Conference: 1962
Table of Contents
Joy of the Lord
Address—G.H. 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.
Like to turn to the book of James, the 1St chapter of the book of James.
1St chapter and the first verse.
James, our servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting my brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations.
The 16th verse.
Do not err, my beloved brethren, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Light, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat He us with a word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruit of His creatures.
Now the 4th chapter and the 10th verse. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
Speak not evil 1 of another, brethren, he that speaketh the evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh the evil of the law, and judgeth the law.
If thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who art thou? The Judgest and others.
Go to now, ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get gains, whereas ye know not what shall be on the Morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
What does he ought to say? If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that.
But now you rejoice in your boasting. All such rejoicing is evil.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin. I read the opening 2 verses of this little epistle because it brings before us to the epistle is addressed to it's addressed to the 12 tribes that were scattered abroad.
And as we know that it was because of the failure of the tribes that God had allowed them to be scattered, they might have been greatly cast down and discouraged, because their own failure as a nation had led to them being scattered abroad. But it seems to me in this epistle, and that the apostle would bring before them the blessed fact that alone they had failed, and now they had been guilty of even cruc.
Their Messiah, that's still the heart of God, was toward them and desiring their blessing.
Thought says, every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Light, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. We often sing heat. We change, He changes not. And oh how good it is, dear young people, to have this blessed confidence.
We may have got into certain situations, perhaps even through our own failure, but isn't it a lovely thing to be able to look up this afternoon and to know that the heart of God is toward us with a desire for our blessings? And that's what was on my heart in reading these passages and seeking to speak of them this afternoon, is that we might lay hold of these precious things.
And I believe if we do.
It will encourage us in our pathways and it will also give us to seek the mind and will of God in every step that we take.
I remember hearing of a dear lady who used to work at washing in many rich homes and someone said to her, she worked in these beautiful homes, the homes of millionaires, so lovely and such fine furniture. And someone said to her one day, don't you wish that you were a millionaire too? All she said.
I'd much rather have a father who was a millionaire caring for my needs. She said if I had a million, it would be a source of trouble. How to handle it and look after it? But I have a father who knows all my needs and his wealth is unlimited. Oh, what a sweet answer. And dear young people, isn't that the answer that we need for our souls too?
00:05:13
Ambition is so liable to fill our thoughts and our minds, to get along in this world, to obtain a place and to have something that the world has to offer. And that's the natural ambition of the human heart, and especially while we're young. But isn't it a lovely thing to be able to look up and to know that God our Father is unlimited in his riches, in his wealth, and in his love and His?
For us, and I was very much struck in reading that second verse. In the first verse he says the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, What a sad picture the nation presented at this time because of their failure, they had been scattered abroad.
A little remnant of the two tribes had been brought back, but they now had been guilty of crucifying their Messiah. Was it all over with them? Oh, isn't this lovely? This second verse, my brethren, counted all joy when he fall into divers temptations.
That is, God uses the circumstances through which we pass to enable us to realize that which is our real wealth and our real joy and our real happiness. As a brother mentioned the other day, they speak of real estate and they think of that which is.
Frozen lands in this world. But what is real to the Christian? Nothing here, because it all passes away. But that which we have up there, that's real to us, it's sure to us. And Moss and rust can't corrupt. Neither can thieves breakthrough and steal. And it's all been purchased for us by the work of the Lord Jesus upon the cross.
And so this verse says, My brethren, count it all.
When ye fall into divers temptations.
Those of the nations who had placed their faith in the Lord Jesus found themselves in a very difficult and trying position. It was not easy. It cost them something to be faithful. Could they be happy in the midst of such circumstances? He said. Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.
I've often said someday I expect to meet Abraham, meet Hashem.
Mesa can abandoned me go in heaven. And I'd like to say to them, isn't it too bad that never could Nazareth ever made the decree that you had to fall down and worship that image?
Oh, I believe their faces will brighten and they'll say no. We see that God allowed that, and that was the most wonderful experience of our lives. The Lord was with us in the midst of the burning, fiery furnace.
I would speak to Job and say Job, isn't it too bad that you have those three friends that spoke so unkindly to you? Oh, he said, the Lord used those friends to bring me to self judgment. I was a pretty proud man before that and God used those friends to help to bring me down. Ah, dear young people, the circumstances of our lives, the people we meet with, the assembly where we're gathered and all that we have to.
Contact in our daily life is ordered of the Lord. Can we actually have joy in divers temptations? Can we actually find happiness when everything is against us? Yes, we can.
As though I was looking over the dear young people who were present, I had this thought that some of them were going to go home feeling quite happy because some of the desires that they had when they came here had been granted to them and friendships and things that they had enjoyed together. They were going to go home with sort of happy and light hearts.
But I thought there might be others who might be going home a little bit discouraged, a little disappointed.
Perhaps a friend didn't speak to them, didn't treat them just the way they had hoped, and they're going home a little bit disappointed. Isn't this a nice verse for you, my brethren? Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. How can you you say when things that you want don't come your way?
00:10:04
And when your plans seem to be frustrated, can you really be happy then?
Yes, if we believe that the heart of God is the source of our blessings, if we really believe what this 17th verse says, then we know that that which God our Father allows and that which He sends is intended for our blessings. Oh, you see? But it was my own thought, perhaps. And can I still be happy?
Well, it was the failure of the 12 tribes that caused them to be scattered.
Still, the heart of God was toward them in grace. And isn't it a lovely thing? Can I read this second verse here, young people, instead of my brethren here, young people, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, and then connect that with the seven, the 16th verse. Do not err, my beloved young people, every good gift and every perfect gift.
Is from above all we need?
For our pathway, where does it come from?
I didn't read the intervening verses.
But it speaks of the things that we lust after and desire and lust isn't always in a bad sense, you know, it's just wanting something of our own will.
All in this grand the sea that if we look up and see that One whose heart is toward us, we can go home from these three days meetings happy and rejoicing. Nothing has changed our portion in Him. Can I trust the meetings? I believe they have brought before our hearts in a new and fresh way.
The preciousness of the portion that lies ahead of us where we're going to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus up there in the glory. Oh, how blessed to have that before us.
And so it says, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Light.
Why is it called the Father of Life?
While we don't always see what's best, we look at things that were in the dark sometimes. But the Father of Light, he knows everything. He sees ahead and I don't.
He knows what's in the future for me. He knows all about me, my makeup, everything. It's all known to him. And so it says from the Father of Light, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, not a shadow of turning. That is not the slightest bit of change or turning.
Is there because he knows and he never.
Makes a mistake, as a brother often remarks. He's too wise to earth and too loving to be unkind. Isn't this blessed? May this truth of this 70s verse be brought home to each of our souls.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Let us learn to take then all of God our Father's sin as from the One who looks down upon us in love and in perfect wisdom, and orders according to that which He sees as best.
And the 18th verse of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.
I read that verse to show that the very fact that we are children of God did not originate in our own wills. No, of our own wills we would never have received Christ. There's not one of you, dear young people who are saved here this afternoon, who could say, well, it was because of my own will that I accepted Christ, nor it was of the will of God.
Would we have ever chosen him? Not of our own wills? We rejected him.
But He played with us in His grace. He drew us, and brought us to Himself, and saw of His own will begat He uses well, if we didn't have one thought toward Him, and He looked upon us, and picked us out, and drew us to Himself, and purposes for eternal glory. Can we not then commit the few short years of our lives down here into the hand of the One who of His own will begat He us with a word of truth?
And that brings in another point, and that is He has given us His word, and it's His word that He used to our salvation.
00:15:06
How is it that we know we're saved? Is it some feeling we depend upon? No, we rest upon His precious, unchanging words. And if there's anyone here who's unsaved, let me speak to you, dear young person. God wants to bless you. He wants to save you. He wants to draw you to Himself.
He wants you to know what's in His heart towards you, though you may long have rebelled against His grace. And it's His word that He uses to this end. And so this brings before us the importance of this blessed book. It's used to our salvation and then to it's what's necessary or direction in our whole pathway. Now let us turn over to this 4th chapter, which we read in the 10th verse.
Humble yourselves.
From the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. I didn't take time to lead some thoughts in the intervening chapters, but I might say that in the first part of this 4th chapter it says that we ask, and we ask amiss, that we may consume it on our lust.
Isn't it often true that when we ask for something, it's what we think is best? But perhaps it isn't, and that's why we ought to always say, if it be thy will, if it be thy will. And so, if God is not granted to us something that we desired, let us take the place humbly before Him.
Of bowing to his will and accepting the circumstance from the Lord.
And what will happen? He'll lift us up. He'll lift us up. And I believe if we lay hold of these things, dear young people, every one of us will go away from these meetings happy, every one of us.
Because if we learn this blessed fact for our souls that God purposed us for eternal blessings, and that He is ordering the circumstances of our lives.
Then we'll count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations.
And the reason we're told to humble ourselves is because the natural heart resists the will of God. My heart, your heart, dear young person, it resists the will of God. We find it very hard to submit, don't we? We'd like to cast our cares upon the Lord, but the real reason that we can't cast our cares upon the Lord is because we have some desire and we feel we can't be happy unless that desire is granted.
But we can be happy, and the only real place of happiness is in submission to the will of God. And we can only submit when we know with assurance that His heart is toward us in goodness and grace. His heart is toward us, enriches goodness and grace, I say.
So it says in the 11TH verse, Speak not evil 1 Of another brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law.
Why does this come in here? Well, I'm sure that whenever things don't workout the way we had hoped they worked would work out, we try to find somebody to blame.
We try to find some person who's at fault and we look around. It's that person, it's the other person. If that person hadn't done this, if the other person hadn't done that, things would have worked out differently. And so the next thing is we don't submit to the will of God, and we begin to speak, evil and all, how many sorrows we saw among ourselves?
Dear young people, by speaking evil 1 of another.
When we get up there to glory and we look back on our lives down here and we do as it says, we remember all the way the Lord our God LED us through this wilderness scene. Do you think we will speak evil one another there?
You think there's one of us in that bright home above that will look at the other person and say, Oh, he did me so much harm. We'll all praise the Lord together and we'll see how He was using even the mistakes and even the unkind things and all took place to accomplish that which He desired in us, that we might lean on one arm alone.
00:20:09
On the mighty arm of that precious savior.
Who loved us and gave himself for us as we sang in the little hymn.
The hand our many sins had pierced is now our guard and guide. And then in the other verse that Jesus the Advocate. Nor can that hand be stretched in vain for us to supplicate. And so if we have any bad thought in our mind toward any person.
Let us judge it right now. Let us get before the Lord about it, because if we don't, we're speaking evil of the law and judging the law, because the Word tells us that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them, that are the called according to His purpose. If we believe that by then we wouldn't speak the way we do very often of others. We would take the circumstances from the hand.
God our Father. And so it says that when we speak evil of another, we're speaking evil of the law and judging the law. And I might say that the law here is in a very broad sense. Perhaps we could turn just for a moment to the 19th Psalm, because I think there's a very.
Precious portion there about this.
Psalm 19.
Verse 7.
The law of the Lord is perfect.
Converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart.
The fear and the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean and enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous. Altogether. More to be desired, are they than gold? Yeah, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey, and the honey corn.
Oh, isn't this lovely? What a what a wonderful book this is. Dear young people, the older I get, the more I value this precious book and all its instructions. It first showed us our need as sinners. It showed us God's grace in providing A Savior for us. And now, the little time that remains to us, it's written so that we might have all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
And there isn't a question in your life or mine that we will not find in this blessed book the wisdom and the instruction that we need for our whole pathway. And so let us read this precious book. Let us meditate upon it. And when circumstances arise that seem difficult and that make us uneasy, let us look up and say, well, God's Word says.
All things work together for good.
To them that love God, let us also look up and say every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. It all comes down from His heart to us for our good and for our blessings. Though the 12TH verse, there is one Lawgiver who is able to save and destroy.
Who art thou the judgeth another? Oh, this is a very solemn verse, and I'd like to speak to anyone here who's.
Unsaved, remember, you must have to do with this precious Savior as a Savior or the Judge. You must have to do with Him. He's able to say He's able to save who? No matter who you are or what you have done, there's power in the precious blood of Christ to cleanse you from all sin. I say He's able to save, but remember.
He's able to destroy too, and I trust there won't be one person in this company who will be sent to a lost eternity. If you reject the Lord Jesus as your Savior, if you reject that heart that is toward you in grace, why you'll go to a lost eternity. But dear young people, you who are believers, isn't it a strange thing that we can actually believe that God loves us so much that he saved us from hell and.
That He would be able to work things out in our lives for our good and for our blessings. Isn't it a strange thing? And yet it's so with every one of us that we know He saved us for a true glory, and yet we find ourselves doubting as to the path in which He leads us.
00:25:12
Now in this 13th verse, I wanted to point out six things in this verse.
We often say that the great and important decisions are made in youth.
And truth is that the most important decisions of our whole life are made while we're young. Most of those decisions, I suppose we could say before were 25 years of age. We make these decisions and all. How needful. How very needful now that we should turn to the Lord. And I want to impress upon you those words in that 15th verse.
If the Lord.
Will if the Lord.
May you write that across every plan in your life.
May I write it across every plan in my life if the Lord will. Because if it's not His will, there can be no real lasting blessing in it. And so that's the seventh thing. But in this 13th verse, there are 6 things.
And I'd like to call attention to them. First is today, today.
Here I'll read the verse. So you get the thought. Go to now ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue their year and buy and sell and get gain. Oh, here are the six points. I'll just mention them. Today. That's the present plan. Tomorrow, that's for the future. And then such a city, the place where you in the city where you intend to live.
And continue there.
The residence you take up in that city and then buy and sell that your occupation and get gain at your income. Isn't that what concerns most young people? Isn't that the great thing that concerns dear young people when they're starting out in life? What plans for today? What are they?
All have you written across the plan for today? If the Lord will, If the Lord will, then I'm sure you can say.
And that you can count it all joy if you fall into diverse temptations, because if it's the will of God that you should be cast into prison like Paul and Silas, you can sing in the prison, because that was the will of the Lord for them and all. How lovely it is. Oh, I say it for my own soul. I know I fail in this, but all I say it for my own soul. This is the secret of happiness in the 13th verse. Then we have those six things.
The planning of the human and when we come to the 15th verse, why we have bringing the Lord into the plan that makes the 7th the man of sin. His number is 666. That is 6 is man's number. It's what man figures he can do at his very best.
But when we bring the Lord in, we have perfection. We have Him working things out. And so again I say today, today, let us begin today.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service. Paul, let's begin today. Don't say I intend when I get through school to set out to follow the Lord today, if the Lord will.
Today if the Lord will, and then tomorrow, well, that's the future, isn't it?
What's going to happen tomorrow? Oh, we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but the Lord does.
The Lord does. Known unto God are all his works from eternity. Men don't know the future, they can't tell what's going to happen. But we have a Father who does, and he loves us, and he gave his Son to die for us. And there's no variableness, neither shadow of turning with him. And so tomorrow, What about tomorrow? Well, it's in the hands of God my Father.
How lovely the words of that hymn. Our time, our time.
Are in my hand, Father. We wish them there. Oh, isn't that the way for us, dear young people? Oh, what peace it gives to the soul. What a grand thing to walk out of this assembly hall and be able to say tomorrow if the Lord will, tomorrow if the Lord will, whatever he plans for me.
00:30:10
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to thee.
And then go into such a city, I've heard many discussions, people, I've heard young and old say, oh, I like that city, it's such a pretty city. And others say there's lots of opportunities in that city. And we hear lots of comments about different cities.
Some that are considered pleasant to dwell in, some that are considered not so pleasant to dwell in. Well, such a city, if the Lord will, If the Lord will. And it'll be a pleasant place if the Lord guides you to that place, If the Lord guides you to that place.
Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi.
Once Silas had bleeding backs in Philippi. But I'm going to meet them in heaven someday. And I'm going to say, what about Philippi? Was it a nice city?
Was it a nice city? Oh, I think they'll say, oh, we had a wonderful experience there. Why, we met the household of Lydia and that jailer got saved that night. And that assembly went on so happily. It was one of the brightest gems of all our service for the Lord. Because the epistle to the Philippians was written to those who lived in Philippi, the place where they spent the night in the prison with a bleeding back.
Such a city, such a city. A happy place, though, wasn't it? And dear young people, that little city and that town and that assembly where you are can be a happy place for you, if it's the will of God that you're there.
And so let us, in choosing the place where we want to live, remember that nothing can be right, no matter how nice the city is. Jericho was a far nicer city than some of the others, but you're a Jericho fell under the judgment of God, and we might go to the finest city we could choose in the whole of the United States and Canada and have no end of sorrow in that place.
But to be in the place where the Lord wants us to be, whether it's in this land or whether it's in some other continent, wherever it may be, such a city, if the Lord will, if the Lord will, isn't that lovely? And then continue there. Oh, you might say I'd like to visit the city. I don't mind going around and seeing the sights, but I wouldn't want to live there.
Heard people say that I wouldn't want to live there.
Well, continue there. How long while ever long, the Lord says.
However long the Lord says, some of the places where Paul visited, he continued there for a few days, some a few weeks.
Others beyond the year, the year and six months. Why continued there and is not lovely. Oh, I hear I've heard people say to you as a kind of an expression why I couldn't stick it there. I couldn't stick it out. Well, continue there if the Lord will, for he'll give you the strength for it. He'll give you the grace for it. Isn't that lovely? Continue there.
And then what kind of an occupation? Oh, I hear so often. Oh, it's hard to choose as.
I feel sorry for you, dear young people. I know it's not easy to choose the occupation that you would follow in life. There's so many problems. It's not an easy decision. There are many things to consider, but I'll consider it well.
Consider it well that occupation that you have. Can you write over it, if the Lord will?
Is there something connected with it? Is there some union or something that you have to get mixed up into to fulfill that occupation? And you can't write over it if the Lord will, because if the Lord will, you'd like to be out of that thing. And so there you are, all. You see how lovely it is while you're young. Oh, I'm so happy to look into your faces here, young people, before you get into something.
Where you find that you can't honor the Lord.
You wish to how lovely to consider this in your planning in looking forward to the future to say.
And.
Continue there a year and buy and sell, buy and sell, whatever the occupation is. Can you write across it if the Lord will?
00:35:08
And then the next.
The biggest one of all, I suppose, to young people get gay. What's the salary?
How much you're going to be paid? How much is the salary per year? What benefits are there?
Well get gain if the Lord will. If the Lord will. Better to be content with less and be able to honor the Lord, and to get a fine salary and not be able to write across your paycheck if the Lord will.
Oh, how lovely then in all our planning, in all that we seek to do. And we must look forward. If the Lord doesn't come, we're looking for Him to come. But if He leaves us here, it's not wrong to look forward, providing those 4 words are written across every plan in our lives.
If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that.
What a happy thing it is, and so it says. But now you rejoice in your boasting.
If we rejoice in anything and we can't right across those 4 words, why It's evil, it's evil. It's all going to pass away.
And if it doesn't pass away in this life, it'll pass away when it's manifested the judgment seat of Christ, and it's all consumed in the flames. For only that which is of Christ in obedience to his Word, is going to abide only that which is for him. It says the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God.
Abideth forever. Oh what a privilege. Then why are you?
All dear young people, I say to you again, I know you're faceless situations, but some of us who are older haven't had to meet. I realize that it's not easy for you and we all enter into in some measure the disappointment when some plan is frustrated. But all made all his words he brought home to each heart. Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations and to write across every.
Plan.
If the Lord will and so it says here in this last verse. Therefore to him that know us to do good and doeth it not to him and its sin. If we know and many things were ignorant, we make mistakes. All of us, the speakers made many mistakes. But if we know the will of God. If we're seeking his will. If we're reading his word for our pathway.
He's promised if any man will do his well.
He shall know, He shall know, or May God grant them, that each one of us may consider these things in connection with our choices in life, and that we may go away from this conference happy because it's the will of God. I'd just like to quote the last verse of the 19th Psalm in closing, he says.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart.
Be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Bartimaeus
Character of Luke's
Gospel
Gospel—G.H. 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.
So we turn tonight to the Gospel of John, the 9th chapter.
John Chapter 9 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did send this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
Jesus answered neither at this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle. And he united the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go wash in the pool of Siloam, which is by interpretation sent.
He went his way therefore, and washed, and came, seeing the neighbors. Therefore they which before had seen him, that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
Some said this is he, others said he is like him, but he said I am he.
Therefore, said they unto him, how are thine eyes opened?
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and.
And I went and washed and I received sight.
Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind, and it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
Then ask the Pharisees. Then again. The Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.
He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed and do see.
Therefore, said some of the Pharisees, this man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day.
Others said how can a man that is a Sinner do such miracles and there was a division among them.
They say unto the blind man again.
What says thou of him that he hath opened thine eyes?
He said he is a prophet.
But the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, whom ye say was born blind? Tell them that he now see.
His parents answered them, and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind, But by what means he now see it? We know not. Who hath opened his eyes? We know not. He is of age. Ask him, he shall speak for himself.
These words spake his parents because they feared the Jews. But the Jews had agreed already that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
Therefore, that is parents he is of age. Ask him.
Then again called a the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise. We know that this man is a Sinner.
He answered and said, Whether he be a Sinner or no, I know not one thing. I know that whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes? He answered and said, I have told you already, and ye did not hear, wherefore would ye hear it again? Will he also be his disciples?
Then they reviled him and said that thou art his disciple, but we are Moses disciples.
We know that God spake unto Moses. As for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
The man answered, and said unto him unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that we ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
Now we know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
Since the war began, was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of him of one that was born blind? If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou hast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast first seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him.
00:05:03
What is so particularly beautiful and striking in the Gospel of John is the way the Lord Jesus deals with the individual.
It's lovely to see him in this gospel. We find him in the 3rd chapter of John and there was a man of the Pharisees came to Jesus by night, and the Lord Jesus talked to this man alone in the darkness of the evening. He talked to this man and brought this man to know the blessed truth that except the man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
In the next chapter, we see him by the side of a well.
And there is a poor Sinner. He's not talking to a multitude. He's spending his time talking to a poor Sinner who lived in disgrace and bringing blessing to her soul, bringing her to know what true worship is.
And so on, as we read in the gospel in the next chapter, here was a man by the pool of Bethesda, and the Lord said, arise, take up thy bed and walk, and so on through the gospel. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. The Son of God. You know, if a great man came to Detroit, he wouldn't be interested in poor, suffering individuals in this city.
They plan public appearances where he would be before multitudes.
Where he would talk to hundreds or thousands.
And according to his greatness, there would be larger companies together. They wouldn't plan his time to talk to individuals, much less to those who are in disgrace.
And here is the Lord of glory in this world. Hinder us To the individual, our friend, you're never lost in the crowd to God. He looks down upon this room tonight and he sees you as an individual. He knows your individual needs. He knows whether you're saved or lost.
You know whether you receive Jesus as your savior and are on your way to heaven, or whether you're still rejecting him and on the road to hell. Yes, I say, he knows you, He knows your name. What a surprise Zacchaeus had when the Lord of that throng going under the tree stood still and looked up and said, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down. He knew Zacchaeus, He knew his. He knew him by name.
In another instance in this gospel too, Nathaniel came.
And the Lord knew him, and Nathanael said, Whence knowest thou me? Well, let me assure you, my friend, again, the Lord knows you. He knows the whole record of your life, everything you've ever said and done and thought. It's all an open book to him.
He knows all.
And it was never too weary to meet sinners in their name. We find in the end of the chapter before that they had taken up stones to cast at him.
He had been rejected as we were speaking on this afternoon, the one who walked through this world, despised and rejected by the very ones he came to bless, unappreciated that he weary in his service of love.
Did he say they don't want me here?
Even on the cross, when they said he saved others himself he cannot save. Let him come down from the cross.
If he had come down.
What if he had come down? Every one of us would have gone to hell. Every one of us.
He didn't yield to their jeers now he had come not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life for ransom for money. And isn't it lovely here in this instance that brought is brought before us to see the Lord of life and glory to see God the loved Son here.
And as Jesus passed by, he had just gone, as it tells you in the end of the chapter, they were going to throw a stone to pick them up, to throw at them. And he walked away. And as he was getting away, he saw this man blind from his birth. Supposing you were in a place and the crowd gathered around to throw stones at you, and you went to go away, and you saw a man who was sick or in trouble.
You think you'd feel like stopping and paying any attention?
You or I would say, let's get out of this place here altogether. As Jesus passed by, he saw a man that was blind from his birth. Yes, he saw this man in his need. He had never seen who was blind from his birth.
As a picture of what we are by nature.
Born blind.
The natural heart.
Sees no beauty in Jesus. Take the tiniest babe born to this world. The prettiest, most beautiful one that ever was born has a fallen nature.
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The child is blind from birth. That's what I was. That's what every creature of Adam's race is, a heart of enmity with God and the Lord Jesus said, except the man be born again must have a new life.
Cannot see the Kingdom of God.
It's a good thing though, when we come to realize that this man knew he was blind. He didn't suppose that he could see. He knew he was blind. That's a good thing when we get to realize this, when we know that we're blind as to the things of God. Or we may be able to see in natural things, but be spiritually blind. And if you don't see any beauty in the Lord Jesus tonight.
If your heart doesn't respond to that precious name, why, you're blind from birth too.
And you need to have your eyes open, and there's only one who can open your eyes, and that's the Lord Jesus, the blessed Savior.
And it reminds me of a story.
Of a.
Our reporter some years ago, just around this time of year, he was walking down the streets of a large city and there was one of the beautiful department store windows all dressed up with all kinds of decorations like they have at this time of year. And there were two children standing at the window and they were looking in all toys and dolls and nice things displayed in the window.
And one child, her face was all aglow. She was just taking in all these things, and she was doing her best to describe these things to the child beside her. And as this reporter passed by, he wondered why this one child looked so happy. And the other one, her face looked so almost without expression.
He got a little closer and he looked and he saw that one child was blind. He said, Now I understand the child can't. It can't say, and more than this, it doesn't even understand what it's told because it doesn't know what things look like. It just can't form any metal picture. And when the child talked about these nice toys and dolls, it formed no picture whatever in the child's mind who was blind.
So he wrote a little article in the paper.
Saying how thankful we should be for our eyes. What a blessing it was to be able to see.
And at this time there was a preacher in town and he saw this little article in the paper and read it. He thought, what a fine illustration of the Gospel. He said, isn't that just like sinners? I've come to this city of Boston and I've been trying to tell the people about the Lord Jesus. And no matter how I speak about him and his love and his grace, they can't seem to enter into it. They can't seem to lay hold of it.
They're just like that, blind.
One child, I'm trying to tell them that they can't understand, they need to have their eyes open. So when he was preaching that night.
He told this little incident that he had read well, he was quite a notorious preacher and the newspaper had asked the reporter to go and make a report on this man's visit.
To the city of Boston. So he went to the meeting that night, and as he listened to the gospel story, he tried to make a few notes for the newspaper, but he wasn't too much interested. He was an unsaved man.
But then he heard this little incident Tall and the preacher emphasized how this story was in the newspaper and how he'd feel sorry for that child. Then he said, I feel sorry for those in this room tonight who are spiritually blind, who see no beauty in Jesus. They need to have their eyes open before they can enter into these things. But he said there's one here who can open the blind eyes who came down from heaven.
Saw the blind eyes might be open.
To see him, the only savior. Well, that caused thee reported to open his ears. He'd written the story in the newspaper a little. He realized that he was worse off than the blind little girl.
The little girl couldn't see the pretty decorations in the window that he couldn't see beauty in the Savior of sinners. He was living only for time.
And God used this story to speak to his heart. But the prayers of the meeting, he went up to the preacher, I believe it was DL Moody. And he said to him, he said I'm the reporter that put that story in the paper. He said I never knew before tonight that I was blind. He said I never realized that I was just like that child. Indeed worse, I never saw any beauty in Jesus.
00:15:17
But tonight my eyes were opened.
Tonight my eyes were opened to say beauty in the Lord Jesus. He opened his heart. He received him as his Savior. Dear boys and girls, you were born blind too, but there's one here tonight in this room. The Lord of life and glory, the Savior of sinners has come into this world and he's come here to open blind eyes.
To cause you to know Him as your own precious and personal Savior. And as Jesus passed by, he saw this man.
Well, you know, the disciples, they began to reason about it. They said, well, why was he born blind? Is it something he did or something his parents did that caused this?
How the Lord said that wasn't the 'cause He said it was that the works of God should be made manifest in him. No, people like to argue. They sometimes say, well, why is sin in the world?
Why is it here anyway?
And what have people done to have to suffer so in this world?
Well, the Lord himself didn't explain this question here. He didn't answer and tell him why sin had been allowed and why the results of sin were there.
God has some secrets that he doesn't always tell us. That one thing I do know that although sin has entered this world, the Savior of sinners has also come. And I know that I'll have a better place with Christ and glory than if sin had never entered. If sin had never entered, I would have never known the heart of God.
And if that man hadn't been born blind, he would probably never have known about the Lord Jesus in his life. It's the very sorrows and troubles of life that often lead people to the Savior. Yes, it's often the difficulties and troubles of the way. And so don't say, well, why is sin here, and why did this happen to me? And why is all this trouble coming to my family?
Perhaps God brought it that you might be brought into contact with the Savior.
It's man is made that leads into Christ never, because there's something in his own heart that would lead him there, the natural heart, his enmity against God.
And so here was a man in need, a blind man. Jesus saw him in his need. Jesus passed by, and Jesus came to heal that blind man.
And so the Lord simply said that the works of God should be made manifest in Him. Some people talk about their own works, but the works of God have been made manifest in a poor Sinner like me. I was a Sinner deserving to go to hell, and the only reason that I'm going to heaven is because of what God has done through His beloved Son. No other title have I, No other reason have I?
To be fit for heaven only that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleans of us from all sin. So the Lord said, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. They cast the light out. They didn't want him, but he came the light into the world and now he's up there. He's left his own down here to shine for him. Are you and I were Christians shining for him, telling of him? We can't open people's eyes.
But we can tell them about the Savior and His wondrous love.
When he had thus spoken, he sat on the ground and made clay of the spittle. Polish might seem quite a a puzzle to the natural man as to why the Lord would do this.
Why did he do this? Well, it's just this fact, I believe that's brought before us, that what blinds the natural man is that God's Son came down into this world in a body of clay.
And it says that we dwell on houses of play, that is our bodies. We're just made out of the dust of the ground. And here, wonder of all wonders, down in this world was a man amongst men, but a man who was the sent one of God. Why did he become a man?
He came down to this world in order to.
To open the prison doors, to give liberty to those that are bound.
The opening of the eyes to the blind.
00:20:00
To set the prisoner free, that's what he came for. And so when the Lord put the clay on this man's eyes.
We might say, well, if he hadn't, he said at all, this would only make his sight worse.
And so this man had no sight in the clay put in his eyes only seemed to make him blinder still. Well, it was a picture of the nation when the Lord was here. They didn't see in the son of Joseph, the carpenter's son, the son one of God, but some did. And when this man went to the pool of Siloam, and the meaning of the word Siloam, it tells us here is sent.
Sin, that is. When he went to the Pool of Siloam, he was brought to realize that the one who was there as a man down this world was the sent one of God.
The same one of God, as it says.
God saw of the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Yes, that's why God sent him. God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
That's why God sent him. Have you been saved?
Have you put your trust in that blessed Savior? Have you been to the Pool of Siloam?
Thousands of people in Detroit will acknowledge that Jesus was a wonderful man. They acknowledged that he taught some wonderful things, but only those whose eyes were open see him as the one who was sent down to this world to become their own personal savior. Yes, that's what it means to have your eyes open. If not.
You're still blind. Still blind. Cast the any beauty as it says Isaiah.
53 Then we shall see him. There's no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected a man, a man sorrows, and acquainted the grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
But this man, now he does exactly what the Lord Jesus said.
He might have said that, well, this is only going to make my condition worse, not better, to have clay put on my eyes, but he didn't raise any questions. I say again, he did just exactly what the Lord Jesus said.
And you know, when we preach the gospel, many people start to reason. Their minds go to work and they start to marry. You say, how is this and how is that?
You know, the way to be saved is God's way. God's way. We're not to ask questions, were to believe.
But I believe what he says, the only question that is proper for a Sinner to ask is what must I do to be saved?
And then the ready answer is.
Laid on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And thou shalt be saved, for this man didn't argue.
Yes, no questions. He went to the pool of Siloam. He.
And wonder, wonders, his eyes were opened, and he could see all the joy filled his heart now his eyes were opened.
And he received his sight.
And it tells us here.
He wound his and the end of the seventh verse. He went his way therefore, and.
And came came saying how simple it all was. Know how simple it is to be saved. The devil would make it a very difficult thing.
Some people have said to me, well, you have to do a lot of studying. You certainly must have to do a lot of studying to understand these things. This man didn't have to understand very much. All he needed to do was to understand what the Lord said.
Ball and wash in the pool of Siloam. That's all he said. Simple, wasn't it? And he did it. He went and he washed and he came. Sin.
Celebration is not a difficult thing, boys and girls, it's very simple.
Salvation is so simple that a little child can understand and believe it and be saved.
And you believe on the Lord Jesus?
Some people believe in themselves.
They believe in their works, they believe in their feelings, they believe in their church, they believe in their baptism, they believe in a lot of different things. And some of them mix all these things together and believe partly in their baptism, partly in their works, partly in their church, partly in the in their own amount of faith, and partly in the Lord Jesus.
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But tonight I stand here to tell you that I don't believe in my own works. I don't believe in my feelings. They change from day-to-day. I don't believe in my church. I don't believe in my baptism for salvation. I believe in one thing only, for salvation. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I rest my whole salvation on Him and on Him only. Do you?
It's simple, but there's nothing to be added to it. It's not Christ and something else. It's Christ. Only Christ, only God only has one way, and that's through His beloved Son. How simple it was made for this man and how simply he believed it. He acted upon him and He came seeing. He came seeing.
All this caused quite a stir the neighbors.
Therefore, and they which before had seen him, that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he, others said He is like him.
He said I am he.
Why does it tell us about the neighbors here?
Well, you know what? A person is really saved.
People notice the change.
People notice the change. Sometimes we hear people, a lot of people that profess to be saved, but we watch in vain to see any difference in their lives.
We never have known that their eyes were opened at all. They don't seem to act any differently. And then we begin to wonder. But this manner was a difference. He wasn't blind anymore, his eyes were open.
He know Jesus, he could say.
When there's a real work of God in the soul, there is a change takes place.
That isn't the way to get saved. You don't change to get saved. The change is because you are saved. The man didn't change in order to get his eyes opened. The change was because his eyes were opened. Now he could see. And if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. I hope your neighbors know that you're a Christian.
I hope the neighbors on the streets.
Know that there's something different about you than there was before you were saying.
There ought to be a difference. There will be a difference too, because when you're saved, you love the Lord Jesus.
He is your dearest friend. He is the one you want to please. He's the one you want to talk about.
And this man didn't take long to talk about the one who had done so much for him.
And it says here.
That they said to him.
How were thine eyes opened?
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash, and I went and washed.
And I received sight. Wasn't a very long sermon, was it? Just one verse long, that's all.
Perhaps you say, well, I don't know what to say. I can't say very much.
I've heard folks say, well, the only use for me to try and talk because I can't say very much, I don't know very much and I wouldn't be able to express myself very well. Well, this, this man didn't know a great deal. There were quite a few things he didn't know, but he knew the man that was called Jesus. He knew what he had told him to do.
And he knew that he had done it, and he knew that a great miracle had taken place.
His eyes have been opened.
And so don't be upset about the things you do know. Be thankful that the things you don't know. Rather, be thankful for the things you do know. Some people are very upset about the things they don't know.
Well, we can leave a lot of these things we don't know, but we can give thanks for many of the things we do know. Do you know the man that was called Jesus?
Do you know this one who was born into this world, of whom it says, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins? Do you know that blessed 1A man that is called Jesus?
And all how simply he told a story, how well he knew it.
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How he had been had that clay put on his eyes, He'd been told to go and wash and he had done it and he came back seeing or how simple it all was.
My dear friend, I speak to those who know the Lord.
Men were asked about Him. Isn't it nice to be able to tell in a simple way what he's done for you? Have you told your friends about the Lord Jesus? Have you confessed his name? If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Well, when he said this much, then they began to ask him another question. They want to know a little more. Then said they unto him, Where is he?
And he didn't know that, he said. I know not. Don't be afraid to say you don't know.
That they ask you a question at school. Have your friends or neighbors asked you a question and you can't answer it? Just say I don't know.
But there's some things you do know, aren't there?
If you're saved, you know the man that was called Jesus.
You know that his blood claims you from sin. You know that he's given you everlasting life. It says in 1 John chapter 5.
Says These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life?
And if you have received him as your savior, these things you know.
And so again I say, there may be things that you don't know. Don't be afraid to say I don't know.
But also be willing. Be ready to speak of the things you do know.
Tell about that blessed Savior.
Well, then, they brought this man to the Pharisees. First of all, the neighbors see what's taken place. His testimony is given to the neighbors of what has taken place.
And now he's brought to the Pharisees, to the religious leaders.
Would there stand the test of the theologists, the religious people, the ones who want to know? Will they be satisfied?
With this story from this dear man whose eyes have been opened, he's brought to the Pharisees.
The first thing that they related, they raised a very difficulty over the fact that this took place on the Sabbath day.
I don't expect the religious leaders of the world to appreciate what it means to be truly saved and born again.
Many other religious leaders in the world.
Preaching in pulpits, holding high positions in the religious world. They have never been born again themselves. The wires have never been opened. They will not understand or appreciate these things, and they may raise all kinds of questions.
And try and find fault because they don't appreciate this wondrous grace of God that is able to save sinners. Oh, how many there are. We've seen dear boys and girls, they come to the Sunday school. They continue to come for a little while, but then one day they confess the Lord as their Savior and they go home and tell their parents. And immediately the parents want to know. I wonder what the minister, the church is going to say about this.
Is he going to be pleased about it?
Now, first thing you know, there's a difficulty about them continuing to come. Who was it that was making the hindrance?
Well, it doesn't suit the religious leaders, it doesn't suit the people of the day. This can't be so that a man can really know that he's saved, they tell us.
But simple faith, the faith of the child knows and believes.
Knows and believes.
So when they found out it was the Sabbath day.
Then they asked him, They said, How did this take place? How did you receive your sight? Well, he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed.
And do say.
How simply He stated it to them. He told the case very simply again, in a few words, what the Lord had done for him.
Well, then they begin to have a little discussion about this.
Some said, well if this man were not of God, he couldn't, he couldn't do anything. The others said, well how could this be on the Sabbath day?
Now there were different ideas about it. The world is full of different ideas. You don't have to walk very far from the door of this place till you find out the world is all kinds of religion and they all have different ideas.
00:35:04
One thinks this and the other thinks the other.
But there are only two religions in the world. There's a religion of Do and the religion of Done.
There are those who put their faith and trust only upon Jesus and his finished work, and there are those who raise all kinds of questions and arguments and discussions that they have never had personal contact with the Lord Jesus.
They don't know what it is to trust in the finished work, what he has done.
To be able to say Jesus did it all all to him I all.
Had left a Crimson stain. He washed me white as snow. Well, they had a division about whether this was right being down the Sabbath day or whether it wasn't.
But they didn't seem to be concerned about whether they needed the Savior or not. The whole question was what about the Sabbath? Was was it right that it was done on the Sabbath day, or was it wrong?
And how often we find people divided up over things.
That have nothing to do with salvation at all, have nothing to do with that which is really important.
And the very important things you know little about.
Oh what a what a picture here we see of Christendom. What do we picture we see of man's religion?
And how often religion blinds people's eyes.
So the Pharisees began to ask this man questions and.
And.
At last they decided they'd call his parents, and the parents are brought in.
And now they want to find out from the parents about this boy. They said, is this your son? And ye say he was born blind. They said this is our son, we know he was born blind.
But how he sees, we don't know.
But he says ask him, he'll speak for himself.
He'll speak for himself.
Well, find 2 very important things here.
They find, first of all, the importance of people speaking for themselves. May I stop here to say a little word to parents?
Don't speak for your children. Let your children speak for themselves.
Some parents, they speak for their children. You ask their children if they're saved and their parents answer you. You know it's a better thing to let the children speak for themselves. I like to hear a boy or a girl confess. The Lord Jesus himself gives joy to the heart of the Lord, and it's a blessing to the children. It's a nice thing when a child, when a boy or a girl, speaks for himself.
Paul said it was a joy to him, He said. I thank as he stood.
Before Agrippa, he said thou are permitted to speak for thyself, and he said he was glad to be able to.
That's nice to hear a young person speak for himself. It's nice to hear a young girl speak for herself and say Jesus is my savior. This man wasn't ashamed to speak for himself. He didn't need his father and mother to talk for him.
His father and mother said let let him speak.
But then there's another thing here that we find out. In this case, there was a reason why the parents didn't want to speak. The reason was that they were afraid that they would be cast out of the synagogue. They were afraid of men. And isn't it often so that the fear of men governs our hearts?
It's a sad thing the parents didn't want to speak up and speak.
The Lord Jesus, even if they didn't speak for their Son, they could have spoken for themselves. They could have said that we believe in Jesus too. We believe in Him. We see what a wonderful thing He has done. We have put our trust in Him. No, they had nothing to say about Him for themselves.
Well, it shows us that many people have the fear of men before them. They're afraid of others.
Perhaps somebody here would like to confess Christ, but you're afraid that somebody might laugh, you're afraid somebody might despise you, you're afraid your friends might cast you out of their company. And that's the very reason why the parents didn't speak here. They're afraid that they would be put out of the synagogue if they spoke well of the Lord Jesus, because it says here the Jews had agreed already that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
And so they knew that if they spoke well of the Lord Jesus, they'd be thrown out.
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And you know, dear folks, your boys and girls and older ones here, you know very well the same thing today.
That if you speak well of the Lord Jesus, your friends give you the brush.
They just, they're through with you. They don't want you if you speak well about the Lord Jesus.
And so these parents, they, they were ashamed.
They didn't say why.
But the Lord looked into their hearts.
And you may not say why you haven't confessed Christ that God is looking into your heart right now and He knows why.
He knows why I have to confess that I have lost opportunities to speak for the Lord, and the reason I haven't spoken for Him is because the fear of men was in my heart, the fear of men.
Paul, let me tell you, there's a real joy in confessing Jesus. Do it tonight. You've never done it before. Why not confess him tonight? He says.
Whosoever shall confess me before men.
Him while I confess before my Father, which is in heaven, and when you confess that blessed worthy name on earth.
Your unworthy name is confessed up there. Oh how lovely. Don't be ashamed to speak for him. Don't be ashamed. Speak for yourself. Tell what he's done for you.
Well then they call this man, and they said to him, give God the praise. We know that this man is a Sinner.
What a terrible thing to say, and yet.
In the burn in the next verse, we find that this man was appallingly ignorant. He didn't know, it says. Whether he be a Sinner or no, I know not.
He doesn't know. And you know when we first say sometimes we make some mistakes?
Sometimes we say some things and do some things we shouldn't, and the Lord has recorded the mistake this man made, but he wasn't long getting set right, you know? And when we make some mistakes, when we're first saved, the Lord is patient and He teaches us and He sets us right. And the things that we didn't know at first, He shows us if we want to go on, please Him.
We let back some of us when we were first saved and we think what strange things I didn't set after I was first saved, but how good the Lord is, how patient he is. And so he's put this down his word to show us that even this man that had such a great confession about the one who was called Jesus made such a mistake here, but he was growing.
You know, Samuel's mother made a new coat for him every year. And let me say this to those who are older, don't expect the children to wear the coats of grown up people when they're first saved. But as time goes on, we like to see them get a new coat every year. We like to see they've grown not only in their bodies, but grown spiritually too. Nice to see boys and girls.
Learning more about Jesus as they get older. Nice to see grown up people.
As they go on from year to year, growing in the things of God says grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Well, in the 26th verse then said they to him again, What did He to thee? How opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear, Wherefore would ye hear it again? Will He also be His disciples?
Having this lovely.
This shows surely that in spite of his mistakes, that he's growing.
When they asked him to tell it again, he said, Do you want to hear it again Because you want to be his disciple? Oh, isn't this nice? He wanted to win others, to know and to love the one whom he had learned to know and love.
And that's always the proof that it's a real work in a person's soul.
When you're saved, if it's a real work, you want others to know the Savior too.
You're not only willing to give a testimony, but immediately your heart goes out in love that others might know the Savior. If I could say it, He became a soul winner.
He said to these men, He said, do you want to be his disciple too?
And he would have gladly told the story again. Yes, they wanted to be his disciple. He didn't just talk to satisfy their idle curiosity. He didn't just talk to have a little religious argument and to compare his beliefs with theirs. Now he wanted them to become disciples or followers of Jesus.
00:45:03
And so may we each have this desire that others might learn to know Him too, even the ones.
That perhaps laugh at us, even the ones that perhaps despise us. Do we have a law and a desire that they might know the Savior as well? Will he also be his disciples?
Then they reviled him, said Thou art his disciple, that we are Moses disciples.
Well, that's what they'll say to you too. Sometimes they say, oh, you go to that little hall that doesn't have any name.
Word. They'll tell you some name of some church that they belong to. They have the name of some great man that was a great man in this world, perhaps such a name as John Knox or Martin Luther or Calvin or something. They'll talk about some great man, but it is spies, the blessed name of Jesus.
Thy blessed name said, we're Moses disciples.
But he says you're, you're a disciple of Jesus are dear children. He's not only the Savior, he's the one that we ought to be gathered to. We ought to be gathered to him says where two or three are gathered together in my name.
There am I in the midst. This man, so to speak, repudiated any other name. There was one name that was precious to him. There was one name that was dear to him, and it was everything to him. Precious name of Jesus. Oh, he's all sufficient for salvation. He's the captain of our salvation. He's our gathering center. He's the one we're looking for to come again. He's our All in all.
So then he goes on, he starts to talk, and they hurry. At first the man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
Now that we know that God heareth not sinners. Now we know that God heareth not sinners.
But if any man be a worshiper of God and doeth his will.
Hemi heareth.
I didn't like to be called sinners, didn't like to be called sinners.
They were religious people, they were leaders and here to be called sinners. So it is.
People don't like you to tell them we're sinners.
You don't mind if you acknowledge the fact that they have their religion, but when you tell them they're sinners, it does something that produces an opposition, an enmity within. And they couldn't bear to have this man call them a Sinner. They said to us to altogether born in sin. And dost thou teach us He was born in sin? He was born in sin. So was I, so were you.
But the question is not whether you're a born in sin, but have you been born again.
That's the important thing.
Everyone of us were born in sin.
But have we all been born again?
You can be born again, You can have Christ, you can know Him as your Savior. You can be among the number who will be up there with Christ in glory.
Or I ask you, have you accepted that Blessed 1 as your Savior?
Do you know anything about the second birth? Or do you only know about what it is to be born in sin?
May God grant that you will know what it is to be a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Now, what was the result of all this? They cast him out.
They cast them out. We don't want this man. He doesn't fit in with us at all.
He loves that one whom we despise.
So they cast a mouth, and so it is.
The world may cast you out, but Jesus found him. But Jesus found him, and let me tell you this, that if the world cast you out.
They'll cast you out into his company.
And to his company, those who are cast out by this world for Jesus will always find that he's right there to be their companion, that he's right there to speak to them, that he's right there to be the one who will never leave us nor forsake us. Oh, how lovely. When he was cast out of the synagogue, Jesus found him. He, first of all found Jesus as the one who could.
In his eyes now, he found Jesus as the one who reveals himself to him, who becomes the object of his worship, who becomes the one in whose company he finds his joy and his delight and his happiness. Oh, how lovely it is. He not only wants to be your Savior, He wants to be your all and all. He's not going to save you and just leave you.
00:50:14
He may let you go through a little bit of persecution for His name's sake. He may have to feel the cold shoulder of the world. He may let you feel that the world doesn't want your testimony.
But all. And he'll not leave you alone. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. It's all.
It says here in the 35th verse, Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, he said unto him, Thus thou believe, and the Son of God.
How did the Lord say this to him?
Fairly know back earlier in the chapter they had said that this man wasn't of God.
They had said that he was to worship God, and this poor man had very little knowledge of who Jesus was. But now the Lord Jesus reveals himself. He says, dost thou believe in the Son of God? He said, Who is he Lord, that I might believe on him?
He said, Thou hast foreseen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
How lovely he was in his presence.
Within His presence. And so it is when the world casts you out, When the world doesn't want you, you'll find yourself in His company.
You'll find yourself in the company of the Son of God, the Son of God.
Again, I say we may have much to learn.
We may not know all that we should know of this blessed book and of this blessed person that we've been speaking about, but He knows all about us and He loves us and He wants to make himself known to us that we might know him better. Paul has been saved many years.
And he said this, that I may know him. You might have said, Paul, don't you know him?
Haven't you known him for many years? I believe his answer would have been, I want to know him better. I want to know him better. He said Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. He became a worshiper. And so it is when we accept the Lord as our Savior, when we find in him the one who has opened our blind eyes and has given us to see beauty in Him, and we know he's washed our sins away.
We feel the reproach of the world, but we find then.
That He is the One who is our All in all. He became a worshiper. He was in the presence of the Lord. And this morning some of us gathered in this room in His presence. What did we come for? To get our eyes open? No, they had been open. What did we come for? Just to be in His presence, around Him, worshiping Him.
Only God grant that each one here in this room may know that blessed oneness saved.
And if you do know him?
Don't be ashamed to confess His name. Let it be known that you belong to Him, and you'll find that He'll be nearer and dearer to you day by day as you seek to walk to His glory in this world.
Or May God grant that there won't be one who will go out of this room without Christ and go on to a lost eternity. Let me warn you before I close that if you reject this Savior, there's nothing but the eternal wrath and judgment of God in hell.
Ahead of you or how awful to have the opportunity.
To hear about the Lord Jesus, to hear about His love, and to turn away and go down into a lost eternity or a Sinner. Don't reject him, don't refuse. And this may be your last opportunity to receive Christ as your Savior tonight and confess Him as your Lord.
John 17:1
1st Reading
3rd Reading
Philippians Normal Christianity
2 Timothy Responsibility in the Last Days
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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And.
Like the movie that.
There were three verses, and.
The 4th chapter, First Timothy or Second Timothy rather chapter one, verse 8.
I've been not all therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his his prisoner, but he thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God, who has saved us, and call us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was guilimas in Christ Jesus.
Before the world began.
Now in the second chapter.
And the 2020 first verse. If a man therefore purged himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master Jews, and prepared unto every good work we also use for us, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them, that call in the Lord out of a pure heart.
And then the 3rd chapter and they.
14 Verse. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of knowing, of whom thou hast learned then, and that from a child, thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
And is profitable for doctrine, or a proof or correction for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quicken the dead, not his appearing in his Kingdom. Preach the word the instant in season out of season.
Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
But the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall eat to them shall they heap to themselves teachers, having hitching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departure is.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the place. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only. But I'm dwelling also that love is disappearing through Thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for demons have forsaken me.
Having lost this present world and his department on the Thessalonica.
Craftsman to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is possible to me for the ministry.
Anticipate.
The clothes that I left control at the carpet when thou comest bring with thee and the book, but especially the Parthenon.
Alexander the copper Smith did me much evil. The Lord reward him.
Good baby, I believe in the other translation. The Lord shall reward him according to his work. A boom beat out where also for he had great enlisted our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men persuade me, I pray God, that it may not delay to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.
That by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all of them proud of my dear.
And I was delivered under the mouth of the lion, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve thee unto his heavenly Kingdom.
In heavenly glory, forever and ever. Amen. Salute Priscilla Christa and Mcquillan is the household of Omnisciprus.
A Raspberry supposed at corn, but for Fremont. Have I left that molecular Sikh?
Through liabilities to come before winter humiliates greatest things. Newtons and lioness and Claudia and all the brethren.
00:05:02
The Lord Jesus Christ, he with my Spirit, grace be with you. Amen.
I'm sure all of us realize the second epistle of Timothy is particularly written for the time in which we live. It's particularly the last days we have brought before us.
The responsibility of all this, who would seek to walk in godliness and laugh and need last in difficult days? And so surely they have a message for us because we are living in the last days. The Lord is about to come.
Although I might say that in this I think on the Lord's coming is not so much front before us as our hope, but it's rather connected with the appearing and the manifestation.
Because what is needed and what we need to be encouraged about in these last days is to be faithful, not only to have the blessed hope that the Lord is coming again. And it is a blessed hope, and it ought to indeed rejoice our hearts. But all what was before the heart of the apostle was. But these are that in these last days, not only would he have the hope of the Lord's return before him, but particularly the thought.
Manifestation and that the day is coming when everything that we have done is going to be manifested that the judiciary of Christ.
Well, the reason I ran these portions and made and our first 3 chapters was just to give what I believe are three important things for us in connection with the last days in the 1St chapter when it goes back into eternity and tell us about the eternal counsels and purposes of God. These purposes of God had before even the world began.
And what an encouragement that is.
No matter how dark and difficult today, it's been blessed to look back into a fast eternity, brethren, and know that God has purposes of blessing before us and for all His own, and those purposes are going to be fulfilled. No failure on the part of the church. No failure on the power, violence, or opposition on the part of man.
Is going to hinder the purposes of God being fulfilled.
I did not an encouragement to us sometime in the last days we're liable to think how much depends on us. Well, I was going to have the spirit that molds the time when he saw difficulties rising, he said that I am not able to bear the burden of this people alone.
I literally realized and that it was God's faithfulness that was going to bring the people in as he had said he would bring them out and He might bring them in. Moses could be an instrument if that's all God's purposes and grace were going to be fulfilled and all brethren, doesn't touch our hearts to the things that God has those eternal purposes and they're going to be fulfilled.
And not one of the redeemed is going to be.
Left behind the work is going to be completed in grace, and all the redeemed brought safely home, As we often sing in our own thyroid ones. All complete in glory, Roundly there with joy shall meet.
So what, when I say, is the starting point, and how important it is in a in a dark and difficult day, that we should think that we should think of those eternal purposes, how last we get occupied with the state of things, lest we get occupied with our own heart and effort? We need to be occupied with the sovereign grace and goodness of God.
Well then the reason I read those verses in the 2nd chapter was to show that a mistake of confusion was the 20th, 21St and 22nd verse. The 2nd chapter. And the reason I read that was to show that no matter how Christiansman becomes a great house and vessel to honor and vessels to dishonor, and that while we are called upon as individuals to separate from.
The great mass of evil that we see.
I'm the 6th to go on in the past of faithfulness. Thank God we don't have to go along.
We may not know all the ones whom God has called out in His grace, and sometimes we're inclined just to look at the little company that we know ourselves, perhaps in our own city, but as the Lord is going to have a testimony until we come together.
00:10:04
And tells us to follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them, and call on the Lord out of a pure heart. And so Ramon gave the spirit that Elijah had, you know, Moses on his part. He thought that he had to bear the burdens of people alone and forgot those counsels and purposes of God.
And all of you, he said. I only am left to they seek my life.
That occupied with the norm of the Borderlands, and the Lord had been telling that he had 7000 who hadn't bowed the knee to bail, and who hadn't kissed him.
So God had it on, and so we know He's going to preserve a remnant, brethren, He's going to keep the best of all me, not through any faithfulness of ours, but he's the faithful and true witness, and He will preserve a testimony until the Lord Jesus comes again.
And then in the 3rd chapter from the 14th verse, it's the importance of the word.
I don't really see that as the end approaches the great importance of the Word of God.
I was thinking of how when they came back from their captivity and they started the worship of God again in Jerusalem, how they were exercised that everything might be according to the Word as it was written.
And so that is what gives us cheer and encouragement too. We have the word.
If we look around this, we may see failure, we look at them, we see weakness, but the word is unchanging. Heaven. Earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. And I just say a special word for those who are beyond. It says I'm just from a child, for thou hast known the Holy Scriptures.
Now inevitable time I'm showing are so privileged as they are, and these days much below. Perhaps we could say that it's characteristic of the last days and that God works among children. I've instructed the fact that when describing priorities rejected the Lord and that he entered Jerusalem on that cold and the scribe from Pharisees didn't like it, but the children were saying.
To the son of David, yes, in the Lord said out of the mouth of babies and suckling Thou hast ordained strength. And so there were those children who were crying Hosanna, and those who actually have known or rejected.
So I say, what a privilege to the children, to the boys and girls you brought up under the sound of the Word cannot bring their youth to be able to have an open Bible on their knees and to sit under the sound of it in Sunday school and in the meeting. What a privilege it is.
Only graduate, namely value, what it is to have the precious word of God brought before us. So it could be said of Timothy from a child, that thou hast known the Holy Scriptures.
So to mention those 3 points, and I believe they're very important, that God's eternal purposes which are going to be carried out in spite of all the church's failures and all the opposition is Mass.
And the God is going to preserve a testimony through his own faithfulness to the end and to the is going to let us live in.
Word and special privilege in these days of bringing the children under the sound of the Word as well as ourselves, so that we might be instructed in US first to salvation and then to the third year, uh, profitable production for his truth, for correction.
For instruction in righteousness. So the word of God completely specialized for all that we need, no matter around the dark and evil of day. It is wonderful about God in his wisdom.
Has given us that corrective ministry in His Word, in connection with every state of things that may show itself, whether in our personal lives or whether in our assembly life.
Or whether it be is regarding the perfection above us, every ministry in the word to meet every situation in which we can find ourselves. That's why we should be so diligent because we do need the whole honor of God. We need the whole word. We need to read it carefully and prayerfully. President cannot afford to give up 1 little pardon. We're living in days of compromise. We're living in days when people.
00:15:11
Have to set aside a verse if it doesn't fit in with your plans.
Or perhaps even worse still, if we don't set it aside and we try to find a way of arguing around it on the sometimes.
The unbeliever that besides the scripture as a Christian argues around us, he takes the words and as Peter says, we rest the Scriptures. That is when we don't like some verse while we try and find a way of getting around that verse.
Well, that felt well, isn't it honest that if there's any verse in the Bible that I don't like to have told it to me, then the flesh must be at work in that flame? Shouldn't I be glad to have any verse of God's Word going to me?
Why they were decided, my words were found, or Jeremiah rather, thy words were found. You're not at least them. And they were unto me joy, rejoicing in my heart. We ought to be glad to receive any part of the word. And so I say to myself, as well as each one here does any worship in the Bible. And we don't like someone to bring up to us.
We better be before the Lord. My will must be at work in something.
If we're existing the Word, all scripture is given by an inspiration of God, and it's all profitable.
Well, now we come to the 4th chapter where Paul, in prison at this time, charges Timothy.
In connection with the difficulties of the pathway.
I shall thee therefore before God, the Lord Jesus Christ, until judging the quicken the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom.
We're reminded that God is going to set everything right. The Lord Jesus is the judge and someday everything is going to be felt like no, we get discouraged because we'd like to see things that right now the breathings are not going to be set right now. It's not until the Lord comes the same they're going to be set right and there's trouble saying and indeed.
Although perhaps in a certain.
It seems discouraging to say up and yet on the other hand we know that God warns us that as the end approaches, things are become going to become more difficult. But the Lord is always our resource. He's always our resource. And So what is brought before us here is a fact that the Lord is the one who is going to set everything right in his troubled things.
And this was to encourage.
The heart of Timothy and a difficult day.
And so he was to go on, preaching the word, the infant in season out of season.
One phase in the Nile Stadium. What's the bad fellas? Well, trying 1 is when was easy to get the people into a gospel meeting, but today very difficult. We can't get them in, so sometimes we have to carry the gospel to them where they are perhaps at work, perhaps across the back fence.
We're talking to a neighbor, hard to get him to come to the gospel, but we can be instant in season and other seasons. And So what might seem like other seasons, why it's always in season for the believer. What do you give out? The word and the special word, as I say, for the last day.
And we do feel more and more that these work of spreading the gospel and giving out the truth becomes in a large measure individual. And one has been struck by noticing that the ones who are saved and and brought in these days are often the results of individual faithful testimony on the part of someone.
Who meets that person at work or something like that?
Face the word the instant end, season out of season.
We prove, reduce, absorb with all long-suffering. That is, will you understand the character of the days? We're not living in days Pentecost. We're not living in the days of power as we're wise in the early days of the Church's history. And so there needs to be long-suffering.
00:20:01
There needs to be or there, because we tend to be affected by the state of things that we see about us.
I thought it was.
And the Lord San Ezekiel the prophesied of the people of the captivity, it was given a message to them, but it tells us that he went down to the children of the captivity and sat down among them astonished for seven days, and didn't say one word.
Is the actual word of the Scripture he stop whatever he thought he went there and it's not there for seven days before he said anything. And isn't it often so, brethren, that we say things too quickly because we haven't put ourselves in that other person's position? We have never been in their position, perhaps. And so if we were in their position, perhaps we would be.
More careful and more wise and loving in the.
So it was necessary for Ezekiel in a day like that to go and sit down and see the condition of things among the cactus. And then he spoke, and he spoke faithfully to it. And we should speak faithfully, but we need wisdom from the Lord. When you speak how to speak, it's all long-suffering.
And doctrine.
Well, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Surely that day has come. Today, that day has come. Let me find the world Christendom. Christendom, I should say, is just filled with false doctrine. And what it is thus most of all, is to find these things gradually and filtering in even among those who are known as fundamental.
Those who are known as preaching the gospel is often a sound one picked up a book. In fact it was given to me just while I was on this trip. One man who preaches and not always heard him very highly commended to define gospel preacher and here you might find that in the book he was teaching that there was a chance for those who were left behind when the Lord comes.
Well, you see how evil doctrine comes in. The time has come when a lot of Jewish sound doctrine, You think that man would receive correction? No, the crime is coming. People don't receive corrections.
Matching Pack is so thankful for the little assembly, and we ought to claim the truth. We ought to hold it. Let's not give up any little part of it. Better to have a few to seek to go on obedience.
Have great numbers if the truth is not wise, and the only way that we can have great numbers in a day like this is.
Have it at the expense of church, at the expense of truth. That's the only way because.
All the sort of thing that is coming in.
Into the professing church is because of their defendancy today to be.
Man places, man places and to take away the sharp edge of the truth and to make a little powerful. So, uh, tone down and people want to hear something new. Another man I met in my journey, sorry to say, a man that used a lot of bad language set up on the train.
And so I said a few words to him about the Lord Jesus, tried to speak to him about his soul.
And change the subject by telling me how much he enjoyed listening to some man who preached over the radio and prophecy, starting to tell me some of the things he had learned about prophecy. And and yet they were seen by his conversation and everything that it was non regenerate unsaved man. But he had itching ears. That was quite interesting to him.
He heard something about Russia's place in the future and they asked me if I thought it was true. Well, he had 18 years, but he didn't want the truth about his own name.
Wanted to be told that he was a center and needed.
In Christ, there's a great deal of that today. It's a year.
Turning away in their ears and the truth.
And perhaps he hears a little bit of truth, but he'll return to Fable.
Maybe he's heard somebody that has given him a little bit of truth, but not wanting the truth about his own condition. Where may that man land? Where may he land?
I know, I believe is a warning for us because a tendency for us to want to have something new.
00:25:07
No, Children of Israel, when the man that first came, it says it was like tasted like waivers of honey. That is, it was sweet to them. It was sweet when it first came.
But as the wilderness journey went on and they grew weary, and they grew weary of the man too, and they tried different ways of preparing it so it would just taste a little different. But after all their efforts.
And the sweetness was gone. I didn't take like honey as it did at the beginning.
And so, so it is. If we lose the precious enjoyment of Christ, you know, the sweetness of His love, we're going to want new things too. We're not going to be satisfied unless something is a little interesting and different than what we have heard before.
Well, I often think of what a dear brother said to me.
That it's a bad thing when they lose the enjoyment of the simple thing.
The simple thing always is just as precious to you and I tonight as it ever was of Christ. God for our sins.
That He saved us from judgment to come that were justified, that were accepted in the beloved, that He's coming again for us. Are these true? That we know so well ever squeeze and precious, precious to us? Let's not get tired Speaking of them, brethren, and rejoice without God. But we should be Speaking of these things, for I'm a God of sweet savour of Christ.
And then they're saying, and then the perish. Other people were listening or not. God delights to hear His Son well spoken of.
Well then, in the fifth verse, he says, Watch down all things and your afflictions.
Do the work of an evangelist. Why is this brought in here?
Well, I believe this sentence before us to get discouraged. 2525 people don't want to listen to the truth when we find the general departure, when lies would give up this very important part of the work.
And what is it? What is important to maintain the truth and rather than why having a hard time?
Why has he waited?
He's waiting for some soul to the God again.
That's what he's waiting for.
He tells us that when that word of grace is completed, the long-suffering all gone, this elevation, when that work is completed, the Lord is going to come.
And he hasn't come because he's waiting for my society.
So Mr. General Clark ruined. Oh, let's have a fresh energy in the Gospel.
It's true we may not be able to get large crowds together, but sometimes 1 Field might speak of myself to danger. When you see coldness and indifference and lack of interest in the truth. The 10 appears to get more about the gospel theory.
Not to have that fresh energy and desire that would sit to win others for the Lord Jesus.
Don't let me very interesting to me and searches my own heart here, Timothy, Hold in this last chapter to do the work of an evangelist.
Make proof of my ministry.
Let us see grace to serve the Lord and His wife and sigh out the word even in these last days. Well then, He tells us, for I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departure to pass.
I have fought that. Looks like I have finished my course. I have kept the place.
And foresters laid up for me a crown of righteousness with the Lord. A righteous judge will give me at that day not to me only.
All animals so that love is appearing.
While it was revealed to the Apostle Paul, apparently that he wasn't.
That he was going to pass through death.
As far as we know, the only two in Scripture who knew that. That is in the New Testament I speak of in my epistles, and that was Peter and Paul. But Paul has now come to the end. He was about, he was about to be called home.
And for us, of course, in this application to ourselves, we're about to be called home. The time of our departure is at hand. Only for us it's to depart by the coming of the Lord. That's our hope. That's what we're looking for.
00:30:05
And so in hazard time in there all especially anxious that he should continue in this fireplace that I probably fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the least faith. And this expression of these faith refers to the whole deposit of truths that have been committed to Paul.
And I believe for ourselves it's very important.
Because there is a continual trouble, there is a continual struggle to keep the faith and leave faith is all the tendency to give up and let us not think that because we are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus precious privileges. It is that and we're going to.
Example, there will be a struggle even to maintain it on ourselves. The enemy will always consider, the enemy will always try the robbers, just like he did with Israel. He tried to take away this corner of the land, the next corner of the line, and there was continual conflict to maintain that which God had given to them.
And brothers, it's going to be the Lord loses here. It's going to need more of that energy in place to keep things safe and especially as a departure and out of the world comes in.
But you know, in reality, we only have as much of the truth as we walk in.
Sometimes that if I have.
Furniture in my house and I haven't used it for a couple of years and sitting down in the basement.
And somebody asked you for it. Why? I'll gladly give it to the mom. Say sure. I haven't used it for a couple of years. Here, take it.
Not much use to me. And so if there's any part of the truth that we're not walking in that we relegated to the basement.
I remember when the test comes, it'll be easy to give that up. It'll be easy to give that up. But if there was an article of furniture that we're using every day, we say no, I can't partner that. It's very useful, use it every day.
Brethren, a lot of us speak to walk in the truth.
The danger comes of giving up when we're not walking in it.
So what the enemy does is begin with Israel. He got some careless and his marriages took place with the people of the land.
It didn't take this large star. Other things took place. And then in the day of battle, they were weep. They had no power.
That's as it was in Azure's day, through these intermarriages with the with the heathen round above them.
Then wasn't long until divine I had a chamber in the House of the Lord and.
What witness there was and all how we need to watch because the enemy.
To robust too, I have fought after fight. All brethren, let us be faithful.
It's always in this world seeing a conflict. We can never shut down the armor until we get home.
But then Paul looks on to that time when we'll get home.
And he said it will be worth it all. It will be worth it all when I get home.
Because he says he's going to be a manifestation.
And there are 4 crimes mentioned in the scripture, and the two of them I believe are particularly connected with the last days.
I believe this one where it says the crown of righteousness.
And then in Peter's epistles where we read of the crown of glory, I believe both of them are particularly.
Connected with the last day.
Because the crown of righteousness is connected with it.
All golden Asia have turned away from Paul.
And they were saying to narrow. They were saying if he, if he.
He had just wasn't in prison. They would feel a little better toward him, but he identified as Paul, a prisoner. They didn't like that. I didn't like to be identified with a rejected testimony.
And then B.
We find too, and Peter's epistle, and that adds to the faithful shepherd. It tells us to feed the flock of God.
I mean Chief Shepherd shall appear, he shall receive a crown. Glory as fadeth not away, rather not legal to ground with ridiculously connected with the last day.
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It takes the special energy to be in the fresh enjoyment of the Lord and our soul celebration.
The flock of God.
Not just give some little intellectual thought. No, we can read up things in the book and we can give intellectual thoughts.
But having some flu is it?
And it takes real. It takes a going on.
The Lord to have food to the soul. Those who think are fresh well, let us take to come to the meeting in such a way that we have something that.
Holy, fresh and strengthened the same.
Being able to say it was good for us to be here.
Well then, the righteous judgment, the Lord is the righteous judgment. And sometimes the testimony may be connected with reproach, as when Paul was in prison. But it tells us here that the Lord of the righteous judge, those in Asia, have turned away from Paul. They didn't want to follow him in that time, but he was satisfied.
That he was walking in the truth, and that the Lord was a righteous judge. And so we need that sense in our souls.
We can't please everyone. It's impossible.
Impossible. I always like that little hand that says.
Various cares our hearts retirement shall deepen boundless their desire is now to please but.
Him before who meets me shall bomb the things all our business now and.
Arkansas, let's seek to please the Lord. I'm seeking to please the Lord. Our lives will become a blessing, and the Lord is the righteous judge. He'll manifest it in that day. So here are things I say. It's not the rapture that's the deal, but it's the appearing, because responsibility in the Scripture is always connected with the appearing.
That's very simple thought I believe why it is sometimes put it like this.
When I'm away, perhaps my boy might all might not always be obedient. He might not be what it should be. You're in my absence. But I always want my return home to be connected with joy and not with a manifestation in government.
I would like to complain when I come home that there's a joy in my coming home.
And so when I come home, I don't want to take up with him about.
Time, anything about his conduct, perhaps afterwards that may come up, but my return home doesn't have to do with that side of things. It's rather the hope of seeing Daddy again. Well, isn't it lovely that when the Lord Jesus presents to us the hope of his coming as the bride, complete bride who never brings in responsibility?
It's always, it's always joy and comfort and the blessed prospect of seeing him whenever responsibility comes in. It's connected with the appearing, which takes place after the judiciency of Christ has manifested our lives.
So here, as I say, it's not always coming here that is a rapture, but loving His appearing is appearing. How you say it wouldn't be lovely if the Lord came tonight. Indeed, what precious to think of seeing his face. But brethren, I were living in such a way that our lives, at least the desire of our heart, says that our lives should be agreeable to Him.
Agreeable to him.
Enemy love disappearing and we say, well a one thing, one thing I see is disapproval and at that time.
All kinds of manufacturers.
I like why I said while his appearance.
Very interesting to notice in his ninth verse.
And again in the 21St verse.
Through the ability to come shortly on the main.
21St verse, the diagnosis to come to fall winter. Not quite interesting to know the classic view. Well, surely it's a beloved vocal, uh, felt the need of the fellowship of such a one as Timothy.
And we love them, Faith. They showed us how much we need one another brother.
It shows how much we need to be together. I was quite impressed and noticed with them now that it's mentioned here twice in this chapter. And so sometimes we have few diligence to get out to me too. But we don't need them and so much the more as we see their crossing.
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I'm sure that in those days travel was by no means easy, but the heart of the apostle longed to have fellowship with Timothy, one with whom he could have, shall we say, hindered thoughts.
And we meet Christians elsewhere.
But what a privilege to be gathered with those who call on the Lord under a pure heart.
We can have fingers, thought.
So I say Brandon, my mother's time girl with me.
A lot of she was diligent to get out is a meeting and enjoy a scholarship together.
Well, now we have the mention of different names here. That is very interesting.
Call attention to the four demons in the 10th verse.
Or demons have forsaken faith, having loved this present world, and is departed on.
There's another sorrow here, isn't there?
I believe that Demos was a true child of God. I expect to be demons in heaven.
But Adeimus, I didn't want to pass. He for suffered the Apostle Paul. And why? Well, he loved this present world. And O brethren within me, these warnings.
Last days The world is wrapped up. It has many attractions. There are things all the time that are seeking to.
Lead our heartful.
And if we don't use diligence to get to the meeting?
Won't be long until they'd be going after this present world.
Won't be long for other things. Briefing because of the heart.
And so if if we're Georgians getting to the meeting.
We have our refreshments and done and fellowship for the Saints of God, if not even want to be spent somewhere.
Going to start someone and.
Hard to have this present world.
No, it may not be the evil of the world. It doesn't say here.
Classes particularly evil.
Sometimes we only think of the world in a single side. So here Christians even say followed. Nothing wrong about that, just educational but remember this.
That the world in all glory.
Is just as bad and just as corrupt and before God as the world.
Lord holds fleshly life.
The thing is that a certain job to the Lord and he brought them up to the seating high and on when the bad things in the world they could show them all the king.
The world and the glory.
And the glorious you and I like to see the glory of the world.
And we like to see all scientific advancements and all this doing and they occupied with progress that it's making and all these things. Sometimes we call these things educational of which may be that they educate brethren.
Which nature were all the things that Satan portrayed to the Lord on that exceeding high mountain?
And what did the Lord do?
The office of the malls of the law are due, but the Lord says.
Thou shalt worship the Lord by and gone him home, Sir.
199-2192 for us, brother. Remember, I pray, not the sinful bad things of this world.
But just explored it attractive things.
But soon lead the hard way from that brighter Vista of glory, that brighter scene.
We are insane. Most bright and blessed things were seen in America for in the measure in which we get occupied with the glory of this world.
Were wrong our blessed prospect of that glory which the Apostles speaks out in the end of this chapter of the Eternal opinion.
The glory is before clarity.
Well, I'm going to have a different one.
And in the 11TH verse he says, Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is thoughtful to me. For the ministry Elmark has been restored in this beautiful Mark has got away, but Mark had been restored.
What impresses me in reading these different names is that there's not a great deal of comments made about them.
A little bit sad and it shows us the largest interest in US individually.
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And sometimes the silence is stricture. It is important what says.
We find in the 16th of Romans Paul mentioned some names and doesn't make any.
Mentions other names and they have a happy comment to make about.
Well, the Lord is writing up our report too, and the precious if our names are among those who are seeking to walk in the class.
About the water pressure still, if there is that energy.
In command I interviewed. It is blazing to heaven, the obstacle to me for the ministry.
One little warning here too. Both rabbi should make a comment about this thirteen first.
And says the folks which are left to trolls and carpets when they're kind of playing with me and the books, but especially.
Apartments. Well, we learned the best that Paul was concerned with the daily matters of life about the club. But I was thinking particularly in the last part of the verse.
He was a prisoner.
But he wasn't wasting his time, He wasn't wasting his time and was anxious that these parchments which.
That was part of the scriptures should be brought to him.
And so he may be confined, trapped with occasional content after the meeting.
Well, I would occupy ourselves with good things.
We have to stay home for a week or so when you see happy things, if during that little time that we have not able to get to the need of that, we were occupied with the precious writings.
God-given to us enjoying them. Perhaps our brethren might get something of what we have gleaned while we were the latest side.
So I'll follow the prisoner. He was concerned about the department, which would no doubt were.
Part of the written word.
We also live a little warning here about Alexander the covers that.
And I call attention to the other translation.
In our the Lord reward him.
The other translation says the Lord shall reward him.
The reason I call attention to that difference is that Paul wasn't wishing anything to happen to him.
Rather than we should never wish anything to happen to any of our brethren, no matter what.
Done to us. Sometimes if someone's unkind to us, we might wish that something would happen to them after they have said something unkind to us, or done something unkind to us. But.
All this he says, the Lord look after God.
The war to look after that we can safely leave all over the law.
We have, we ought to have thoughts of love for our brand answers. Any situation that arises. You may have to count on a warning. Paul passed on a warning here. Beware of this man, Alexander, but he didn't wish anything upon him.
Just come out of the whole place through the law.
And so the Lord will and take care of every situation in his own time and way, and if we just leave it with Him.
As someone has written all the little lines.
The limitation shines.
If in the right of way thou by taking from God's land by God.
If wrong, Patastar, but invite Satan himself by friend and me Sam.
Leave all of God. It brought him through this dog. It's not an apartment.
Therefore to himself.
So can please explain to the Lord and fall there?
Then to another thing bears the 16th verse, that my first answer No man stood with me, but all men forsook me.
And this is just beautiful. I pray to God that it may not be late to their dark.
What do you watching anything upon?
Now I have to warn about you have to warn about Alexander, because his opposition was intentional. It was bad, it was evil.
But believe, I think there was a lack of courage and I think this is so sweet and touchy. If someone doesn't stand with us for lack of experience, we're live in the same water and they wouldn't help you out when they're in the difficulty, they wouldn't stand with you.
I pray God, who may not delay to their charge, is not the spirit of his Master, the Lord Jesus on the cross, said Father, forgive them.
00:50:03
You know not what they do. All may we, brethren, shall the Spirit of Christ and all that.
Takes place and all happens, and if someone has done a wrong to us that we might pray that it wouldn't be laid to their charge. All that surely was sweetly the Spirit of Christ.
Why was he without anyone to stand by him or the Lord to die?
Notwithstanding or Lord desire, and no matter, no matter how we may be left alone sometimes, as we noticed in the 2nd chapter, we'll never be left entirely at home.
The testimony will continue, but the time will come. Different matters in our lives where we may be called upon to stand at law, but let us stand alone in the consciousness that we are not doing another pride, but only seeking the Lord's glory and the blessing of the.
If we ever stand alone in the prophets were better than others, that's pride and they'll have to bring down the other hand of God.
But if we stand alone and that was the.
To be faithful to the Lord's glory by have anything safe to leave it all over the law. And the Lord stood by, and he was delivered.
He was delivered and so we find.
That when he was delivered, then there were some others that came and identified themselves with them always in mind. And one of Gideon, you remember how Gideon, my love, the 300 men and they went out and bought the Midianites.
And then when there was a great victory being, one small woman came and joined in and they wanted to have a share in the glory of the truth. They want to take the credit to themselves.
And Gideon was willing to give them all credit.
Because what was I even doing? Embarrassing to you and not a lovely spirit. And the answer was going to give them credit. And yet as far as he was concerned, he was the only one who was really exercised about the state of things in Israel. But his faith became encouraging to others. Daniel had to stand alone, but his faith became encouraging to others through, and so brought him. Sometimes the war may test us alone.
But let us have large hearts.
That don't condemn others, but if you're good, take your blood brain, take your happiness supporting in the mind of God.
And the Lord shall preserve me, deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom.
Whom the glory forever. Amen.
Well, this confidence was in the law.
But inside you didn't say you could do anything like I'm trying.
It's all confidence within the Lord said. The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me.
Brother, if we take you walk humbly and the fast of obedience to the Lord, why he will preserve.
Good person, seven piece song says by the word of my life.
Have I got made from the planet to be destroyed?
By the word of thy love you and I are only safe, safe in the fashion of obedience to the Word, and it says anything in your life and mine that we know is disobedience to the Word by the enemy can get in at that point.
Let us speak to have our lives and conformity to God's word, His wealth, and then now we can say preserve me.
All gone for me. Do I put my truck?
Well then, we noticed in the 20th verse the last disposal of Corinth.
But for FEMA and I laughed at molecular stick.
Well, the apostle had power now those that he could appeal to famous.
When he came to the island of Malia to heal all the people who were sick on the island.
So I'm sure it's smarter. Flower was concerned that he had power to heal, but why didn't he use it here?
Well, we don't see power being used in that way.
Scriptures. The Lord never once used power to relieve his own suffering.
He never used power once to make the pathway easier for himself.
Don't you think he could have got water out of that well without asking that woman for it?
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I could raise the dam instead of that water over that well without asking the woman.
How many times in this fact?
We couldn't pray for allegiance of angels.
But now he come to do his Father's will. All soul like that. Christians, it's touching. If we have power at our disposal, we like to use it for ourselves, and if not for our own deliverance, at least to show our power before others. But here was the Lord walking through this world and.
Never really one thing to please himself and every act of healing that he did what was glorious by solemnly his Father's glory and so we find the fall here no doubt in the communion of the mind of God. He knew this thickness was good for your famous.
It was needed for him, and so perhaps the Lord has laid us aside. Early exercise by all these passes through.
He has the purpose and everything. Nothing happens by chance.
All he allows is in love and for our good.
Well, in the last verse, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He was eyes for us. Grace, be with you.
Amen. As one remarked, this 5th chapter is the special words of the last day.
Things remain leading up to the diversity, to the state of things that we see above us, the circumstances in which our lot is cast, the way we often feel that we are treated by others. And to me, it's just a simple little.
An old picture in this chapter of the same thing back in the last days of the Apostle Paul, one thought how to answer to the fervent sign in which we live outstanding to our own assembly life in these days. And how encouraging to find the Apostle Paul and sign like this charging Timothy. Now don't get discouraged, just go on, said I have known something of these difficulties that you're passing through.
And the Lord will be faithful, He will sustain you. And he said the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Don't get under the saddest thing, be involved in your soul, for the Lord devoted the Lord is about.
Is always about the state of things and.
Cloudy day Sometimes we say for the sun is not time today, but I like to think it's always shining. But if we could just get above the clouds, we'd see it as bright as ever.
So sometimes we get below the clouds, we see the difficulties, we see the troubles, but if we get above the clouds, the clouds look beautiful. Number one time going down on the train, down on the coastal from California and we came to a point where they went above the clouds.
All it was beautiful as we passed along there and watched those clouds in the valley, so beautiful with the sun and shining on them. I thought, I suppose those people underneath the clouds think it's a dark day, but for me up there it looks so beautiful and bright, well brightened for.
Look at the clouds too.
If we seek to be above them with God and our souls, why we see that they're all allowed.
For our goods and for our blessings, and that they're all but fresh occasions for us to show forth the praise of the sinfulness called the set of darkness.
It was marveled, like one has been impressed by that first lately. In all these things, we are more than conquerors.
Muhammad Lawless.
One way to exercise a long time but but that meant more than conquered.
And I would like to think of this. This is one side in connection with it.
Not only does the Lord give the grace to live as long as difficulty.
But he turned to this because positive blessing if we take it from him.
And so that when we get home to heaven, not only will we thank Him for the grace and that helped us through the trials.
But when we look back, we'll say.
Cunningly Devised Fables
Earnestly Contend for the Faith
As for God His Way is Perfect
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn first of all to the book of the Psalms, the 18th Psalm.
For by thee I have run through a truth.
And by my God, have I leaped over the wall.
As for God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.
For who is God, say the Lord, and who is the rock? Save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Now let us turn over to second Peter.
Second Peter, chapter 1.
And the first verse.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To those that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
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, and hath called us to or by glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us, exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue, and so on. I won't read all these verses.
The 11TH birth.
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, and to the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Elder young people, we know that the way that sin entered into the world in the very beginning was a doubt in the minds of Adam and Eve as to the perfection of God's wisdom. And in His ways He had made that garden for them. He had planted it. Everything in the whole scene was spoken of as very good, and there were Adam and Eve placed in that garden.
But there was one command given them. That command was to be a test of their obedience. It was a simple command. There could be no mistake about it. God said that they were not to eat of that one tree. They were not to reason about it or as to why it did look good for food. It did look pleasant to the eyes, and it was very pleasant to think of being wise.
But God had said he shall not eat it.
That was enough. God had spoken, and so they were tested about whether they would believe what God had spoken, whether they would acknowledge his right.
Whether they would believe that all he had provided was all that was necessary for their good and for their happiness.
But instead of believing what God had said, instead of following His instructions, they listened to the tempter. He came along and suggested to them that God was holding back something good from them, but the very best thing in the garden was withheld, and that God was not quite as good as they thought He was, and that why should they not take of this?
Seeing it was so good to look at, so pleasant to the eyes.
So good for food. And didn't God want them to be wise, saying they were his creatures? This was reason.
But we know what happened. They took it and sinned, and with it all the consequent misery came into this world. They didn't believe that God was as good as he had displayed himself to be. And now, dear young people, it's the very same thing today. We know that when the Lord Jesus, God's beloved Son, came into this world.
Satan came with the same temptation, the lust of the flesh and the flesh the.
To the eyes and the pride of life and the Lord Jesus meeting all those temptations brought in the wilderness by Satan, He answered in every case. It is written He had taken the place of a dependent man here in this world, and Satan could not get that perfect one out of that path. He answered every temptation. He became victorious.
00:05:06
In demonstrated victory over all the power of.
Satan. And there he went forth as the one who had bound the strong man. Now to spoil his good.
Let me turn over to John's epistle. We find that Satan is at work with the family of God. He was at work with Adam and Eve. He was at work with God's beloved Son and failed miserably because of the perfection of that Blessed One. And now you and I have two natures within us. We have the old solemn nature that we receive by our natural birth.
And those of us who were saved of a new nature, a very life of Christ.
But Satan comes to us now with the same temptation, and it says all that is in the world.
All 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, but is of the world. Nor doesn't it sum up the whole world system on which Satan, as we already minded this morning, is a God and Prince, and he has this world fixed up of his palace, in which he rocks people to sleep.
And he does his very best to get them deluded to think that by.
Following their own wills and His suggestions that they're going to find something in the past that is apart from the word of God. But dear young people, what I want to speak to you particularly about this afternoon is that As for God, His way is perfect. As for God, His way is perfect.
And how are we going to find out about His way? Well, we've got this precious book. We have God's Word. More than this, as we shall see, He has given us a new nature that delights in Him, enjoys this blessed book He has given us. His Holy Spirit has a power to walk through this world to please Him.
We're offended, we're well equipped, but Satan is never going to give up.
In his attempt to try and lure us away if there's an unsaved boy or girl here.
Why, I know that He is doing everything he can to hold out the glitter of present things before you. It may not be what are commonly called worldly things. It may be education, the pride of life. It may be different things that He uses with one or the other. The lust of the flesh with one, the lust of the eyes, wanting to see everything that can be seen, and then perhaps with another, as I say.
Of attainment, feeling you've got somewhere in this world. Well, if you're unsaved, you have nothing else to live for. The world is in your heart and nothing else. You can't see anything else worth living for. That all that I say this afternoon, it just doesn't work. Falling upon deaf ears. Unless God opens your eyes. I'm ready to open your eyes. We had this morning.
The God of this world hath blinded the mind.
Of them, believe not, and Satan has blinded your mind to the goodness that is in the heart of God, to the perfection of His Word, and to the glory that awaits those that are His, and the judgment that awaits those who go on without Christ. I say blinded your eyes if you're unsaid.
Oh, May God open your eyes to see beauty in the Lord Jesus. He's able to do that.
He's opened many of our eyes. He sent us to the pool of Siloam. That is, that means sent. And when that blind man was blind from his birth, went to that pool of Siloam, his eyes were open. And when you see the Lord Jesus, the sent, one of God sent to save you, sent to open your eyes and to turn you from darkness to light.
Then, but not till then, will you see any beauty in Jesus.
Not till then will your eyes be opened to see the loveliness that is in him.
Well, I say again now, for I believe that many of your young people here are truly saved. Your eyes have been opened. You do know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. But Satan's constant work in the minds of young believers and older ones too, is to get us to questions that God's way is perfect, to give us a question mark in our mind.
00:10:06
Is God's way perfect?
Is he doing the right thing in my life? Can I change this by some planning and scheming of my own? And Jacob likely set about to try and do some planning and scheming, hoping that by our own efforts in some way or other, we can bring some good things within our reach.
Oh, that's just what he did with Eve in the Garden, and he's still doing the same today.
But here it says, by thee I have run through a troop, and by my God have I leaped over a wall. O dear young people, are the wall in front of you.
And that which is beyond the wall can only be seen by faith. Here is the wall in front of you, and Satan has put that wall there.
And he doesn't want you to see it now. That's beyond that. Now there is blessing for you that God wants to fill your heart with joy and rejoicing. Our brother spoke yesterday of his beloved boy and how in spite of the fact that he didn't have his faculties so he could walk, why he was rejoicing in the Lord.
You found happiness in the Lord.
And you can leap over the wall that's in front of you and realize that As for God, his way is perfect. You see a wall in front of you. Perhaps you come to these meetings and you there seems to be something in front of you, a barrier to your happiness.
Or is it because there's a doubt in your mind about God's goodness? There's a doubt in your mind that His Word is perfect and that His way is perfect. If there is, if there's that doubt in your mind, why? I know there's a wall in front of you, and it's only by Him that you can leap over that wall.
That you can run through the whole troop that's against you because there is a troop that's against us. The whole current and stream of this world is against the believer and there needs to be that energy of faith that goes against the current.
But it all begins with this. As for God, His way is perfect. Perfect.
With God doing the best for Adam and Eve in the garden, Yes he was. Yes he was. Is he doing the best for us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? O dear young people, it's you and I ourselves that stand as a barrier to the happiness and the blessing that God has in store for us.
It's ourselves miserable self that stands in the way.
For it doesn't matter what handicap a person has or what wall it seems to be in front of you. Why, by him you can leap over it. You can find in him happiness. I like that verse in the 16th Psalm. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yeah, I have a goodly heritage. All you say that the place I'm in is not a pleasant place.
Well, I like to think of it this way, that wherever the word of God comes home to your soul and power, it becomes a pleasant place.
When I meet Daniel up in heaven and I say, what do you think of the den of lion? I believe you'll say that was a pleasant place. That was a pleasant place. The Lord was there with me. They brought me. If you're gonna bend me, go. What do you think of the fiery furnace? That was a pleasant place. The Lord walked in with us.
Oh dear young Christian, the word of God come home to your soul and power this afternoon and you see that his way is perfect.
And what he has done for you is the very best for you.
Why, you will leap over the wall too, and you'll find that the very place where you are can be turned into a pleasant place. You know that Psalm, that 16th Psalm is prophetic of the Lord Jesus and he is spoken of as the man of sorrows. But he is man here could say the lines are fallen under the unpleasant places, all he found.
It is happiness in the will of his father as man. Reminds me of a little story I heard at a.
Man who went to visit a blind school.
00:15:01
Well, perhaps I'm mistaken that it was a blind school. It was a group of children together, and quite a few of them could see, but there was one boy that was blind among them. That was the way that it was. There was one boy that was blind. The rest had their eyesight.
Now this man was speaking to them about the Lord, and he asked numerous questions and his blind boy was the one who had the answers ready every time.
And.
So he went on, and he spoke and gave the gospel, and at the end of his talk he turned to the blind boy, and he said, Now how is this?
These other boys don't seem to have the knowledge of the things of God that you have. Perhaps some of them are not saved. How is it that you're blind and they and they can see? Why has God afflicted you with blindness?
And the dear lad looked up, and he said, Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Now that boy leaped over the wall. Yes, he had. Had he run through the troops? Yes. Why? Because As for God, his way is perfect. And that boy knew that that affliction that he had, had been the means of blessing to his soul.
As for God, His way is perfect.
The word of the Lord is tried. It's tried.
I was stuck in reading the 12TH chapter of the Hebrews where it speaks there about looking unto Jesus. I've often been a little bit meditated and wondered just what was the thought about those great crown of witnesses?
But it impressed me like this that.
That great cloud of witnesses are all those who have walked the pathway of faith before. Do you face the difficulty in your life?
Oh, it's as if David said all the path of faith is worthwhile. Abraham said the path of faith is worthwhile.
And Daniel said, yes, the path of faith is worthwhile. Rahab said yes, it's worthwhile. There's many that have walked the path before, and there's a great cloud of witnesses for our dear young people. There's never yet a person who walked in the pathway of faith that hasn't proved that it's the best, the happy path. The word of the Lord is trying.
He is a Butler to all those that trust in him. Yes, he is an all sufficient savior and never has there been a person who has trusted in him in full confiding trust that hasn't found that it is the perfect path.
And so as the earth, another dear one said, he said the path of faith is worthwhile if it were 1000 times more difficult than it is. Oh, how wonderful. As for God, his way is perfect. Dear young people, praying that in your mind, frame it in your mind. Can I say in my mind too, because how often the enemy seems to succeed to putting a question mark after that in our minds.
God's way perfect in my life, all you say. But I failed, so how can I expect it? It's still perfect. It's still perfect.
It may be that he can't come in, in the fullness of the blessing that's in his heart, but he still wants to bless you. And the only hindrance is myself and yourself. We're the hindrance. There's no hindrance on his part. In one of the lost stages of Israel's history, in the book of Malachi, he said, Prove me now herewith that the Lord of hope, if I will not open you the windows of blessing.
The windows of heaven and pour you out of blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. Or they might have said we can't claim any blessing we failed. The prophet has been telling us how badly we've failed, but the Lord said I haven't changed, just prove me. He said, bring the tithes into my warehouse, into my house, and then prove me. In other words, if we have failed on it, get the thing right with the Lord.
And we'll find that he hasn't changed.
The same yesterday and today and forever.
For who is God? Save the Lord? You know that word? The Lord? That's Jehovah. That's the covenant keeping God. Israel's covenant keeping God.
When Israel when when the Lord made himself known by that name, it was when they were slaves down the land of Egypt, and he said Moses.
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I'll make myself known to you as Jehovah, the covenant keeping God. Isn't that wonderful?
Who is God? Save the Lord, just as we had this morning. All the promises of God in him are, yeah, they're sure to be carried out because we have a covenant keeping God. We have one who has promised and pledged, and through the work of his beloved Son, the way has been opened that all that is in the heart of God can flow out in richest blessings.
It is God that girdeth me with strength. It is God that girdeth me with strength. We feel so weak, but He girds us with strength. He gives the strength for this.
The joy of the Lord is your strength, and so He girds us with strength and maketh my way perfect. Why do we fail? Oh, we fail because we doubt His goodness. That's the reason we fail. And if we never doubted His goodness and walked in obedience and dependence, why he'd make our way perfect.
Could make our way perfect and he wants to and so I say his heart is full of blessing toward us all that we would lay hold of it again I say before I turn to Peter's epistle. Put that put that verse in your mind. Bring it there as to God, his way is perfect and the next time there's a circumstance arises in your life and disabled. How can this be all right, Just say.
Words over to yourself. As for God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Now let us turn over to what we looked at and.
Peter's epistle.
Second Peter.
Second Peter, chapter 1.
Simon Peter.
I serve in the new apostle of Jesus Christ.
Why does it begin with this word Simon? Why doesn't he just begin with the word Peter instead of with Simon?
Well, because he didn't forget that he had failed.
And the first official he begins with Peter. But here he says Simon Peter, Simon Peter, if he's going to encourage them to add to their faith, virtue and so on, he doesn't forget that he didn't add to his faith courage. One time he lost courage in the presence of those who were the enemies of his blessed Savior. And so he says Simon Peter.
Oh, does the remembrance of some past failure in your life make you say?
All that I can. I can't really go on for the Lord. I've been such a failure. Well, this one, who's speaking here? He says Simon Peter. Simon Peter. And what had the Lord made him? He made him a slave, a bun servant, A servant could be translated, a barn surrender and an apostle. Oh, how lovely. Isn't this the grace of God?
Oh, how often it is that such an occasion.
We come to the general meeting.
Maybe we come here.
And the Lord.
Meet us here at our need. Perhaps we go home with a fresh or renewed desire to live for Him. Wouldn't it be lovely if many of the dear young people who have come here to turn around and go back to their homes, conscious of the fact that they have been saved by that matchless race, that God's will in His way is perfect?
And that although we have failed, he's the unfailing, unchanging 1.
Bond slaves we sang in our little hymn, Captive in the Chains of Love. His love is on our hearts, and he would lead us captive in those chains of love. And an apostle is a sent one. Well, of course we know that there was a there were 12 apostles. There were those who were chosen to be apostles. But there is a sense in which every believer is sent.
The Lord Jesus said in the 17th of John.
As my father has sent me into the world, Even so have I also sent them into the world. And so we have been sent into a world like this. We have been sent.
And then he says to them that have obtained.
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Like precious faith with us.
Well, this is true of each believer. We have obtained like precious faith. We could never go on in the pathway unless we have obtained that like precious faith. Oh, how important this is. The Christian pathway is a path of faith.
But God has given us that faith. Faith is the gift of God, says in Ephesians 2.
It says by grace, he says through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God and God has given to each one who is his faith.
The reason we don't walk by faith is because this faith is not an exercise. But He's given it to us. He's given us like precious faith. A faith that's necessary to go on in a world like this has been given to us.
Through the righteousness of God? Through the righteousness. Why does it say through the righteousness? Why doesn't it say through the love of God? Why the righteousness of God? Ah, because the question of sin had to be settled. God is a holy God. God cannot Passover sin, but the question of sin has been taken up and settled.
All Peter could never speak like this.
That the question of his sin hasn't been taken up and settled. I may this be impressed upon each one of our hearts.
That all the claims of God in righteousness have been fully met.
All we were.
No, sometimes in verse in first John 1 and 9 has missed you misused to unbelievers.
Says thou shalt. It says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. While we couldn't as unbelievers, we couldn't remember all our sins. It's impossible that verse is written to believers. Believers are to confess sin in their lives and be restored, but for none believer.
I like the way the little hymn puts it. Our sins, our gilding, love, divine confess, and born by thee. And isn't it a lovely thought that God took up the question of sin? God placed my sins on the Lord Jesus and it's all been settled. Not according to my thoughts about sin. I couldn't remember all the sins I've committed. And more than that, many things I might form are wrong. A wrong.
Knowledge along the appraisal of what is said and what is not, but all how, what gives me peace in my soul, is to know that God Himself, who knew all about me, took those sins and placed them upon the Lord Jesus. And the Lord Jesus bore all the Roth and judgment of God, and I have obtained like precious faith through the righteousness of God.
And our Savior Jesus Christ.
God gave to me the gift of faith, not faith in myself.
Some people have faith in themselves.
Some people have faith in their church, some people have faith in their feelings. They have faith in all kinds of things.
But we have faith in what God has done. The little hymn says it is a simple trust in what a God of love hath said of Jesus as the just. Or if it should be a doubting believer here, one, as it was mentioned last night, who still has doubts. Let me, let me again bring this blessed truth before you.
That the question of your sins was settled by God Himself.
And so that precious place that he gives is consequent upon the fact that sin has been settled according to his perfect knowledge of it.
His perfect knowledge of it. Some people get occupied with whether they have enough faith.
Well, you know, that isn't a question of that either. It's whether your faith is in the right person.
Some people have a great deal of faith in themselves. Some people have a great deal of faith in their experience.
Some people have a great deal of faith in their feelings.
But if there's just enough space to touch the Hamilton garment, you've obtained like precious plants, like precious faith, because it's through the righteousness of God. A question of sin has been settled at the cross, and all the promises of God in him are yeah, and in him, Amen to the glory of God by us.
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And then he says grace.
And peace be multiplied unto you.
Grace and peace all we need to always have the sense of grace. What did we deserve? What did I deserve? I deserve nothing but the judgment of God and not one blessing has ever come to me because I deserved it. The moment you and I have any thoughts that we deserve something, why we forfeit.
All right to it because we deserve nothing but judgment. And dear young people, when you come to the Lord with a request, don't come and say, well, I've tried to be faithful and claim it on that ground. It doesn't come on that ground.
These blessings come out of the goodness that's in the heart of God. He blesses according to his own heart. And how lovely it is. When that publican went up into the temple to pray, he had nothing good to say about himself at all.
He said God be merciful to me, a Sinner.
You got the blessing.
From the other man, the Pharisee talked. He talked about all his goodness. He wasn't like other men.
And he missed the blessing. There was no blessing for him on that ground. For this principle does Dome apply to unbelievers, It applies to Christians, it applies to believers. I believe we have a principle of that in the life of Hezekiah.
You know, Hezekiah was a faithful man. He was a good king in Israel.
And he went on for many years a godly king.
And then he took 6.
And when he took six, he played with the Lord and told the Lord that he had walked before him with a perfect heart. And because of that he asked the Lord to let him live a little longer because he had walked before him with a perfect heart.
Well, the Prophet had already told him that he was going to die.
But God in his permitted ways, you know, sometimes such a thing as God's permitted way.
It says He gave them their desire. He sent leanness into their soul. All your young people never plead anything from God because of your own life.
Bastion to us according to what's in his heart, for he sees what we need and he knows what's good for us.
Well, if one could put it in this way, God lengthened out the life of Hezekiah. And as though he should say, well, all right, Hezekiah, I'll try that heart of yours. You say it's a perfect heart. Now we'll see what kind of a heart it is. We'll see. And these solemn words are used about Hezekiah.
God left him that he might know all that was in his heart.
How do you walk to godly life? Yes, he has.
But He claimed something from God on that ground. All your young people, we have no claim only through what Christ has done. Every claim that we have is through that work that He accomplished. Because through that the hindrance has been removed that the heart of God can come out in grace. And one desires for his own soul that he would always have a fresh sense of the grace of God.
We don't deserve anything but judgment.
Over and over again we can say to ourselves, I don't deserve anything but judgment and come to him. Great.
And he seemed all the blind. And I believe that the deeper the sense of grace, the deeper the sense of peace in our soul.
The deeper the sense of peace. Why is our peace often disturbed in our lives?
Well, we sort of expected something and it didn't come. And then when we when it didn't come, there was a little question arose in our mind is, well, didn't I deserve it? Haven't I been trying to please the Lord? Didn't I deserve that?
And immediately our pieces disturbed because we were claiming it on the grounds of something in ourselves. But all if we just have the fence that every blessing is by grace, I believe that peace would preside in our hearts more than it does. Yes. Oh how lovely just to go through this world.
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With a sense that God is my Father, that He loves me perfectly, that He cares for me with an infinite, perfect loving care, and that He's and the Lord Jesus is the captain of our salvation, bringing many sons home to glory. All dear young people, peace will be multiplied in your life if the sense of grace grows in your soul. Or May God grant that it will and that you'll walk.
Life realizing that every day and every moment of the day where recipients of His grace, I believe if that soul will know what it is to have this peace multiplied to us through the knowledge of God.
And of Jesus our Lord.
And this is another thing that I wanted to mention to through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord Satan's attempt is always to keep us from the true knowledge of God, the true knowledge of God. Some people have lost the sense that God is love, and so they live in fear and trembling. We know such religions of fear that don't know anything about.
A God of love.
Now, on the other hand, we see another extreme, those who say that God is such a God of love that he's going to Passover sin all together and that he's never going to punish it. Both are wrong. Both are wrong. That is, they're the extreme in the wrong direction. But God is light and God is love. And if God is going to display his love, he'll never do it by sacrificing his character as late.
Now he's light.
And he's love and what gives peace in the soul is not hoping that God is going to Passover something in our lives, but knowing that in the holiness of his nature and in the in the righteousness of his ways.
Why? He has taken up the question of sin, and he has settled it, and so it says, through the knowledge of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
All things know. Again, I say, this book that we spoke of is being tried. He's given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
Many of you, dear young people, are going to school and to college.
You have to spend long hours poring over school books.
Listening to lectures, studying.
And so that you just get thoroughly engrossed in all these things that you're learning at school. But here's a book. It isn't too large.
It isn't too long, not nearly as large as some of the school books that the children carry homes, and this book contains all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
All dear young people, I believe we don't half appreciate the wonderful treasure that we have in God's Word. And I urge upon you, don't just read the New Testament. Don't just read a favorite chapter here and there.
It's all here that we need for our pathway.
I don't believe that there's a decision in your life and mine that we won't find wisdom in this blessed book for every single step of the way. And all how many young people bring sorrow and trouble into their lives because they don't follow the wisdom of this book? And some of them, sad to say, they have to say, oh, I didn't know the Bible said that.
I didn't know, the Bible said.
All dear young people, acquaint yourself well with us. Acquaint yourself well with it.
And those interesting stories in the Old Testament that we hear from our childhood, don't forget they're full of deepest moral instruction for us.
All these things that happened in the lives of the kings, the lives of the judges, the lives of the prophets, they're all full of instruction for us. It's all written down here, all things that pertain unto life and godliness. The whole pathway is marked out for us. And more than last, there's been a perfect example come down in this world.
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To walk the path, the Lord Jesus.
Himself, His divine power. There isn't a man in the world that has such power to do it, or wisdom.
Why you can take the man who has the greatest brain in the whole world.
And he couldn't begin to write even 1 Chapter of this book unless he should have been inspired by the Spirit of God.
The wisdom of this world is foolishness of God. And more than this, dear young people, the books that you're learning, that you're studying at school, in a few years they're going to be all outdated if the Lord leaves us here.
The books that we studied are thrown in the garbage. The books that were studied two or three years ago in the colleges, they're thought out today, tossed out.
Things that were accepted as facts scientifically a few years ago were all shaken up and abandoned today because men have found out different things.
But I tell you, you can safely take your stand upon this book, and heaven and earth shall pass away.
But my word said, the Lord Jesus shall not pass away. You'll never have anything to unlearn that you have received by the Spirit of God from this precious book or read it, acquaint yourself with it. Get down on your knees and pray if you don't understand an hour.
To teach you, because if there ever was a book of wisdom and all that you need for life and godliness, it's all here, all the blessed and privileged that you have. And again till you dear young people who are brought up in the meetings of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
I'm bold to say, and I don't say it with any boasting, but thank God there is such a thing as a place on earth where the authority of the Word of God is recognized.
The authority of the word of God is recognized. You can go about to all kinds of religious places and an Italian that they accept the word of God that you'll find that they set aside certain parts of it.
They set aside certain parts.
And they'll, and if they, if they don't set it aside, they'll say, well, nobody understands that. Why do they say that?
Reason, they said, because they don't want to act on it. That's the reason. But when you sit in the meeting, the Lord gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, the Spirit of God is there. The Spirit of God cannot be separated from the Word of God.
The dear Mr. Darby said.
This was his expression. The Spirit and the Word cannot be separated without falling into fanaticism on the one hand, or rationalism on the other. And so those who take the Word of God apart from the Spirit, they rationalize it. And those who talk about the Spirit and set aside the Word, they find and fall into all kinds of extremes.
Just one more word of caution. We're living in days here, young people, when science is advancing as it never has before.
And sometimes we're inclined to say that the Bible says certain things that it doesn't say.
That is, there are some things, some people that say, well, the Bible says the Earth's only 6000 years old. It doesn't say that. It doesn't say that. It does say that the first man was Adam.
That's that's true. You can take your stand on that as firmly as you like and you'll never be shaken from it because it's the truth of God. The first man Adam was made a living soul.
Yes, but the Bible doesn't say the Earth's only 6000 years old, it doesn't say there weren't prehistoric animals, doesn't tell you it contains all things that sustain under life and godliness.
And sometimes people say things that the Bible doesn't say. But I caution you, be careful. But if the Bible says a thing.
Nothing's going to change it all. The advance of science will never contradict one statement of this blessed book.
Not one statement, anything that seems to contradict it is what Timothy calls opposition to science, falsely so-called. But another thing too I want to say, and that is never use the expression science proves the Bible. Turn it around. The Bible proves science.
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What was called science five years ago.
Is not called science today in some things.
Two years ago, they thought they couldn't flip the atom.
Brian said the atom can't be split.
Not a few years later, science said the atom could be slipped. You see, they science so-called changes.
Its oppositions of science falsely so tall. The truth of God never changes never changes. The Bible didn't say Adam couldn't be slipped. That was what man called science and then he changed this blessed book is ever the same all take your stand the Connor for not only this dear young people, but not only.
Answer some of these things, but this is most important.
It gives us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who hath called us to or by glory and virtue.
The Bible does tell us certain things about how this world was created and so on.
It brings before us rather and most importantly.
The knowledge of him.
It's a person. It's a person. The Lord Jesus knowledge will never keep anybody.
But a person will.
Christ, Have you got Christ? Dear young people, have you got Christ as your Savior?
He called us by glory and virtue. What is it that makes us content to give up the things of this world?
Only one thing, we have something better. We have something better. He's called us by glory, all the glory that is ahead of us.
If God created this seed in which we live, and sin has spoiled it all, how wonderful. He's called us by glory. And as we had in our reading this morning, there's a real man up there in the glory, God's beloved Son, and I want to direct your gaze to him. This world and all it has to offer is going to disappoint us.
That disappointed everybody that's gone after it, but it won't disappoint you if you know what the Bible says about it. If I heard that the building across the way was going to be burned down tomorrow, when when I saw it being burned down, I said, well, I was told about that anyway. It doesn't come to surprise to me. God told us here, young people, don't build your hopes here and you'll not be disappointed.
We've been called by glory and virtue. It is not for us to be seeking our bliss.
And building our hopes in a region like this, we seek for a city which hands have not filed. We pan for a country by sin undefiled.
Hold on to set your hopes down here. God has given you all you need for your pathway here. He's interested in your pathway. He's interested in the part that you choose. He's interested in the job you have. He's interested in the school you attend. He's interested in the food you eat. Yes, He's interested in everything. You're the Father's care, but He's called you by glory.
Got something better?
He's the captain of our salvation, leading us through an enemy's land. But all we're not going to stay here, dear young people. Our home's not here. And all I love to see dear young people start out in life realizing they have a father's care over them, but not expecting to find their home down here. You're only going to be disappointed if you do.
And he's called us by glory and virtue, and virtue that he is. He's not only set the glory before us, but He's given us the courage to go along against the strange.
Called us by glory and virtue, for by heart. Given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.
That by these he might be partakers of the divine nature.
All. Not only has God marked out the past then.
But he has actually given us the nature that's suited to heaven. Isn't that lovely?
He has given us the nature that suited to heaven.
The transplanted mum say man put him in heaven, he'd be miserable, he'd want to get out, he couldn't enjoy it. But we have been called to that place and we've been made partakers of the divine nature.
And that's how we escape the corruption that is in the world through life.
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That's how we escape it. You can't escape it otherwise, unless you have a nature that's suited to heaven.
Why? If your nature is only suited to this world, you'll live for this world. Now just turn over the page to the second chapter.
20th birth.
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
They are again entangled therein and overcome the latter, and is worse with them in the beginning.
Some people take this risk to say you can be lost again, but the scripture is marvelously accurate. That's why I tell you to acquaint yourself well, well with it. Now I want to call attention. Notice the difference in the word?
In the 1St chapter, in the fourth verse it says having escaped the corruption, and in the 2nd chapter in the 20th verse it says they've escaped the pollution.
The corruption is the inward thing. The pollution is the outward thing.
And maybe if you brought up in a Christian home, you've escaped a lot of the pollutions of the world. Your father and mother have stepped in. But unless you've got a divine nature.
You'll go back to them, they'll go back to them. We've seen lots of the children the same and they escaped the pollution in their childhood, but they went back to them when they got older because they didn't have a divine nature. The job given us the divine nature.
A divine nature exceeding great and precious promises. We have a life that belongs to heaven.
And we've been called by glory and virtue. And so our home is up there.
And so how lovely this is. You have the power, dear young people, you have the life.
And that's why I'm talking to you this way this afternoon.
Because I know that every saved person here has, underneath everything, a desire to please the Lord.
Now what is brought before us in the few verses that followed, which I didn't read, I just skipped over and read one or two at this point. That is, that there needs to be an energy of faith to see that these things that God has put in there are developed in our lives, and so an entrance will be ministered unto us abundantly.
Abundantly, every gift that has Christ on board, if I can speak that way, is going to enter the heavenly harbor. But everyone's not going to have an abundant entrance. And dear young people, as I look over your faces and I see you here in the meetings.
And the time comes that if the Lord leaves us here, you grow up into young manhood and young womanhood. Remember that you're, as it were, filling up the vessel. And what are you filling it up with? Are you going to have an abundance?
Are you filling your mind with the precious things of Christ?
Are you going for that port of eternal glory? Are you going to try the port of pleasure and the port of fame and all the others on the way? You're a child of God. You're going to get to the port of eternal glory.
But he doesn't want you to get in there with all the cargo thrown overboard. He doesn't want you to get in there with everything lost.
Thank God we've obtained, like precious faith through the righteousness of God and of our Savior, our entry into the glory depending upon the work of Christ.
Your young people, the chart is the chart is given, the power is given, the life is given, the faith is given, the courage is given. All that we need. Now are we going to add these things to our faith? Are we going to accept, as it were, our sights for the heavenly glory and ask Him for the grace to go on for Him?
With that port of eternal glory before us, Oh dear young people, I appeal to you.
I appealed here. You can have a very unhappy life, our brother said yesterday. Are you happy? You ought to be a dear young people. You can't be happy if you're going after the things that are in disobedience to the word of God. If you're slighting this blessed book, and if you're not giving the Lord Jesus his rightful place in your life, it can't be happy.
Oh, May God grant that each one of our hearts shall be directed from earth to heaven.
To see that blessed, precious Savior. And oh, what a joy it is as we meet dear young people from year to year at these general meetings, to see that they're a little farther on toward the port of eternal glory. That's where the Lord is soon going to call us. He's going to take us there all. May God grant that we won't try all the harbors of this world along the way. He wants you to have an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom.
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Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, may He grant that Christ might be more the all sufficient objects and portions of our hearts.
Responsibility
Discerning Clean and Unclean