Address—G. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn to three scriptures first of all, First Corinthians chapter 15.
First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 47.
The first man is of the earth earthy The 2nd man is the Lord from heaven.
Then in John chapter 16.
Verse 13.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, if whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come, he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. And then in Isaiah, Chapter 9.
Isaiah Chapter 9.
And verse 6.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it to establish it with judgment and with justice.
From henceforth, even forever, the seal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.
What I'd like to especially speak on this afternoon is to bring before us the Lord Jesus as the center of all God's thoughts and the one who ought to be the one who is before us, occupying our hearts and minds, affecting our lives so that we might live for Him.
You know, it's often said that the Bible is the history of two men. The first man is of the earth, earthy. The 2nd man is the Lord from heaven. God's purpose in his Word is to give us this. If you and I had been writing it, we might like to have known a great deal more about creation and what happened before those seven days of creation when God made the earth as a dwelling place for man. But God passes over all those things very briefly.
And then brings before us the creation of this world in which man was placed, because he always had in view the 2nd man, the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he gives us the history of the first man. It's a sad history. Someone has said. The Old Testament begins with the creation of man and ends with a curse. And surely, if we look upon man, what he is naturally.
Surely there's no power to please God. The heart is an alienation from God, and every one of us were born in sin, born with that sinful fallen nature, not only unable to please God, but with hearts and enmity with him. And God fully describes what we are. Man is put under the test in various ways in the Old Testament, and we find that all these tests, one after another, only proved that one thing.
The flesh profiteth nothing. Man of his best estate, the Bible says.
Is altogether vanity, and in order for there to be blessing, God must begin all over again.
Not with the first man, but with the 2nd man, who is the Lord from heaven.
And he has done just that. He has begun all over again. God himself became a man in the person of Christ, in order that God's heart might be told out, and that those who believe might receive the very life of Christ, and they might be able to enter into and enjoy the thoughts of God. It says This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
Eternal life is not just simply a life that is never ending. Eternal life is a life by which we can hold fellowship with God.
By which we can enter into his thoughts, his purposes, enjoy what God enjoys, and have his outlook on things here in this world. What a marvelous thing this is. I can remember when we went to school that my father said to me. He said whenever they teach you about mathematics and various subjects that are necessary to earn a living. Why? He said, listen, they probably know a great deal more than I do.
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But he said, if they tell you anything about moral and spiritual subjects, unless they get their wisdom from the Word of God.
It will be foolishness. The Bible says the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain, and what man is doing today is intruding into those things which are not his fear. If he does not accept divine revelation. He is trying to establish moral standards of his own and spiritual values of his own, the only place that we will learn the true knowledge of God and proper spiritual values.
Is from this precious book and I just want to command it to everyone here, young and old, The importance of this wonderful book, a revelation from God. It's not given to us merely as a history book. We find how often God passes over the reign of one king with just a few comments, and then takes up the reign of another king and perhaps spends chapters on it. Why does he do that? Because in the reign of that king there were some moral lessons that he wanted to teach us.
And so he takes it up in great detail, for whatsoever things were written aforetime.
Were written for our learning that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.
And I wish to say to all, both young and old, I hope you will value the precious word of God.
Breed it, memorize it. It'll become a blessing to you all along your pathway. And if I might speak, a little bit of personal experience. Many of the stories in the Bible that I read, I didn't fully understand or know how they applied. But as time has gone on in my life, I have found that there is a story in the Bible that fits every situation in which you can find yourself in life and when you face a difficult situation.
If you know those stories in the Bible, you will find there was someone who was placed in a similar situation to yourself. And God gave you his wisdom about the situation. He showed how that person acted wisely or unwisely. He showed the results of acting wisely and the foolishness of going against the wisdom of God. How can we be so foolish as to think that we are wiser than God? Canst thou, by searching, find out God?
Thou find out the Almighty to perfection. And the Scripture says, How could we ever think that we are wiser than our Creator, the one in whom we live and move and have our being? Well, then how good it is to take this word of God up, learn it, meditate upon it, value it, because it is this precious revelation from God? Well, perhaps you say, but I find it very difficult to understand. There are so many things in it that I don't understand.
I would just say first of all that the Bible says lying upon line, precept upon precept. Hear a little and there a little. When you went to school, they didn't start you in the graduating class of high school. They started you at the very bottom. And as you learn some of those lessons, perhaps in grade one and two, then time went on and you learn more. And you know, God teaches us in this way.
I've often said if God had shown me everything he wanted me to do the day he saved me, it would have been beyond what I could take in. But isn't it precious that it tells us in the 119th Psalm? It says thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That is, God just gives light for one step at a time. If you hold back and don't take that step, then don't blame God because you can't see a long way ahead.
I think I have fairly good lights on my car, but I find that they maybe go ahead a few 100 feet and if I decided to stand still I would never see more than those 300 feet. But I could travel all night and perhaps travel 4 or 500 miles and have light all the way as long as I keep going as long as I go forward in the light that God gives. And so I want to say if God is giving anyone here late for a step, if you want to have more.
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Take that one step. It's the lamp to your feet and a light to your path, and it'll light the whole way to glory. Path is the just as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. God will give you light for all the pathway. Well, I just read that in John chapter 16. Perhaps I can repeat a comment that I made yesterday, and that is that you can make a simple test of any doctrine that is presented to you.
Any spiritual doctrine by just asking one question, does this line of teaching exalt man or does it exalt Christ?
If it's the truth of God, it will exalt Christ, because in that Scripture I read to you, it says there that when the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. And then it says, He shall glorify me, for he shall receive a mine, and shall show it unto you.
Perhaps you say, well, some people bring to me some doctrines and I can't answer them because I don't know my Bible very well.
But just make that little test. First of all, when they present some doctrine to you, ask is this line of teaching something that will exalt man or does this line of teaching exalt and honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Let us take just one simple thing. Many Christians, I believe Christians, teach that the believer can be saved and then lost again. You say well, they can bring forward some scriptures that are hard to answer.
But you'll find this, that if you believe this teaching that you can be saved and lost, you have quite a bit to give honor to yourself because you're going to be able to say the Lord saved me. But the only reason I've kept saved is because I've been a good Christian, I've been faithful, and you give honor to yourself. But God says that all the honor must go to his beloved son, He that glorious, let him glory in the Lord.
Perhaps there are others who will say, well, he believes that baptism is part of the salvation of the soul. Well, that means that the work of Christ is not enough, because unless some man does something to you, you couldn't be in heaven according to that teaching. So you needed Christ, But you also needed man to do something. To you, friend, it's all Christ and his glory. That work that he accomplished upon the cross of Calvary is that work that gives glory to God.
And brings you and I into the fullest blessing. Now as time goes on, you're going to learn more from the scripture so that you will be able to answer from the scripture. But isn't it lovely that God has given, Shall I say something that would be a guard for the young believer?
I believe that's why in John's epistle, when he's addressing the babes, he says ye have an unction.
From the Holy One and ye know all things. Do you think God is not going to protect a babe in Christ? Oh, he will if he sees that Christ is everything as the Bible says He is everything. Why? He's going to be protected long before he has got a real good knowledge of the Scripture.
And then that lovely verse that we read in Isaiah Chapter 9, His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, or the Father of Eternity, The Prince of Peace. Well, how blessed those words are. His name shall be called Wonderful, and I know everyone in this room who has learned to know him as Savior will say he's a wonderful savior.
He's a wonderful savior. He met me just as I was. He forgave all my sins. He made me a new creature in Christ Jesus. Yes, he's not only a wonderful savior, he's a wonderful all the way. He's wonderful when we give him his rightful place.
The mistake that we make, brethren, is that we introduce something of ourselves, and that spoils it. Every bit of self that is introduced it only spoils it. There are two very eminent servants in the word of God, One.
John the Baptist. And I say that because the Lord Jesus said about him, among those born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. But what did John the Baptist have to say about himself?
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Did he say I'm the top servant? I'm the best one? Oh no. When they came and said to him, Who are you, John? Are you the Christ? He said no. Are you that prophet now? Are you Elias? No. Well, tell us then who you are, He said, I'm just a voice. I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. And they came and told him that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than him.
And what did he say? He must increase. But I must decrease, he said. His shoes latched. I'm not worthy to unloose. That was the greatest servant, the one who thought the least of himself. You know, Christendom has become a place where, even in Christian circles, men are exalted and honored. But if you and I and are in harmony with the thoughts of God, we will be exalting the one whom God delights to honor.
Haman said, To whom would the king delight to do honor? More than to myself. But he was entirely mistaken that he spies and rejected man. Mordecai was the one whom the king delighted to honor. Take the apostle Paul. When he talks about himself, shall I say his opinion of himself goes down and not up. First he says he's the chief of sinners. Then he says he's the least of All Saints.
Then he goes a little step lower and he says I'm less than the least of All Saints.
Then he goes right down and he said, though I be nothing, you can't have a real acquaintance with the Lord of Glory, this one whose name is Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, without thinking less of yourself and more of him. No, that's the result of being in his presence. If I thought I was a good mathematician and I got in the presence of someone who knew far more than myself, that would make me humble, wouldn't it?
And when we exalt ourselves, it only proves that we're not in His presence. We're not in His presence. In His presence, we realize that we're really nothing but all in His presence. He is altogether lovely. He is the one who has an interest in you, and if you have come to know Him as your Savior, he's not going to be satisfied until He has you supremely blessed. He loves you so much that He died for you.
In his satisfaction is going to be you to be to see you happy in His presence, where there will be no more sickness or sorrow or crying or pain for all eternity. And that's the true path of happiness. So if you need counsel for your life, turn to him. His name is Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the mighty God. He has all power. And then it says.
He is the father of eternity. We talk to some people and you know they're very helpful, but you don't understand fully the circumstances of our lives. I often feel very, very unable to help people because I don't fully understand the circumstances that they're in. But isn't it wonderful? There is one who does. I like that 139 where it says thine eyes did behold my substance yet being unperfect.
And in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
It gives me a certain amount of consolation that there's a person who watched my body being formed, knows all my physical and emotional limitations, knows my family background, knows everything about me, and loved me enough to go to Calvary to die for me. Oh this is what we need to get hold of brethren. And so I just want to quote that verse I started with again and where it says the first man is of the earth, earthy, everyone was one of us, were born in that position.
We were born to this world, part of a sinful race with bodies of humiliation.
And then the time came when the Lord met us in grace and He made us new creatures in Christ Jesus. That's why it speaks of the Lord Jesus as the beginning of the creation of God. It isn't that he had any beginning himself.
Everything in the first creation was ruined. And God begins all over again. When his son becomes a man, he comes down and he is born there in Bethlehem. He's cradled in the Manger, He's brought up in Nazareth. He's despised and rejected, but that was the Lord from heaven. And God begins all over again with him. And I want to speak a little bit about how he's everything for your Christian life.
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And mine. Well, first of all, for salvation. If you'll turn to Luke's Gospel chapter 2.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 2.
And the.
27 Verse And he that Simeon came by the Spirit into the temple, when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, then took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said.
Lord, now let us thou thy servant, depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou has prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
What I'd like to bring out from this verse is that salvation is a person when Simeon took that blessed babe up in his arms.
He said Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. You know many people think of salvation as a feeling or an experience or something, but it's a person. If you have Christ, you have salvation. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not light. If you don't have Christ as your Savior, you're not one of God's children. You're not in the family yet. But I hope that you'll do what Simeon did in faith that you'll receive Christ.
As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God.
Even to them that believe on his name, as I say, so many people get occupied with feelings about salvation. I went through quite a period myself like that, looking for feelings. But you know, it's not a question of that. It's a question of a person. And that person is the Lord Jesus. He is the Savior and if you have received him, I say again, you have salvation. People get occupied with the amount of their faith.
But you know, it's not the amount of your faith, but whether your faith is in the right person. Some people trust in their feelings, some people trust in their church, Some people trust in their works from people, even the amount of their faith. And they'll tell you they have strong faith, Man said to me the other day. You need to have faith in something. Well, how foolish that is. Opposing the man gave me a check for $100 and I say I have great faith that this is a good check.
All the faith in the world doesn't make it a good check. It depends on whether the man is good, whether he's worthy of my confidence, and maybe have another check for $100. They have all kinds of doubts about, and I present it to the teller and she gives me the $100 boy, I said I wasn't so sure. That doesn't matter. Your feelings don't enter into it. The man is worth far more than that, certainly our friends. It only takes the faith that touches the hem of his garment, as long as it's the right person.
Don't trust in anything in yourself. Don't look inside for feelings.
Measure the amount of your faith. Any of us that know anything about ourselves would say, well, I have less than a grain of mustard seed of faith because there's still some mountains I haven't moved. We have some little faith that all when it's in the Lord Jesus, he's worthy of our fullest confidence. Little hymn says evil art thou art, loved to win worthy of all our trust. So when Simeon took that blessed baby up in his arms.
He had God's salvation, one whom God sent into this world, a light to lighten the Gentiles.
And the glory of thy people, Israel. He is the light of the world. There's no hope for this world apart from him.
All the best politicians and leaders are doing their best to try and solve some of the problems that are increasing in this world. But there's only one person and it's God's man. The one, as we said, the government is upon his shoulder. He's going to carry everything. He's going to set everything right. He is the Prince of Peace. There's no peace without him. Do you know him as your salvation if you put your trust in him?
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Ceased looking in and look up and see that Blessed One who went to Calvary.
And bore the judgment of God against sin. And God accepted the work that he accomplished, and he crowned him with glory and honor at his right hand, a Prince and a savior. If your faith is in him, you're secure. If it's in anything in yourself, why it's not secure? Because the scripture says the flesh profiteth nothing. I think of that. I think of what I heard that someone came to Mr. Darby one time and said.
Mr. Darby, you have a good knowledge of the Scripture.
Will you show me how to study the Bible? He said study well 4 words.
The flesh profiteth nothing. No, we'd like to. We'd like to actually feel that we had a good knowledge of the Bible. Let it be something we could boast in. But I think that the more we learn of God's precious Word, the more we say, oh, how little we know how that blessed one whom it reveals. He's he's so altogether lovely. He's wonderful. Well, he's our salvation. And I just like to look there at first epistle of John in the first chapter. She just turned edit to it for a minute.
First John, chapter one and verse.
Well, and we'll start at the first verse, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifest unto us. I just call attention to this because it shows that the Lord Jesus is that eternal life.
That's why it says he that hath the Son hath life. It says also in Colossians 3 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. Can I put it very simply, when I was born into this world, I was born with a life, a life that was away from God who sought its own way. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We turned everyone to his own way.
That was the kind of life I received. But when I was born to the family of God, when I received the Lord Jesus as my Savior, then I received eternal life. And that life is the life of Christ sometimes said my body is like a house with two tenants.
I still have the phone. Nature. God tells me to reckon that dad, but he also tells me that I have this treasure in earthen vessels. That is, it's still the same old body that I had before. But God put a treasure in the life of Jesus, eternal life. And so Christ is that life. So I say Christ is salvation. Christ is our life. It says in Colossians chapter one, Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Do you know that if you've received the Lord Jesus as your savior?
You're not going to have a different new life when you get home to heaven. You already have the life that's suited to heaven. It's the life of Christ. And I often say when, When we get there, I believe for the first time we'll say this is home. Now I can relax. All of that new life wanted is there to fully enjoy. There's no hindrance. The world in its system, the fallen nature within, the groaning creation, these bodies of humiliation left behind.
But the same life we had it in Peter. We have the salvation of our souls, we wait, the salvation of our bodies. But what I want to say again, you already possess a life that's suited to heaven. And that's why as we sit here as believers, we enjoy heavenly things. We get a foretaste before, just like the ones who went over to Canaan and brought back the grapes of Canaan. And the people in the wilderness could enjoy that fruit that was there.
Even though they hadn't reached Canaan. And how wonderful Well for you to talk that way, but you don't know how weak I am. Let's turn to Philippians chapter 4.
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Beginning at the 11Th verse, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry.
Both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ.
Which strengtheneth me.
Isn't this lovely? Do we have the strength? Yes, We have Christ in US. And is he strong enough? Yes. Here was the apostle Paul. He was in prison, forgotten by many of his brethren, you say? Well, I'd get depressed if things like that happened to me. Well, Paul had to learn to be content, and most of us do. We're not generally content when things go wrong in our lives and disappointments come. But Paul learned.
He learned in the school of God that he could be content because.
God had ordered the circumstances of his life. As one has sometimes said, there isn't a situation in which any believer could be found that God is not able to change it if it were his will. Are you in a situation and you say, why doesn't the Lord change it? He has the power.
And if he doesn't change it, he must see something for you in leaving you there or leaving me there.
He orders everything in our lives. He has a plan for us. He has an individual tuition for every child of God. And So what? He is passing you through and what he is passing me through. You say I haven't the strength. If I had a strong character, I'd handle it. Paul said I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me pure, a child of God. You have the same new life that Paul had. He had the life of Christ. You have the life of Christ.
And So what a wonderful thing. What is it? Is it a feeling? Is it building up character? It's a person. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory? Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. We need to draw upon the resources that we have, though sometimes we don't draw upon them.
In our cars, sometimes we just have to press a button and there's all kinds of power there right away.
The power is there, we just have to use it, and there is power given. And when you and I cast ourselves in complete dependence upon the Lord, we find that he's able to remember the King who, when the armies of the enemy came against him, he looked up to the Lord, and he said.
He said, Lord, do see us this company. We don't know what to do but our eyes.
Upon thee. And what happened? The Lord came in, and there was a mighty victory. Another man hired a great company and went out, and there was defeat. He tried to meet it in human strength. And so how wonderful to be able to say Christ is the strength of my life. So we find here in this passage this beautiful thought. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. I say Paul had to learn those things. We all have to learn them, more or less.
In our Christian life. But he proved it, and so he could write and encourage these.
Philippian believers, have you turned back to the second chapter? I just like to read also from the fifth verse.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.
And given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, To the glory of God the Father. Were for my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Workout your own salvation with fear and trembling, For it is God that worketh in you.
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Both to Will and to do of his good pleasure. Well, I believe in this second chapter we have the Lord Jesus as the example or pattern for us.
Tells us in Peter's epistle that he left us an example, that we should follow his steps. Now I'm quite sure that in school and all that, the ambition of getting forward, climbing, getting somewhere as our brother brought before us last night, that is constantly set before our young people to climb to be something. But here was one who was and is God himself.
He is one that was number robbery For him to be equal with God, that's exactly what he is. He is God himself, God the Son. And he came down into this world. He was the only person that could choose where he would be born. And he chose to be born in Bethlehem and laid in the Manger. If you could choose where you would be born, would you like to be born in that humility? He could choose his own place of residence.
And when Nathaniel heard about it, he said, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? He wasn't in the elite part of the country. If he couldn't speak in that way he was despised and rejected of men. He said show me a penny. And yet he made the gold and the silver and everything was his. Just think of it, the Lord of glory come down to this world to be an example for us. Babe, you or I have had some reverses and we say it's very difficult.
Was there any that ever went any lower than the Son of God himself, the one who, as it says, he was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He made the wood on which of which they formed the cross. He made the iron by which they made the nails. He made the steel for the spear that pierced his blessed side. He had everything, but he's a perfect example. Perhaps you set some brother before you as an example. You say he's a good Christian.
Or some sister and you say she's a wonderful Christian. I'd like to be like her. Well, you may be disappointed.
I think of that verse sometimes. I have seen an end of all perfection, and if you've got any model, brother or sister, you're going to be disappointed sooner or later. Certainly if you looked at me, you'd be disappointed because every human fails. But don't make anyone your example. But the Lord Jesus, that blessed one who walked through this world, who upholds all things and yet came in that lowly form, made himself of no reputation.
He became a servant. We like to be sort of boss and telling other people what to do, but he voluntarily chose to be a servant. He had the most humiliating death put up there upon a cross. He did all that. He was the perfect example. And then he is saying to these Philippian believers they were having a little bit of strife among themselves. And he said, he said that the Lord would help them to work the situation out. Because you know.
A lot of our problems that we can't workout is because we don't like to be put down. You don't like to be put down and we can't work it out because we want something about ourselves to be recognized. But here was the one who came and took the lowest place. Oh, you say that's hard. Well, he said it is. God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Oh, how wonderful. What a perfect example.
Well, the next chapter we have one who is an object for our hearts, the third chapter.
Paul said in verse 10 that I may know him the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained either, were already perfect.
But I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are before.
Behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul compares himself here to a runner in a race. And as in those ancient games, the prize was at the end of the race, and as he was running in that race, he had an object before him, and the object was Christ in glory. Do you have an object in your life?
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Sometimes remember, one man said, before I was saved, I wanted to be a great man in the world. After I was saved, I wanted to be a great man in the Church of God. And he said I had to learn that both were wrong. Now we like to be considered great, don't we? But here we find Paul had an object before him, and he was running with that object, and there were many things that might have attracted him. If you're running in a race and you see something worthwhile.
Lying there on the side, you have to make a choice, whether that's more important to pick that up or to run on in the race. And you know Satan is constantly dangling things in front of us, saying isn't it worthwhile to turn aside for this or that will Paul had an object before him.
He saw Christ in glory at the end of the race, and He was just running, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. He pressed what was the prize, all to be in the presence of that Savior, and to hear in some measure His well done.
There's one verse that often thrills me as I think of it. I think it's so wonderful, it says in First Corinthians chapter 4. And then shall every man have praise of God? I can't understand that. I know why I should praise him. This is my story, This is my song praising my savior all the day long. But why He should find something in my life that he would praise me for it that's beyond me, but rather not yours. How he'll pick the smallest thing out of your life done for him?
And he will say, well done. There are crowns, there are rewards. And when we see how he valued a little bit of devotedness for him, a little bit of living for him, we'll say, oh, it's well worthwhile will. Paul had his eye upon the object and he pressed on. He was in prison, he was forgotten by his brethren, but he just accepted everything from the Lord and said, I have an object before me. I'm longing for that time.
Well, I'll be up there with Christ.
I'd like you to turn to Galatians chapter 3.
I don't expect to dwell on this little theme of baptism, but I just wanted to call attention to this three verses 26 and seven.
For your All the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You're not a child of God by baptism. You're a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. But you know, brethren, it's a privilege in this world to bear the name of Christ.
And if I can just make this little simple comment, I don't intend to dwell upon it. But I believe that if when a person is baptized, if we just had a little card and printed Christ on it and hung it around their neck, it would help them to understand baptism better than a great many words that we say.
Supposing that I had that around my neck, Christ and I walked into the office where I used to work the next morning and they saw that there, what would they expect from me? They would expect to see me like Christ, wouldn't they? Now that sign didn't make me a Christian. It was only an outward thing. And baptism is only a figure, as the scripture says, but it's very important. But a lot of people say I was baptized, and they mentioned the name of a church.
And they think that it's they're baptized into a church, Oregon, perhaps, they'll say.
Baptized by so and so, as if the person that did it was very important. Neither the person nor perhaps the company of Christians. That's not the important thing. The important thing is the name that is placed upon you. Let's always remember this if you've been baptized, I don't expect I don't see anybody here with that around their neck, but I believe it ought to be just as vivid in our minds as though it were there. We ought to think when we meet people in business.
Where we meet people when we have a talk with one of our brethren and here's Christ right across us, They'll make a little difference. Perhaps the way we talk sometimes. Well, brethren, baptism is having the name of Christ placed upon you. It's searching, isn't it? But it's blessed. What other? That worthy name by which you are called the Apostle, Apostle James said.
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But then I also like to look at 2nd Corinthians 5.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
That is, the apostle Paul spoke about living unto ourselves or unto him.
Living under Christ and he said the love of Christ constraineth US1. Is sometimes commented, does not say here the love of Christ should constrain. It states that as an actual fact. Perhaps you say, well, I don't find the love of Christ always constraining me. Why do you say that it says that? Well, let me put it this way, if I had a strong magnet in my hand and there were some nails sitting on the chair there.
I wouldn't say to you. Now watch this magnet should lift those nails. I would say to you, this magnet lifts nails.
Well, you might say, but nothings happening to those nails. And you've got the magnet in your hand. What? Why aren't they moving? You know why? Because they're not close enough. Why is it that the love of Christ is not constraining us more? Oh brethren, we're not living close enough to him, I'm afraid. Often we're like Peter. We follow afar off. The Lord had a tremendous love for Peter, a Peter, a love that afterwards affected Peter in his life.
But he was too far away to feel it, and he denied his Lord. We're capable of anything when we get away from him. But there's power in His love. Power. Where were those nails go when that magnet comes close? Well, I don't know. I just know one thing. They'd go wherever the magnet takes them. Then. I'm not trying to plan your life. I make a massive idea. But the Lord can do it. If you and I are willing to let his love constrain us and His word guide us, he'll order your life.
The Psalmist said, Order my steps. In thy word, he'll plan it for you. He knows far better than anybody else how to plan your life. His name is wonderful, Counselor. So we could say, Well, are we living to ourselves or living to him? Two ways to live. Who, you say? Is there a pattern that you'd like to lay out? It's a person not living unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us.
And rose again.
Well, I'd like also to turn to Matthew, Chapter 18.
Matthew Chapter 18.
In verse 20.
Forward two or three are gathered together in my name. There am I in the midst of them. Isn't that beautiful? Gathered to Christ. Not gathered to accompany but gathered to Christ. And you know, that's very, very wonderful when we think of it. What was it that made meeting precious to our hearts this morning as we gathered here to remember the Lord Jesus?
Was it because there's a great many brethren that we loved? Well, that was a very happy experience for many of us, indeed. But I don't. I hope that isn't why we were here. I hope we were here to meet the one who was in our midst, the one who visibly stood in the presence of his own after his resurrection, and showed unto them his hands and his side. And I just want to say to each one and to myself that if you and I lose sight of this, we're going to get discouraged.
There are problems that arise among us even as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, just like in the 6th of John and the Lord Jesus was here and it says that when the Lords books on faithful words it says From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him and the Lord said.
Said to them, he said, Will ye also go away? And Peter said.
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Lord, to whom shall we go?
Always think of that. If you're discouraged, somebody's hurt you and things have happened that bother you, and the enemy says, oh, it's not worthwhile, there's too many problems. Just think of that little verse. To whom shall we go? And are you there because you believe the Lord is there, and because you believe that we're gathered according to His word. If you lose sight of him, and if you lose sight of the importance of following his words, you're going to be discouraged but all.
Peter said, To whom shall we go?
Did you ever stop to think about the Lords answer to him? I've often been struck. I I thought of it quite a bit when I read it. The Lord said. When Peter said that, the Lord didn't even say a word of encouragement to him. Do you know what he said? He said Have not I chosen you? 12 And one of you is a devil. Why did he say that to Peter? Well, I believe what the Lord is really saying was Peter, if you're here because of me, don't look at the crowd.
There's another disappointment ahead. And brothers were tested constantly. Are we there because the Lord is there? Disappointments come, but he's not a disappointment. He's altogether lovely. Oh, may our eyes be upon him. I hope each one of us are truly gathered unto him. Our time is flying. I won't look at this passage, but perhaps you remember in Revelation chapter 19, it says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
And I just want to mention that because great many people are perplexed about prophecy, he'd like they'd like to fill in a lot of details that the scripture doesn't fill in. There's a lot of things that I would like to know about prophecy that God hasn't been pleased to tell us. Why does he not fill all those details in that would satisfy our curiosity? Because the purpose in prophecy is just to give a general outlay of events to show us how the Lord Jesus is going to have his rightful place.
And if you're occupied with world events, you've lost sight of the real purpose in prophecy. The real purpose in prophecy is that as you see the movements in this world, you're saying, oh, isn't it wonderful? It's all pointing to the time when my blessed Savior is going to have his rightful place.
He's going to come. When you read prophecy, think of it in that way, and if there's something you can't fill in, don't lose sight of that purpose that God has the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Then in First Thessalonians, chapter one, in the last verse, here were a group of heathen that had been saved, been brought to know the Lord as Savior. I expect if you had asked them to write a little treatise about the Lord's coming.
They there was a lot of things they didn't know They weren't. They weren't all together clear about some things. But what was? The Lords coming to them isn't what it says. They were waiting for God's Son from heaven. There may be some things that you and I aren't altogether clear about, but are we waiting for that moment? It might be. Before this meeting is over, the Lord would descend. And what would all the prophetic events mean?
What would all that's going on means just to see himself, to see himself. And they were waiting for God's Son from heaven. So, as someone has said, don't just think about the Lord's coming as a doctrine, Think of it as meeting a person. If I was away from home and my wife looked on my return as a kind of a doctrine that she was to expect me at a certain time, it would be kind of an empty thing, wouldn't it? But it's a person, and so it is. We're waiting for God's Son from heaven.
We're going to see him. We're going to be in His blessed presence. And it says in Revelation chapter 2022. It says, And his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads. Christ will be all in that day. God wants them to be all to us even now. Just want to tell a little story before I close, because it seems to me to emphasize the understanding of Scripture.
The Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and the road to Emmaus. Rather, it says, he expounded unto them, and all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself.
Well, I read this little story and it interested me. There was a man was very busy in his study and his little girl came in and was continually bothered him talking to him, thought he'd give her something to occupy her time. And so he reached in his drawer and he had an old map that he didn't want and he took the map and cut it up in a number of pieces and.
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Handed them to the little girl and said, here dear, put this together. And so the child took the pieces and sat down to put it together. And he thought, well, I'll have some peace for a little while, but it wasn't very long. She jumped up and she said it's all done daddy.
He looked down. He didn't know what to expect when he looked down, but he got a big surprise. On the other side of the map, there was a big hand. She never paid any attention to geography. She didn't know geography, but she knew the hand, and so she put it together. If you'd been able to turn it over without breaking it up, every piece would have been in its right place. And when you and I read the scriptures, brethren, let's seek to see Christ in the scriptures. We'll get a blessing for our souls, as a brother pointed out to us.
Those two on the road to a mess, their hearts burned within them. They wanted to invite the Lord Jesus and they did. And they didn't just say stay for the night, They said, abide with us. And as Mr. Darby and his beautiful him put it, and he said, be not a passing stranger as one who tarries turns aside to tarry for the night. Abide with me, may you and I desire to abide in his company, if he abide in me, and by words abide in you.
You shall ask about it to your will, and it shall be done unto you. What a privilege we have, brethren. God has brought us to know the 2nd man, the last Adam, the one who's going to set everything right. We know him in an intimate way. We have his life. We're going to share eternity with him and all. We're going through this world as living witnesses of those who have been brought into this wonderful position. May others take knowledge of us, that we have been with Jesus. May our theme and our testimony be of Him.
The Savior, the Lord, the example, the one who is everything. So we looked at Him in prayer.
Gracious.