Address—Jim Hyland
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 sing a hymn from the Little Flock Hymn Book Hymn #132.
And again if someone will please start it.
By way of introduction to the subject I have before me this weekend.
In the three talks that we share together, I'd like to read 2 verses from the word of God.
The first one is in Luke's Gospel.
Chapter Chapter 3.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 3.
And we'll read verses 21 and 22.
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and praying.
The heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him.
And a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son.
In thee I am well pleased and then I want to read a verse in Hebrews chapter 2 as well.
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God.
Should taste death for every man. What I have before me this this weekend is to speak on what we might call Christian focus and Christian characteristics.
If things go according to what I have laid out, we'll spend 2 meetings talking about Christian focus and then perhaps the last meeting will speak of Christian characteristics, particularly those things that are to characterize the believer.
In connection with His testimony and interactions as being still here in this world, we're not home yet. We're not in heaven yet. And God has spelled out in His words those things that ought to characterize us as we walk through this world. But I want to spend some time talking about focus. You know, I believe young people, that one of the great works of the Enemy is to get us to be distracted in every aspect of our lives.
00:05:01
Whether it's our spiritual life, whether it's our home, family life, our interactions with one another, whether it's our school, our business, whatever it might be the lot in this world today to distract. But we're going to find, as we go from scripture to scripture, that God talks to us a lot about the need for focus in various aspects and avenues of our life. But I began with these two verses.
Because here we have, first of all, not so much what our focus is.
But what heaven's focus is what God's focus is now when the Lord Jesus was here on earth?
There were a number of times when the heaven would open up and heaven would be occupied or focused.
With the person of the Lord Jesus here on earth, because here was the only perfect man.
Whoever walked on planet Earth.
And I want to stress at the beginning of these meetings that God's occupation, God's focus, is to do with the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And everything else in the mind and heart of God radiates out from that. You know, it's a little bit like when you go down to the Creek or the lake and you throw a stone in and there's a ripple effect.
You know, you watch where the stone falls, that's the focal point, but there's a ripple effect out from it and.
There are ripple effects as to God's interests. You and I are one of God's interests. He's interested in the gospel going out. He's interested in the loss getting saved. But it all has to do with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when the Lord Jesus was here, heaven opened up. Not so much that people could look up into heaven, but so that heaven could look down and be occupied with the one that God has always.
Been occupied with but you know, as we well know, the Lord Jesus is not here in this world today.
The way he was physically when he walked amongst men 2000 years ago. But you know the heavens are still open today. The Lord Jesus has returned to heaven having accomplished the work of Calvary, the work of redemption to the glory of God. And God raised him from the dead, and a moment came when he led his disciples outside on the Mount of Olives, outside of Bethany.
And he lifted up his hands and blessed them, and his feet left this world. And he went back, and the cloud received him out of their sight. And it says they saw him no more.
That is, they know they saw him no more with the physical eye. But you know the heavens are open. Not so much that heaven can look down the South this morning, but so that you and I, who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, can look up and again be occupied with the one that God would always occupy his people with, And that is his Son, the Lord Jesus. And so in the book of Hebrews. And later on we'll look at some other scriptures in the book of Hebrews. But if you want a little key to understanding the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews opens up to us, the heavens, so that we can be occupied with God's Son where He is now. Now let me just say in parenthesis that it is good to go back to the gospel and read the Gospels and to be occupied with the life of the Lord Jesus as he was here in this world. Because of the Apostle Peter tells us later on He's left us an example that we should follow his steps. And how are we going to know that example? We've got to go back to the Gospels.
Brother Eric Smith, who I don't suppose any of you remember. I remember him as a very, very old man visiting him in a nursing home in Montreal.
But Eric Smith served the Lord in Bolivia for many, many years. He was one of the pioneer missionaries to Bolivia, gave the Incas the part of the word of God in their own language, in the Quechua language and and so on. But at the end of his life someone asked him what was the secret to study for for you in studying the word of God. He said this, and I thought was very good, He said, wherever I read in the scriptures.
Or wherever I was studying the word of God, I made it a point every day of my life to read something in the Gospels.
00:10:02
I thought that was a very nice exercise. But nevertheless we also need to be occupied with Christ where he is now, and that's what the epistles bring before us. So the Gospels they bring before us Christ.
Where he was, here in this world as the lowly man of grace and so on, the epistles more bring before us Christ, where He is, and that's at the right hand of God. And Hebrews particularly opens up to us the heavens, Not so much that heaven can look down now, but so that we can look up and be occupied with the Lord Jesus, Not crowned with a crown of thorns like he was on Calvary's cross, not the lowly man of grace, weary with his journey, thirsty, hungry, and so on.
But as we read in Hebrews, he's now crowned with a crown of glory and honor. And so Christ is to be our focus because Christ is heaven's focus. Whether it was when he was here, heaven looked down when he's now that He's there at the right hand of God. Again, I suggest that all heaven is occupied with that blessed one. The angels are around, the Lord Jesus occupied with him. God is still finding his delight, and forever will find his delight.
Beloved Son, and he's given him that crown of glory. Now. Now, young people, I hope there's no thought even in corners of our hearts this morning as to the Lord Jesus having his rightful place here on earth. He is not crowned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords yet, and he won't be until heaven opens up again to reveal the Lord Jesus coming in power and glory. You can read about that in Revelation 19.
And there he's going to come with many crowns or many diadems, but he isn't crowned in that way yet. We didn't read the context in Hebrews, but if you back up a few verses in Hebrews 2 and read it on your own, you'll find that the word of God makes it very, very clear that the Lord Jesus does not have his rightful place on earth yet. He's not the focus of the world yet. He's to be our focus who belong to him who are still in this world. But he is not the focus of this world yet, but he will be in a coming day. And God is going to make sure that I say that because.
I know there's a lot of people today, a lot of Christians, who through misteaching believe that this is the reigning time. Now you know, it's an age-old mistruth. Because way back in the Apostle Paul's day, the Corinthians got thinking that and they thought that this was the reigning time. And when Paul wrote to them, he said I wish you were reigning because if you were truly reigning, if this was really the time.
For Christians to reign, then we'd be reigning with you. If this was Christ's time to reign, we'd be reigning too. But just read the experiences of the Apostle Paul doesn't sound like one who's reigning. He was beaten, he was in prison, he was in shipwreck, and all the things he lists in various places. It was not the time of Christ's reign in the days of the Apostle Paul, and it is still not the time of Christ's reign yet. Until.
The church. We who know the Lord as our Savior, are gone at the Rapture, the Lord's second coming, and then in time he's going to come back and all heaven is all earth is going to look up and focus on the Lord Jesus. I find that quite a thrill, not neat to think about. There's a day coming when heaven's going to open up and the whole world is going to look up and they're going to be focused on the person of the Lord Jesus. Now, before we go on, I'd like to read another another scripture.
In Isaiah chapter 45.
Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 22.
Look unto me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God.
And there is none else.
Now, I want to apply this verse in two ways. And first of all, I want to apply it in K in a way, in case there's someone here at camp this year who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. You know, in a group like this, I believe it's never good to assume that everyone knows the Lord Jesus. I hope everyone does. And I know that most of you do. Most of you I know very well.
00:15:17
But I am solemnized to think that maybe there's someone here this morning.
And you have come for the fun and the activities and maybe for any number of reasons, but you haven't come because you really want to know more about following the Lord and pleasing the Lord Jesus. Maybe you're not saved. Now we won't turn to it because it's a very, very familiar story. But if we were to go back to Numbers, chapter 21, we would find a story in connection with the wilderness experience of the children of Israel that illustrates.
This verse that we've read in Isaiah very well, because if we're going to be saved, it takes focus or looking to the Lord Jesus because there is no other way of salvation. Again, Satan comes along when the gospel is presented and says there's lots of ways, there's an old expression that dates back to the Roman Empire. All roads lead to Rome. Well, that might be true.
And there might have been several ways to get to camp, depending from what direction you traveled here.
This weekend. But all roads do not lead to heaven. There is only one way to get to heaven. There is only one way to come to know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. I say it's illustrated back in the 21St chapter of numbers because you remember that when the children of Israel were in the wilderness because of sin, God sent fiery serpents amongst them and every person that was bit by a snake.
In the wilderness died.
Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord gave Moses a remedy. He told him to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. Now we might wonder why a serpent of brass snakes in Scripture do not have a good connotation.
The subject of snakes is introduced to us, of course, in the Garden of Eden, when Satan came in the form of a serpent.
And in subtlety he tempted Eve, and Eve took of the forbidden fruit and gave to Adam. And we know the sad result. Sin came into the human race, and it's been passed down ever since by one man's disobedience. Sin entered in death by sin. So why was it a serpent of brass that had to be put on the pole? Well, because it speak brass speaks to us in Scripture of divine judgment.
And it speaks to us of the Lord Jesus in the hours of darkness on the cross.
When he suffered the divine judgment of a righteous God against sin.
That's why in the Tabernacle, in the temple there was the brazen altar, the altar of brass. It speaks of the ability of the Lord Jesus to bear the judgment of sin because of who he was, and so he bore my sins in his own body. On the tree it was a serpent, because the Lord Jesus sinless as he was, He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. It had to be lifted up on a pole, because, as the Lord said.
In the third chapter of John, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. It speaks of the Lord Jesus on the cross bearing the judgment of God against sin so that we could be saved from from Satan's bite, so to speak, the bite of Satan, the sting of of sin is death, but there's a remedy for sin now. But the point I want to make is that in that story.
There was another reason why, a practical reason why that serpent had to be lifted up on a pole. And that was because there was a vast congregation of the children of Israel. And the remedy was not simply the serpent lifted up on the pole. The remedy was everyone that looked, everyone that focused on the serpent of brass, a picture of the Lord Jesus on the cross, everyone who did that.
Was healed. They did not die when they looked to the serpent. I saw a painting one time by one of the old masters, and it was a π picture of the serpent on the pole. And this vast congregation of people around the children of Israel. And the snakes were going through and they were biting the people and some of the people were dying. And in the painting there were people going around trying to help the bitten and the dying.
00:20:23
And some of them were one man had a picture of water and he was giving a drink, and another one was trying to comfort and all kinds of things were going on. But when you focused on the painting, you saw there was one person going around, and he was turning heads towards the pole, turning heads toward the surface, because that person understood very clearly and the artist understood very clearly evidently that that was the only remedy. No use trying to comfort or give a drink of water or pillow ahead and hope that was going to do.
And so when we preach the gospel, it's Christ. It's to look to the Lord Jesus on the cross.
And so the prophet here speaks of looking unto him. But now I want to broaden the application here, because we find that in the word of God, and particularly when we go to the New Testament, salvation has a much broader term, a broader application than just being saved from our sins, knowing that we are no longer on our way to to hell, but we're on our way to heaven because salvation is taken up in connection.
With the thought of being preserved, you know the Lord Jesus is living for us, who are believers at the right hand of God. And it tells us in Romans 5 we're saved by his life. You know we're saved by his death from hell, because the wages of sin is death. And so the Lord Jesus had to die for me to save me from the just penalty of my guilt.
To go to hell, which is the second death.
But I'm saved or preserved every day by his life, that is, by the fact that the Lord Jesus is living for me and for you at the right hand of God will perhaps have a chance to develop it a little later on. But just remember that salvation is not just being saved from our sins, being preserved from hell through coming to know the Lord Jesus as Savior in that way, But we are preserved for the Lord's glory, to live for him and be a testimony for him.
And save preserve through the trials and circumstances of life.
Every day because the Lord Jesus is living for us. He's living for us as our high priest. He's praying for us. You know, we had a little prayer meeting this morning.
We can pray for one another. Isn't it wonderful to think that the Lord Jesus is praying for you?
He's praying for me every hour of every day, and he knows each need. And he's praying for us as our high priest so that we won't sin and fail in the path of faith and that we will keep our focus on what is really eternal and what is what really matters in life. Then when we do sin and when we do fail, because we all do and we have to admit it, the Lord Jesus is praying for us in another capacity.
He's praying for us as our advocate and that's why in First John it tells us if any man's sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. So the Lord Jesus is praying for you, praying for me in those two capacities so that we'll be saved. But how are we going to be preserved in our Christian pathway in our Christian testimony? It is going to only be by looking to the Lord Jesus, look unto me and be saved.
He says so whether it's initially for salvation from our sins or whether it is ongoing day by day in our pathway.
There's only one way we're going to be preserved or saved, and that's by looking to the Lord, and we're going to develop this a little bit as we go along.
Let's go now to the 16th chapter of the book of Exodus for another Old Testament illustration.
Exodus Chapter 16 Before I comment on this, I'll just say that so often when we speak about the different aspects of the truth and following the Lord and living for the Lord, we often go back to the wilderness experience of the children of Israel. There are pages and pages of the Old Testament taken up with the wilderness experience of the children of Israel and we might wonder why is it we so often go back to those stories.
00:25:19
Well, in First Corinthians chapter 10, it tells us that the things that happen to them in the wilderness.
Were written for our admonition and for our learning. And so we go back and we have illustrations as to the life of the children of Israel in the wilderness. And we can learn lessons. We learn lessons from their disobedience, we learn warnings, and so on. We learn lessons from their obedience. But above all, we learn the heart and the faithfulness of God with His people. In spite of the fact that they often lost their focus, they often allowed sin in their lives. They often complained and.
And they murmured against God and so on South. That's just a little parenthesis, but that's why we often.
And in these talks, we'll probably mention several instances by way of illustration from the children of Israel. But I want to notice an incident.
In their life that took place very quickly after they were in the wilderness, they'd been redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb.
They'd come through the Red Sea. They were completely delivered from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, a type of Satan in this world.
They now belong to the Lord, and he's going to bring them through the wilderness. But let's notice this little incident in the 16th chapter, beginning with verse 9. And Moses spake unto Aaron, say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel come near before the Lord, For you have heard your murmurings, and it came to pass as Aaron spake under the whole congregation of the children of Israel. They look toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
Well, this might seem like a strange incident to read, but I believe what had happened here was.
That not long after they had gone through the Red Sea and entered the Sinai Peninsula, they started looking back. They looked behind them. They looked back to Egypt, from which they had just come and been delivered. And you know, there's a an important lesson for us to learn in this young people now, Paul said. Forgetting those things that are behind, I pressed toward the mark. Now, any of you who've ever run a race or participated in athletic events, No, that you always have to be looking ahead.
A runner who looks behind him even for a moment is going to probably not going to win the race.
In fact, they may be disqualified for one reason or another.
I have been in Europe when the Tour de France has taken place. In fact, I stood right there as the bicycles have gone by, and it always amazes me, these dozens and dozens of bicycles, all seemingly crammed together on a narrow mountain pass or a city street. And they're going at tremendous speed and rarely do they run into each other, but sometimes they do, and usually it's because one of the bikers has looked to the side.
Or looked behind. They've lost their focus. So the children of Israel, they were looking back.
They were on a journey now and they were to be looking ahead to the promised land, to the land of Canaan.
But when they looked back, and it often happened throughout their journey of 40 years.
They lost their focus, and they usually began to murmur and complain. They began to blame God. They began to blame God's servants, Moses and Aaron, for their their difficult situation. Now, having 10 times traveled through the Sinai Peninsula, I have a lot more sympathy with the children of Israel than I once did. When when the Bible calls it a wilderness, that is exactly what it is. It is shimmering sand and rock.
As far as the eye can see, I've been on the Sinai Peninsula when it's 138°F and you long for any cloud in in the sky. But the spiritual lesson we learn here is that we need to be looking ahead. And so when Moses cried to the Lord and asked the Lord about the situation, he said tell the people to turn around, they need to be looking ahead and when they turned around.
And looked out over the wilderness. What did they see? Well, it wasn't so much to see the rocks and the sand and all the weary miles that were between them.
00:30:09
And the Jordan River and the land of Canaan. No, they saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud.
And so again, for us, we learn that our focus needs to be the Lord Jesus and what is ahead. If we lose sight of that, we're going to get discouraged. You know, if we look back, we're going to get discouraged. If we look around, we're going to get discouraged. If we look at ourselves, we're going to get discouraged. But what we need to do is have Christ be for us. Now, you say, Jim, it's OK to talk about this, but how do we practically carry this out?
Well, again, we'll probably bring this out.
In a little more detail later on, but the way we focus on Christ is to get this book, the Bible, and read it every day. Because wherever you read in the Scriptures, the subject is always Christ. You're not going to read very far with real prayerful exercise before you find that the subject is always Christ. Now in the Old Testament, we have the figures and foreshadows.
The illustrations. And so we have stories about different men.
And they have practical application. But stories like Joseph and Abraham and different ones, They are more than just interesting stories with practical applications for Christian living. They are beautiful pictures and foreshadows of Christ, the the Tabernacle in the wilderness and all the furnishings and all that went on as to the Jewish ritual, the Levitical order of things. It all, in some way or another points forward to Christ.
The prophets foreshadowed and foretold about the Lord Jesus coming into this world.
And what is yet ahead in the judgments of this world and the future blessing? But it all has to do with Christ. So in the the Old Testament you have the figures and foreshadows. In the Gospels we have the facts, the facts and footsteps of Christ. And so as we mentioned important to read that in the epistles we have the where Christ is now, we have the truth about the Lord Jesus as to.
Christianity and so on.
And so we need that. Then in the Revelation, we have the future day.
The fruition of all God's purposes. And again, it will all be centered in Christ. So we need to open this book, and this is how we're going to focus on the person and work of Christ. And it's not just to open it once a week or once in a while, but you need to read this book every day. You want to have your perspective adjusted every morning. You're gonna have to open this book. This is what is going to give you the proper perspective, the proper focus for the day.
Because when you go out into the world, when you go to school, you go to work, Oregon, wherever you operate on a day-to-day basis, there's going to be a lot of things to take your attention and those things are right and proper. I realize when you go to work, when you go to school, you've got to focus on your job, you've got to focus on your studies and so on. I I understand that, but.
Your your focus as to practical things will never be in the right perspective unless you are first of all.
Focused on heaven and focused on Christ and so the children of Israel.
They were to turn around and they saw the glory of the Lord in some way, revealed to them in the cloud, and that was what encourages, encouraged them to go on. Are you a discouraged young person this morning? If you're a discouraged young person this morning, if you're just saying it's not worth it anymore, I just want to give up. Why go on for the Lord? And I know a lot of young people, and some who are not so young, who have that attitude today.
But if you're discouraged today, if you're ready to give up, I suggest it's because you've lost.
Your focus of the glory of the Lord, and so as long as the children of Israel kept that focus before them.
And followed the cloud through the wilderness. They could be encouraged to go on.
Day by day and year by year. And it wasn't I and I know from experience I've never walked a lot of it, but I know from driving across it, it must have been a very, very difficult journey. There were many things to discourage. You know, it's interesting, You can look this up, But in Acts Chapter 7, some of these verses that we don't turn to if you jot them down in your notepad, it's a good little homework assignment to look them up on your own. But you remember when Steven preached for the last time to the Jewish leaders in Acts Chapter 7.
00:35:28
He recounts the history of the children of Israel in the wilderness.
And one of the things he says, and it really goes back to what we have in this 16th chapter of Exodus.
He said. In their hearts they returned into Egypt. You can look that verse up, but in their hearts?
They returned into Egypt, You know, they never got back to Egypt once they were delivered.
Once they were redeemed and once they were delivered, they never got back to Egypt. Because if you know the Lord Jesus as your savior.
You will never be part of this world. And the fact that it's under judgment again, you'll never be part of this world again. We're delivered from this world.
But in our hearts we can go back into Egypt. That's what they did here. And there was an occasion where they said, why didn't you leave us in Egypt? We had all the good food of Egypt, the melons. You know, I love melons. I have never eaten melons like they have in Egypt. They have wonderful melons and varieties of melons that we don't have over here. I know why they wanted to go back and get some the fish. I love the fish of Egypt, the garlic, the leeks, the cucumbers, all the things that the children of Israel.
Craved that they once had partaken of back in Egypt, but in their hearts they returned into Egypt. And again nothing wrong with a good piece of melon. Nothing wrong with a with fish and and those vegetables we mentioned and so on. But again, it's a spiritual lesson we learn that if we lose sight of Christ, if we're not focused on him through the word every day and pressing on in our Christian journey to heaven.
Then we're going to want the food that this world has to offer, and this world has lots to try to fill and satisfy the appetite. It will never do it.
And there's nothing in this world to satisfy the Newman the life that we have in Christ.
There's plenty to feed our lust, plenty to feed the flesh. And you know what I'm talking about just almost seems like you can't drive down the highway today or stand in the checkout counter without seeing something to feed the flesh. But what we need to do is satisfy our souls with the Lord Jesus so that we won't be so vulnerable to those things. Now let's go to the new back. Go to Acts Chapter 7.
We're gonna read a little near the end of the chapter in Con connection with Steven.
It's often been pointed out that Stephen is the first Christian martyr that we read about in Scripture.
Steven was a very faithful man in the early church and in this chapter, as I've just mentioned, he preaches.
To the Jewish leaders, it's the last time that there's an appeal to the nation of Israel as a nation. That's another subject. But what I want to notice the end of the chapter, verse 54, when they heard these things that the Jewish leaders, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing.
On the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see heaven opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.
Just that little expression looking up steadfastly.
Into heaven. If you notice another translation, it's having fixed his eyes on heaven. I like that. Having fixed his eyes on heaven at the end of Stephen's preaching, here they take up these stones to stone him.
And how could he suffer as a martyr? How could he take what was about to happen here?
Well, he had his eyes above the horizons of this world. He had his eyes fixed on heaven. Now you notice here that heaven is open once again. We've spoken about heaven being open when heaven looked down to see the Lord Jesus as the perfect man. We've spoken about heaven being open. So by faith we can look up and be occupied with him, with the Lord Jesus. I believe this was something very special for Stephen here. I believe that Steven, it looked up and actually with his physical eye saw the Lord Jesus standing on the threshold of heaven.
00:40:12
Ready to receive the first martyr. But I want to say this, that he all the martyrs that have followed, and for you and for me.
The Lord Jesus is no less real to the eye of faith than he was here for the Evangelist Stephen, I want to say that again, He's no less real to the eye of faith for you and for me than he was physically for for Steven. But this was something very special.
At the beginning, we find that in the Acts at the beginning of the Church's history, there were many special things that took place.
That perhaps haven't been repeated or are rarely repeated since. You know, I used to read, and I still do. I read about some of those who have been martyred for their testimony. In fact, I recently read a book on some of the martyrs of the catacombs. And I read those stories and I marvel that they had the grace and the strength to go through the tortures and eventual death that they went through. You know, sometimes I find it very hard to read those things, but I want to encourage you to do it, just, you know, we don't know anything really about physical suffering here.
In North America, we're not afraid of the authorities busting down the doors this morning and arresting us or shooting us or pulling us off to prison for having a Bible camp and having the word of God before us. But you know, it's good for our souls. I think to read of some in the past, and there are many today who are still suffering in that way. I get a little periodical. I actually get it online now. I used to get a hard copy called Voice of the Martyrs. I don't read it all, and and I don't agree with some of the doctrine that that organization propagates, but I get it.
To remind me to pray for my brethren today who are suffering real physical persecution and facing martyrdom. And it's good for a scripture tells us to pray for those that are in prison as bound with them.
And so think about those who suffer in that way and what they go through. But let me say this. The point I want to make is that I believe that you and I, if we ever had to face that kind of thing, would be given a special grace and a special portion at the time, You know, we don't need grace to die as martyrs until we're called to die as martyrs. And John Huss and many of those ones that died at the stake and so on, and many today who are laying down their lives for their testimony for Christ.
They are given something special, just like Stephen was given something very special here.
As he they picked up stones to stone him but again.
I want to stress that there's something for us to learn, whether we're here in ease and comfort, whether we're ever called on to suffer privation or hardships or martyrdom.
Torture for the Lord. Whatever our situation, what we need is the same focus that Stephen had. How are we going to get through life? It's to lift our spiritual eyes above this world and to be occupied with Christ. Now, before we close, I want to turn to one more portion in First Peter, Chapter one.
One Peter Chapter one.
And I'm gonna begin with the Well, I'll be I'll read verse 7. We'll read verse 7:00 and 8:00.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold, that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, Whom not having seen ye love, and whom, though now we see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. I read this because I want to stress that.
Here the focus is not on ourselves or on the trials. You know, I believe a lot of our problem today is we get too self occupied. You know, we're taught that we're in school and in the spirit of the age is that we're the center of our world.
00:45:04
That everything revolves around us. You know in Romans chapter 12 it says be not conformed to the world.
Now, I know we often apply that to many outward things, but I don't really think that's the context of that expression. If you were to go back to Romans chapter 12 and read those verses, what he's really saying is that the unbeliever, the man of the world, he draws a circle, puts himself in the center of the circle and does everything for himself. That's the natural man. He's the center of his world.
But when we get saved, there's to be a new center in our world.
And that new center is not ourselves. The new center is Christ. And everything we do is to revolve around Christ and his interests. But today we get so self occupied. You know young people this is not the me first generation. When I was growing up we we were the me first generation. This is the me only generation. You'll you'll smile at this but I'm on a plane usually several times a week.
I think I've been on 8 planes in the last week or 10 days but.
When I get on a plane, go to the airport or get on a plane, I see it personified. You know, they called the flight. They tell everybody to stay in their seat until.
Their zone number is called or to line up in their proper zone. Everybody wants to get on that plane first. Well, I'm just as bad. I want the bin space too, but.
Everybody. It's like there's nobody else in line. Then when you do get on the plane, they keep announcing. The flight attendant keeps announcing. Please store your your carry on bags as quickly as possible and step out of the aisle. There are other people getting on behind you. We want to get this flight in the air as quickly as possible. If you want to be on time. Remember your fellow passengers, Do people listen to announcements like that? No. In fact they spend time trying to ram things in overhead bins that you know aren't going in there in 100 in 100 years.
I think that's another problem people have is depth perception.
But my point is everybody is just concerned with #1. And I say it's not just the me first generation, it's the me only generation. But that me is not to be the focus as we sometimes say. It's not all about me, it's all it should be all about Christ. He should be the center of our lives. And so really what Peter was telling these believers and they were going through.
Some things that I've never been called on to go through. These early believers were driven from their homes through persecution.
Many of them had been killed. They were suffering what Peter refers to as fiery trials, things that I've never been called on to go through. But what Peter is seeking to do here is to get the focus of the believer not on the trial or the circumstance or on themselves, but on Christ. Now he points out here that we don't see the Lord Jesus in the same way.
That Peter had seen him when he was here. In fact, Peter had with some others some very special privileges of seeing things that the Lord Jesus did on earth that none of the other disciples had seen. He was on the Mount of Transfiguration.
There were times when Peter, James and John went into a house and saw a certain miracle where others were kept outside and so on. But Peter says whom not having seen ye love. Though now you see him not what's he talking about here? He's talking about the physical eye. We don't see Christ with the physical eye. But again, and I want to stress this as we go along, he is no less real to the eye of faith.
Well, of course I didn't get as far as I wanted to in this meeting, but we'll seek to continue. Our time is gone.