Chicago Conference: 2013
Table of Contents
2 Peter 3
Address—R. Thonney
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Well, that's saying #170.
Lo, he comes.
From heaven descending.
Once for favorite sinners slain, 1000 thousand Saints attending swell the triumph of his train. Hallelujah, Jesus comes and comes to reign.
In Titus 213 it tells us looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God in our Savior Jesus Christ.
As we sing this hymn is 6 verses long, you'll notice that.
Five of the six verses relate to the second part of that verse, the glorious appearing. We're all acquainted. I trust that the Lord's second return is in two parts. The blessed hope is what we call the rapture.
And the glorious appearing is also known as the Revelation.
Or the manifestation when Jesus comes.
And as it says in Revelation chapter One, every eye shall see him.
Rather than it's just thrilling to my soul to think that that is probably one of the most glorious events in the history of planet Earth.
No event like it when God introduces His Son whom the world last saw hanging dead on the cross, introduces Him in power and glory as He comes back to take the kingdoms of this world. We really believe that moment is getting close.
And I just feel increasingly my own soul, the need of being stirred up. Brethren, we tend to get sleepy spiritually.
And if there's anything that stirs us up, it's the thought of his coming again.
Let's sing this and keep in mind 3 verses or one verse deals with the blessed hope, the rapture. All other 5 verses deal with the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. I'm not going to tell you which verse that is. I think you'll see it as we sing it.
Lo, he comes from heaven, descended once for favor. Sinners Swain.
2410 3012 A Troy unlocked his train.
You know I live for y'all. Kill them and come to the rain.
Let's figure it out.
Nsnoise.
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Nsnoise.
Worshipper.
Nsnoise.
You will pray down, thou bring, hold him, hold praise and magnitude.
Now it's all green. Now in the glory.
Shall for their prayers I thine of me.
UH Annualized 10-4 90, 10-4 900-0000 Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh 10-4, 10-4, 90, 10-4 oh 10-4 oh 10-4, 10-4, 10-4, 10-4, 10-4, 10-4, 10-4 oh 10-4.
All the time in the world.
Like to turn to Second Peter chapter 3 please.
Second Peter, chapter 3.
Beginning with verse one.
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers.
Walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming? For since the Father's fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth.
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Standing out of the water, and in the water, whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished, But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as 1000 years.
And 1000 years as one day the Lord is not slack concerning His promises. Some men count slackness.
But his long-suffering to us were not willing that any should perish.
But that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.
In the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise.
And the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
The earth also in the works that are therein, shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God?
Wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved in the elements, shall melt with fervent heat.
Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth.
Wherein dwelleth righteousness? Wherefore, brethren, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent.
That you may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless. An 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 those of these things in which are some things hard to be understood.
Which they that are unlearned and unstable rest.
As they also, as also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing that ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being LED away from the air with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever.
Amen. Beautiful.
Chapter from a man who was supposedly an ignorant fisherman.
Oh, brethren.
When I look at this chapter, I'd like to.
Follow two threads through this chapter, perhaps the first one not to speak too much about, but to mention it for your, uh.
Meditation, you have three different worlds mentioned in this chapter. I don't know if you noticed it as we read through it, but notice in verse six it says the world that then was. That was the pre flood world before the flood came and destroyed the world that then was.
Denver 7 But the heavens and the earth, which.
Are now there is the ones that we live in today.
The heavens and the earth which are now, but now look at in verse 13. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. So you have three different worlds.
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I don't know if you call them civilizations. Civilizations tend to come and go. You look at the Egyptian civilization that built those tremendous pyramids that people can't figure out how they did it. To this day. I've heard that some believe that the Great Pyramid, some think that it was built even before the flood. I'm not sure why they believe that.
Some people do, but there are tremendous structures and tremendous engineering that went into them. It shows us that before the flood they must have had tremendous knowledge. You know, man with his idea of evolution, thinks that things are evolving. I tend to suggest, brethren, that given sin in this world, things are devolving. They're going downward.
And before the flood, we know.
That people lived up, some of them close to 1000 years old.
Interesting. Even Noah, who survived the flood in the ark, lived to be 950 years old.
You know, people talk about young people.
When I look at that, I don't know where to draw the line. Who are young people and who are not.
I can say this year, brethren, I'm exactly 900 years less than Methuselah was when he died. So that's make me a young person. I kind of feel like I'm still a young people when I think about that.
Brethren, a day with the Lord is as 1000 years and 1000 years is one day. Time seems like something big to us sometimes, but with God, who inhabits eternity?
Doesn't matter whether it's a day or 1000 years, it has no meaning. An eternity where God dwells.
But he puts us in the spheres of time, and we have to think in this sphere. And so we think in relative relation to time. And so we call some people young people and other people old people.
I don't know if I'm an old person yet or not.
I'm not gonna worry about it too much, but I found that a person that enjoys the things of Christ, you know what, they're always young in spirit, and that to me is so beautiful to see and experience. Still remember being with Brother Chapter Brown out on the West Coast before he went to be with the Lord.
His mind was failing as to natural things.
And when I greeted him, I could tell he didn't have a clue who I was. That was all right. But when we touched on spiritual things, the Scriptures just flowed through his mind and he quoted one scripture after another. It impressed me that those things that deal with our Lord Jesus Christ, our eternal, and they never get old. They never do.
So the world that was before the flood was an interesting world, and I think we have to recognize that they were.
Pretty intelligent after 900 years of life. They knew what they were doing and think of Noah who constructed that ark.
I've tried to think of how he must have engineered that it would take some big Timbers to build such a huge building or such a huge boat. 150 meters. Well, I say it's about 300 feet long a football. Let's see. Am I saying that right? It's 450 feet long. 450 feet long, I think it was.
Tremendous sized boat that he constructed and he built it so steadily that even though it was on the sea for over a year, there was absolutely no leaks that evidently sprung in that huge boat with all the animals in it. So let's not think that we are so specially intelligent in today's world.
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I think they were fairly intelligent then too. It was a totally different world and we live in verse 7, the heavens and the earth which are now, and those heavens and those, the earth that you are now.
Contrary to the old world, which was reserved for a flood.
Are reserved unto fire. God's next judgment will be by fire.
Lord Jesus, when he comes from heaven, will come in flaming fire.
In vengeance upon those that know not God and.
That obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that's the world that is now but then we have verse 13 the new heavens and the new earth were in dwells righteousness. This is God's eternal day it's called.
Verse.
12 Yeah, the day of God. It's the day when God will be All in all. You know, it says in Second Corinthians chapter.
Five, If any man be in Christ, I'd like to quote it the way it's quoted in the new translation. There is a new creation, old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and then the next statement is and all things are of God.
New creation, Everything is of God, and the day of God is when new creation is complete. It's the day when everything is of God, and in that day righteousness doesn't say it rains. In Isaiah chapter 32, it says the king shall reign in righteousness. Reigning is necessary in a world where sins, sin still exists.
But in this eternal day there will be no mark of sin anywhere.
No, there will be no need of righteousness reigning. Righteousness will dwell. Beautiful, beautiful picture of God's eternal day. You know, not much is said in the Scriptures about the eternal, eternal day. I think there's three or four mentions of it in the New Testament, and sometimes I've asked why.
So little sad about eternity, that eternal day.
And sometimes the explanation has been given is that we understand everything by comparison. If I'm going to explain something that I know that you haven't seen in South America, I explained it in terms that you can compare it with something that you know, and therefore you can understand it a little bit.
But when we're talking about that eternal day, it's so beyond our comprehension that God doesn't say much about it. One brother gave me this though, that I have really enjoyed. He said the Millennium is the anteroom into the eternal day. I can put it this way. We're going to go into this beautiful.
Elegant palace. But before the palace there's an anteroom you go into, and as you go into the anteroom, you see something of what lies beyond.
The millennial day is the anteroom into eternity. That place we will be with our Lord Jesus in the Father's house forever. Wonderful. Wonderful to think about it, at least try to think about it, brethren. But I'd like to go back and talk about in this chapter as well. Another threat is the different days that are mentioned. We've already mentioned the day of God.
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In verse 12 and verse 10 speaks of the day of the Lord.
And then there's another day in the first verses of this chapter.
That is not mentioned its name, but it definitely fits the picture. It's called Man's Day. And just to give you a reference, let's go back to First Corinthians chapter 4.
First Corinthians, chapter 4.
And verse.
Mm-hmm.
Three and four we'll read.
But with me, the apostle Paul is speaking to the Corinthian believers.
Because they had kind of judged the Apostle Paul and they didn't like some of the things that he said. But he says with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you.
Or of man's judgment. And if you look in your margin, if you have a margin, that word judgment in the margin is man's day. Yeah, I judge not mine own self, for I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified? But he that judgeth me is the Lord. So here we have man's day. That's the day we live in today, brethren.
And it's the day when there are scoffers that call in question the word of God, the ones that say where is the promise of his coming that try to get us to doubt God's word. You know, in man's day, everything centers on man. And it is really impressed me brother, and how much we have been affected as Christians.
By that particular philosophy of life.
People do what they wanna do, and don't you judge me because I have a right to do what I wanna do. That's the attitude of Man's Day.
And it's scary where it is going because you know what? If I am the judge, If I am the point of reference to everything that takes place in my world.
I have no firm foundation. You know what If we reason from ourselves, the way I reasoned 20 years ago is different than the way I reason today. Because I've changed. My point of reference has changed somewhat.
And that's what's happened in the United States of America and in this world system at large.
People make themselves the point of reference. I like it this way. I want things done my way, OK?
So you think you're right?
Well, who are you to tell me that I'm wrong?
This is the point. If it is a matter of me and you, brethren, who is better qualified to judge? It's not a matter of me and you. When we come to the Lord Lord Jesus Christ, we have surrendered to one who is Lord of all, and that is no longer what I want. It is what He wants in my life if He is Lord.
Then he must be Lord of all.
If I have the right to determine certain section of my life that I want it this way?
Then, brethren, let's be frank, Jesus is not Lord of all, and I find it a tremendous challenge to put that into effect practically.
You know, I've recognized Jesus as Lord, but I am in a current of things in the United States of America that is extremely strong. And I recognize, brethren, I've been affected by that current of things of self pleasing. I like things the way I like him. Yeah, I like him too.
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But that's not Christianity. And you know what? That principle of self pleasing is what has done.
More damage to the Christian testimony than anything else.
It's not a matter of what I like, what I dislike, it's a matter of the Lord Jesus Christ, it says in Second Corinthians chapter 5, quoting again. The love of Christ constraineth us.
Or I better read it.
Bear with me while I read it rather than.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us. Because we thus judge, we form a judgment that if one died for all, then we're all dead.
Notice the result of that judgment he forms in verse 15, And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto them which died for them, and rose again.
In other words, if he died for all, it means really that we were all dead.
OK, we accept that as Christians that he died for us. OK, now that I have my life.
And I enjoy the fact that I'm saved by the grace of God. Is it to live the way I want to live? No, that's not Christian living. It's to live unto him that died for me and rose again. It's completely changed the point of reference.
In man's day, I am the one that determines what I like and what I will do. And don't you judge me. That's man's day.
But for a Christian, you're called to go against the stream. And I suggest if you're living to please yourself, you're a young person, or dear older ones too, because we're all in this picture.
You are not living the life that was given to us by the Lord Jesus. You are living a life of man's day, and I suggest that you're going to find yourself empty.
At the end of your life, to me it is no greater tragedy.
Go into a nursing home and find somebody that was tremendously prospered in life.
As wealth beyond what anybody would expect.
But there he sits in a wheelchair, he's lost his mind, and he has absolutely nothing in front of him if he doesn't know the Lord Jesus.
What robbery. He lived only for this world that's reserved under fire. Are you living that way? Are you living with a purpose of amassing things down here? That's why we have in the United States of America so many young people that are totally empty.
They haven't found reason for life. Tremendously sad to think of it. I was driving.
The other day through Vincent's Indiana, it's close to home and sometimes go there to do some shopping that's going down the street.
Here's two young men walking down the street, one heavily dressed in black.
And another one who you can see was in the current of rebellion against culture as it stands. And I, Washington, I drove past them. I said, man, I need to go back and at least give them something of the word. And so I circled around the block and got out a pocket calendar and a gospel tract. And I pulled up and I said.
Here I have something for you, and I gave it to them. We've got the answer, brethren, And here these young people are floundering around. Even young people that sometimes they're sitting in these meetings are floundering. They don't know what is the reason of life, brethren, if it's only what we have here and now, it's going to end in fire.
Man's day is going to come to an end and we are seeing.
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The ruin of it today in our culture, it's terrible the way things are going terrible.
Notice verse 10.
But the day of the Lord will come. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that tremendous? The day of the Lord will come. When is the day of the Lord?
The day of the Lord begins with the Lord Jesus coming.
In power and glory, like we sung in that hymn.
All the verses of that hymn except verse five speak of that.
Coming that second part of His second coming called the appearing, sometimes called the Manifestation, sometimes called the Revelation. When it's used those 3 words connection with his second coming. It's not talking about the rapture, it's talking about.
His coming in power and glory to judge this world in righteousness.
You know when you look at Scripture, Old Testament and New Testament?
Are full of this coming?
This part of the second coming, I should say.
When it's the Rapture, there is just a few portions of the New Testament that speak of his coming to take his bride home, to be with himself, his redeemed people.
There are no verses in the Old Testament that deal directly with the rapture. There are figures, yes, but not like Enoch, who with God and what not. That's a picture of the rapture of the church, but it's not taught directly. It was not known in the Old Testament. It was a revelation given to the apostle Paul, and so he says in First Corinthians, First Thessalonians 4.
This we say unto you, by the word of the Lord. In other words, he received a special revelation.
About that.
But when it comes to the revelation or the appearing of the Lord Jesus.
The Old Testament and the New Testament are full of it. Tremendously beautiful to read through the Old Testament in Isaiah.
And all those Old Testament prophets, and one way or another they speak of this.
Part of his second coming.
You know there was even a man before the flood that knew about the appearing of the Lord Jesus. His name was Enoch. The first prophet that there ever was at least is the first that we know about.
But it says in Jude that he prophesied so necessarily he was a prophet. How in the world did Enoch know about the Lord's coming?
There was number even any Bible in existence in that time. You know I like to think about and I stand to be corrected, but I believe this may be true.
That Enoch walked with God, and on those walks with God, God communicated because God is a communicating God. And he probably said one of those times he was on a walk with Enoch. Enoch, you know, I want to tell you about something that is in the future that is extremely glorious, and Enoch tells about it in Jude's epistle.
Behold, the Lord cometh with the 10 thousands of his Saints.
To execute judgment upon the unrighteous. You know the word is not 10,000 is really in the original. I think it is the myriads. Can you think of the myriads of the redeemed that are going to we're going to come back with him in glory in that day? I don't know. I don't have any way of knowing, but I would guess we're not mistaken in saying that when the Lord comes with his Saints in that day, it will be billions of.
His redeemed ones that will be accompanying Him in that day, Tremendous to think of it, not only the myriads of His Saints, but it tells us in Second Thessalonians chapter one. But He's going to come with His mighty angels as well.
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Oh, the armies of this world that are going to go out to fight against him, that sets on the horse.
Are not going to have a chance. They can fire their missiles at him, but since he comes in a dimension they don't know anything about, they will have absolutely no effect in the Lord Jesus with the sword of his mouth is going to knock one king after another after another to the ground with the sword of his mouth.
So wonderful.
I can't grasp it like I need to.
How can we get so involved in this present age and what it involves and leave the Lord's things to oneself? No wonder.
Peter exhorts us to be stirred up by way of remembrance.
We are called to heavenly glory. We are called to eternal glory.
And you think you want to involve yourself in something down here that's going to be tremendously profitable?
Oh, I wish I could communicate you, dear young people, the older ones too. Something of the vision of glory that will make your life completely different.
Then this world wants it to be.
Lord help us, brethren, the day of the Lord will come.
The day when the Lord Jesus comes in power and glory at the end of the Tribulation.
To reign supreme.
As I say, Scripture speaks a lot about it, but Revelation 19?
John looks up and he says, Behold, I see he saw the heavens opened.
And behold, a White Horse, and him that sat on that horse was called holy and true. And in righteousness he judges and makes war. Isn't that astounding? The Lord Jesus, that humble, that meek Lamb of God is going to make war. Do you tell me? Yes, that's what Scripture says. That's the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Things are not going to go on the way they are going on today. God is going to draw the line and say that's enough.
And Jesus is coming back to intervene directly in the affairs of men and establishes his reign. He's going to put his enemies under his feet. He's going to trample the wine Press of the wrath and judgment of Almighty God, and he's going to sit on the throne of his glory, and all nations are going to be gathered before him, and he's going to judge.
As a shepherd, As a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
And he's going to reign supreme for 1000 years. This is what scripture speaks so clearly about.
The day of the Lord will come.
Just want to say it says here as a thief in the night whenever you have his coming as a thief it is talking about.
His appearing when he comes to judge.
If I would ask any brother here Brother Al.
You expect the Lord to come?
Do you want him to come? OK, I'm going to ask you another question. Would you like a thief to come to your house? Do you expect a thief to come? No. So when we're talking about the Lord coming as a thief, it's not to believers he's talking. It's to this world that doesn't want him to come and doesn't expect him to come, that he will come as a thief. At the moment they at least expect.
Doesn't matter if they want it or not, they're going to call the kills and the caves of the earth to cover them.
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In the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Oh, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Now notice there is a semi colon there and then what follows in the witch in that day of the Lord. The day of the Lord lasts for 1000 years to the end of time, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with.
Fervent heat.
The earth also in the works that are therein, shall be burned.
Up.
That's the end of the millennial day, but it's still the same day of the Lord that this world and all the works that are in it, you know, they do some tremendously interesting things, tremendous engineering, some of the buildings that are built.
Some of the things they were able to do. A few years ago I was in Europe and went through a tunnel through the Swiss Alps. I forget how many kilometers long that was. It was maybe 3040 kilometers long a tunnel right through the Alps.
And we decided we'd take the tunnel instead of going up over the mountain, which is quite a bit less time. It's tremendous to think what they can do. But all those works are destined to be burned up, to be dissolved. Remember speaking with brother Jimmy Smith, who was an engineer. I think he was a civil engineer. And he decided when he.
Saw what we're talking about today.
He decided to dedicate himself to the, uh, publication of the gospel and a booklet that would be for the edification of God's people. But he said when he talked about these verses, this describes an atomic explosion. It's the dissolving of this present world that we are so acquainted with.
It's gonna be dissolved, everything.
But notice now verse 11. There's an exhortation in view of this.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness?
Looking for in hastening.
Unto in the new translation is omitted, hastening the coming of the day of God, where in the day heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat so.
Brethren.
What then, if this is the case? Should be our life down here?
Oh, I want to encourage you to live with the Lord Jesus as the object of your life unto him who died for us and rose again. No longer do I figure as to what I like, what I want. But you know, we live in that current of things and we get caught up with it. I think rather than the best thing we can do is.
To recognize it and to confess it to the Lord and ask the Lord to help us to judge it, that those things would not be characteristic of our lives. Lord, help us in that.
Just there's such a struggle, I have to confess it, but.
We need to recognize it and ask the Lord that we wouldn't be characterized by that kind of living.
You know, so often a young man feels led to ask a young lady to marry them. They want their hand in marriage. It's a beautiful thing.
And I like to notice how often we like to go to weddings because.
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There, a woman gives herself entirely to one man.
It's a beautiful thing. It's what Scripture calls the beauty of holiness separated to one man.
But what would you think if the young lady, when the young man proposed marriage, would say, yes, I'll accept your proposition for marriage. But you know what? I'd like to have about 5%.
For somebody else, my own self or somebody else to do my own thing.
You know, that would not be acceptable in any way. If she sees that he's not interested in that, she UPS that percentage or just 99%. I'd like to have at least 1% to do my own thing, to do what I like.
Everything or nothing, you know, that's the way it is.
And now, how do we treat the Lord when it's evident? When the Lord asks us to remember Him in His death, what do you do with His word?
When the Lord says don't neglect the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, what do you do with that? Do you say, oh, I got That's the part I I have to ask the Lord to forgive me because I'm I'm not gonna be able to do that.
Brethren, the Lord help us in that, I really believe.
We have.
Become.
What shall I say?
Unresponsive to His word, the Lord help us to judge it and to give Him the place He so deserves in our life. We're not going to be here much longer. We're going to be ruptured into His presence. We're going to see Him face to face. We're going to see those wounds in His hands and His feet and in His side.
And I suggest, brethren, that any measure.
That I have wanted to do my own thing. I wanted a little bit of reserve to do what I wanted. It's going to be a shame to me in that day.
Lord help us, brethren, the day of the Lord will come. It's getting close, brethren. We don't know exactly when it is. You know, for the rapture, there is no sign to be looked for. But for the appearing, there's a lot of signs. And you know what? Some of the signs, we're starting to see the beginnings of them today. That means we're getting close.
A lot of what you read there, you're seeing beginnings of it in today's world. We're getting close, but now just before we and we've already spoken a bit about the day of God.
Verse 12. Looking for and hastening.
The coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
And then verse 14 the.
Implications of this precious truth. Wherefore, brethren?
Seeing that ye look for such things.
You look for those things.
Are you sure about it? You know what? When I look at these things, I sometimes have to stop and pinch myself. Do I really believe this? Is this really true?
President, I can't come to any other conclusion, but it is true. Either you accept it as true or you have to throw the whole book out. Can't do that.
No, it's true. It's gonna happen.
Seen he looked for such things. Be diligent. What is diligence?
I don't know if I can explain it totally, but I tell you what, it's not laziness, that's for sure.
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It's being diligent is putting your attention to it, your primary attention to it, and Peter talks a lot about diligence.
To be found of him in peace.
Brother and I see a tendency sometimes to pick points with our brethren to the point that we think we can't walk together anymore. Brother and let's be diligent to walk in peace.
Without spot and blameless, there are so many things that are spots on the Christian testimony. At a moment's notice, we're gonna be called into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
You know, it's a reflection he's not going to give us. And they say this sometimes to the brethren in Latin America, I say.
What if the Lord had said, I'm going to give you 5 minute notice that I'm coming?
To rupture you.
And that five minute notice was given to you. What would you do?
Said that once to a young man, he said. Boy, I'd have a lot of things to repent of.
You know what brother? It's not going to be a 5 minute notice one moment to the next.
Maybe I get angry at somebody and a bunch of words fly out of my mouth.
And at that moment, I'm caught up to meet with the Lord in the air.
They were running down the street, busy with my own business, and I put up my leg to take another step and instead of stepping on the ground, I step under the cloud into his presence. It's going to happen at a moment's notice. Be diligent to be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.
Then he speaks of Paul Because Paul's doctrine is so important, brethren, don't lose sight of it, even though there are things hard to be understood.
But then I just want to end up before we close with verse 18, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Grow in grace and in the knowledge. How are you going to grow? To grow, you have to eat good.
Are you feeding on God's Word on a daily basis? Do you pick up this book and read at least a few verses? You know it doesn't take that long to read a chapter. I've often find myself in 5 minutes. You can read most chapters, sometimes even less than 5 minutes. Don't tell me you don't have time to read the Word of God, something that is so important. Grow in grace. To grow you need good food, but you need exercise too.
But it's growing in grace.
And in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we'll never get done learning more about Him and all His glory. Brethren, that's what life is. Brother David, read to us those verses in Colossians chapter 3. When Christ, who is our life, that's our life up there in the glory. Our life is not what we see down here in this world.
Our life is up there.
That's our life and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him the glory both now and forever. Amen.
John 14
Reading
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Education #212 Called from above and heavily met by Bird.
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Ah, bless my Lord shall be.
Always.
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Of Father's Day.
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Long every glory which thou knowest.
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No cursive love.
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00:05:04
Of water.
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What comes from every state and brought.
Last night.
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Stranger.
Hear me.
Earthquake.
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Grace.
Ties which bound us near.
Thyself our treasure.
In a variety.
Sphere.
I would suggest we take up John's Gospel chapter 14.
Bob this morning when he was speaking.
Spoke about.
We don't have much about heaven.
There's not much description of what heaven's gonna be like.
And I think the answer to that is found in the two words with me.
With me, With me is the essence of what heaven is going to be. And what heaven means to us is very directly connected with what the Lord Jesus means to us in our hearts. And so the thought is, if you love me, you want to be where I am.
And our whole attachment as heavenly people or earthly people, if we're worldly people, whatever is very directly connected with the present strength of enjoyment of our personal individual relationship with the Lord Jesus. And so here we have the Lord brought out in 14th of John and his relationship with his disciples. And for example, verse 6.
I am the way the truth and the life is most generally connected with giving a gospel message, but in truth, it's very much connected with us as a believer.
As to whether he is truly in our lives in a practical way, the way.
The truth and the life to us. So with the desire that the Lord might help us be attracted to Himself and to heaven, our heavenly calling, I suggest we take up John 14.
However much you want to read.
Gospel of John chapter 14, beginning at verse one. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you I'd go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.
That where I am, there ye may be also, and whether I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas sayeth unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou goest. And how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If he had known me, he should have known my Father also.
00:10:20
And from henceforth ye know him and have seen him, Philip saith unto him.
Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then show us the Father. Believe us, thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself.
But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doest the works. Believe thee that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I do, shall He do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If He loved me. Keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.
Because he seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him.
For He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But ye see me because I live, ye shall live also at that day ye shall know that I am in my father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, He it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved on my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Judas saith unto him, Not the scariest.
Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which he hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent Him, which sent me.
These things I have spoken unto you.
Being yet present with you but the comforter.
Which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away.
And come again unto you, if ye love me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you. For the Prince of this world cometh and has nothing in me, but that the world may know that I love the Father. And as the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do.
Arise, let us go hence.
Verse one of this chapter refers to God.
The rest of the chapter.
I don't know, I haven't counted it, but 2530 or more times it's the father.
This is very significant and very important in entering into what the Spirit of God would have us benefit from.
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A man in the world thinks of God, but he has no thought in any personal sense of relationship to God as a family, as Father.
But it's in one sense, it's everything to the believer.
To be brought into a relationship with God, to know Him as Father.
And to be brought into that family relationship and have the love of the relationship. We know John 316, the most famous verse in the Bible for God so loved the world, and it's the love of God for the whole world.
And every man in it and the work that he did in sending his son.
But for those of us in this room that have been brought into that relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, we now have a God, the God.
Who we know as Father and the Lord Jesus is emphasizing with them in this chapter that relationship with himself, my Father. And as we know later in John on the resurrection day, when the truth of it was made good to them to marry, I rise unto my Father and your Father, my God and your God, but.
Relationships.
Form and become the most important really aspect of our lives.
Uh, we use the expression, well, it didn't matter what we ate or where we were or what we were doing. We were together. And the greatest fellowship that we have and appreciate, it's important to us in our lives is the love of relationship of love that we have with others. And this chapter brings that out. Why do I want to go to heaven?
What difference does it make to my soul? While the what it makes difference is the one that I love says I want you to be with me.
He doesn't talk about heaven really much. Almost every place in the Bible where the Lord Jesus speaks of his coming for us.
His words have to do with that. They may be with me.
They may be with me, and brethren, that's what will draw our hearts out of the world and the things of the world to look forward to. Heaven, if you will, because He's there and we will be with him and like Him forever. So may the Lord help us as we meditate on it to have our hearts drawn to Himself, because that's what will control our lives.
The hearts of the disciples were troubled because he said he was going away. He had been with them for his earthly ministry and he was always there in every need, and now he's going away and he says don't let your heart be troubled, and I think it is.
The heart is the place of confidence, brethren, and it's important to be careful to guard our hearts as to where we place our confidence. I must say for myself that often times my confidence has been probably more in myself and my ability to encounter situations than I realize. Because our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We don't understand it, and so the Lord.
Deals with that, but it's so important that we have our confidence.
Unconditionally in our God, we trust in Him whom we have not seen.
Now the Lord Jesus is going beyond their vision, and he says you trust in me as well.
That's so important, I'd like to go back to the three previous chapters and read a verse in each chapter that makes this exceedingly precious to my own soul. Look in John Chapter 11 and verse 33.
00:20:11
The Lord Jesus is enroute to raising Lazarus from the dead.
Lazarus, the one he loved, had died, and his sisters were weeping. Notice what it says in verse 33 of Chapter 11. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, that's Mary and the Jews also weeping, which came with her. He groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. And that beautiful brother.
Here is the glorious Son of God.
The one who created all things, and he comes into his creation and finds it marred with the results of sin, and he's troubled.
Chapter 12.
And verse 27.
He's been speaking in verse 24, he says.
Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die to bite it alone. But if it die.
It bringeth forth much fruit he is referring to.
His own death and he says in verse 27 now.
Is my soul troubled? What was it that troubled his soul?
Thought he says, And what shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour.
O his soul was troubled when he contemplated the Cross. What lay before him that awful moment when he was to settle the question of sin?
His soul was troubled.
John 13.
And here it's in connection with.
Judas Iscariot.
And is going to betray the Lord Jesus. And notice what he says in verse 21.
And Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit and testified and saying, said, Verily, verily, I send to you that one of you shall betray me. So there was that which he knew about in this world that troubled him. But now going on to chapter 14 and verse one.
Let not your heart be troubled. I find that exceedingly precious, brethren, seeing that he came into this world where we're passing through and he was troubled, but he says to us, let not your heart be troubled down in verse 20, verse 27 of this chapter, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.
Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
It's interesting to me follows him telling Peter that, uh.
That he would fail.
In his temptation. And he also had reminded him at one time that I have prayed for these that thy faith fail not. He tells them not to be troubled. Believe in you, believe in God, believe also in me.
They may have reference to our failure as well as being in this world.
It does trouble our consciences when we do fail.
It's important to to.
See that the statement is based upon.
The relationship between himself and his disciples.
Why would they be troubled?
If he went away.
Because of the love of the relationship between them.
And he recognized there was love in their hearts toward himself and.
And he had love in his heart toward them and he recognized that the very fact that they're going away is going away was going to trouble them because of that love of the relationship.
00:25:09
We know what it's like. Probably most every adult in this room has experienced it. When somebody went away, some situation in our life and where we troubled, no, we were probably relieved.
Why, because of the at that point in time, at least, the character of the relationship was, did not have the active ingredient of love in it for some reason or another. And consequently there was relief rather than sorrow or something that would have characterized it if there was love there. And so the Lord Jesus in this chapter, in the previous chapter, his being troubled about Judah.
Was particularly the very fact that that love of the relationship was missing in Judas. It was in the heart of the Lord Jesus, but it wasn't in the heart of Judas. And he could see the end result for Judas of not having the relationship and and where he was headed and it troubled his soul. And so it is, brethren, you sit in this room, I sit in this room and the Lord Jesus.
Counts upon and draws upon the love in your heart toward himself to respond to himself.
And his instructions that come in these chapters are based on that. If there isn't in your heart a drawing toward his person in love, then what's said isn't going to matter much to you or me. But in the measure in which the heart is drawn to his person, then what he has to say is based on that.
And our souls are benefited because we will respond to it. He also speaks elsewhere about things that would hinder the flow of the enjoyment of the fellowship that comes with it. But he begins here. He says, I know you believe in God. Believe on me too. And, and even though we're going to be separated from each other for a time, umm, our love.
Will keep us together in heart and spirit.
Really.
Important that we keep our hearts from trusting in others and don't let anything come between the confidence that you have in the Lord. Don't let anything interrupt that it is what really is called in the.
6th of Ephesians, the shield of faith, trust in God. You may have questions about me, you may have questions about all the rest of the brethren, but don't let anything bring.
Any question mark about your faith, your trust in God, there's anything that brings in a question mark there, it's from the from Satan.
And that's the way Satan works is get us to mistrust God.
Trust him. You don't understand what he's passing you through, but trust him. He knows quite a bit more about things than you do. Trust him. So tremendously important.
And just to give a verse from the Old Testament that we all enjoy a lot, Isaiah 26.
And verse three and four, Thou wilt keep him.
In perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, To stay on it is trust, because he trusteth in thee. Trust in the Lord. How long? Forever. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength of the margin says is the Rock of Ages. Trust him.
00:30:02
So important that we don't give up that trust. Satan came to Eve and put a question mark in her heart.
As to the truth of what God had said.
Yeah, hath God said.
Is that really true?
And she gave place to his suggestion, and she ended up falling. And so how important it is, brethren, to be careful about any suggestion that calls in question that trustworthiness, the faithfulness of our God. He is God.
He can be nothing less than God and He is worthy to be trusted even though we don't understand what He's allowing. Trust Him so important.
Connected with that, we don't.
Generally question the power of God.
We generally have the sense that we're.
Which is true that God can do anything consistent with his own character.
Where we have difficulty, though sometimes, is trusting the heart of God.
And that's why I'll keep emphasizing it. Umm.
That's why the aspect of the Father is so important, because it brings out his heart.
For God so loved. God is love.
But we enter into it often in its practical aspect is if our hearts are in the enjoyment.
Of his heart it helps us immensely not to question.
Not to wonder.
About what God is allowing to take place in the circumstances and the trials of our lives. My Father knows, my Father loves, my Father's wisdom is perfect. And so on are things that need to be rooted in us so that when something comes up we can't understand, we can go on. And what we do understand have learned to understand, if you will. And that's the heart of God.
Our Father.
This is the first time that the Lord Jesus here speaks distinctly.
About the relationship of them with the father and with himself.
And he even says in my father's house are many mansions. So they are distinctive places for those who have given, have been given to him by his father.
It is not just a building, it is a big house. It is a place where all have room and where all are very welcome and where there's a special place for everyone.
He tells them. If it were not so, I would have told you. Now he is telling them and he says that he personally goes to prepare a place for everyone of his disciples there. Of course, that includes all believers. Judas isn't wisdom anymore. He went to his own place, but all those who were saved.
They are welcome to be.
With him in his father's house.
And he will be there to receive them.
He will receive all believers and to himself, he says myself.
That where I am, there ye may be also. That should make every believer. That should make us very comfortable to know that we would be.
00:35:08
There, where he himself is.
He will be there.
The most important person he is now, but then he will be seen as such and it will make his own very comfortable.
Helpful to see that the word mansions in verse 2 is really abodes, the same word as you have in verse 23 for the Lord Jesus says if a man loved me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. That's the thought. Same word as is used in verse two of mansions, it's abodes.
Really, it only speaks of one house in heaven is the Father's house, but it has many abodes as we get the picture of all the streets and many mansions built on those streets separately. But it's really only the Father's house that it's talked about. And I love to think of that, that each one of God's children is special in a different way.
And there is a special place prepared for each one. When you have the church, it's more the unity of God's people, baptized by 1 Spirit into one body. But when you have the Father, it's more the family, and that's more John's ministry. And each one has a special place. I like to ask sometimes a father that has numerous children.
What's your Which is your favorite child?
If the family is a normal family.
They'll often say and they do. They're all my favorites, but in different ways.
The brother in the Dominican Republic I knew who went to be with the Lord at 101 years old. He had had 31 Children in his life and I don't know how he kept them all straight, but I didn't ask him that question but because I didn't know many of his children. But it is true, brother. And think of all God's children and each one has a special place in his heart. And I think that's the thought of.
My father's house are many abodes. Think of the millions and perhaps billions of the redeemed.
Down here we get feeling lost in a crowd. Sometimes there are people that are lonely in the midst of a crowd of people.
Brethren, it's not that way there. There's a special place for you that no one else can fill. It's the one that's prepared for you and I. I love to think of that the Father's house is the place of the enjoyment of the Father's love. It was the place that the Lord Jesus enjoyed for all eternity. You remember in John chapter one it says.
Umm, no man hath seen God at anytime. The only begotten Son which is.
In the bosom of the Father he hath declared him. In other words, there is the place where He enjoyed from all eternity the Father's love, and now he wants us to enjoy that same place. We sometimes sing that hymn, 127 and it says in one of the verses, There dwells in his bosom.
Knoweth all that in that bosom lies, and came to earth to make it known.
That we might share his joys. So here's the place in heaven in the Father's house, the place of the enjoyment of the Father's love. We have a place prepared for us, each one.
He says if it were not so, I would have told you I'd go to prepare a place for you.
Sometimes a child will or a young person will say, oh, come to my house.
00:40:04
That says two things about them.
1.
Their confidence and relationship to their parents.
That they can, if you will, invite somebody to come with them there and also their own enjoyment of it.
And here we find it perfectly in the heart of the sun.
His home, his heart was in his father's house.
And he had perfect confidence in his father's heart that those that he loved.
He wanted there too. And so it is brethren, the heart of the Lord Jesus towards you and toward me is with a perfect knowledge and confidence in the Father's heart, His Father's heart. Our Father's heart is perfect enjoyment. Where is a better place? Where is a happier place? That's where I want us to be. I want you to be with me and we want to be there together. Make a comment on the end of verse two. I go and to prepare a place for you.
It's true. It's absolutely necessary to prepare us.
For that place he had to go to the cross and die for us so that there might be a place there for us. But I don't think that's the primary thought here.
It's more.
Before when he came into this world as a man.
There had never been.
A man in heaven in a body.
The earth was man's place. Heaven's was God's place.
God prepared the earth for us, and he dwelt in his own place in.
In heaven. But in order to redeem us, in order to make God known to us, in order to bring us into the relationship with Himself, he became a man.
And dwelt among us.
And in becoming a man, it was of God that he remained that for eternity.
And so he will be a man for eternity. So it's incomprehensible that heaven wouldn't have a man in it.
When He rose from the dead and returned home to the Father's house, He returned there as the Son who always had dwelt there in the bosom of the Father. But He also in a new way really for mankind, if you will. He enters there as a man, and in doing so it prepares for us a place there.
He having entered there and we having been prepared through redemption, then he could say, I, I, I go to prepare a place for you. I go there. And once I'm there, if you will, then it'll be a suitable place for you to be as well. And uh, so that's our destiny now. We don't have a future connected with this earth for those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus and our members of the body of Christ.
We have our there will be an earthly people, but those being addressed here, which we know later on, it comes to include us from the 17th chapter. We say that's our place, that's our destiny is to be with him, the man in glory in the Father's house. And so he goes back and in that way he prepares the place for us as well.
Progressive. Progressive. Kind of to know.
Whither he goes?
And would I go, Ye know, and the way he know?
Of course they knew where he was born and that he had four brothers and sisters.
In Nazareth, and that's where he came from, and they were still pretty much earthbound. So he has to guide them into a heavenly sphere now.
And that is Thomas. He asked a very natural question. He says to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
00:45:10
There's many people today who asked what's the way to heaven? They're looking for a tangible place, a place that they can relate to as through the earthly dwellings where people dwell here in the world. They really would like to know what heaven is like. And they ask.
And then he asked, how can we know the way?
And now he dri he introduces himself to them as a way.
But not only the Way, but the truth and the life. So their whole being has to be connected with himself to get onto the way and to know what he is talking about and to know what eternal life is.
Like to mention, uh, before we go any further in connection with verse 2, the father's house that it is kind of a beautiful picture in first Kings chapter 6 in the Old Testament when the.
Temple was built by Solomon, what he did there, and it's a picture of what we have here.
In first Kings chapter 6 and verse five says and against the walls of the house, that's the Lord of the House of the Lord, the temple. He built chambers round about against the walls of the house, round about both of the temple and of the Oracle, and he made chambers round about. The nethermost chamber was 5 cubits broad, in the middle of six cubits broad, and the third was 7 cubits broad.
For without in the wall of the house, he made narrowed rests round about, that the beam should not be fastened in the walls of the house, and the house when it was in building was built of stone.
And then later on it talks a little bit more about those chambers, but there were three sets of or three stories of chambers round about the House of the Lord for the priests that were doing the service of the House of the Lord as it was in courses. And there they stayed while they were doing the service of the House of the Lord. That's a picture.
Of what we have in verse two, my father's house are many abodes.
Pictured in such a way that there was common nearness.
Some people, if you want to talk about downtown Chicago, some people live pretty far. We're not very close to downtown right here. We're at a distance. And if you see the children of Israel and the way their camp was laid out for them, among the 12 tribes, there were those that were close to the center where the Tabernacle was, and there were those that were at a greater distance.
But we have these pictures like Bob just presented.
To give us the sense that we will all enjoy the nearness. Heaven isn't going to have the near and the far or the ones that are close and the ones that well, they're second class and are at some distance. But it's presented to us as a brother used to say, God has no favorites in his family.
He loves every single one equally and perfectly. There's no one in this room that's loved by God more than anyone else.
Were all loved as he loved the sun and he can't love more than he loves the sun. But he said, I have loved that he wanted, uh, the Lord Jesus wanted them to know that the father loved them as he loved his son. And so it's, it's an important part of that relationship. But I, I'd like to add one more thought.
It's very precious to my own heart.
00:50:01
In the end of the first third verse, he says.
That where I am.
There you may be also.
If you said are we gonna be happy in heaven, we would answer, of course. If you said are we gonna be ecstatic in heaven, I suppose we would answer, of course. Couldn't be otherwise.
But is that the most important thing?
I don't think it is.
What's most important?
Is he going to be happy?
Is he going to be satisfied?
And He assures our hearts of his own heart toward us. I want you.
To be with me.
In the end of Isaiah 53, when we are collectively assembled around himself, it says he shall see of the fruit.
Of the travail of his soul.
And shall be satisfied.
That's for us what will make heaven, Heaven he shall have.
The desire fulfilled of his own heart of love.
And our enjoyment will be the response to His satisfaction, to rest in His love and in the Father's heart as well.
The most important statement.
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
Though he personally.
Here's these three things.
There there's a big organization in the world today that says.
Only those who come to our church or place can be saved.
And and and.
That's a very general thing, but here we have a specific answer, namely himself.
I am the way, so if we want somebody to get to know how to.
Go to heaven and to be accepted in heaven.
We have to mention the name of the Lord Jesus.
Because it's only himself that brings people to the Father and to heaven.
There are some people, they say, well, my church will bring me there and we have somebody he's called the Vicar of Christ.
But that is a lie.
He himself needs nobody.
To bring.
People to him, he is the one who.
It's a direct way and there's no one else.
That would take a place closest to him. Some say Mary is now in heaven, his mother. Nobody knows when where she died and when she died through a naturally being the mother, his mother, she must be in heaven. And then they deceive many people by saying that because she isn't having she in in.
Makes her son, who is also connected with having to do things for her.
Well, these are all false teachings. It's only himself and his name.
And the truth that is thought about himself.
00:55:05
That brings people to God the Father and into heaven.
Spoken of at the beginning of the meeting for sports as whether I go, you know and the way you know.
Whether, uh, Don brought before us that very little in this chapter is spoken of heaven is spoken of very little. Heaven is not really the object of the Lord's, umm, discourse with his his disciples. It's, as it's been said, it's relationship.
And so when the Lord Jesus answered.
Thomas Thomas in his.
Umm in his growth in the appreciation of relationship with with the father wasn't very far along.
And so when the Lord Jesus said, you know where I'm going, he didn't enter into.
Umm, the fact that what was precious to the Lord's heart was he was going to a place where he would enjoy the relationship with his father.
Heaven for the Lord Jesus was to be in fellowship with the Father and so.
When in verse 5.
When, uh, Thomas answers the Lord Jesus, Thomas says unto him, Lord, we don't know where you're going.
And how can we know the way Thomas didn't understand?
That the Lord Jesus was speaking about relationship, not a place in that sense.
But the Lord straightens him out in the next verse, he says.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, so he's going to tell him how to get there first.
And then he's gonna tell him where he's going.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. He doesn't say here, no, no man gets to heaven except by me. Because that really wasn't what the Lord Jesus was occupied with. That wasn't what was dear to His heart about where He was going.
What was 0 to his heart was he was gonna go and enjoy the company of his father. He was gonna go to, he was gonna go home to his father. Uh, just a little example of this a while back, umm, 1 of my kids had been away for a while.
And, uh, as he got closer to home.
J. Nielsen, 1 John 2, Jude 20 & 24
Open—J. Nielsen, D. Rule, S. Brinkmeyer
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We have a home of all.
People that breathe.
Nsnoise.
Arrived soon in.
The road.
Day we're all white. Glory in time.
Your whole year.
Will pray.
I'd like to share a blessing.
From the Bible reading we just had.
And uh.
The heading of this gathering says, as the Lord thy rips.
So that doesn't make me too fast, but.
I talked to the Lord about it.
And then a word came to me which has given me proudness.
To share this blessing with you.
Was it your passport? Says we believe.
And therefore we speak.
So as if the Holy Spirit would say to me, do you really believe?
What you want to share with the Saints?
I couldn't say no.
So therefore, I'd like to share a tremendous blessing across from the last Bible reading.
And I like what what I said in the beginning.
That the the essence of heaven.
Is the fact.
But we are going to be with him.
And I like that.
Because that's really the point. The point.
00:05:03
But then my attention.
Both directives to verse 23 and it has already been mentioned and elaborated on.
But it says if anyone.
Loves me.
I will keep my word.
And my father will love him.
And we will come to him and make our home.
With him.
You know some are saying to me, I know we are many here or some here.
With different national backgrounds and I represent that Danish minority.
And some of you would say to me.
You are very far away from home.
But in a way I'm not.
Because according to this word in verse 23.
Which speaks about relationship.
And obedience to this word.
And taking his words seriously.
In our lives, in other words, apply the words in our life and in our walk.
Then we have the promise there. You need not be thousands of miles away from home because he makes his home with you right wherever you are. It's not beautiful.
So that's one of the blessings I got from the Bible reading.
And, uh, we just have.
And so we have a home in heaven, and those of us who travel a little bit, we are not so far away from home as long as we stick to the Word of God and apply it to our consciences and our inner peace and walk.
We have this powerful promise that he will make his home with us. And secondly.
He also makes his home.
With the assembly.
With a thing, as long as we take His word seriously and obediently.
That means.
He makes his home with me and with the Saints.
Who has that relationship to God as verse 23 talks about?
I'm very much at home also with the things.
So praise the Lord for that.
I love you because my home is also with the same.
Then.
Also, there is a beautiful thought about home.
And I'm thinking of the rest in 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 8.
And that I support my godly grandfather taught me.
When I asked him as a new believer.
I said Grand Town. What about those who have died in the Lord? What happens to them?
And then grandfather said Second Corinthians 5.
H And then it's 85 and it says away from the party and the home of the Lord at home of the Lord.
So when I believe he leaves his body, we're going to do that. If not, the Lord comes.
Remove.
When I have a few years ago.
Was operated on my heart, so I'm a heart patient really.
So you know, you still, you still there.
00:10:01
And the 13 came to my room in the hospital in Denmark.
And explain what that surgery was about.
I really didn't like to hear that. I thought that was pretty tough.
To hear him describe how he put his my heart out of my body and see this and that with the heart. But then I said to him.
That's one thing I like to say to you, which is very important for me to say.
At this time.
I said to him if the surgery goes wrong.
Don't worry because it only means I've got a new address.
And he left. We are good healthy laughter.
And he says that must be wonderful.
To be that clarified in your life? Most wonderful.
So.
That's home in heaven in your daily walk.
And if you're about to leave the body in Germany, they have a wonderful expression about a believer.
Who goes to the right, they say.
He or she is Haim Tegan.
Can home is not what you are saying in Germany. That's that's what they say in my in my German.
Hi, go on home.
And you know what's the Salvation Army says?
He or she has been promoted to glory.
So thank you for listening to me and I see as what I wanted to show.
Yeah, with you, I mean.
Do you mind singing? My favorite song is you know this wonderful song? Praise the Lord ye sing to know him. I don't know the number 256. Could you sing that?
Mm-hmm. Oh, great.
So far in my spirit, my dream aside.
Love you for God's word. It's a hard time, but I'll take the Lord and God's dream life.
Long Island City, Florida.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise auto service Nsnoise.
00:15:11
Could you please turn with me to 1St John chapter 2?
First John chapter 2 and.
Umm, verse 14.
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him, that is from the beginning.
I have written unto you young men.
Because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father.
Buddies of the world, and the world passes away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth.
Forever.
Want to continue on with what the Lord has been bringing before us today?
And connect it with.
The verse that our brother has just spoken of in John 14.
You notice in.
The end of verse 15. The expression, the love.
Of the Father.
The love of the Father.
We're all familiar with the verse John 316 for God so loved the world.
That's not what's brought out here.
It's not that.
The love of the Father is a specific.
Aspect of his love.
And here we see how it is in US.
Or it's not.
The Father's love.
Is that love?
Which is concentrated in his son.
The father loves the son.
Of all loves that exist.
The greatest of all loves.
Is the love of the Father.
For the sun there is no greater love, never will be a greater love in all eternity.
Than the love that the father has for the son.
A father.
Finds great satisfaction.
In all who share with him.
In his love for his son.
It's a tremendous privilege given of us.
Part of his creation, now his children.
And in fact, that's part of why he's brought us into a family with himself.
That we might be enabled.
To share with him.
In his love.
With his of his son, the father's love.
So it's brought out here.
The love of the Father.
But it's brought out here in addressing young men.
And the negative.
It says.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The world.
Hates the sun.
00:20:01
And cast him out.
The father loves the son.
The world says we will not have this man.
And cast him out.
The one that is the object, the joy, the center of the Father's heart and affection was here.
And the world said to him.
We don't want you away with this man.
Does it not make the statement easy to understand?
Are we going to join with the father in his love for the Son?
Or is our life and our affections and our activities going to side with the world?
That cast him out.
If any man love the world.
The love of the Father.
It's not in him.
It has this very practical effect, doesn't it?
Lest we say, oh, I don't love the world.
No, no, no, I don't love the world, but I have to live in it.
We have here a very practical.
Addition, if you will, to the statement of just the world is a system of things, it says.
Love not the world, neither the things.
That are in the world.
Neither the things that are in the world.
From God's side of it, when this world crucified the Lord Jesus Christ.
God condemned it to judgment.
He passed his judgment upon the whole system.
And said now is the judgment of this world.
We live in a world that has been judged by God for the treatment of His Son.
The center of his heart and his object.
And it's not only.
Do.
Does the system.
Been condemned. Judged.
Even though the actual carrying out of it hasn't taken place yet.
It's on death row.
It's on death row.
And so it says to us, to guard our hearts.
Neither the things that are in the world.
Neither are the things that are in the world.
Oh, but I have to have a house, I have to have clothes, I have to have a car, I have to have a job.
Yes, we do.
And God doesn't condemn that.
But.
Commented this morning, your home is where your house. I'm sorry, your home is where your heart is.
And the home and the house are not the same.
Your house is where you live.
But it doesn't have to be your home in that sense, in the moral sense of it.
Helpfully brought home to me many years ago that difference. I love to go to my grandparents home.
My grandparents lived in Toledo, OH at that point when as a boy I was growing up in Columbus, OH.
And I love to go to that home, that house.
And spend a week or so at a time with my grandparents.
I was I had the privilege of sitting with my grandmother.
As the two of us in the room with my grandfather.
When he was absent, taken absent from the body to be present with the Lord.
Very pleasant positive memory in my heart with my grandmother.
But the time came when my grandmother died.
00:25:01
And all that she had was divided equally among her three sons.
And in my heart, I didn't want them to sell the house.
Because of what it meant to me.
And.
But they did.
They did.
So later on, when there was an opportunity to go by with my children.
We went back.
By the home.
We drove in front of it. I looked at it.
Wasn't a home anymore.
It had lost all its character.
Because the one who was loved, the ones who were loved, weren't there anymore.
The Lord Jesus in John 17.
In his prayer to the Father, he says, I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified.
And he's speaking to his father. What is he saying? He's saying as it were.
Those who love me will be separated in heart from everything down here because of where I am.
So for their sake, I set myself apart.
And it will have the effect upon their hearts and lives of setting them apart.
Because I'm not there.
Holmes Heaven.
Because it's where our heart is. It's where he is.
But here it's very practical. It's to young men.
And I'd like to make some practical remarks about it to you, all of us, because some of us, not sure, it's not chronological age, but some of us can go all the way through life and we're still children.
And never quite get to young men and fathers.
Two things here.
For us to notice.
It says.
The word of God abideth in you.
And ye have overcome the wicked one.
We're gonna talk about the wicked one first.
You've overcome the wicked one. Of course we know that, Satan.
Just because. Let's go back to John 14.
You can keep your place where you are if you want, because we're going to come back there in a moment or.
Close to there.
John's Gospel.
Chapter 14.
Inverse.
29 John 1429.
And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me.
Expression that I want you to hold on to as we turn to another scripture is and.
Half nothing in me.
I'll turn over back to First John chapter 5.
First John chapter 5 and verse 19.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and are in him, and that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ.
I should have started a little earlier, so I'm going to start over again. Verse 18.
00:30:05
We know that whatsoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and the wicked one toucheth Him not. In John 14 it was half nothing in me Speaking of the Lord Jesus.
Everything that was of Satan.
The wicked one.
Found no response in the heart of the Lord Jesus.
When Satan tempted him, as he did, to try to step out of his place of obedience.
Or even act in deity instead of as a man.
Which is part of what he tried to tempt him to do.
There was a temptation, there was an effort of Satan to draw him.
Out of obedience to His Father.
But there was nothing in him that responded in it. He was holy.
Pure.
In every way he was the Son of God, the Son of man.
In first John Five, it talks about us. We can't say we're like that.
As to our natures.
So how can it say to us he that is born of God sinneth not?
The father loves the son.
The Father wants to enter into an enjoyment with us for eternity, to share with Him in that love.
And in order to enable us to do it, one of the works that he's accomplished is to give us the life of Christ.
Christ, who is our life.
And that life cannot sin.
That life is perfectly responsive to the Father's love.
And so Satan has nothing that can touch that true fountain of life.
It can touch the flesh.
And that's where the young man in First John Two was was being exhorted.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the plight of life.
It's not of the father, it's of the world.
So what is the preservative that we live in fellowship with the Father?
In that enjoyment.
That is the center of his heart.
He abides in that love.
There are multiple aspects to that and not wanting to or feeling is even the Lord to to take too much more time.
I'd just like to speak about the other aspect though that is connected here. It says.
Of that word.
Your strong.
The word of God abideth in you.
And you have overcome the wicked one.
The word of God abideth in you.
We all got up this morning.
We all did what we do.
Did we all treat the Word of God?
Is more important than any other thing that we did this morning.
Man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word that proceedeth.
Out of the mouth of God.
00:35:03
To see how the Lord Jesus would apply it to us, go back to John 14.
The chapter that we have before us.
And see how it's connected.
Before I get to it.
Just to show the practical, if you will.
On occasion recently to be out in the city of Denver.
That what many of us would call the Denver meeting room or Englewood meeting room. And I went outside the meeting room and, uh, noticed the man watering in his backyard and I went over, went into the yard and had a conversation with him.
And in the course of the conversation, he pointed to us. It was really hot at that time. And he in August, I guess, and and he looked at a a set of flowers that were kind of drooping.
He said to me, you know, those flowers are like Christians that haven't been receiving the water of the word of God.
Are there some droopy flowers in the room this afternoon? You may not be aware of it. I don't know that those flowers knew they were droopy, but they were.
Because they didn't have the necessary nutrition for their lives, they depend on it, and without it, they drooped.
So here, he says.
And John 14.
Verse 23.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If any man loved me.
He will keep my words, and my father will love him, and we will come unto him and make her abode with him.
If the love of the Father is in US in its practical sense.
What will it produce in US?
First priority.
To please the son.
To keep his words.
Does that give pleasure to the Father's heart?
What could give more?
And So what does he say as a result of it?
My father will love him.
There's the love of fellowship, there's a love of relationship here.
When two people love the same thing, they enjoy one another's company.
When two people have separate interests.
Separate things that are important to them. They'll seek someone that has common interest with them.
You and I have common interests with the father.
If we do, we will seek fellowship with him.
In that which he finds his joy in.
And so.
The practical result of it here is my father will love him.
We will come and make our abode with him.
We will dwell together in that common enjoyment, that fellowship.
With one another that we share.
So we put the opposite to us, so that we can get our consciences involved in it, not just our hearts, He says. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.
It's the other side, isn't it?
If I do my own thing, go my own way, find my own interests.
Not shared with the father? Well then what? What he says isn't so important. It isn't necessary for my life. I have something else I'm occupied with.
00:40:00
Is most important to me.
So he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. Then he goes on to say, And the word which you hear is not mine, but the fathers with which sent me.
Verse 21.
He that half my commandments and keepeth them, it is that loveth me. Ye that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
The proof?
That you love the Lord Jesus.
Disobedience.
To his will, his commandments, his word.
I think each one of us has some sense of whether we are obedient children.
Or whether.
Where, as Bob said, in the matter of marriage, we're 99 percenters.
Or 95 percenters. Or some weeks were 25 percenters or 30 percenters. That is 50% for the world and me and 50% for the Lord. I'm for the Lord on Lord's Day, and I've got other things on other days, whatever it is.
We're not here to judge one another.
Where he let the word take care of the judging. And so the Lord Jesus says, if any man love me, he will keep my words.
Well, the reason I commented on the word of God and reading it this morning is how can I keep his words if I don't know what they are?
Live in the book.
Some of us remember a brother that.
I used to say at times like this, he said. Read the word of God until your very thoughts are formed by it.
Read the Word of God until your very thoughts are formed by it. It's God's word. It's a living word.
And he'll make it in his time and way.
Comprehensible.
Not everything, but what you need to know.
And certainly he will make his heart known.
I think those of us that have been along the path of life can safely say.
We have greater reason to have confidence in the heart of God.
Than our own heart.
In fact, we can say we know the heart of God better than our own heart.
God's heart is.
No complicity in it, no deceit in it.
Know anything that's corrupted in it? It's clear, it's straightforward, it's pure, it's holy, it's knowable.
Can't say that about my heart.
Succeedful hasn't changed since I was born. This is deceitful. It deceives me.
Beyond that, the loler we get, the more we realize it's desperately wicked. We probably will in our lives, never get to the bottom of that truth.
But not God's word, not God's heart. We want it.
We want to enjoy and enter in with the father's love for his son.
In John 5.
God talks about honoring the sun.
Every single person who lives on Earth is going to honor the sun.
We have the privilege of honoring him now.
God says yes, and if you leave this world having rejected Him, you will honor him because he'll be your judge.
And he will have to say to you, you didn't want me. You didn't want my father.
00:45:00
You made the choice to live without me, and you're going to have that.
Results forever.
Without me, that was your choice.
To live without me, and you'll spend eternity by that choice. May it not be true of anybody in this room, but may we each desire more and more to have fellowship with the Father in his love for His Son.
Couldn't help but think.
Of the droopy flower example.
That her brother shared with us.
And I was very much encouraged by what her brother previously spoke of.
I don't know about you.
But I couldn't hardly finish singing.
Then we shall be where we should be.
Then we shall be what we should.
We've enjoyed thoughts of the abode.
Of the mansion above.
The Palace.
What do we think of?
It's beyond what this world is expressions.
N.
Things that are not now or could be.
Soon shall be our own.
The glories.
Of God.
The love of the sun toward us.
The love of the Father.
Toward the sun.
We shall be.
May I say in that coming day?
Viewers of that very love.
We cannot take it in.
As her brother Don was Speaking of the love of Christ.
Pure. Full.
Noble.
We shall know, even as we are known.
He was speaking with.
A sister before this meeting.
And a verse that.
I thought about this past week.
And was brought to.
To light and.
A meeting.
Going back to the flowers that droop.
And in light of the time in which we live.
We always think about as I was growing up, I remember my parents and others always Speaking of the time in which we live.
What is that time but wickedness, evilness, hate?
We see it all around us.
And even.
We can certainly be discouraged.
It's easy to get discouraged.
There's even books in the Bible.
That.
Or somewhat may we say discouraging when we consider the things of what it speaks of.
The wickedness, the hate.
But we can be encouraged, can't we?
And in some of those books.
That speak of the hate, the evil.
00:50:02
There we find.
Alight that overcomes that discouragement.
Jude verse 20.
But ye.
Beloved.
Who is that beloved?
May I say Crystal?
And what does it tell us?
Building up.
Building up yourselves.
On your most holy faith.
Right. And the Holy Ghost.
Keep ourselves.
In the love of God.
Looking for the mercy?
With our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unto.
Eternal life.
A life without end.
And where will that life be?
Our heaven, our abode.
With Christ himself.
Jump down to verse 24.
Now under him that is able.
To keep you from falling.
Then to present you faultless.
Before the presence.
Of his glory with exceeding joy.
We all have our faults, none of us are perfect.
I speak to myself.
To the only.
Wise God.
Our Savior.
He loved us, loved us, He gave himself for us.
What does it say of him?
The glory and majesty.
Dominion and power.
Both now.
He can say even now in this scene because of Christ our Savior.
But now and ever.
Amen.
Verse 21 Do not touch.
Do not taste.
Do not handle.
Which is all concerned things.
According to the Commandments and the Doctrine of Men, Chapter 3.
That's part of the first verse seat Dole team.
Which are above.
For Christ is.
Sitting at the right hand of God, set your mind on these things above.
Not on things on Earth.
Or if you die.
Your life is hidden with Christ and God.
00:55:05
Christ, who is our life, appears.
Then you also.
Will Pierce with him in glory.
Number 19 in the appendix.
In heavenly love abiding.
No change my heart shall fear.
The last verse, the Lord himself being Jesus.
Mid the ransom throng, its glory, joy and beauty, Its never ending song.
A day of wondrous promise. The bridegroom and the bride are seen in glory, ever, forever satisfied #19 in the appendix.
In heavenly love, abide in.
Amazing things and here.
God may roar without me. My heart failure.
Verizon Wireless on the railroad.
Spring of Sun, Art. From confidence.
Monterey.
All right, how crowded does it have?
01:00:26
Nsnoise.
Thinking of that.
Assured verse 3. Assured the Father's time is best.
Jesus will convey us home.
262.
To wait for that important day when praise is glorious.
Being the father of one's creation to.
Nsnoise.
Dial umm.
5 Senses
Gospel—Dean 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.
I'd like to have a mini message if I could, to start before I get into the topic that I have on my heart. And why do I say a mini message? Because I've been looking at the clock until it reached 7 and came up here and stood up and I'll put a watch here. There's no guarantee that even though the time card says that we will be here until 8:00 tonight according to the plan, there's absolutely no guarantee that we have an hour ahead of us.
The Lord Jesus could come first.
And if he comes first, this room is going to be nearly empty. And so the question for you tonight is, will your seat still be?
Your seat be empty.
If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, your seat will be empty if he comes. If you don't, it'll still be occupied.
And you're going to perhaps sit there for a few minutes and say, well, I wonder if perhaps I fell asleep, perhaps the people are off in the other room. They've gone to their cars. And you'll go out and you'll find it on the by, on the chairs that are here. The Bibles are still left there. You go out to the cars and find that the parking lot is still full.
And yet you're not going to be ignorant of what has happened.
And yet for you, there will never, ever, ever be another opportunity to be saved because you'll only believe a lie from then on. Your opportunity is now. A lot of people in this world who don't have the same opportunity that you have. And I have to be in a room like this tonight, have a Bible open before them on their lap or to be listening if they're not opening their Bible. And if you're not familiar with turning to the pages, that's OK Just listen. We'll read the verses.
But if that were to happen or something were to happen and.
You were to die.
Your last opportunity would be gone. And so I just want to read 2 verses, a mini message if I can before we go any further. The 1St is they're both very well known verses in Romans chapter 3.
Just to make it very clear.
If you don't hear anything else.
Romans, chapter 3.
Starting with the last four words of verse 22, Romans chapter 3, verse 22, the last four words.
They say there is no difference.
We live in a world where people are constantly comparing themselves with their neighbor, constantly comparing with themselves with people in the news. And if we want to, we can always say, well, I'm better than this than someone else. But God's standard of comparison is not the person next to you either where you study or where you work or where you live. It's not the person across on the other side of the earth. God is 1 standard of comparison, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ.
His Son, who is perfect and who has never sinned.
And if you can't equal him?
And none of us do, not even close. Then you've fallen short of God's standard and you can't go to heaven on your own. And so one other verse before we go in to sing a song, and then we're gonna read some of the verses in Acts chapter 20.
How do you change your situation? How do you change your eternal destiny? Testifying both to the Jews. I'm not aware that there's any Jews here tonight. Perhaps there are Jewish descent and also to the Greeks, which was the reference that was used in the word of God to those who were not Jews. Two things, repentance toward God. I talked to the younger ones here and most of the older ones. If I said to you if you needed to hit the reset button on some electronic.
Device.
You would not have any trouble finding the reset button. Repentance is God's reset button. It's not for an electronic device. It's God's reset button I'm thinking.
Because the human being has a tendency we do to justify ourselves, to think we're OK, to think we can do something on our own. But God's reset button says you need to stop, you need to think again. You need to realize that your thoughts have been wrong if you have not recognized.
What you've done and where you're headed. Everyone of us is sinners and apart from God, we're on. We're on the way to spend an eternity in the lake of fire. But it's like God says, you've got to stop. You've got to hit the reset button on your thinking. You've got to recognize that what you deserve is not anything good. You deserve to be.
00:05:15
And for all eternity, but doesn't stop there. And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has an expression, the world in which we live, it says.
Seeing is believing.
But the Word of God teaches something else. The Word of God teaches that believing is seeing. What's the difference? People may have their two physical eyes functioning and they can see the things around them, but that doesn't mean they necessarily believe what's really important. But the moment you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have sight, even though your physical eyes might be blind.
Because you're able to see things from a totally different point of view. Why? Because you have a new life, and that new life has a different point of view, a different way of seeing things. God doesn't ask you to do something, to reform your own life to make it better. No.
He says if I can put it that way, that's that's trash. It's no good.
I'm gonna give you a new one. He doesn't ask us to try to fix up what we are by nature. He says. I'm gonna give you a new nature that has different desires of different things. And So what do we need to have that, well, need to give us life. We need to repent and believe. And I'd like to sing one song before we go any further. And that's.
#32 What can wash away my sins? Nothing. The blood of Christ. If someone could start #32 for us, please.
Nothing but.
My flower and never mind me nothing up the blood of me on for thy flags and smiles.
Nothing but.
It is on.
My right so now nothing but the love of Jesus.
Oh crap comes in the flow.
00:10:04
983189.
4.
The ideal thing this evening would be if the Lord Jesus himself.
Could be seen here, but that's not where he is now and you could listen to him directly. We know that's not possible at this time and so.
He did leave us.
A book that's totally different than any other book that's ever existed or ever will exist.
In a world that's where it's exploding because of electronic publishing and things. He left us the Bible and in the Bible we can read about him and the first thing or the subject that's on my heart tonight is that we have 5 senses and children, young people, but science classes or even in elementary school learn that we we have seeing and hearing and taste and.
Touch and smell we have.
Those five senses.
And he wants to interact with us on physically or spiritually, on every one of those senses.
But the one that like to spend most of the time on this evening is site, and so I'd like to start out this evening in Matthew chapter 2.
In verse 2.
Just to make sure we get the context, we'll read verse one, also Matthew chapter 2 and verse one.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King.
Behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star.
In the east and are come to worship him.
Verse 9.
And when they heard the king, they departed. This was a man descendant of Esau, who had in his mind he converted to Judaism, and yet he was occupying a, a, a place there. And his purpose wasn't a right purpose, but theirs was. Verse 9 When they heard the king, they departed. And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came, and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
This world makes stars. This world makes stars out of entertainers. This world makes stars out of business people. This world makes stars out of.
Athletes.
But none of them ever had a star that could be observed going, and it was positioned over where this they were born when they were a young child, and it stayed there until these people could find it.
There's only ever been really one star.
In God's mind, if I can put it that way, in the 6000 years that human beings have been on earth, there's only one who deserves who has earned the right to be worshipped.
Earned the right to be recognized for who he is in that way understand and the word of God says where there's places and people to honor, but there's only ever been one star in his location was marked by a physical star in the sky that these men followed.
They searched until they found where he was.
And the question tonight is, have you been diligent in searching to find the only One who is the Savior?
More than you're searching, he's searching for you. He's done everything that he needs to do so that you could be saved and spend eternity with him. And what does he promise if you?
Find him, or he finds you. He finds those who seek for him, who diligently look for Him. And what does he bring? Exceeding great joy.
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Prosperity.
Does not.
Bring joy.
Power does not bring real joy.
Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior does.
There is no other source of real joy.
Here's an example.
I was really struck.
Those of us who are a little bit older have followed some the history of the Soviet Union and how the people and under Hil Gorbachev got a tremendous degree of liberty that they never had before.
If you were to go to Moscow and Russia or Saint Petersburg, you'd find that they're two of the most expensive cities on earth.
In many ways, hotels, food and that sort of thing.
But if you were to sit on the subway or walk on the streets of that city with people who have in some cases, incredible, incredible wealth and look at their faces, you're going to find the majority don't show that they have joy because maybe they've accumulated liberty in some ways, but there's no real liberty apart from knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
But these men that came from the East found joy. Did they find that at the home of someone who was exceedingly rich in earthly things? Let's go over to John chapter one and see more about this.
Unique.
Man, who is God at the same time the Lord Jesus Christ.
John, Chapter one.
And verse 34.
And I saw in their record that this is the Son of God.
There's only one in all the history of mankind that has been able to have that title, the one we're talking about tonight with God and is God and always will be. He wasn't always man, but He became man. We just read a little bit about that. And His man, He came to this earth. And why did He come to this earth? Because there was no other way for us if He didn't come to this earth to go be with Him and heaven. It wasn't by good teaching, although there's never been a teacher like Him. It wasn't by His perfect life, although that was necessary for Him to be the only sacrifice that there could be for our sins.
It was necessary for him to come and die, and he could not die as God. He had to come and give his life as man.
And so this is the Son of God. They recognized who he was, a few of them. Verse 35 again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God.
Why the lamb? Because he had to be the Lamb. They knew what the Lamb was back from the time of the Passover, but those lambs that died on in those Jewish homes could never take the first sin away at all. Waited until the Lamb of God came, the Lord Jesus Christ and two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following verse 38, and saith unto them, What seek? And they say unto him, Rabbi, which is to be.
Which is to say, being interpreted master.
We're dwellest now.
And they came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day.
Was about the 10th hour.
I don't think the accommodations.
Were the fanciest accommodations they ever visited.
There's a confusion in the world in which we live. I read about a person who was.
Saying that the Lord Jesus didn't spend very much time in Jerusalem because there were very few five star hotels for him to stay at.
And where they ever got that idea?
He was the man that when he was here on this earth, that said the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests.
But the Son of Man if not were to lay his head. And yet whatever simple accommodation he had at that point in time, he invited them to come and share it with him.
Why? Because he wants you to be in relationship with him.
He wants you to be in relationship with him and it would have been incredibly better to spend the hours with him and the simplest.
Of abode that there might have existed at that time in history, than to be able to go to the palace of a king.
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And be able to be entertained in that way. There's nothing, absolutely nothing, that replaces time with the Lord Jesus Christ.
There's no place it's better to be with him where he is than where he is right now in heaven.
Sitting here this afternoon thinking if I'm really thankful to be here, That's my third choice of where I'd like to be right now, because my first choice would be to be with him in heaven.
But that time is coming and it'll come. It is perfect, perfect time. The second choice would be if I could be my wife, but the Lord to direct that we be here this time.
There's nothing, absolutely nothing, in this world that compares with having a direct relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
He invited them, said come over and they spent time with him and So what happened? Verse.
40 and two of the two which heard John speak.
And followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. And he first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted to Christ, and he brought him to Jesus. That's why there's a gospel meeting this evening. He found us and we want to tell you that he wants to find you. He wants you to be with him. He doesn't want to leave a single person behind. It's his heart that every creature, every person for a man, woman, boy or girl.
Know Him as Savior and be with Him for all eternity.
And so.
He provided all the travel plans. He didn't say you have to go to the local travel agent or connect on something on the Internet and get your ticket and get your plans made that way and get a passport. He provided it absolutely all provided. And the one thing he didn't tell us, he didn't tell us when the departure moment would be. It could be while we're here, it could be later because he's patient, because he's still waiting.
But what he did promise is that he's going to come back and he's going to take everyone who knows him as their savior to be with them for all eternity. Well, they went and started telling the others, and that's what we want to do to you tonight. I don't think there's anyone here who's hearing it for the first time. I don't see any face that I've never seen before. Perhaps there is, but I don't see that.
But perhaps there's some dead people in this room tonight. Perhaps there's some blind people in this room tonight. You say I'm not dead, I'm breathing. Yeah, you might be breathing. You might be having your senses, your natural senses functioning. But if you're without the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, the Bible says you're dead in trespasses and sins. And if you've never believed, you're blind to the light.
That shines.
And the one who is light, God is light, and God is love, and the Lord Jesus is God.
And so he is light and he is love. And verse 42, what did he do? He brought him to Jesus.
And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation of stone.
Verse 43 The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and find us Philip, and saith unto him.
Follow me.
Faithful men don't have a following. No one here is asking you to follow them.
Tonight none of us are. What we're saying is follow the Lord Jesus. He's the only one who should be followed. Verse 44. Now Philip was with Visaya, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip find us, Nathaniel, and say us and him. We found him and that's our message tonight. We found him.
If I could put it, yeah, we found it. But also more than that, he's found us.
The Savior. We found Him. Do you know Him?
We found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did right, Jesus of Nazareth.
Son of Joseph, Nathaniel sayeth unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
Philip, Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
I was the same message that we saw earlier.
That was the message that the wise men came to where they could see him.
And that's the invitation tonight for you to come and see him. We could go over now for a minute to John Chapter 4.
The well known account of the woman at the well.
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The woman who around noonday was going to get water. Probably not a typical time if you were to go into the Middle East much of the year in the desert.
To go into Israel or been to Israel, but some of the countries and Arab speaking countries in the Middle East, you can walk around at noon and the temperature is likely to be 100 and 510°. And so people try to get out and do some of the things early in the morning or they do things into the evening. They try to stay away if they can from being out on the street as much as possible around noon with the noonday sun. But this woman picked the time that was perhaps different from when the others went to get water. Why? Because.
She was perhaps ashamed of her life.
But she was there at the perfect time, because who came along that day thirsty?
Asking for a drink of water. The Lord Jesus Christ came along that day and so he asked her for a drink of water and she questioned because he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan.
That wasn't the question for him.
He was there because He just physically could use a drink of water, but He was there for something more than that. He was there because He had living water, and He has living water for you tonight. Verse 14, the three verse 13, to get the context. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. He had more than physical water.
That he had created and that he could drink and satisfy his thirst. He had living water. He had the provision for her that could satisfy spiritual thirst then and forever.
Have you had a drink of the living water?
Verse.
16.
Now it's getting down to where he's going to probe a conscience and touch a heart. Verse 16 it said, Jesus saith unto her, Go.
Call my husband and come hit her.
Sometimes we say today this person knows how to touch the buttons or hit the hit the nail on the head or whatever expression you want to use. He went right to the point where he needed to reach her conscience and tonight he wants to reach your conscience. He wants to reach your heart. If you don't know him as Savior, It said in verse 17, the woman answered and said, I have no husband. It's true.
But it was totally incomplete as a statement. She wasn't married at that time.
You and I can often fool each other.
And I'm very thankful you don't know everything about my life because it would be a very shameful thing.
But I am thankful that he knows absolutely everything about me.
I am so thankful that there's not a single thing in my life that I've ever thought.
Or done or said that is hid from him. Why? Because he is love.
He is light, there's nothing hid from his sight, but he is love, and I'm glad there's absolutely nothing hid from him. Why? Because that means that when his blood washed my sins away.
There was nothing left.
Past, present or future that could come up later and condemn me?
This woman made some interesting statements. He said, he that thou now house is not thy husband, and that thou sayest truly. The woman sayeth unto them. Sir, I believe, I perceive that thou art a prophet. It wasn't a man who was known in the neighborhood, if I could put it that way, who had observed her history, perhaps her sad history there, which was known by many.
Verse 18 For thou hast had five husbands, we're going to go back, and he whom thou hast is not thy husband, and that thou sayest truly. So what did she go into town saying?
Verse 29.
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Did he go through and say now?
Woman, I'm going to go through and we're gonna it's gonna take some time, but I'm gonna recount everything you've ever done and since I can read what's on your mind, I'm gonna tell people what I'm gonna tell you what you said No, he didn't have her have to dig up everything in her past. She made a statement that.
We understand why she made it. It really wasn't exactly a true statement, but it said something very important. Verse 29 Come see a man.
Which told me all things that ever I did is not just the Christ.
Did he tell her everything she'd ever done? No. And if he was going to do that for any of us, it couldn't be done in a brief conversation by a well or in an afternoon in a town. Would take far longer than that. But what she was saying is.
He knows everything about me.
He knows everything about me. He knows everything about you.
If you thank them for that. If you thank them that he knows everything about you and he still loves you and he still died to save you.
She knew who it was. Is not this the Christ? And they went out of the city and came to him.
Instead of having the the one person came into the city and how many of the city went out to meet the man at the well that day? Have you ever met the man at the well who has living water verse? She said come see a man and that's what we invite you to do tonight. Come see a man in verse.
40.
5.
And when he was coming to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast, and they went out to the feast.
You need to see the man. Have you ever met him? You know him as your savior.
Time went forward and I'd like to go forward because her time is going quickly to John.
Let's go to Matthew, perhaps to see this and Matthew chapter 27.
And.
Verse 45.
Now we've gone forward to the time where the Lord Jesus is on the cross. We've read different verses that have said come and see.
Come see a man.
They came and saw.
It doesn't say that here in verse 45. In verse 45 it says now from the 6th hour there was darkness.
Overall, the land.
Until the 9th hour.
There's going to be a place in this universe of eternal darkness.
The eternal darkness is in a place for humans such as you and I. It was a place that was prepared for the devil and his angels.
The Lake of Fire will be a place of outer, eternal darkness.
But from noon to 3:00 PM on that Friday, there was darkness over the earth. Those who would be able had been able to look up at those 3 crosses that were on.
Calvary's Hill.
And been able to see the face, if they were close enough of suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ from 9:00 AM to noon.
When he suffered at the hands of human beings such as ourselves, they could not look up and see his face in those three hours of darkness.
That was a time they could not come and see why.
Because in that time.
He was bearing the burden of my sins and all who will believe.
At that, those three hours of darkness, the wrath of a holy God came down on him.
The punishment fell on him condensed what you and I would have to suffer for all eternity.
In the lake of fire condensed in those three hours came.
Upon God's beloved Son, the Lamb of God.
Why? Because he loves you.
Because he loves me. Is there ever anything we'll do to deserve it? Absolutely not. What we deserve is an eternity.
In outer darkness, in the lake of fire, but he and his matchless love and grace and mercy.
00:35:00
Die.
Is a personal reference. A few weeks ago was in a taxi and a in a country in the Middle East for 25 minutes or so talking to the taxi driver. The taxi driver.
Talked about a man we called a prophet.
You talked about Mohammed.
And I talked about a man who is a prophet, but more than that, he's a savior.
And we talked and we shared some things that we agreed on, he said. Muhammad said people shouldn't worship figures and worship idols and said agree with that.
But ask him one question before we came to the destination. I got out. I asked him, Who is the Lord Jesus Christ to you?
He answered some other questions.
When asking that question, it was only met with silence.
That's the question for you tonight.
Who is the Lord Jesus to you?
Someone you know a lot about because you've learned verses, because you've read a lot of the Bible, because you've sat in a lot of meetings like this. Or is it someone you know personally? Someone who have you responded to His love, to his sacrifice for you? Someone who you're looking forward to spend eternity with?
I've known.
Too many.
That I sat with in meetings like this.
Who have heard the gospel?
May have made a profession, may have been baptized, may have been breaking bread, and yet later it was evidently clear they never never knew the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
So my question is, do you?
Something totally different. Let's go to John chapter 20. Something totally different between the man we're talking about tonight and the man who's in a whose remains are in a grave in Mecca.
That grave still has.
Whatever is left of the mortal remains of Muhammad.
A or two ago things came out on the Internet, I assume in newspapers and things. They said some bones were found in a cave in Jerusalem. Maybe they're the.
Bones of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No, there are no bones left in Jerusalem. There's no bones left anywhere. He's risen.
He's in heaven. He rose from the grave, He walked on this earth.
There were many infallible proofs, he was seen of numerous people, and then he went up to heaven.
Verse one of chapter 20, the first day of the week, cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark.
Currency if the stone taken away from the sepulchre, and she runeth and cometh to Simon Peter, the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto him, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and they know not where they have laid him.
Her knowledge wasn't very good, but her heart was right.
She was early in the morning wondering what had happened. But Peter's verse three therefore went forth, and the other disciple came to the sepulchre, and they ran both together. The other disciple did outrun Peter. Maybe his conscience was still bothering and came first to the disciple.
To the sepulcher, and sipping down, looking, you saw the linen clothes lying, yet he went not in.
And come with Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and see if the linen clothes lie in the napkin. It was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
If it was a body that had been stolen out of a cave, things would have not been neatly folded up and wrapped together. There was no body that was stolen out of a cave. It was arisen, man. And if we can go over for a minute to Matthew chapter 28 and verse 6.
They got some really good news and perhaps it's the best news I can give you tonight. Matthew chapter 28. Let's read from verse five. And the Angel answered and said to the women, fear not ye, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. Who are you seeking tonight? Where are you going to find him?
Verse six He.
Is not here, for he has risen.
Eight of the most important words.
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And the most important book has ever existed. He's not here, he's risen.
Mohammed's in the tomb.
People go out.
And do a lot of crazy things because they think that's going to bring them some earthly pleasure, if I can put it that way, some carnal pleasure in heaven.
But their proof is in the tomb.
He stayed there, millions.
Go and circle that tomb each year.
Not the tomb of the Lord Jesus.
It's empty. He's risen.
He's risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay.
Well, it didn't stay there. Let's go over to Acts.
Chapter One.
In verse.
11.
Three from verse 9.
And when he has spoken these things.
Will they be held?
He was taken up.
In a cloud received Him out of their sight, and while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this same Jesus which is taken up from you to heaven?
Shall so come in like manner?
As you've seen him go into heaven.
The most marvelous words. He's coming.
He's coming for me, not because I deserve it.
But because he saved me.
Is it coming for you?
Are you ready for him to come?
Are you looking forward to it? Are you saying I've got, I've got some time, I can wait?
Time.
Maybe one of the things you don't have.
Repeat a statement that I heard and impressed me and greatly, and I'm going to repeat it to you tonight.
When it comes time to die.
Make sure all you have to do is die. You may not have time to do anything else. When it comes time to die, make sure all you have to do is die.
There's a lot to see and we've just seen a little bit about him.
He wants us to hear him too. Let's go to John chapter 5 and we'll just be able to look at perhaps one thing on each of the other senses.
John chapter 5 and verse 24.
Verily, verily, I say unto you.
I could paraphrase it and perhaps say it's true, it's true. Pay attention. Barely, verily I say unto you.
He that heareth my word, that's what we have before us tonight. So here's another sense hearing.
If you put AT on the end of the word here, you have heart.
Tea, and not to make A an idol in any way of the cross, but that's what the shape of the letter T is.
It's the cross. What happened on Calvary's cross reaches to your heart.
When you hear it.
It has to get there.
I'd have said the difference the distance between heaven and hell is 12 inches. Ever measured it? But they say that's the distance from the brain to the heart and hear things in your ear.
Has it ever reached your heart? Has His love ever touched you to the point that you've responded? So what does it say? He's a heareth on him and believe it does not do it or anything like that. Believeth on him that sent me. It's not just believe on God. There's a lot of people if you ask him, do you believe on God, they say yes, I do. No, it's believeth on him that sent me. The recognition that God sent his Son the Lord Jesus to be the Savior of the world.
What are the three outcomes?
00:45:00
We'll have in the future everlasting life, no?
Have it right now. That's everlasting life. So that's something we're waiting to get. It's something you get immediately at the moment you believe.
What's happened in the past and shall not come into in the future shall not come into condemnation or judgment. Her judgment ahead for this world. Verse 22 Says for the Father judgeth no man, but is committed all judgment under the Son. If you refuse his love, his grace, his mercy, the salvation that he offers you tonight, the last faith you will ever see.
For eternity is the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the throne, not his savior, then, but his judge.
Does he want to see you and be your judge? Absolutely not. But that's why he died for you.
Fully statements are made by people who say if God is a God of love.
He wouldn't send anyone to help. Several hundred homes around here received invitations this meeting tonight. What if we went to some of the homes that back to some of those homes and people that came out and got the bag said what is it? And you told them yesterday what the bag was and we grabbed those people by the arm and we dragged them in here. What would they be doing? They would be calling the police. They say you have no right to drag me there. No one's going to be dragged into heaven either. He works in hearts. But heaven is no place at all for someone who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
There's no place that compares with what we've heard today, that there's not much about it in the Bible because the only thing that really matters.
Is it will be with the Lord Jesus Christ and if you don't want him now, you won't want him for all eternity. There's no place made, as we've heard many times for those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior because God didn't say prepared a place for those who refuse the gospel. He prepared a place for the devil and his angels. He has no other alternative to send you if you refuse the gospel.
Shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verse 25 repeated those words, Verily, verily a say unto you, the hours coming. And now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that here shall live.
Well.
Here's a day.
And the Grays will be emptied of those who have already received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Their body will be transformed and joined back to their soul and spirit, which are already in paradise enjoying fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
But if there's anyone who's dead tonight in this room, dead in their trespasses and sins, he also tonight wants to call you and give you life. I want you to believe before it's too late. And so, yes, he has a message for you to hear. If you refuse to hear that, the sounds that you will hear for all eternity in the lake of fire are weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Next one, Psalm chapter 20. Excuse me, Psalm chapter 34.
So I'm chapter 34.
In verse 8.
Of taste and see.
That the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Doesn't see. Taste and see if the Lord is good, says Haste and see.
That the Lord is good.
The taste of what he is in your heart.
You find out he is good.
He's good.
And he wants the best for you. About 50 years ago, which dates me the front page of the Sunday school paper, the.
The first.
Bottom of the paper was this first we'll taste and see that the Lord is good. Remember a brother and I live. Then he sat down at a table in the center of the room, and he.
Got out of bag and he pulled out of that bag a plate.
And he pulled a brownie, pulled the bag out of the plate, out of the bag, and he he got a brownie out of it. I remember sitting there as a boy, eight or nine years old, and watching him eat that brownie.
00:50:02
And I can still sort of see that brownie to today.
And you could tell that he was evidently enjoying that brownie.
Well, I made an impression on me.
That brownie is long gone.
But if you've tasted.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know he's good.
And that'll last forever.
I'm gonna ask a few of the girls that are over there. Do you like grapes?
You wanna come up for a minute?
Does those look good?
You wanna try one and tell if it's good?
I'm gonna have one too. Is that OK? You think there's enough we could share with everyone?
What do you think about the grape? Is it good?
I think if I left this up here, other people would wanna come and have one later.
Maybe I think they would. Thank you for coming up.
These grapes are good.
The only way you're gonna know it, Put one in your mouth and taste it.
Taste and see.
The Lord is good.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
What he has for you is marvelous.
Then touch. We go to Matthew. We're coming to the last two, but Matthew.
Thank Chapter 9.
And behold, a woman, verse 20, which was diseased with an issue of blood, 12 years, came behind him and touched.
The hem of his garment.
She says within herself, if I may but touch his garment.
I shall be whole.
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw, he said daughter be of good comfort.
My faith had made thee whole.
And the woman was made whole.
From that hour she had a long term problem with hemorrhaging of blood.
But she had a problem which is more serious than that, and that day both of her problems were met.
He doesn't say to you. You have to have a whole lot of faith.
It's not the quantity of the faith that matters.
The thing that matters is where is the faith put?
And the only object that you should put your faith in is a man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
You just touch him in faith.
You'll be made whole.
Doesn't promise now that you'll be made whole from every physical sickness.
It does promise that shall be made whole now.
In your spirit and your soul, you'll have a new life, a life which can never die. The Doctor on Earth can promise that, but that's what he promises.
And now to the last one I'd like to turn, and that's the sense of smell to a book, a Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon.
Chapter 4 we're going to read from verse 12, the last verses we'll read tonight.
Song of Solomon chapter 4 and verse 12. The garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse.
A spring shut up, a fountain sealed, They planted an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, campfire with spiknards, spike nerds and saffron, calamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense, muranalos with all the chief spices. A fountain of gardens, a well of living water and streams from Lebanon, Oaco, North Wind. And come now S blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out, that my beloved come into his garden.
Anita's pleasant fruits.
He doesn't come to save you just for you. He didn't come to save me just for me. He came to save us that from our hearts would go worship to Him for who He is, praise for what He's done, Thanksgiving for what He's done for us.
That's wonderful that he saved us for ourselves.
00:55:09
For what you can also bring to him and what I can bring to him, a garden closed. If you go through neighborhoods in Chicagoland, they're most places in the United States, You find that that the yards are open and you can walk from one to the next and you can see the gardens. But there's a lot of places in the world where the gardens are not like that. Where we live, you're not considered to have taken possession of the property until you build a wall around it.
And when you build a wall around it, then it's actually find it something's pretty nice because you leave all the doors open during the day.
In Israel and Syria in this time, people had gardens and they were sometimes enclosed by a wall.
But out of those gardens could drift the aroma, the fragrance of the spices that were being grown there.
He saves you because he doesn't want you to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire Me. But that's not the only reason.
He wants something to reach Him of praise and worship and Thanksgiving for all eternity.
So the Waco north wind, sometimes the north wind is not very nice.
Sometimes the difficulties that come in life are not very good at the time.
It'd be an absolute lie if I stood up here and I said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and all your troubles will go away.
The reality is, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you're going to have troubles you've never had before.
Because now you have a battle. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you immediately pick up three enemies.
You pick up the enemy of Satan. You've been on his side. You changed sides. You pick up the enemy of the system of this world, which is against the Lord Jesus Christ. In your own flesh now provides the biggest battle, because it's one that will rage within you and tell the Lord Jesus comes.
It's a myth.
When someone says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and all your troubles will go away, but it's the truth, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and it's absolutely worth it. It's absolutely worth it, completely worth it. Nothing measures up to it. Yeah, the winds may be difficult, but what do they bring? Fragrance that comes out of the garden.
Part of the time I work with roses and I was just with a rose grower very last 10 days or so that has a fragrant yellow rose, which is named Creme Brulee after the dessert. And he said to customers, I have asked me to put one bunch of that yellow rose in each box I send to the United States. He said. Because the aroma of that rose goes through while it's traveling through all the other roses and they all come out being fragrant.
He wants our lives.
To be a fragrance that spreads and reaches out to those around us in that little time that's left here. We thank him for it.
Resources In Adversity
YP Sing Address—W. Hayhoe
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.
OK, so you've probably, uh, had a lot of, uh, versus before you today for all of us. And I want to try to just mention a few verses from the word of God and then, umm, see if we can bring it home to us individually. So something that you can take that's not just an idea out there. That's, well, that's great, but something that you can claim.
For yourself or I can claim for myself, because we all have our individual unique Christian experiences, but we have the word of God.
That gives us promises, things that we as Christians can.
Claim that other people in this world that aren't Christians don't have. They don't have the resources.
That we have. I'm going to read a verse. First of all, this is in.
Hebrews 11 it says cast not away, therefore your confidence with hath great recompense of reward. That's uh, Hebrews 10 verse 35 Cast not away, therefore your confidence which has great recompense of reward. That was a verse written.
To probably written by Paul. We don't know exactly who wrote the book of Hebrews, but he wrote that to those who.
Had lived under the old.
System of worship prior to the Lord Jesus coming.
And now they had something brand new. They had things that were a lot better, that were new to them. And he had given them throughout the book. And now he says cast not away. Therefore, your confidence, which has great recommends of we are, you know, we as Christians have the opportunity to go through life and to be very confident. Now, it's not confident in ourselves that we can survive, that we can live, that we can make it, so to speak. But there is a confidence that comes from knowing the Lord Jesus. And I'd like to look at a few.
Umm, versus that are found in the Bible by I think I'll go to about four different places, four different, well, I'll say servants of God for different people. The first one is in Psalms and it's in Psalm 18.
So these are things that I can claim, you can claim versus that we can go to in the Bible.
Of course, all of it's perfect, it's all God's Word, but sometimes it's good to have a few key verses that we can just go to in times that we face challenges, and I think that this is one verse that's very helpful.
Says in Psalms 18 verse 30 it says As for God.
His way is perfect.
Who can tell me who wrote that verse? I know you guys know, but who can tell me which person?
That lived then who wrote that verse?
I'm gonna have to pick somebody or my somebody raised their hand.
Come on you guys, you guys are smarter than that. I know. You know David very good, Sam told me very good. David wrote that he said As for God, his way is perfect. Did David have real life difficult experiences? Yes, we know. We did. We know that at the very start, right when he was chosen, umm by God and and chosen out of a family. I think he had seven brothers.
And he was chosen to go and go to where the battle was. His brothers falsely accused him. They said, we know the audience of thine heart. In other words, they thought that David was coming down to be part of the battle so that he could get a a, a special privilege or a special place. And they falsely accused him that, yeah, ascribe to him a wrong motive. He was he just went because he was instructed to go. Have you ever had a situation like that where somebody.
Looks in on what you're doing and they say, I know why you're doing what you're doing. And then they guess and they usually get it wrong. Is that a real life experience? You've probably had a similar experience like that. You know, David, he had a resource and I think probably this verse was written much later in his life. But nonetheless, he went through that experience and later on he learned to say, As for God, his way is perfect.
You know, when you hit adversity, maybe it's not somebody, umm, describing to you a false motive. Maybe it's some other situation in life, something that's not going the way it hoped it turned out.
00:05:04
Can I say when I hit difficult times? Can you say, does the word? Does the Lord want us to learn to say no matter what?
As for God, His way is perfect. Yes, He does, and we can claim that verse. So a good practice, and we were reminded of this today, is to learn to meditate on God's Word. In other words, read a verse like this. It's only going to come to mind in times of challenge if we have it as a resource.
In us by memorization or by reading and putting it away in our hearts, in our lives. Individually. David walked a very individual experience through life. He had a lot of challenging situations right from the start of his life right to the very end. And at some point in his life he was inspired by God to write down this verse. As for God his way.
Is perfect. We need to learn in our Christian lives not to doubt God. We can't. We shouldn't doubt what God is doing. We need to learn to trust and we need to learn to say As for God, his way is perfect. OK, now I'm going to go to another one. This is in umm. Well, I'll tell you what, I'm not going to tell you where it is. I'm going to see if you can tell me after I read it, OK? This is just to see if you're paying attention a little bit. I won't put anybody on the spot. At least I'll try not OK.
See if anybody can tell me who wrote this verse, OK, It says Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever. OK, who wrote that?
How did you know?
Oh, very good. Well done. Tim knew it right away.
Does anybody else, uh, know why we should, umm, probably know who wrote that verse?
What's that? Very good. That's right. When Mr. Tony, you had his address. Well, who was here for Mr. Tony's address?
Oh, lots of hands, I see. OK, is any, has everybody remembered he quoted that verse or he read it? Actually, he had us turn to it. Right? You remember that now? Isaiah 26, verses three and four. I'll read it again. OK. This is Isaiah 26, three and four. It says Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee, Trust ye in the Lord.
Remember he said a nice deep voice forever, right. We're supposed to trust in the Lord forever. Well, that's a positive umm verse that we as Christians, those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, we can like lay hold on that verse and that's what I kind of have on my mind tonight is to get and I'm not just talking to you. I'm talking to me and we're the Lord of hope is talking to all of us. Get these verses in US enough that.
They're a useful resource for us in our Christian life. It says here Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. Is that true?
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. Now I don't know about you, but I find that I often tend to have, umm, anxious thoughts or something less than perfect peace.
You feel adversity of some sort and it causes you to be maybe upset. Maybe you say something that you didn't want to say. Umm, if you're in a family where you have brothers and sisters, you know that that that sort of thing can happen, right? You if something happens and you say something and afterwards you, you grew regretted a little bit and you realize that you weren't really at perfect peace.
So you let something slip, you know, instead of taking it you, you, you, you argue back when it's not necessary and so on. Well, the Bible says here that will keep him in perfect peace. Whose mind is stayed on these See the secret is we have to have a link to the Lord Jesus. We his MO where it says whose mind is stayed on me are we have to have our thoughts. Our mind is where our thoughts originate from, as we all know. So we have to have our thoughts centered on the Lord Jesus. We have to have.
Thoughts of how he experienced life, what he did. We had a little bit of that in umm, how the Lord Jesus confronted that woman there and, and just in the Gospel meeting just now and John in the Gospel of John where he umm reached out to her. Well, we can read that account and then we can see a little bit of how the Lord Jesus responded to situations that confronted him. And so as in measure as our mind is set on him as we think about how he went through his life as a perfect man.
00:10:20
Why then when we hit difficult times, there should be the ability within us to have peace instead of having anxious thoughts. And so Isaiah penned, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. His mind is stayed on thee. Now I'm going to read another one. I'll give you a clue. This one's in the New Testament. See if someone can tell me who wrote this one.
It says, My God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus.
Very good. Someone knew right away. Well done. I think probably a lot of you knew that.
Perhaps one of the more commonly quoted verses in the Bible. My God shall supply all your need now, is that true?
Yeah, that's true. Do I believe it? Well, if you said that to me, if you ask that question to me, I probably would shake my head. Yes, I I believe it. But.
It doesn't really sink down that do I really claim it. My God shall supply all your need. Now it's been pointed out to us that doesn't say all your wants, all your needs and God knows what we have need of. We don't always know what we have need of and so.
We can't say to read this verse and say I have a need and it's not being granted. Therefore God is not doing what he said He would do. Now that would be a wrong thought. God is God and He acts in ways that are above our ways. His thoughts are above our thoughts. So we can't argue backwards and say I have a need. God give me my need. He is the one that knows. But we can rest in the assure assurance that indeed He does know.
And that He will supply. And so if we think we have a need and we're not getting it, maybe it's good to ask the Lord what He knows we have need of, and then be as rest in the confidence that He will supply all your need. He's not gonna leave us floundering. He's not gonna leave us unable to walk through life without measure of confidence in Him. He will supply.
All your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. OK, one more.
See if you can, uh, identify who wrote this one. Uh, let me just find it here.
So it's maybe a little more difficult, but I wonder if someone can pick out who wrote this verse, it says here.
Let's see where am I going to start? It says grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Anybody want to venture who?
Wrote that it's in the New Testament per.
Somebody said something.
I mumbled. Peter. Oh, you're right. Very good, Peter.
And umm, we had a little bit about from the Gospel of Peter today. It was in chapter three, I think that Mister Tony read this is second Peter 1, verses two and three. I'll just read it again now. So this is Simon Peter and we know that he had real life experiences, right? So remember now, Simon Peter, the one who walked with the Lord, the one who was a fisherman, who walked and followed the Lord, who loved the Lord dearly. He had real situations of life and he learned later on in life.
To write and be inspired to say, grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that have called us to glory and virtue hath given us. That's past tense. That's something we possess, He hath given us.
It says here.
All things that pertain unto life and godliness. Again another verse that we.
Can claim in our Christian life the Lord Jesus is the one who is the source.
00:15:03
Of the supply and he has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. He wants us to walk through our lives in a wanner that we can say umm is like his perfect life godliness. That's what like God now which we know that God the Lord Jesus is God was God, he could not sin in him was no sin and we know that in US dwells that old nature.
That ability, that thing that can, if we let it act, it will act and it's called the flesh, and it will produce sin in our lives. And we know that our Christian life is a battle between these two natures. And we have the power to live for the Lord Jesus Christ, and He hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And so we have an active responsibility to live daily for Him and not and put that thing called the flesh, which we will have in us until we're home to heaven.
We need to put it down and when it starts to rise up and want us to do things that we know are wrong according to the word of God, we have the responsibility to say no. There's a verse that says resist the devil and he will flee from you. That's a very direct verse. And we have that responsibility. And so, but here's the promise that he will supply all that's needed for our life that we might live in a godly way. Well, I just thought of these verses, things that we can claim and you can I can each one of us.
Can try to tuck them away and have them as a resource. So in the event that Satan does want to try to trip us up as he will, as he always will, none of us are exempt. Doesn't matter what age we are, he's going to try. And so we need to learn to have these verses readily available and to have our Bible readily available. And if we can't put it to memory, at least try to mark them or do something so that you can flip to them or do something so that we have, we call upon the res resources.
When adversity strikes. And so I trust that that's just something that we can all profit from and, and take with us, umm, further rest of this day, let's pray.
David So & Jorn Nielsen
Children—David So, Jorn Nielsen
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Well good morning, I know it's the clock doesn't quite say 9:30 but I see all the children sitting here nice and quiet. I thought we can start with a few hymns but before we start I noticed there are many still in the back.
Yeah, I see smiles. Lots of room up here. Come on up. I understand if you come up sitting up front here, you may get some specials.
I guess that's not quite an enticement.
Anyone else would like to join us up here?
Anyone under 25 are welcome to come up.
Oh dear. OK, who would like to start us off with a ham?
I got to play favor. I will pick this little girl.
OK. That's not in the hem sheet. She would like to sing Genesis, Exodus and then what?
And Leviticus, OK, we missed one, but that's OK. How many of us know that? Him. Do you think we can sing without a hymn sheet? All right, I think that's a nice one to be reminded in the books of the Bible. Actually, I should. OK, let's sing that. And I'm going to ask you a question on that. Umm, the two tunes to this.
Maybe someone else should start because I think the two and I start maybe different.
Chronicle.
And run me on my hazard job. And now the Book of Songs.
I'm very queasy. I see some of all another.
Isaiah, my lamb and patience being built and all the day of we always don't know. My 10 AM have a cough and I hang the ice Jack Orion then come smell of God.
Matthew Marshall, MY3 GM.
Timothy died, the sanctified the Hebrews and then James.
They heard John Deere, Revelation and the word of frog.
Oh, that was nice. Now question, how many books did you just sing about?
There were a lot of names in there.
You weren't counting that way. Yeah, OK, I tell you what, you can sink that in your head real quick and count the books.
No. Well, there are 66 books in the Bible, isn't there? And I'll tell you how many of you like Numbers.
I think numbers, you know, it's funny names doesn't mean much to me. So I go, OK, the 39 books in the Old Testament, so 3 * 9 is 27 and 39 + 27 give me 66. See, it's not easy, right?
That's how you know what even interesting too is the 66 book.
The 40th book is the book of what is the first book in a sense in the New Testament, isn't it? Well, the 66 chapters in the book of Isaiah and the 40th chapter talk about a man going to come forth and be a forerunner and tell for the story of the Lord Jesus. Isn't that interesting? OK, who has another hymn for us?
I think one more.
If if I do this, people really think I'm playing favor here.
Yes. What number?
Mm-hmm.
OK, can grandpa pick one for you?
Mm-hmm. OK, we'll pick 40. How's that? Jesus loves me. We'll sing the first and last verse of hymn #40 OK, hymn #40 will sing the first verse and the last verse Jesus loves.
All I do in the dark they are, they are, they are weak by he is strong.
00:05:08
Yes, he's a floppy.
Yes, I love me.
Yeah, she's transplanted.
My Bible tells me so.
She loves love me. Good night.
Throwing right here all the way.
If I trust him so I find he will Take Me Home.
Let's look to the Lord Jesus for help before we go further.
Let's have another hymn from this side of the room.
Would you have? Would you like to give him out?
Number six, OK. Oh, this is nice.
We were just speaking in our prayer that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
This one reminds us that God too has a lot to do with it, doesn't it? Doesn't he? He says he's a God. God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin and done. Jesus Christ was crucified. Trust for sinners. Jesus died. Let's sing this together.
God in mercy, send it on you. A world pointed on 1. He's been crying 135.
Wallace for dinner. She's on time.
Oh my Lord.
Nsnoise.
And no more sovereign.
Today is one time and we've talked about.
You know, one of the big privilege of standing up here.
To tell forth the story of God's love.
To be able to talk about a scripture, put it Christ crucified.
But sometimes it is nice too, that you can stand up and instead of telling the story, you ask someone else to tell the story. Isn't that nice? And what have a we have a brother came a long way from here. Well, I would almost say that's quite halfway around the world. You know, when I tell people we come down from Canada, they say, wow, that's a long way. Well, if I tell you we have a brother that came from Denmark and he wants to tell you about the story.
Of Jesus. I'm going to let Brother Nielsen come on up and share some stories with you.
00:10:01
Audio. Oh, that's nice. Hi, children. I've been looking very much forward to being with you. I haven't slept. I've slept last night because of you.
And now I'm here and the first thing.
I want to know, do you understand what I'm saying? Do you everywhere?
OK.
My name is Jan. Can you say Jan?
Yan Yan, that is my name.
My mom and dad gave me that name, Jan.
And then secondly, I want to cooperate with you.
Yes.
Oh yeah, beautiful.
Is that some of you?
Children who work on computer at home.
Do do any of you have a computer? Do you?
OK, Could I talk to you after the meeting? A few minutes, you come up to me.
Then I like to see a bar there with a watch.
So.
This is a secret between you and I.
Erase this car and then I know my time is up.
Is that OK? Is that at the air? What is your name? What?
Lance. Lance.
OK.
And you all get a beautiful little card from me, all of you with a Danish flag on. After the meeting. After the meeting.
And.
And this is your day.
Today. So we're going to have a good time together, aren't we? We're going to have a good time. And all the adults sitting here, they're promised to keep quiet.
So we are on and, uh.
I like to share with you, tell you.
One of my favorite stories from the Bible.
He was a favorite one.
At home in Denmark.
With my our two girls when they were little, we told that story again and again.
And I'm sure you have heard that story too.
But try to look at me and listen to me as if you've never heard that story before, and I'm going to tell it in my own way.
I'm going to tell you a story about a boy.
A boy. An unusual boy.
And.
His mother.
Was an unusual mother.
And his mother's name was Hannah.
Do you already know what I'm going to tell you about?
Keep quiet. Just just listen to me as if you've never heard it, Hannah.
What's the mother's name?
And the first name was.
Samuel. Samuel. Have you ever heard about Samuel? You're going to hear about him again today, Samuel. Goodbye, Samuel.
And, uh, I wish I could spend the rest of the day with you because we could talk a lot about Samuel, but I only have a few minutes, so we'll boil it down to just a few.
Points things about Samuel.
Now his mother, Hannah.
00:15:06
When the salary starts here?
She was very happy.
She was smiling.
All the time. Hannah Happy.
And if you ask Hannah?
Hannah, why are you smiling? Why? Why are you smiling? Why are you so happy? What do you think she would say, hmm?
Doctor would think, she would say.
Let's say you are Hannah.
Hannah, why are you so happy?
And do you know what she said would say she would find her boy, little boy Samuel.
And she would say.
This is the reason. That's why I'm happy.
Because.
That little boy.
Came into the warehouse.
As an answer to my prayer.
And before that?
She was often crying.
Many minutes here came down her cheek.
Hannah.
Have you ever seen a mother crying? I have.
My mother.
As Christ many tears.
I'd also seen her happy.
And Hannah was happy.
Because of us. Because the Lord answered her prayer and she got that precious boy. Isn't that a good story?
Uh, we're going soon.
I just got a little track here from my friend in.
You know it. It says that Scott Answer, Children's Press.
Scott and the children's prayers.
Oh, you're going to say something? OK.
Umm, does it do that, do you think? I think.
That Hannah has a little boy, Samuel on her lap.
Many times.
And she chose him with a big smile.
You, my son.
You are the answer to my prayer.
And he would encourage Samuel.
So PFR.
The praise.
And eventually become a man.
A prayer, but it all started with his mother.
So she would encourage that little boy also to pray and she would say to him.
The gods we believe in is a God who answers prayer. Isn't that wonderful?
So no wonder that she smiled. And that's the reason why she gave.
Her son, the name Samuel. Do you know what that means?
It means.
God has hers, implying my prayer.
God has hurt. He is not deaf, He has heard, and so he got the name.
Samuel.
God has heard.
Now, before I go on, I'd like to sing a little bit with you. I have for you. I've written a little chorus in English, even though my native language is not English, as you can tell.
But I've written it in English.
And, uh, you probably don't know the tomb.
So I'm going to teach you that. I'm saying it's, I'm going to sing it for you first.
00:20:02
And then?
I'll try to have you sing it with me, is that OK?
So I'm saying it for you first.
And it goes like this.
Uh, we have some motions to it. You know you're going to help me.
I may be little.
Horns, I think I may be healthy.
Oh, so sick.
To know the Lord is best.
For He, my heart has blessed, and that is why I do rejoice. Do you like that one?
Repeat the words after me. I may be little or that big.
I may be healthy or so sick.
To know, to know the Lord is best.
Is this for he? My heart has blessed.
And that is why I do rejoice.
Now you children staying up on the floor saying that all on you, you are so.
And you too. Is emotions after me the same emotions that I do, OK?
I may be late full.
Also see.
Son of the Lord despairs, for he my heart has blessed, and that is why I do read yours. I go straight, doesn't it? OK question mark, I may be listen all that big. I may be healthy, also sick.
To know the Lord despise for he my heart has blessed and that is why I.
Do regard them. So now the story begins.
About the boy Samuel.
And I like to read it for you from the Bible.
And then we go on from there.
It is in the old system and you know.
You just sung about the books of the Bible, and this is one of the books in the Bible in the old system, and it's the first time you're free.
I'm just going to read for you a few verses from First Aim with you. Listen to me.
Very carefully.
And I'll try to read it.
In English, in an understandable English, Do you still understand what I'm saying? Do you get financing OK?
Now I just have to tell you.
That when Samuel was born.
Hannah.
This manner was so happy and thankful.
That he wanted that little boy.
To belong to the Lord all his life and to serve Him.
And Sir, she went to.
What they call the House of the Lord, a temple.
Which we don't have any more like that, but they did have it as in those days as he went to the temple.
With that little boy.
When he was a little older.
And.
Introduce him.
To the leader of that simple about the priest and his name was Eli, OK.
00:25:05
So now when the story begins, Samuel.
Is in that house.
With that priest, and by the way, that priest was very old.
Over 90 years old.
Yourselves, for that little five was there. He was supposed to be there and be brought up in the House of God to serve the living God.
And I'm reading the story for you.
It came to pass, the Bible says.
At that time.
By Eli was lying down in his place. He was in basement, in other words, lying down. And when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he couldn't see, do you understand that he was almost blind?
And before the lamb of grass went out in the Tabernacle of the Lord, where the agriculture was. And while now comes the story. And while Samuel was lying down, he was in bed.
And now it happens.
While he was lying down in his face.
The Doors.
Called Samuel.
Samuel And you heard that voice.
And he stood up, got off of the bed.
He didn't know he was the Lord.
So he went to that old priest, Eli, and she says, here I am.
You called me.
And that old man, over 90 years old.
He said I didn't call you.
Lie down again.
And the little boy went back to his bed and lay down.
Then came the Lord's second time again.
And he said Samuel.
And Sam, you'll call average space.
Adventure, Eli said Old man.
And says here I am for you called me.
And the old Eli, he says.
I didn't call my son.
Lie down again.
And the Bible says that Samuel, he didn't yet know the Lord, know the words of the Lord.
Was yet revealed to him.
Now the Lord calls Samuel again.
So what time?
The third time.
And so he arose from his bed.
And says.
To Eli, that old man.
He says here I am, for you did call me.
And then Eli.
At last on the third, he said he perceived that it was the Lord that caused the boy.
So Eli, said Samuel.
Girl, lie down.
And it shall be if he calls you, you must say, and this is going to be our memory verse today. And you already know it probably.
You're supposed to say speak, Lord.
For your servant hears.
What was he supposed to say?
00:30:00
For your seven years.
So, Samuel.
When I lay down.
As the story is not longer over, there comes another point here, a last point.
The Lord came and.
Thus and calls as other times so many times, since the Lord really called Samuel how many times?
Hmm.
You're right.
Four times he came the 4th time and called him.
And at that and this time.
Samuel didn't go to Eli.
But he says.
Speak for your seven years.
I'm going to tell you a little thing from my own life about that calling.
Listen.
I must have been.
7.
Maybe eight years old.
I was out playing.
In our 50R the wind was blowing.
And certainly.
I heard a voice saying yeah, that is my name, remember that?
Jan and I looked around.
I didn't see anybody.
So I ran to my mother. I said mother. I just heard a voice saying girl.
And my mother gave me a very good advice.
I'm sure you have good mothers yourself.
And she says, when you hear that voice again.
You say like Samuel. What was Samuel supposed to say?
They laughed. The adults cannot hear it.
Speak, Lord, for your servant here. So that's what my mother said to me. You do that. If you hear a voice like that again, you just say that. And I heard that voice again, and I said that.
Nothing more happens.
And if you ask me, Are you sure?
That he was the Lord who was speaking to you. I must be honest, completely honest with you. I don't know.
I don't know, it refers my own imagination or something.
Combined with the rinse that is blowing, I don't know.
But I'll tell you something, children.
That I know.
When I was.
14 years old, How old are you? 10?
Yeah, when I was 14 years old.
I heard the Lord's calling to know how to to, to want to know how it happened, Yes.
Well, at that time.
I didn't know the Lord at all.
My God was soccer. Do you know what soccer is? Football.
Icar.
And my church was a football field.
That's for R.
And then in Copenhagen, that's the capital of Denmark.
My grandfather.
Who was a very godly man. He knew the Lord.
He had a meeting.
In the slums of Copenhagen.
And I was invited one day.
Succumb to his meeting house.
Mice assets to me. Don't you want to come with me?
To your grandfather's meeting house, because as a preacher there, I have heard, my dad has heard 25 years ago, so there's an elderly man.
00:35:14
And for the first time in my life.
I heard the gospel preached about the Lord Jesus in such a way that my ears sit like this. Look, have you seen a dog? A dog when he listens, you know you just do that, don't they? What do you call that in English?
The shopping their ears or something?
Mark perk up, perk up.
So dog I must not a dog, but my ears almost did like a dog.
And I listened.
And.
I don't remember what he said.
I hope you will remember a little bit of what I'm saying today.
But I remember the way he spoke.
Will love.
And the tiers.
So my ear sits like this. I can talk.
He had my attention. Do you know what I mean?
And he said to me after the meeting, he came after me.
Little me.
And asked about my.
Relationship to cars.
I didn't know a lot to say at all.
Because you remember my God was.
Saga fields saga.
So he says to me, May I pray for you?
I thought that was great, that important man would pray for little me. That's what I thought.
And then he said to me, I had a sister. Oh, I have a sister.
And she was only.
13 years old.
When she came to the north.
And I save.
13 years old. So I thought, what is he telling me?
A sister there was only 13 years old and I'm 14.
So that means that that girl has come to the Lord one year before me.
And I thought that's too bad because I wanted to be #1.
But you know the strange thing happened. The Lord uses little quiet conversation with that preacher.
To awaken my young heart.
Suddenly I got interested.
And you know the Bible.
For the.
Until that time.
It stood in the shelf in the sitting room and you know, I sometimes went up and down the floor.
Restless. And sometimes I took the Bible out of the shelf like this, and you know what it is? I just asked like this.
And back on this place had no interest at all.
And even if some ants would give me a book, a Christian book.
The first thing I looked for in the book if if if just the word God was there no interest. I never read that book.
So I was ungodly, as we say. But after that conversation I got interested and for the first time in my life.
I got hold of about I didn't own a Bible.
But my little sister had a piper.
And for the first time, I looked up in the Bible.
As you earn that, those quiet days.
00:40:01
Alone with that wonderful book.
I was late.
By the goods she have had, do you know the Lord is called the good she have had?
And what do you?
He is looking for the last.
And I was lost.
And you found me.
And you know, we use the word faith. Do you understand that word? Faith, Faith.
Came to my heart, faith in the Lord as my Savior of my lost soul.
Faith.
I cannot tell you exactly the time and minute it happened. I cannot tell you that I don't know. I don't really know.
That brother doesn't know either. I asked him to say when are you safe? He doesn't know.
But that's also important.
And I read a word later in the in in in the new system and enrollment since 17.
About faith and last word was exactly what happens in my young life. It says faith.
Faith comes.
By hearing and hearing by the way of the card.
Yes, we are almost up.
So that's my testimony, that's my story. That's also Samuel's story, because he was told to say.
But Lord speak.
For your servant here, now, this is one thing which he was not supposed to say, He was not supposed to say.
Floors here.
And your servant speaks.
No, that's not what you're supposed to say.
He was supposed to say.
Lord, speak.
For your servant here, what is most important to hear or to speak?
That's right. And you're pointing at your ear. Thank you. That's the most important thing. So girls and boys.
Remember that.
When you hear, when you listen to the word of God, you are listening to His voice. Remember, Remember that.
And when you pray, you speak to him. That's why I usually say to the new believers, when you pray, you speak to God.
And he likes to hear your voice and when you read the Bible.
You.
He speaks to you. Thank you. Time is up. I like to sing that little car as you know so well about the Bible.
And.
Umm, should we send out again?
You're saying it from me? Are there any motions to it? There's cars about the Piper.
My VIPLE.
Is the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the big idea.
All the adults stand up and everything that Harris.
Mm-hmm. My.
Yes, it's the right body.
My stand alone of the word of God. I'd be. I'd be, I'd be.
Thank you. No, you will. You may be seated. You may be seated. They are. Oh, you know, they want to sit down, but you remain standing up here. And we'll send them one I've written for you, you know, just in closing.
00:45:10
OK.
I may be little all that day. I may be healthy.
Also safe to know the Lord's despair, for he my heart has fled, and that is why I do rejoice. Be seated.
May I?
Pray a little prayer for you and with you. And I saw one and you come after me after the meeting. I'm going to give you something. And uh, and uh, the computer buyers come up to me too, but I will, uh, just, uh, pray a little prayer of Thanksgiving for that wonderful Lord. So that wonderful Lord who's here today isn't that wonderful, but two as we are gathered.
Under His name, He will be in our midst.
Well, time is over, isn't it?
Oh, you can be seated here. I'm going to give you something now. Yes. Oh, oh, I'll do it myself.
OK.
I'm going to give you a little card. I call it my card.
I called my gospel.
And there's a flag on it, the Danish flag. I thought you would like to know how the Danish flag looks like, don't you?
Hmm, and that's a little story on that card I wrote.
Because I visited a big public school.
In the state of Tennessee.
I invited myself. How do you like that?
And the principle, he received me with open arms and say, oh, we'd like to hear from Denmark. So I have to say his flag with me. But I what I really wanted to do was to tell them what's across our flag has a cross on it. And I want the children to know what that cost was about.
And it was beautifully received. There was about 100 kids at that time.
So have this with you.
Add a little memory, the latest first that's right here, young lady, and you thank you for listening so well.
Here, don't throw it away. That's what I used to say to people. I meet a lot of people on the roads, on my travels, in the airplane, in the terminals.
All of them, they get a little greeting I've given to you now.
So use the keys as a bookmark maybe?
Are you over here? I haven't forgotten you. Here. Just for you. What is my name?
Yeah. And yeah, and it's my name, OK.
I still have some left.
And then who is the computer by you? Are two of them you and you OK?
I just have two. Are you friends?
I think you are.
And for you?
No.
What I'm I'm saying to you now you get this.
And you'll have a computer.
And I have a computer too. My, my e-mail address is the back cover. I don't have those. I only have those two. So you, if you like it, this is my story. A teenager's testimony.
And if you like it and you think I I want my friends to have that too, you just write me and give me the address and I'll send it to you. I don't have any more now.
And I'll give it that to you, too. That's a little pamphlet I wrote about America.
00:50:00
My encounter with America. That sounds very solemn, doesn't it, America?
And that's all I have you shared between you. And again, if somebody else wants this little pamphlet.
You write me. Would you promise to do that? That's why I I asked about the computer boys. OK, right here.
And there's a little poem I've written about America. I'm very fine. I'm proud American, OK.
Now that is a mistake in that little pamphlet there is a mistake. And I, I want you to correct that. I say that.
The small layers I, I talk about your Constitution Day in America and uh, I happen to name it the 5th of June. That's wrong. That's a Danish Constitution Day. What is your.
The fastest you like, will you please correct that? And you corrected that the 4th of July.
Yeah.
I I had those handed out at a school in San Diego.
And the teacher said, I said to the teacher, there's a mistake there and she should say that doesn't that doesn't matter. We made a contest and the one who finds out has won. And they were very smart. They found out my mistake and got it correct. And OK, thank you for taking all your time.
Revelation 3:7-13 Philadelphia
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.
It's nice to be early. Let's sing early.
#22 in the appendix I'd like to sing together hymn #22 in the back of the book.
The Holy.
Uh, in the turn off all of my all.
5 grand wins.
Our Father.
Drive.
Nsnoise.
Your name.
Please, please Siri.
Lightning your word, healing love.
G Drive classmates 24.
1/21.
48.
Oh, make it happen.
And.
Get your time.
Roger.
I would like to speak this afternoon.
On the words spoken to the beloved church.
Philadelphia in Revelation chapter 3.
Brotherly love.
If our brother **** Gorgeous were here, I would ask him to come up here and give me one of his big brotherly love hugs.
As a demonstration to us of what this is about, you can imagine it here, those of you, those of you who knew him.
We're left here as God's people.
And we are loved, beloved.
And it's a it's a joy and a privilege.
To enter into that something somewhat in our lives and to.
In faith respond not only want to one another.
But to the Lord Himself.
I have AI have a concern.
That we're faced with.
A Laodicean type weakness around us and in US and among us.
And the Laodicean.
Attitude pretends too much.
Without a reality.
And I have felt in my own soul that.
This may affect us to such an extent.
That we avoid or shun.
00:05:01
What would really be a Philadelphian testimony?
Let's read, uh, what the Lord said to that church in Philadelphia.
Before we read it, I will give a brief.
Resume of these chapters two and three of Revelation.
Are a prophetic history of what the Lord Jesus himself thinks about the Christian testimony here on earth since Pentecost till he comes back again.
And in these seven addresses to the seven churches, we have consecutive history lessons of what the Lord thinks as He walks among those candlesticks and sees the light that shines from them.
It is to us his word about what he sees and what he thinks of it, and so it ought to be of keen interest to us when we.
Have given to us from the Lord already beforehand what he thinks about what's going on right now, today in the Christian testimony.
Isn't that amazing that he did that?
We live by faith. We walk by faith.
The Lord doesn't do a outward miracles as in the beginning, and He doesn't come down with the Shekinah glory like He did in the Old Testament, and He doesn't speak face to face as He did with Moses and tell us what he thinks right now today.
But he has given us this outline. And so as we read the particularly the one address to Philadelphia, which I think every one of us here would aspire rightfully desire to be like that.
That's not a wrong desire.
It's not assuming something of man.
To be that, it's more an act of obedience and submission to him in the way we walk that makes it that kind of a testimony that he can improve.
Whereas if we get time to read some into the the the last chapter Church lay of the sea, we see the Lord describes what they say about themselves first of all.
Thou sayest I am rich, increased with goods, and so on. Brethren, it's not what we say about us that makes us what we ought to be.
It will never do that.
It comes down to the walk. It comes down to the obedience.
And owning Christ for what He is.
Giving Him His rightful place will keep us in or put us in our rightful place. Well, let's read in Revelation chapter 3, beginning with verse 7.
And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right these things, said He that is holy, he that is true. Now this is the Lord Himself speaking prophetically. He that hath the key of David, He that openeth. And no man shut us, and shut us, and no man open us. I know thy works.
Behold, I have set before thee an open door.
And no man can shut it.
For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word.
And has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say thee are Jews.
And are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet.
And to know that I have loved thee.
Because the house kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. May all I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem.
00:10:34
Which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I'm very thankful for.
A heritage of ministry and teaching.
That has opened up chapters like this and taught us the prophetic meaning.
And.
For an appreciation of these things to be able to write and put in a hymn book.
Expressions from the heart of man that I believe would answer to what the Lord Jesus in heaven would seek from His own down here on earth.
The hymn that we saw was probably one of the latest additions to our Little Flock hymn book, uh, written by a man who labored in this country, in Cana, in Canada, Lord Cecil as we know him and, uh.
A heart that appreciated the holy and the truth.
Holiness is a beautiful thing. Heaven will be a holy place.
Nothing to taint.
To mar purity.
In God's presence, and God wants that now, in a personal way between US and him.
Holiness and truth. Without holiness, no man shall see God.
And so the Lord Jesus as he describes.
This particular testimony that he sees on earth, he presents himself as that One, the Holy One and the True.
There's never a moment in any of our Christian lives.
Where the Lord?
Does not appreciate.
What is properly done before him?
And he enjoys it and appreciates it.
We we marvel at the.
And yet we shouldn't, because God told us their moral decay was gonna come into the world. It was gonna be like the days of Sodom. It was gonna be like the days of of, of.
Noah before the flood, when the Lord comes again. And so those of us who Live Today increasingly are faced with more and more defilement.
It can get you down.
It can.
It can grieve your soul, and rightfully it should.
How wonderful to be able to come apart and enjoy the presence of One who's holy and true.
We need this, brethren, to carry on because.
Every one of us has a nature that.
Could and thus gravitate to those fleshly things.
At the heart of man.
A brother A brother was staying the other night down in our home meeting.
Isn't it amazing that God chose humans? Because humans, of all the creatures that God ever made, are the most obstinate and the most difficult and cause God the more most problems of all of his creature creatures. He doesn't have problems with monkeys or lions or tigers like he does with humans.
00:15:23
Why?
Did God choose humans if we lookout on it in reality?
Why did he choose you? Why did he choose me? We're no different.
That's God.
God is love.
We have given God the greatest opportunity to show what love and grace is.
In part because of what really are.
And yet God delights in fellowship with us.
And so here is an assembly, a condition which the Lord can come down and walk in.
And he can say these words about us.
About that condition.
And would to God that it is true of us.
Holy and true. Second thing. He that has the key of David.
Helping us and no man shutteth.
I think it's important to comment on this that.
We're not the ones that have the key of David. The testimony here on Earth is not necessarily the ones that have the key.
Maybe there's a response on our part. Yes, it's the Lord Jesus that opens the door. Like David was the one who I believe who originated there before God.
The heart, the desire and plan to build a temple here on earth and God let him do that to up to a point only his Son would build it.
And so the key of David was that desire to have a place for God to meet together.
And the and the Lord on his side.
Corresponds to that. It's beautiful to read that discussion that took place there when David through the prophet was told about building the temple.
God was going to build him a house. David wanted to build God a house. And God says, no, I'm going to do it the other way around. I'm going to build you a house. The beauty of it is that both houses end up being the same because David's son is Jesus Christ and Jesus is God's son. And so God and man come together in one. And this is the key that sets before us an open door to gather to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And nobody can stop it.
We can give it up.
Our little assemblies are dwindling down.
And it's kind of sad sometimes to go and see an assembly where there were once filled.
You know, I, I, I'm going to tell you a little story just to illustrate this point.
There was an assembly and a location in one place.
Where there was many brethren gathered to the Lord's name and umm, they had no meeting room, but one of the a sister in that assembly donated a piece of property for a for the use as a meeting room. Uh, as long as there were.
Those together that wanted to.
Meet together in that way and that. So it went on for many years and many years.
That particular family didn't follow on and the children inherited the property, but there was that stipulation as long as brethren wanted to gather together in that little meeting room. It was available in legal documents, is written there. Well, just in the last few years.
That assembly has ceased to exist and to break bread.
00:20:00
What struck me was that the Lord gave them an open door.
They could have even had the meeting room.
I know it means more than that.
But that's just an example. How if there is a desire to respond to the Lord?
In the meeting together, as He would call us to do so, He will set before those that open door, and Satan cannot close it, neither can anyone else.
It ends up that the failure always ends up being on our part.
And sad to say, that happens many times and we can, we must own that. But how faithful and wonderful that the Lord promises. Brethren, we've got the promise. Are we going to fulfill it and respond to it? That open door.
How wonderful an open door no man can shut.
I want to turn back now to so the 16th Psalm and notice something that struck me this week.
Uh, along these lines.
In Psalm 16.
Uh, the 1St 3 verses. I'm going to read them out of the Mr. Darby's translation because I believe it presents a truth clear than our King James Version does and I would like to.
Umm, make an application here of this connection with the open door.
Psalm 16, verse one.
Mctum of David, preserve me, O God, for I trust in Thee.
Thou my soul has said to Jehovah.
Thou art the Lord.
My goodness extendeth not to thee.
To the Saints that are on the earth and to the excellent thou hast said in them is my delight. And what I'd like to call attention to here is the difference between verse two and verse 3. Verse three, you have the psalmist, the soul of the psalmist, speaking to God, to Jehovah.
This is our part.
This is the part of a soul. In this case it was David.
Thou art my Lord, my goodness.
Extendeth not to thee. There's an awareness here of the psalmist that.
He cannot approach God on the basis of having goodness himself to draw near to God.
And yet there's that desire. There's that desire in the heart.
And that his soul says.
Thou art the Lord.
Did your soul say that this morning as we were gathered around the emblems there?
Thou art the Lord.
How precious it is.
To feel that in your soul there was no cloud that came down. There was no verbal expression on the part of God saying here I am.
But he was there to the soul that perceived it.
But then in the third, in the third verse, you have the answer, you have got the Lord himself.
What he says about the situation. And so this is what it's clear, made clear in the new translation to the Saints that are on the earth now, this is this is Jehovah's saying, or at least this is what the psalmist attributes to Jehovah and I believe it's correct. To the Saints that are on the earth and to the eczema thou hast said in them is my delight.
Our God looks down in delight.
And his people, the Lord Jesus delighted in US.
King David was tested on that point when he was rejected of his son Absalom and had to flee.
00:25:08
And, uh, when the when the priest came.
And offered to go with him.
David said no, leave the ark there and he said made this comment, If the Lord delight in me, he will bring me.
I'm not quoting that to him. I'm not. I'm not sure if that's the right except the quotation, but you get the thought.
He trusted, he knew, that the Lord had allowed a governmental dealing in his life.
And this may happen to us today too. There may be governmental dealings, troubles that test us.
Is our soul really a wholeheartedly delighting in the Lord or not?
Or are is there a that kind of a response? Because the Lord does delight in US.
And so.
In them, he says, is my delight. And I would like to apply this to what we're reading in in Revelation Chapter 3, the one who sets before his people an open door.
Why does he do that? Because he does delight in US.
And this is the secret to carrying on in the in all the tests and problems that may come and will come in seeking to gather only to the name of the Lord Jesus.
To hold keep his word and not deny his name. That's the that's those are the two special things that the Lord could say about that condition and.
What a joy it is on our part to see that delight and to be able to be passively responsive in the appropriate way that he's asked us to do.
Now going back to our chapter, Revelation Chapter 3.
I know thy works. Verse eight. I have set before thee an open door no man can shut, For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and not denied my name.
It's not a good thing for us to be seeking for demonstrations of strength and power. There is that character of things that sometimes goes on a pretension to be something of a testimony to the Lord. I don't believe that it'll ever have the Lord's blessing if we approach it in that.
Way a pretension to something. Brethren, if we if we pretend to something, we will end up being a failure.
It's more a response.
To what the Lord desires.
And not being ashamed of the little strength that there is.
At least there's something going on. At least they haven't quit.
The attitude of expressing your dependence on the Lord, having little strength really is our proper place in being any kind of a witness to His blessing.
Keeping his word and not denying his name.
We cannot depart from the scriptures. We must.
Hold to the truth of God and making the Lord's name the focal point, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
Isn't it amazing that how that name the name of Jesus?
You mentioned any other name in the in our English vocabulary and there is no connotation like if you mentioned the name of it Jesus or Jesus Jesus Christ or the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is that?
00:30:05
We know why.
Because it's the real. It's the genuine.
Which Satan opposes.
Keep that name, don't be ashamed of it.
Then you have the opposition of those.
A class of people called the Synagogue of Satan.
They are the ones that I take this to mean a certain pretension to religious profession.
Synagogue of Satan say they are Jews and are not.
They're the ones. This is the. This is the one that pretends to be something.
And the Lord gives his commentary about it.
It speaks about them coming and bowing before the feet of His, His of His, of his own in the latter part of the verse. I believe that will take place after the rapture, when the Lord reigns and He associates His own with him.
We walk by faith. We don't see, we don't expect to see the outward testimony converting the world. In the early parts of the Reformation, there was this thought that Christianity was going to go out and become a great thing that was going to convert the world so Jesus could come back and reign over it. That's totally misses the plan of God.
The Scripture teaches us that the Christian testimony is going to deteriorate and become weaker.
Not the Lord is going to lose any of his own Saints. Not that one soul is not going to be let is going to be left behind.
When the Lord comes again, not a single soul is going to be lost, His house is going to be full, everything but as far as the public testimony here now.
We must be content with the Lord's secret approval without the public demonstration right now. It's a great thing to go on in confidence of the of the Lord's approval.
Without the public testimony approval right now.
I know it's difficult. I know there's AI know there's a certain stigma people, uh, well, what church do you go to? Well, you know, there's 1001 ways or what denomination do you belong to? There's 1001 ways to, to answer that. But there's a, there's a kind of a stigma to saying, well, I just gather to the name of the Lord Jesus. We don't, we don't have a umm.
Uh, a system of organization could by set up by man that this doesn't, that doesn't sound high and noble and and make a make a loud clamor as far as testimony here on the earth, but it is holding to his name, not denying the part of not denying his name.
And to know that I have loved thee.
Brotherly love.
The Lord's love for us, this is everything.
This is the very thing that Ephesus the 1St the 1St testimony that was as the Lord spoke of in these addresses, that they had left there first love.
The Lord never stops loving us.
And, uh, he tells this group this this.
Profession of Christianity in this assembly that he reminds them, I have loved thee.
This will keep us. This is the secret to going on, the enjoyment of His love. There's no shortcut. There's no other way around this. This is the.
00:35:02
The the the fee key feature.
I believe when the Lord spoke about the warning of leaving the first love, He made a a classical point of it because it was the key point in Christianity. If we give up that love, what do we have left?
What basis of going on for God can replace that? Nothing.
Nothing, love.
God is love.
It's stronger than the.
All the military might or all the force that man can.
Put together in any other way to hold something together.
You know, it's been said about.
The Muslim faith that what really keeps that together is power.
What really keeps Christianity together is love.
That's it in a nutshell.
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Now the keeping of the word of his, uh, of my patience.
You know the Lord Jesus is patient too.
John speaks of that in the first chapter of Revelation. John was banished on the Isle of Patmos for that very reason, for the testimony of Jesus.
And in the patience he speaks of Jesus Christ. And so we're reminded here not of necessarily of our need of patience, although that's part of it, but it's the patience of the Lord Jesus who is it up in heaven longing to have his people more than even we want him to come.
It's the Lord Jesus.
He is patiently waiting this.
Is what will keep us from becoming worldly or what will keep us from getting occupied with distractions here on earth at the loss of our occupation, with what we're really called to heaven and how the Lord is waiting for us.
Earthly mindedness.
Is is probably one of the key elements that Satan is attacking us on.
We live in a so-called Christian land and thankfully there's a moral restraint from the group. Many of the grocer crimes that people look at, but there is an abundance of so-called Christians being taken up with earthly things.
Having their fun.
Their fun they're.
Good times, not necessarily things that are evil in themselves, but things that are purely earthly. And when, when this world ends and when we live end our life, all of that is going to be done, gone.
And nothing left.
To to compensate for it.
Over and over in this Book of Revelation, it speaks about the, uh, the, the uh.
The earthly, earthly people.
That that are mentioned.
This is, this is, this is a real danger that I, uh, I feel like myself, that is, I'm attacked on this, uh, so often not sinful, wrong things in themselves, but things occupied with earth and they're not keeping the word of the Lord's patience when I realized that the Lord Jesus.
Is longing to take me there to be with him.
Then that will.
Take all of these other things that are just purely earthy things and pleasures and put them in in their proper place and my soul will not be famished.
00:40:15
Our souls can crave after those kind of things. We can delight, We can spend our life accumulating a lot of earthly things and enjoying of them. Even our families can can can take up that that realm of occupying us unduly with just plain earthly things.
And forgetting, hey, we're going to leave all this here on earth behind, the Lord is going to take us home. And then what?
And so he reminds him about.
Keeping the word of his patience, that's when the reigning time will begin.
So he promises to keep them from the hour of temptation.
That's his promise. And then it goes on to the uh, to the overcomer. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. We have something worth holding fast. We have so much that many Christians do not enjoy.
Like we have been given to enjoy at a conference like this and in our own local meetings, so much truth and understanding of our relationship with the Lord and so on. What's going to happen in the future and so on. The Lord is has communicated that to us by His Spirit.
Hold it fast, it's easy to let it slip by.
Little by little.
There's the there's the promise to the overcomer.
I believe I'm not gonna comment on all those things, uh, individually, it's the public in verse 12, the public approbation that the Lord is gonna give after he comes to those that were faithful while here on earth and being associated with him as a, in a primary place, as a pillar and so on. And the new name there, that special relationship that was enjoyed in this life.
There's going to be a witness to it.
With the Lord there when he comes.
So.
In concluding.
What is our? What is our should be our attitude?
Is it right to aspire to be this kind of a witness to the Lord of this character?
What should we profess?
The following church.
It's been said that there had to be a Philadelphian testimony before there could be a pretension of being rich and increased with goods, like it says in Laodicea, and I think there's a lot of truth in that.
There is such a thing, brethren, as pretending to go on with this.
In an outward way, and this is the great danger. Did this carry on with the meeting thing?
To go.
Don't want to cause your brethren to feel bad because you don't go by then they'll notice. Oh brother, so and so wasn't there, and so you carry on outwardly with that.
Testimony that you're pretending to be.
I think you understand what I'm meaning.
That is what Laodicea was doing.
Pretending to be something, and the Lord and his place.
Was left out and in that in that church the Lord is knocking on the door and then he he has the remedy in his hand. He has the eye salve and so on and he has all the remedies to those di difficulties. Brethren, if we feel like we're carrying on something as a pretense, what's the problem? The problem is we need to go to the Lord himself. There's no shortcut. You cannot carry on with this.
00:45:05
Pretension of something without having that relationship of enjoyment with the Lord.
Maybe it's, you just need to get out on your knees and confess something and your weakness and your failure. If so, do it. Or if you're tired and it, it's meeting night and you think about, oh, uh, shall I go to meeting tonight? Or should I do this? Or young people want to do this and should I go do this? But I'm tired, you know?
What's the remedy?
Turn your face up.
See that man, I'm not Calvary's cross, how much he died, how much he loved to die for you, and you will find there's something will well up in your heart of love and response to that and answer to it. If you're born again, Christian, that will happen in you.
This is the remedy the Lord Himself.
I have loved thee.
He says. And so let's not throw out the baby with the dishwater.
With the bath water.
If there is a pretension in US and a carrying on of.
Of something that may be in a sense of pride, even as that we are, we are this, we've gone on for so many years in this place and so on and so many people, you know, this kind of a pretension, uh, is not a building.
That does not mean, if we've fallen into that rut, that there is a real.
ISAF.
There is a real love we can come back to and find our heart warmed and our our feet enabled to go on faithfully till the Lord comes.
Let's close with singing a couple of verses of hymn number.
Let's sing hymn #77 I was going to sing another one, but I think I'll sing this one.
Hymn #77 John, can you help us out here?
Umm, and how long time?
Umm, could we also sing the other him? I wanted to sing 77 in the back of the book. Just the last two verses.
00:50:32
Nsnoise.
I love you.
I worry.
I.
Grace.
Meanwhile
Open—K. Rawlings
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.
#330.
Nsnoise.
3:30.
9/9.
Three.
Don't.
Claustrophobic.
Nsnoise.
Uh Oh my.
God.
We.
Right.
Now.
Song of Solomon chapter 2, Song of Solomon chapter 2 and verse 10.
My beloved faith and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away and pray together. Did I understand right this is more or less an open meeting.
00:05:01
I've enjoyed the emphasis on God's Word here. How necessary that is.
Umm, is.
God has honored his word above his name. It's beautiful to see as the address is the the Church of Brotherly love. These these two precious things.
Umm, in a special way.
Now I kept my word and not denied my name.
And of course, his word communicates the worth of his name.
And that blessed hope that was referred to just just now.
And I think of, uh, a verse, uh, in Revelation.
Uh, chapter 22.
The way he concludes this book, Revelation, this special book that's been introduced with a blessing promised.
Verse 16 after he told the tale of judgment on this poor world, that we're here to bear witness to the Savior's name.
He says.
I, Jesus, have sent mine Angel to testify.
Aren't you these things in the churches? I am the root and offspring of David and the bright and Morning Star.
And now this verse especially, and the Spirit and the Bride say, come. I really like that. It struck me a couple of years ago.
It reminded me of the Commission that Abraham gave to his servant to go get a bride for Isaac.
And he succeeded in that.
And I think of a parallel thing here in the language of this.
Simple expression.
And the Spirit and the Bride say come. It's like the Spirit's work is done.
And it's like two different individuals.
They both say in a duet. Come.
And it reminds me of when.
Rebecca lighted off her camel and went to Isaac.
But I won a title. My little talk.
Meanwhile, meanwhile.
About uh, I don't know what it was about 11 years ago or something like that. I didn't write the date in my Bible, but.
On the table at the Burbank conference, I saw the Bible Truth Publishers that offered an Interlinear Bible by JP Green. If you're not familiar with that, it's a It's an interlinear.
Writing in uh.
You have the English and the umm, the corresponding Hebrew, or in uh, Greek words with it, with strong concordance numbers for reference.
We are very privileged people with a very privileged language.
And a very privileged country to have all these.
Uh, reference works.
To help us get acquainted with the reality of the truth of Scripture.
And, uh, I, I have really enjoyed that, uh, that volume I bought.
Uh, I, uh, there was a brother that came from Alaska to our meeting here a few months ago and he said he, on the way he stopped and aggression Oregon assembly and he talked to his sister there that, uh, is now, if she's still alive, uh, I think someone, Greg, you can tell me is, umm.
Our sister Umm.
Umm, mail still alive? How's she doing?
That's good. That's good. I'm glad to hear it. Well, this brother told me that he'd had a visit with her and and that she told him she'd bought an Interlinear Bible and was really enjoying it.
00:10:13
I just couldn't resist. I had called her up. Well, I, I knew I could. I didn't want to call her directly. I didn't know her health condition. The last time I seen her when she was 99 years old, she was playing the piano, went at hands, umm, and Susanna's wedding hands, uh, Buchanan and uh, but I called a few months later and, and.
At at her daughter's and how?
Gordon and Faith, sister's home and Faith says, Oh yeah, she's right here. Uh, yeah. Would you like to talk to her? Yippee. I'd get to talk to her.
So.
It's such an encouraging to me how much she enjoyed it. She bought it about the same time I did about 10 years ago.
This lady, 90 years old, thought she could learn a little bit and it just thrilled me and she had enjoyed it as much. You know, she can hardly keep the cork on her bottle.
How often?
Often feel the same way. Well, last spring I got interested in just looking at the feeding of the 5000. It's in all four gospels, and I thought, you know what must be pretty important?
So I started looking at things and we'll turn to Matthew.
Chapter 14 is the first account.
And uh, let's see here.
OK, verse 13, when Jesus heard of it, departed thence by ship into a desert place apart.
And when the people had heard of it, heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And, uh, when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place.
The time has now passed. Send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves vittles. And Jesus said to them, they need not depart.
Give the event to eat when they say to him, we have here but 5 loaves and two fishes. He said bring them Heather to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass and took the took the five loaves and the two fishes.
And looking up to heaven, he blessed and break, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude, And they did all eat, and were filled or satisfied, and they took up of the fragments that remained 12 baskets full.
And they that had eaten were about 5000 men beside women and children.
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
I want to call your attention to verse 13 again. When Jesus heard of it, what had he heard of? Well, it was the fact that Herod had.
The story about how John the Baptist got beheaded? Well, that's an all.
Three of the first accounts, so this story about the feeding of the Five Palace and immediately follows.
The beheading of John the Baptist.
Umm.
And I guess I better tell you right now something what I've got in mind by titling my talk meanwhile.
In reference to, uh, one more call the way.
This scene of the feeding of 5000 is in a desert place, A wilderness place, a place where, uh, people don't usually go. And Jesus.
00:15:00
Takes them out there. We have a wilderness scene.
And in all of four, four accounts, it's in a wilderness scene.
Well, and I think that, uh, the way I've taken the fact that John's beheading just before this is a show.
Us what character of this world is that we are in we offer singers wilderness wide, but it's a little hard to get the concept when we're in a land of.
Great relative material prosperity.
But it really is, and I think we're starting to see the true the world's true colors coming out.
Well.
Anyway, Jesus had been.
Uh.
He sees these crowds.
Let's see.
Each story is a little different and I I want to get the story straight here, but not to go into too much detail. The details I want to concentrate on are really in some of the other accounts. This is the shortest and most general, but I just want to call attention to the fact that he had compassion on them and healed them and.
The fact that the disciples saw a need and thought the Lord needed to know about it. And we're in a desert place. These people need food and it's getting late and, and and on, you know, and the Lord says we don't need to do that.
The Lord took charge here in Matthew's Gospel we have the king of Israel and I I assume that it was generally they're up in Galilee. They were.
They were people of the Jews. It's called Galilee of the nation. So I'm not perfectly clear on that. I know that we have Judea down South and Samaria in between and then Galilee. And he was the light of the people that sat in a dark place there. And and so we had compassion on them and they healed them. Well, let's go to.
Mark's Gospel.
There's some things, there's a thing or two added. One thing I want to call attention to is chapter is chapter 6, verse 34.
Well, no, I'm going to go to verse 31.
Oh, there's another event here.
Verse 30 And the apostles gather themselves together unto Jesus and told him all things, what they had done and what they had taught. He had sent the 12 out. He'd appointed 12 and he'd sent them out with some instructions. And they come back and report what they did. And again, that immediately follows, uh, John the Baptist death, uh.
But remember, when he had sent them out, he had told them, I send you as out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
The I think he had said to this group.
The wise as serpents, harmless as does.
And they come back and report what they had experienced. And he said then come yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while, for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Well, some of you know, Christian service in a character like this that I don't know anything about. I can always, I can imagine that, but I'm a timid character and so I kind of stay in the shadows.
Uh, but I really appreciate those who are out there busy with the gospel and, and seeking to shepherd the Saints. They're really entering into the heart of the Lord.
Uh, so he wanted to give him a break, OK and he parted into a desert place by ship privately verse 32 and the people saw them departing menu him ran afoot thither out of all cities and out want them and came together unto him. He really had a greeting party on the other side and you know, I know how I feel in this We need a break. I need to break my disciples need a break. Look at this crowd.
00:20:04
Look at this verse.
34 And Jesus, when it came out so much people and was moved with compassion toward them, because.
They were a sheep not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Here he brings in his compassion as a shepherd. The condition they were in and sheep really need a shepherd. They need to be cared for and so.
He began to teach them many things.
And, and we do need teaching that, you know, a pastor teacher, the two things that go together, a shepherd teacher.
And so he's, he's doing that. And you know, in March, he came, uh, not to, not to be ministered unto, but the minister and to give his life a ransom for many. So here, here he is in this function of ministering and I want to go down, uh.
To umm verse 39 now.
That Mark adds something here that we didn't get in Matthew and he commanded them. That is commanded his disciples and Matthew. He commands the people directly to sit down here. It's like the king really calling the shots. I guess I don't know. But anyway, he gives the the drive disciples some lessons in can I say this matter of.
Ministering and service.
And so he commands them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
It's green grass now.
Again, the shepherd show in his color. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, and that's the way they ate. They recline usually.
Umm, and I think I'm, I'm guessing is that if I remember right, uh, that's the word use here. Make them lie down. Umm.
It's in green pastures and they sat down and ranks by hundreds and by 50s. Well, I'm going to dwell on this a little bit to give a little more character.
And what I mean by mean, well, meanwhile, you know, our journey is a wilderness journey, but we have.
We've been predestined to glory.
And uh, there is provision meanwhile.
And this is where the value.
Of my interlinear Bible.
Really start shining to me.
Verse 39 Companies, the word companies.
I looked it up in strong concordance because I I follow along pretty close. I've tried to learn Greek and I try to exercise myself in reading a Greek New Testament. And I came across this word one day and I hadn't seen it before, so I looked it up.
And I was just kind of bowled over at the, uh, they gave a, you know, kind of described what it meant, but they coined it.
In a word that just bowled me over.
It means drinking parties.
What?
The Spirit of God chooses his words. There's something else. This is the only place in the whole Bible.
You find this word in the Septuagint, the Greek translation. The Old Testament is not there. It's here, one place. Why?
OK, let's just go on.
Verse 40.
They sat down in ranks by hundreds and by 50s. I looked up that word. Ranks.
It's like rows of leeks or onions. Anyway, planted rows.
So uh, it ranks Looks like a military war, but I don't know if it is or not.
But it's kind of suggestive to my mind, what the people lusted for in the wilderness in the days when Israel went through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan.
00:25:07
Just a word, just something suggestive.
But the spirit coined it, or used it, I should say. It was in.
Common usage among men in those days. God expressed himself with known words.
And, uh, it was by hundreds and by 50s. Well, I puzzled over that for some time and I wondered. And one day it hit me, why that?
Yeah, we know they were feeding 5050 * 100 is 5000, so apparently, see that's a big rectangle on the wall there. Well, that's about the proportions of a grid, apparently set the count of these 5000 men out on.
50 by 100 and rows.
That reminds me again.
Of the Court of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.
It was 50 by 100 cubits.
And so I'm starting to get ideas. This is the great shepherd of the sheep.
Leading us through our wilderness.
This is what it's picturing to me.
Uh, let's see.
You know there were these twelve had just returned from their first mission. The Lord had sent them on. They were apostles. They were sent once.
They were chosen for this job. They had come back and related all they did. Now they're getting they were all worn out from the service. Now they're getting an object lesson.
An object lesson.
They hadn't had time to eat.
But this frustrating moment, which it could have been, the Lord never saw it that way. He came to minister.
He has 12 baskets leftover.
I guess the way others have defined it, the little lunch baskets, one for each apostle. A reminder.
That he had compassion on them too.
As well as the crowd, you know, I get so interested.
In wanting to communicate something of the grace of our Savior, sometimes I forget those at home.
Lord wouldn't like that.
The last word here is something for each of you of my scent once.
Let's go to Luke.
You're still wondering about what the spirit of God would use a word like drinking parties out there. I see 5 loaves, 2 fishes. Where's the liquid? You know I'm.
Uh, is it random or is it intentional?
Luke chapter I think it's.
8.
Uh.
Verse 10.
Just to bring in something.
Here, Chapter 9 of Luke. I'm sorry. Thank you. I didn't hear what you said but I picked up on it and my eyes read Chapter 9. Thank you.
Verse 10 And the apostles, these sent ones, when they returned, told him all that they had done, and he took them and went aside privately in the desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.
No, I don't know if this is the same. I think there's more than one, but it reminds me of the place where I think it was here and Andrew and Phillip at least had come from.
Uh, so it was maybe a place they were somewhat familiar with. I don't know. I, I, a man told me a while back that, uh, he was shown that place that they think pretty certain that this is the place where he fed the 5000. There was still a little grass there.
But uh, maybe not the extent that it was then, you know, sin effects.
Even the, the ground we walk on. So I think expressing the profit, the land, mourn it because of the sin there, the sin of the people thereof. But anyway, uh, that's, that's, uh, kind of a tangent. Let's go on.
00:30:13
Uh, and the people, when they, when they knew it, followed them.
Uh, and he received them and spake unto them. Now it tells us that he, uh, is teaching them about the Kingdom of God.
Luke's gospel is about Christ as the the righteous man, the perfect man.
Uh, and uh, the Kingdom of God involves man.
We had reference to Hebrews 2. What is man that now we're mindful of him? God had a purpose in Adam and Eve, and He's not repented of that purpose. Though man fell and fell under our power greater than him, he's still going to have a Kingdom in man that He's pleased with. And Christ heads up this Kingdom, so He teaches about it.
And he healed all that had need of healing.
You know the Millennium will be a wonderful time.
Has called in one place the regeneration and, and, and uh, uh, the earth is finally gonna bring forth its fruit. It'll be a a time on the earth itself. We'll get a healing, but it heals the people And, uh, anyway, I want to get down to verse 14 for there about 5000 men. And he said to his disciples, make them sit down by 50s in a company.
Well, he only mentions 50s and I look up at that rectangle. You can just about divide it in two. Say it was 100 by 50.
Units, and apparently Luke sees them in two squares of 50 by 50.
And.
That interests me. I've studied the Tabernacle quite a bit and I've drawn scale drawings and that kind of thing, and I really enjoy it. There's things when you're forced to try to make it according to scripture. There's things you notice that.
Uh, you don't otherwise see, but anyway, uh, the house is in one section, uh, one of these squares, you might say it naturally divides itself in two squares, the Tabernacle, the cord of the Tabernacle. And if you put the, the central object of where you enter in the gate, the first thing you would come to is the brazen altar. Well, I put that right in the center of that square. And I thought one day a few months ago, what if I put the arc?
In the center of the other square, and then according to dimension I put it in the center of the Holy of Holies where it was placed and going by the other dimensions.
Where? How would the house lay out the Tabernacle? Well, it so comes out that the door comes exactly on the dividing line.
Between the two corks like Luke suggests here.
And uh, it's interesting to me knowing the volume of the Tabernacle according to description is 3000.
Cubits, I guess you would say cubic cubits and the the court is 5000 square. Well, we have those numbers show up in X. You know, they were the first time the gospel was preached there. Pentecost or three about 3000 saved next time there were no murders about 5000.
Well, back in the wilderness under law, Well, yeah. Anyway, they had already said they they committed themselves to the law. We'll do whatever you say.
And the golden calf incident, 3000 died.
What's the difference?
We know a blood that speaks better things than evil for our wilderness journey. It speaks life. It speaks forgiveness. The life of the flesh is in the blood. I've given it to you on the altar. Make an atonement for your souls is real. It's the real deal now. It was just typical back then. And so there was everything I was done and analogies and types and shadows. But now we got the real deal. But still we've got little.
00:35:18
Beautiful little.
Illustrative.
Sentences, words, paragraphs, books, people, just so many beautiful things to consider and it really shines when you look at it, when you when you Start learning something of the original language. If you don't have to be a scholar, we're living in very privileged times. You can go on places, sites like E Sword or some of those other things on the computer. You know how to punch buttons a lot better than I do. I still turn pages of a book and they're all worn out.
But uh.
The treasure is there. It's like on a silver platter now you you still have to dig, but it's so much easier than it is ever been. Ever.
Even in the days of the apostles, they were, the people were scattered and they had these few manuscripts, you know, now we got tons.
Of scripture and reference works to consider.
If we neglect the Word of God, we're neglecting our salvation, the way Hebrews puts it.
God has a full salvation for us, not just to get in the door, not just to be saved. Yet so has my fire to have nothing to show for our meanwhile here.
You know.
God expects fruit from His Word in US. I'd liken Christians like myself to be like a BlackBerry vine. We bear thorns and we bear tasty fruit at certain seasons. Oh, may we learn that blessedness of washing one another's feet painlessly, taking those thorns off.
So there might be more fruit. Well anyway, 50s in a company. Company here, not the same word.
And interestingly enough, this word again is unique of all the whole Bible only once used. What does it mean, you guessed it, eating parties?
Strong Concordance uses those terms in their in a dictionary. Wow, what's he talking about? Let's go to John now, his story.
Umm.
Chapter 6 Verse.
Uh, verse five. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company coming to him, he saith unto Philip. Now Philip is mentioned here. He was a great evangelist. Oh, I want to bring in one other detail here.
Uh, after these thing, I better go to the first verse. After these things, Jesus went over to the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. There's only two places. Well, actually three places. Uh, see a Tiberius is mentioned twice in chapter 6 and once and 21. And there is some, I believe some intentional linkage between these two chapters. But anyway, uh, through some other notices, but I'm not going to get into that.
Umm, the sea of Tiberias, I looked it up in one dictionary and Tiberius is supposed to mean good vision. Good vision. What prospect do we have in this wilderness? It's looking out through believing God's testimony of the land ahead. You know, we are a heavenly people and umm, we're looking forward to winning some battles in God's promised land.
In heavenly places.
That's not heaven itself, it's heavenly places. It's a step down where there's powers and rulers, Lords of darkness, four different levels. This stratagem, a stratagem of Satan in heavenly places that are much mightier and stronger than we are, smarter than we are. They've been around longer, uh, that we're warring against, but God guarantees the victory.
00:40:22
In fact, the church that tells us in Ephesians.
Three, you all know that these powers from the heavens look down, whether they be the good ones may be on his right and the evil ones on his left, I don't know. God's right and left, I don't know. But they're all ministers of his, a flame of fire. And but anyway, they're watching this scene, they're watching the church. And to them it's made known to all various wisdom of God. How are they going to see the wisdom of God? Well, I think it's in our being.
Christ, the head, we got to get the knowing. It's our privilege in this dispensation to know the Father and the Son. That is defined as eternal life in John 17. How it you know to know the Father and the Son? The word know is Gonosco, the objective knowledge. That's why we've been given the Word of God, the truth more sanctified by that.
And so.
In our meanwhile, we need to pay very close attention to God's Word. It's his love, uh.
Speaking to us.
It's that first love expressing himself.
Uh.
But anyway, we were talking about eating parties, drinking parties.
That's something I believe God has for us. Meanwhile, what does it mean? What does the Spirit mean? You know, in Ephesians it says be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.
And one thing you need, another thing unique about John is he brings in Jesus taking an opportunity of teaching a lot in reference to this occasion. The whole rest of the chapter after the giving us account is the Lord's teaching about himself being God's gift, the bread, uh, of heaven.
For eternal life.
Umm.
But.
I, I don't know how to avoid taking up too much time. There's so much in this, but I, uh, he mentions here that it, uh.
I'm gonna jump back here to verse 4.
Verse three, He went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples, and the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was nigh. We know Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed for us. That's the ultimate expression of this world.
For our Savior.
That's the kind of world we do live in. But what I'm seeking to dwell upon is the provision for the wilderness, the eating party, the drinking party. And so he's the true bread that comes down to heaven. Apparently the Jews picked up on this wilderness aspect of things, idea of things they, they thought about, you know, when Jesus had put his disciples on the boat and sent the crowd away, he went up in the mountain alone and.
Interceded for him and there was a storm and.
Umm, uh, you know the story about Peter walking on the water? And then they get the other side. My Capernaum. Here comes the crowd again. They they really.
Play detective and and found him and I think it's verse 27 labor not for the meat which perisheth, for the meat which, but for the meat that endureth unto everlasting life with the Son of man shall give unto you, for him hath God the Father sealed.
And they say unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? And Jesus said, answered, and said to them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. And that is the burden of the gospel of John, that we might believe. That's why John the Baptist was sent the last two verses.
00:45:03
The last two times the verb to believe is mentioned in Chapter 2030 and 31.
He's written these things.
That we might believe, and that believing we might know that we have eternal life. And so his assignment here in his wilderness journey was.
His meat was to do His Father's will and to finish His work, and that was that men might believe on His Father. His Father His glory was as of an only begotten with a Father, and how he.
His heart ached and how he labored and how he worked with his Father and with the power of the Holy Spirit that men might believe. But my, what a stubborn world this world we this world is, and we've been extracted out of it by the sovereign goodness of God.
Well, he's bringing many sons to glory in this wilderness project, and he is well able to accomplish that task.
And you know the Lord Jesus in bringing his bride home.
So that he might really readily say right along with the Spirit, Even so come.
He, he, he, he. It's a process involved. He's washing the church, his bride, with the water of His word. Meanwhile, and we read the end of the story, he's gonna present it to himself without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Well, may we pay attention to that sanctifying word to cleanse us from all these spots and wrinkles that that we yet manifest? Umm, He's able to do it. It's his ability.
It's impossible with men.
It's impossible with men, but all things are possible with God.
Umm, he had so they they have said, well, Moses fed them with the the the man in the wilderness. He says, no, my father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Uh, that you might live forever. I, I, I'm quoting it, but uh, let me, uh.
Oh yeah, Verse 32 Verily, verily, I say to you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from him. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. And they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread.
Of life. It's like I'm here, I'm here. My father has given you that bread. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. And he that believeth on me shall never thirst. So there's sufficiency for our nourishment, sufficiency for our thirst. I believe he's suggesting something that eating party, drinking party.
But let's go on a little far. Let's go on a little more detail.
Uh. Inverse, uh.
He speaks. It would raise us up in the last day.
Uh, several times in this account.
Uh.
Verse 53 Jesus saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Wow, that's a pretty exclusive statement, isn't it? Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man Drink his blood.
Ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Do we thirst for peace?
Uh, in our wilderness journey peace with one another, the wisdom to know how to pur pursue peace with all men and holiness without which none shall see the Lord we must.
Feed.
But this is just too much for the Jews, you know?
00:50:01
What do you mean you're flash drinking blood?
You know, I can't stomach this. I know a man knew a man in our community that just turned away from Christianity. Bloody religion, you know?
What's he talking about here?
Why, they could say, well, even the Bible says not to drink blood, very strongly says so.
Well, why was that? Let's get some understanding. Is there any blood other than the Lord Jesus that can give us life?
And how do we do it? Let's go to.
Umm.
Verse 61 when Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, that this offend you. What an if you shall see the Son of Manus end up where he was before. It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. That's the key. Do we believe his words?
About Do we believe the word of God? What it says about the blood of Christ?
And the flesh of the Lord. There's two aspects of this great victory wrought in the death of the cross of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, his blood and his flesh.
We learned something of the value of blood, of the blood.
It brings to us forgiveness of sins. Hebrews teaches us it's our title to enter the holiest. It's our, it's the, it's the basis of a, uh, per perfected conscience to go into the holy of Holies to the throne of grace to find, obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We better avail ourselves of this help. What do we need help for?
Well, it's when we're tempted, He is able to succor or help those that are tempted. This provision is made for our wilderness journey. Hebrews, the picture is of a people that have been sanctified by the blood of the Passover lamb. They're they've sung the song on the Red Sea. They are now in the wilderness being tested. Will they believe the gospel of the glory, the gospel of the grace of God to bring you through? Will you act on it?
Are you going to produce fruit by it, or are we going to bear thorns?
There's warnings about these things in the book of Hebrews, very solemn, and to neglect the word of God is is the most thorough warnings in Hebrews about that.
It's for our wilderness journey. It's for our meanwhile.
Anyway.
This brings me, I think I've said enough in these, but I I feel like I need to go to first John now.
And, and, uh, you probably know what I'm directing you to to, but I wanna kind of complete the thought of the idea of the eating party, drinking party that John brings us.
John chapter one. First John, I'm sorry, first John, chapter one. That was just from the beginning. That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and which we have looked upon our hands, have handled the work concerning the word of life for the lifeless manifested. We have seen it. And bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us, That was we have seen and heard. Declare we unto you that.
Ye also may have fellowship with us.
That is, these apostles wanted us to have fellowship with them, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We come to know the Father and Son through the way he has expressed himself in his Word, and we have fellowship with, were brought into fellowship with God through this and through what it says my faith in his blood.
And it tells us in Hebrews 10, we've been sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. I'll get to that a little later, but I want to get to this, uh, what he says here.
00:55:00
And truly our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write unto you, that your joy may be full.
Is a complete answer to the hunger and thirst of the soul, and may we not be so much in denial about our true condition that we think we can get our sustenance from the wilderness just by.
Desiring, loving the world and the things that are in it, we're passing through it. We are not of that, this present evil world. And our sustenance doesn't come from it either.
I don't want to go one more place. Will you forgive me for taking up so much time?
1St Corinthians 10.
I got one brother that nodded and had, so I'm going to take advantage of that secret between you and me, Dean.
Uh, Anyway, uh, First Corinthians 10. My wife is probably going to get after me after this, but, uh.
And she needs to a lot of times.
Uh.
It says moreover, brethren.
I would that ye not be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the crowd and all passed through the sea. Well, that's interesting. All our fathers were on the clock.
He was writing to these Corinthians. They're Gentiles, he says. They're our fathers.
Hmm.
God's people.
Uh, years ago, Many years ago, under the cloud, all pass through the sea.
And we're all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. For remember, right? I think in Hebrews it was Moses faith.
In relation to the Passover lamb and the UMM and the Red Sea, I might be mistaken about that, but the people obey. They fallen. They when I come to the Red Sea, there was nothing more they could do. They were. They were shut up. They were trapped.
They were shut up to God, stand still and see the salvation of God. And they did. It was Moses wrought.
Well.
They were baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all did eat that same spiritual meat.
And they drank of that spiritual rock.
That followed them.
You know, when you think about what David wrote in Psalm 123, the Lord is my shepherd.
And the way he concluded it, surely I shall.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. That's where we're going in our journey.
And his confidence was in our great Shepherd of the sheep.
That surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life is that spiritual rock that followed him.
As well as us. He leads and He follows. We're enclosed in that first love, and that rock was Christ. But as many as but, but, but, but, but with many of them. God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
I'm going to stop here.
They, in Psalm 78, give us a little history.
A concise history of his role in the wilderness. And at one point they'd experienced the water out of the rock. They had murmured about that, but God in grace supplied. And they said in so many words it says, yeah, yeah, he supplied water out of the rock. But can he provide a table in the wilderness? Well, he surely did, but they still complained about it. The table was, can I say, the mercy of the night, bringing the dude down.
01:00:05
He gave us to his beloved in sleep. It brought the manna down. They picked it up off the wilderness sand every morning. They had to do it. They had to get it done before the sun got hot and melted it away. But there were instructions about gathering that food and it was there it was. It was called the Mighty's meat or Angels food. And that's what Christ, our hidden manna now is. It's the mightiest meat is to make us strong.
He numbered 5000 men as numbering an army. It was the IT was the men 20 years and older and upwards that were numbered in the army of Israel. And there were women and children along too in in the feeding of the 5000 well.
What are you saying with all this provision? You know it says baptized in a cloud in the Moses we are baptized under Christ.
Water baptism.
And I believe we are baptized.
The church was baptized in the day of Pentecost.
To the to Christ by the Spirit.
One head, one body water provision.
Let's get into a little more detail.
Right now I think I'm going to skip over the rest of the warning here. In this chapter there were five things, five areas in which they sinned, in which they displeased the Lord. 5 reasons why they fell in the wilderness and didn't enter into God's complete fullness of salvation.
And they're, they're types of us. It concludes by saying verse 14. Well, let's look at verse 12. Wherefore wherefore he says to these Corinthians and us, Wherefore let him that thinketh thee standeth, take heed lest he fall. I think he's saying that to the lay of the sin church. They thought they stood pretty well. They were pretty well fixed. They had need of nothing.
Take heed.
Uh.
There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you're able. But well with the temptation also make a way to escape that he may be able to bear it.
He's able to strengthen us to bear.
But we have to acknowledge our sin. We have to go to the throne of grace, recognize what the Word of God points out. That's what's so important about the Word of God. It brings reality into our lives, into our hearts. He's able to show the thoughts and intents of the heart. There's no other way they can really be shown the true character Or we can get a lot of knowledge from one another and, and that, but it has to come from the Word of God.
You know, otherwise it's kind of something like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yeah, you get knowledge.
But is it clean? Is it really from the mouth of the Lord? You get the Bible, the Scriptures into you, you get the living Word of God cutting away and cut down all these little.
Facades and Shields and things that we raised up and thinking we're pretty well set with God.
Umm, remember Jesus said that those Jews that believed on him, If you continue in my your word, uh, then your mind disciples, indeed, you should know the truth. The truth should make you free. And that's what he wants. That's the fullness of salvation, to be free from the, the power and dominion of sin in our lives. And so Romans, we find the flesh applied his flesh applied to to ours. We were united with him in his burial.
He was in in order that we might be raised with him to walk in newness of life. I just give you that as a hint of the two sided part of the, the the feast. The Lord has for us an awareness. There's both forgiveness of sins and then there's the deliverance from the power of sin, the sanctification of his body being buried with him in baptism and raised with him and getting in the good of this baptism of the Holy Spirit.
That we might be filled with that spirit. Uh, yes, it was the one, the baptism. It was the one thing, umm, uh, one time thing they were baptized in the Red Sea one time with to Moses. Well, anyway, these there's some real parallels here. Now, verse 15 or 14, Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
01:05:26
He wants us to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit. Chapter six He warns them.
To flee from fornication. Now it's flee from idolatry. There's two evils in the wilderness. There is the other, what pertains to the flesh and the other two? Spiritual wickedness. And so he says.
Verse 15 I speak as to wise men. Judge ye, what I say could be translated. Speak as the prudent man.
Judge what I say. Consider the object lesson I just told you, he says. The cup of blessing which we bless, we all do.
Every Lord's Day it it isn't not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break.
Is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Or could I say the fellowship? John was talking about our fellowship with the Father and Son over these two.
Portions, precious portions of our Meanwhile Wilderness Journey feast.
Verse 17 he explains what he means, the fellowship of the body of Christ. For we being many are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread.
I'll tell you what it means to me.
We get Christ through every member of the body somehow.
And we want to be speaking Christ one to another. It'll be with grace, season with salt, speak the truth in love, wash one another's feet, and enjoy the blessing of it.
Seeing the body grow.
Enoch conclude.
He mentions verse 32.
Give none offense.
I'm not quite done yet, but anyway, I'm gonna do this. Give none offense. Neither do the Jews, nor the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.
They were offending the Church of God.
There were divisions.
Among them.
Factions, heresies, they all existed in those days. They may have still come together in one place, but he names them all.
He has to tell him the next chapter. They didn't come together for the better.
They were offending the Church of God one another.
And you have done it to the least of my brother, and you have done it to me, the Lord said.
He told Paul why persecutor. Sell me. No, Saul, I should say. OK, now how about the Gentiles? Yes, they were in offense to the Gentiles. They were doing moral wickedness there. It wasn't even done in that corrupt city of Corinth in the Gentiles. Wow, pretty bad.
God was not well pleased with them.
And yet Paul told him how much he loved them. He was sticking with them. Maybe he couldn't be present with him, but he loved for him, loved him, prayed for him. And he was terribly, can I say, had the care of the churches on his heart continually. It was a burden to him. And so I'm sure they were an offense to the Jews as well. Why? Why? There's two tables mentioned here.
There's two tables mentioned here. One's the large table, one's the table of demons. You can't do both. You cannot do both. I'm not saying a double minded man doesn't do both, but not at one time, and one is counterproductive to the other.
Let's go back to the analogy Israel in the wilderness.
01:10:04
What did Steven tell him? You remember?
I'm going to turn this X7.
No, I apologize. I'm taking time here.
Thanks.
Stephen Money concludes.
With all the details of their history, of their unbelief.
He said.
Verse 42 Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven.
Well, they made a cap it.
Uh, let's go back to verse 40 and they were saying to Aaron, make us gods go before us for As for this Moses, which.
Brought us out of the land of Egypt. He was up on the Mount Sinai, you know, he said. We, we don't know what became of him.
And they made a cap on those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Then God turned and gave them up to worship the hosts of heaven.
That is written in the Book of the Prophets.
Oh yeah, House of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of four years in the wilderness. Yeah, ye took up the Tabernacle of Moloch. There was a Tabernacle of the Lord right in their midst. He had had to take 110th out of the there for a while and he might want to seek Lord, go out and and wire the Lord out there outside the camp.
But most of the wilderness journey he had one that they built under the power of grace and God's sovereignty. They built a Tabernacle and he entered that Tabernacle and filled with his glory and, and yes, yes, yes.
Verse 2042 They went on, God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven.
As it is written in the book of the Prophets, O ye House of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of 40 years? No onerous. Yay. He took up the Tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your God Rimpin figures which he made to worship them. And I will carry away beyond Babylon. Beyond Babylon.
Our fathers had the Tabernacle of witness and the wilderness.
And I'll stop there.
Jesus tabernacled among us, it says in John 14. He well, he would go. The Word was made flesh, and he dwelt among us. The perfect expression of God Himself. Eternal Son came in tabernacles among us. And now he, he's in heaven, our high priest, and He's bringing us to glory. He's going to complete our journey. It's a done deal.
But anyway, uh.
I I.
I want to go to, uh, you. I'll just, I won't turn the page. Take the time. You remember this the the Greek woman, the Syrophoenician woman.
When he was in regions of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus was she came to her and she was howling her name.
About her daughter was grievously affected by a demon.
He.
Ignored her and cycle the cycle said get her out of here she's a nuisance come on, get her out of here and.
It seems like the Lord was.
Must have been praying. Father, what do I do about this? What do I do about this? I want, I want to do her good. But you sent me to the child House of Israel.
So he he turns and and he says to. Well, it's just not good to.
They give the children spread to the dogs.
And she says, umm.
Well, well, well, well, well, the the puppies get the, uh, the crumbs from their Lord's table. It's literally Lord's same word as Lord Lords tables.
01:15:05
And she got the crumbs she needed. Her daughter was delivered from the demon. She, that mother, had had the table of demons long enough in her life. She wanted the Lord's table, and she got it.
And Jesus stepped out of his boundary to do that.
Now, where were those dogs? Where are those puppies?
And we feed on him.
Our wisdom.
God has made him our our wisdom, our righteousness.
Authentication and last and best, He's our redemption.
It's a done deal. He's gonna do it.
Let's look to Him. Let's feed on his faithfulness. He's the Amen to all the promises of God.
I've been asked to give. I think we're out of time, aren't we? I'm sorry. I I Anyway, I had a burden.
Umm, Brother Steve asked me to give thanks for the food, so do that.
Luke 15
Gospel—A. Coleman
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'd like to read a portion very well known verses Second Corinthians 4:00 and 4:00.
In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them.
Which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord ourselves, Your servants for Jesus sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in your hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Luke, chapter 14.
Luke, chapter 14.
And verse 16 A certain man made a great supper, and made many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden.
Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuses. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go see it. I pray thee, have me excused.
And another said I have bought 5 yoke of oxen and I go to prove them, I pray thee have me excused. And another said I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.
And it says there I'll I'll, I'll repeat it again in verse 17. Come for all things are now ready not as beautiful verse. Come for all things are now ready. And that's the message of the gospel to whosoever will and that wonderful word that the Lord Jesus quoted. Come, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest I I often think that possibly.
God's favorite word is come. It's an invitation to guilty lost sinners, and his arms are outstretched through this world. Tonight he say unto you, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The heavy laden with sin. He can take all those sins and wash them away in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ Godson cleanseth us from all sins.
I'm going to heaven. I'm going to heaven one day and very soon, and I'm going there because of the work of Christ and Calvary's cross. I'm going there because He shed His precious blood there on Calvary's cross for me. He did it all for me. I didn't do a thing. It says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And So what is your reaction to this? How do you stand in this? I say, are you saved? Do you know Christ as your Savior? You can come tonight.
And surely as I re repeated that verse again, I love to quote it. Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. How many there are in this world are so heavy laden with sin. Heavy laden with sin. But the Lord Jesus and His Master's grace should take those sins. He bore them all on Calvary's cross for me. And those dark hours on Calvary's cross.
He could cry out, my God, my God, why his? Thou forsaken me. Oh he was there on account of my sins, being the sin bearer for us, because he loved me and he gave himself for me. I want you to sing with me tonight #17.
Have you any room for me?
Little boy, I'm blown up today.
In 17,000.
7.
00:05:11
Room for pleasure of orders.
Long for bright dark dreams.
Not like that Italian.
Cancer, yes, but I'm hard for which is hard.
Room for chase.com.
OK, 20,000 20.
Sway, love, hearts or wine, hail and.
Last night, stand and trail while you're on my day.
Uh, see you any time for Jesus.
I have been great to call them again.
Oh, today is time. Like, uh.
OK, how long do I have anything?
Room four years of Florida.
Hates going down his way across the Bay.
Today's horror store wisely OH.
Now you know this song that we just sang says you got any room for Jesus?
Think about that for a minute. Have you got any room for Jesus? He's asking you this.
He will bore your Lord of sin. Have you got any room for this blessed One who hung on Calvary's cross for you?
How could you refuse such a message? How could you refuse it?
Have you any time for Jesus? And that, that's the question.
Have you got any time in your life for Jesus? Have you got any time for Him?
And he's pleading for you to come.
I always like to quote that verse John 737 in the Gospel meeting at that last day, that great day, the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come to me a drink and I'll eat that. Because you know, this may be the golf last Gospel meeting that will be preached last gospel. Think of it and the door will be closed forever.
It will be too late. Too late will be the cry. Jesus of Nazareth has passed by. You know, it is a very, very solemn thing to to sit in a gospel meeting and I'm heating the precious news of salvation.
You're saying to the Lord Jesus, I've got no room for you, not in my heart. I got no time for you. I want pleasure.
I wanna enjoy this world, You know this world is gonna pass away.
And what a working world we're living in right now, today.
You pick up the newspaper everywhere.
And there you can see it, what awful, awful things are happening in this world.
Why? Because I believe the Lord's coming is very soon. Very soon.
Have you any time for Jesus?
I, uh, got on the train to go downtown.
00:10:03
Marta train in uh, in uh, Atlanta and I got on the train to go downtown and uh, as a, as a, as a usually my uh.
I'd like to look around, I'd like to look at everybody on the train.
And uh.
You know, just like go, go up and down the roads and, and, uh, look to see what they're doing. You know, I've discovered and maybe.
Uh, this discovery is not new to anybody here tonight, but I've discovered that Satan has found a great tool in turning man's eye away from the Lord Jesus Christ, and I found it on that train. What is it, the iPhone?
The iPad.
The cell phone. The computer.
Turn your eyes in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not.
Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine into them. And here they are.
And they're looking at it and there are fakes on it. They don't look around and see what's going on. Sometimes I wonder if they're getting off the right stop because they're so busy with it.
See, I think.
You know, oh, I hope there's nobody looking at an iPhone here tonight. Why? Because this is a solemn occasion, the gospel meeting going forth, and you're responsible for it.
No, I know you're not.
So we find in uh.
Uh, Luke chapter 14, we have these men that we read.
Excuses, excuses. Now, if you're not belong to the Lord Jesus, what's your excuse? Why, why? Why haven't you come to Christ?
Why haven't you?
You know what that that says to me? That it says to me? A cold heart. Cold, cold.
What's the first one?
Oh yeah.
I want to relate this. He sent his servant at supper time to say that, and that we're bidding come for all things are not ready. My wife has got a picture, and she might have got it at a grass sale or something like that.
Umm, upstairs.
In the in the bedroom upstairs and it's a picture about like that and it's a picture of a table.
And uh, uh, there are chairs on either side of the table. Lovely cutlery, dishes, everything. You know something about that table?
Yeah, it's a long table.
A long table and it goes on into affinity.
You know something? I'm gonna sit at that table because my Lord is gonna be there.
And that that that it could be your portion. You could be there.
What a moment is just before us.
Think of it.
To hear the show, to hear the show tonight, wouldn't it be nice here, here we've had a a beautiful two day, 2 days of meeting. Wouldn't it be nice to top it off with the Lord coming and take us home?
Beautiful. Oh how long? But I got an excuse.
What is the first one? They all, with one consent, began to make excuse.
The first set I bought a piece of ground and my sneeze. Go and see it and I pray they have me excuse.
Well, what is this? I bought a piece of ground. Oh, I got. So let's translate this into the to today I bought a piece of ground. Umm.
I need to cut my lawn today. I need to trim my head just I need to do go through my flower garden. I I need to look after that piece of ground that I got, but I got no time for the Lord.
00:15:01
There's no time for.
You know, I like, I like, I like, I like to make it this way. Make time. It's worth it. Make time. It's worth it to spend those quiet hours with the Lord. You know, my wife and I, we just really enjoy getting up in the morning and getting out into the word and reading and, and talking about it and praying how, how wonderful it is.
To be over the word and uh but it what does it says uh another said I have bought 5 yoga box and I go to prove them. I pray they have me excuse.
This man bought 5 yoke of oxen and it's kind of a lame brain excuse isn't it?
You don't go and buy a car unless you look at it, unless you get your mechanic to look at it.
So this man, he says.
Pretty how many excuse I bought this I bought this car.
What an excuse, what an excuse.
I gotta wash my car, got to lubricate it, change the oil, everything else. It's gonna take me all day. And I got no time for the Lord, no time, no time to think about my salvation.
That's it. You see, that's what I read there in in second Cor, in 2nd Corinthians 4 and four, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine into him.
But oh, I want to tell you again, he's saying to you, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Then he says I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. Now I know that the answer quick, what would be bring your wife, bring your wife, bring your friend?
Free your friend.
The 14th chapter of Luke is this.
Earth with all its hindrances. The 15th chapter of Luke is this heaven with all its blessedness, joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repented. The 16th chapter is this hell with all its miseries. And I ask you tonight, what chapter are you on? What chapter are you in?
Thank God, by the grace of God, I'm the 15th chapter. There's joy.
In the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repented. I repented of my sins long ago. Yeah, really long ago, probably.
60.
60 years ago.
Not sorry for it. Keeping a tremendous savior to me. I've failed in many many times.
But I want to go now to the, uh, no. We'll make a comment on the 16th chapter first and then we'll go to the 15th chapter because that's what I have in my heart tonight.
The 616 chapter is about a man that lived for himself. He didn't have any time for Jesus. He didn't. It says umm, there was a certain man, rich man that which had a.
I got.
Oh boy.
Am I in the right chapter?
What? Verse 19?
Verse 19.
OK, sorry, uh. There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs, was fell from the rich man's table. More over the dogs came electrosaurs. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels and to Abraham's bosom, and the rich man also died.
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And was buried and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I'm tormented in this flame.
And Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things, and likewise also Lazarus evil things. But now thou art he is.
Uh, Comfort Inn dour T tormented and besides, all this is between US and you. There's a great go fix so that they which would pass from hands to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. And he said, I pray thee, therefore.
Father that that would send them to my father's house, for I have 5 brother that he may testify into them, unless they also come into this place of torment.
And Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.
Oh, this man, Rich, he had everything.
I've got all these riches. I don't need Christ. No, it says it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of heaven. But it's not impossible. Zacchaeus came. He was rich.
He was rich, but this man didn't care. He fared sumptuously every day.
But he left God out of his life, left God out of his life and it and it and it says in hell, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.
Does God want to send a man to hell?
No, no, the last thing that God wants to do is to send a man to hell.
I like to quote that verse in Ezekiel that says I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked would turn from his evil way. And then he says, turn thee, turn ye, for why will ye die? It's exact. I think it's exactly Ezekiel 33.
God does not want to send them into hell, but he has no other course.
If you reject this wonderful offer of mercy, you know it is an insult to God.
To reject his wonderful salvation, an insult. He's provided everything for the Sinner to come to him. Think of that. Provided everything.
No, no.
But yet, you know, here's the fellow here.
That for years said no to the Lord Jesus.
Is it possible that there's a young fella like me like I was years ago?
Sitting in this audience and saying no to the Lord Jesus.
It's all done. This world has got nothing for you. Nothing for you.
What is the Lord Jesus got for you? Love and life and lasting joy Lord Jesus found in me. He satisfies the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with fatness. What a God we have. What a God we have. Go now to chapter 15.
First hand. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth.
You know, if there was one senior here tonight that came to the Lord Jesus, there'd be joy in heaven. Thank you.
Joy in heaven, oh how wonderful it is when a Sinner comes and to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
But you know, maybe tonight the last Sinner will be brought in and the door will close forever.
The door will close to the day of grace forever. It'd be too late as the song goes too late, too late will be the cry Jesus of Nazareth has passed by chapter 15 verse 11. And he said a certain man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
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And he divided unto him as living. He says, Father, give me. You know I like that because we have a giving father. We have a giving father. He's given the very best to you and I.
First of all, the gift of salvation, the gift of God, is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What good is a gift if you don't take it?
What good is a gift if you don't take it?
All receive this wonderful gift.
All this Father loved his son, and he divided unto both of them as living.
And so this son says, ah boy, money in my pocket, hey, and I can, I can go now and I can do some of the wonderful things that I wanted to do. And so he goes off into a far off land.
He goes off into far off land. What does it say? And many days after the sun gathered all together and took his journey into a far off land, and there wasted his substance in riotous living.
And when he had spent all.
There arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in one, began to be in one.
You know, for you and I, I can say this. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. I won't. I don't need anything.
He's done everything for me. He supplied all my needs all my life.
Thank God I have a wonderful God. Oh, do you know this God? And then it says he went and joined himself to a citizen of the country, and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. What a horrible job.
To feed swine. And for a Jewish boy, that was awful. It was an unclean animal.
He found a he beat and he and he Jo and and and you know, that's what the world offers you.
A job feeding swine.
And then it says he would fain filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave to him.
I'm gonna just pause there for a minute.
Ethane would fill his belly with a house that the swine did eat.
Now let me ask you a question.
Uh, do you like watermelon?
Yeah, uh, in our house, uh, the watermelon goes in a hurry.
OK.
Do you eat the the husk? Uh, the watermelon?
Why?
It doesn't taste very good.
Do you like car corn in the cob?
Do you eat the? Do you eat the Cobb? No.
It's garbage. You put that in that garbage.
You don't need that, but you know that's what's happening in this world. Men are eating the garbage.
The garbage.
How's the Carmen County, downtown Vancouver And uh, we had a lane behind this, uh, behind the garage and there were dumpsters down there.
And we used to watch them, we used to call these guys the garbage detail and they would go up and down the lane searching for garbage and whatever they could find.
Now, one day.
When I was down there.
Uh, this man came and opened the dumpster and pick up some garbage.
He picked up a grapefruit.
And without a word of a lie, it was half rotten because he it was all it was rotten. He picked it out of this garbage.
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And and and you know there are.
In in downtown Vancouver there are garbage cans all the way down.
And there are people that are fishing through those garbage cans all the time to get anything.
McDonald's coffee I don't like.
But I spotted a man that got into a a garbage can and there was a McDonald's coffee half there. He took it up and drunk it, drank it right there and oh awful, I spotted another man on a boat.
And it was a restaurant, and this man just sat there and watched everybody eat.
And then, uh, a group of people got up and left some chips cold. Part of a hamburger.
And he proceeded to sit down and eat the rest.
Garbage, garbage. And yet there are many that are doing that very thing.
Garbage of this world.
When he came to himself.
And when he came to himself, he said, how many, how many hired service of my father?
Have bred enough to spare and I perish with hunger.
I'm gonna just stop here for a minute.
And tell you a story about myself.
No, I'm not gonna tell you all the gory details that I did when I was a wild stallion.
I'm gonna tell you how the Lord turned me to him.
I grew up in the McDowell division in Vancouver.
It was, uh.
To me, not a very good meeting.
Umm, mostly old folks.
And I really thought that to me, maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't that way. They didn't care about me and I didn't care about them. And so I left.
I went away. I was working over in Vancouver Island. I was over there for four years meanwhile.
My father had left the McDowell division and through the guidance.
And of our brother Gordon Hale. He spread the Lord's Table in his home.
1954.
Just after that, I came home.
From and I.
Took up.
Residence in in my bedroom.
And I resumed my acquaintance with the boys that I had jumped around with for years.
And those boys that I jumped around with were unbelievers and we did a lot of nasty things.
It's Saturday night.
Always Saturday night. That was the big night.
So I met the boys in downtown. We went.
And I came back about 2:00 in the morning, went to sleep.
About 11:00 in the morning I heard singing. I woke up to sing what was happening? They were singing upstairs.
And I recognize some of those tunes.
I many of them that we sang in large St.
I couldn't hear all the prayers or anything else like that.
MMM And they were seen. So I waited till about 12:00. I knew they'd be finished by 12 and I.
I went upstairs to the bathroom, got cleaned up and I came out.
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And my dad says this is my son Al.
And about four or five different brothers came to me, and one brother especially came to me and gave me a big hug.
Glad to know you.
Now let me ask you, would you hug a person that smelled of tobacco and booze?
This man, this is what's going on here.
And this happened and every week after that, they were people coming from Seattle, Tacoma, Hoquiam, from Toronto, all over the place. They were coming to visit my dad to encourage him.
And this new table that have been spread in Vancouver.
I don't this is new to me. I couldn't figure this out what's going on?
Never had this in large St. We if we had one visitor a year maybe.
And every one of them that came were so friendly and they come up with a friendly handshake.
I, I just, I just couldn't figure it out and why they were doing it. Why were they doing it? Why were they doing this to me?
I didn't deserve all this.
So friendly, so nice.
A big hug.
Well.
After a few weeks of this, I, uh, I decided I think I'll go and sit in the meeting.
So I sat in the meeting, and the next week I started in the meeting again. And again and again.
You know, and then my dad said to me, he said, look, Al, there's an all day meeting in Seattle this weekend. You wanna go? Well, no. OK, If I can take my car. I had a Cadillac. OK. Oh.
And, uh, so, yeah, we went down to Seattle and, you know, Large St. meeting, there was maybe 10 or 15 people. We got into this meeting room. It was a great big house and there were 200 people there. I said, where did they come from? I, I, I just couldn't believe this.
You know what was happening in my life.
The prodigal was on its way home.
The prodigal was on his way home.
And that's the way it went until the Lord completely restored me and one day I had to make the final decision.
We're down on the beach with the boys, I said. Look, I can't walk with you anymore.
I want to follow the Lord. Can't do it. You know something?
They after that they didn't want to have anything to do with me.
Because I made a stand for the Lord, The prodigal was on his way home.
What happened?
He comes to his father and he says Father, I've sinned. You know something? Those 3 words I've been told are the hardest words that a person can say. I have sinned.
Yeah, you've seen. Just think of it. I have sinned.
To admit that I'm a guilty lost Sinner on my way to hell.
And coming to him, coming to the Savior.
Say I have sinned.
I will rise and go to my Father, and we'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against heaven, and before thee I'm no more worthy.
Was I worthy? Are you worthy?
You know what the very first verse of this chapter says? This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
This man, the Lord Jesus Christ, received sinners.
They can receive you. We can receive me. We can see you. I don't I, I repeated this. I repeated this before.
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Uh, some of you know my nephew Wayne Coleman.
Anyways, uh, he was worse than I was.
I'm telling you, he was worse than I was. Motorcycle gangs, you name it, the whole bit.
The Lord saved me, you know, his mother came to me and she says, Ali says. If the Lord can save a guy like you, there's hope for my son.
And the Lord saved Wayne too, going on so nicely.
Dear brother in the meeting.
Really taking hold of the scriptures. We value that dear brother, and they're wonderful. It's the grace of God. Do we deserve it? The sovereign grace of God that picks a rebel Sinner up and saves them and puts them on a heavenly Rd.
The grace of God.
And it's the grace of God.
You know this young man had to go through this to realize that he was a guilty lost Sinner.
And he comes to his father and he says I'm no more worthy. No, I'm not worthy.
But what does he sue? Make me as one of the hard servants, No.
And he arose and came to his father, and while he was yet a great way off, that just shows you that he was waiting for you to come.
And the Lord Jesus tonight is waiting for you to come.
But it was a great way off.
The Lord Jesus knew I was a great wealth and He was watching me for it to come home. Beautiful, isn't it?
And what a God.
His father saw him and read and that compassion, and ran and fell in his neck and kissed him.
Now wonderful.
Or think of the love and affection of the father coming to his son.
Fell on his neck and kissed him.
Oh, no worries. How wonderful.
And this affection of the Lord Jesus you again be yours all through your life.
Again, I say he's looked after me and cared for me all my life. What a God I have. And you know that's the God I'm going to spend an eternity with.
Soon tonight.
Tonight.
And the Son said, Auntie him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and are no more worthy to be called thy son.
But I like those words but for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You look up all those words but.
That's a challenge, but the gift of God is eternal life. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love we're worth. He had loved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sin, but God?
And the Father said in verse 22 to his servant, Bring forth the best Grove and put it on, put it on him, and put a ring in his hand, and shoes on his feet. What is a ring? It's eternal love.
When I married my wife four years ago and she gave me this ring and I gave her a ring, it's eternal love. I love you, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
The best role Isaiah, 6110.
Isaiah 6110 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath closed me with a robe of righteousness.
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As a bride.
Groom decking himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself for their Jews. He has clothed me with garments of salvation.
That nice.
Isaiah.
Uh, can't think about the exact reference. Now. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. You know that that is beautiful to me. God is my salvation. I'm saved. I'm on my way to heaven.
I will trust and not be afraid. You know, we, we don't need to worry about the future. Our future is all settled in Christ.
Money for India?
The best is yet to be when we're gonna see him face to face.
But this elder son, I better go back there.
N.
But the now the older son was in the field, and he came and drew nigh to the house, and heard the music and dancing. And he called one of the servers and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, My father has come, and thy brothers come, and thy father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received them safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in.
Think of that.
Would not go in. Is there somebody that tonight here is saying I will not go in?
The Father came out and entreated him. Oh, and I think of that, how God is entreating sinners to come to them tonight, over and over and over.
To hear the gospel.
The many message, the many Ways and Means that God is uh.
Presenting the gospel to sinners. I'm so thankful that I can go down the street and hand the mall. That's the message from God. And I and Brother Dawn I, those tracks are so good that they sell themselves. I just got no problem. They take them and it's a message from God.
Wonderful.
And he answered and said, Lo, these many years do I serve thee neither transgress I at any time thy commandment, And yet thou never escapest me a a a kid that I might make merry with my friends.
Verse 31 Says this. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have designed. You know this tells me one thing.
This elder son is a type of Israel.
Type of Israel.
However, with me and all that I have is here to think of how God pleaded for the nation of Israel. You think of of the Apostle Paul who can say my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel does that they might be saved and yet they rebelled against God. They went into idolatry. He had to bring.
Bring him into Babylon, he and.
He he entreated them.
And yet they turned their back on him, and it's just like this man.
Son, thou art ever with thee and all that I have a sign. He gave them anything, and you think that that how he.
Redeemed them out of Egypt with a strong hand. And he repeats that over and over again. Reminds Israel over and over again of what he did for them. I had. I was billeted in North Carolina.
With a man.
They asked me to and he was a Jew.
And I stayed there the three nights that that the conference was on.
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A nice man.
But each night they came after meeting and I got up in the morning and left.
But he had, he had the old TV on full blast and you, you can see that what he was uh, uh, looking at wasn't too pleasant.
But finally I wanted to talk to him. I forget his name, sorry umm.
Uh uh, a neighbor of Burke Council, umm.
And uh, I said to him Monday, I want to read some scripture to you.
And I went to Isaiah 53.
And I, I read him Isaiah 53 and I said, look who's he talking about? Who's he talking about? It couldn't be anybody else but the Lord.
Nobody else but the Lord.
You know.
Like the Apostle Paul said, all day long have I stretched up my hand.
OK, I didn't quote that right anyways.
Is there somebody here tonight?
That doesn't know Jesus a little one.
A teenager.
You come tonight, He'll save you. He'll receive you. He's a wonderful God. Let's thank him.