there, so and so lived so many years, and he died and he died and he died.
And the wages of sin is death. And Joseph died 110 years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
And the book starts with such possibilities and ends in a coffin in Egypt.
And that is the destination of each one of us, unless the Lord comes first.
And it is the destination of each one. Without the Lord, and the wages of sin is death.
And the ratio is still 1 to one, and there is no escape apart from the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The provision that God has made in great love to each one of us.
And you will realize your need as you go along in a place of independence and self will it will catch up with you.
It's a painful life to leave the Lord out. It's a blessed life to bring him in. That doesn't mean that trials don't happen to believers. Of course they do. We live in the same scene. But we are spared so many of those diseases of Egypt.
That are prevalent today.
Divorces. Broken relationships.
Different kinds of diseases of the body from illicit activities.
Accidents that, perhaps?
Leave us maimed for the rest of our lives through inebriation and driving, sclerosis of the liver and excesses of drunkenness. All of these things are the diseases of Egypt and believers he spares from those things.
Because we know that they're an interference.
Between US and the one who bought us with his precious blood.
Now we'll go to Psalm.
00:30:03
118.
And look at the very middle verse of the Bible.
We have covered, but not exhausted, Genesis. We skipped over a few words.
And get to the very middle verse of the Bible, Psalm 118 I'll read.
Verses 8:00 and 9:00 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord to put confidence in Princess.
Where is your confidence going to be when you're in extremis?
One day about.
20 years ago I guess.
See, my son is 42. He's over 20 years, so he's about 18 at the time.
We got a phone call at home from the neighbor and they said this guy just showed up at our house. He's soaking wet. He hiked all the way across the field. He's exhausted. He's on his last leg. He said he was coming down the river in a canoe.
And he hit a snag and he capsized and it's swift and it's cold in his.
Wife is there on the log upon which they capsized and she is hanging on for dear life and we need help.
And the neighbor he finally got to, he didn't know where he was. He just carted off across the field, loud field and and ran probably AI would say at least a mile through this plowed field.
We sought the neighbor with his fleet. The neighbor called us because he knew that we lived right on the river and had a boat. So my son was home and I, we went down and we got in the boat and turned on the engine and started going to where they are, which was only about 300 yards up from where I live. It's a river and there's a current. It's a wide river, wider than this gem and deep enough to run a boat in, but you have to watch where you're going because there are snags and sandbars.
And here's this gal hanging on to this log about this big around that had floated down there and jammed in the soil in the river and sticking up as a snag on which they had capsized.
And he had gotten to shore, and the shore was probably 20 yards away for her. And it was swift and it was cold and she was exhausted. There was no way that she could get to the shore. She needed a rescue.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Princess. What I'm going to tell you is a story that is a similitude, Jose says. I have also spoken unto you and similitudes, so if he can do that, I will follow suit.
It's a good example. We went out there and got up from about here to that lamp stand from where she was, and we're in the bubble and we're trying to decide just how to go about this so that we don't hit the snag and capsizer or Press your leg wanted to be safe.
What are the options? We could get off maybe 10 yards. It'd be safe. I could say jump in and swim over here. She couldn't have done it. She would have drowned in the process.
Her only hope was we had to get right up there, risk hitting the snag, get right up here, face the current going upstream because it was a swift current, so we could stay there in position. We got right to where she was.
Right ahead of her. I turned around and said hop in. She couldn't do it. She was clinging to that and didn't have the strength to let go, get a leg in the boat and get herself in. So my son, 18, Stout.
She puts out her arm, she puts out his arms, and he holds her a good grip and gets her, pulls her all the way into the boat. Now you see where this similitude is going. Christ comes right to where we are. He became a man. He dwelt among us.
There's no use giving us 10 commandments. That's like telling her to hop in the river and swim to where I am, and if you make it, you're saved.
We are not up for 10 commandments. We're not up for law, any kind of law that we might invent for ourselves, thinking that God will accept what we do and overlook the rest that we shouldn't have done. After all, God must be gracious. This is the way he made me. Here am I, what else can I do? And to misrepresent God, For God is holy and he cannot overlook sin. So he took his own beloved Son. And you can get this in Romans chapter 3 and he.
00:35:03
He sends them here, right to where we are. And he was rejected. He came unto his own, His own received him not. He goes to the Gentiles. He's taken.
He had stripped of his clothing, his spit upon his unjustly tried.
That's man's thoughts and his reaction.
To the absolutely pure, sinless one who comes from God, who is God, who is the Creator of all things, and man meets his creator and he pushes him away, are you still doing that? You would be no less guilty than those that were there at that time. You say, well, if I were there, I wouldn't have done that.
If you're pushing him away now, you would have pushed him away then.
This is a moral issue.
He allowed that to happen. He goes to Calvary's Frost. They mount him on a Roman gibbet.
They mock him. They spit upon him.
And leave him there and say.
If he is the Son of God, let God save him. And they depart, and God closes the scene with a midday darkness.
As he pours out his judgment that was due to me for all my sins.
And the way that I have responded to God for the 1St 22 years of my life and all sins after that as well, They were placed on Him and He bore them in my stead. We have a substitute, but if you will not receive the substitute, you will die in your own sins and be judged for your own sins.
You will take the responsibility fully upon yourself and never be able to pay the price.
The wicked shall be silent in darkness. There is no more controversy.
And yet they will still be shaking their fists in enmity had gone. There is no repentance in hell. There is no change of heart in hell. This is the day of salvation. This is the day that He has spoken, and He waits in patience.
We'll go to Revelation chapter 22.
I just want to mention there in Matthew chapter one, the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. As we start the New Testament, the old ends in a curse man set aside seemed to be irresponsible.
Now God provides in pure grace. So we get in the New Testament the introduction.
Of the man of peace, the Holy One.
We go to the end of the book.
What does it say?
The grace.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.
The grace, it's pure grace. There is nothing that we could do. So God did, and he spared not His only beloved begotten Son, the bosom, the darling of his bosom, the Eternal 1.
In communion in the Godhead, in eternity past.
In perfect harmony, without discord, perfect communion.
Full of grace, full of truth. Now.
Justifying God.
As to the question as to why does he allow SAN, why has he put up with it?
He has provided an offering that suits himself so that He is just in justifying the ungodly that will come to Him. He is just in doing this. He is sweeping nothing under that rug. Nothing that you have done. All is exposed and laid upon Him when you come to Him for the Savior.
And God therefore is just. He has dealt with the sin issue that has separated us from Him.
He has met it according to his own standards.
00:40:02
The provision is entirely his. One more story and I'll close.
And the story is. I use it as an illustration.
Of the desperation of our position.
And the provision that comes outside of ourselves.
When I was in my 20s.
I went into Naval aviation. It was just out of college. I was going to be drafted. I had no option. I thought I would make the best of the deal and went down to fly at the Navy recruiter to go into Naval aviation. I couldn't see well enough.
To be a pilot, but I couldn't see well enough with glasses to be a navigator. So my billet was that I flew in the back of F fours for two cruises over in Vietnam.
Several 100 combat missions over North Vietnam, Laos from South Vietnam.
Carrier based one day.
I was lying with a fellow named John Padgett, who had gone through the Naval Academy, and we always flew in Sections 2 airplanes.
Any other airplane was heard Wheeler.
Who had gotten his Commission through OCS and he was about 3 months junior to my the pilot I was flying with named John.
So herbs are wingmen because the senior pilot is the lead pilot. I'm explaining all this because it's part of the story.
In the backseat of each of this these two aircrafts, I'm in one, Jim Benger is in the other one.
Jim was a history major and went to college somewhere in Pennsylvania.
There was a target down there, I think it was a plant.
It was a daytime. We never saw trucks in the daytime along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They did everything under the bushes. You didn't see troops, you didn't see movement. They moved at night. Here was his truck. It's a daytime.
Off and we were vectored to destruct. We looked at it down there, we'd come in at about 30,000 feet. Yep, truck down there right as can be sitting there. It was either broke down where it was a plant.
Because my pilot was senior to the other crew, we went in first.
We come in at 30,000 feet, footage at 45°, build the airspeed to 450 knots, come down, get the paper on the target. That's the the site. It's in the pilot seat on the target. We meet all those parameters you release at a certain altitude and physics takes care of the rest.
We rolled in, dropped our bombs, pulled off at about 2000 feet above ground level, not above sea level. These are our parameters. Less apartment to be hit by ground fire. We pull off, we're coming back around and I look back to see Herb and Jim coming in and they were in a spin. They'd lost control. They were in a spin. The reason they lost control is they had taken a hit and it had damaged their controls. It takes 10,000 feet for a healthy F4 to pull out of a spin. They were down around 4000 feet.
No possible way.
Pretty soon I saw the plane hit the ground blow up in a big explosion.
Herbert Jim Then I saw two good parachutes. They had waited to the last because they were hoping to pull that out rather than land down there and be captured. 2 good parachutes. It was herbs lot to land in a clump of trees. We'll say this, these mats here, the little forest of trees, that clump of them. And he lit right in there, let himself down to the ground and hid there. They were Vietnamese troops all over the place.
Jim, there's a road over here that's that blue line. He lands on this side of Loaded Rd. about 300 yards from where Herb landed and that's an open field and nowhere to hide. And there's this parachute and we are up here at 10,000 feet watching all this. We carry APR 2 radio when on our on ourselves. If we punch out, we can talk to somebody on the guard channel. We had communication with them from down there on the ground.
To our aircraft at 10,000 feet, there's Jim down there with his parachute, an orange section, a white section, an orange section and a white section all the way around. And here are the troops up here on the hill and they're starting to come down. The first thing I did was call a helicopter to come and rescue Herb and Jim.
00:45:06
They can't walk out. They can't evade.
Time is the essence. They're going to be captured if they stay there.
Was somewhat hidden. Jim was out in the open. We're waiting for the helicopter to come.
It takes about an hour. They don't park the helicopters right next to the bomb site. They're over in friendly territory that they can protect. They got to come about 70 miles, 75 miles. It takes the crew a little time to run out there, jump in, get turned up and fly at about 170 miles an hour to the designated need where they were their destination.
As the helicopter is coming.
Says I see some troops coming at me from a distance there.
We're out of bombs, maybe a four, doesn't carry guns. We have no munitions. But we knew that they didn't know that. So we came down out of 10,000 feet to about 1000 feet. HGO.
And we remote and ride along and F4 probably 750 miles an hour.
At that low altitude, it's a fast moving target. Went right over the top of Jim and headed for the direction where he said they were coming. It's a bluff.
Flew right over the top of them.
They probably just had enough time to didn't hear us coming. Looked up as it went overhead too late. Take a shot. Climbed right back up to 10,000 feet. Jim radios it worked. They're moving back.
We did what we could. It's not enough. We have to get back to the ship to make recovery. We have certain amount of fuel. The F4 is not the Volkswagen of the Sky. You can't stay up there and cover.
We take off about 3000 lbs of fuel. We get maxes off 1200 lbs.
That's what we need to land on the carrier, come back and land and a six that was up there as a little more time in the air.
He stayed as unseen commander of this situation. He came back later to the ship.
And told me that Herb had been rescued but Jim was captured. And the last words he heard from Jim is they're closing in on me again. Doesn't look like they're going to shoot. Looks like I'll be appealing. W click. End of conversation. That captured. They took him all the way back to Hanoi to the prison to guard him and to keep him there. This is in 1969 November. The release was late early 73, about March 4 years almost that he was there.
Had a wife back home in San Diego.
Not what he wanted to do.
Well, we got her back, her having landed in the trees. I talked to Jim Bedinger 25 years later. I found his address. I had gotten out of the Navy. He stayed in and then retired. I lost track of him. I didn't know how to look him up. I'm not computer savvy. I'm superannuated, obsolete. I don't know how those things work.
But my kids aren't. So one of my kids finds Jim Bendinger.
Been Joe Smith, you'd have never found Jim Benger found him on the so however, you'll find people on the Internet or on the computer and said, hey, dad just found Jimmy lives in San Diego. Here's his here's where he works.
I grabbed the phone, I called him up, talked to him, and I hadn't talked to him for 20 years.
Last time I talked to him was on a PR2 survival radio.
I'd like to get the rest of the story. Called him, said he lived down in San Diego. I said, Jim, sometimes I get down to LA we'd go to a conference down there. Be glad to see you. Yeah, I'd be glad to see you, too. So we got together at another squadron member who was out then and lived in Escondido, just South of San Diego. And we met there after the Bible conference at La Shadow Hills.
And he comes and he, he tells us about his situation as a prisoner of war and how they captured him and they put him in a wagon and they took him up to Hanoi and when they put him in the prison cell there.
They put two to a cell, so he goes in with another prisoner that was captured in Laos, but on the right side of him was John McCain and on the left side of.
Was.
00:50:01
Oh, the guy from Arizona. The president.
Here is unpolitical as I am.
John McCain and James Stockdale. Stockdale was over here in Mccains, one that ran for president. They were on each side of Jim and this Hanoi prison.
John knocks on the wall, see knocks on the wall. He could hear the commotion and Jim being put in there. And he's talking to Ernie and in hush tones, Jim. Jim who won the last Army Navy football game.
Jim, Jim who won the last election, he wanted some news for home. I mean, you can understand that it's a little cubicle. We've been there for six years by that, five years by that time.
The KFC.
Senior ranking officer was in the Air Force, but he was senior ranking officer of all those that were in that prison system. That puts him in charge. You do exactly as he says. His chain of command, military order, it keeps order. Even in a situation like that, he says something.
That's what you do.
Stockdale says to the second, says McCain. I want you to shut up and go to sleep. And that's an order.
And he did. You bet he did.
Anyway, Jim gets back, they interrogated, he says. So the guy comes up to him short, stocky, and he says Jim was young. By the way, that was about his fourth hop in combat. He just gotten out of college, went to an officer candidate school, went to the training, talked on the ship, went to Vietnam, got shot down on the third half. So he was probably the youngest, one of the youngest prisoners of war in the whole compound.
So the commandant N Vietnamese comes to Vienna, he says.
You very young, you're not prisoner, you're not not going to treat you like a war criminal. All these other support criminal, you're very young. Who's going to show him special favors? It's a technique that they would use to break down them around in the camp, in the concentration camp. You know where I'm going with this integrity.
Do you think that we're not under the gun, under attack? Satan has a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour. We have a similar situation. This is a similitude. I introduced it that way at the beginning. You have to take it that way and you'll learn lessons from this story. What is Jim's response coming? That says we will show you special favors, you will get more to eat. We are trained in the military not to take any favors that weren't extended to every single person in the POW camp.
And Jim said, no, these are not Theodorus. These are not war criminals. These are Pows just like I am. And I wouldn't accept anything that you wouldn't extend to the rest of the prisoners.
And the common nonsense, I will punish you, Jim says. This is according to the Geneva Convention and Articles of War concerning prisoners of war.
We no sign Geneva Convention, Jim says.
But those who are supporting you, both Communist China and Russia, have signed.
Common that size losing, losing face in front of the rest of the prisoners. And he turns on his heel and lays him and says, I will punish you. He never came back. He stood fast as a prisoner of war. It may have cost him a lot.
He was preserved. The Lord will preserve those who stand fast and mean business. We are not preaching here.
A gospel where you slip in and continue in your own ways and have no representation. Remember likeness and image. To commune and to represent and use restored us to that.
Through pure grace.
By means of his own son on Calvary St.
We owe him everything that we have. Jesus.
Is not only Savior, he is Lord, and we must not compromise with that.
00:55:05
Fight the good fight.
Fight the good fight.
Can we sing number?
19.
Hymn #19.
And I would ask somebody to start that for me.
I preach petty Saints. I didn't preach. I don't sing. You'll save me a lot of embarrassment. Somebody will start.
I won't even get close to the first word.
Whosoever
Children—D. So
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.
I see boys and girls already up front. Any little boy or girls would like to set up here the plenty of seat?
Maybe you can bring some big boy and big girls with you too because I know they are shy.
All right, perhaps we'll begin by singing a hymn. I'm going to favor the girl. Ciphers. Is that OK?
Who have one that I like to start us with?
Would you have one? What number?
Hymn #16 Is that the right 116 OK hymn #16?
Oh, wait a minute, now this ham has a start off with a very big word.
Start off by saying whosoever.
Do we know what we will be singing?
Is that a big word?
Whosoever. OK now remember this word and then after we finish singing this, I'll see if someone can help us explain what this word is. Whosoever OK hymn #16.
Whosoever heareth shall show.
Now.
OK, the word whosoever who can help me? What do you think it means? Oh, I don't have another mic. What do you think it means it means?
It it means whoever. It means whoever.
I think that's good. Whosoever, whoever anyone else can help me with that.
OK, let me change it a bit. Are there any verses in the Bible that use that big word?
Let me think now, whosoever.
Can you think of a verse or two that use that word?
Yes.
John chapter 60 Can I use one of these?
Oh, maybe you can say that for What is that verse?
For God still in the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting, everlasting life. That's nice. John chapter 16316. Yeah. For God so loved the world. You know, that's a that's a wonderful gospel message, isn't it, to tell.
God loves the world. He means everyone in the world, right? That whosoever. What was that word again? What does that mean again?
Whoever was that what you said? Whoever. Whoever. Wait a minute now.
Who is included in the Whoever in this room are the girls included?
Are they the whosoever?
Are the boys the whosoever?
Yeah, yeah, whosoever. You know what? You may have heard me tell this story before. I'm not a big fan of people with all these writings and T-shirts, but have you seen people wear T-shirts with writings on it? Well, someone told me they saw this one on the back of his T-shirt. He wrote this saying it says I am whosoever. Isn't that nice? Oh, whosoever. That's me.
00:05:27
The Lord Jesus warned us is a whosoever heareth. OK, who has another hymn for us?
All right, you go ahead.
#17 OK #17 that's nice too. Have you any room for Jesus? You know, when Jesus came into this world, He was born as that little babe in the Manger, you know? What did they say to him when he was looking for a place to stay for that little inn? Do you remember what they said to him?
Or to his parents, there's no room for him is there's no room in the inn. But here it says, have you boys and girls, have you any room for Jesus? He who bore the load of sin as he knocks and seeks emissions, Sinner, will you let him in? OK, let's sing this together. Have you any?
Good morning.
You know, boys and girls, when we have Sunday school like this, we think it's only for little boys and little girls. Do we think that? But I think it's for everybody, isn't it? And I think that big boys and big girls out there who are listening and they want to learn more about the Lord Jesus too, don't they?
00:10:15
So this is for everybody. You know, I have to tell you this story, and I hope this brother doesn't mind. It was a big boy. He's like, bigger than me, taller than me. And he's a grandfather, too. And he said to me, he said, you know, I remember you told a story last time about the, the what do you call this thing? The remote control on the car. How many remember that story? Yeah. He said, you know, that helps me. He said, do you remember? We talk about how.
You can watch people with this. You have one of these, You don't have one, do you?
No, well, when you get older, when you have a car, you'll get one of these, right? Or you might have your parents and, and you watch them in the parking lot. They, they, they walk away from the car and they push this little clicker thing and the car go beep like that, right? And then remember that? And then, and then I said, you watch them walk a few feet away and they want to make sure the car is locked. So they push this again and they go beep again, right? And they walk a few more steps away and they do it until they can't hear that beep anymore because they feel that if they keep locking the door more than once.
The car locks better, right? Well, you know, he said he remembered stories. It's like the word of God tells us that once we are saved, how many times do we need to be saved? Do we need to be saved again and again and again? No, he said, you know, he said that really helped me. So I hope as we talk about simple stories that it would help us and the big boys and girls, too, OK.
Now let's have another hymn. Let's pick it on this side.
I'll pick the boys. Is that OK? If I pick you, people think I play favor?
OK, we have another one in there because the girl has been giving the last two himself, OK?
Hymn #44 Oh, this is nice too. Into a tent.
Into a tent where?
Salvation Story.
Nobody.
Salvation Story.
Nobody. Ever.
Told me.
And don't have any love there. No, no, no, no love shaken the sun to the sun to do the sun can do the soul and turn to Shannon be and that's an hour and a half. And then I am sure that I am sure that I am sure that I am sure that I am in the United States.
00:15:29
Now is it OK if I pick one?
Is it OK? I like to pick one. I like to pick him #42 This is one of my favorite hymns. Now, 42 is a very short hymn. I like to make it sing longer. So we're going to sing this twice. This is how I sing this hymn. Now, some of you heard this before. You have, haven't you? Do you like it? OK, Now the first time around, when we sing this hymn, we'll sing it the way it is. The second time around, we have to think of those.
Bigger and older boys and girls. So we're going to change some of the words so that everybody in this room will feel welcome. So the second time around we're saying a little child of 70 or even 34. Do you think we're people here that here that are 70 years old?
Yeah, we've got big kids here too, don't we? And we've got big kids that are 34, OK, So the first time around we were saying just the way it is, and then we'll sing a little child of 70. That means even if someone is older than 70, they're welcoming to this hymn too, aren't they?
A little child.
OK.
Who have learned the Sunday school verse from last week. Oh, good. You know, I have to confess I didn't know it. I have to ask somebody what it is.
Any do you want to say the verse now? I believe I'm going to have to look it up. I think someone told me is in Ephesians. What is Ephesians?
429 Oh, that's a nice long verse. OK, you say. Oh, hang on a second. Let me use this Oregon here.
OK, go ahead. Let no crop communication procedure, but that which is good if you didn't 429.
That's good. Anyone else like to say it? Oh, you're all shy, aren't you? Oh, Paul. Oh, I didn't see you come up here, Paul. I just won't reach. OK? Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. But that which is good. Ephesians 429. Very good. Anyone else?
Any big boy and big girls would like to say that?
No. Oh, that's too bad because I went and bought two big bags of candy bars that I guess I have to give them one bag each. You know, I guess now the parents may not like me after that.
00:20:12
So afterwards you come up to see me. OK, well, that's nice. We learn diversity. This is a big version. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.
Wow.
Do we all know what corrupt communication is?
Seeing bad things and sometimes maybe you think, well, you know, I hear kids on the street, they swear they use the name of the Lord Jesus in vain. They you know what? Sometimes even when we say bad things about somebody, that's corrupt communication too, isn't it? Is it? We shouldn't have fat.
But that which is good, I like that. But that which is good?
I first go on a little bit more. It says to you to the use of edifying.
That it may Minister grace unto the hearers. OK, let's have we've got time for one more. Let's have the boys again, because the girls have the last two pick. OK.
Hymn #46 A spelling song. I like that hymn #46.
Galati.
And because and because.
You do.
Bless you.
And I.
You know, I'm, I'm just thinking of, I'm just thinking of the other.
Letter songs, the I Know it's don't think it's in here, the ABCDEFG.
You boys and girls know that song. Can we sing without a hymn sheet? I like that too.
ABCD.
Hi, how are you and me anytime?
You.
Oh that is so nice.
Well, there's a reason I picked that little spelling song and hopefully you'll see that in a minute. I thought this morning we will talk about the Lord Jesus a little bit differently. You know, I, I find it bad that sometimes we look at boys and girls and young people too, and we always pretend that you don't know the Lord Jesus. The reason we pretend that is it's such a serious matter that we want to make sure.
That you are saved is a very serious matter, isn't it? That you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Because if you're lost from sins, you will go to that eternal.
Place called hell. You go there forever and it's a terrible, dreadful place to be, but it's much better to be with the Lord Jesus, isn't it? But this morning I thought I'll, I'll turn it around a little bit because I know.
Most of you, your mommy and daddy teach you about the Lord Jesus Christ. They teach you how to learn verses from the word of God right now. Is there anyone here have never heard of the name of Jesus?
Oh, I don't see any hand. I'm so glad to see that and what privilege positions you're in that your parents have taught you the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you come to Sunday school, you come to conferences, and you learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:25:15
But then, you know, when you go to school, when you're out playing with your friends, do you think some of them don't know who the Lord Jesus is? Do you think that? Yeah. Do you think all of them have have heard of John 316?
If I say John 316, do you boys and girls know what I mean by that?
What I mean by John 316 who can help me?
I know you quoted that earlier on. You did. What does it mean? We say that, don't we? We say, oh, we know John 360. Anyone else can help me? Do you know what John 316 is? No, you know the verse that says for God.
So loved the world you know, don't you? Can you say the rest?
That.
That's right, he gave his only.
Yeah, His only, that's right. His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. And then what? Oh, I forget now. Is that right?
Is that right? And then what else?
Huh. And have.
Everlasting life, that's good, but you know, not you know, it's interesting. I was with someone when I was younger and this man was like a grandpa to me. And you know, this man had a school right beside his house and and the school has happened to be a Catholic school and they know this man loved the Lord Jesus.
So one day they said to him, said, you know, our priest couldn't come in to read. Do you mind coming in and read to our children?
He called, he said gladly, he went in, and he read this verse, He said, John 316 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have.
Everlasting life John 316 Now he read a few other verses too. He wasn't at the liberty to preach the gospel to them, but he was able to read the verses and he said to me, he said, you know, afterwards one of the teacher stopped him in the hallway and he said, thank you for reading this. He said, I didn't know what John 316 was. The teacher thought. He said, I thought it was something to do with the ball game because he the only time he saw John 316 was people putting up cart.
John, 316.
Isn't it sad that there are many in this world do not know the Lord Jesus Christ? Now the question I have or perhaps comment or remarks on this is this so How do we tell people?
Above the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, last night we had a gospel meeting and it was nice to see our brother standing up to present the gospel of God's grace. And you might say, I love to do that. Or you may say, I'm afraid to do that. And you might say, and I heard a lot of people say, I don't know what to say.
Am I right? And I thought maybe as boys and girls, as young people, we should learn.
Because, you know, sometimes by talking about it, help us too. We can read all we want. We can only learn so much. But when we're able to present it to someone else, we learn more, don't we? So how do we teach people about or tell people about the gospel of the grace of God?
And you know, I thought I'll share with you how someone encouraged me, he said. The gospel is very simple.
As he said to me, this brother, your brother, he said just remember the ABC of the Gospel. I go, what we just sang ABCDEFG. That was easy, wasn't it? Well, there is a gospel in there, right? You talk about how Jesus died for sinful man.
Well, that's the gospel. So I thought with just a few minutes, we have, well, if I say a, perhaps we can be reminded of a verse from the word of God that present the gospel. In fact, this is the most fundamental. So think of a Now I'm going to pick this part of a verse because it's hard to start a verse with just the letter A Otherwise we'll have a lot of and OK, so.
00:30:27
I think you know this first.
All have sinned. Have you heard that verse before?
You have, Yeah. This is the condition we have to understand, because if we don't know that we have sin, we don't need a Savior, do we? So that's the aid of the gospel. What do you think B would be?
BB So if all have sinned, that means we need to find a way to get rid of our sin.
Have you heard of this first? That said.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. So can you remember these two so far? What was a again?
A. A. Oh have sin? What's B?
Oh, we forgot already, B. Let's see if the girls remember. What's B?
Glad you girls are shy.
OK.
The blood.
The blood of Jesus Christ.
Cleanseth us.
From our sin. Oh, isn't it nice? You know some I see one of the little kids had a coloring book. I don't know whose book it is because I was going to let one of my granddaughter color in it and then my wife stopped me. She said that's not our book so we have to put it down. But when I was glancing through this book, it was a coloring book, but it start with verses and it has the first page all have seen.
And I forget what the second page is, but I remember B as the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. And this coloring book from A-Z. I know you guys say Z.
A-Z and God versus right through it was really nice and and I see brother Tom Roach and I remember when we down at the gospel tent we used to have the children learn that didn't we all the verses from the alphabet and they were learning it. They would say it they were saying it on the bus on the way to the tent work.
So we finished talking about the ABC, right?
Yes, no, no. What did we forget see Oh boy, you are good. Somebody's paying attention. See what is C? What verse can you think of? So we finished tell we can tell someone oh have sinned. If you really want to quote the two and come short of the glory of God and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins.
And see hmm.
I need help here.
Maybe the big boys and big girls can help us.
Many verses that come with C.
Christ Jesus.
Came into the world.
Oh, I didn't see the hand down there. OK, so go ahead.
People just pointing at you.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Come, let us reason together, sayeth the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as wool in Isaiah 1, isn't it?
He also said, Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest all the many verses see to come, isn't it you know?
One one of our children was younger. He had trouble saying words. How many of you have died if you say the wrong word? And these, this, this one used to say, Come all ye heavy ladies, and I will give you rest.
00:35:01
And, you know, we, we thought we would try to correct him, but then we thought afterwards, you know, that that little one is right, isn't it? Can the heavy ladies come to the Lord Jesus? Yeah. Can the skinny ladies come to the Lord Jesus? Yeah. Can we all come? Yeah. But you know, we can only come.
We can only come if we believe that we need to come.
In Luke chapter 5.
Thing is that they got a whole need, not a physician.
That's a funny verse, isn't it? What do you think it means? What do you think it means? They that are whole need not a physician.
Yeah, if you're not sick, do you need a doctor? How many of you go to a doctor when you're not sick?
How many of you should go to your doctor because someone told you you look sick and we say no, I'm not sick, I don't want to go?
I do. I don't like going to the doctors. I don't like needles.
But you know, we have to acknowledge, that's the first thing we have to recognize that we are sick. What's our sickness?
There's one word, 3 letters.
We have to acknowledge what is it.
Sin. That's right. That's the basic fundamental problem we have.
What was that first verse that we learned where a Tau says?
Who? What do you think? Is he right?
Yeah, you sure he's right? Are you nodding? Because he's nodding his head.
I think you're all right. We all have seen you know what all means. That's you.
You include it. Uh oh, you too.
What about Lemoyne back here? Is he part of the awe? Is he in that awe?
What do you think? He's a big boy, though he's not all, is he?
Yeah, yeah. What about she's little? Is she part of the awe?
Yeah, who's not included?
We're all, that's what it means, right? All have sinned. That's the basic fundamental of the gospel of God's grace is that we have to recognize we are sinners in God's sight.
All have sinned.
But what's the answer?
Is the blood of Jesus.
The blood of Jesus. He cleanseth us from all of our sins.
How many sin did he clean 5.
10.
Oh, 15.
OK, we'll double that 30 how many?
Oh, that's nice. So even though we are all sinners, he cleanse us from all sins. How did he do that? Do you remember Emma? How did he do that? With what? With his blood.
Because Jesus came as the Son of God. He came into this world and then we as men, we said there's no room in him. There's no room for him here.
And then when he grew up as a man, when he began his ministry, in three years time, we said to him, we said away with him, crucified him. We did not want this man to reign over us. And then we as man, we nail him to the cross and he died on that cross.
And he shed his blood on the cross, so that you and I.
Through his blood can be cleansed. So if we know that we are sinners, we know that His blood can cleanse us from all sins. Now we can say come, come and we can come to the Jesus. We can come to Jesus and we can come without delay. See, we have time for perhaps one, maybe two hymns, OK?
What number?
#5 OK, let's sing the first verse and last verse. Is that OK? Was OK?
See, this is what happened. When our sins are forgiven, we can sing. Oh Happy Day, that fixed my choice on thee, my Savior and my God. Well, may this glowing heart rejoice and tell its raptures all abroad. Happy day, happy day. When Jesus washed my sins away, he taught me how to watch and pray.
00:40:28
And live rejoicing every day. Happy day. Happy day when Jesus washed my sins away. Perhaps we just sing the last verse we read the first one, OK?
Now rest my Lord.
Happy, happy, happy day, happy day.
Emma doesn't want to get one short one.
78 that's not on the same sheet.
One of these.
44 Are we saying that already? Would you like 43? OK, we'll sing the first and last verse of 43. How's that?
One door and only one.
Joy, and only one.
Of the inside completely shine on you.
So we learned three alphabet letters.
What were they again? Do you remember what the three letters were? You don't remember, Did you remember?
What were the three letters?
What is AB and C? What was A?
Foot. Feet.
What did it do?
Very good. Let's see.
OK, you have to go home and look, ask mom and dad. The hell you'll see it. Hope they were listening too. Okay, come. Oh, you remember?
Christ, he says.
Came into the world.
The safe sinners. Very good. Let's look to the Lord in prayer one more time.
Attitude
Address—D. Buchanan
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We begin this afternoon with hymn #230.
Oh Lord, when we the path retrace which thou on earth has trod to man, thy wondrous love and grace, thy faithfulness to God.
Verse five. We wonder at thy lowly mind.
And fame would like thee be, And all our rest and pleasure find in learning Lord of thee. 230.
Oh Lord.
We look to the Lord in prayer, the subject that I have before me this afternoon.
Can be.
Condensed to one word.
Attitude.
Or mindset.
Our spirit.
00:05:00
Or outlook.
Situations.
This is something that I have struggled with in my own soul and am still working on.
The right attitude, it is not enough just to do the right thing.
And we, with the Lord's help, hope to look at 3 examples in the life of King David.
Of the three major failures in his life, that is recorded to us and I believe we're going to be able to see.
It boils down to the beginnings of those 3 great failures started with a wrong attitude, a wrong mindset.
A wrong way of looking at things.
We are also going to look at 3 examples in the life of the Lord Jesus that stand in contrast to that. Only in brief, but helpful.
In the book of Romans in chapter 12 it says in verse 16 be of the same mind.
One toward another.
Mind not high things.
But condescend to men of low estate.
The subject here is introduced.
And I believe this word mind here has to do with our subject, that we.
Often use the word attitude, which is actually not in the Bible, at least I have found it, but I believe the thought is there.
It says in Philippians, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And then it gives us those that beautiful example of the attitude or the mindset of the humility of the Lord Jesus.
The wonderful thing about it is not just the fact that the Lord Jesus was a humble man. He was that indeed, but He was also well-being.
While taking those steps of humiliation and going down to the death of the cross, the attitude that he displayed.
Is tremendous.
That mind.
Now this subject came before me in this way.
Have you ever struggled with this particular difficulty in your life? A sin or a problem that you can't get over? You think you've got it all confessed you've you've owned it before the Lord, and then sooner or later you fall back into the same thing.
Over and over again.
Or maybe looking at it from the opposite view, have you ever seen someone at a particular problem and on as an onlooker, you look at it and you think, oh, I see certain things here. I let me just go tell explain a few things to this person. It maybe this will help them to see some a point. And you go to them, you talk and you talk and they don't get it.
We're going to see that in David.
He didn't get it.
And the Lord spoke to him.
Let's go to First Chronicles chapter 21.
Now, while we're looking at that scripture.
I'm going to make a few comments on the book of Leviticus about three things that were.
Of the leper was to take and to bring in his restoration in his cleansing. And there were three things that were going to be taken along with the sacrifice. And then the the, the blood of the of a bird was going to be taken and sprinkled on these three things. And these thing three things I believe speak to us of these three attitudes that we're going to talk about.
They are the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet. These three objects present to us a figure of three kinds of attitude.
00:10:10
At least for our purposes this afternoon we're going to look at them that way. I have enjoyed this and want to share it with you. The cedar wood is a picture to us of high mindedness.
A superiority complex.
The noble, the tall tree, it's used that way.
In the scriptures.
The scarlet is a picture of something that is showing it is represents self centeredness, not necessarily high mindedness, but with the focus on self, on yourself. We live in a generation that's like that we are taught from young age.
To look at yourself in a good way and to be occupied with yourself and to look out for yourself, that is an attitude that can be dangerous.
The third one is the hyssop, which is a picture to us of the inferiority complex, the lowest on the scale, if we might put it. That is. I'm no good, I'm nothing, I can't do anything.
And it is used as an excuse.
To not do what the Lord gives us to do, not face up to situation. Even laziness can fall into that category.
That's the hyssop, the humble we.
And so those three things, all three of them were taken in the cleansing of the leper and they were sprinkled with blood. They had to be owned and dealt with, put under the sentence of death. Those three things were also used in the in the burning of the red heifer and the making of the cleansing ashes. And all three of those things were cast in the fire as of no use, neither a superiority complex, neither a self-centered complex.
Neither an inferiority complex.
Are helpful to us.
In serving the Lord as He called us to and can easily any one of them be used as an excuse of not as a root of not getting to the bottom of a problem in our lives.
Now let's read in First Chronicles chapter 21 an example of one of these in the life of King David.
First Chronicles 21, beginning with verse one.
No, yes.
Got the wrong book.
And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. And Joab answered, The Lord make the Lord make his people 100 times so many more as they be, but my Lord the king.
Are they not all my Lord's servants?
Why then does my Lord require this thing? Why will He be a cause of trespass to Israel? Nevertheless the King's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David, and all they of Israel were 1000 thousand, and 100,000 men that drew sword. And Judah was 403 score, and 10,000 men that drew sword. But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them, For the King's word was abominable to Joab, and God was displeased with this thing.
Therefore he smote Israel. And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now I beseech thee, do away with the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.
And then we got that we have the results of this, which we're not going to read, of the judgment of God that fell upon them. And David eventually makes intercession and offers a sacrifice. And the the the destroying Angel puts up his sword and the judgment is finished. And David and his part learns where the temple of God was to be built.
00:15:31
Through going through that experience, so profit and blessing did come out, but our focus this afternoon is on the how this began.
And I believe it's an example to us of the cedar wood of the superiority complex that was at the root cause.
Of David asking.
That Israel be numbered Now it wasn't totally inappropriate for a king to number their people, their armies, but the law had said that if they did number them, then they were to pay the tribute money or the the half shekel the.
To the Lord for everyone who was numbered and a testimony that.
Blessing comes from the Lord and that these people were a redeemed people that the Lord had purchased and they belonged to him. They did not belong to David. And so David's heart here betrayed itself in a way that.
Maybe this was later in his life. Perhaps.
And.
He asks that the children of Israel be numbered. What is so significant to me in reading this is how that.
Joab is the one that the Lord uses to speak to David about it. And Joab was a man of the same making. If there's anybody in the in the Bible that wanted to be #2 man, it was Joab.
And Joab could see this fault in his master, and he could point it out to his master.
It's always easier to see the Moat in your brother's eye than in your own eye.
This is what we're dealing with in attitude.
And so.
Joab.
Saw and he called attention to his master, David.
But David insists couldn't see it. What was the cause?
Attitude.
Now let's go over to the New Testament, John's Gospel.
Chapter 8.
Verse 50.
Verse 49.
John 849 Jesus answered, I have not the devil, but I honor my Father, and ye do dishonour me. I and I seek not mine own glory. There is one that seeketh and judges.
Verse 54 Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father that honors me, of whom ye say that he is.
Your God. Well, in brief, here we have the Lord Jesus as the perfect example of not seeking glory for Himself.
It was a perfect example of it and he would make this a state, this, this kind of a statement in all perfection. And go back to Chapter 7 and we'll read a little bit more.
Of how he was tested on this.
And by his own family.
At John's Gospel Chapter 7 verse one, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in jewelry because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
00:20:08
His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hints, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may seek. See the works that thou doest, for there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world, for neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready.
The world cannot hate you, but me hate us, because I testify of it the works that the works there of our evil Go ye up unto this feast. I go not up yet unto this feast, for my not time is not yet full Come.
The time of presenting himself was at hand, and this was the right feast to do it. This Feast of Tabernacles in the coming day, I believe, will be when the real King is made manifest. And so the opportunity exists here. And the people of his family who had not faith in him yet, but would readily encourage him as a family member.
To be somebody and to take a position.
As being a king.
Striving.
Setting himself forward.
We're coming up to.
A election year and we have all the politics going around us and we have many, many candidates of people putting themselves forward.
The Lord Jesus would not do that.
Set himself forward.
Never was there with him that striving for greatness.
That Modi.
Of the cedar wood.
He could wait.
This is a perfect example of one who resisted the temptation. David stands in contrast to it.
Now we'll go back to the Old Testament, another example of David.
In Second Samuel, Chapter 11.
Now we'll deal with the subject of self centeredness.
Focus on yourself. Second Samuel, Chapter 11.
Verse one.
And it came to pass after the year was expired. At the time when kings go forth to battle. The David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Reba and David. But David tarried still at Jerusalem, and it came to pass in an evening tide.
That David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the King's house, and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, And the moment was very fair to look upon. David sent inquired after the woman once said, Is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Helium, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in unto him, and he lay with her, for she was purified from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her house.
And the woman conceived and sent and told David and said I am with child.
Now we're dropped down to be brief.
And verse 8. And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the King's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the King's house with all the servants of his Lord, and went not down to his house. And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto that his house, David.
Said unto Uriah, Gamest thou not from thy journey? Why then didst thou not go down to unto thy house? And Uriah said unto David, The ark and Israel and Judah abide in tents, and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go into my house to eat, and to drink, and to lie with my wife, as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth?
00:25:32
I will not do this thing. And David said to Uriah, Terry here today also, and tomorrow I will let the depart. So Uriah abode at Jerusalem that day and the Morrow. And when David had called him, and he did eat and drink before him, he made him drunk.
And that even he went not to lie on his bed with his servants of his Lord, but he went not down to his house.
And it came to pass in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
And he wrote in the letter saying, say, set ye Uri in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten and die.
And you know the rest of the story. How sad.
Such a delicate situation here.
Immorality is all around us. Today we're confronted with this.
The place to begin in dealing with this situation is in our own hearts.
If we make our own heart self-centered me the object of living.
We open the door for all kinds of evil.
And this is how it began with David.
The time had come when kings were to go forth to battle. David had won many battles and the temptation comes to take a little ease to stay home, not fight the Lorde battle. And what happens when self centeredness?
Takes precedence.
Satan knows how to bring.
The right temptation or the wrong temptation. And so he did.
With David and David fell into immorality.
A great sin.
It all started with a very simple act.
A small thing. The battle is to be fought in the beginning, in the little things.
Not.
Where the fighting is really serious. We are no match for Satan if we wait and ingratiate our own selves by self centeredness and start living to please ourselves.
And the flesh and no Christian gets better with time.
We never can confide in it. We must fight the battle in the beginning and win the battle in the little things. The attitude has to be right, otherwise we're going to fall into the same thing over and over again.
And so David fell.
It's tremendous here to see the witness that Uriah was to him.
My heart is smitten by that man.
In glory he's going to have a wonderful place. The testimony he bore to King David. We all look at David and think he's a great man and in glory he's going to have the 1St place. I tell you, there's going to be one above him in one place, and that's Uriah.
He was faithful.
When he was invited to go back.
To his house to enjoy a few nights, a few days with his family.
He thought about the battle of going out there in Israel and his fellow men fighting and he couldn't rest in peace and he slept outside his own house.
What an example.
00:30:03
He did not fall. He did not.
Fall into.
Self-centered life.
And he died for it.
A martyr, and David named him in the very last of his mighty men. The very last one is Uriah the Hittite, and it's been said the last shall be first.
In one area, anyway, Uriah was named by David.
As a mighty man and in glory, I believe he will have a first place.
In connection with what he went through and how faithful he was.
In his life. So we have a beautiful example, a witness to David from someone else and David didn't get it at the moment.
Why couldn't he see it? The attitude was already wrong. And if the attitude is wrong, it doesn't matter how many people are going to talk to you, you're not going to get it.
Tell us too late until the consequences come out, and then maybe you may get it. And thank God for that. And I believe David did. He understood. He realized his failure.
And he wrote about.
Being purged with hyssop.
And.
In the 51St Psalm. And so it was a it was a true restoration on his part, But it's better to begin to deal with these things in the beginnings and that not to have to go through the bitter experiences of failures like David did. And it says of him in the judgment that fell upon him. Was that the sword?
Would never depart from his house.
And that is true.
He did pay dearly even our Lord Jesus Christ, who chose to be born of the family of David.
Identified with that family in a way that could redeem that family and the rest of us too, who know Him as our Lord and Savior. So good can come out of even our failures. But that's only God's prerogative.
He is able to do that. Our place is to resist temptation, to be faithful and honor Him.
Beginning with attitude.
Now we turn over to.
Matthew's Gospel chapter 16 to see an example of the Lord Jesus.
Matthew chapter 16, beginning with verse 21.
From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go into.
And to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan.
Thou art an offence unto me, for thou savour is not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Peter and all his good intentions here considered the Lord a wonderful man, and that going to the path of rejection and to be crucified or going to death.
Did not seem to fit.
The plan that Peter thought the Lord would take. And so it comes out here as a temptation to the Lord Jesus.
The new translation, I believe.
Says something like this. Instead of saying be it far from thee, it says be favorable to thyself, Lord.
00:35:04
You see, this was the temptation, self centeredness. There was no self centeredness in the Lord Jesus that would respond to that. Peter was suggesting that you're too good for this to happen to you.
Be favorable to yourself. What was this?
Satan had put those words into his mouth. The Lord Jesus detects it immediately. He has no heart that had surrendered to that kind of a temptation that would use self ease or self centeredness or self satisfaction as a guiding point to make a decision about what he should do.
You see, if we make ourselves the focal point, we will fall into some kind of a temptation.
It doesn't have to necessarily be the same thing that David fell into. It can be a lot of other things. Indeed, I believe this is the one of the greatest of the Satan's tool today in Christian lands where there's a measure of earthly prosperity to make yourselves the focal point.
What harm is there in this or that?
And so.
We need to get back to the root principles. Are we living for ourselves or are we living for the Lord?
So the Lord Jesus responds perfectly to this. No answer within his heart to that. It's cut off from the very beginning. This will save us a lot of troubles if we can begin with the right attitude.
Now we have one more in David back in first Kings chapter one.
This this one will be a little less obvious as we read it, but I think as we get into it we will see how that this is corresponds to.
What the hyssop is a picture of?
This cowardly or useless or fearfulness or laziness that can be a root.
Cause of what we do.
An excuse.
To not do what the Lord would have us to do. There are many situations in life, you know, that are hard to deal with.
And maybe we don't know how to deal with them.
Or maybe we are afraid to deal with them.
Let's read here.
First Kings chapter one and verse 5.
Then Adonijah the son of Haggis exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared him Chariots and horsemen, and 50 men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? And he also was a very goodly man. And his mother bare him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruaya, and with Abayas of the priest.
And they followed Adonijah, following Adonijah helped him and so on. And you have a rebellion rising up against King David and King Solomon here because?
Of a difficulty King David had in dealing with his children. And we all know the story of how Absalom, another of of King David's son, had done a similar thing and even worse. And it exalted himself and rose up in a rebellion and fought against his father, seeking to take the throne from his father.
What was the root cause of this kind of a development? It tells us right here.
00:40:07
The father had not been able to deal with the situation of his sons.
And displeasing or correcting them. It's been often said he was a good king, but a poor father.
He wasn't a forefather in all sense of the word. I believe he was a good father in many sense, but in one part he did failure and that was in correcting his sons.
And as I read those stories and put myself into his situation, I realize how difficult it would have been and how I might have responded in the same way.
And taken the easy way out.
Become coward, not trusting the Lord, doing nothing, hoping that the situation might go away. Sometimes we deal with situations this way.
I believe this answers to what the hyssop is, a picture of an inferiority complex. I can't deal with this thing, it's too big for me.
It may be too big for me or for you, but it's not too big for the Lord. And if we need to go to the Lord and get answers for him.
And so we cannot, we should not use an inferiority complex as a pretext to let things slide by. That must be dealt with. They're not going to go away. The Lord may allow them to come up in a bigger way if we don't deal with them in the small things. And So what happened here in the life of David at the end of his life, you have another son.
Rising up, and the Spirit of God simply records it in this way, that his Father had not displeased him at any time. At any time. He didn't even try.
So this is a tremendous thing in the life of David, caused a lot of sorrow, not only with Adonaija, but before this even.
The Spirit of God waits until the very end to put these words. It doesn't say it with.
Absalom But then when we read this, the life of Absalom and how it all played out in the sadness and the difficulty. Imagine a sun rising up and fighting against his father to take the Kingdom from him, and how could a father respond to that? The heart of David would run away and the let let the sun have.
Jerusalem, as it were. Of course, God overruled and it was not to be, but the failure wasn't recorded. That I believe probably existed with Absalom as well. It's only recorded here at the end as a lesson for us.
Now, if we go over to Luke's Gospel, well before we do that.
Let's go over to Second Samuel 18. There's there's an interesting little thing there, Second Samuel 18.
Verse 5.
It says and the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Iti saying deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning.
Absalom I believe we see somewhat.
Of the similar thing here.
They're dealing gently.
I'm going to put forth a couple an added thought here concerning that doesn't really deal with our subject, but I'm going to put it out because I it has it has spoken to me the way we know that Joab did not heed these words.
00:45:14
Joab finished.
When he found them hanging in the tree.
Absalom had caused this great rebellion and was fighting against the King's army and he had to flee and the scripture says he was caught in the tree.
And he was hanging there. I presume that he probably was paralyzed.
And couldn't extract himself.
He probably still had his senses in him.
And Joab comes along and finds him in that state of being.
And he slays it.
And when David gets the news?
He breaks down in weeping. I believe he broke down in weeping because he knew where Absalom went.
A lost soul.
God providentially probably would have given.
Absalom, a time to repent.
In a broken down body as a paralyzed man.
If Johab had obeyed what the king said to do, but he took matters into his own hands against the word of the king, he had no authority to do that. Indeed, another soldier had refrained from doing that. And it's been a word to me to not take things into your own hand when you see a difficult situation, and when you see that, a judgment of God.
Must be given upon.
Some of the people of God.
And so.
Joab did not do Absalom or his master a service when he went beyond the King's word and slew it. The other side of the coin is that David had failed indeed.
Now we'll go over to the New Testament.
Luke, chapter 13.
Luke, Luke's Gospel, Chapter 13.
And verse 31.
Here we have the Lord Jesus tested with fear.
The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence, for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye until that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow, and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
And then he gives that prayer over the city.
Here we have the Lord tested with intimidation of fear of Herod, and certainly it was a credible threat.
The Lord Jesus does not deny.
Anybody who's read the history of the Herods know what?
Kind of a deceptive what things they would not do.
For their own good and position and so.
This is raised as an excuse for the Lord Jesus not to go up to Jerusalem.
Afraid, fear, cowardliness to face the enemy.
Is the Lord Jesus going to let that change His plan?
Is that going to be a guiding principle with him?
Too big of a situation for him.
No, he responds.
And the response, we don't get the answer that he's going to necessarily be delivered from the problem.
00:50:07
You know the Satan knows how to make things really difficult.
He can give us no out.
And you don't see an out as it were to get out of the difficulty in the answer that the Lord gave. His answer is I do miracles today and tomorrow on the the day following.
And the third day.
I shall be perfected.
That refers to his death and resurrection.
Yes, the Lord Jesus was going to go up there to Jerusalem and he was going to die, but he couldn't die before the time came and he was not going to allow this difficult set of situations to stop him from going up day one.
And so he faithfully served.
Attitude was right.
No inferiority feeling. I can't do this.
He goes on, even calls him a fox. That cunning 1.
And so.
He calls it for what it was. He's not deceived by it, nor is he intimidated by it. So you have a perfect example here of the Lord Jesus and answering to that. Well, these are these are the scriptures that I have enjoyed in connection with our subject of not only doing the right thing, but starting with that mindset, that attitude.
Not not too high and too noble striving to superiority. That is the cedar wood, the self-centered attitude of making yourself the focus as is the is picture to us in scarlet. You know, we all understand If you want to draw attention to yourself, you know you can you can use red or scarlet cover to do so. I don't mean that everybody that puts it on that they're seeking to do that.
That is appropriate in its place, the King's daughters were dressed in scarlet, it says. But scarlet as a picture of self centeredness is will lead us to failure. And then the last one, the hiss of being this inferiority complex attitude that I cannot do this and I will not or I am too, it's too hard and so on can easily be.
An excuse.
May the Lord give us the the discernment of this and to and as I present these things, I I hope it it isn't presented with just the idea that we see these three concepts, but as scripture has put it and I think is that the hymn that we sang at the beginning put it this way too. Not only does the Lord just give us the right precepts and concepts to follow.
Having telling us what the attitudes are to be, but he's given those attitudes to us in a living person in the Lord Jesus himself.
And so even if you don't get all that was being said about the attitudes, if you just get your eye on the Lord Jesus, you'll get the right attitude from him. You'll get the concept from him. And so it's in a person, not just in a doctrine. What we follow is not just a set of doctrines or even having the right attitudes. You know, if you've ever tried to change your attitude, you know, it's it. It isn't, doesn't you don't just say, oh, I'm going to change my attitude and it happens.
Now you've got to get down really down the brass tacks and one of the ways to do it is to see a good attitude.
In somebody who is right?
Like the Lord Jesus and be like Him. He is that perfect example.
In closing, I'd like to see 256 and a Song of Praise.
Praise the Savior, ye who know Him, who can tell how much we owe Him gladly. Let us render to Him all we have and are. I wonder if we could stand and begin with verse 2.
Jesus.
Is.
And we shall be what we shall be things so.
We all need.
What I want?
Open Mtg. 7
Open—B. Imbeau, S. Bambaur, D. Rule
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.
In 234 we are not of the world which faded away, We're not of the night, but children of day. The change that once found us by Jesus are riven. We are strangers on earth. Our home is in heaven, and soon shall we enter our own promised land. Around his bright room in glory shall stand.
Our song then forever and ever shall be. All glory and blessing, Lord Jesus to thee. 234.
We're not.
Awful.
I believe you're strange.
And soon shall we have turn on.
The sweat.
On the ground to describe.
Glory just stand.
Our sun lagging for after.
And after the soul to be all of you. Oh lovely, oh Lord, glory, oh glory to have you. Have you had his life?
There's a rather perhaps peculiar subject going through my mind and.
We started out the gospel meeting last night with Genesis 11.
God created.
The Heaven.
And the Earth.
00:05:03
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, let there be light, and there was light.
We have an issue again.
What should I do to?
My kids have a funny phrase around the house. Got a problem? Just ask dad, he'll kick it.
So I'm not so sure that's an example of that, but.
It does work.
The odd topic that I have has to do with the.
Age of the Earth.
Evolution has been mentioned several times in this conference.
And.
We know there are folks and what comes to mind actually is a group called Answers in Genesis who are taking a very hit on approach to this. And it's not as if I have anything against them because I don't. As a matter of fact, up in the hotel room, I have one of the magazines that helps me to go to sleep when I go to bed. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of night.
Read something that puts me to sleep. It happens to be something from Answers in Genesis.
The supposition of the world is that there are some unlimited amount of years, though as was pointed out last night, they seem to have put a limit to that, but that there's plenty of time for all kinds of things to happen.
And given enough time that lo and behold, you and I will be some sort of end result. Given enough time.
The answer that is given from a lot of folks who are dear believers is that the amount of time is approximately 6000 years give or take.
And everything began 6000 years ago. And that is the opening verse that we have.
And so they go.
Head to head, Needless to say, they kind of poke a little fun at their brethren, namely the brethren who and they they, you know, bring up the topic and they'll virtually quote from from Mr. Kelly in particular, but.
Point out that what was held by those folks in the 1800s was really quite wrong and that they should have stuck with the 6000 years.
Well, do you and I really have a real, you know, concrete number of years answer to this? And the answer is no.
No one really does.
But I'd like to raise some questions. I will might raise more questions than I have answers. And I think that that's OK if we turn to Romans and someone might have to help me find this verse.
But.
It is here we go, Romans 5.
And verse 12.
Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
And the parentheses jumps down, but I think we'll just stop right there.
It says by one man sin entered into the world.
Now I want us to go back in mind. In fact, we'll turn back in our Scriptures shortly. But what was recorded? The first sin in this world?
00:10:05
So let's go back to Genesis.
Because it's not.
An easy question.
Even though it sounds like an easy question.
But in chapter 3 of Genesis it says now the serpent was more subtle.
Then any beasts of the field.
Which Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yay, half God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees, trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest ye die. Now that last section God had not actually said.
To Adam and Eve, but she kind of added that.
The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, And that refers to all that she said, both the part that came from God, which is ye shall not eat of it.
And also the part that she seemed to have added, which is neither shall ye touch it, but the end point, lest she die. And the serpent immediately gets on that and says, ye shall not surely die. That is a lie. And the last time I checked, a lie is a sin.
And the sin in this world, the sphere of Earth.
Was made not by a human, but by safe.
We take it that Satan had come and come into this animal and was speaking with the woman.
And yet Romans says by one man sin entered into the world.
The serpent was not a man.
So what's going on?
God has created spheres of responsibility, spheres of influence, and spheres of of authority. The earth was created and over this sphere, which is in the cosmic course of things, a very small sphere.
God put humans over that.
And So what truly happens on Earth was going to be the responsibility of these humans, Adam and Eve.
So it's true that the serpent came, or Satan in the guise of serpent came to Aberdeen and told a lie which is a sin.
But he had to get the human to sin, to bring down the structure, the sphere of this earth.
And so by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. So sin came into the sphere as a permanent thing through a person, and death likewise.
But the serpent told a lie.
Isn't Lie sin isn't that good enough to have brought down the sphere of the earth? No, because it wasn't Satans domain.
The head of this domain was a human, and the head had to fail to bring down everything else.
If Satan was a Sinner before a human was a Sinner.
To put it rather bluntly, it puts Answers and Genesis out of business.
So let's please turn to Ezekiel.
And.
00:15:10
I forget which chapter it is.
Someone can call out the chapter about the entire.
The King attire Here we go 28.
Ezekiel 28.
And verse 11.
Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of Man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God, thou sealest up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was I covering, and you can read that list.
I.
And these things were prepared in the and the day that thou was created. Very important.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so. Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God. Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire that was perfect in my ways, from the day that thou was created till iniquity was found in thee.
Until iniquity was found in thee.
Where was Satan when iniquity was found in him? Well, we don't really know exactly in terms of geography, but he was in a heavenly sphere.
He was the anointed cherub that covereth Covereth. Blood covers God.
And.
That he was upon the holy mountain of God.
So somewhere out in the spheres of.
Guess the universe. We're not even. It's hard to define where things are, but out there Satan sinned. It doesn't say what exactly provoked that sin necessarily. We know that the result of it and perhaps.
And perhaps the motive of it was to simply be better than God, that he was going to exalt himself.
Now in the book of Luke we have a verse where the Lord Jesus says I saw Satan fall from heaven. That's an exact quote, but it's close.
And actually that verse is.
A future reference.
It took a lot of time to convince me of that, but.
Finally kind of saw that it's Christ referring to seeing Satan fall from the heavenly places, of which we know he is at now based on Ephesians, and that he.
Will be cast out of heaven in a future day. And really in Luke there, it's in reference to that.
But obviously in time past there is a time that he fell.
He wasn't necessarily cast out of the whole heavenly sphere.
At that point. But he certainly fell. He fell into sin.
And he has been an enemy against God ever since. And so when God established the earth.
Okay, hold on to that. When God established the earth. But wait a minute.
Saint was already around. You're saying I'm saying then.
Was there like a different creation?
For their two creations.
And this is where we get easily hung up.
Because apparently there is one creation.
And it must or.
00:20:03
But this way when?
Satan fell. It had a ripple effect through God's.
Created universe and it affected Earth.
And it left Earth in a situation of being without form and void.
Apparently I have not done an exhaustive on this, but apparently those two words, especially being used together, are always in reference to judgment in the Bible.
So it was not simply God was creating the earth in a process kind of way, and one of the steps was darkness and without form and void. And then God took another step and made it with the trees and the plant life and the sun and so forth.
Without form and without form and void is apparently not part of that six day creation process.
It was an event.
That we assume.
Was created by Satan.
Now why do I say assume?
There's no direct exact arrow pointing in your scriptures from Ezekiel chapter 28 with a little arrow that goes and points to Genesis.
And yet we know. We have learned, through rather unfortunate experience, that sin brings destruction, chaos. We've learned that in our own lives. We've learned it in the wars that we fought, that we fight. We've learned it in our cities. We've learned it in our lives, our own households, that sin brings chaos.
We've just learned that we almost don't have to be taught that.
And so the assumption is, if suddenly the earth is found after God has made a creation, the earth is found without form and void, Something had to happen.
That using those words, which are very strong words, is not how God brought it into existence to start with.
It was disrupted, it was ruined, it was affected.
And so that.
Chaos came in.
God then set things right again in the earth in the six days that we have in Genesis.
And he set man in it as the head over it.
And there were watchful eyes, no doubt all of the angelic hosts were marveling. We know that that there was appreciation for God's creation by the angels. There's a a verse that kind of indicates that in Job.
And for them to do that.
For them to exalt over God's works, they had to be there, which means they had already been created.
And one of those pairs of eyes that was watching.
With Satan.
He saw a grand opportunity to mess up what God had renewed in this universe.
And he was right on the project.
Yeah, half God said.
I would just like some of us to ponder that, especially some of us that are younger.
00:25:02
I do think that a lot of the things that are presented are very admirable and are good, and I'm glad somebody in this world is addressing the issues of the flood and so forth.
But put everything.
In context of all of scripture.
You know, it's got to make sense.
That Satan was there already and told the first lie.
It has to rattle our minds somehow or another.
And at least tell us.
That some schemes that are presented to us cannot exactly be correct.
And that's all right.
I'd like to.
Just mentioned.
That.
The discussions of the flood that are brought forward, I don't know if they're all exactly historically true or not, but I think that they are on the right track.
I mean to find soils in rather flat layers all the way from the Middle East into the all the way across to the eastern part of the United States. I mean, you know, you've got to have something.
That spread those sentiment. Sentiments, Yeah, sediments across there, I mean, yeah, really.
There was a flood.
And it changed things dramatically.
And I'm thankful for people that are looking into it.
You know, I was reading a rather.
Interesting, but is certainly a magazine of the world.
And there are some findings of things over in China.
And.
Fossils and they found this kind of bird like dinosaur.
Which was found.
Incredibly intact and laying or right nearby a nest of eggs and eggs are intact.
Now how could that happen?
Obviously, this is in a layer of material that has eroded off, so a soft material. And so these folks over in China are able to, there's lots of other folks in the world that are going over there to look into this, this huge area that has lots and lots of fossils.
And how could that happen?
That.
The hen is right there on the nest and the eggs are still in the nest and this thing gets covered.
It would have to have been almost instantaneous. Things don't happen in this world. Instantaneous, but quickly to do that.
And here I'm reading this rather evolutionary minded, very worldly book magazine and I stumbled through that and I said.
Flood. Try flood.
Like, wake up. There's no other way for that to sit there like that.
So as we see these layers and layers out there in the geology of the world, do think back to Genesis.
Is that exactly what happened? Is that what caused that? Very likely.
You know the evidences are out there.
The evidence that are out there.
How else would you have fossils that aren't really fossils, but they're soft tissue?
Soft tissue that has supposedly been there for billions of years.
Think again. Soft tissue doesn't last that long.
The responses out there that are soft tissue.
00:30:05
One of the errors of this world, and one thing that stops them from thinking seriously about this.
World in this present age and it's pointed out, I believe it's in Peter that they have no consideration.
That the flood happened.
It must be brought before the conscience of men that God has judged this world before, and He will judge it again.
And when that flood happened, it wasn't that many years ago in terms of.
The kinds of years were taught at school.
It just wasn't that many years ago.
It is a very important thing for this world to know.
That God does judge.
At the same time, there apparently was other judgments before.
Adam and Eve.
And I just leave it there. Time periods spans exactly what happened.
I'm not qualified to say, maybe someone else is, but it's there.
Let's not let the pendulum of our mind swing over.
Just to supposedly refute evolution and swing way over and actually find ourselves contradicting some portions of scripture. Let's not let our minds do that.
Take all the word of God, everything does not have to be fitted into a time chart that we like to do things like that. I do at least.
We can't always fit everything into time, but know that it's there.
And there was an original creation. Something happened, there was a renewal.
Humans were brought forward.
Humans were.
Technically not the first ones to sin in this world, but they bore the responsibility as heads of the human race for their action of sinning. We feel the effects nowadays. There's already been a judgment in the flood, tremendous one. There's been other judgments, no doubt, throughout time, various wars and so forth. They're probably judgments and there's going to be another judgement.
And that's one thing that the world once put out their minds, that there's going to be a judgment for God from God. And how could there be? They say there's no God, so how could there be a judgment from God? But there is.
And that little bird sitting in China over a nest of eggs is one evidence.
And there's been some mighty judgment somehow that came to this world.
And I say it's God.
Had that happen and as evidence right now, right at the end of our age, I think that was only discovered two or three years ago, but just in time for people to wake up to think.
God is serious about this business of sin. I don't want to usurp anymore at times than has already been given me yesterday. Others perhaps having an opportunity to speak, but.
Would like to take up just a few thoughts and continuation of what Bruce has mentioned concerning a flood and we'd turn to Psalm 69 in this.
Save me, O God, for the waters are coming unto my soul.
Prophetic Psalm David speaking the depths of his troubles, Speaking of something far greater than he probably realized at the time.
It's the word to the Lord Jesus or the fits the situation at the cross.
Is what we have prophetically here given in the words of David 1000 years before it happened?
Save me, O God, for the waters that come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire where there is no standing.
And come into deep waters.
Where the floods overflow me.
00:35:03
I am weary of my crying. My throat is dried, mine eyes.
Fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head. They that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty then.
Salient verse I want to look at. Then I restored that which I took not away.
When we think of the judgments.
Catastrophic judgments that have befallen and will befall this Earth because of sin.
Here is one who on Calvary's tree, begins this work of restoring that which he took not away. He is the restorer. He is God's man to do this task, and he's the only one that could.
Who shall I send? The answer comes resounding down through the halls of eternity. Here am I send me. And he knew.
What the end of the course would entail Before He left the courts of glory, nothing caught him by surprise. He knew, indeed, the holy heart of God the Father would have to deal with sin ere He could have any of us.
From Abel on down to ourselves in his presence at peace.
And so we can look at that verse. I restored that which I took not away as applying to anyone who has come to the Lord Jesus.
And lay hold of it with both arms for ourselves, knowing that we're restored into the very presence of God and at peace there.
In the presence of a thrice holy God, a perfect work has been accomplished at Calvary.
There is more that he will restore.
God has set him over all the works of his hands, and he will restore the whole.
Ruined creation to God.
Now we go back to judges.
Umm.
In the story of Gideon.
Gideon's charge in Chapter 6 of Judges.
Verse 36 Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor.
And we often refer to this almost as a byword. Gideon's fleece or to throw out the fleece has become a common expression.
I will put a fleece of wool on the floor. He has a task before him.
In a restoration of the people of Israel at that time, And if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside.
Then I shall know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
If the dew beyond the fleece.
The Lord Jesus came full of grace and truth.
The one to whom we come.
If thou knewest the gift of God, he says to the woman at the well, and he was standing before her, thou knewest the gift of God.
Dry upon the earth, he had nowhere to lay his head.
No place that he could rest here in a sin cursed earth.
And it was so, for he rose up early on the Morrow and thrust the fleece together.
Ringed out the dew of the fleece Lamb of God.
Thrust out, ringed out.
A bowl full of water.
God could look down and see a man in whom he could delight.
A man on the earth, his beloved son.
Would that save us?
His perfect life, perfect obedience in his life here.
00:40:04
We have a second-half of this similitude. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak. But this once let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece.
Once.
Perfect salvation.
Let it now be dry only upon the fleece.
The earth was parched. There was nothing for gone. Redemption must come in as part of this restoration project.
Or he would abide alone.
I pray thee, but this once with the fleece, he will not return to Calvary. You know he made that trip once. It's sufficient for all that will come.
Let it now be dry only upon the fleece and upon all the ground. Let there be dew. And God did so that night.
When that noon day sun was darkened.
For it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Just a few verses in the 69th Psalm about that.
Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink and deep mire where there is no standing. I am come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. My throat is dried.
It's parched.
The fleece is rung out, my throat is dry, my eyes fail while I wait for my go on.
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head. They that would destroy me, being mine enemies, wrongfully or mighty. Then I restored that which I took not away.
Psalms 22.
Verse 15 My strength is dried up like a puncher.
My tongue cleaveth to my jaws. Thou hast brought me into the dust.
Of death.
Leviticus chapter 26 verse 10 says you may take the old.
Ate the old store.
Because of the new.
And how would we interpret this if we didn't have the truth of the New Testament?
Where the Lord Jesus set his face steadfastly to go to the cross.
To be made sin for us.
Two Corinthians, chapter 8.
And I'm going to read a verse.
And I want to read that verse. Hold your finger there in 2nd Corinthians 8.
I want to read that those verses again.
And Judges 6.
While you're holding that place, if thou wilt save.
I will put a fleece of wool on the floor. The dew be dry on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside. Then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And so it was. And he arose up early on the moral thrust. The fleece together. Bring to the dew out of the fleece a bowl of water full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me.
And I will speak, but this once let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece.
Let it now be dry only upon the fleece and upon all the ground. Let there be dew. And God did so that night.
00:45:04
You may eat the old store and bring forth the old because of the nude Second Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich.
Yet for your sakes, he became poor, that ye through his poverty.
I wish to speak a few words with the desire to exalt.
The person of the Lord Jesus.
Before our hearts.
To bring a fresh enjoyment of the wonder of his person.
Because he's really everything that.
Will satisfy our heart for eternity. As it says in Ecclesiastes. God has set the world in our hearts in that way. He said. I created you in such a way that the world and all that it offers is too small to satisfy the way I made you. And there's only one thing that will actually fully satisfy you the way I made you.
And that is the person of my son.
Scripture uses as we've had before us this afternoon, sometimes it teaches us things that are factual about the creation, and it uses imagery as we've had. And I want to draw on a little bit of that imagery with respect to the person, the wonder.
Of the person of the Lord Jesus. Go back to Genesis 1 again.
In Genesis one and verse nine it says and God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so.
In the way that God is written to us, this brief account of the preparing of this earth for us to live on and putting us here.
He says let the water be gathered together in one place and until that happened, there was no life. There was no.
Grass, which Scripture doesn't actually call life, but there was nothing to sustain life in the grass, and so on. There was no animal life. There was no human life on the earth. And I believe it in one application of it. It's the truth that all the waters of judgment had to be gathered together in one place before life.
Could be sustained and it's a picture of the Lord Jesus at the cross.
And the Lord Jesus goes to the cross and all the waters.
As it were of God's judgment, of which we have just been reading. The waters are coming onto my soul. I stink and deep mire, and so on.
They all come and concentrate themselves on this one person, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And what the result of it is that dry land appears and then that dry land produces?
The grass, and then man is created and sustained by it.
But to develop it a little bit more, go over to the flood in chapter seven or eight. Is it chapter?
7.
Here the waters come together and fall on the earth, and they fall on man. And what's the result when water of judgment falls on mankind? We see the picture of it here in Genesis 7.
And it says.
Genesis Chapter 7 and.
Well, we'll just see where they where it comes. They were taken into the ark and then he says.
Verse 11 And in the 600th year of Noah's life, in the second month, the 17th day of the month, the same day where all the fountains of the great deep broken up.
00:50:08
And the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth. 40 days and 30-40 nights, a time of complete testing. And so both the fountains of the deep and the sky together.
Come upon mankind, and what's the result on man when this form of judgment falls on man, it says.
In verse 21 And all flesh that moved upon the earth, both fowl and cattle and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man, all that in whose nostrils was the breath of life, and all that was in the dry land, died.
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and beast, and the creeping things and the fowl of the heavens, and they were destroyed from the earth.
Here we have a figure. There's Noah in the ark who's safe but.
Here's what it is When 40 days or a complete period of testing to see what's in man, when God exposes him to his judgment and righteousness, what happens?
Man can't sustain it.
And all flesh dies before God completely destroyed. There was nothing that could stand the test.
And everything dies under it. And that's man.
But not the Lord Jesus, not the Person.
Of the Lord Jesus, he stands in complete contrast.
To what we see here in figure and in type turn over to.
Mark's Gospel chapter one.
Marks Gospel chapter one and.
Verse one.
The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The Son of God.
Jesus Christ, that's to bring before us the man.
Son of God that's to bring before us combined in the same person is the Son of God. They're one.
Jesus Christ, Son of God.
What happens when he's?
Exposed to the 40 days.
And figure of judgment.
He's a man.
He's a man.
The waters are come into his soul.
He feels that.
We remembered him this morning.
Did we understand?
No, we didn't.
No, we didn't.
Did he appreciate that which that little bit that we could enter into? Yes, he does.
It's wonderful to his heart.
My wife.
Was pregnant a number of times which resulted in three children.
I don't think in my whole life I've ever said to her in terms of regarding childbirth, I understand.
I've never experienced it.
I don't claim.
To enter in.
Some of you sisters could say to her, I understand.
You've experienced it, and that which we have ourselves experienced, we can relate to someone else's experience, sometimes to give them comfort, sometimes encouragement, sometimes to share in joy because we've experienced the same joy, and so on.
00:55:10
When we remember the Lord Jesus, we can and do enter something into his sufferings as a martyr. That is, we enter something into his experiences as he was treated by others.
But when it comes to the deeper suffering, when it comes to the waters.
Upon him, we couldn't sustain that.
We're like those on whom the flood came. It would come upon us, but we die.
But again, to these seek to exalt the wonder of the person of our Lord Jesus.
He did sustain it.
He could sustain it.
She could bear in his own person.
The wrath, but he only.
He uniquely.
And only he can understand it, what it meant to his own soul.
And.
For us, it's just a bow and wonder and appreciation.
That such a one is.
And such a one could.
And that we can.
Be have Him as the object of our hearts to wonder, to appreciate, to worship.
The one who is Jesus.
The Son of God.
When it's all over.
He's exhausted it.
He's fully, as it were, dried it up so that there's no more water.
There's no more judgment.
He's taken it all upon himself until he can say.
As only he could say, and John as son of God, it is finished.
It is finished.
He can say, my God.
My God, why hast thou forsaken me? And he only says it in some of the gospels, and only in those gospels which present Him to us in a certain way. You don't find that in John. It wouldn't be appropriate. You don't find it in Luke. And there are reasons why it wouldn't be right there either. But.
Only God, only the Lord Jesus can fully. Yes, we know He did it for us, He was forsaken for us, but what it meant to His own soul?
Is, I believe, beyond us to truly recognize it's not something we've ever experienced, he says. I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you, in other words.
I'm not going to allow you to ever experience what I've experienced.
I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I don't know that. I well, I think I do know. We couldn't handle it. We could not deal with it. We could not sustain it in our persons.
And yet he could, and he could say it is finished.
You know all flesh died.
I've said it before, but it's fresh in my soul and it touches me that.
He had to die.
He had to die.
We were the reason why he had to die.
01:00:04
But how does he die?
In Genesis 22, the knife in Abraham's hand which is a picture of God the Father.
Is raised to slay them, the sun, but it doesn't happen.
Why? Because the Sun takes it upon himself.
Not to force the father to have to do it.
And by that power which he had to sustain, the sacrifice is by that same power over life. He bows his own head, he dismisses his own spirit.
And the waters of judgment are quenched and satisfied, and.
We.
Are made worshippers.
Hymn #21 in the back of the book.
Gospel 8
Gospel—P. Jennings
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.
Would like to welcome everyone here to the Gospel meeting. Let's begin our meeting by singing #7.
God loved the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall. Salvation full at highest cost He offers free to all.
Oh, towards love was wondrous love, the love of God to me.
It brought my savior from above to die on Calvary. Let me start that, please.
I'd like to start tonight by looking in Second Kings.
Second Kings chapter 5 for a short time to get a little context to get a beautiful story of a man in need and a man whose needs were fully met.
Second Kings chapter 5, verse one.
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had delivered unto Syria.
Excuse me, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper, and the Syrians had gone out by companies.
And brought away captive out of the land of Israel, a little made.
00:05:05
And she waited on Namm's wife, and she said unto her, mistress, Would God, my Lord, were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would have recovered him of his leprosy.
We'll go down to verse 8. And it was so when Elijah the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and his Chariots and stood at the door of the House of Elijah.
And Elijah sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan 7 times, and thy flush shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth and went away, and said, Behold, I thought I would surely come out, He would surely come out to me, and stand and call in the name of the Lord is God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper are not.
Urbana and far par rivers of Damascus better.
Than all the waters of Israel, may I now not wash in them and be clean? So he returned, and went away in a rage, And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My Father, if the prophet had had bid thee to do some great thing, would it not thou have done it? How much rather than when he said unto thee, Wash and be clean?
Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again, like unto the flesh of a little child. He was clean.
Well, this is a beautiful story of God meeting the needs of man.
And if we were to read farther, we would find that through this experience, this man was brought into a relationship with God.
But as in the beginning, I would just like to say that as I read began reading about this man, I realized that this story is an expression of the heart of God.
Here we have a man of Syria.
He had no.
He had no promise by birth.
That God would bring him into blessing.
He couldn't say that through my lineage, God.
IS is required to meet my needs. He was a man of Syria. I take this to be a Gentile. At this time in God's history, God was channeling His blessing towards a people, but they weren't the Gentiles. And so as it says in other parts of the scripture.
Naaman was without hope and without God.
In this world, his position was not favorable.
The receiving blessing from God.
Really.
There isn't anyone who stands.
Before God, saying God, I deserve your blessing. Yes, God had determined that he was going to pick a nation and he was going to show his favor to that nation, and they were going to be a display to all the world of a nation that was under the love and care of Jehovah God.
But Naman wasn't a part of that, and so right away.
We see an example of God's grace.
And this evening I can look around the room.
And I can see everyone sitting in here in this room who has received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior is an example of the grace of God. There is not one who has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior who did it with any thought that God owed it to them because of who they were.
00:10:24
And so this man actually had two strikes against him. He wasn't.
A part of what we might say the right ethnic group. And he had leprosy.
But you know what? There isn't anything.
That the grace of God.
Can't overcome.
You know, it wasn't an accident that this, this man finds himself.
In the in the direct channel of God's blessing.
Naman.
Set to receive blessing wasn't an accident.
We see that in God's Providence, even while God was dealing with his disobedient people.
God was thinking about Naaman.
God wanted to see that man come in to blessing.
He wanted his fellowship, and we can say that tonight. I look around the room.
I know that.
That it's far more of the rule than the exception. That the soul sitting in this room.
Know of the blessing of God because you've tasted it. You've tasted and you've seen that the Lord is good.
You've come at some point in time to know this God, that it was out to heal Naaman and to make him one who, no matter what his circumstances were, he would become a worshipper, even if he had to go back to his land.
And use some foreign soil.
That reminded.
Of God's chosen place, well.
We see.
That in God's love to this man, he puts a little girl into his house.
He brings.
Above in this man's life.
The beginning.
Of a work that was going to bring healing to his body and to his soul.
Little girl.
So I lookout over the room tonight I see some little girls.
There's not a whole lot of them, but you know what? I want to encourage you if you're a little girl.
God wants to use you.
If he's put your love, his love and your heart, He wants to pour his love out of your heart and dispense it to some needy soul like Naomi. Here she was. She was just a little girl, and here he was. He was a big, important man who had already been used by God to do a work.
But we're going to find that even though he was a great and honorable man.
He came into blessing like a little child.
Just like you and I did, or just like you will. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will come.
To the Lord Jesus like a little child.
Well, we see that this is an interesting story.
Because.
It's a journey for a big, important man. One.
Who is sure, because of his accomplishments, because of those around him who think good things about him, that that's going to count something with God?
But he's just slightly mistaken.
We're going to find him coming like a little child.
00:15:01
And tonight?
I look over the throughout the room.
And I'm looking really at a bunch of little children.
Before God.
That's what we are.
If we came like a little child and if we learn to grow up in the grace.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Will never really think of ourselves as anything more.
And a little child.
The one who will be magnified in our lives and in our hearts.
Will be the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he'll be the one.
That will be exalted.
And so.
We see that because of all the confusion of the ignorance of those that got involved in meeting this man's need.
That God had to intervene several times to get Mammon to the right place.
Came to the king. The king had no knowledge of God. Maybe that's the case with somebody in the room or somebody you know.
That as you've been on the journey seeking the Lord.
You've come across people who had actually, maybe they were even in positions of.
Religious leadership.
But they had no idea.
How to get your needs met? I read a book recently. It came from BTP and I guess I'm not supposed to read books like this because it was a book about a little girl. Name was something something I can't remember. And you know, things don't stick in your memory when you're standing in front of people. But anyway, she spent most of her life searching.
For God.
God had begun a work in her heart and for some reason in his wisdom He had chosen to take her down a road that you and I would never expect God to take one of his children down and we'll know an eternity why he chose to take her down a Rd.
Where she was searching for God and there was just every single obstacle was in her way.
And she kept having this longing in her soul for a relationship with her Creator.
She wasn't born in a home like you and me.
Maybe.
I was born in a Christian home. I have had every privilege that.
Is known to 1 so favored as being born in a Christian home.
Not everyone has that, and that's the importance. I look out over each one of our faces and say that's the importance of us being ready as God brings us into contact with the Naamans who have leprosy. They don't know. They don't have a solution.
For their need.
God, like this little girl, wants to use us.
She was filled with the knowledge.
That God was able.
To meet this man's need.
That was enough.
She wasn't real, real intelligent. She didn't know a whole lot, I'm sure, about this God of Israel. Actually, all she knew was there was a prophet in Israel.
There was what someone who was who possessed the power of God, and God's power was that which was what Naaman needed. Well.
As this man went along.
He needed some people to intervene for him.
God placed people in his life.
To intervene for him we have.
The king of Egypt, the king, king of Israel. Oh yes, he was someone who was supposed to know the way. He was responsible to the Lord in a very serious way, but he hadn't been faithful in that responsibility. He could do nothing.
00:20:06
For them.
And that's basically man in his religion.
Man who?
In.
Profession.
In Outward.
Garb, you might say.
So as I I'm in a place of favor with God.
But doesn't know him well.
Then Naaman does come in contact with the prophet of God, the one who is in possession of the power to meet his need.
And.
He gets a surprise.
He gets a shock.
Reality is brought home to his soul.
What God was looking for in order.
To be blessed.
In order to be healed.
He gets instruction.
From the prophet. From the prophet Elijah.
Who said?
I can take care of your needs.
And I want you to go and wash seven times in the River Jordan.
Well.
We can marvel at the grace of God.
Because.
His first reaction was to despise.
God's remedy for his need.
But that didn't stop the Lord.
From intervening.
Maybe there would be one here. Who?
I have to say, I think you've probably heard the gospel many times.
And maybe you just keep despising it. Maybe you don't want to take that place of a little child.
Maybe you don't really.
Really care.
Whether God gets any honor from you?
And so.
You just despise his remedy.
Elijah had given this man a remedy for his leprosy.
Of course, we haven't touched on the the type of what leprosy is, but I think we all know that it's.
Condition that reflects our condition of sin.
As the children of Adam.
We.
Are born.
In a condition of sin.
We have a nature.
That.
Or automatically.
Go its own way.
And will automatically do its own thing.
Will automatically.
Turn its back.
Upon a loving God who is holy.
This condition.
Automatically produces death.
And this leprosy is the most vivid form, I think in scripture of sin.
I don't know. I've never seen leprosy. I used to read Jungle Doctor books and they would talk about leprosy and it doesn't seem like it was a very pleasant situation and.
Maybe today, through modern medicine, there's there's ways to control or to to to.
Heal leprosy. But back then there was nothing that can be done but to just be shunned, to be put in a place where that dreaded disease would not spread. The truth about sin is you can't even isolate it. You can't put it off into a separate place and say.
OK, you've been affected by sin. Now don't get near me because I don't want to be affected by that horrible, horrible thing that is dishonored. God just so happens that when we're born into this world, we're born with the infection.
00:25:13
And its result.
Of death.
As Scott had a remedy for Nam, he has a remedy.
Percent.
It's not a remedy that makes man look.
That puts man in a favorable, favorable condition, in a favorable situation, in a favorable light. God's remedy for sin was Calvary's cross.
Where God punished.
His son.
For our sins.
That's not a very pleasant thing to think about.
God's remedy for sin.
Was to righteously deal with it.
And that righteousness demanded.
A spotless victim.
One who could bear.
Our sins instead of us.
One who did not, who was not affected by that which?
Had come in through Adam's race. All of you just want to read how the Lord Jesus came into this world. You will see.
Something completely different about the Lord Jesus.
He wasn't born like you and I. Do you remember?
That when God brought his Son into this world.
He was born.
Of a virgin.
And he was conceived.
Of the Holy Ghost.
He was sinless.
He was, is and always will be because of who He is, the Son.
Of God.
He was God's remedy for man's condition.
He was the only remedy because we all were in the same condition and God's righteousness demands a payment for sin just.
A just payment.
That payment is death.
Do you know what the Jordan River speaks up?
Prophet Elijah, he said. Go.
Wash yourself seven times.
In the River Jordan, it was a dirty river.
Wasn't the place the first choice?
For someone to want to go swimming in.
And there is nothing.
There's nothing.
That is palatable about the cross.
But that's where we have to go.
We have to go to the place.
Where God?
Punish sin.
We have to identify with that place.
We have to receive the blood.
That was shed at that place.
So that our sins.
Be washed away.
You know God values blood.
Because with blood God sees life and He is the creator of life.
And that gives us a little sense of how terrible sin is, because God had to take that which he valued so much.
And use it as a payment.
For sin.
It was the blood.
Of a spotless victim. It was the blood of Jesus.
00:30:04
God's Son cleanses us from all sin. It is the precious blood of Christ.
Oh, I wonder tonight if there would be someone who would leave this room and say the blood may be valuable to you.
And it may be valuable to God.
But I don't see any value in the blood of Jesus.
Oh, I tell you, that's a serious thing, because God values that blood.
And he speaks about one who would trample.
On the blood of Jesus.
Who would think it only worth that which our feet?
Would walk on.
Dear friends, tonight I hope.
You love the blood of Jesus.
Because it has the power to cleanse us from all of our sins.
Well, we find that when Naaman got down low enough, he was able to take the plunge.
He got some encouragement. God had somebody there to say please, please, just do what the prophet has told you to do. We don't want to see you in this condition. I've said please, please just do what the prophet told you to do. That's what we would say.
We would say just please.
Accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. He'll cleanse you from all your sins.
He'll make you clean.
Oh, he'll make you happy.
You'll change your life. You'll make it new. That's what I want to talk about from here.
I want to talk about how the as our him wrote.
As our him said.
Love brings us glorious fullness end to the loss makes known salvation from from the power of sin through faith in Christ alone. Well, that's pretty much what I had on my heart with this chapter.
Now if we'll turn over to Romans chapter 6.
I would like to talk, you know, the Jordan.
And Scripture has a special place, especially to those children of Israel who are God's favorite people.
And so as we go along, we'll talk about what the Jordan River speaks of.
Let's turn to Romans chapter 5. I'm sorry, Romans 5.
Because I want to introduce this subject, we've spoken about how God has provided a payment for the penalty of your sins, how God has offered his Son on the cross and who shed his precious blood so that you will not have to suffer God's.
Holy judgment for your sins if you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
You will not be accounted. You will not be found accountable.
For your sins, because the Lord Jesus Christ bore them in his own body on the tree. But you know what, dear friends?
Naaman lost his leprosy.
But you got.
The flesh of a little child.
He got cleansed. There was no sign of anything that had ever taken place with regard to that ugly, awful disease.
You know, it's my desire to spend a few minutes talking about how God provides a full and free salvation from the power of sin.
Oftentimes our gospel messages will take up the question of man's guilt and the penalty of sending it. Well, it should, because man needs to know, women need to know that the Lord Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the tree. But I say that there's more in the gospel message. There's more in that death of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's more that God.
00:35:25
Saw needed to be done.
In order for us to receive a full.
And free salvation. I hope I'm not misunderstood. The question of sin has been taken up and dealt with.
God is satisfied with the work of Christ as regarding your sins, not one single sin.
Will ever come up before God with any guilt attached to it because of the Lord Jesus shed blood on the cross of God. It's a payment that has been made that is completely satisfied God.
Now I'd like to speak of began by Speaking of one man.
And I'd like to just try. I don't know how this will go, the Lord's help. I'd like to speak of two men now.
And he's a friend of one man.
He's a, excuse me, he's a friend of the one man, Naaman. The one man is the other man was a relative of Naaman signed in the New Testament. And I don't want to create too much confusion.
But I want to bring before us this evening what we have in Romans chapter 5 and verse.
13 In verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world.
And death by sin. And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
I want to present this man as the relative of.
Naman.
Naman was a child of Adam.
Man was a part of a race that God had created.
And made Adam as we've been speaking about in meetings the head of I enjoyed that thought about.
The matter of Satan maybe at sin first.
But Adam had been made.
The responsible creature for this creation and Adam has held responsible.
For what took place.
And so we find if we read this chapter.
We find two men in this chapter.
By whereas by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And guess what?
We're all the relatives of that man.
But God didn't stop with the failure of that man.
God introduced another man.
And let me tell you that this man.
Takes the primary place.
In God.
'S purposes.
The other man that God has introduced is his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the primary focus of all of God's purposes. Adam.
Was secondary.
It was necessary for Adam to be introduced into this world.
To take the responsibilities and the leadership and the governance.
Of this world in order for God to prove.
That man apart from his son.
Would not be able to bring glory. How soon was it that the 1St man Adam?
Became as we've been speaking in these meetings.
Like his father, Satan.
00:40:00
I hope I said that right.
But he began to bear the resemblance.
Of a deceiver, of a murderer.
Of one that had no regard for the glory of God.
That man Adam, because he chose to be disobedient.
And to go his own way. For all we, like sheep, have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. That's our condition.
And that's Adam.
And you and I.
By nature.
The way we're born into this world, we have our connection.
That first man.
But in this chapter we have another man introduced.
And it's that man that is going to glorify God.
For all eternity.
I'd just like to read a verse before we go into this.
In Ephesians chapter one.
This is what God has in mind for the human race.
Or eternity.
You know, there's been a lot of pain, there's been a lot of sorrow connected.
With the human race.
And as some have said, where is God in this?
We were talking about the concentration camps and a horrible incident that took place in the concentration camp and one of those poor souls said where is God in this?
Another one.
Either thought it or spoke it.
And he said God is here.
We don't judge.
Are gone by the condition of the world.
And which it became under Adam.
I want to read this verse because it gives us.
The realization.
Of what God's full purposes are.
Ephesians chapter one and verse 10. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven.
And which are on Earth even.
In him.
Adam has been a big disappointment.
Because of sin.
Because he listened to a liar, to a thief.
To a robber.
To one who sought their own glory above God's.
But as we've been speaking in our meetings, that's never happened with the 2nd man, the Lord from glory.
Never.
That won't.
All we've been going through, John.
In our readings at home.
In the meetings, in the assembly, and we've been seeing how beautiful it was for that, for that one who became man, yet he was the Son of God to never act.
Apart.
From his father's will. So different than the 1St man.
Is it any wonder that God wants to gather everything up?
In him.
I say, dear friend, I just want to tell you if you're in that first man, Adam, if you have not received a new life.
Please don't remain.
In Adam.
Don't have your association with the one.
That God has fully tested and we're going to see.
Condemned.
At the cross.
And so God has presented to you this evening what His plans are.
00:45:03
His plans are to gather all things up.
And he's already begun.
And his son?
Are you and him? You know, sometimes we take up these truths.
We just can't quite grasp them.
But you're either in atom.
Or you're in Christ.
And when you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
God takes you from Adam.
And he puts you.
In Christ.
You will have all your association with the one who is fully satisfied and glorified God.
Is that what you want?
You want to be seen in him, please.
Please think about these things because this is the day of grace and what grace it is.
God is. It's a day of patience and how patient God is.
But today of grace will end, and God's patience will be through.
And that might be?
Tonight.
I want to go on a little bit more and I have no idea where we will end with this thought of these two men, but if we were to read in Romans a little bit, in Romans chapter 5, we would find the characteristics of both of these men. I don't know that we have time, but the characteristic of Adam.
Was disobedience.
Unrighteousness.
And sin.
And death.
Death is not just.
When we take our last breath.
Death is a condition in which man is not in relationship with God.
You know.
If you're without Christ tonight, you take.
The risk?
Of being without Christ.
For all eternity in the condition of death.
Eternal separation from God.
Oh, are you going to be like Naman?
Although it was hard.
For him.
To take the solution that God had for his.
Leprosy.
Are you going to be like him and say, OK, I will?
Take God's remedy for my need of sin. Yes, I will bow at that cross for the Lord Jesus died. I will associate myself with that awful place.
Place of darkness, of wrath.
Judgment.
Horrible place the cross was, but it was God's remedy.
Or send.
Than you can be in Christ.
But as we find in Romans chapter 5, as we speak of these two men.
We find that the 2nd man and I want to read a verse which has been so helpful for me understanding that in this chapter. It's sometimes said that in Romans you have the question of sin in chapter one through 5, verse 12, and you have the question of a question of sins, those sins that we commit and how God dealt with them in the first five chapters.
512 Through 512.
From 512 Chapter 8 you have the question of sin, the nature, but I believe that in these few chapters there is more.
That God reveals to us then, that just the subject.
00:50:03
Of the sin nature as I've been bringing out, God reveals the two men.
And I believe it's important for us to see the two men first because all of the truth.
That goes on through Chapter 5 and through Chapter 6 and through Chapter 7 is connected with the two men.
So if we see the two men clearly.
And we will understand better.
The deliverance that comes.
In the subjects that go on through these chapters.
And so I want to introduce you how the Spirit of God introduces you us to the to the man, the Newman, the 2nd man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, in verse 14, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even to them that had not sinned. After the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him, that is, that was to come?
Who is the figure of him that was to come? Who is him that was to come?
It's the Lord Jesus, the one who God wants to place us.
In all of the perfection.
Of his son.
He's the one.
God chose to introduce Adam 1St to see.
What man apart from God would do?
And then God chose to reveal the 2nd man, the one that would head up all things.
In connection with the human race and show us what one.
And perfect dependence and obedience.
And who only had the honor and glory of His Father.
And then?
God says.
I want to build a new race.
In him.
And so we find as these two men.
And the at the end of chapter 5 are compared and contrasted. We see the effects.
The results, the actions of the one and all of the horrible things that Adam introduced you and I to as a part of his race. But then as we see this new man that God had in mind all along.
And we see his obedience.
His righteousness.
Is grace.
His free gifts.
And.
No, Adam's race it only took.
It only destroyed.
What Adam brought into this world was not for the blessing of man.
But what Christ has brought in through his perfect.
Place as a responsible man before God.
Has brought.
A free gift.
Of grace has brought eternal life.
We know that nothing is apart from his death.
So as an obedience to his Father.
That he went to the cross in order to provide a way in which you and I.
Could be established before God in a relationship of spotless righteousness.
But that has been done.
The Lord Jesus has provided God with everything He needs to bring you.
Into relationship with himself.
We were to turn back to Ephesians. We would see that God wants to accept you.
In his beloved.
Isn't that wonderful?
Can't say God doesn't love us.
He wants to accept you.
In that which is the dearest thing to his heart, he wants to accept you.
In his beloved.
I can see we probably won't go where I thought we might have gone.
Speak of the Jordan. But I'm kind of glad we didn't.
Because I want you to understand.
00:55:02
You're in peril.
If your connection is only with Adam.
You know the cross.
Was where God said.
Adam.
Your time is up.
I've tested you, I've seen whether you are going to produce any fruit.
For my glory, I've seen whether you would turn away from yourself, be obedient to me, and bring glory to me. And what was the result?
You took my son.
When he came in love and grace.
You took him.
And you crucified him.
That makes for a guilty race.
And there's wrath from a holy God.
That is going to be dispensed.
On this world.
For that act he came in grace. He came to display the heart of God.
He came speaking for God.
He didn't come.
To condemn this world.
He came to save it.
And what did Adams race do?
They sat away with this man.
We won't have him.
To reign over us.
Do you see the guilt?
Of Adam's race if you are here tonight.
And you're refusing the invitation.
Not that I am giving, but God is giving.
If you are.
Pushing away those little girls, as it were, who have come to say there's a remedy.
For the condition of sin.
That all of us are found in.
And you're saying I don't have time for that? I don't believe that. That doesn't mean anything to me.
You will remain.
In Adam's race.
But there's a bright side tonight. There's a beautiful side.
If you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
You will be taken.
From Adams race.
To be in Christ.
And that will never change.
God doesn't make it dependent upon you, doesn't make it dependent upon me.
When we are seen in Christ, we're seen in all of His.
All of his beauties, all of His work, all of what he is to God.
And all he's done to satisfy God.
To plead with you this tonight.
Think of these things.
And may the Spirit work for your blessing Spring.
Colossians 2:6-23
Reading
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.
Him 288 preserved thy flock most graciously within thy sheltering fold, Move them from every harm away, and in thy safeguard home, till thou shalt wholly have obtained in us the fruits of grace, and we enjoyed that never end shall see thee face to face.
288.
Two, maybe some brother can read from verse six to the end.
00:05:02
Of the chapter.
Colossians, chapter 2.
Will begin at verse 6.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.
Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as he have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh.
By the circumcision of Christ.
Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all the all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way.
Nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly in triumphing over them in it. Let no man, therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility.
And worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered and knit together, increase it with the increase of God. Wherefore if he be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why is the living in the world? Are you subject to ordinance?
Touch not, taste not, handle not, which are all to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men.
Which things have indeed a show of wisdom and will, worship and humility and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
Each one of us who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
At a point in time or a period of time in our life when we came to realize that we were sinners.
That it wasn't that we had a need.
We had our as we had last night in the gospel, our leprosy, our sin, and.
In some sense, in our souls, the realization that we needed a a Savior, and the Lord worked and we came to trust in the message of God, that he had provided that Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we put our trust in the Lord Jesus. And for most of us there came the joy, the happiness in our own hearts.
Of this person who had saved us.
The Saints and colossi likewise had gone through those similar experiences to what we have gone through, but the apostle, in writing to them, realized that while they started that way, if you will, they needed to make sure that they didn't get away from that simplicity of trust in that person.
That he was the source for them of their joy, and they were starting to listen to other voices.
00:10:10
Other ideas?
Other claims to be truth, that we're taking them or in danger of taking them away from the simplicity as to the Christ and the completeness as to His person to meet their need.
And so he reminds them, as ye have received Christ.
Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Don't go down a different path. Don't start listening to the voices of the world.
To say Oh yes, but that's all right but and start to the world would say be broad minded and so on.
It goes down many different directions, many different ways that man is has is appealed to as to his beliefs, but he says no, stay with the beginning, stay with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he in the verses here that follow, he starts to tell us how complete and important he is and sufficient he is for the need of the soul.
And it's life here on Earth.
Everything we have in Christianity comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing do we have of our own selves. And the tactic here is little like Satan. When he spoke to Eve, he tempted her to to seek an alternate source of blessing.
Look within and to reason and here it's the reasoning of the philosophy that would look to another source besides Christ, the risen head and glory. It's a it's it's a doubting his provision to provide for us to look elsewhere for help and guidance in Christianity Today.
Rooted and built in him.
That would mean that we are acquainted with the Lord Jesus Himself.
And that we could be if we know him personally.
And that we can do by reading the four Gospels. That's where we find the Lord Jesus.
Very intimately.
We can know him there.
And know his heart.
His thoughts, his wishes for us.
We certainly know his work.
His sacrifice for us.
So if we have him like that in our heart, we ought to be established in the faith. We only have one faith, and that's the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no other gods in the world.
And he is the one who has acquainted us with God the Father, the Father who has made this world, we have been taught.
Be getting Todd and Sunday school already. We have Sunday school for the kids and that's where it all starts every week and that's a great privilege.
We ought to be thankful for that.
Will grow a crop I guess.
I'm not a farmer, but we all recognize some soil will grow a crop and some won't.
00:15:00
Some are suited to it, some is not.
And each one of us is living a life, and there are certain sources of nourishment to that life.
That give the nutrients the soil does to its life, That provide through the soil the moisture that sometimes is needed and the world is full of.
Barren soil. Soil that doesn't when the life is lived in that environment.
It's as far as God is concerned, it produces no fruit.
And so he has provided the Lord Jesus Christ as the root of life for us, the one that we have to be connected with.
Or there will be nothing in the end of our lives. That is what God would call fruit.
And so he's encouraging them to remember.
Their roots, if you will, or their root, which is the Lord Jesus, that they might grow as from Him. Because anything else is not gonna work. Spend your life. You can waste your life.
Repeat a comment that's been helpful to me in my life.
Was said by Mr. Darby. He said the will.
Engaged in evil, feeds on sinful desires and wastes itself without fruit.
Just repeat it. The will engaged in evil feeds on sinful desires and wastes itself without fruit, and there's many a life that is lived feeding on sinful desires, and the end of that life is fruitless as far as God is concerned, because only the Lord Jesus and feeding upon Him.
As the source of nourishment is that which will produce a fruit for God's pleasure, When we speak of fruit, Galatians chapter 6 describes it, It says and it's the work of God. It's the fruit of the Spirit is life, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness.
Temperance. That's the fruit that God is looking for from our lives. He wants us to be that.
And we will be that.
Expression of those things as our character if we are rooted and built up in his son.
Let me read this this passage, we think.
About the sinful things that God might once we to avoid. But when we go through the the next verse, we see that he's talking about religion, he's talking about philosophies, he's talking about.
Angels. In verse 18, he's talking about the the a force trying to be better or to do something.
For God or to center our lives in ourselves to put ourselves in the center of our lives and that sounds very good and very beautiful for the world, but this is not the way of Christ. We can center ourselves. We we can put ourselves in the center of our lives and say, OK, I'm going to do this and do that and that and that. But this is not what he's talking about here is about.
Taking ourselves from ours from the center and being rooting Christ and being in him, not being deceived by by man thoughts. And like here he was talking verse verse.
17 About the shadow of things come, and then verse 18.
Voluntary humility and worshipping of angels and and also the rudiments verse twins ordinances. So he's not talking as much as about committing crimes or those open sins we always talk about but.
00:20:19
Not but about religious, religious feelings and religious ways.
Of course, men's ways.
In Isaiah 53.
We read in verse 2, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground.
And it wasn't this earth that produced that blessed man. And if we're rooted and build up in him, he's our source. He's our life.
And man's religion always gives the 1St man some leg to stand on, doesn't it? Some idea, some form of thought, some way of approaching God, man making his own. I mean, look how much democracy has affected.
Christianity in this nation.
Man, that man can't approach God by decision. Well, we're going to bring the doctrine down to fit this idea.
The first man has no leg to stand on and the blessed man who is God has given us as the very source of life and object of our hearts grew up out of a dry ground. There was nothing in this world. He what what a manifestation to our hearts and to think of this to be rooted and build up in him and established in the faith as you've been taught Paul's laborers.
Apostles, laborers, to bring that man before man. You would look at the history and find out how those apostles suffered to bring that message to the world, and then when it says abounding therein with Thanksgiving.
We can rejoice to just leave the world where it is.
And bask in the infinite favor of being in the sun. Ye are completed him. You don't need that philosophy. You don't need that voluntary humility.
You know, the closer we are to him, the more humility there will be. We meditate on his.
Cost he has paid for us.
We just.
Scarce can lift our heads, but we can rejoice in Him.
The world that we're Speaking of here is the religious world. It's the good side of the Broad Rd. if we might say it that way. And I'm thinking of how how Paul.
Is knew what he was speaking about as one who was more religious than anybody else and he had gone a long ways and exceeded many others and and being religious and and his own ideas of what was appropriate.
Pursuing that to to great extent until God smote him down and the Lord revealed himself to him on the road to Damascus. And he came to the realization that the ones that very ones he was persecuting were intimately connected with Christ in one body and that he was persecuting the very members of of his God Jesus Christ on earth. And so when he left all that he realized.
The reality what he's saying here about how Satan deceives through religious.
Tactics like philosophy and and and.
Worshipping angels, these kind of things that have a pretension of making man better by himself.
All of that is to the denial of what Christ has really brought us into.
And takes away from our real source of blessing. And so it's a, it's a, it's a tremendous.
Deception to turn to philosophy and these kind of religious things as a source of blessing.
00:25:04
It's turning and not holding.
To our relationship that we have with the Lord Jesus, the risen head. He's the one that takes care of the body, the church, and so if we look elsewhere, then to him we're looking in the wrong direction.
Philosophy and vain deceit. That's what's being taught in the colleges today.
And most of our kids, they go through college.
So before if we send them there, some of them don't even want to go there anymore.
They say well, yes, through high school we are well established, we learn a trade and we are going to do well. That is true.
But those who do go through college, they ought to make up their curriculum themselves, not have it made-up by some professor because they don't know what they're talking about. They might have a very authoritative.
Personality and a way of persuasion, which is that rain deceit and from that we want to stay away.
Philosophy and biology.
There should be dropping out of that when they go to college. I don't know if they can, but I would, if I had to go to college today, drop out of that because they don't know what they're talking about. They're coming up with something like a Big Bang with this nothing but nonsense. Stay out of it if we can. We have children that we want to send to college or maybe they want to go there.
Make up a definite curriculum what they're going to take up. Don't take up the range stuff that is being taught. There's so much rain, things that are being taught and for us older ones, we got to watch for them to come to the doors of our houses.
They are trying to get us interested in somewhat we would call religion, but it is also nothing but vain deceit. Just stay away. If we talk to them at all, tell them immediately about the Lord Jesus.
And there we will find out where they stand.
The way of man is not in himself.
It is not in man that walketh to erect his steps.
Man is not capable by his own imagination or by his own thoughts, to walk in a way that.
Is intelligent really before God?
God alone can provide to us the way no amount of personal reflection or thought will ever.
Come to a way to walk through life that is wise or intelligent with respect to God. Proverbs that takes up a wise way to live begins in the very first chapter by saying the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Because if you don't start with the right relationship in your thoughts to your Creator.
Everything else will go wrong and that's the very beginning. That's the root of all is to have a proper respect and relationship to the one who has created you. But man has introduced all kinds of ideas as to his own imagination, as to even what God is. And the consequence is he walks in darkness. He walks in a path that leads him to death.
And there's that danger for us to accept the ways of man, or adopt the thoughts of men into our religious beings or into our way of thinking about spiritual things.
God is given what we need, but the moment we let man's mind and man's ideas to as sadly in the Christian profession.
Very often people who will say have been a successful businessman say to themselves, you know, I could make the church run better if we just adopted some of these good business practices into the way we run things. Or we have found out in our work that certain types of people interactions done a certain way is going to foster a more successful.
00:30:29
Missionary activity and so on.
And so he starts to allow his mind to do that which we will say is successful in a self oriented world and that type of life, and then tries to adapt it to the Christian walk. And the result is.
Nothing for God and a spoiling of the joy and the purity and the fellowship that the Lord wants to have with us. So again, we would just say, pay attention to where your ideas and your thoughts and your life come from. Sometimes it's well to stop and ask yourself and myself, where did that thought come from? Did it come from God?
Or did it come from man? Is the thought I might receive it from another human being? But does their thought come from God? Or does it come from man and the danger of it? You see it in Matthew 16 with respect to the Lord Jesus and Peter.
In Matthew 16.
The Lord asks his disciples. He says, whose do men say that I, the Son of Man am? Well, some say you're this and some say you're that, and some say you're the other. Well, who do you say that I am? And Peter says, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And the Lord Jesus immediately responds to him. And he said flesh and blood didn't tell you that man didn't tell you that. That came from myself.
That's where the source of that knowledge, that revelation that you have, Peter, came from, It didn't come from flesh and blood. Two or three or four verses later, what is the Lord Jesus saying to Peter? The same person in the same passage of Scripture, He has to say to him, get thee behind me, Satan. Why? Because what Peter was saying, the source of it, the source of the thought was Satan.
And so we're all that have to be careful about it because we can one moment, as it were, enjoy a wonderful revelation from God. And so easily within the same moment or two or five, we can allow that which really has its source in Satan to be that which is controlling our thought processes. So these verses are very important.
For that which is of or not of, as it says here, not after Christ.
Peter said the Christ, the Son of the living God, it was his faith uttering the faith and make a comment on that in our chapter in verse five. We have your faith in Christ in verse seven. It's the faith rooted and built up and established in the faith. Jude makes the same comment in Jude verse 3YE should earnestly contend for the faith.
Which was once delivered to the Saints in verse 20 of Jude. But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith. And that would include praying verse 20, keeping verse 21 looking.
In verse 21 and so on. And so the faith in our chapter and also in Jude, probably in other places.
Is objective.
And it is absolute and it is there whether I believe it or not. It doesn't change if I contend with it, oppose it, discredit it, it is still the same. It is the faith and it is once delivered to the Saints. The faith is what we hold in our hand here. It's the scriptures. It's the revelation that God has given man for his blessing. Our faith is laying hold of it. And so sometimes the Lord Jesus would say your faith.
Has made you whole or I have not seen such faith as in all Israel.
00:35:05
Comments like that, that was your faith, embracing the faith once delivered to the Saints and the things that would come in to drive a wedge.
In our souls are a few of them mentioned, as we've been discussing there in verse 8.
That's one great danger also is stay out of politics.
I talked to a young man one time. He was.
Studying political science, you want to have nothing to do with God.
Political science and things like that, they lead to dictatorship.
I grew up when I was smaller.
Kids in a system that had a dictator Hitler.
And it was amazing how people would believe in a man like that. And they fight to the end for that system. That's why Germany never capitulated, he insisted. They fight to the end and they did.
And the same in Japan. Japan had.
A dictator.
He was.
They reverenced him as their God.
And that was he was the same like Hitler. Let's fight Japan and Germany got to be so great allies.
And they last, they had that same philosophy, fight to the end. And they did. If it wasn't for the atomic bomb, they would have fought, maybe still fighting today if they could. That's what a dictatorship is. But it's of man. And that's what the world is striving at today, to get that one strongman that would get them all out of their troubles.
And that's where they're going to lose out.
We only have one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to die for Him is worthwhile.
To die for his cause is worthwhile. That's the only death that's really worthwhile if we have to die for a man, and that is the Son of God.
The next two verses, 9 and 10.
Are wonderful.
They're wonderful.
Verses that ought to lift our souls and our spirits as we consider them.
When we turn aside from man and his thoughts, and we listen to what God says.
In verse nine he says in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily, that is.
All that God is to us.
He is to us in that person, Jesus Christ.
All that's in the heart of God, all the power of God for our good and our blessing is brought down to where we are, down into the place of our need and our condition in a man. In him the man Christ Jesus dwells all the fullness.
Of the Godhead, and it dwells there for us. That's the purpose for which the fullness of the Godhead has come down, to reside in a person, a person who participated, and in flesh and blood to come among us to bring all that God is into that place into which we are.
In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
00:40:02
The 10th verse just introduce it by contrast, it says and ye are complete in him. That is everything we need to be.
And are before God.
Is found in that person.
Everything that is necessary for us in our relationship with God is found in Him. We are complete as towards God in Him.
We sometimes stop in our thoughts.
With the thought that yeah, I'm a Sinner, I've done lots of bad things.
Jesus Christ came, he went, and he died on a cross for me and.
He paid for those sins, so now I'm a forgiven Sinner.
All that I believe I said is true statement.
Although God I don't think would particularly wanted me to say simply forgiven Sinner.
Because God didn't stop there.
God has taken the person of the Lord Jesus.
And put me in him before God. When God looks at me this morning, he looks at me and all the perfection of his Son.
That's his view of me. I am seen in all that. Christ is in his person to God.
I'm righteous before the eye of God because I'm in Christ.
I am totally acceptable in his presence.
Because I'm in Christ.
And the position and even the condition into which he brings us is all that which results from.
Ye are complete in him and.
When we get to heaven.
And our sin is gone. We aren't going to be more perfect in the than we are in Christ.
And so he says, what else do you need? Don't go somewhere else. Don't go to the paltry, poverty stricken thoughts of man.
But enjoy and live rooted and grounded in that which I have done.
It's These verses are a tremendous expression of what we mean when we say the grace of God.
This is all originates in the heart of God. It has nothing to do with what we are naturally or ever could be by anything that we could do or merit or be. No, it's it's all the heart of God who has acted and said, I'm going to come down.
In this person and I'm going to lift you up and I'm going to bring you in before me.
Accepted in the beloved, that's our place.
And that is God's view of us as well. He doesn't.
So I say the scripture doesn't exactly talk about particularly forgiven Sinner.
He says safe. You're a St. That's the place I put you into. You don't live before me simply as a forgiving Sinner. You're my child.
Sometimes we have to be careful that we.
Look at ourselves from the perspective of what our Father sees us to be.
To go to what Doug said yesterday.
Without attitude.
I want to use an illustration that.
Many of you know my wife's father and her father and one time when her dad was a young man.
00:45:00
He said to his father. He said, well dad, what difference does it make what I wear or how I act or anything else if God looks at the what we are inside?
He said man looks on the outward appearance but.
Man, God looks at the heart. So if God sees my heart and he sees what I am, what does it matter how I dress or how I look? And so on?
And his father's answer to him was, Son, if you walk down the street with the conscious dignity that you are a child of God, you will dress appropriately.
Is that self centeredness? No, but it is a sense of the dignity of the position that you hold or are brought into by God in Christ. And it will make such a sense of relationship will govern the character of dress and every other aspect of behavior.
So we need to have a good understanding of what our relationship with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ. And the more we lay hold of that relationship, that we are members of his body united together with the Lord Jesus, the more we lay hold of that, that will produce in us that corresponding action in our walk and our dress and so on. It's not the other way around. We don't dress, so we become that.
We dress an act because we are that, but if we lose the sense of it in our appreciation of our relationship with the Lord Jesus as we walk, then that's when we can start listening to other voices and other sources of of how we behave and and then we are going to be misguided. The secret is to get back to seeing our relationship with the Lord Jesus what he is to us.
And that he.
The wonder of it is that this is only true of human beings and the chosen ones among the human race that he has.
He has called to be identified with him as his body, the Church.
Angels sit as spectators of what we're talking about. When the Lord Jesus was born, he passed by angels and became man so man could be united together in relationship with Him in a way that has never been before.
We need to realize the privileged people that we are.
We know the heart of God as an Angel does not.
We think of angels and their power.
But the angels do not have a relationship with God as we do. They aren't redeemed creatures. They haven't been brought into that relationship, and consequently they do not have the heart knowledge of their God as we do. They're not seen in they're seen as servants of God.
And they are, and they have great power, and they far exceed us as a power of creation in their.
There, but our place far exceeds an Angel.
The heart of God that has been made known to us and made real to us in the life that has been given to us, they don't have they don't have the life of Christ. They don't have that life which.
Expresses itself in divine love. It's not part of their being.
And yet in Christ as a new creation, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. He's a new creation. 2nd Corinthians 5 It brings us into that completeness with himself that no other creature.
As ever known or ever will know.
As privilege, as much privilege that they were of being with the Lord Jesus in their their walking here in this world.
00:50:07
They did not have half we have now.
When we when we look in the Gospels, they were kind of servants.
Of the Lord in John's Gospel, chapter 15.
Verse 14.
Verse 13 first.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his his Lord does. But I have called your friends for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
When the Lord visited.
Abraham.
He decided to tell him things that he did not tell anybody else about Sodom and what he was going to do. And kind of he, he asked himself, Will I not tell Abraham?
He was telling a friend things that were were secret, and here he is, kind of.
Upgrading his his disciples from servants to friends because he would give his life to them.
And if we go further in John chapter 20.
Verse 17.
We see what happens after resurrection.
Is a step forward, Jesus said unto her, unto her, Touch me not, for for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend them to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.
Go to my present now He calls them. Brethren, we don't see anywhere in the Bible we should call the Lord Jesus our brother, but we can see him calling.
His disciples, his brethren, and he says, my Father and your father. He does not set our father, of course, because he still has a kind of relationship.
His Father that I don't think we could enter into the plenitude of it, but still we are, we have now a father we can call God our Father, and we are called by the Lord Jesus, not only His servants, not only His friends, but now His brethren.
In verse 11 we have circumcision mentioned here.
And that is interesting.
Because.
That kind of explains what we are in him.
The Jews had to be circumcised.
And that was under the law. That didn't do him any good.
But what is circumcision?
We know it is cutting away some of the flesh and that's what we have to do. We have to subdue the things in the flesh that we are in.
Maybe somebody can explain it a little better. It says here with the circumcision made without hands. Of course that would be our heart.
We we read in Ephesians one, I think it says.
The circumcision of the heart.
Says something about it there and then, in putting off the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. And what is the circumcision of Christ here? What is actually meant by that?
00:55:17
There won't be time to.
Develop, but I'm going to make a few remarks for personal meditation with respect to the verses that follow. At least introduce some thoughts for I believe are very helpful if studied out.
If you notice a little bit beyond where we are and you go down to verse 20, it says if you be dead with Christ.
And then go to chapter 3 and verse one it says if then you be risen with Christ.
If you go down beyond that, you will find the pudding to death in verse five. Therefore put to death.
In verse 12 it says put on there.
What is being presented in the end of chapter 2 and in chapter 3 as is a really an explanation of the Old Testament?
Picture of passing through the Jordan.
By the Israelites.
When they pass through the Red Sea, it's a picture of all that work of the Lord Jesus Christ for them, for us. When they were in Egypt, they were sheltered from God's judgment by the Lamb.
When they cross through the Red Sea, their enemies were destroyed by trying to follow them as they were delivered from Egypt the world.
But when they came to the Jordan River.
It was the end of them.
It was the end of their history.
In form as to what was preached in the gospel last night as men and Adam.
And so it says in Adam all die. God isn't looking for anything from Adam's race anymore.
It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be fruitless and actually an enemy of the purposes of God.
So as children of Adam, there's no future but death.
When they pass through the Red Sea with the ark with Joshua, it is a picture of their going into our going into death. When the Lord Jesus died, we are identified in Romans five and six and so on. We are identified with Him in his death.
He said Christ died. You died with him. How are you going to keep going in those things in which you died?
But Christ isn't dead.
We're complete in Him.
He rises from the dead and God says, well, he is all in Christ, what he is you're going to be. And so as he comes up, if you will, out of the waters of death and crosses into the Jordan, crosses the Jordan River.
In the Old Testament picture, you then see the person as a new creation in Christ. That's part of what this these chapters are about is bringing us into a new creation in Christ Jesus before God. If you be dead with Christ, he says. If you be risen with Christ, he says. If you be risen with Christ, then you have the life of Christ.
In chapter 3, verse four, if Christ, who is our life? And so when they cross through the Jordan, they come up on the other side. They're seen now as a new creation in Christ Jesus, a new race from a new source. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John chapter three, he says to Nicodemus, you must be born again. You have to come from a new source.
01:00:00
You have to have a new life from a new source if there's going to be anything for God.
The circumcision that's here is that in that Old Testament picture is when they came through the red, the the Jordan River on the other side, they went to Gilgal and they were circumcised. And in fact it says it was the removal.
Of that which connected them to Egypt.
And I'll just say again, there's not time to really develop the thoughts here, but you never get free of the world in your heart and your life. You'll never get free of the world.
Until you enjoy and live in the truth of being risen with Christ or quickened with Christ from the dead to live a life that the world has nothing to do with.
Until that all the way through the wilderness, they, they were redeemed. They were saved, as we would say. But their hearts were still in Egypt. And they kept going back in one form or another, wanting what Egypt had to deliver. Oh, why did you bring us out here to kill us? Why can't we? At least we had. We remember the food of Egypt. And so easily can the life be lived. I'm saved. I'm going to heaven. But the heart still wants what Egypt provides.
But the soul that comes into the enjoyment of their complete in Him. They're a new creation in Him.
Then there is that cutting off.
By him Christ, morally all that connects us with Egypt, and one gets to live in practice in the enjoyment of the land, which is heaven or heavenly things.
This year, putting off the body of the sins of the flesh when I talked to neighbors.
And I grew up in a system.
Before the Lord's Supper, the sins had to be forgiven every time. Over and over again. And still I talked to neighbors today that are Catholic.
They said, well, we are, we can still sin. We can still sin. How do we get over that?
I said, well, once you are saved, your sins are forgiven once and for all. Just confess them once. Yeah, forgive. You don't have to do it over and over again. They can't get over that. Yeah, but I've still seen. I've still seen.
But it's the blood of Jesus Christ. They don't understand that.
That's how the body of sin here, the body of the sins of the flesh.
They're put away.
Helpful to just remark that with respect to that, the new translation is a more helpful way to read that verse.
I'll read it in a new translation, it says.
Verse 11.
In whom also ye have been circumcised, with the circumcision not done with hand.
In the putting off of the body of the flesh leaves out the words of the sins, because the point here is not the actual sins themselves. It's not individual sins, but it is connected with sin, the root principle that is in US. And in Romans 7, in Romans 8, it's connected with what we have here. In this way, we still live in a body which has sin in it.
But when we have the life of Christ in US and the Holy Spirit in us, we no longer have to live under the control of that sin which is in the flesh, but we have now to live in the Spirit and in the life, the spirit of the life which is in Christ Jesus. Romans 8 verse one has set us free.
01:05:02
From that dominion of that sin which is in the flesh. And the circumcision here is explaining or giving us a picture of that which separates us from, because we are set free from the power of that which is in us, because we have a new life, and because we have the Spirit of God in US which has the power to direct our lives.
And not keep us under the control of that which is in US.
And so it's in his death and in his resurrection we have the picture of circumcision, the cutting off of that which previously controlled us.
James Version. Then I should cross off that word sing, right?
This end on a positive note.
Notice it's as it were in verse fifth verse 15.
Showing of them openly, leading them, triumphing over them in it. Let's just remember, brethren, our Lord Jesus as triumph.
Is triumph. He's come down to where we are. He's met our need.
He leads us triumphantly.
Into the blessing which is ours for eternity.
And He has taken care of everything that would hinder us from entering into the full enjoyment. We may struggle now, we may not understand things that we've had before us this morning and so on, and some might be confusing to us and all of the rest of it, but.
We can go a fourth in the perfect confident sense that his work.
Leads in triumph to the end result, which is our eternal happiness and blessing for His pleasure.
For God's glory.
Great, great thing to know you're on the winning side.
Exactly.
Who is seeing 156?
Stand fast in Christ, I added gas. He just all the band. The human efforts are invaded in Christ it is.
Someone stuck with that?
Seeing Jesus
Address—M. Persona
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.
Laundry.
No, no, no, right inside the sun.
On the ground.
And.
Now.
Well, as a professional speaker, this is my profession. I am used to talk to sometimes 2000 people, but nothing gets me nervous like talking about the things of the Lord.
Serial things.
And everlasting things.
And I'm going to try to speak something here. I hope you understand my my Brazilian English. I will pretend I speak English. You pretend you can understand me. So I think we will go along together. And I was thinking about when I was converted. I was that was 1978. I was in college. And then I met a guy there, another student, a fellow student.
And he, he was.
He kind of attracted me to talk to him. I was involved with Mr. Salesman, the saving the world ecology and all those things. And the he put a sign on the the board on the on the ecology and it said if you are interested in the Indians in the Amazon forest, come talk to me. I said, wow, I was interested in the Indians in the Amazon forest. So I went to talk to him.
00:05:20
Well, that was those. I think you have United States those papers that the fly comes and.
Dies there and that was one of those papers. So I I went to talk to him and said, Oh yes, the forest, the Amazon Indians is because I know some missionaries who are preaching the gospel there and do you know the gospel?
So that day I started learning what the gospel was, and I was far away from Christ, far away from the gospel. My, my, my book, my book. Next to my bed was the Bhagavad Gita.
Thing from from India and I thought that was crazy gospel. This is for old people and but the Lord started working in my heart and one day I got saved.
I trust the Lord and then twelve students got saved through the ministry of this this student, he was a very good evangelist, not much that kind of preaching, but the kind of sitting and talking to you in a very close way, very intimate way and bring you to Christ.
And.
After after we had some, I think school was out or something like that, I lost contact with him. And then I said he didn't say anything about churches or religions. He just preached Christ to me. And I said, well now I'm a Christian. I thought I'm a Christian, where should I go? So I went back to the Catholic Church where I came from.
Brazilians are mostly Catholic, where by that time now things have changed. But I went to the Catholic Church and I stayed there for one year.
Helping the priest, the mass, studying the Bible, reading the Bible, sure that I was saved by faith in the Lord Jesus. So sometimes if you find a Catholic who says he is saved you, you, you may believe I was for one year saved. And but then of course looking Bible and studying Catholic doctrine, I found things were not matching, so I left the Catholic Church.
The Catholic, the Catholicism, it's a very visual religion. If you want to see Christ, they show you oh, there is he's on that cross. Can you see that cross? No, but I don't want to see okay, we have one that's not on the cross and they have an image, image statue of Christ and then on the Holy Friday, I think they they have one in a coffin, dead one and then.
They have a reason, one that they walked in the streets of the cities in Brazil. So you have everything is visual, you can see, you can see what you believe.
But there was something different in the faith I got from that the gospel this, this this friend preaches to me. He gave me a magazine and it was an English. He thought I could speak English and read English. So he gave me a magazine, an American magazine, a Christian magazine with articles about about the gospel. And what what caused my attention was the the last cover, the back cover of the the magazine.
It was a painting by an artist with a tone you say Tom, yes, where Christ was buried, tum tum tum and there were some trees, a very beautiful painting. And 1/3 of the painting was the tomb and then the sky and clouds and.
Christ, he lives was were the words He lives I. I was so impressed by that empty phone.
That I took out that page and took some place. They framed it for me and I put on the wall in my bedroom. Every day when I wake up, I saw he leaves, it's empty. He lives. And that made impression, especially in those days. You see, in 1978, we were still believing much in science and science by that time said that.
00:10:03
Man cannot.
Rise again. If he dies, he's dead.
Cannot.
Raised from the tone, and that was something that science was teaching. That was. But the Bible was saying something different. Of course, many things changed from them.
So now if you ask a science, if a man, a dead man can live again, he will say, well, maybe we are discovering this and that and this and that. We are we are putting people in the refrigerator to keep them. OK, so one day we will take them out and put in the microwave and they they will leave again. So they science now say it's possible. They they try to make it possible. But by then all the science. But I just put Even so today people.
It's funny that in that time to talk about spiritual things was something people did not accept much, especially those who were in universities and they would not accept it. Today is the opposite. You must have some spiritual talking to be popular. You know, even kids today, they they are reading vampire, vampire, vampire books and all those magician Harry Potter, things like that.
So everything is magic. Everything. Everything is spiritual. There is a world of.
Beings living out there and interfering in this world and so on. So it got even harder to talk about resurrection in these days.
Because people is just indifferent to resurrection. They were not back there. They would, they would oppose it. Said no, it's impossible. Yeah, it might be. Do you feel OK? Do you feel good believing that it's good for you? OK. I believe different. It's good for me, OK. It's very the times we leave now, unless you go to places like India.
Places like there the Arabian countries, where there is opposition against the the gospel, here in the Western world there is in the indifference.
You cannot. It's hard to buy a fight with somebody. When you talk about the gospel, people are just OK, OK, let's be polite. Let's respect each other.
But anyway.
It's the same message that the Gospel tells today.
Resurrection, Of course, the resurrection is something that comes from a long way in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to this world. He was born in a very unusual, unusual way, being born of a virgin.
He did not receive the nature we did. He did not have seen himself, so he came as a different kind of man. Another thing is that he was not just born, he came in flesh. What is what makes everything different? Because we were born, we were created, we were conceived and then we were born and we did not exist before.
But if you go to 1St, I think first John says the one who came in flesh.
It came because he existed before. He was there, always his God. He's the Son of God, the eternal Son of God. He was there, always there. And then he comes to this world, the Son of God, and he walks here as the perfect man, no sin at all, the perfect man.
And he is rejected by his creatures, creatures, the people he created. And he goes to the cross. Of course we know the story. And there he pays for something he did not do.
He pays for our sins, He pays for our debts, He pays for our crimes, He pays for everything.
And when you are a criminal, what happens to you? You do something against the law and you go to jail and the judge comes to you and say, OK, you're going to, you're going to get 10 years in jail and you go to jail 10 years later. If everything went all right, OK, you walk out the the jail.
00:15:23
The bars cannot hold you anymore.
The law cannot keep you in jail anymore because you, you didn't, you paid your penalty. You paid your, the what you all do to society, to the law and everything. So you can walk out free and no one can come to you and say, hey, you, what are you? What are you doing here outside of jail? You should be there. No, see, I paid. Yes, I am a free man now. I owe nothing. I paid everything.
This is resurrection.
This is resurrection that could not hold the Lord Jesus and death in death in the jail could not hold him because he paid. He paid them and God accepted that payment so he said OK out.
And then God took him out.
Took him up and because he paid.
There would be no salvation, there would be no hope, there would be nothing for us without resurrection. Of course we know the word Christ accompanied on the cross is bloodshed, it dying, Him dying for us there. But it would be all, it would be lost if He did not.
Come out from death if you did not come out from death.
Usually when we preach the gospel, we tell people that the sin that was our great, great problem begun back there with Adam and Eve and and the people usually argue that, oh, I was not there.
What I have to do with that?
If I were there, I would not do that. I would obey. No, you would not. I I would not. We read the Bible, we read Genesis. So This is why we say I would do different. But Adam and Eve didn't read the Genesis. They they were there and they disobeyed.
Another argument I usually talk with lots of people on the Internet. Another argument is why didn't God just tell them exactly what would happen?
Because God told them if you eat of that tree.
You will die.
Why didn't God show them?
Everything that would happen movie or something and see this is this will be the world, how the world will will look like if you disobey and so and so on and so on. Because if they knew everything detailed by detail would not be obedience. That would be just knowledge. That would be understanding. Because obedience depends on faith and faith and faith is something we don't see.
If I tell my little kids, don't do that. Don't put your hand in the that thing that it's hot.
Lucas I remember this. It happened. It's a real story. And then the little kid goes in.
You can hear.
And then the cry, you know, obedience is just accepting, OK, That said, I cannot, I should not put my hand there, so I should not. But then you go, you want experience, you want knowledge, you want to see if that's true. And that's not faith, that's not obedience.
So I came from a religion that was much based on seeing things.
Took the Christian faith that is nothing about sin, nothing at all we don't see Jesus with his eyes. We don't feel, we don't nothing. We just believe we just stress what the word of God says to us and.
00:20:05
Many people get it wrong. You know when we when we talk about.
The Lord Jesus gospel and everything. I was in the plane coming here flying from Brazil last week Wednesday, and there was a young man sitting by my side. And we we start talking, He's American. He was coming back to United States and he, he, he said he was a Christian. I said, wow, that's, that's great. That's good. I'm a Christian too. So you, you know where you're going to if this plane crashed. He said, yeah, yeah, sure. I know I go to heaven.
Wow, that's great. And why do you go to heaven?
Because I'm a good person.
Because I try to help others.
OK. And then I started from zero.
Talking to him, he goes to a church here in the United States, a Christian Church.
And he had never heard the gospel. It was something brand new to him.
That he there is nothing he could do to go to heaven. There was nothing, nothing that could be done because everything was done before. I remember a story about a man during the the Reformation.
Lutero and those, those guys, this, this man was a very rich man, wealth man, and he was looking for salvation, for peace. And he traveled all over Europe. Do you know how I can have, I can be sure what I have to do to be sure to be saved. And then he knocked on the door of some somebody who was from the the reformers. And this guy said he asked him, do you know people? They are telling me, you know what I have to do.
He said too late. There's nothing you can do.
Oh, please don't say that. Yeah, it's too late. You arrived too late. You got here 1500 years late because everything was done. And this is what we trust. This is what we have assurance of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that that includes resurrection otherwise would be no hope for us includes resurrection now.
Even in the Christian world, like the United States, Brazil, people are still thinking that.
Salvation comes through imitating Christ, being as good as Christ was when he walked on this world. But I tell you that the life Christ's life in this world.
Is the worst thing we could have as an example for us to be saved. Why that? Because if we try to imitate him, the first thing we have to imitate is this. He had no sin.
How could we? So if someone tries to imitate Jesus life here and he understand who he really was, he will get frustrated because it's impossible. This is why God provide him as a sacrifice for us. So everything could be done in him and by him and through him. And now you can imagine in those days of the.
The Gospels, those disciples walking with the Lord Jesus and he, He was always telling them.
I will die, but I will rise again. I will die and I will rise again. I will die and I will rise again. We find this many times in the Gospels. Didn't they understand? No, not at all.
So when he died, they got frustrated. You see those two disciples in the.
The road to emeralds.
They're said if we bring it to our days, we can understand better. Imagine it, you have elections next year in the United States, right? Imagine you are one of the, the guys who help the president, the, the present to be. There's a candidate and you, you, you now you have your life, your time, your family, everything working towards this candidate because he will save America. He is one of the the one who will.
Get rid of all problems and we have jobs for everyone and money and everything. So you work, you work hard, you follow him, you go to the speeches, you, you give, give out all those those tracks is about this candidate and everything. And one day someone comes to him and said, hey, he died. Who died? Our candidate died.
00:25:19
No present, no president anymore.
Can you imagine how would you feel? Well, but I sacrificed my family, my job, everything to follow him and to to go because I thought I was going to be his secretary or something in his in his government. Now go back with the the taping. We are now in the the 2000 years ago, I thought he would be the king. We thought he would be the king who would save Israel from our enemies.
Who would take our enemies out from Israel?
That was the frustration, because he did. They didn't understand that.
Nothing would be complete without resurrection. Resurrection is the the golden key that.
Closes all the the word of Christ resurrection without resurrection. That would be no hope. We are going to we are going to read something in Acts.
Chapter 17.
Verse 30.
Acts 17, verse 30.
Here we see the Apostle Paul preaching to the Greeks.
The Greeks were the finest people in those times. Those the culture, the best culture, whether the Romans were the the power, the military power, but the but Greeks, they were the the culture people who really knew things.
Greeks were the New Yorkers, if you like, was the everything came from there and.
Here we see that him preaching to the Greeks and the times of this ignorance, God winked that, but now commanded, commanded all men everywhere to repent, because He had a point the day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained, whereas He hath given assurance and all men in that He had raised him from dead.
From the dead.
Paul tells them that they will be judged.
By Jesus himself, that man.
The same man who was crucified, who was rejecting this world, he will come back again and he will judge.
He will not be a nice person, not like people think. You know, if you go to any spiritualist guy and say, what do you think about Jesus? Is he coming again? Oh yes, he will come and he will bring peace to the world, flowers and everything. No, this is not the way He will come to judge this world. And the worst thing we would would want to be to want to be was would be in that that place of judgment.
Because he will come and he will judge and no one would like because we see it today. People are there in, in, in Wall Street.
Pledging for just justice, righteousness, better government and everything. Everything.
Of course we always want this kind of kinds of things, but what about if we ask for God's justice?
Could we say, Oh God, bring justice to this world?
Would you? Would we want that? Because a world with justice, a world where everything is according to the will of God, is a world we are not prepared to live in.
You are working.
Your boss. The telephone rings. Your boss tell you. Hey, tell I am not here.
That's a light if we were living in a just world.
00:30:01
You would die right on the spot because this is justice. If you lie, you have to pay the penalty. If you do anything, you have to pay it with your life. This will be the the 1000 years Kingdom of Christ. Every day there will be judgment. You will wake up in the morning. If you were there, if you were one of those who were going to live in the Millennium on the earth, you would wake up in the morning and you will see a body.
Because somebody died, somebody was killed by the judgment. That is justice. And we will, we will not stand in this, in this way. We are now a ritual's world. We could not if God just intervened now, but Christ will do. And he says he tells the Greeks here, Paul tells the Greeks.
Give them assurance and all men.
In that he had raised him from the dead to do what? To come and judge this world. Here he says something that.
All men.
Given assurance unto all men.
Did the old man see the Lord Jesus reason?
No.
No, he acts the same book of acts. We go back to chapter 10, verse 39.
X10 verse 39 And we fall here. I think it's Paul, Peter. I don't know Peter. Peter is saying, and we are witnesses of all things, which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day and showed him.
Openly.
Not to all the people, but into witnesses chosen before of God.
Even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Wait a minute.
In Acts 817, says.
He had given assurance unto all men. And here it says.
We are witnesses, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God. How is that?
Not everybody saw the Lord Jesus reason alive again, from the dead, from the dead. Not everybody. But was not that unfair?
Should not God show everyone? See here he is.
Him, I raised him from the dead would not be a better way, a fair way to do it.
Well, when when Peter says witnesses, witnesses, this is the way God has chosen witnesses.
To give it testimony and this is not strange.
Even for anyone. I give you an example if you are an investor.
You are an investor in the stock market.
You go to the Internet, you open the your browser and then you see the stocks you you bought. They are, they're going up. You say wow time sell and then you sell or they are going down. Oh, time to settle and sell or something like that. I don't understand much of this. I'm not the stock market.
But I ask you, have you ever seen I stock go up?
Have you ever seen how it does? It jumps or it floats. Nobody has seen a stock going up. We believe the testimony of the journalist.
Who says that he has access to some numbers very complicated numbers in the stock market and he translates that those numbers and tell you a time to sell or time to buy because they're up they're down and what you do you sell and buy you you put millions on his word because he just is a testing test witnesses that's all that's it. This is how.
00:35:05
Things work in this world. We don't see things have men went to the moon? Did you see? Did you go with them? Did you, did you look there? No, we, we saw in the newspapers on TV or a movie or something. And we, we believe they told us and everything. And this is what God required there, back there, only them.
Obedience by faith and faith is something that you don't see, and this is what God requires now.
About the Lord Jesus resurrected faith we trust he is risen and because his reason we have hope we we are we have life and eternal life. We have a place in heaven to be with him and that will be very soon that will be very soon witnesses. This is what God God uses, but let's read something else in Acts.
Chapter One.
To explore a little bit more of this.
X Chapter one verse one.
The former treaties have I made all theophilus of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up after that.
After that hit through, the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the Apostles whom He had chosen, to whom also He showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them 40 days.
And Speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
During 40 days, the Lord walked in this world with his disciples, teaching them, showing them things that telling them things that they never heard before.
40 days. And not one, not just one, many of them if we go to 1St Corinthians chapter 15.
First Corinthians, chapter 15.
Verse one.
Moreover, Brennan, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also are saved, if you keep in memory what I preach them to you, unless you have believed in vain, for I deliver them to you first of all, that we that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.
And that he was buried, And that he rose again the third day according to Scriptures. And that he was seen on Cephas. Then of the 12 after that was seen of above 500 brethren at at once, of whom the greater partner remain, and to the present, but some are fallen as asleep. After that he was seen of James, then of all the apostles.
500 at once. You could not fake that.
You cannot just invent that. You cannot say, oh, that's come here 500 brethren.
Let's do a deal here. We are going to tell the world that he is risen. OK, let's do this. You cannot do that. You cannot do that. No one could do. Perhaps two person, two or three person combining, something like that. But 500, No, no, impossible. And they were alive.
And some of them could say, hey Paul, I am, I didn't see it. You are wrong.
They were alive. They could have just said the opposite here, but they didn't because he really was out of the grave. He really was reason. He really appeared to those disciples, all those, all those people. And one of the greatest proofs that the resurrection is a true fact and we believe in facts. Facts is brought by to us by testimony, by by witnesses.
Like we believe. In fact, when we read the newspaper the guy wrote there, he saw it and tells us.
One of the greatest proofs is that the first person.
00:40:05
Who met the Lord Jesus after he came out from the grave was a woman.
Why is that? I'm saying this is a proof because there would be no sense, especially in those days, if they would made-up this story to have a woman as witnesses.
Why? Because men were chosen never woman in those days.
They would. They would, perhaps.
Take Joseph and Nicodemus, OK, these are very respectful and let's let's put him down here in the story so people will believe it. No, it's a woman. This is true. It's a woman. It's a it's a real fact. It happened like that. So God would not change it and the disciples would not change it. And if you go to John chapter.
9.
We see a kind of chain of testimonies. John Chapter 9, verse 34.
Chapter 19.
Chapter 19. Verse 34.
But one of the soldiers with a pierced his side.
And forthwith came their out blood and water.
And he that saw it bear record.
And his record is true and he knoweth that, he said.
That he said. True. That you might believe.
There were people who were sure he died.
He really died and when we go to Chapter 21.
Verse 24.
This is the disciple which intensified of these things and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true. Another testimony. We have witnesses that he died. We have witnesses that his reason again. And then we go to the the place where this woman meets him.
In John Chapter V, Chapter 20.
A mixed report is here.
Is this the end of my time?
I think I have more damage or 15 minutes, yes.
OK.
John chapter 20, verse 2.
Here we see Mary Magdalene going early in the to the chapter verse two, chapter 20, verse 2. Then she ran it, and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they had laid him.
See, he told them he would.
Come back from.
Why this woman doesn't say, hey, it happened, what he told us would happen, it just happened, no.
The first thought is somebody took the body. This is man, this is.
Rational man we, we, we listen to the word of God again and again and again, and when we try to understand with our our mind, we think they stole the, the the body. Peter then goes and and runs to the the place and.
And then John goes with him and they found it empty. The sepulchre was empty. And now there there's something here that's important to say. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is not like the resurrection of any people that was.
Were those who were dead in the gospels and were brought again to life like Lazarus. Lazarus was brought again to life, but he died again.
They had to be buried again because he died again. That was just a cure for his disease and he went back to death.
00:45:10
That that kind of restriction wouldn't do for us.
It's very.
Different because Lazarus came out from the grave. We don't know how because he was all tied up. You know, they, they used to make it like.
Those Egyptians, mummy, yeah. And the the Lord said help help him help him to untie him or something like that. But the Lord when they got to the the place where he was buried, all the the.
The clothes were there.
And the stone was taken away and he came out, he came out. No one went there to help him. This is the the resurrection that is real resurrection, the one that will happen to us, to those who believe in the Lord Jesus, because what, what good would would do for you if you were in your.
Casting coughing, casket, casket. And then you came back to life.
Would you be happy? No, not at all. How will you get get out? No way. But this risk reaction is about a body that is perfect. A body that that is different is not a spirit. And I have to say this because we are much influenced by Eastern religions. Eastern thoughts.
That think that life is good when you get rid of the material world.
This is what teach the Buddhism and even the Greeks. The philosophers thought that no, when God created the material world, he said it's good.
The problem is that this was spoiled by sin. Everything was destroyed by sin, was contaminated by sin, but he created and he said it's good. And when the Lord comes out from the grave, he, he, he has a body now. It's not he. He tells his disciples, hey, touch me, see, I am not a ghost. I can eat. And he eats in front of them.
But at the same time, he would appear in the midst of his disciples inside a room with windows and doors locked. How could He do that? We don't know, but he he could. He could. It's a different kind of matter.
Is a heavenly kind of matter, some spiritual body when the Bible tells that in Corinthians different, but he tells us see in looking in looking he tells his disciple see.
I have flesh and bones.
I wrote about this in my blog.
And many Christians wrote back and said, oh, this is a heresy. How can you say Christ has flesh if the Bible says flesh is bad? Something like that. They believe in the resurrection. That is just senatorial body floating around like a ghost. No, there's a man in glory right now, a man made of flesh and bones in glory in heaven.
The first one and we will be like him there we will be the gospel stands by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus all it falls down. If you take it out take out take out the resurrection you fall it falls down but when when beautiful things I would like just to not see here and then we can we can conclude.
Is.
Inverse chapter 20.
Verse eight when John arrives.
At the Sipuc then went in, John went in also other disciple. This is John. Which came first. John outran Peter, perhaps he was younger and faster, but he didn't go in. Peter went in, he didn't go in, he stayed outside just looking. But then he goes in and this is what he says, and he saw and believe it.
00:50:08
I think this verse is wonderful. He saw somewhat.
Nothing.
John saw nothing.
He could tell Peter a Peter. Did you see? What did you see, John? I saw nothing.
That's that's right. He saw nothing and he believed it. And this is the faith we have now. We didn't see Jesus. He saw them him alive. He saw him walking around. He saw him. They saw him dying. And John believes in what he doesn't see.
The empty grave, the empty tomb, the empty book that was.
Evidence enough for him. Of course. Later he would see the Lord Jesus walking with them for 40 days.
But he believed before that, and this is precious for us because he was the first one of these these people we are now in.
Those who do not see, and Even so believe.
This is what the Lord tells.
Thomas and John in the same the same chapter John 20 verse 29 when he appears to.
He appears to his disciples.
And Thomas is there and he got surprised in verse 26. And after eight days, again his disciples were everything, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said this be unto you. Then said he to Thomas, Reach, hit her thy finger. And behold my hands, and reach hit her, hit her, hit her.
Thy hand, and trust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God, Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. We are blessed. The Lord is telling this to us. We are blessed. We are blessed as blessed as John who has not seen and believed. We are blessed for not seeing.
And Even so, believing, we can now live a life of faith.
Because we believed in everything. We never saw. We never saw, but we believe.
God gave us faith to believe. We can see, of course, with our eyes of faith. And there is a new Hebrews in Hebrews, a verse that says.
Umm, chapter.
I think it's chapter 2.
Or chapter one.
I missed it. My Bible can find.
Now we see him.
I.
29029 OK. Thank you.
I was in the wrong book 29.
But we see Jesus.
Was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, grounded with glory and honor.
That he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. See, we, we, we now can see more than John did.
John saw an empty tomb and that's all. We see Jesus now.
Crowned with glory and honor.
This is the one we believe in, in whom we believe. This is one we are waiting for at any moment to be taken from this world, to be with him. And I tell you.
This is faith, this is the real Christian faith, and this is what keeps us until the day he comes. We can pray.
Jesus is Worth it
YP Sing Address—D. VanHolstyn
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.
One 31130.
155.
170.
170.
I don't know.
One 56156.
Rising in my rapture.
Really, when I smile, if I want to make a warm up, the shadows of my thirsty land.
Behind my life in the time of his own and love and be married.
225 two, 125 all three.
Step by step by step, by Lord and God.
00:15:12
The Lord is 1 shepherd and no eyes, and I know I'll kill. I ain't got friendly. Wherever I hold my mouth, the valley by his hand will leave me.
Back covered.
The back cover. The back cover.
Jesus said come.
I pray that Jesus my name.
And she must say, I can't kill all this and my eyesight.
You're believing in God, another vision.
Bring like this in life.
One 58158.
Two More 206. Two 106.
#50.
That'll be a lot more.
As it said in the.
Song we had just prior. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus and how true it is, I can tell you.
When we see Jesus, everything that we've done for him, it's worth it, no matter what we suffer.
It's worth it when we have a glimpse at our Savior.
It's worth it. Shall we ask Lord for help?
I'd like to start by reading.
Couple verses in John chapter 16.
Verse two says they shall put you out of the synagogues. Yeah, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me. This is the Lord Jesus himself. When he was down on this earth, this is what he told his disciples.
That there would be those that would take him, that they would mistreat them, and that they would even kill some of the some of the disciples. It says, notice it says because they have not known the Father nor me, they didn't know. They didn't know the Lord as their savior. They didn't recognize who he was as a Messiah.
And look what they did. You know, sometimes we read things that take place in this world and we cannot understand even those cases, those two young people that were killed.
One of them by his own brothers.
Why could they do it? The answer is right here. Because they do not know the Father. They do not know the Lord Jesus.
The other case was a.
Young lady, just a bride of less than a month.
She was killed by her own husband.
Why could you do it?
The scripture says because.
They knew not me. Oh I wonder, you know, we don't know what the Lord would have us to pass through, but you know, like we have. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
You know, I wondered if we might just look at a couple other scriptures.
In.
In Timothy. First Timothy.
First Timothy, chapter 6.
Verse 12.
00:35:01
It says fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.
Well, I had that verse before me and I was encouraged by brother Steve Bambauer too. We kind of confirmed that I should bring this verse up. I had it on my heart and he said fight the good fight and here it is fight.
The good fight of faith. Oh, you know, it's something that's worth it.
You know, Paul, at the end of his life, we won't turn to it. But he says I have fought a good fight. It was something worth fighting for. It was, it was worth all the struggles. And if anybody had suffered more than any other person on this earth other than the Lord, the cross was probably Paul. And he says it's worth it. I have fought, it's worth fighting for. It's worth all the difficulty, all the struggles.
And then it says lay hold on eternal life. I believe the thought is lay hold on that which is really life.
You know, we all want to.
Have a nice time and enjoy.
Joy, our life down here. But lay hold on that which is real life. It's not life is not consists of what was brought out in Hollywood. No, there's more to life than that. The scripture would have what really is real life, what is really worth it. It's worth it all.
You know we see.
Too, it says in in second Timothy.
Second Timothy, chapter 2.
It says here, Study to show thyself approved of God, a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Oh here it says, study to show here you know.
How important for us to study the word of God to study?
It says in.
It says.
Thyself approved of God. While this approval is not for our brothers and sisters, but for God. Are we, are we looking for God's approval in our lives? Oh, I hope and desire, pray that each one of us that is true and I believe it is because actually I can tell you, if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you do have a desire to please Him. Every single one in here, you have a new nature that desires to please Him.
All that we might exercise that desire and seek His approval. We may not get approval down here by different ones that we know.
Our brothers and sisters in Christ, but our approval should be of God.
Oh, how important it is rightly dividing, you know how important it is because there's many, many things that are brought up today and you know, it speaks about in Jude contending for the faith. Oh, there's a difficulty. This world is more and more giving up the truth and it's going to cost. If you want to stand for him, you probably looked at.
As.
Bad.
But we don't get our approval down here. Oh, how important it is to study. Study the word of God rightly divide the word of truth. You know it says there's a verse in.
In Psalms chapter 17.
It says.
By thy word, thy lips have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. All we had in a meeting, Tim Roach spoke on it about how the enemy of our souls and he would seek to destroy. Well, we can be preserved, we can be kept the word of God. May we keep independence on him and keep.
Reading the scripture.
00:40:00
You know, I talking to a young man and.
I was asking how things were going.
He said terrible.
This is my marriage is in shambles.
I asked him. I said well.
Are you reading the Word of God with your family?
He says no.
I asked him is he reading the Bible by himself?
At night or in the morning, he says no. He says, well, where are you getting your spiritual food?
This is all Every once in a while I turn on the radio and I hear a program. That's it.
Except coming to meeting, it's no wonder.
The marriage is in shambles. I asked him. Is he praying?
With his family and he says no, except for giving thanks.
Oh, how are you going to be kept? How are you going to have that spiritual food for your life if you're not reading the Word of God yourself? You're all old enough.
To read, there's many treasures found in this word of God.
I remember.
When I was a young person and I roommate with this other brother who was really into the word of God, he would come home from work and he would be reading the word of God and I and he would spend hours literally reading the word of God. And I thought, well, huh.
There must be something to it.
So I tried it, and I tried reading the Word of God at night when I got home and pretty soon what happened? Rather than going out and playing tennis, I did do some of that too, but I would get into the Word of God.
And what would happen? I'm by myself. I'm sitting. I would get so excited.
I would have to stand up and walk back and forth in the room because I found a little treasure, a nugget. You know, when you find Nuggets yourself, they're very precious. And I want to encourage you to take the Word of God to look and find those treasures. And not just reading. I mean, it's nice to read ministry and you can read some wonderful things, but if you find something yourself, it's precious.
Oh, I tell you, there's so many treasures found in the word of God, but we have to take it up and read it ourselves and apply it in our lives. You know, this is for us. Says he will keep thee from the path of the destroyer and.
How important it is that we take, we look open up the scripture ourselves and you know we have.
To another thought that in these are choices that we make and what we're going to do in our lives. You know, there's a verse I was thinking of a portion of Scripture with Ruth, you know, Ruth.
Ruth, Chapter One and.
Verse You know, I'm sure we're very familiar with Ruth and what she she was a Moabitess and she was with Naomi.
And.
Her husband, Ruth's husband, and he had died. And now?
Ruth or yeah Naomi decides to go back to her land and Ruth decides she is going to go with him and notice what it says in verse 16 in chapter one and verse 16 and Ruth said entreat me now to.
Treat me not to leave thee or return from following after thee, for whither thou goest I will go, and whither thou lodges I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
00:45:01
Whither thou diest I will die, and where?
Will I be buried? The Lord do so to me, and more also if aught but death part thee and me. Oh, here Ruth made a choice.
Ruth made a choice that she was going to be with.
God's people.
And how important you know you're going to be making a choice to Perhaps you've already made a choice where you're going to spend your life.
Oh, are you going to be like Ruth? He said. No matter what he said, my people shall be thy people.
All here and I pray each one of us that we would have that desire to be with those of like precious faith going on until the Lord comes. I know it's difficult. There may be Perhaps we're from very small assemblies, but you know it's worth it all every faithful thing done for him.
Well be worth it all. Well, that's all that I really have before me.
Wife said to keep it short.
So I know you've been listening to a lot of meetings, but you know it's worth it.
Everything that we've done, do for the Lord, even the little things.
It's worth it, I can tell you. You know, you don't have much time. You know there's a verse perhaps in closing.
In and John, we're very familiar with it. John chapter.
John, Chapter 14.
It says.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. This is in view. This is what the Lord Jesus said. He said to to his disciples, knowing what was going to take place. He was going to be nailed to a cross of wood. And what was he thinking about himself? No, he was thinking about his disciples. And he says, I will come again. Oh, may it.
Encourage each one of us.
The Lord is coming. He's going to come and take His own. You only have a few moments that you can live for Him, and then He's going to come and take His bride to glory.
Shall we just close in prayer?
YP Sing With Open Mic
YP Sing Address—Open Mic
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.
2/17.
With the same ones I will say will be a somewhere glorious fun with me.
In my heart there is a melody. There is a melody.
In my heart there is about me wearing.
242.
All right, don't forget to think about the words.
I am following.
I am inside.
202.
I really like that word stage.
Long time my favorite verse was.
I will keep him in perfect peace. His mind is stayed on me.
Mainstay of a mast is a large rope that holds in place.
Be stayed on something is to be attached to it, tied to the.
Stayed upon Jehovah. Arts are fully blessed.
I would keep him in perfect peace. His mind is stayed on me because he trusts me.
We're trusting in the Lord. It's a very strong, secure bond. Where's the next one?
17 Three 173.
00:10:06
Number 89.
#70.
Wonder how where we are when we're singing like the last one, speaking directly to our Lord?
Did you remember?
00:15:11
I'm sorry.
#170.
I'm lying.
Please on my God, what I can change your struggle. That one we have at all reached on the bear and he offered any of that.
#72.
Now the number.
#64.
#230.
134 #134.
And more Isn't it wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Isn't Jesus, my Lord, wonderful?
I shall see. It's a privilege in Jesus, my Lord. Wonderful.
Everything about every time.
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
His name is wonderful.
This is wonderful.
His name is wonderful.
Because I want he is a lady.
Master of everything.
There is wonderful Jesus, my Lord.
He's our great shepherd.
I've got all ages. Almighty God is he.
How long before him raise on the door?
Jesus, my Lord.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Isn't Jesus, my Lord, wonderful?
Which I'll give for responding God here evermore we shall say wonderful.
I'd just like to briefly draw our attention to some verses in Romans 14.
Sort of in the context of our brothers brother in Bows remarks this afternoon.
Romans 14 beginning with the 14th verse and I just want is by way of clarification. This is an abbination admonition to my heart as much as anyone else's. I say this in the knowledge that there are people that have similar struggles as my own. So I think it's 14th verse. I know a number persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if my brother be grieved with thy meat thou walk sorry now walkest thou not charitably destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died.
Not then you're good. The evil spoken of for the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink for righteousness and peace and enjoy enjoying the Holy Ghost.
00:30:06
I just want to say that the remarks I know he made about, you know, the bring up, bring up some debates about, you know, new Earth, old Earth, the gap theory, things like that.
But I just want to point out they're not things that pertain to religiousness, pertain to peace, pertain to our joy in the Holy Ghost. I'm not saying there isn't one absolute truth on the matter. I'm saying we shouldn't be destroying one another with our meets and trying to find that out.
And particularly, but if thy brother be grieved, I meet now. Walk is now. Walketh thou not charitably? If we do, if this is something we do address, if this is something we do, seek it out. Let's do it charitably. Let's not seek to tear each other down.
Brother was saying about the questions, some of the questions raised and I was thinking a little bit on what we do when we are.
Faced with adversity and I think about 3-3 different person we see in the Bible.
Facing adversity and we see it talking about adversity and the enemy figure as a lion and three different person who met met a lion the 1St.
In First Samuel 17.
Verse 34.
Dave said and saw.
Thy servant kept his father's ship, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb of the flock, and I went out after him and his mold him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he rose against me, I caught him by his beard and smiled him and slew him. Thy servants Lew both the lie on the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he had defied the armies of the living God, they said, moreover, the Lord.
That deliver me out of the power of the lion and of the power of the bear. He will deliver me out of the hand of his Philistine.
And Saul, Senator David, Goe and the Lord be with thee.
One of the hymns were singing was that God didn't promised us always blue sky and we will be faced with adversities and.
That it was making me think a little bit about this time here where David faced the lion and the Lord deliver him. And sometimes we, we face different things throughout our life and may not understand exactly what we are or why we are facing that. And the Lord delivers us from that. But later on we see that in a sense, I believe here the Lord was preparing David for something that was bigger, that was ahead, that was delivering Israel from Goliath.
Another passenger want to mention about meeting a lion is the one in Judge.
Judge 14.
Where we have Samsung.
Sense will also map to hear what says as a young lion.
Well, not to read a lot of verse, give some more time for others here too, but in this case the Lord. We see that on verse six the spirit of the Lord came rightly upon him, and he ran him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing his hand.
But he told not to his father and so on. And after a little bit later, Samson goes back just see what he has done there and end up taking honey from that lion and away.
Getting closer, touching the carcass of the line, we see here, so we also see something that he was faced with adversity, and we see that the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him. He was delivered.
But in the end, he kind of went back to it to see what he has done and that was.
Race near upon him.
Because he is a, an Azarian should not be closed due to a dead body. So I think that's also important. We see it sometimes the Lord delivers us and we should always, always keep in mind and talk to myself first. Always keep in mind that something that the Lord is doing, not that. So later on I can look back and see all see, see what I've been through and how I went through that and was all right. No, that's, that was something that the Lord did.
And another lion that we see is not so happy story is a prophet in First Kings.
00:35:00
That he also met a lion for skins 13.
That was or just quote a couple of verse. He received the word of the Lord.
To go and cry against the altar.
And he did that, but he also received the award from the Lord to not go back to the way he had been. And the reason behind it was he, he wasn't supposed to have fellowship there in a place that was insane.
But we see that even though he followed the order as a law, doesn't seem that he had a quite understanding about the mind of the Lord here.
When the old prophet.
Comes to him.
Trying to find the verse that O prophet comes and said that.
Verse 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art, and I angels Pak unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him, and this prophet here didn't perceive that goes back.
And eat with him and on the way back on verse 20.
223 came to pass after he had eaten bread, after he had drunk that he had.
24th He has gone, a lion met him, by the way, and is Lew him. So here we see that.
But if this speaks a little bit about each one of us, many times I'm talking myself again that.
We receive different rules, receive different rules, and we've been hearing a lot of that throughout this last state. And there is a difference, there is a big difference between.
Executing that through and really taking that in and understanding what is behind it.
Understanding the might of the Lord and.
Otherwise we may be there is a verse that should not be taken away by any wind of doctrine. So to really be grounded on the truth, we understand what it is and not just because.
There is someone told it. We always should go back to the word of God when we see.
The things just so we don't go back as this prophet here that the old prophet came and said something else to him and he just went with that. So I think that's what I was thinking when brother was saying about the the creation and things like that. It's it's important for us to to see also and take hold on some of the truths for ourselves to not be be confounded.
I have to apologize, I have a bit of a cold so I hope everyone can hear me.
It's Revelation 2.
There's that.
Some things have been going in my life. Some people know more than others, but.
I've been encouraged tonight.
To remember how much the Lord loves us.
Revelation 2, verse 4.
Nevertheless, I have some what against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from which thou art fallen, and repent.
It's been brought to mind recently.
What have been my priorities in life? What is it that matters most to me?
What is it that I'm living for?
Is it myself?
Is it something that I really want?
Because even if it is, it's not going to satisfy. It's only the Lord that can. It's our first love, the one that.
The one that loves us enough to die for us.
The one that cares about everything that happens in our lives.
It's only here that could satisfy.
And that's all I had to say.
John, there's two couple verses before me, 3 verses if you like.
John chapter. I think it's John 7.
6.
John, Chapter 6.
And verse 66.
From that time, many of his disciples went back.
00:40:06
You know, every year the.
Faces. We see conferences change and sometimes faces disappear.
For a while we some just seem to drift off. I remember when I started college.
We went to Orientation High State University back way back in 1966.
And we sat in Meersham Auditorium and some.
Official at the university welcomed us and said look at the person on your right, look at the person on your left.
Two of you won't be here 4 years from now.
I looked at the person, my right, I looked at the person, my left and said, well, I just feel sorry for you guys.
The fact was, four years later, I wasn't there. I.
Dropped out of college to serve the Lord.
But.
The world has something called attrition.
That's where people fall by the wayside, more or less.
The Lord Jesus had disciples.
That says they were his disciples.
A disciple is a learner, one who studies who who is following a teacher.
It says here from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
Why? Why did they go back?
Doesn't tell us right here, but I'll tell you after we read a couple more verses here it says Jesus said to the 12 will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Now you know the Lord Jesus had been giving his disciples truth. They had nothing else to give them. He came giving grace and truth.
Why did they go back? It's because if you read earlier in the verse, early in the chapter, chapter 6, verse 60, when when Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured, he said to them, does this offend you? In other words, the Lord Jesus was saying things that his disciples didn't understand.
And because they didn't understand it, they didn't appreciate it.
And the problem was really they were more concerned with their understanding than who was talking.
They were more concerned with what they thought than what he thought.
And I know I have. All my life I've gone to conferences and sat in conferences and heard things that I didn't quite grasp.
I'm still struggling to catch up with some my brother.
What is it that keeps us?
What is it that keeps us? It's not truth.
What was it that kept the disciples? Verse 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? And I want to impress upon you.
We're caught not just called to follow truth, we're called to fall, called to follow the person who is the truth.
And it's not a matter of understanding, it's a matter of accepting as many as received him. So then he gave the power to become the sons of God.
And so Peter, and we all know what you know, what Peter was like, Peter was impetuous.
He was, so we would say he was maybe a little bit unstable.
But he had a true heart.
Then Simon Peter answered in Lord, to whom shall we go? And this is the issue tonight. Who are you following? Are you following the Lord? Are you following your own intellect, your own thoughts, and when something doesn't line up with what you think?
You get used to stumble like his disciples did. That's what it means here verse 61, when Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured, they complained and said, this is this is difficult teaching. Who can understand it? He said to them, does this stumble you?
That's what that word offend means stumble.
Does it trip you up? Does upset you?
What and if you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?
Well, there's another big thought.
You know all our lives were going to be stretching, grasping to reach the truth of God.
Let's get used to it. That's how we grow.
But what keeps us, Lord, To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Later on, Peter, you know he learned a few things. Look at what Peter said in Second Peter chapter 3.
00:45:17
Second Peter, chapter 3, verse 16.
Verse 15, Second Peter chapter 3, verse 15, And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood. Peter was the chief of the apostles, and he was having trouble with some of the things that Paul taught.
He acknowledged she had difficulty comprehending them.
But he says beloved brother Paul, there was the affection there and Paul had been to if you read the book of Galatians, Paul had taken.
I had gone gone to Peter and rebuked him publicly for his behavior, and Peter writes afterwards.
Beloved Brother Paul, according to the wisdom given unto him, has written.
As also in all his epistles Speaking of in them of these things which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrestle with, as they do also other scriptures unto their own destruction.
There was the affection that Paul, the Peter had for Paul, and he was willing to consider, to continue to consider what?
Paul had written. Now one more verse and I'm done. Turn back to.
Psalm 119.
Our brother in the Gospel the other night came very close to this verse. Psalm 119.
The middle verse of the Bible, he said, was Psalm 119. I believe it was. Or was it Psalm 100 and.
Psalm 100 and 18119. I forget. Pardon. OK, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go to Psalm 119.
Psalm 119, verse 102.
Here is a person this this person. If you read this Psalm, he was in love with the word of God.
That's the whole theme of this song, 176 verses and in it and 174 of those verses.
He mentions the word of God, and he says in verse 102, I have not departed from thy judgments, for thou hast taught me. The Hebrew says, Thou thyself hast taught me.
We want to learn from the Lord Himself.
The only way to learn from the Lord Himself is to include Him in our learning. It's not just a measuremental exercise of studying the Scriptures, but saying, Lord, show me. And it takes time, it takes effort, it takes determination. And he says, I have not departed from thy judgments, for thou thyself hast taught me. May we all desire to be taught.
By the Lord Himself.
Having trouble bringing the verse to mind at the moment, but it's the verse that says if a man look at a woman with lust in his heart, he has committed adultery with her. Even though he has not slept with her physically, he has committed adultery with her in his heart. And I have to say it is something that has happened to me quite often. I'm not going to name names. I'm not going to name places, but I sat down to a next to a girl one time.
At a conference, at a table, at lunch, and I look straight down her shirt.
Without even trying.
That's not a good thing.
Means that I committed adultery with her in my heart.
I don't even think she knew it.
Now, the fact that I was able to look straight down her shirt, ladies, that's also a problem for you because it means that you're being immodest and you're causing the young men in the assembly to lust after you in your heart, in their hearts. I should say, like I said, I'm not naming names. I'm not naming places.
00:50:09
But it's happening way too often in our assemblies. There's a saying out there that 60% of Christian men are addicted to ****.
60%.
And I know a lot of us are not getting the help that we need. Ladies, you can help us a lot.
Simply by the manner in which you dress.
I know it asks for a style change.
What does God say about the way? What does God have to say about it?
That's all I have to say.